Is it too hot to cloth diaper? One complaint we’ve heard about cloth diapers is that they’re just too bulky and warm for babies, especially in the warmer months. Here in Portland, Oregon, our heat waves don’t last too long, and I never switched over to disposables because I was worried about overheating my baby. A quick search for “summer diapers” yielded only one result: the Blueberry Deluxe diaper in “blue s…

I didn’t with my first child.  They seemed so much more expensive than the standard brand that I couldn’t bring myself to make the switch.  Then, with my second baby, Rebecca inspired me to make the leap to cloth wipes.  They’re easy, incredibly inexpensive, and much more eco-friendly than green disposable wipes.  (I just picked up a few packs of baby washcloths at the dollar store and that three-dollar investment is holding strong almost two ye…

If you read last week’s post on A Short History of Diapering in America, you know that I’m both a history nerd and a cloth diapering geek–which make me wonder about obscure subjects.  Like diaper rash in colonial times, Native American treatments for mastitis, and midwives in the wild west.  I’m pretty sure no one else does that! I’ve struggled with cloth diapering at night with my children, but then wondered how al…

First the good news: In the 2.5 years my daughter wore diapers, I bought just six packs of disposables. I thought that was pretty impressive, though I’m sure some of the cloth diaper aficionados around here managed to do even better. We used cloth for nighttime and nap time and even managed to use cloth on a few vacations. The disposables came in handy for a few trips that involved plane travel and lack of laundry facilities. Photographic evid…

BumGenius and Fuzzibunz dominate the top five list, but Thirsties edged both of them out for the number one position! Why Thirsties? I’m guessing it’s the winning combination of the cute design and affordable price. Thirsties Duo Wrap Snap , Blackbird, Size One ($13.75) (Note: This diaper is now disqualified, as it is just a cover–NOT a pocket diaper. See the comments.) bumGenius One-Size Cloth Diaper 4.0 – Grasshopper – Sn…

Yesterday was quite a day for Joy and me. As we pounded the pavement in Portland, Oregon, knocking on the doors of prenatal massage clinics and baby shops to spread the word about our book, The Eco-nomical Baby Guide, we stumbled into Eco-baby Gear. Imagine our surprise and delight when we spotted our book on display right in the middle of the store! But it gets even better. There, before our eyes, was an entire rack of soft, adorable GroVia h…

Two lucky readers are going to have a very, very good week! One of them will receive three One Size Fuzzibunz cloth diapers and the other will score a Fuzzibunz In and out Mess Free Hanging Diaper Pail and a bag of Rockin’ Green Laundry Soap. What great supplies for all your cloth diapering adventures! Prize #1 Three One Size FuzziBunz Pocket Diapers If you aren’t yet a FuzziBunz fanatic, you may soon be converted. They are soft, absorben…

Yesterday Joy attempted to solve her nighttime cloth diapering problem using cloth diaper history. Ever since we started the Green Baby Guide in 2007, she’s been puzzling over her nighttime diaper dilemma, and after trying many of our readers’ suggestions, she still hasn’t found a way to prevent yeast infections with nighttime cloth diapering. Two Chinese prefolds plus a basic diaper cover = my nighttime cloth diaper solution I, on the…

At a book signing awhile ago, a pregnant friend of a friend approached me with a few cloth diapering questions.  With glee, I launched from my chair and flew to the diapering section of the baby boutique that was hosting the event.  While holding up striped diaper covers, flowered pocket diapers and hemp pre-folds I described the pros and cons of each, outlined care instructions and summarized costs.  I think I may have also been gesturing wildl…

…an no more problems with pants fitting. suzannah my daughter is on the small side, so it hasn’t really been an issue since the beginning when our one-size-fits-all mother-ease were really huge on her. i def couldn’t get size 0-3 mos jeans or cords over the bulk then, but now it’s not a problem.

just size up if you need. i told people in the beginning that we were cloth diapering, so that if they were buying clothes for shower gifts they’d co…