Green Peas Cloth Diapering Blog

Thanksgiving Sale

2008-11-24T16:45:00.000-08:00

Check out our incredible sales on Knickernappies 1G, Drybees AIO's and Pocket diapers, Melissa and Doug toys, ImagiPlay toys, and more. Sale runs through December 3rd.

Also all diaper purchases before November 30th will be automatically entered to win a free 6 pack of LoopyDo inserts. Winner will be notified via email on November 30th.

Easy Cloth Diapering Laundry Routine

2008-09-08T08:51:00.000-07:00

Find a garbage can with a lid and foot pedal. You don't want to be fiddling with a lid when your hands are full of a dirty diaper. Most standard pail liners fit a 13 or 14 gallon can. I have one similar to this at target, although mine is slightly smaller and has a foot pedal not the infrared sensor. You can also use something like this plastic can.

Buy two liners. One for the pail, one for laundry. You don't want to have dirty diapers piling up while you wait for your one liner to dry.

When you change a diaper, have all supplies ready, get your wipe wet if you need it, have the next diaper on hand and ready to go. Remove soiled diaper. For newborns who are breastfed, the poop will come out in the wash, so don't worry about removing poop from the diaper. Toss the whole thing in the diaper pail. For older babies, if the bm is solid, dump it into the toilet (it is really helpful to have your changing table near the toilet- if your bathroom is too small, take the diaper off, set it aside and put a new one on the baby, then take care of the diaper) if the bm is runny, you may want to consider using flushable liners. Liners that are not flushed down the toilet with poop on them can go in the laundry and be reused until they fall apart. Diaper sprayers attach directly to the plumbing of the toilet and work like a kitchen sink sprayer, they can be useful for spraying poop of the diaper and into the toilet. I have not used them, because the liners work for me, and I have concerns about overspray. Many cloth diapering moms swear by them, so they are something to look into.

After the poop is removed from the diaper, place the diaper inside the diaper pail. If the cover is mess free, set it on your changing table to air out for use at the next change. Covers can be rotated several times before they need to be washed (unless they get poop on them).

When the diaper pail is full (or full enough to really start smelling (my pail is quite a bit smaller than those I recommended, which was purposeful- it holds just the right amount of diapers for one load)) take the liner full of diapers and empty it into the washing machine. Do a quick wash, a short presoak, or a rinse. No soap, on cold. If the diapers are especially poopy, you might want to go with the wash cycle. Next, add 1/4 the amount of detergent- you can see the diaper jungle link below for a chart on detergents. I use Tide, even though it is not recommended on the diaper jungle chart. It gets the diapers clean and I've never had a problem with rashes. If you find a detergent that works for you, stick with it. There are lots of detergents and you never know how your baby will react to them.

If your diapers are especially smelly, add a little baking powder. If you have hard water, put a little vinegar in the fabric softener spot in your washer. Do not use fabric softener, it will coat your diapers and lead to leaking problems.

If the load is small enough, I add the rest of the family's whites to help cut down on water use.

Wash on hot. With an extra rinse and spin and the end. The extra spin helps get more water out so that they will dry faster.

Hang to dry. The sun works wonders to keep diapers stain free- if outdoors is not an option, air drying inside works just fine. If you don't like the hardness of the diapers after air drying, put them in the dryer for 5 minutes to soften them up.

Don't use dryer sheets, they can affect the absorbency of the diapers and lead to leaks.

Helpful cloth diaper laundering links:
Thirsties Cloth Diaper Care
Diaper Pages
Diaper Jungle Wash Tips
Diaper Jungle Detergent Chart

Thank You!

2008-04-14T19:46:00.001-07:00

Green Peas has been voted Best Diaper Dandies in the 2008 Salt Lake Weekly Best of.

Look down at the seventh listing

Introducing Knickernappies Disposanots and Inserts

2008-01-07T13:32:00.001-08:00

Knickernappies Diapers are a trim-fitting, side-snapping, mid-rise pocket diaper. They feature a super-soft custom-milled microfleece inner and a waterproof PUL outer. While they are trim fitting, they will accomodate almost any insert, including a prefold!

Knickernappies also feature elastic at both the waist and back. This keeps messes where they belong: in the diaper! With hidden snaps and gentle leg elastic, Knickernappies are designed for your baby's comfort.

Side snaps give this diaper a very smooth fit across the tummy. No more poofing or drooping! In addition, side snaps are great for curious toddlers who have mastered aplix or front-snapping diapers!

Knickernappies also feature a ONE YEAR guarantee on snaps AND elastic! No other diaper company offers one year on elastic. But after all, a diaper should last a year!

Also, for a limited time, we'll be giving away one free Knickernappies Disposanot pocket diaper each week (color and size may be chosen by the winner). Customers who place an order will automatically be entered. One name will be drawn randomly, and winners will be notified Friday mornings.

Coming Soon...

2008-01-03T20:04:00.000-08:00

Watch for Knickernappies Disposanots to be appearing in our online store. After testing Disposanots on our own personal diaper-testing-equipment (our 8 month old), we've decided to carry them in our store, along with loopy-do's and SuperDo's - Hemp and Microfiber inserts.

Exciting Announcements for Green Peas Baby!

2007-12-31T12:22:00.001-08:00

GreenPeasBaby.com has some exciting announcements.

Local pickup and delivery are now available.

Local delivery is now available to locations between Kaysville, UT and 1300 South in Salt Lake City. The fee for delivery will be the same as the shipping charges. Please make a note during checkout to let me know you'd like your item(s) delivered, or if you use a method of checkout that does not allow for a note to be included, email me and let me know you'd like delivery. Items will generally be delivered the next business day, although same day delivery is sometimes possible.

Local pick up is free and can be arranged by emailing me at greenpeasbaby@gmail.com. Shipping will still be charged for local pick-up items if they are ordered through the website. To get around this, you may either email me your order, and I'll send an invoice (or you may pay with cash or check in person) or coming this spring, Green Peas Baby will begin offering in person diaper consultations, where you can learn about how to use cloth diapers and purchase them in person.

Now Available!

2007-09-27T15:01:00.000-07:00

Toy Recalls

2007-09-27T09:04:00.000-07:00

With all the toy recalls these days, parents may wonder what toys are safe for their children. Here's a link to the Consumer Product Safety Commission with information about all the latest recalls.

ImagiPLAY wooden toys are lead free, so no worries here!

Green Peas Announcement!

2007-09-19T11:18:00.000-07:00

Now at Greenpeasbaby.com, free shipping on all orders over $80.00.

Baby Cubes

2007-09-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

I've tried to stock my online store with items that I think are useful, high quality, and just plain cool. My favorite items are the baby cubes. I bought myself a set, but I think when the baby is old enough to be eating baby food, I'm going to have to get more. I currently have the small 1oz size, which will be great for my little one who is just about to start out on solids. I've also read that the small sized cubes are good for older babies if you want to feed them more than one type of food at a time.

I'm going to buy a couple of the larger 2oz size baby cubes soon, because I had an epiphany when I was packing my son's lunch for school. I use several small tupperware type containers to hold all his food, and I realized the 2oz baby cubes would work really well for making pudding and jello and things like that instead of buying the small containers of those things, plus they will be easier for him to open than some of the other containers I've sent him to school with.

I'm trying to think back and remember what baby foods I made for my last baby. I think his favorites were sweet potatoes and avacados (not together- and the avacados might have been my favorite, I can't remember). I steamed the sweet potatoes, peeled them, mixed them in the blender (sometimes adding some of the water from steaming them if it is too thick. I used to put the baby food into ice cube trays, then the frozen cubes went in a ziplock bag. The baby cubes will be better because I won't have to deal with cubes sticking together.

One word of warning, from my reading reviews on baby cubes, if you overfill them, the lids will pop open in the freezer.

(Oh- the baby cubes in the picture are the larger 2oz size- they come with 8 cubes. The smaller 1oz size comes with 10.)

Toys with Integrity

2007-08-24T10:05:00.000-07:00

I love these toys (I'm getting the nativity puzzle before Christmas this year!) Here's more information about them, from the Imagiplay website:

Kids are the future! If we’re to create a brighter future for our world, we need to instill environmental awareness in our children. Green toys teach kids to think about where things come from and where they’ll go—an early lesson in environmental responsibility and responsible buying.

ImagiPLAY is committed to the development and distribution of open-ended educational toys and children’s accessories that inspire their imaginations, introduce them to the wonders of the natural world around them, and nurture their sense of discovery. We are equally committed to producing only high-quality products using materials and processes that show respect for our planet and all the people and creatures upon it.

Every toy we produce is earth friendly, child safe and people kind. That is our commitment to our children and their planet.

Child Safety
Child safety is our highest priority. We test every material and paint in our products to insure it meets or exceeds US and European standards.

Our Toys are Made from What?
Everything we produce is made from renewable, sustainable materials.
Rubberwood
Our solid wood toys are made from plantation-grown, chemical-free rubberwood. Rubber tree plantations have existed for hundreds of years in tropical countries. Rubber trees produce a sap that is used to make latex products. At the end of their latex-producing years (generally 25-30 years) the trees are harvested and new ones planted. The wood used to be burned, until people realized these wonderful trees had one more gift to give, that of their beautiful hardwood, which we use to make our hardwood toys.
MDF (medium density fibreboard)
Some of our toys utilize MDF, which is an engineered wood product formed by breaking down softwood particles (sawdust) into wood fibres combining it with wax and resin, and forming panels by applying high temperature and pressure. In other words, compressed sawdust. Again we are utilizing the byproducts of another industry. MDF is similar to but denser than particleboard and we use it in some of our playsets to create play structures that are thin (lightweight), yet rigid. The MDF we use is formaldehyde free and tested for child safety.
Bamboo
Bamboo is a fast growing wood-like grass that is fast becoming popular in products ranging from cutting boards, bowls and plates to wood flooring. The beautiful natural look of bamboo is ideal for creating lovely keepsake storage boxes for some of our toys and our designers are busy developing it for use in children’s toys, for which it is ideal because it is lightweight, flexible and strong. Best of all, it shows our children that there are creative alternatives to ravaging our forests.
Other materials
We are constantly on the lookout for other environmentally friendly materials to develop into high quality toys. If you have any suggestions, please contact us at info@ImagiPLAY.com

Minimal carbon footprint
Every step of our toy production from seed to shelf is carefully thought out to minimize impact on the earth. Most wooden toys distributed in this country are made from Pine and made in China. The raw Pine is primarily produced in Canada, shipped to China where the toy is produced then shipped back to North America as a finished product! We see this excessive shipping as a senseless waste of natural resources. We select factories that are close to our raw materials to avoid this needless expenditure of gas, oil and greenhouse gases.

Our Toys are Made Where and by Whom?
We are proud to contribute to the growth of many developing nations by crafting our toys in small, mostly family run factories around Asia.

The rubberwood used to make our toys is grown in Southeast Asia, so our rubberwood toys are crafted in Sri Lanka, Viet Nam and some carefully selected factories in China. We have several factories in and around Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka. Our factories are placed close to the neighborhoods where our workers live. The majority of our factory workers walk or ride their bikes to work each day.

Bamboo is primarily grown in China, which is where we craft our bamboo boxes and toys and some of our Rubberwood toys.

We visit every factory to insure:
There is no child labor
Workers are paid a fair, living wage
Workers are provided with a clean, safe environment to work
Workers are treated with respect and dignity
Only local workers are utilized

Get Thirstie

2007-08-10T13:12:00.000-07:00

I love Thirsties diaper covers. They fit well, contain my baby's newborn-poop explosions and look adorable. I need to buy him some more t-shirts because the onesies hide the cute covers.

Where do I start?

2007-08-08T10:57:00.000-07:00

There are many options when it comes to cloth diapering. Cloth diapering can be much less expensive than using disposables or it can be as expensive as you want to make it. Well start off with the simplest (and least expensive) cloth diapering system. This is what I use on my own baby.

Prefolds and Covers

Unless you are expecting a very small baby (my 8lb baby only wore the newborn sized diapers for two weeks, and he could have worn the infant size right away), start with 2-3 dozen infant sized Indian Prefolds, and 6 covers. You can get by on fewer covers, but with six you should be able to go 2-3 days between washes. Prefolds can be folded in a variety of ways, and then secured with pins or a snappi, or they can be folded in thirds and laid flat in a cover (although I have found this method does not adequately contain my baby's explosions).

Fitteds

Fitteds also require a cover, but do not need to be folded, since they are already diaper-shaped and generally have snaps or velcro to hold them onto your baby. Fitteds diapers are sometimes preferred on newborns, since it is easier to fit them on such tiny babies. If you are using solely fitted diapers, you will want 2-3 dozen. Keep in mind that newborns need to be changed much more often than older babies, so they will go through more diapers (luckily, their diapers are so easy to wash!).

AIO's and Pockets

All in one's (AIO's) are the most expensive, but simplest to use. They do not require any covers, it's all built in. The downside is that they take longer to dry. One solution for drying time is the pocket diaper. These AIO's have a pocket in them where you can insert a special pad, or a folded prefold for extra absorbency, and then they are removed prior to washing and drying. You'll want enough to last between washing, so figure out how many changes a day times the number of days you want to go between washing 24 diapers will require washing about every other day, 36, every 3rd day. Younger babies will go through more than older babies, so as the baby gets older, you won't need as many.

Accessories

You'll also want a diaper pail (I use a garbage can with a lid that can be opened with a foot pedal) and two diaper pail liners.

It's useful to have at least two small wet bags for stowing dirty diapers when you are away from home.

The easiest and cheapest way to do wipes is to buy inexpensive baby wash cloths. I keep mine dry, but have a water bottle (the peri bottle from the hospital works great) nearby to wet them. Some people keep their wipes in a wipe warmer with some water.

Snappis are much easier to use than pins since there is no risk of poking the baby (or your fingers). I have one, but two would be nice.

Flushable Liners are great once babies start eating solid foods, they catch the poop and can be flushed down the toilet (they can be used in disposable diapers too, since theoretically poop in disposables is supposed to get flushed..)

Cloth diapering can seem overwhelming at first, but take the leap, and you will see how fun and easy it is. The most important thing about cloth diapering is to do what works for you. If you are comfortable using only cloth, good for you! If you use disposables while traveling, that's okay too. I've found that for short trips away from home, cloth diapers are a breeze as long as I bring my wet bag to carry the used diapers home in. For camping trips, I've found disposables easier.

You can do it!

I can do it!

2007-07-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

In 2001, when I was pregnant with my first child, J, I looked into using cloth diapers. My only experience with cloth had been babysitting a younger cousin. My teen-age-memories (accurate or not) of changing those diapers were streaked with chemical-smelling diapers and an acrid diaper pail full of who-knows-what. Those memories planted a seed of fear that grew the more I read. I read about wet pails, and dunking and rinsing. I read about Indian prefolds and Chinese prefolds and flat diapers and more acronyms than I could keep straight. I wanted to use cloth diapers, but I was afraid and overwhelmed.

Two and a half years later when my second son came along, I had brief thoughts of switching to cloth, but again was afraid of getting out of the familiar routine. My second son, A wore disposables and suffered from near-constant diaper rash. We tried several different brands of diapers, different brands of wipes, and when he was older, we tried switching to soy milk to see if milk had been causing the rash. In the end, we ended up going through tubes and tubes of diaper rash ointment.

When A was 2 1/2, my husband and I were thrilled to discover we were expecting number 3, also a boy. I was determined to break away from my comfortable routine and do what I had wanted to do five years earlier. I read some more, and this time, found a wonderful website written by Karen Fegelman, full of information that I could relate to.

I’ve had a hard time describing to friends and family my exact reasons for using cloth diapers, and I admit I have told people that I do it because it’s cheaper. It is cheaper, but that has not been my main motivator. I didn't want to tell people I was doing it to "save the planet" because I thought I'd get funny looks (and I have). I feel good about using cloth diapers, and I think that they are less wasteful than disposable, but that has not been my main motivator either. My main motivator is difficult to put into words. Cloth diapering has just felt natural to me.

All I had to do was over come my fear.

From reading Karen’s site, I learned that I wanted to use prefolds, with a cover, and I discovered Snappi’s (which have fascinated my mother, who expected to see pins on my baby’s diaper). I learned that I could wash the diapers at home and that it wasn’t hard or scary. I learned that I could do it.

I switched A to cloth diapers a few months before the new baby, C, was born. Being a three-year-old, he wasn’t thrilled with the new amount of bulk. Cloth diapers are bulkier than disposables, but within a week, it was business as usual. He learned quickly where to position himself when I put the diaper on the floor. Sometimes I think he could diaper himself. He’s learned all the terminology, and best of all, he hasn’t had any diaper rashes. For him, cloth diapers have been a good transition to toilet training.

When C was born, I could hardly wait to use the new cloth diapers I had waiting for him. In my excitement, I ordered 2 dozen preemie diapers thinking that my third son would be small like his brothers. C was over 8lbs, and at birth, was already too big for the preemie diapers to fit well, so I quickly ordered the next size up. Cloth diapering C has been like coming home. It’s something that deep down, I wanted to do, but just didn’t know how.

Allie is a stay at home mom to her three sons, J, A, and C. She is grateful for a husband who shares in the joy and the mess of diapering. She can be reached at greenpeasbaby@gmail.com. Cloth diapering is addicting, and Allie wants to help any one who wants to cloth diaper take that first leap.