So it looks like we are switching up our cloth routine, again (I'm really happy about this). When we change our routine, it's because there is a flaw with the previous one. The biggest challenge (which isn't very big) of cloth diapering is definitely the cleaning process for my family. Solids, like we expected, changed the game of cloth for us. The buildup has been a lot more frequent, and I refuse to let my child wear these awful smelling diapers. When we were in Texas, I stripped Bug's diapers and *poof* the buildup and smells were gone. After a few uses, the smells came back, even with the frequent use of Bac out. Luckily, for us we had to time to figure out another method for stripping. Whenever we travel we use biodegradable disposables, so Ava wasn't in cloth for a little over two weeks. As soon as we got our cloth accessories, I knew exactly what I wanted to change in order to keep Ava bug's diapers fresh and good. Instead of soaking cloth diapers, wipes, etc. in rock in green, we opted to use the rock in green, funk rock.

All it took was 60 minutes of soaking in our tub (you can use the washer or sink) and our diapers smelled better than when we first put them in. The final step was adding a rinse cycle, than washing your diapers like you normally would. As soon as the diapers were done with the rinse cycle, I took one out, and I smelled NOTHING. I was so pleased that the funk rock worked so well. The true test was using them and then washing again... NOTHING! We did switch our wash routine around a little bit, so I'm curious if switching the amount of detergent, wash routine, and new stripping method is the new cause for our diapers being stench free. 

Wash Routine

Normal Cycle w/ two scoops of rock in green 

Warm Wash

Rinse

Normal Cycle w/ one scoop of rock in green

Hot Wash

Rinse

Extra rinse w/ no detergent at all

Stripping Routine

Toss all cloth accessories in tub,sink,or washer

Add hot or warm water to soak the cloth accessories in

add 4 tbsp of rock in funk to the hot water

allow cloth accessories to sit for 30-60 minutes (for best results soak overnight)

rinse diapers 

Wash like normal, with your desired cloth friendly detergent. 

Overall, I'm really pleased with our recent changes. Before we changed our stripping routine, our diapers spent hours soaking in the tub. The amount of time has downsized, and the smell is even better. Hopefully there aren't too many more surprises in our cloth journey. I'd like to get our routine perfected for future Howl babies! If any of my readers ever have any questions or concerns, I'm always willing to lend an ear, or answer in anyway I can. A lot of people contact me via facebook (which is great), but you can always comment on the posts I publish. 

Happy Monday all! 

♥- Leilani

Stripping!

After six solid months of cloth diapering, I am finally stripping Ava's cloth diapers. I definitely think solids changed the game of cloth for us, but it hasn't been too difficult of a change. We finally said good bye to Ava's small sized prefolds (they've joined her newborn prefolds) and we will be adding medium sized prefolds to our stash (thank you grandma). Prefolds still remain my favorite and I cannot believe that we are moving onto the next size that green mountain diapers provide. Justin has been super giddy about all of our fluff lately. He knows that Howl baby # 2 will be all set with their diapering needs. Although I attempted to cloth diaper Ava from the time we were in the hospital, I know that I'll feel even more confident using cloth from day one to potty training with our next child.

Our Stripping Routine

1. Remove all inserts from pocket diapers, remove all covers from prefolds, and make sure everything is separated and ready to go in the tub
2. Spray all stained inserts, covers, or pockets with biokleen's bac-out and allow them to sit for five minutes
3. Fill the bathtub with hot water, and add four scoops of Rockin' Green to the tub (or desired detergent)
4. Add all cloth wipes, prefolds, covers, pocket diapers, etc. to the hot, soapy, tub
5. Agitate the cloth every thirty minutes
6. Allow the cloth accessories to soak for 2.5 hours
7. Rinse all the water from the diapers
8. Take the cloth to the washer
9. Rinse cloth in COLD water
10. Repeat rinse at least 4-5 times to get all the suds out

** Bac out is extremely safe on your cloth diapers, and I encourage everyone to use it if you are facing odor problems or stains. 

I hope all my fluff mom's are able to use this as a starting guide for stripping their diapers. Diapers do not need to be stripped nearly as often when you have a great wash routine! 

♥- Leilani

Cloth and Breast

A lot of changes are being made in our home this month and I couldn't be more thrilled. For starters, cloth diapers. YES we are still cloth diapering Ava. We will continue to cloth diaper her until she is set for potty training. Ava just recently outgrew her newborn stash of prefolds. Justin is so excited because this means she finally fits into ALL of her pocket diapers we purchased for her! (He now favors them over any other diaper) I tried a birth to potty training diaper on Miss A and her bum looks so stinkin' cute in them. We have decided to continue to utilize the newborn prefolds by using a different fold method:

tri-folding the prefold and inserting it into a diaper cover. The neat thing about diaper covers are that they have a designated flap on the front of the diaper were you can tuck the prefold in. Just ensuring that any waste is being kept inside the diaper. Once Ava outgrows the absorbency we will retire the newborn stash and use them with baby # 2. So far everything with cloth diapering continues to be a breeze, even on the go. In fact, my husband changed our daughter while on the go for the first time yesterday. We ate dinner at the Olive Garden and they indeed have a changing area in the men's restroom. He carted Ava, her infant seat, and our diaper bag into the restroom and had no trouble. Diapering on the go is different anyways, diapering with cloth adds more steps. I was so proud of him for feeling confident about that. A lot of people have asked what my wash routine looks like with my HE washer and dryer, so here it goes:

On a medium light cycle (I wash every other day)

Two tablespoons of rockin' green

Normal cycle

cold wash

Two tablespoons of rockin' green

Normal cycle

hot wash

No soap

rinse and spin

tap water 

Dry on high heat

two cycles to maximize quilts in prefolds

I do not dry inserts, covers, or pocket diaper shells. I continue to hang dry them. 

I'm feeling extremely confident about cloth and continue to spread the word about how much better of a diapering system it is for little ones. A friend of mine mentioned how much money we would have spent by now on disposable diapers, diaper rash cream and formula, I calculated it with just a generic brand of diapers and even then the savings were outrageous! 

Even though we will be using biodegradable disposables for our trip to New York in a couple weeks, I already budgeted that into our diapering costs, and that's for 10 days. I feel better knowing biodegradable diapers won't end up in landfills.

Speaking of breast feeding...

I'm over 6 weeks in and I continue to love all the benefits of sole breastfeeding. I went back and forth with this decision and sadly, my exclusively breastfeeding journey is coming to an end. We are still breastfeeding, but starting SOON I will be pumping and expressing milk into bottles for Miss A. Even with Ava still being so tiny Justin wants to be able to have that bonding time that feedings present. I feel like that's fair. I know having a bottle will be a little easier than nursing all the time. I'm also going to start up a freezer stash! We decided not to invest in a bottle warmer. They are so unnecessary if you are patient. I'm going to defrost by allowing the sealed milk to soak in lukewarm water. That's the plan for now anyway. 

I love how financially aware parenting has made Justin and I. We are firm believers that there never needs to be a penny of wasted money. I've noticed a lot of new parents invest in items that really aren't needed or used. I've lost the whole, "but, it's cute" factor while out and about. Rather than splurging on something sweet that will last Ava a couple months, I'm investing that money into her college savings.  

This whole, "investments paying you back" ordeal has taken a huge toll on us. 

Also, I was nervous to share. Going back and forth with mixed feelings about publicly breastfeeding with my husband caused me to shy away from being daring with breastfeeding photos. He is slowly but surely coming around more and more. Feeling comfortable with me feeding in public was his challenge. Here is a photo from the Father's day shoot we had! 

Ava started fussing. And I, feeling comfortable as ever, pulled my dress down without cover in tow and fed her. I was so proud of myself this day.