This Just In: Bee All Natural skin care products

New at Cotton Babies: Bee All Natural skin care products. Bee All Natural was founded in 2009 when Rachel Nonis couldn't find the quality skincare products she was searching for. Tired of buying "natural" products that were petroleum based and filled with perfumes, she set-out to develop skincare products that would be safe for every member of the family.

Rachel, daughter of an organic dairy farmer, already believed in the connection between diet and health. She wanted the products she chose for her family's skincare to reflect the same quality and goodness as those that she chose for their nutrition.

The ingredients in Bee All Natural products are certified organic and are all "food grade" quality. Each product is made from scratch and never use pre-made bases. Packaging each batch herself, Rachel even designs and prints her own labels and carries each order to the post office or retail location. We are pleased to bring these fine products to our Cotton Babies stores and warehouse.

Bee All Natural Organic Baby Powder is talc and fragrance free. The Baby Body Butter has no preservatives, mineral oils, or petroleum. The avocado oil and shea butter in the body butter are extremely gentle and easily absorbed by skin. Baby Body Butter comes in both natural and lavender scents. The Intense Hand and Foot Salve is great for healing dry or cracked skin and has a great peppermint scent.

For other great new products at Cotton Babies, be sure to check out our "What's New" category.

Cloth Diapers 101: What detergent to choose?

What detergent to use with cloth diapers can be a hot topic with some and is a very personal decision based on many factors.

What works best for you may not work well for your friend who lives across town for a variety of reasons: how old your child is, what types of food they eat, whether you have hard or soft water, what type of washing machine you use and many more variables.

We often are asked what is the best detergent to use. Unfortunately, there is no one answer that suits everyone. To help you on your search to find the perfect laundry detergent for your cloth diapers, we'd like to introduce you to a great tool developed by the Real Diaper Industry Association. The Real Diaper Industry Association is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit advancing, networking and promoting the cloth diaper industry. Many cloth diaper manufacturers and retailers work together to try to provide the best information possible to help everyone be successful in their cloth diapering. That is why they provide the Detergent Determinator, a searchable database that lists a wide variety of laundry detergents with details about the type of ingredients they contain.

When you check the brand you are using, be sure to keep in mind that as manufacturer of bumGenius, Flip and Econobum cloth diapers, we suggest that you avoid the following ingredients:

• Optical brighteners - if the box mentions anything about making your colors brighter or your whites whiter, don't buy it. Optical brighteners remain in your clothing and are designed to "bend the light" so you see the colors brighter or whiter. They do nothing to extend the life of your clothing. Optical brighteners caused buildup.
• Enzymes - if the box talks about removing certain kinds of stains easily, don't buy it. Enzymes attack protein-based stains. Those same enzymes can react with your baby's skin and cause a mild rash.
• Perfumes/Fragrances - that mountain breeze is best left on the mountain where it came from. Really, perfumes and fragrances are oil based. Oils are left in fabrics when rinsed. Again, this can cause a diaper rash and buildup.
• Dyes - dyes can remain in your fabrics when rinsed, potentially causing diaper rash and buildup.

For best results, we recommend only using detergents that are free of all these ingredients. These will be noted by 5 green symbols on the RDIA Detergent Determinator chart. If you have further questions about your laundry routine, detergents or additives, give us a call at 1-888-332-2243, e-mail us at contactus@cottonbabies.com or live chat with us through the link on the bottom of the left hand column of www.cottonbabies.com

Cloth Diapers 101: What is a Stay Dry Doubler?

What is a stay dry doubler and why would I need to use it?

A stay dry doubler is an absorbent insert made of a layer of fleece, a fabric that will wick moisture away from your baby's bottom, as well as two layers of absorbent microfiber. These are ideal for those who use natural fiber inserts like prefolds or cotton fitteds, but need additional absorbency at night and a way to keep the moisture away from baby's bottom.

Jenn Labit said,

"I am absolutely thrilled with this product! We use prefolds with Andrew during the day and its always bothered me to know that his little bum was wet when his diaper got wet. With these doublers, he stays dry! Thanks to the Stay Dry Doublers, I may actually be able to use prefolds at night again..."

The Stay Dry Doubler is different from a stay dry liner because it has microfiber to absorb. Stay dry liners are simply a layer of fleece to wick moisture away without added absorbency.

Stay Dry Doublers are also a bit different from the bumGenius Diaper Doublers, also known as Newborn Inserts. The bumGenius Diaper Doublers are only microfiber and have no layer of fleece, so we do not recommend placing a bumGenius Diaper Doubler next to baby's bottom. bumGenius Diaper Doublers are great for inside a bumGenius 4.0 or other pocket style diaper.

For more information or personalized recommendations about inserts for your little one, give our customer service team a call at 1-888-332-2243, send an e-mail to contactus@cottonbabies.com, or chat with us live on www.cottonbabies.com (button on bottom bottom of left hand column). We'd be glad to assist you.

Have a question or suggestion for future Cloth Diapers 101 or Cloth Diapers 201 blog posts? Leave your question in the comments below.

Cloth Diapers 201: HELP! I need to use diaper cream!

One of the benefits of cloth diapering is that many parents discover they have less diaper rash once they switch to cloth. But sometimes life happens, be it a virus, food sensitivity, an unfortunate poopy diaper that stays on too long or other issue that can leave baby with a diaper rash. We get quite a few calls about how to safely use a diaper cream without ruining your cloth diapers or running the risk of voiding the warranty. Here are some of our favorite tips:

When using any cream or lotion product, we recommend using a barrier to protect your cloth diapers. Creams and lotion are designed to coat your baby's bottom and to repel moisture. Creams and lotions will cling to the inner fabric of your cloth diapers the same way it clings to your baby's bottom. The same ingredients that repel moisture to help baby's bottom to heal will repel moisture from the fabric of your cloth diapers, which can lead to leaking. So what is a parent to do?

Here are a few anecdotal tips and tricks from the Cotton Babies' staff:

• We recommend bumGenius Stay Dry Liners or Bummis Fleece Liners. Be sure to wash the liners separately from your cloth diaper laundry to avoid contamination.
• No local cloth diaper store and need a middle of the night solution? Try cutting up an old cotton flannel shirt or t-shirt to use as a liner in your cloth diaper.
• Don't want to worry about added laundry? Keep a Flip diaper cover and a set of Flip disposable inserts in your stash for a convenient diaper cream solution that won't add extra work to your laundry routine.
• If your pediatrician recommends using a diaper cream and you are looking for a product with natural ingredients, you may be interested in Angel Baby Bottom Balm, Grandma El's Diaper Rash Remedy & Prevention or Mother Love Diaper Rash & Thrush.

Remember, if your baby has recurring diaper rash, you should consult your pediatrician for further assistance.

2 Days to a Rash

Early Wednesday morning we welcomed Molly to our family.  Baby number 8 for us, she is rewriting the rules of the household already.  She is our smallest baby at 6lbs, 12oz.  My labor with her was one of my longer and harder labors, but we are recovering nicely and she is a champion sucker and has taken easily to breastfeeding.

Now all of my children have sensitive skin, so hers was really no surprise, except for how fast it showed itself.  Her second night was spent in the NICU as we tried to discern the nature of a heart arrhythmia.  Thankfully the heart arrhythmia is completely benign.  The tape they used for the tests, however, caused quite a reaction.

I thought I would share some of my thoughts on diapering a newborn, before I forget all about them again.  In bullets because most of my thoughts are brief and fleeting at this point postpartum.

• I bought chlorine free disposeable diapers, knowing I wouldn't feel much like doing laundry for a few days after her birth.  These cost a fair bit more than generic diapers, but I figured it was worth it to keep things more chemically simple for her newborn skin.
• The NICU we were at used Pampers diapers.  These were so heavily scented that I felt like I couldn't even smell my baby at all.  Just walking near her, all I could smell was that stupid diaper.
• But after less than 48 hours in those two kinds of diapers, everywhere they touched her skin was angry, red, and raw.
• So just as her little pee and poo factory was heading into full steam ahead, we switched her full time back to cloth, tossing out our expensive disposables.
• She generated her own load of diapers in just over 24 hours.  Need to get those washed quick, before she poops on another cover!!!
  
• Miss Molly likes to poop without a diaper on.  Any no matter how long I wait to start wiping her, she will poop more as soon as a wipe touches her butt.
• One diaper change took me through over 12 wipes (I stopped counting!) prompting me to dig out my cloth wipes as well.  Most of my babies haven't tended to use this many, but some babies just seem to make a big mess every time their diaper is off.  What freedom to not have to view these kinds of changes as money lost as your baby pees on each diaper as soon as it is set under their bottom!
• Kissaluvs Size 0 are still my absolute favorite newborn diapers, especially since Molly was so much smaller than my other kids.
• Having a newborn around is a very special time, but no matter how many times you do it, there is always a learning curve for this particular baby.
  

Good Detergent / Bad Detergent

Choose a good detergent for your cloth diapers is easy. When you purchase from Cotton Babies' detergent selection, anything you pick is fine. Cotton Babies ships all detergents for free using the coupon code GOODWASH. No minimum order. Order as often as you want to... we want you to take care of your diapers well.

Mainstream Detergents - We're often asked if there is a mainstream detergent available that is "safe" for cloth diapers. The answer is no. The least of the evils is Tide Free. Tide Free does not contain any fragrances, optical brighteners or dyes. It does contain enzymes though and will require diligence with rinsing your diapers well or more frequent diaper changes to avoid the mild diaper rash that can be caused by lingering enzymes from the detergent.

What To Avoid:

• Optical brighteners - if the box mentions anything about making your colors brighter or your whites whiter, don't buy it. Optical brighteners remain in your clothing and are designed to "bend the light" so you see the colors brighter or whiter. They do nothing to extend the life of your clothing. Optical brighteners caused buildup.
• Enzymes - if the box talks about removing certain kinds of stains easily, don't buy it. Enzymes attack protein-based stains. Those same enzymes can react with your baby's skin and cause a mild rash.
• Perfumes/Fragrances - that mountain breeze is best left on the mountain where it came from. Really, perfumes and fragrances are oil based. Oils are left in fabrics when rinsed. Again, this can cause a diaper rash and buildup.
• Dyes - dyes can remain in your fabrics when rinsed, potentially causing diaper rash and buildup.

Soggy Diaper Day

Every once in a while there comes a day when you just can't get a moment to change a diaper. This morning was like that for me.

Lily woke up around 6:45 and I changed her into a new bumGenius and put her jammies back on. A few moments later my 11 year old came up to me and pulled up his shirt, revealing a lovely speckled rash. Hmm... that is a trip to the doctor for sure. I already was keeping my six year old home, she needed a chance to sleep in because she had been up coughing much of the night.

I took some of the remaining kids to their respective schools and returned home in time to grab a slice of banana bread while I waited on hold for the doctor's office. When I finally got through, they gave me an appointment for both sickies, but I had to be there in 15 minutes. Only enough time to brush my teeth and grab kids and go. I should have changed Lily's diaper then, but it had only been a little over an hour at this point. Hindsight is 20/20.

I didn't bring my diaper bag, just my purse. My diaper bag was under a box (don't ask why) and with my hands full and running out the door... aren't those famous last words?

So we wait in the doctors office. And wait. And I realize I am going to regret not having my diaper bag with me.

Normally I would have stashed a diaper, a wet bag, and some wipes in my car, But as luck would have it, I cleaned out my car yesterday and removed everything so that my son could vacuum it out.

My 11 year old is diagnosed with strep and the 6 year old is treated for her asthma, and then the 6 year old realizes that this is a Very Special Day at school and she should not miss it. (She missed the last Very Special Day like this.) However she is still in her jammies, not in a school uniform. So I call my mother in law, who goes to my house and gets her uniform and meets me at the school. We get her set up and dressed just in time for her event.

I drop off prescriptions, only adding about 5 minutes to the total morning and head for home and a clean diaper, finally.

Let me tell you, that bumGenius weighted about 4 pounds, but it did not leak.

What's so great about wool?

There are all kinds of diaper covers out there to keep baby's clothes dry and the diaper mess contained. Some are very inexpensive and some are not. For those just getting started, you might wonder why someone would choose to pay over $40 for one diaper cover that needs some special care. There actually is a very good reason.

Because it is wool.

There are many reasons for choosing wool. It is a natural fiber, renewable, breathable, and while the care of wool diaper covers is a little pickier than most other covers, the times it needs care and attention are few and far between.

My favorite reason for the wool, is that no other fabric breathes like it and still contains the mess.

The best cure for a diaper rash is air. Letting baby go diaperless will allow irritated skin to heal faster than anything, but with a busy life and an even busier baby, that is a sure recipe for mess around my house. Putting baby in a diaper with no cover is an option, but again that can be hard if you are on the go or if it is cold out. Putting a wool cover over a cotton diaper is very nearly as good as leaving baby diaperless or at least coverless. Diaper creams have their place in curing rashes, but much of the time air works very well. Allowing baby's bottom some time each day with this breathable cover keeps the skin healthier.

Smells like... Nothin'

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to get your diapers really clean.

Ah, but what does this really mean? It means having nothing left on the diaper but the fabric itself. This is the reason that you want a detergent without brighteners, scents, dyes or fabric softeners. All of these things are meant to leave a little trace on your fabrics. It's all well and good to have some optical brighteners and scents cling to your t-shirt. But when it clings to the fabric of a cloth diaper and then you add in urine on top of that, there are going to be problems. You should be able to stick your face right into a clean diaper from the dryer or line and smell nothing. If you still smell something, you need to rinse some more.

Cleaning your cloth diapers means that you need to get all traces of pee, poop, sweat, dirt, and detergent out of the fabric before you are done. If any of that stuff is left on the diaper you will find yourself with smell problems and possibly rash problems as well. bumGenius Odor Remover is a new way to help break down the stinkies before you even wash.

Since everyone has different skin, water, and washing machines, no one recommendation is perfect for all. It may take a little trial and error to figure out the right detergent and number of rinses for your hardness of water, sensitivity of skin, washing machine, and kind of diaper before you find the right combination for your family. You may still need to use a little bleach every now and then to help strip out the stubborn stuff but you certainly won't need it with every wash. There are also other ways to strip your diapers (remove detergent or rash cream build up) like Dawn dish soap.

Taking a clean load of diapers out of the dryer is one of the small joys in life for me. But maybe I am just really weird.

For more detailed information see Cloth Diapering - Just the Basics.

Cloth Diapering Times Two!

Double the Diapers, Double the Pins, Double the Savings, We are having Twins!

(35 weeks pregnant with twins)

Finding out that we were expecting twins only made me want to cloth diaper that much more! When thinking about all the diapers we would go through with twins I could not imagine throwing all that into the trash... What I mean is spending literally thousands of dollors filling landfills with disposable diapers.

(5lb. newborn twins wearing

XS bumGenius! all- in -one diapers)

Cloth diapering twins has saved me time. One of the hardest things I have found with having twins is running errands. I am so glad my time is not spent running out for diapers. I also don't have to spend my time changing my boys outfits several times a day due to explosive poops up the back. I remember my daughter in disposable diapers, we would go through 2-3 outfits a day because of messes not contained in the disposables. I don't have time to be changing and cleaning up 2 babies all day. Besides that would really mess up their matching outfits, ha ha... With the cloth diapers everything is contained in the diaper, even the really messy ones. The big question I hear a lot is: What about all the laundry? I really do not notice the laundry side of it being anymore time consuming. I still do the same number of diaper loads, (1 everyother day or two.)

(5 months old twins wearing

bumGenius! one-size diapers)

Keeping my babies health in mind is very important to me. With cloth diapers there are no harsh chemicals like the ones found in disposable diapers. There are a lot of reports out there showing just how harmful the chemicals in disposable diapers can be, some of which can leave your baby's bottom red and even cause diaper rash. My boys are over 5 months old and have never had a diaper rash.

If any of you are considering not using cloth because you are having multiples or you will have more than one in diapers, I would suggest that you reconsider for the sake of time, money, the enviroment, and your babies bottoms!