Win a Change 3 Things T-shirt!

To celebrate reaching 5,000 "Likes" on the Change 3 Things Facebook page over the weekend, today we're giving away some Change 3 Things items to help you strike up conversations about cloth diapering.

We have a Change 3 Things t-shirt, silver silicone reminder bands, and Share Cards with some quick facts that you can hand out to those who ask you about the benefits of cloth diapering.

Today, we're giving away Change 3 Things promotional packs that will each include a t-shirt, 10 reminder bands and 25 share cards. To enter to win one of 10 packs we'll be giving out today, leave a comment telling us how you are sharing cloth diapers with friends, family and acquaintances.

Eligible entries must be posted today, Tuesday, February 22, 2011. U.S. Residents only. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win. Winners will be notified via e-mail.

Cloth Diapers 201: Help! My diapers are stained

As baby grows and changes, you may encounter substances that stain your cloth diapers from time to time. Certain foods, such a blueberries, or other substances you or your little one ingest (like medications or vitamins) can affect the color of the output.

We get lots of questions here at Cotton Babies about how to deal with stains.

Our first recommendation is to bleach your cloth diapers once a month. We recommend 1/4 cup of bleach added to the hot wash cycle if you have a high efficiency machine. You may use up to 1/2 cup of bleach if you have a traditional top-loading machine. This helps to sanitize your diapers and fight odors. Some customers like to add an additional rinse cycle when they bleach to ensure the diaper is thoroughly rinsed before it touches baby's bottom again.

If your stains don't come out with bleach, or if you prefer a more natural stain removal solution, we recommend sunning your diapers.

To sun the diapers:

After completing all your wash cycles, find a safe, sunny spot outdoors if possible.

Place diapers on a drying rack or other flat surface with the inside of the diaper facing the sun.

Let the sun work it's magic to dry and sanitize your diapers.

Some customers have success sunning indoors during the winter near a window. With modern windows that block UV rays, indoor sunning is usually less effective than outdoor.

Some stubborn stains make take more than one round in the sun to be completely removed.

This Just In: Change 3 Things materials

Earlier this week we shared with you the Change 3 Things Challenge for 2011. The goal is to have 100,000 parents committed to change at least 3 diapers a day. We believe 3 diapers is a manageable goal for that almost any parent can do.

To assist you as you share the benefits of cloth diapering with others, we've created some promotional materials. We've created a t-shirt and a silicone band that you can wear. Our hope is that these materials serve as conversation starters.

We also have designed Change 3 Things Share Cards with some quick facts that you can hand out to those who ask you about the benefits of cloth diapering.

The card asks: Did you know?

• One baby contributes at least 1 ton of waste in diapers alone to a local landfill.
• Disposable diapers are the third most common consumer product in landfills today.
• A disposable diaper may take up to 500 years to decompose.
• A family can spend $1500 to $2000 or more on disposable diapers by the time the baby has moved on to potty training.

Cards are available in a pack of 250 for $10.00 We are selling these cards at cost, as we have many requests for printed material that customers and cloth diaper educators can give out when asked about the benefits of cloth diapers.

We also are providing "Change Kits" with some of your favorite Cotton Babies cloth diapering products, packaged in multiples of three with a free silicone gift included. Great for yourself or to give as a gift to a friend who is curious about cloth diapering. All Change 3 Things products can be found..

Don't forget to join the challenge by clicking "Like" on the Facebook page. Share your story of cloth diapering and how you are sharing the benefits of cloth diapering with your family and friends by posting on the Change 3 Things wall.

Newborn Picks

So I am LOVING cloth diapering a newborn. He is now 4 weeks old. I have a lot of my first son's diapers saved but we started with a diaper service so the diapers I had are still too big on my newbie! Plus there are so many fun diapers out there that I needed to try! I consider him a business expense - to try out all my new products!

So Netanel was born Jan 17 weighing in at 7 lb 4 oz - perfect size! But he was also too small for some of the diapers that should fit a newborn. Plus we had the umbilical cord issue - what would fold down and not rub on it. So I'll share my faves!

Lil Joeys are awesome for newborns! They're a bit pricey, I agree. But they really fit perfectly. They're designed for 5-12 lb. We used them from the beginning, as they have a fold down for the umbilical cord. Plus they still fit great a month later, and I except to get at least another month or so use out of them. To top it all off, my 2 year old's favorite diaper is Rumparooz Ladder 6 - so now he has matching diapers with his little brother!

Tini Fits are also designed to fit 5-12 lb. They don't have the umbilical cut out and they were a bit big initially, but we love them now, at 4 weeks. Plus they're stuffable like a pocket!

FuzziBunz Perfect Size in XSmall is another great fit. I love pocket diapers in general as you can stuff them with extra absorbancy, which I've needed to do. Plus if you snap them all the way to the center, at the smallest setting, it pulls down the middle to clear the umbilical cord.

Kissaluvs fitteds in a Size 0 are a well-known favorite for newborns. They fit great, snap down in front and are trim. To go over it I used a Thirsties XSmall cover which fits great. I started with a Bummis Newborn Super Brite but he's basically outgrown that by now - except for very trim diapers. But it doesn't work over prefolds anymore.

Prefolds are also a great newborn option. They're economical, absorbant, and you can customize the fit. They are a bit bulky but fit fine under a onesie or stretchie. Babies look cute with a bubble butt! For overnight diaper changes I like Bummis Whisper Pants - you dont have to deal with pinching and tucking the prefold into a cover. They're not cute, but when you're bleary-eyed in the middle of the night, you just pull it up and you're done!

bumGenius XS All-In-One are also a great, easy newborn diaper option.

And coming soon are GroVia's newborn organic All-In-Ones! Can't wait to try it!

What's your favorite newborn diaper??
Check out our Newborn Diaper page!

14,000 Facebook Fans!

Wow! You like us, you really, really "Like" us. 14,000 of you to be exact. What a made this surprise especially sweet is that we hit this lovely milestone on February 14!

So, as our little way of saying "Thanks" for your public display of affection on Facebook, we want to show you how much we appreciate our customers.

Today, we'll be giving away your choice of either bumGenius Artist Series Tiny Socialite Collection cloth diapers or solid color bumGenius 4.0 cloth diapers to random commenters on this blog. All you have to do is tell us your favorite way of showing someone you care. Since it's the day after Valentine's day, we're sure you are full of lots of creative ideas!

Eligible entries must be posted today, Tuesday, February 15, 2011. U.S. Residents only. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win. Winners will be notified via e-mail.