Weekend Super Saver Coupon - June 20th & 21st

Free shipping on any order of $49 or more at any of our DiaperShops.com stores: Kelly's Closet, One Size Diaper Store, Fuzzi Bunz Online, Bulk Cloth Diaper. Use discount code FATHER.

Sorry, no previous or pending orders discounted.
Limit 1 coupon code per order.
Valid June 20th & 21st Only.

Weekend Super Saver Coupon - June 20th & 21st

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Fluff Friday 34

Welcome to our new giveaway!

What would you will win:
3-Haute One Size Diapers with inserts (given by manufacturer)

What to do? Simply leave a comment telling us what would you do if you receive 500 disposables diapers on your doorway as a gift? Don’t forget to leave a way for us to contact you if you're the winner. You don’t need to have a blog to win, but be sure to leave your email address if you don’t have one.

When? You should leave your comment before Thursday, June 25th at 8pm EDT.
What else to know? You can make ONE comment PER DAY. If you want to get more comments there are several ways to do it:
1 - Being or becoming one of our followers gives you one extra comment PER GIVEAWAY, NOT PER DAY. Simply post a comment saying that you are a follower.
2 - Being a subscriber of our blog or subscribing to our blog, gives you one extra comment PER GIVEAWAY, NOT PER DAY. Simply post a comment saying that you are a follower.
3 - Commenting in other posts during the week will give you ONE EXTRA comment PER EACH comment that you make. Simply post a comment on this one saying the title of the post where you wrote your comment. So, what are you waiting for?? Participating in other posts pays off!!!
4 - Advertising the giveaway in a forum or other blog gives you ONE extra comment PER GIVEAWAY, NOT PER DAY. Simply post a comment saying that you are a advertising and where.
5 - Using our button on your blog (or starting to) gives you one extra comment PER GIVEAWAY, NOT PER DAY. Simply post a comment saying that you are using it and where.
6 - Being a fan of our Facebook group gives you one extra comment PER GIVEAWAY, NOT PER DAY. Simply post a comment saying that you our fan.
7 - Being a follower on Twitter gives you one extra comment PER GIVEAWAY, NOT PER DAY. Simply post a comment saying that you our follower and your Twitter ID.
8 - NEW! Receive 1 entry per day for voting for our blog on the Blog Luxe: Blogs I've Learned the Most From. Vote once per day to receive another entry.
Have questions?? Visit our FAQ's.

How? We will draw one winner randomly with an "Online Number Generator" and will make a post with the winner on Friday, June 26th. It is the responsibility of the winner to contact us to claim their prize.

Who can participate? US Residents and Canadians* are welcome!

Important note about the winner: If we haven't heard from the winner by the closing time of next week's giveaway, we will choose another winner that will be published TOGETHER with next week's winner. We promise to do our best to get in contact with the winners. *Canadian winners will be responsible for shipping costs.

Good luck, and don’t forget to tell all your family and friends about the giveaway! In case that you don't win, what a better person to win than a friend of yours!!

Fluff Friday 34

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Fluff Friday 33 PLUS Twitter Winners

This week's winner is the busy mom of 4 great kids... Follow her blog here:

Our Twitter Winner of this week just won 2-Knickernappies one size diapers with 4 micro terry inserts!!!!! You can follow her on her blog here.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! Please, contact us ASAP so we can get your winnings out to you!!!

Fluff Friday 33 PLUS Twitter Winners

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Deciphering Organic Labels

Deciphering Organic Claims: If the label says Organic, can’t I trust that it’s safe?

Whooey, that’s a big question, and even more important now as women begin to be more aware of what they put on their and their babies’ skin. You would think, wouldn’t you, that the word “organic” on a label should mean something is safe. But this is one time when you really have to be a sleuth to make sure you’re getting what you think you’re getting.

The first thing you should know is that no one governs an “organic” standard for personal care products (lotions, soaps and shampoos) like the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) does for food products. This is changing, though, and it should make things easier on mamas, but for now anything that claims to be organic is not supposed to use the word “organic” on the front label unless it is certified. And while there are organic certifiers for personal care products, the standards vary and what is acceptable to one certifier might be in the danger zone to another.

Let’s use the fictional example of Sweet Mary Beth’s Organic Baby. To comply with USDA organic standards to use the word “organic” on the front label, Sweet Mary Beth’s Organic Baby must be certified under one of the three organic levels: Made With Organic (70% or more organic ingredients), Organic (95% or more organic ingredients), 100% Organic (yes, 100% organic ingredients). If it isn’t certified and doesn’t carry the name of the certifier, it can’t claim to be organic. Period.

If another private certifier is listed on Sweet Mary Beth’s Organic Baby it can be difficult to make sure that certifier holds to the same standards as the USDA’s NOP. Many concerned companies (including EMAB) are working with the Organic Trade Association and the American Herbal Products Association to set a standard for personal care products that will assure consumers of the highest level of integrity and safety. For now, to be certified by the USDA, the food standards are all we have in the United States . It’s very difficult for personal care products to achieve these food standards because of the processes involved in manufacturing personal care products.

Read the label. Look for the logo. If the word organic means something there will be a certifier. If you are in a store holding a product that says “organic” on the front label, you should ask yourself how the product can claim that. Unless Sweet Mary Beth’s Organic Baby has at least 70% organic ingredients and carries the name of the certifier, Sweet Mary Beth’s Organic Baby shouldn’t be using the word “organic.”

What EMAB products are certified? All EMAB teas are USDA Certified 100% organic. Angel Baby Bath Blossoms, Postpartum Bath Herbs, Bosom Buddies and Happy Feet are also certified organic. These products that are certified proudly sport the Earth Mama Angel Baby Organic logo, as well as the USDA seal and/or the name of our certifier. All of our other products that contain certified organic ingredients have those ingredients specified in the ingredient panel and are backed by a Certificate of Analysis for each ingredient. But we will never use the “organic” claim on the label of products until they can be certified to the National Organic Program (NOP) or standards that are equally as high. We know our products are pure and safe, we take great pains to make that true. The trust of millions of mamas is at stake, and we take that very seriously.

Now what about “Certified Natural”? There’s no such thing. There is no official certifier for “natural”. Read the labels! And the next time you go out to pick a Cocamidopropyl Betaine off of a bush outside your front door, you’ll see how natural “natural” it is!

- Provided by the Earth Mama Angel Baby

Deciphering Organic Labels

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My Wash Routine

Being somewhat a newbie to cloth diapering, I was completely baffled by the "complicated" washing routine for cloth diapers. I think I was more worried about finding the right detergent than diaper! After a lot of research, I decided to use Country Save detergent. I purchased it on Amazon and although one needs to buy it in bulk, I figured I would use the detergent for all of our washing needs and the four boxes will last at least a year, probably longer.

We have a Whirlpool Duet HE washing machine. Here is our cloth diaper washing routine:

- Diapers are stored in a wetbag
- Wash usually every three days
- Everything is washed together- wipes, inserts, covers, pockets, wetbags
- 1 regular wash cycle on COLD with no detergent...56 min
- 1 regular wash on HOT with 1/4 scoop of Country Save and an extra rinse...70 min
- As long as it is not raining, the diapers are hung outside to dry. If it is raining or especially windy, the diapers dry on the rack in the laundry room.
- Wipes, prefolds and liners are usually put in the dryer for 20 minutes

Personally, I have bleached my diapers, inserts, wipes, and liners twice so far. BumGenius (the main brand I use) recommends using bleach monthly (on their diapers).

All of my diapers smell fresh when I take them out of the washer and they remain stain free with the sun's help!


- by Elizabeth S.

My Wash Routine

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Charlie’s Soap: Uses Galore

Many of us already know Charlie’s Soap does wonders for cloth diapers… I LOVED Charlie’s Soap until my horribly hard water got the best of the situation and sadly I had to find another alternative for my cloth diapers. However, I didn’t give up on my Charlie’s and continued to use it on my regular laundry as well as numerous other applications.

When Charlie’s Soap says “Cleans everything from false teeth to diesel engines,” it truly does. Here’s a hilarious video I found, compliments of Charlie’s Soap available on YouTube.

As nearly all of you know, in addition to my little man Ilyas, I have two older girls, now ages 4 and 3 whom I’ve lovingly named Hurricanes Aaliyah and Halimah. Honestly, it’s amazing my two little girls are capable of wreaking havoc and disaster in 5 minutes or less! While they love to dress up and look pretty, they’re not afraid of getting down and dirty.

Unfortunately, as a result, everything within their arms reach is messy at the end of the day: sliding glass door, coffee table, walls, etc… Thus, I’m very thankful for two things, Charlie’s Soap and prefolds (oh, and the Magic Eraser too – so make it three)!

Honestly, Charlie’s Soap has done wonders for my coffee table (which functions as the girls eating quarters, desk, platform for dolly diving, etc…). Charlie’s Soap has cleaned what no other cleaner was capable of doing! It also works amazingly well in the bathroom and even washing the car. I grab a prefold and a spray bottle with some Charlie’s Soap laundry powder diluted in water and off I go. Rather than a multitude of cleaners I’m able to use this nifty “soap” for everything; and it truly works!

Now… for those using Charlie’s Soap with your cloth diapers, there are a few things you need to know. It does not disinfect your diapers, but in all fairness, no detergent was designed to disinfect (especially diapers). Therefore, it’s important to disinfect your diapers on a regular basis to avoid a buildup of bacteria that can cause adverse skin reactions and/or horribly stinky diapers.

If you’re using micro-terry fiber inserts then you will definitely want to bleach the inserts at least once a month (or more often as needed). Take the cleaned inserts only (NOT the pocket diapers themselves) and run them through a hot water wash cycle with approximately ¼ cup of bleach. For those of you adverse to the use of bleach – you can opt to use vinegar instead – but you would need at least 1 cup of vinegar for it to be effective. Follow up with a rinse or two just to err on the side of caution. *Again, this is only for the inserts ONLY.

If at all possible, put the inserts out in the sun. The sun will whiten and brighten the inserts, as well as remove stains (works best when inserts are wet)… also if you’re able to sun the inserts all the time, this would be highly recommended as the sun’s UV rays naturally kill bacteria too, which will prolong the time between your disinfecting sessions.

- By Serena

Charlie’s Soap: Uses Galore

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Product Focus: Charlie's Soap

The Not-So Nutshell about Charlie’s Soap
Charlie Sutherland, Jr. while working for the local textile mill was instructed to create an oil for the knitting machines. It worked fantastically. Unfortunately, the oil was getting everywhere and making a big mess. Management said, fix the oil problem; make us a cleaner that clears up the oil, or we'll drop the oil and you. Through trial and error, he came up with what is essentially the Grandpappy of Charlie's Soap All Purpose Cleaner in 1976. Back then it was called 1001 or SPC-2069.

Long story short, Charlie eventually ended up taking over the little soap company that had been created to provide the cleaner to the textile mill. The mill started using it to clean thousands of machines that were destined for China, sort of the instrument of our own demise, we were. Literally tons of soap was used and as the workers were now in the stuff up to their knees, they started to realize that it was getting their own clothes clean, and not just the machines they were working on. So they started stealing it. When we finally cleaned the very last exported knitting machine, the textile workers, who had come to call it Charlie's Soap (named after Charlie Sr. who was delivering the soap) insisted they still be able to purchase the soap; they were hooked!

Although we had lost over 90% of our business after the last machine as cleaned and shipped… the employees wouldn’t let us die! They used it liberally, and told their friends who then told their friends. Now, as a result, we have outlets all over the country and even the world; all as a result from little bubbly soap in a drum in some guy's garage.

What’s in Charlie’s Soap?
Charlie’s Soap is made from a special blend of coconut oil based surfactants, and a water base. The All Purpose Cleaner also has a special solvent that helps loosen surface stains. The Laundry Liquid, which came years later doesn't have that solvent and is reformulated to be thicker and more effective for washing clothes. The recent addition, the Laundry Powder is the same as the Laundry Liquid but we use high-grade fine washing soda instead of water as the base. All of the products work on the same principle. You don't have to destroy surfaces or even stains to clean properly. You just have to effectively break the stains' hold on surfaces. Our blend of surfactants goes in and very gently, breaks that bond and dirt just falls off. You don't have to be toxic to do it, and in our case, you can do it with a very earth-friendly product. In our Laundry products we don't have to add perfumes, fabric softeners or brighteners; the product simply goes in there, removes the soils causing the problems and you have fresh smelling clothes that feel and wear as if they were brand new.

Why choose Charlie's?
First off, it works. Spray, pour, sprinkle it on, rub in, let it sit and rinse away, and no more dirt. We lose sleep making sure that it is the best and safest cleaner that money can buy. Sure you can use super harsh, caustic or acidic chemicals to clean, but why would you want to go through the pain of donning a chemical exposure suit just to clean the tub? Use Charlie's Soap and you and yours are clean, really clean, safely. Another good thing to focus on this day and age is just good ole' “Made in the USA.” We formulate, blend, and package all Charlie’s Soap products in North Carolina and we plan to keep it that way. Additionally, we're just really nice, down-to-Earth people and truly take the time to talk to customers if they have issues.

Product Focus: Charlie's Soap

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Wash Day: A peek into my personal diaper care routine

When I began cloth diapering, I pretty much came up with a "game plan" for how I was going to care for the diapers before they even arrived in the mail. I did my research and asked lots of questions so that I could gather up everything I would need to get the ball rolling upon their arrival. Country Save...check. Dawn & Bleach for stripping as needed...check. A plan for storing dirty duds...check.

I originally started out w/ Bum Genius One Size diapers (POCKETS). However, I recently acquired the Bum Genius Organic Diapers which are also One Size, but they are more like All in One (AIO) diapers because the insert is sewn in. Though I'm currently only using the All-in-ones now, I wanted to share my routine including both types of diapers because my routine is pretty much the same for both.

The system I came up with is what we have used since the beginning w/ only a few minor tweaks along the way. Upon removing the diaper from the baby's bum, here are the steps I follow...

PRE- WASH DAY
1.) We toss the Bummis BioSoft Flushable Liner into the toilet. (This brand will not hold up in the wash like other brands...but they are SO much softer).

2.) I rinse the wipes and squeeze them out.

3.) Then we remove the insert (POCKETS), rinse it under hot water for a short wile and then we roll it up, squeezing out the excess moisture along the way. (This is just my personal preference...to reduce the odor as well as reduce the ammonia gases that can build up between washes). If any poo got onto the pocket, I simply rinse it clean under the faucet. For the AIO, I just rinse the entire diaper, turn upside down and squeeze.

4.) Then, I toss everything into the washer. (This is what I use as my "wet bag"). Believe it or not...we almost never have odor issues in the laundry room.

5.) I return to the bathroom and quickly wipe the counters & sink down to sanitize them and then I wash my hands w/ an all natural antibacterial cleanser.

***If a barrier cloth was used due to ointment application, I rinse & squeeze it out and toss it into a small basket next to the washer so that I can wash them separately.***

This may seem like allot of steps but, in reality it takes about 3-4 min. tops. And, at this point you may wonder how I get laundry done w/ my washer tied up as a diaper pail. Basically, I do laundry every other day just like the diapers...I just do it after the diapers are done. There's really nothing to it.

WASH DAY
So, my diapers, doublers & wipes are already in the washer...ready to go. My wash routine is really simple...

1.) Cold Wash Cycle w/ Country Save

2.) Hot Wash Cycle w/ Country Save

3.) Cold Wash Cycle - Water Only.

*I discovered that my machines "rinse" cycle was only filling the machine w/ water, let set for about 5 min, drain and spin....I felt like the diapers needed to be agitated in the water to truly get rinsed, so I just run the full wash cycle.*

4.) For drying, I would hang the POCKETS on a drying rack and toss the inserts, wipes, AIO & doublers all into the dryer and set to the medium setting. ***I have heard of many people also air drying the AIO's but, from my research, I discovered that they fluff up and have more absorbency when tossed in the dryer...just like the inserts to the POCKETS.

ALL FLUFFED UP AND READY TO GO
Once everything is dry I wet the wipes and put them in the wipe warmer.

With the POCKETS, I would turn on a TV show or DVD while the baby was sleeping and stuff the diapers, place a flushable liner inside. With the AIO's I simply place a flushable liner inside and they are good to go! I love when my diapers are ready to grab and go.

And that's it...my routine from beginning to end. Many people have a routine that works wonderfully for them and their family and this is what works wonderfully for us.


- by Amanda G.

Wash Day: A peek into my personal diaper care routine

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