Free shipping on your entire order when you purchase a Moby Wrap at Kelly's Closet with code MOBYWRAP.Sorry, no previous or pending orders discounted. Limit 1 coupon code per order. Valid Aug 1st and 2nd Only.
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This week's giveaway is for :
1- Thirsties Duo Wrap (given by manufacturer)
1- Thirsties Fab Fitted Diaper (given by Diapershops.com)
1- Thirsties Pocket All in One Diaper (given by Diapershops.com)
What to do? Simply leave a comment telling us what color of the new Thirsties Duo Wrap (click here to view) do you like the best? You should leave your comment before Thursday, August 6th at 8pm EDT.
NOTE: Aplix is a brand of hook and loop, essentially identical to Velcro.
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: 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.
- 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.
- 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!!!
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.- 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.
- Being a fan of our Facebook group gives you one extra comment PER GIVEAWAY, NOT PER DAY. Simply post a comment saying that you are a fan.
- Being a follower on Twitter gives you one extra comment PER GIVEAWAY, NOT PER DAY. Simply post a comment saying that you are a follower and your Twitter ID.
- One entry for signing up for our newsletter at Kelly's Closet. Post a comment when you sign up or if you are already signed up.
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, August 7th. It is the responsibility of the winner to contact us to claim their prize.
Who can participate? US Residents 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.
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!!
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Fluff Friday 40
This week's Fluff Friday winner is Tori. Follow her blog here:
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! Please, contact us ASAP so we can get your winnings out to you!!!
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This week's Twitter winner wins:
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! Please, contact us ASAP so we can get your winnings out to you!!!
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Fluff Friday 39 PLUS Twitter Winners
In the past few months Twitter has really become the "in" way to social network. Personally I have come addicted to Twitter. I first started on My Space and became instantly frustrated (don't use anymore-LOL), then I headed over to Facebook where I connected with some long, lost friends. I like twitter because it is a great way to connect with everyone and in this busy world it is easy to make a "tweet" of 140 characters or less.
So...I have been approached by many of you on Twitter to explain a little bit about how it works.
So what really is Twitter? Simply put it is a short way of communicating with others, in 140 characters or less, what you are currently doing. This is called a "Tweet". If you are familiar with Facebook- you are essentially updating your "status"
So how do I get on Twitter?
1st step: Go to www.twitter.com
2nd step: Sign up for an account with a unique user name and password.
I have signed up for an account on Twitter- now what do I do?
Following or Followers:
Find on Twitter- Now you are ready to find people or companies you like. Click on the "Find People" tab on the upper part of the screen. You can now do a search. If you can't seem to locate a company for example I recommend going the the website of the company. Usually there is a "Follow me on twitter" icon. Click on the icon and then you can follow. You can then "view" other people's account and who they are following. You can then request to follow anyone that they are following.
Find on networks- You can use your contact lists from Yahoo!, AOL, Hot mail, or MSN. Click on the "Find People" tab, then click on "Find on other networks".
Invite by email- You can invite by email! Click on the "Find People" tab, then click on the "Invite by email" tab.
So what's with the @ stuff?
If you want to connect with someone and grab their attention you need to start your "Tweet" with @. For example- You want to connect with us to ask us when we will be restocking FuzziBunz One Size. You can say: @diapershops Can u tell me when you will be restocking FB one size?
Direct Messages (DM)
A Direct Message, or in short- a "DM", is simply a way to connect with someone directly (privately) without updating your status. To send a "Direct Message" go to the "Direct Message" on the right side of www.twitter.com . Then you can send a message directly to someone you are following.
Re-Tweets (RT)
A Re-Tweet, or in short- a "RT" is when you want to repeat a tweet somebody else is doing. For example we post: Did u know you can get on the waiting list to be one of the first to get Smarti Pants #clothdiapers http://bit.ly/dh7mQ
What does the # Hash tag do?
Putting a # (hashtag) in front of a key word (like clothdiapers) is the best way to participate in a discussion about a specific topic area. Here is a good blog post that describes the purpose of the # http://www.wildapricot.com/blogs/newsblog/archive/2008/03/11/an-introduction-to-twitter-hashtags.aspx
For example- you want to find a source for a company that embroiders cloth diapers. In your status you can write " Looking for a company that embroiders #clothdiapers." Writing your "tweet" this way will get you a lot more responses than if you didn't use the # (hashtag)
So what are the benefits of being on Twitter?
5 reasons I can think of:
1) Connect with friends and family.
2) Connect with a community of people who like the similar things like you do. For example you love clothdiapers and scrap booking. (make sure to use #clothdiapers and #scrapbooking in your "tweets"
3) Giveaways galore- Twitter is now becoming a great way to win free gifts. For example- every Monday we ( @diapershops ) starts "tweeting" about a giveaway and how you can win!
4) Find answers to questions about anything! Find resources to purchase items.
5) Twitter parties- Oh yeah! These are so fun. For example: Every Monday night there is a Cloth Diaper Chat at 8pm est. This is a great way to connect with others, ask questions, and just socialize. Many cloth diaper manufacturer's and retailers are on the chat so if you have specific cloth diaper questions that you need an answer to right away this is the place to ask.
So how do you participate in the Cloth Diaper Chat?
First Step: Go to www.tweetgrid.com
Second Step: Click on the big "Search" button at the top of the page.
Third Step: Type in #clothdiapers
You will then start seeing all the "tweets" about cloth diapers. Remember when you tweet to put #clothdiapers at the end of your tweet so you can remain in the chat.
Stay tuned for a #diapershops Twitter party! We are currently in the initial stages of planning our parties. Please feel free to leave a comment on this post to let us know what evening would work best for you! We will post again on the blog to let you know when we schedule the #diapershops Twitter parties.
P.S. Are you wondering where to find us on Twitter?
Kelly-aka The Cloth Diaper Whisperer, tweets @diapershops
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The Cloth Diaper Whisperer's Guide to Twitter 101
When I first became interested in cloth diapering, I was pregnant with my now ten month old daughter. I wanted to use cloth diapers instead of disposables, but I had been told they were hard to get clean. I was worried that they wouldn’t be sanitary. I scoured the internet trying to find out how best to wash cloth diapers – What kind of detergent/soap should I use? How much? Would I need to add anything else like vinegar or baking soda? What about bleach? OxyClean? Bac-Out? And then: should I use a wet pail method or a dry pail method? Do I need one of those sprayer thingys? It was all so overwhelming.
So I decided to just pick something and gave it a try. I figured if it didn’t work, I could always do something else. I purchased one of the size small Bummis cloth diaper kits that comes with 3 dozen prefolds and 6 Bummis super whisper wraps. I have always just folded the prefolds into thirds and placed them in the cover – no pins or snappies. If she only peed, the diaper went into the pail and the cover stayed out in rotation. If she pooped, it would usually get on the cover too so the whole thing – diaper and cover – went into the pail. Now that she has started solid foo
ds, I sometimes shake the diaper into the toilet before putting it in the pail.
I decided to try a dry pail method because I didn’t like the thought of dealing with soiled water. The pail I use is a white plastic touchlid wastebasket I bought at Target for around $9. I customized it to our nursery by gluing on dinosaurs to the front and the top of the lid. In place of a regular garbage bag, I use one of two Wahmies all-day size wet bags that I have in rotation. It just goes on the garbage can under the lid like a regular bag would. When I need to put a soiled diaper in, I can push the button on the touchlid with one hand, and keeping the lid closed afterwards eliminates odors. For on the go storage, I use a smaller wetbag with a zippered top for day trips. If we go overnight I take one of my all-day size bags with us.
I typically wash diapers every 2-3 days. I take the whole bag to the laundry room, dump the diapers in the wash, and then the bag goes in too. I prewash them in cold water and then add ½ a scoop of Charlie’s Soap and wash with hot water. I make sure the water level is set to the highest it will go, and set the wash cycle to the longest setting. I then double rinse to make sure to get all the soap out.
So I decided to just pick something and gave it a try. I figured if it didn’t work, I could always do something else. I purchased one of the size small Bummis cloth diaper kits that comes with 3 dozen prefolds and 6 Bummis super whisper wraps. I have always just folded the prefolds into thirds and placed them in the cover – no pins or snappies. If she only peed, the diaper went into the pail and the cover stayed out in rotation. If she pooped, it would usually get on the cover too so the whole thing – diaper and cover – went into the pail. Now that she has started solid foo
ds, I sometimes shake the diaper into the toilet before putting it in the pail.I decided to try a dry pail method because I didn’t like the thought of dealing with soiled water. The pail I use is a white plastic touchlid wastebasket I bought at Target for around $9. I customized it to our nursery by gluing on dinosaurs to the front and the top of the lid. In place of a regular garbage bag, I use one of two Wahmies all-day size wet bags that I have in rotation. It just goes on the garbage can under the lid like a regular bag would. When I need to put a soiled diaper in, I can push the button on the touchlid with one hand, and keeping the lid closed afterwards eliminates odors. For on the go storage, I use a smaller wetbag with a zippered top for day trips. If we go overnight I take one of my all-day size bags with us.
I typically wash diapers every 2-3 days. I take the whole bag to the laundry room, dump the diapers in the wash, and then the bag goes in too. I prewash them in cold water and then add ½ a scoop of Charlie’s Soap and wash with hot water. I make sure the water level is set to the highest it will go, and set the wash cycle to the longest setting. I then double rinse to make sure to get all the soap out.
To dry the diapers I take them outside and hang them on the line. My daughter has always enjoyed getting outside to “help” me do this – at first riding in my front carrier, and now playing on the ground and pulling up on the laundry basket. If there are any stains, a couple hours in the sunshine will eliminate them (even on a rainy day!), and the sun’s bleaching action also helps to sanitize the diapers. I have never used any additives such as vinegar, baking soda, Bac-Out, or OxyClean. Because there are so many prescriptions for how to wash diapers on the internet, I believe that different things must be necessary in other areas with different water hardnesses, but for me this simple method works great.
- By Samantha E.
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Soiled Diaper Solutions
When Jennifer Stephens of Corpus Christi, Texas, was pregnant with her son last year, she dreamed of taking time off to enjoy being a mom. But her husband Michael lost his job a few years back and had been unable to find a new position before their baby’s birth. Stephens’ plan to stay at home with her new son took a detour. Instead of taking some extended time off, Stephens says she returned to work six weeks after giving birth.“I'm the sole bread winner for my family and without my job we would be living out of our car,” says Stephens, who is a biologist for the state. “I was not ready to return to work. The stress of everything affected me more than I like to admit. Physically I was okay, but emotionally I was a wreck. Everything from my milk supply to my mental psyche was impacted.”
Heather Connor of Lexington, S.C., can relate. Connor’s husband has struggled to find a job since graduating with his master’s degree in August 2008. Connor returned to her post as an assistant department manager of a large book reseller six weeks after giving birth.
“I want to be home because I feel that I am missing out on the mothering of my precious little girl,” says Connor. “But our income depends on my job right now.”
Kelly Wels, the founder of KellysCloset.com, an online cloth diapering boutique, says that returning to work quickly can take its toll on new moms. “Going back to work after having a baby is a physically and emotionally draining process for many women. When women return to work so soon after the birth of a baby, their milk supply may be affected and sometimes they have to partly sacrifice attachment parenting initiatives like cloth diapering and ‘baby wearing’ -- the practice of carrying baby in a sling for a good portion of the day and evening.”
Making it work
Candice Broom of Birmingham, Ala. also found herself at the center of today’s unemployment storm. She says that when she was pregnant with her second baby, she and her husband both lost their teaching positions less than one month before their new baby’s arrival.
“We were scrambling to find work -- any work -- so that we could have an income,” she says. “I wanted to find something that I could do with my baby close by so I ended up getting a job at a daycare center. I worked a few days a week in the last trimester of my pregnancy and then brought the baby with me starting when he was two weeks old.”
Because Broom was able to bring her baby to work, she says she was able to continue breastfeeding, cloth diapering and baby wearing, which she says enabled her to remain close to her baby despite the stress of going back to work.
Know your rights
While the job market is tight, many moms have to return to work quickly after having a baby because they fear losing their health benefits.
Andrea Lee of Lincoln, Neb. says she went back to work just two weeks after having her baby. Her husband’s job didn’t offer insurance and she says her employer, a small nonprofit organization, wouldn’t give her more than two weeks off. She adds that small companies with less than 50 employees aren’t protected by the Family Medical Leave Act. If Lee didn’t return to work after her two weeks vacation, she would have lost her job and her family’s health insurance plan.
“The job market around my hometown is abysmal. My husband and I both have bachelor’s degrees with high GPAs and good references and we can’t find any better jobs,” she says.
Wels says that unfortunately Lee’s struggle is like so many other new moms’ struggles these days with a difficult economy and tight job market. “It’s important for women to know their legal rights, although, in Andrea’s case, the time off a new mom needs is different than that what she is legally allowed. In an ideal world, women would be able to take as much time off as they need to fully recover physically and to have time to bond with their babies emotionally without fear of losing their jobs or health benefits,” says Wels.
The upside to tough times
Broom says that while she and her family were under tremendous pressures, everything worked out in the end. After 14 months, Broom's husband found a new teaching position with “great benefits.” Plus, she learned to be more frugal by using reusable cloth diapers and wipes, which she estimates has saved her family hundreds of dollars annually.
Plus, Broom says she started combing the newspaper for sales and coupons, has learned to cook simple meals with few ingredients, became a frequent yard sale shopper, and has even won some online blog contests.
Connor says that knowing her husband is home with their baby isn’t so bad because he’s a “wonderful dad.” Plus, her husband has learned to cloth diaper their baby, which she says has saved her family a bundle during these tight financial times.
“Every little bit counts,” she says.
- By: Jenny L.
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Tight job markets forcing some new moms to return to work
Two Snaps Up!
Gro Baby launched their revolutionary diaper a few months ago and it quickly became a cloth diaper favorite. Now, added to the Gro Baby family is the Vanilla color Gro Baby diaper, now available with Snaps!
Now, there are some hand-offs between the hook and loop version and the snaps version and I’m here to highlight them in order to help you determine which diaper will work best for you and your little one!
Hook and Loop
The original Gro Baby diaper features a new, proprietary hook and loop that is soft and non-pilling. Although many people complain how hook and loop (aka Velcro or Aplix) ages over time - this diaper continues to look and feel great wash after wash! Additionally, with this unique hook and loop you get endless adjustments in the waist to accommodate the fluffy bellied or slim bellied child without the scratchy hook and loop irritating your little one’s tummy!
Pros:
Hook and Loop version allows for tab “directionality” (ie. you can start by fastening
either tab first since they can overlap in either direction).
Virtually limitless adjustments, providing the best possible fit.
Con:
* If your little one is prone to strip off their diapers, then it’s very easy to do with this diaper!
Snaps
The new Gro Baby diaper with Snaps is essentially identical to its sister, except there is no hook and loop closure material on the front - so the entire diaper is constructed from PUL (polyurethane laminate). The waist snaps are the same super durable YKK snaps the diaper utilizes for the rise adjustment; they’re virtually toddler proof.
Pro:
Snaps are very strong and durable, no streaking toddler with these!
No need to prepare the tabs for laundry
Con:
* Limited adjustments for fastening the diaper
The new snap version gets “two snaps up.” However, I’m still a bit partial to the original because I love the unique hook and loop and how quick and easy it is to adjust!
Gro Baby launched their revolutionary diaper a few months ago and it quickly became a cloth diaper favorite. Now, added to the Gro Baby family is the Vanilla color Gro Baby diaper, now available with Snaps!
Now, there are some hand-offs between the hook and loop version and the snaps version and I’m here to highlight them in order to help you determine which diaper will work best for you and your little one!
Hook and Loop
The original Gro Baby diaper features a new, proprietary hook and loop that is soft and non-pilling. Although many people complain how hook and loop (aka Velcro or Aplix) ages over time - this diaper continues to look and feel great wash after wash! Additionally, with this unique hook and loop you get endless adjustments in the waist to accommodate the fluffy bellied or slim bellied child without the scratchy hook and loop irritating your little one’s tummy!
Pros:
Hook and Loop version allows for tab “directionality” (ie. you can start by fastening
either tab first since they can overlap in either direction).
Virtually limitless adjustments, providing the best possible fit.
Con:
* If your little one is prone to strip off their diapers, then it’s very easy to do with this diaper!
Snaps
The new Gro Baby diaper with Snaps is essentially identical to its sister, except there is no hook and loop closure material on the front - so the entire diaper is constructed from PUL (polyurethane laminate). The waist snaps are the same super durable YKK snaps the diaper utilizes for the rise adjustment; they’re virtually toddler proof.
Pro:
Snaps are very strong and durable, no streaking toddler with these!
No need to prepare the tabs for laundry
Con:
* Limited adjustments for fastening the diaper
The new snap version gets “two snaps up.” However, I’m still a bit partial to the original because I love the unique hook and loop and how quick and easy it is to adjust!
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Gro Baby: Two Snaps Up!
What are your top three favorite cloth diaper accessories you cannot live without? Why?
I love cloth diapers, well now that I have figured out how to wash them right, troubleshoot stink problems and found the ones that work for us. I also love diapering accessories. Here are my top three, I think once I get a diaper sprayer one of these will get put into fourth, but until then here they are.
1. Yes, this use to carry disposable wipes. I now use it to carry my cloth wipes. It carries about 5-8 wipes and keeps them moist. I get them damp before I put them in there and they stay that way. They also fit out the hole on top with is an added bonus. I like that is a hard case and I do not have to worry about it ripping, like the small Ziploc bag I was using.
2. The next one would be my wipes warmer. I know I know there are possible problems with things growing in the water, but I have not had any problems with it and have been using it for over nine months. The baby bits have tea tree oil in them and that is naturally anti-bacterial. I keep about the number of wipes I am going to use in the 2 days between washing, I then put water and a baby bit in it and the warming of the water helps the baby bits melt faster, once melted I add the wipes. I also use the wipes to wash faces and hands when I cannot get to the kitchen and the others are done eating. It is easy for them to go get one of them.
3. My number three is my wet bag. I love it! I was using a gallon size Ziploc bag and then I had a cheap wet bag that fell apart the second time I washed it and well this one is the best I have used. Not only is it great for dirty diapers, but you look really organized and stylish putting your suits in this bag when you get done swimming.
-- By Angela S.
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Top 3 Cloth Diapering Accessories I Can't Live Without
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