It's really all about the diapers...

For the record, I love cloth diapers! Let's just get that out in the open right now. I love everything about them. They are cute. They are easy. They are economical. They are environmentally-responsible. They are reduce rashes. They aide in earlier potty-training. And, did I mention how cute they are! Who doesn't love those seeing a sweet baby with a fluffy, soft cloth diaper on their bottom covered in ruffles, cheetah, flowers, plaid or rockets or just plain and simple solid colors?

If you are familiar with the MMG story, you may already know I discovered modern cloth diapers more than four years ago. I had spent 16 (yes, sixteen, that's not a type-O) weeks on bedrest while pregnant with my oldest child, Levi Bentley. Armed with a few books and movies, a few dozen skeins of yarn, and a laptop computer, I passed the long days reading and researching how to be a responsible parent, how to raise a kind, intelligent, responsible child, and how to ensure we left him/her (nope, we didn't know the gender on either of our children) with a safe, healthy, beautiful world.

Exclusively using cloth diapers was one of many parenting choices that resulted.

And from the moment the first cheetah print, super soft minkee diaper arrived in the mail from WildflowerDiapers.com, a lifelong love affair was born.

We can chat sometime over ice tea (nope, I've never had a cup of coffee in my life) about the "pros" and "cons" of cloth diapers vs disposable diapers. I'm happy to listen to your point of view, if you'll listen to mine. We can compare trips the grocery store vs doing laundry, water use vs landfill space, cotton crops vs oil consumption. But I'll admit to you in advance, there is nothing anyone can say that could convince me that single use, throwaway diapers are "better" - better for my baby, better for my pocketbook, or better for the planet. That belief is cemented into my soul, and is as much a part of who I am as the color of my eyes.

So, I set out on a quest three and a half years ago to show other modern mommies just how fabulous cloth diapers could be. Along the way, I've picked up a seven person team of fellow cloth diapering mamas who felt the same way. Every week, we bring our babies dressed in their cute reusable diapers to work with us with one goal in mind: Putting more babies in real cloth diapers.

At the ABC Expo tradeshow in Las Vegas last year, I was chatting with one of the major cloth diaper manufacturers. They had just finished speaking with another major diaper company to get their brand of cloth diapers into the other diaper company's retail store.

What?!?

At first glance, I thought perhaps he'd had a few too many Vegas cocktails. Then he enlightened me with his noble, altruistic point of view. "The other cloth diaper companies aren't my competitors," he explained. "The disposable diaper companies are my competition." I won't bore you with the business details that ensued, but his point was so profound, it stopped me dead in my tracks.

So the next time your fluffy package arrives in the mail a few days later than you expected because the WAHM had a sick baby and couldn't get to the post office, or you arrive a your favorite local cloth diaper store only to find that the magenta diaper you wanted to buy was out of stock, I hope you'll remember his words before you jump online and start posting negative reviews about the hundreds of (usually mom-owned) retail and manufacturing companies that are doing their best to change the world, one cloth diaper at a time.

TGIF $25 Contest - Dozens or Colors?

Win $25 to eco-POLITAN this week. Random.org will select a winning comment from this thread.

If you had to choose between having a diaper stash that consists ONLY of 18 super colorful, bright, patterned cloth diapers from a variety of brands and styles in your collection OR 36 plain white cloth diapers that looked exactly the same, which would you pick?

Ways to enter:

• (1) Leave a comment on this blog post answering the TFIG contest question of the week.
• (1) Become a fan of ecoPOLITAN on Facebook. Leave a comment on this blog thread that you did with your user name.
• (1) Become a follower on Twitter. Leave a comment on this blog thread that you did with your user name.
• (1) Tweet this: Enter to #win a $25 gift certificate for #FREE #clothdiapers from @eco_POLITAN on their blog today. Leave a comment on this blog thread that you did with your user name.
• (1) Share this Contest on your BLOG, website, or Facebook page by sharing the link to this post and details of the TGIF Contest. Leave a comment on this blog thread with the link where you shared it.
• (1) Talk about eco-POLITAN and link to www.eco-POLITAN.com from any cloth diapering, baby wearing, or attachment parenting forums or chat groups. Leave a comment on this blog thread with the link to where you shared it. Post in 5 different groups, and it can count as 5 different entries!
• (1) Earn one entry for each new review of 50 words or more on ANY PRODUCT at www.eco-POLITAN.com. Leave a comment on this blog thread for each review you completed with the name of the name of the product you reviewed.
• (1) Join e-Newsletter Mailing List on www.eco-POLITAN.com. Leave a comment on this blog thread stating that you did so.
  
• (1) Follow or already be a Follower of the eco-POLITAN Blog. Leave a comment on this blog thread stating that you did so.
• (1) Place an order at www.eco-POLITAN.com today (Friday). Leave a comment on this blog thread with your order number.
• (1) Make a purchase at the eco-POLITAN retail store today (Friday). Leave a comment on this blog thread with your invoice number.

Happy Heinys!

Next on our list of one-size pocket diapers is Happy Heinys! They come in so many different colors and prints you won't believe it!

They come in snaps or velcro. Both closure styles overlap so you can be sure you'll get a perfect fit on even skinny babies.

Both snap and velcro closure diapers grow with your baby and will fit from 8 pounds all the way up to 35+ pounds. To adjust the rise of the diaper, snap the front down to shorten the diaper. The snaps are under a lifetime guarantee too! For tiny newborns, Happy Heiny offers a mini one-size diaper with an adjustable rise for babies 5-15 lbs too!

Each diaper comes with two microfiber inserts. One insert is smaller than the other. The smaller insert is used when the diaper is in the smallest setting. The larger insert is used when the diaper is in the medium or largest setting. The smaller insert can also be used as a booster for nighttime, naps, or long car rides. Each insert is three layers of super absorbent microfiber.

Many parents prefer velcro because it's so easy, but some toddlers grow curious about their velcro diapers and try to undo them. Thankfully, since Happy Heinys' velcro overlaps and hides the scratchy side, it's harder for toddlers to undo and still easy for mom and dad!

Happy Heinys are 100% made in the USA - including their microfiber inserts! The outside is waterproof and the inside is soft micro-fleece. All you have to do is stuff their absorbent insert inside the large pocket and they go on and off like a disposable!

Depending on whether you decide to get solid colors or prints, and velcro or snaps, the price for Happy Heinys varies from $18 to $22 per diaper. For a full stash of 24 Happy Heinys, it would be approximately $480.

Happy Heinys, as a company, feels very strongly about the best way to care for their diapers. In particular, Happy Heinys does not recommend using 7th Generation, Charlie's, SensiClean, or SportWash. It's a good idea to do your homework on any brand of diaper and learn how they suggest to care for their products. Some detergents, although recommended by one brand of diaper, may void the warranty of another diaper brand. You can learn about how to care for your Happy Heinys by clicking here.

Stay tuned! We have a lot more one size pocket diapers to feature!

The Great Cloth Diaper Change 2011

Big changes often start as small ideas. The Great Cloth Diaper Change is no different!

What started as an idea by small cloth diaper store owner has evolved into an international effort to promote cloth diapering as the only eco-responsible and fiscally-responsible choice in modern times.

Celebrate Earth Day 2011, by joining the North American and International cloth diaper community on Saturday April 23rd, 2011 at 10AM MDT to set the Guinness Book of World Records for the most cloth diapers changed simultaneously around the world.


The eco-POLITAN cloth diaper store in Denver is one of dozens of locations around the country (and beyond) selected to be an official host for the Great Cloth Diaper Change. Every host location needs a minimum of 25 participants to be counted in the offical world wide total. If you are located in the Metro Denver area, please mark your calendar to join us on April 23rd. We have an Event posted on our Facebook page. Please RSVP on Facebook so your Facebook friends will see you're attending. We'll post an official sign-up on our store website, as soon as all of the details become available.

If you reside outside Colorado, visit www.GreatClothDiaperChange.com to find a location near you.

Please contact us for more information and start spreading the word to your friends, families, co-workers, schools, daycare centers and playgroups.

AIOs: Easy-Peasy!

"Hey everybody! Wanna do some math?! Woo-hoo!"

So, I know that conversation probably hasn't ever happened. That's why I'm going to do the math for you so you can just sit back and use your cell phone for more exciting things like sharing the link to this article on Facebook. Hint!

Disposable diapers come in lots of different sizes and brands. Smaller diapers cost less per diaper, but you use more. Bigger diapers cost more per diaper, but you use less. They essentially average out to about $0.22 per diaper. At this price, you can expect to spend an average of $60 per month on something you throw away. Per year, it's $720, and if your child potty trains at two, that's $1440. Many kids aren't totally out of diapers by two, though, so it's more likely that you'd spend about $1800. Some kids are in Pull-Ups well into their fourth or fifth year which cost about $0.50 per Pull-Up! The price (not coincidentally!) continues to averages out to roughly $60 per month. Over five years that is $3,600 per child for disposables.

So, why are we doing math? I thought the title of this post had the word "easy" in it! Here's why: All-In-Ones, or AIOs, are definitely the easiest options for cloth diapering, but can be one of the more costly. However, when you put things into perspective, they are still so much cheaper than disposables that you could literally take a vacation with the money that you'll save!

AIOs are the easiest diaper because they just go on and off exactly like a disposable. They don't require any stuffing, folding, snapping or adjusting. These are the perfect diaper choice for anyone uninterested in the extra steps other diapers require. They're a great choice for babysitters, grandparents, daycare, new daddies, or anyone who wants the simplest possible option.

The only drawbacks are that they do take a bit longer to dry than other types of diapers since everything is sewn together. Adjusting for absorbency can be challenging in AIOs since not all brands have a pocket for stuffing. And lastly, they do cost a bit more than other options, but you don't necessarily need to buy the entire stash at once, so you can break up the cost over time. Additionally, if you plan to have more than one child, AIOs can be one of the cheapest cloth diapering options since they should be able to get through at least two kids.

AIOs are sized, as in:

• Newborn
• Small
• Medium
• Large
• Extra-Large

Just like with your baby's clothes, after your baby outgrows a certain size of diaper, you put them in storage, or hand them down to a friend and move up to the next size. Since each size gets less use over time, they should be able to last through multiple kids, saving you even more money!

We carry three different brands of AIOs. The first is Monkey Doodlez. Inside, they are fully lined in soft, non-pill fleece. The outside is waterproof and microfiber or bamboo sandwiched in between make them super absorbent. They have overlapping velcro closures so you can get a perfect fit on skinny babies. They come in lots of sizes so you can be sure your baby will get a great, trim fit:

• Newborn
• Small
• Medium
• Medium-Long
• Large

If you decided to use Monkey Doodlez AIOs for your baby from birth to potty, it would cost about $1560 for a total savings of $2040 over disposables! If you wanted to break it down over time, it would be:

• $480 for 24 newborn sizes (if needed)
  
• $480 for 24 smalls
• $360 for 18 mediums
• $240 for 12 larges (if needed)
  

Obviously, if you use them on two children, you'd cut the price in half to $780- a little bit more than the cost of one year of disposables. Have a great vacation!

Next, these are Lil' Joey's made by Rump-a-rooz. These super cute diapers will fit babies from four to twelve pounds and are the perfect choice for preemies, multiples, and newborns who don't quite fit into their one-size diapers yet. Lil' Joey's only come in one size since once they outgrow them, they should be ready to wear a one-size Rump-a-rooz diaper.
They come in tons of bright colors and prints. They are sold in two-packs with one solid color and one print per pack. You can mix and match to get the colors and prints you like the best!The waterproof material on Lil' Joey's is TPU, not PUL, which uses heat bonding instead of chemicals to adhere the waterproof coating to the fabric. These also biodegrade in 4 to 5 years as opposed to 500 or so years for disposables.

The front of Lil' Joey's snaps down to steer clear of a healing belly button. They also have two snap settings so you'll always get a nice, snug, comfy fit.

The inside of Lil' Joey's have their signature double-gussets to contain messy breastfed poos! No blowouts or leaks and nothing but soft fleece against your baby's precious new skin.

Lil' Joeys cost $30 for a two-pack. For 24 total diapers, it would be $360 and they should last for at least 4 months. Some kids could make it to 6 months, which would be the exact same cost of disposables for that period of time. After only 4 to 6 months of use, the diapers could definitely be put in storage for another baby in the future, cutting the cost in half!

And lastly, these are Bum Genius AIOs. They come in newborn, small, medium, and large sizes.

The newborn size is the only true AIO, since it doesn't have the pocket that the other sizes have to adjust absorbency. All the other sizes have a sewn-in microfiber insert and a pocket to add another insert for naps or bedtime. Here's a pink newborn size:

This orange diaper is a large size with an extra insert half-way inserted. Before you put these in the laundry, it's a good idea to pull the dirty insert out so it gets just as clean as the actual diaper.

I have good news and bad news: The bad news is that Bum Genius just announced that, except for the newborn size, they are soon discontinuing their AIOs! The good news is: that means ours are going on sale! Sizes small, medium and large are 40% off!

For 24 newborn AIOs, at $13 a piece, you'd be set for $312. If you act quickly, you can buy our small, medium, and large sizes for only $9.60 per diaper! At that price, you could get from birth to potty in the easiest cloth diaper for only $830.40!

You'd better hurry and book your cruise from your cell phone, while you're at it since you're saving $2770 over the cost of disposables!

Stay tuned as we continue to go through each of the different types of cloth diapers!