Icky: a women's health Public Service Announcement (pt. I)

The last time I blogged about reusable menstrual products, I only briefly broached the subjects of health and hygiene, preferring to focus on the cost savings involved in using cloth pads during the 3-6 weeks of bleeding that women experience postpartum. I think that somewhere in my mind, I was hesitant to vilify the manufacturers of disposable products, charitably doubting that they could really be careless or deceitful about what they were telling women was safe to insert into their own bodies. Tampons today are just wads of cotton of the throwaway variety, right? I thought they got rid of the TSS-causing chemicals and gels in the '80s?

Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. After looking into this further, I was dead wrong! And I think it's high time, with "women's health" being a hot media buzzword right now, that we at eLeMeNO-Pee tackle this as a company that stands for the health of mothers and babies.

So what prompted this burst of research inspiration? One of my former clients (congratulations to her on the early potty-training!) is the Saginaw, Texas blogger who found the famed moldy fresh-out-of-the-package tampon on Tuesday, March 27. She is a long-time personal friend. While there are rumors to the contrary, this is undoubtedtly real! And it's undoubtedly hit your Facebook or Twitter feeds by now.

In Kotex's parent company Kimberly-Clark's e-mail response to Parr's product support inquiry about her discovery (a discovery that "shouldn't" have even been made, because the mold was beneath the applicator that she accidentally broke when pushing it through the plastic wrapper), a customer service representative who identified herself as Betty wrote:

"We understand how distressing it can be to find mold on a product that is used for personal hygiene and apologize for your concern.  In instances where it has been found, we conducted tests on the product involved and have found the mold to be a common environmental species that carries no health risk.  The vegetative mold is similar in nature to mold on vegetables or in baked goods."

Accidentally breaking the applicator revealed green and black mold growing on the cotton tampon.

(The customer service representative continued the e-mail for another couple of paragraphs, offering Parr coupons for discounted Kotex tampons before signing off.)

Let's ignore the e-mail's implication that this is not a rare occurrence (yikes!!). Let's focus on the "facts" that Betty from Kotex used to try to reassure the consumer. She compared the mold to the type of vegetative mold that grows on bread or produce. As long as you don't eat it, that stuff carries no health risk, right?

Not if you're allergic to mold. According to the Mayo Clinic Web site, respiratory exposure to mold in persons who are allergic can lead to serious complications such as asthma, lung and sinus infections, pneumonitis, even anaphylactic shock. In infants who are allergic, respiratory exposure can cause pulmonary hemorrhage. While cases of anaphylactic shock and other fatal or near-fatal reactions to breathing in mold are rare, they are worth mentioning.

But Danielle Parr wasn't supposed to have breathed this mold. She was supposed to have inserted it into her body to absorb menstrual blood, having never seen the tampon because it was inside an applicator. I don't recommend that you google "mold in vagina" unless you have excellent search engine filters in place, but your average woman is aware of what it means for her when the pH of the vagina is disturbed or a foreign substance like mold or bacteria is introduced. She's on her way to a prescription for Diflucan and some of the most uncomfortable days of her life.

What of non-applicator tampons, you ask? You can see the entire surface there. What about disposable pads? Why vilify all conventional disposable menstrual products?

For some of the same reasons we warn against the more-than-occasional use of disposable diapers: The materials that make them up are just plain sketchy, treated with a side dose of dangerous:

 

• GMO cotton or cotton/rayon blend (tampons), cotton/plastic weave (pads).
• Chlorine bleach, which means they are exposed to and will absorb dioxin, a byproduct of the chlorine bleaching process.
• Glue.
• Sodium polyacrylate super-absorbent gels derived from petroleum (in pads), the same product found in disposable diapers to make them super-absorbent.
• Polypropylene.
• Polyethelene film.
• Pthalates, which are linked to hormone disruption.

These materials themselves are risky (see The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics for more info), but beyond that, their super-absorbent properties are also known to cause extreme dryness, disrupted pH, agitation, and inflammation of vaginal wall tissue, which leads to heavier flow and more painful periods. Any gynecologist, gyn nurse practitioner, or midwife will confirm this; ask yours!

In addition to the potential toxicity of these materials, the fact remains that Danielle Parr's brand new, unopened tampon was probably just functioning optimally. This mold issue may have been completely unrelated to the factory process. It's just that tampons are SO super-absorbent that it absorbed some tiny bead of moisture in her dry North Texas home, and some tiny mold spore was absorbed and given an optimum place to grow -- in cotton, beneath an opaque piece of plastic, the applicator.

This could, theoretically, happen to any super-absorbent disposable product, diapers included. Kotex's applicator design probably contributed, but Kotex isn't the problem; the problem is inherent to disposable products intended to absorb liquids.

The bigger problem is that not only are disposable menstrual products dishonestly marketed as completely safe for all women, but a high-profile company like Kimberly-Clark (makers of Huggies, Cottonelle, Kotex, and Kleenex, among other common brandname household products) thinks that tossing some coupons to a dissatisfied consumer, especially a consumer who expresses concern about the health and safety of a product after making shocking discovery such as this one, is an acceptable response to the consumer's deservedly alarmed correspondence.

Wow.

I know I normally hop from happy topic to happy topic, doing product spotlights one week, fun features or industry news the next. But I'm going to break this up over the course of two weeks, because I think it's important to follow up on this.

So next week, I'll cover your women's hygiene alternatives, both reusable and disposable, including these strange-sounding menstrual cups and cloth pads you've probably read about in comment threads if you've followed this news story at all. Some of these alternatives are products that your local rep carries, and some of them aren't. All are made of safe or safer materials than conventional disposable menstrual products, and they're made by small manufacturers whose business ethics stand in stark contrast to what has been displayed by Kimberly-Clark this week. This isn't about sales. It's about letting women know that, no matter their lifestyle or situation, they have options, and they deserve better.

What will Tots Bots' changes bring? Better, brighter, beautiful things!

Once upon a time, I discovered a diaper.

I was intrigued by its design, attracted by its ease. When we finally met in person, this cloth diaper and I, I swooned at its silky softness and its trim fit. There was no other diaper like it, and there was no disputing that. This one had become the love of my cloth diapering life. If my cloth diaper romances were a TLC reality show, this one would have been the one with the cool British accent that all the other sister-wife diapers were jealous of. This one, this UK-made Tots Bots Easy Fit, was, for sure, my happily ever after. (I know I've said that before, but this one really was the one.)

Alas, the seasons changed, and the manufacturer sent its herald out into the woods (populated by the Facebook-using fan base, of course) to deliver a proclamation.

They were changing the design.

My little heart broke in two; what Big, Bad Wolf was this, blowing down my dreams of building an all-Tots Bots stash for my next baby? I had just started using them around Christmas (that Rudolph print got me!). eLeMeNO-Pee had just brought them on. Our reps had just received training on them. And now the manufacturer was redesigning? Boo-hoo-hoo, y'all. Boo-hoo-hoo!

After grieving for a few minutes, I began reading about these changes, my skeptical spectacles (this is a British company, right?) on tight. Then I looked at the photos. My skeptical specs fell to the floor, shattering. I'm sold. My love is not leaving me. And we'll leave the metaphor there to get down to the real business: the changes.

So the biggest change that my fellow diaper aficionados seem to fear is the move away from a rayon of bamboo interior.

I think bamboo has gotten a reputation for being a natural fiber. That's not necessarily true. While there are organic bamboos in the textile marketplace, the Easy Fit's insert (and many other bamboo cloth diaper inserts) is made from rayon of bamboo. Rayon of bamboo is a high-quality, absorbent fiber derived from a natural substance (the bamboo plant), but that bamboo is blended with synthetics and treated with chemicals to become the thin, tight-loop, soft terry-like stretch of fabric that you see topping the tongue-style insert of the current Easy Fit. That insert is backed by a layer of microfiber.

The testers recruited by Tots Bots to try out the new design reported a 20% increase in absorbency, making the new Easy Fit a perfect candidate for an out-and-about diaper because of its ease of use as an AIO and its holding power for situations where diaper changes are inconvenient. The old Easy Fit was never considered a great diaper for heavy-wetters. The new one promises much-improved performance!

So what's behind that amazing new absorbency? Minky!

I've blogged about the wonders of absorbent minky before. I should also mention that minky is super quick-drying, making it a superb choice for an AIO, since drying time is every cloth diapering mom's biggest gripe about AIOs. Minky is also more durable than rayon--it will stand up to more wear and tear in a high-agitation washing machine. It can't pill! It's also luxuriously soft on the hands, making it less of a chore to stuff the tongue-style insert into the pocket of your clean, dry Easy Fits.

Don't get me wrong. I like bamboo, and I know it's been all the rage for a while. But as easy-to-deep-down-clean and as quick-drying as my FuzziBunz minky inserts have been, I'm calling it now: minky is the new, softer bamboo.

Luxurious minky, dyed to match the diaper's exterior. Check out the matching Aplix, too!

What else is new, and what's the same?

Well, the new design boasts:

1) A choice between snap or Aplix closures!

2) Gorgeous new unisex, fairytale-themed prints.

3) Color-coordinated snaps and Aplix, meaning these couldn't be any cuter or easier to show off!

The new design will retain the ultra-silky outer layer, the super-strong Aplix, the vibrant solid color palette, the trim cut that provides great coverage across the bum, and the always-fantastic customer support from Bummis!

Still disappointed by the loss of that rayon of bamboo? The Stretch Bamboozle fitted will never lose it, and the Bamboozle is cut just like the Easy Fit. Paired with a wrap-style cover, you've got a great two-step option, and you don't have to miss that bamboo!

I gotta tell you, our innovative cloth diaper (or "nappy!") friends over in the UK have really nailed it this time. If you're thinking of selling your cow for the beans to invest in some of the New Easy Fits, you won't be left disappointed. There's something, well, magical about finding such a great fit, such a soft feel, such a convenient design, and such a gorgeous array of prints and colors in one affordable diaper.

This is the tale of a special cloth diaper from across the sea and how it woo'ed my friends and me!

What to do when your friends say, "Eww."

Picture it:

You’ve taken the leap. You’ve looked at and touched all your options, weighed them, chosen what you wanted—and now you’ve placed your very first “fluff mail” order online, in your local cloth diaper store, or with your local rep. You may have even gotten to bring an item home to show off the cuteness and ease of modern cloth diapers to your husband or partner, your parents and in-laws, and the daycare. You anticipate their "oohs" and "ahhs" with great relish.

"Hey, Grandma! Check out these cloth diapers!"

You post this Facebook status update: “Just ordered our stash of cloth diapers!!! I’m excited and nervous, but I can’t wait to see my little munchkin with a cute, fluffy booty!”

Then the barrage of comments hits:

“Why would you want to do that?”

“You’re a better mommy than I am!”

“I tried that, but it was stinky, and I hated pinning!”

“What do you do about the poop?”

“How do they not leak?”

“Ew.”

How encouraging, right?

Here's my take: your friends don’t mean to be ugly! (Ok, maybe that last one did.) Their incredulity is the product of a skeptical mixture of curiosity and misinformation, and it’s totally understandable. Think back a few weeks—you may have felt the same way!

So what do you say when you’re put on the spot for all your skeptical friends and family to see? You haven’t actually begun cloth diapering yet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t show off the knowledge and confidence you’ve gained from doing research or consulting with your eLeMeNO-Pee representative!

--

Let’s tackle these one at a time. Here’s what you can say when someone asks you:

“Why would you want to?”

"Because I’ll be saving around $2,000 - $3,000, avoiding contact between my baby and chemicals that are linked to serious health conditions, and not contributing to the 27.4 billion disposable diapers that will be tossed into a landfill this year—to remain for the next 250-500 years, not decomposing until after our great, great, great-grandchildren have passed away. Plus they're way cuter, and I can match them to the baby's outfits! You should see some of the cute colors and prints they come in!"

“Supermom! You’re a better mommy than I am! I could never do that!”

"This isn’t a choice I’m making to be better than anybody else; rather, it’s the option that we have decided is best for our family. I promise it sounds like a much bigger deal than it actually is! I was scared, too, but after doing research and talking to other cloth diapering moms, I feel this is something we can definitely handle. Besides, ALL moms are super!"

“I tried, but I had so many problems.”

"I have read about people having problems with leaking or with getting diapers to fit correctly, or even with getting them clean once the baby gets older. I can’t blame you for giving up when you ran into problems and didn’t have anybody to help you troubleshoot! Fortunately, now there is a plethora of knowledgeable support within the cloth diapering community, including online forums and local cloth diaper companies that I trust to help me if I have any problems!"

“Be careful. I used to always poke my babies with the pins until they came out with the paper ones.”

No pins... and no leaks!

"No pins! Today’s cloth diapers go on and off just like a disposable and secure using either easy snaps or Velcro."

“What do you do about the poop?”

"Poop goes in the potty! If the baby is exclusively breastfed, then you don’t have to do anything to the diaper before it goes in the diaper pail and then into the washing machine. Breastmilk poop has very little bacteria in it, and it is 100% water-soluble.

"After that stage is over, I’m going to buy a diaper sprayer and attach it to the water line on my toilet. I can quickly spray the diaper off into the toilet and then put it in the diaper pail until it’s time to wash. I don’t have to touch any poop, and I can limit how much of it ever touches my washing machine."

“How do they not leak?”

"You may be picturing a burp rag, which is a prefold--a type of cloth diaper that requires a waterproof cover. Modern cloth diapers have elastic around the legs and around the waist at the back. Not only does a properly fitting cloth diaper not leak, but it also prevents “poo-splosions” because of that elastic at the back! As long as you’re changing the diaper every 2-3 hours, per the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation for ANY kind of diaper, you should never 'max out' the absorbency of a cloth diaper. No leaks!"

“Ew.”

"If you’re already a parent, you’ve probably had to touch poop. And vomit. And snot. If you haven't yet, you will.

"Bodily functions are gross. Modern cloth diapers are a way healthier, greener, more affordable, cuter way to deal with the gross!"

--

So there you have it! Easy answers to the FAQs that all new cloth diapering moms will hear when they introduce the modern cloth concept to their families and friends.

And there’s one more thing you should say to them once you help them understand the benefits of modern cloth diapers. Turn their questioning on them, and ask: 

“Why wouldn’t I use cloth diapers? And what’s stopping you from exploring the idea? Come on, I'll help!”

Product Spotlight: Limited edition SoftBums colors? We are so there.

As I sit (well, stand--what mom of toddlers has a desk?) here in my kitchen with my sixteen-month old, who dons her typical uniform of t-shirt and brightly colored cloth diaper, I watch her shove a square of her own snack-time cheese into a helpless, supine, half-dressed baby doll's mouth. Next she attempts to comb Baby's hair, change her (cloth!) diaper, swaddle her, and tuck her into bed with the force of hurricane winds behind those tiny, dimpled, innocent-looking toddler hands. Her enthusiasm sure is funny. I can only think of one thing.

Is it that I really should enlist my children in helping me to carry all the scattered dolls, books, cars, and temporary tattoos back to the playroom, that nascent Land O' Toys from which the favored playthings emigrate to the dining room, only to return for brief, courteous visits to the homeland once a week?

Nerrrrrp. It's not.

Is it that I really wish I hadn't run out of sugar this morning, or that I'd at least planned my sugar-to-coffee ratio a little more wisely, because this third cup of coffee is not only room temperature (again, mother of toddlers) but also beginning to taste a little like crude oil?

Nah.

Is it that I really should take care of that rotten banana smell that's coming from under the microwave (how did she get that there??) while the kids are finally playing happily?

Well, the thought crossed my mind, but it was immediately overshadowed by this other thought. I wish I were kidding.

SOFTBUMS' NEW CALENDAR BUMS COLOR IS AVAILABLE NOW!!!

The March 2012 color: Blueberry!

Two in cloth? A patriotic pair!

In case you've missed it, SoftBums is releasing very limited quantities of limited edition shell colors each month--Calendar Bums! This month, retailers were allowed to pre-order up to seven shells in the March color: Blueberry. So Allison, CEO and the mom behind your local rep, snatched them up! Just a few days later, she's already down to four.

Four. That's it. Once they're gone, they're gone.

Now, I'm not going to try to convince you that you need this diaper. Just a few weeks ago, I even suggested that you might give up collecting new cloth diapers for Lent.

But if you're still building your stash, or if you're a major SoftBums fan, or if you've been dying to try the SoftBums Echo, now's your chance. If you decide it's not your favorite, you can re-sell it: rare, out-of-production colors and prints, especially in popular diapers like SoftBums, retain their value remarkably.

(Embarrassing Confession Time: when the Rocky Mountain Diapers cow print had been out of production for about a year and I was an eLeMeNO-Pee representative, I paid more for one of those suckers used than I paid for new inventory straight from the Home Office. I won't even tell you how embarrassingly close to retail I came to paying for a two-year old diaper--hey, it was in great shape!)

SoftBums Echos are high-quality, made-in-the-USA, microfleece-lined, stay-dry All-in-Twos that are 100% adjustable. Your local rep can show you the patented Slide-2-Size adjustment feature that guarantees you can always achieve a perfect fit on your baby, from birth to potty-training. The whole concept is actually really amazing, and this is a one-size option that doesn't require much guesswork about fitting.

No, you probably don't need this cloth diaper if you've already got a full stash. But it will, like all your cloth diapers, last, oh, ten thousand times longer than a disposable diaper, and it will make you smile every time you look at it, because you'll know. You'll know that there's no such thing as wasting money when it comes to cloth, because you didn't pay money for trash.

If you want one of these limited edition Blueberry Echos (or one of the two remaining February Firecracker Reds!), hurry up and head to our Rep Finder, click your rep's name, and place your order. Remember, there are only four available. Well, three.

My daughter looks really cute in blue.

Do you have more than one diapered child? Watch how easy it is to adjust SoftBums diapers so that they can be shared by your two in cloth!

Which type of cloth diapering mom are you?

Just looking at the conversations on our Facebook Page tells us one thing: there are so many kinds of parents who choose modern cloth diapers for their babies. 

And why not? Once parents learn how easy cloth diapering can be with a little guidance, there’s really no reason not to save $2,000 or more per child!

Just for fun, here’s a profile of some of the cloth diapering mom personality types I’ve observed in my years as a cloth diapering mom and industry employee. Which one do you see yourself as? Or maybe you’re a mix of a few?

The Curious but Skeptical

This mom has heard some buzz about cloth diapers and how much money they can save. Maybe she’s even seen a friend change her cloth diapered baby, and she thinks they are awfully cute. But surely they take up an awful lot of time, she thinks. Can I really do an extra load of laundry every other day? 

She will probably look at the numbers and decide that doing a bit of extra laundry is worth it. She’s excited to be free of the ongoing expense of disposable diapering, but she’s nervous about getting her family on board. With the right support from another cloth diapering mom, Formerly Skeptical Mom keeps up cloth diapering, quickly becoming confident that this was the right decision for her family. Once she has begun cloth diapering, she is on the path to becoming The Activist.

The Planner

The Planner is the mom who wants to know everything about what she’s getting into before she jumps in. She needs to see and touch modern cloth diapers of all styles, and she wants to plan a “stash” of a single daytime system and a single nighttime system. Once she begins cloth diapering, she could become The Working Mom or The Collector.

The Working Mom

This mom is “all business” when it comes to her baby’s diapers. Whether she works outside the home or keeps herself busy as a stay-at-home mom, she doesn’t want to have to put thought into diapers. She buys her stash of leading brand cloth diapers once and makes it work, not worrying about what other systems are out there. This Pragmatic Patty probably has 18 one-size diapers in gender-neutral colors; she washes every other day and dries on low heat in the dryer. She may purchase another diaper or two in a limited edition print, but Working Mom is not in the habit of sentimentalizing diapers, although she loves cloth diapering.

The Collector

This is me. The Collector can’t see a photo of a new release without succumbing to the impulse to try it. She likes to network with other cloth diapering moms to borrow and trade new styles, and she may even delve into the world of handmade, boutique brands on Etsy or HyenaCart. She may “convert her stash” several times a year, or she may just keep adding to the collection, filling drawers till she has a "diaper dresser." She’s a fabric junkie, and prints and limited edition colors are her weakness. The bottom line is that she enjoys cloth diapers and is a jewel of a customer for this industry. Collectors keeps us all in business!

The Activist

The Activist is ready to shout her love of cloth diapering from the rooftops! She has helped a few of her friends begin cloth diapering, and she has convinced all of her single or childless friends of the financial, environmental, and health benefits in preparation for the day that they have babies. She strategically plans which diapers to use when she’ll be around people who are unfamiliar with cloth so that she can show off how easy and fashionable modern cloth is. When her baby appears in photos on her Activist-y Facebook profile, he’s wearing only a t-shirt and coordinating diaper, of course! 

  

The Proud Health Nut

This mom may have chosen to cloth diaper because of her interest in health and wellness-related lifestyle choices… or cloth diapering may have been her gateway to examining her family’s practices! Either way, she is a great resource to her friends and networks on all things “natural.” Her diaper stash is mostly comprised of cotton, hemp, and maybe wool. She is the go-to for a debriefing on the current state of GMOs and where to buy eggs from farm-raised chickens. The Skin Deep database is her Web browser’s homepage, and she can teach you how to build a clothesline and harness the amazing disinfecting powers of the sun. Other moms may be intimidated by her commitment, but she just wants everyone to experience the transformational wellness she and her family enjoy!

The eLeMeNO-Pee Rep

The eLeMeNO-Pee rep is any of the above profiles! She is a mom who is passionate about cloth diapering and wants to support other families in making this choice with confidence. She embarks on the representative adventure eager to provide income for her own family, meet new people, use her brain, and be able to work with her baby. 

As the saying goes, it takes all kinds! Cloth diapering isn't just for the "natural mom" hippies, it isn't just for stay-at-home moms, and it isn't just for mom martyrs who are happy to drown themselves in laundry. Working moms, moms of multiples, and moms who just plain enjoy cloth diapers all make up our client base, and we are grateful to every single one of them. Truly, every mom and every baby are the "faces" of cloth diapering!

Six Ways Cloth Diapers Can Change Your Life this Spring

For many families all over the world, today is Ash Wednesday: the first day of Lent. Now, we’re a Louisiana-based company, and maybe you didn’t know it, but Lent is A Big Deal here.

(Public domain image.)

But even if you don’t observe Lent, Spring is the time of year for change and renewal cross-culturally. And springtime, believe it or not, always has me a little bit focused on cloth diapers.

Maybe it’s because it’s the time of year I became aware of modern cloth diapers after my first child was born. It’s also the time of year that we found out our second child was a girl, and I got my hands on a “retired” daisy print FuzziBunz, the “gateway” diaper in my collection of fun and interesting prints.

It's no secret that cloth diapers changed my life! Switching to cloth first provided us with money-savings, and then it gave me my career, first as a local eLeMeNO-Pee rep and now as the home office's resident social media gal. Beyond any of that, it's connected my family to families all over Louisiana. I met my best friend because she dropped me a link on Facebook about how easy modern cloth diapers can be!

Here are six things you can do with cloth diapers this spring that will change your life and your practices:

1) Switch to cloth. You knew this would be first on the list! But seriously--if you’ve had your eye on cloth diapers for awhile but haven’t yet taken the plunge, this is the perfect time of year. For many families, it’s tax refund time, and that means the funds are available to purchase 12-15 cloth diapers and the necessary accessories to cloth diaper full-time, which is the easiest way to get started and find success! If you’ve hesitated because you’re not a “laundry person,” and you think cloth will be extra work, Lent is an ideal time to embark on a sacrificial adventure for your baby, your family’s finances, and the earth. I have a hunch that by Easter, “doing cloth” will be so routine that you won’t think of it as a sacrifice any more.
 
2) Line-dry your cloth diapers. Mount a clothesline, like this retractable line available at any major hardware store, to your fence or back porch posts and enjoy the energy (and cost!)-saving and natural bleaching powers of the spring sun’s rays! If you’re an observer of Lent, you can take on this chore as a sacrifice and even use the alone time to focus on Lenten prayers.
  
3) If you’re a “cloth diaper collector” like I am, don’t add to your stash right now. (See #4.)


4)  Buy diapers to donate to a family in need. I know I love to check my mail and find a package with that familiar eLeMeNO-Pee label or to get a phone call from the home office, now that it’s local to me, saying my fluffy items are ready to be picked up. But one thing I’ve learned is that receiving “fluffy mail” is just as thrilling when I’m not keeping the items! There are so many good reasons to donate cloth diapers, and there are many venues through which to donate—either directly to a family you know or through an organization like Giving Diapers, Giving Hope.
 
5) Let your love for cloth inspire. Tell your friends about cloth diapers, and refer them to their local eLeMeNO-Pee representative, especially if you’re a busy mama (aren’t we all?) and you know they’ll have lots of questions. You might also let your love for cloth diapers become a love for a “cloth life” in general—use this time to explore other cloth options like mama cloth, unpaper towels, and even cloth that replaces tissues and toilet paper. These will benefit your family’s health and finances and reduce your carbon footprint. Again, if you’re observing Lent, allow the adjustment period—when you’re adding a couple loads of extra laundry to your weekly routine—to be part of your Lenten sacrifice!




6) Participate in the Great Cloth Diaper Change. This annual springtime event, which is timed to coincide with Earth Day, is a Guinness World Records event with locations all over the world. It’s a great opportunity for you to join other cloth diapering families in solidarity to inspire others to jump in for the betterment of the earth by… changing your baby's diaper! The idea is that cloth skeptics might see just how simple modern cloth diapers are and be inspired to join the revolution. Many major cloth diaper manufacturers are sponsors of the event, and they donate door prizes and free gifts to the retailers who host locations! This year, the event falls on April 21^st at 10 am central. eLeMeNO-Pee is proudly hosting the Lake Charles location.

Changing cloth diapers is a snap! Or... a Velcro?

One of the first concepts that shocks and pleases folks when they're discovering modern cloth diapers is that, Wowee!, changing them is no different than changing a disposable diaper, especially if you use diapers that fasten with hook-and-loop tabs.

Any real difference here between the way this Tots Bots Easy Fit and a disposable diaper are put on a baby?

[Time out: "hook-and-loop" is the generic name for the fastening products created by brands such as Velcro, Aplix, and Touchtape. It's sort of like "tissue" v. Kleenex. Since the diaper brands we carry make use of all different brands of hook-and-loop fasteners, we'll stick with the generic--abbreviated h&l from now on. K, back to our regularly scheduled info-blogging.]

Then, when folks look into major brands like FuzziBunz, they'll notice that all FuzziBunz diapers fasten with snaps, which the company advertises hold up best over time (and now come with a lifetime warranty!).

So, which is best?

There's no clear-cut answer, unfortunately. That's why there are so many choices on the market!

This is something your local rep, an experienced cloth diapering mom herself, can help you figure out so that you maximize your satisfaction with your diapers while maintaining the money savings that may have had you looking into cloth diapers to begin with. Keep in mind that there's a resale market, and cloth diapers go for 50-80% of their retail value, so if you happen to be dissatisfied with a diaper because you thought you'd like one type of fastener and you realize you'd prefer another, reselling your diapers to help fund the purchase of new ones is always an option!

Here's a quick pro/con breakdown for hook & loop:

Pros:

• Makes for super-quick, easy changes.
• Is less daunting for childcare providers and skeptical grandmas.
• Comes with "laundry tabs," meaning that, theoretically, the "scratchy" part (the hook) will not tear fabric it is washed with.
• Allows for the best possible fit--there's no possibility of a baby's waist being "between sizes" when adjustability is maximized. This, in my opinion, holds the most weight in terms of value over the snaps alternative.

Cons:

• Can wear out faster with washing and drying; laundry tabs sometimes need to be replaced in order to be effective.
• Can cause the top flap of the diaper to turn inward at baby's belly, rubbing a raw spot. This is not everybody's experience (and it hasn't been mine), but it is something to consider.
• The sound that resonates from "undoing" h&l can wake a light sleeper if a middle-of-the-night change is required.
• Some babies discover how easy it is to remove a diaper fastened with hook-and-loop, and persistent ones will remove a diaper even while fully clothed. I gotta tell you, once my daughter got in this habit, she was doing it in her sleep. Not cool.

And a breakdown for the snaps camp:

Pros:

• Snaps are durable and hold up beautifully to daily wear and laundering.
• If you memorize the snap settings that give you the best fit on your baby, then changes become super-quick, and the diaper goes on straight even if your newly-mobile-and-proud little rascal is crawling away (or attempting Downward Dog).
• In my opinion, the "look" is cleaner and neater.
• High-quality resin snaps are much more difficult for a baby to "undo," and they don't give that satisfying crunch-rrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiip sound that babies seek out when they play with h&l fasteners.

Cons:

• Pre-determined snap settings can lead to some gapping at the waist or around the thighs. This can cause leaks for some hard-to-fit body types. I find this especially true in the newborn stage.
• Picture this scenario: Dad is already a little skeptical of cloth diapers (and didn't get to come to your consultation with your local rep). He's left alone with your new baby while you take your shower, and he hears the tell-tale squirty, sort of... bubbly sound that we all know signifies a fresh mess. He stares downward at what looks to him like dozens of snaps, maybe a hundred snaps... and he has no idea how to make this diaper fit your baby. Ok, this isn't really a con, because it makes for a funny photo op for the baby book. I would probably stage it if it didn't happen. But the point is: snaps can be a little daunting for the cloth-skeptical!

So how do you choose?

Ideally, there's room in a cloth diaper stash for a little of both.

If you're planning to have a separate stash of newborn diapers, h&l is a fantastic option! No busy hands are trying to remove any diapers, the baby is sleeping deeply enough that you shouldn't have to worry about the sound waking her, everybody in your life will be happy to change diapers for you because, well, how is it any different than changing a disposable?, and you'll get a perfect fit.

If you're looking for a single, streamlined one-size stash to use from birth to potty-training, you may want to go with snaps. Longevity rules the day; isn't that what they always say? It should be!

As for me, I'm slowly replacing my beloved classic SoftBums with SoftBums withSnaps, saving my classics for my next newborn. Why? Because a certain little diva began removing them--even under pants--before she hit her first birthday.

If you sew and you've got a baby Houdini on your hands, too, you may consider using a snap press and converting your h&l diapers to diapers with snap closures. If you're like me and can't thread a needle without risking an aneurysm, consider the "snap version" of your favorite diapers when it's time to size-up (or pass down your current diapers to a new addition).

And, lastly, eLeMeNO-Pee diapers are chosen because they are high-quality diapers made by manufacturers who stand behind their products and back them with warranties. While h&l is known to wear out over time, the products we carry that make use of h&l do hold up! My DryBees fleece overnight pockets are nearly three years old and no worse for the wear.

Finally, here's a tip from our representative Nicole, who highly prefers h&l fasteners for her harder-to-fit daughter: "If you only hang dry, you occasionally have to throw hook and loop in the dryer so it will stay sticky."

For more discussion from our cloth diapering clients, hop on over to our Facebook Page!