Teaching Cloth Diaper 101

This past weekend I taught my first cloth diapering class at my local children's consignment store, Grow With Me Boutique!

Grow With Me Boutique is very quickly becoming the go-to location for anything cloth diaper related - she's stocking up on multiple different brands and accessories so it seemed appropriate to help educate our community about the benefits of cloth diapering as well as show parents how easy it is to cloth diaper.

When I was initially looking into cloth diapering I was so overwhelmed with all the different options and didn't have a location close to me where I could actual hold a diaper to see how they worked exactly. We bloggers try our best to show off the features of each diaper we review, but sometimes you just gotta hold it in your hands and have a person talk to you face to face about what it is. With this in mind, I created my "lesson plan" and Grow With Me set up the event!

I was thinking that a group of 6-8 would be perfect; more than I could ask for. As the date to the class grew closer the attendance count kept ticking up and soon over two dozen were signed up to come!

My goal of the class was to introduce the different styles of cloth and to show everyone that every family is unique so there is no "right" way to cloth diaper. I started by giving a brief overview of the different styles of cloth as well as their pros/cons:

• prefolds and flats with covers
• all in ones
• all in twos
• pockets
• fitteds

I also covered accessories, wash basics and a little bit of trouble shooting. Some of the attendees were already experienced in cloth diapering so it was great to have them share their experiences, such as while I use the dry pail method, two other moms shared that they use wet pails and why it works for them. It was a great open discussion with tons of questions and it made the time just fly by. I was also able to give out samples of Rockin Green, Country Save, Motherlove Herbals, Earth Angel Mama Baby and Planet Wise even sponsored two prizes!

We also had a special guest appearance; my own "cloth diaper community star," Amy the owner of Buttons Diapers. Amy and I have worked together several times, through my own Buttons Diapers reviews and at the Mommie Mixer in 2013. She's somewhat local to me so it was fun to have her come visit and for a couple customers get to meet her.

It had been several years since I've taught a class so it was fun and refreshing to jump in again. I hope I'll get to do it another time soon!

Connect with Grow With Me Boutique 

to find more cloth diapering resources for Snohomish County!

The perfect cloth diaper detergent: Country Save

I've been on my cloth diapering journey for just about 23 months now - I am so amazed at how much has changed and yet really a few things that have stayed constant. We've changed up our cloth diaper routine based on Penny's age and needs, but even through 4 moves in those 23 short months (and vastly varying water types) - one thing has stayed the same: our laundry detergent.

I'm a die-hard Country Save fan. Its single formula has worked for us through hard, normal and soft water. A 10 lb box lasts us well over 6 months, and that's including using it on regular clothes loads too. And I'm not even using an HE washer; I've got a 5-10 year old washer/dryer combo that we inherited when we got married and it's probably not as efficient as most others, but it definitely gets the job done.

The key is that it is a super concentrated, powder formula. It leaves no residue or scent behind - my clothes and diapers just smell...clean. No artificial "mountain air" or "fresh linen" (that one always cracks me up) scents. If I ever want my laundry to have a special scent to it, I just add a little bit of essential oil to my wool dryer balls and its still all natural.

My cloth diaper washing routine is as follows:

1. Always using the largest water setting, I run a cold/cold rinse without any detergent. This rinses out any soils on the diapers.
2. Then I run a hot/cold load, filling the provided scoop about 1/4 of the way with Country Save detergent and add it to my hot load. I keep the door open and let it agitate (restarting it several times), so that the cloth diapers have extra time in the hot water and detergent. Then I let the cycle finish up with the cold rinse.
3. One final cold/cold rinse!
4. Natural fiber inserts can go into the dryer (with wool dryer balls, never any softener or sheets!), microfiber and all covers are air dried. During the winter I dry them on a rack in front of our pellet stove over night and in the late spring / summer / fall I dry them outside using the natural bleaching power of the sun - aka "sunning."

Country Save is always:

• 100% Phosphate-Free
• Completely Biodegradable
• Safe for Septic Tanks
• Ideal for Sensitive Skin
• Fragrance & Dye Free
• No Optical Brighteners
• Cruelty-Free
• No Animal Testing
• No Animal By-Products
• Ultra Concentrated Formula
• Highly Economical

What else can I say about Country Save besides that is is awesome, economical and I don't have to worry about harsh chemicals coming into contact with my family's skin? Oh, it's Pacific Northwest locally owned! I love my local businesses!

Buy Country Save at Amazon.com or 

search for local retailers near you. 

Disclosure: Thank you Country Save for sponsoring this post, though I only share about products that I truly love! This post contains affiliate links.

A Few of My Favorite Things: Cloth Diaper Edition (Review & Giveaways!)

Welcome to the Favorite Things Giveaway Hop, hosted by the Cloth Diaper Revival. 

Each blogger participating has a great cloth diaper prize for you to win, worth at least $20, so after you enter mine, be sure to hop around to all the others in the linky!  Don’t forget to enter to win one the GRAND PRIZE for the event!
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Oprah gets to giveaway some of her favorite things, right? So here's your chance to win some of mine!

1 Funky Fluff Bamboo Fusion 2.0 cloth diaper 

This diaper saved my (well, Penny's mostly) butt for night time. We were beginning to go through a phase where it seemed like anything and everything leaked throughout the night and then I got to try the original version of Funky Fluff Bamboo Fusion diapers. Worked like a charm! Then I got the opportunity to review the revamped 2.0 Fusion diaper and was just as pleased!

1 10lb box of Country Save Detergent

At the beginning of cloth diapering, I gave several brands a shot. Country Save has withstood the test of time and our diapers have consistently remained clean and a 10 lb box lasts me a LONG time. In the almost 23 months of cloth, we've probably gone through about 4 10 lb boxes; and that includes at least 75% of our clothes being washed with this detergent too!

Doodle Pants

Every mom wants her little cuties in adorable outfits, right? I first discovered Doodle Pants because they make cloth diaper friendly leggings, which we absolutely adore! You will get a chance to win 2 pairs of Doodle Pants leggings. Now they've come out with a line of clothing to coordinate with some of their most popular styles of leggings! I can't wait to share pictures of Penny in her Pink Monster outfit.

1 box with 6 Woolzies Wool Dryer Balls
Woolzies Wool Dryer Balls have been essential in my laundry regime. They've cut down on my drying time, are all natural and mean ZERO fabric softener or dryer sheet use! That's been a huge help in making sure that our cloth diapers have zero build up. Learn more about how Woolzies wool dryer balls save money.

$20 egift certificate to Irresistibly Green
Now it's your turn to get you get one of your favorite things, or try something new! The Irresistibly Green family has so much to offer; from cloth diapers to skin care to something for the home. They even have a great bargain bin to stretch your dollar further!

Enter here!

Entry-Form

Disclosure: The Pierogie Mama, Cloth Diaper Revival and the Favorite Things participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations. This post contains affiliate links.

The Cleanest Cloth Diapers with Country Save #summerfluffing

This giveaway was originally published as a part of the Summer Fluffing giveaway hop.

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One of the first questions that I get asked by friends who are interested in cloth diapering is about how to wash them. Poop and pee just make people uneasy. I talk to them about how it's not terribly time consuming but does take a little bit of work getting your formula down right. I steer them away from the mainstream detergents (for all of your laundry, not just cloth diapers) and tell them about my favorite household product: Country Save detergent.

Recently I've switched from reserving the 'special detergent' (as I would tell my husband) for cloth diapers and baby clothes to simply using it for all of our laundry. Country Save doesn't add a bunch of extra ingredients (enzymes, brighteners, fragrances) and all you get is the stuff that cleans your clothes, so this box of detergent goes a long way.

Country Save has partnered with me to share the love! One winner will receive a 10 lb box of detergent and a 40 oz package of their Oxygen Bleach. Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below.

This giveaway is over - thanks to all for entering! 

Keep an eye out for more Pierogie Mama Giveaways.

Disclosure: No compensation was provided, just love this product and want you to love it too! The Pierogie Mama, According to Jenny, So Easy Being Green, the Blogging Mamas Network, and the Summer Fluffing participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations.

Giveaway rules: Open to US residents only. Must be 18 years or older. The Pierogie Mama is not responsible for prize fulfillment, though I will advocate with you to make sure you get your prize. This giveaway is not associated in any way with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Google. Winners will be contacted via email and have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.