Fluff Talk Thursdays - Goin' Shopping!

Thank you Beth @ Happily Domestic for hosting this fluffy Meme!

Where I live, there is only one place to buy cloth diapers - our local baby boutique "Hey Baby!" I love the owner, she is super sweet. She said the demand is so low that she will only carry one brand, and she chose Bum Genius. I love Bum Genius, but I also love fitteds...Goodmamas, Thirsties Fab Fitteds - and I love variety. One brand is not going to cut it with me.

So I buy all my cloth diapers online. Wanna know my favorite shops?

The mama that owns this online shop offers free shipping! This is a very big deal for someone that shops totally online. That means it is actually cheaper to buy from her than to drive to my baby boutique :) She has a wonderful variety of cloth diapers and baby items, including baby leg warmers (aren't those the cutest things ever?)

Purple Hippo....It's the Happybottumus! This is the local cloth diapering/natural mothering store for the Kansas City area. They rock! The owners are super fun and stay on top of the hottest items in natural parenting. They are one of a handful of retailers for Goodmama too (drool!) Since I can't drive to them all the time I am so glad I can support them buy shopping online. And because of me, they are now retailers for Rockin' Green Soap (yeah I know, I totally rock) Oh, and want one more reason I love them - besides totally making cloth diapering hip in KS/MO? They have a calendar of events on their site for local babywearing/La Leche League meetings and they host local cloth diaper swaps!

And finally, were would I be without my favorite cloth diapering resource and online forum for buying/selling/trading cloth diapers? I wouldn't be as in love with cloth diapers as I am today, that is for sure! If you are a mom or a dad, there is a message board on this site for you. And there are boards on here to buy lightly used or even brand new wool for discounted prices. I also love the WAHM listings since I am an avid supporter of a mother staying at home and still earning some money. How many other diaper swappers members are reading this right now? This site totally rocks!

So now you have my top three shops - go spend some money!

Fluff Talk Thursdays - Accessories

Beth@Happily Domestic is hosting Fluff Talk Thursdays! Check our her post for a super list of all the different cloth diapering accessories that are out there. I didn't even know about the Diaper Duck till she posted it.

Me - I have never been an accessories gal. My only jewelry is my wedding ring....I don't carry a purse since my diaper bag can hold my wallet. I only have 10 pairs of shoes (and this includes slippers and flip flops!)

So when it comes to cloth diapering I am no different. I'll post a quick list of the accessories I have tried....but there is only one that I use regularly!

Snappi - This is used to hold a diaper together in the place of pins. I don't like it very much since the little teeth have been known to claw my fingers...I'd rather use pins or just trifold the prefold and lay it in the cover.

Diaper Sprayer - Don't have one. I just dunk the diaper in the toilet and swish. EWWW...I know! But diaper sprayers cost money and frankly if I just wash my hands thoroughly it doesn't matter. (I am looking forward to Beth @ Happily Domestic's upcoming diaper sprayer giveaway! I would love to win one!)

Diaper Pail Deodorizer - For this I just use Baking Soda. I know that Rockin Green has some very yummy scents, but I money is too tight for that right now...(and that stinks! hahaha)

Wetbag - I do use this. I have 2 medium sized ones and 1 small. These are waterproof bags that zip up or sinch up with a pull string and you put your dirty diapers in it while on the go. I love mine! I have a Vihn Thi Designs wetbag and Lesli's Boutique. I love them equally, but I enjoy the handle on the Lesli's boutique cause I can snap it to the outside of my diaper bag!

What about you? Do you use accessories with your cloth diapers? Maybe I forgot one...I probably did. Is there one or two you just love using?

Fluff Talk Thursdays - Josh's View

This week on Fluff Talk Thursdays, Beth at Happily Domestic wants it to be all about the Dads! A dad can write the post (like mine did) or the mama can write a funny story (or 2) about her husband and cloth diapers.

This should be a really funny one and I am so excited to read what others post! It is going on for 2 weeks, so head on over and check it out!

My wife likes cloth diapering, therefore I like cloth diapering, the same goes for chocolate. Now you would think that I like 'Sleepless in Seattle' by this pattern of thinking, you would be wrong. I like Die Hard and Braveheart. However, I do like cloth diapering partly because my wife likes cloth diapering and partly because it is the best way to diaper.

Not only is cloth diapering wonderfully environmentally friendly, it is easy to do (as long as the wife does the prefolds and I get to use the fitteds - j/k) and it is cost effective. Although I did like to teasingly give my wife a hard time about being addicted to purchasing $30 diapers, I did understand that it will be used over and over and over. That just makes good sense. In fact, if a regular disposable costs $0.25, then a $30 diaper only has to be used 120 times before it has paid for itself and as a bonus has not done anything to hurt the environment. There is certainly a double win there. Already, with just two of the dozen or so children we plan on having most of the $30 diapers have made their money back, just think of having them on 3 or even 10 more children. That's almost like winning the lottery every day. Sometimes there really is even a prize.

There is also a fantastic community around cloth diapers. I know that if there ever comes a time that information is needed on some diaper fact, there are people ready and willing to answer whatever question might arise. If a person needs to buy or sell a diaper(s), there are fantastic people out there that are looking to trade. To date there has not been a single bad experience with exchanging diapers for diapers or diapers for money. Everyone in this community is respectful and looks out for one another which makes cloth diapering truly fantastic on those merits alone.

Blowouts. I have yet to have to change my kids clothes because the cloth diaper failed to hold it all in. I loathed having to change my kids' outfit after they had been wearing a disposable and had an up the back disaster. Bless you cloth diapers, bless you.