One mama's Perspective on Living Lightly on our Earth

Sharing information, products and experiences to help keep our children safe, green and happy!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

The Baby Fair is this Weekend!

Are you going? Want to Win a Pair of Weekend Passes?
Abby Sprouts has 2 Pairs of Weekend Passes for the Vancouver Island Baby Fair to Giveaway!

So Let's talk about the Fair first, before we get to the good, free stuff.

The Vancouver Island Baby Fair is different in a good way. 

Highlights for me:

  • Photo Contest, but it's not about the contest (for me anyway) as much as getting a professional picture for only $10 that is donated directly to the Greater Victoria Down Syndrome Society
  • The Shopping is incredible and all in one place, go ahead and compare prices within walking distance
  • You get to get your hands on cloth diapers!
  • It's incredibly baby, child friendly with fully stock change area with diapers, helpful staff and clean changing station!
  • Oh-- Bobs & LoLo are coming and playing 4 shows!
  • Completely Breast Feeding friendly with a baby feeding area in private with couches or pit stops all around. 
  • Shirley, the woman who puts this fair on, is amazing and you might get to meet her.
  • Stroller Parking by donation if you want to wear your baby or let your toddler walk while keeping the stroller near
  • Baby Races
  • We'll be there! Booth 80/81 en route to the photo contest and next to the baby bistro!
  • Some fabulous prize packages to be won including a little something for Abby Sprouts! 
We will have an awesome promo going on for those who come visit us at the baby fair this weekend as well. 

So, how to win, just leave a comment, (make sure to include an email address or means of reaching you!) and tell us what item you are most looking forward to seeing, buying, trying or that we just can't leave behind!




Make sure you come see us at booth 80/81!

 




Giveaway Winners!!

Our 2 Winners for a $10 Gift Certificate each and a Mine Don't Mess Onesie are.......
Jaclyn with this comment:
I am beyond excited that I've just started my stash and my fluff is slowly arriving in the mail!! My hubby thinks I'm nuts, but honestly I'm SO happy I've made this change because 1. I will be saving money and 2. I will have less garbage! Yay!!
 and 

jaliv with the comment:
I liked you long ago :)

Congratulations and Enjoy!

Thank You Everyone for taking the time to enter and sharing a tid bit about your green lifestyle choices!

Monday, September 20, 2010

New Soft Toys from Organic Cotton In Stock Now!!

These four pals made from Organic Cotton and rubberwood have joined the Family!

Introducing...



My personal fave, the Pop Up Lion


The Planet Pixies are Here!!

Meet Maia in red, She's a Tree Pixie from the Amazon Rainforest.

Kayla, in green, is a Marsh Pixie from the Florida Everglades.

Anyu, in brown,  is the Ice Pixie from the North Pole.

The Planet Pixies are made from Organic Cotton too.

Enjoy and add these to your wish list!



Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Giveaway!!!! We've passed 300 "likes" on Facebook- Let's Celebrate!


Thank You to Everyone For liking us on Facebook. 
I really appreciate it and love hearing all your feedback!

So, let's get to the giveaway!

There will be 2 Winners!

Each Winner will receive a "Mine (Don't Mess)" T-Shirt & a $10 Gift Certificate to Abby Sprouts.

The winner's T-shirt will be shipped with their GC order.

Ready to enter? Leave a comment telling us what you love about cloth diapering or how you live a little greener.

Leave 1 extra comment for 1 extra entry if you "like" Abby Sprouts on Facebook.

Good Luck!

Comments are moderated so it will appear shortly after your posting.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Overnight with Cloth Diapers

When you ask any cloth diapering mama about what she uses at night the majority of the time the answer is one of these three: "I swear by ____", disposables followed by some justification or "I use ___ but it leaks".

Cloth diapers can be used effectively at night; however, for some families it requires a little more thought (and absorbency!) to last 12 hours instead of 3 or 4.

Let's start with pocket diapers for night time. Many pocket diapers come with microfiber inserts but often switching to a hemp or bamboo insert for overnight works best. Our night time combination is an AMP Duo Diaper with a bamboo insert and 3 layer hemp booster. I like this solution because it's still fairly trim fitting and most importantly it works!
AMP Duo Diaper used as a Pocket Diaper 
If you need more absorbency, change the bamboo for a 3 layer hemp insert with the 3 layer hemp booster. Fold the 3 Layer Hemp booster in half and stuff it to the front for a boy or in the middle for a girl. The drawback is this option is much bulkier.

Another worthwhile benefit to using a pocket diaper at night is you get the fantastic stay dry properties of the micro-fleece against baby's skin which might help to keep your little one sleeping longer. What parent can't do without some extra sleep?

 A good fitted diaper is another option,especially if you are not able to stuff your pocket diaper with enough absorbency to last overnight because in some cases an overstuffed pocket diaper leaks.

The bamboozle is a night time favorite made from rayon from bamboo in Scotland and comes with an extra absorbency doubler. I find this option works well with a Bummis PUL cover.
Our AMP Hemp fitteds are another popular choice for the longevity and absorbency of hemp. Again, this durable hemp diaper, that's made in Canada, comes with an absorbency doubler to put absorbency where you need it. These can be folded in half in the front of the diaper to better suit a boy.

Remember, any fitted cloth diaper you choose will need a cloth diaper cover to make the diaper waterproof. Wool is a great overnight cover or if you are not sure you're ready for wool yet you'll find easy care PUL covers as well.

Wool covers can absorb 30% of their weight in moisture. Plus, due to the natural antibacterial properties wool, unless the wool covers are soiled, they can be washed every 1-2 weeks, making for a lighter laundry routine. Wool is also incredibly breathable and a fast diaper rash cure.

What's your tried and true night time solution? 
Still Struggling? Send us an email or leave us a comment and we'll help you sort it out.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

How Many Cloth Diapers do I need?

This question: "How many cloth diapers do I need?" ends up in an email subject line of my inbox weekly if not daily so I thought it's about time I address it and of course like anything else it depends on your family and your baby. 

When you are starting with cloth diapering a newborn baby it's all about keeping the runny mess in it's place and containing it from leaking out. Most parents who switch from disposables can't believe how much better modern cloth diapers are at containing everything and not leaking. The most important part about containing leaks at this stage is a great fitting diaper- if there are gaps around the legs the diaper is inevitable going to leak- with a great fitting dipe like an AMP hemp fitted which has elastic around the legs and can be paired with a Bummis Super Brite Cover you'll be amazed at how you're not cleaning up disposable blow outs! 

OK- back to how many diapers you need! This depends on the type of diaper you've chosen to use. So let's start with saying at the newborn stage 24 diapers is ideal of course you can get away with less it just means more washing and more wear and tear on your diapers. If you're choosing a one-size diaper the larger your "stash" of cloth diapers the better because it will mean less wear and tear on diapers that need to last you roughly 3 years being washed 2-3 times a week. 
Let's talk about the AMP One-Size Duo for newborns.

This is one of my fave diapers to get families started with. It's simple, it's economically appealing, it's made in Canada, and all AMP Diapers come with a lifetime snap guarantee and quality you can just see. Oh and it's a "one-size fits most" or technically one-size fit 7-38 lbs depending on the build of your baby of course.


Above, is an AMP One-Size Duo being used as what we call an All in two (or AI2). The beauty of this is the insert (that's the 2 Layer Hemp insert) just laid right on top of the diaper and folded in three "hotdog" or long ways. Now this insert can simply be switched out for a clean one when wet and then the outside "shell" or cover can be reused (this just saved you $20). 

With newborns I recommend about 12 AMP One-Size Duo's and about 24 inserts of your choice (usually bamboo or 2 layer hemp). If your child is a bit older you may be able to get away with a ratio of 3 inserts for every 1 shell. 
Oh, but were not done yet, it's called a duo because it can do something else too- Cool right!




You can also, stuff the insert inside the pocket opening, thus creating a pocket diaper. The bonus to this is it's only one piece to put onto baby (great if you have a wiggler!) and the microfleece keeps baby feeling dry. Using the diapers this way as a pocket diaper with a newborn you will need about 24 AMP One-Size Duo Diapers and 24 AMP Inserts of either bamboo or 2 layers of hemp. You can always start with less inserts and if you find you prefer pocket style add more.

Are you still with me?

Now for AIO's (or all in ones) these diapers are just what they're called everything you need to diaper your baby in one. So the super easy comes with a bit of drawback they can take longer to dry but surprisingly the AMP All in ones are quick drying and mine are usually done in 1 dryer cycle on medium heat or they dry fully on the line in an afternoon. The drying time is fast because of the microfiber absorbent inner. 

If you choose to go exclusively with All in ones (AIO's) then you'll need about 24 small size, about 18 medium and large size when you get there.  Most families use a few AIO's for caregivers, dads, anyone who's a little reluctant to cloth diaper. Myself, I use these often- why make it harder than it has to be.

If you choose to use fitteds, you'll need 24 size small and about 18 size large. Fitted diapers also require a waterproof covers and 6 is about the minimum you'd want to pair with 24 fitteds (8-10 waterproof covers can make life a lot easier). I love AMP Diapers Fitted Cloth Diapers because Hemp is much more durable than cotton, and they work!

The Easy answer to How many Cloth Diapers you'll need is 24 for newborns, about 18 for older babies and toddlers and this will allow you to wash every second to third day. 

As Always if you have any questions please leave a comment here, give me a call or email.


Ready to order 12 or more diapers- leave us a comment with your fave cloth diapering choice from our shop and we'll happily send you a coupon code or alike!