One of those cloth pads I tried was a Lunapads Heavy Pad:

“With Lunapads, the Liner Inserts sit on top of the Pad Base, so all you have to do is swap out the Liner Insert, which can easily be done as often as you desire throughout the day. This feature also allows you to purchase fewer pads (you’ll need more liners than pads) in the first place, as well as not having to carry as many things around with you.” -lunapads.com

Pictured is a Wing Liner, the Heavy Pad and a Tri-Fold Liner Insert. Each of these are 14" long. The Heavy Pad and Wing Liner are $24.99 and you can purchase a Tri-Fold Liner Insert for $16.99.

The Wing Liner is inserted into the Heavy Pad. The rick-rack is what holds the liner in place.

The Tri-Fold Liners are 14" long and 8" wide. As the name implies, they are tri-folded for maximum absorbency. The liner is simply folded and inserted into the Heavy Pad.

At 14" long, the Heavy Pad is very long but provides excellent coverage.

The Heavy Pad is large and long. The Tri-Fold Liner is very, very bulky but it is a postpartum pad! The Wing Liner is not as bulky and the lack of bulk was more comfortable. Of course, both the Tri-Fold Liner and Wing Liner are so much more comfortable than disposable pads and even the Tri-Fold Liner didn’t feel as bulky as some heavy disposable pads!

As far as postpartum pads go, they are really bulky, I was only wearing them at night, from the beginning at 1 week postpartum. However, if you plan on skipping the disposables all together and start wearing cloth pads from the moment your baby is born, this pad would be perfect, especially with the Tri-Fold liner. And they’re useful beyond the postpartum recovery as overnight pads!

Heavy Pad, Maxi Pad and Long Pad

In addition to having the Heavy Pad, Wing Liner and Tri-Fold Liner, I also purchased a Heavy Flow Starter Kit which includes:

2 Long Pads with 2 Long Basic Liners and 2 Long Wing Liners

2 Maxi Pads with 2 Maxi Basic Liners and 2 Maxi Wing Liners

This kit retails for $87.94 but was on sale for $79.14 when I purchased it. I had a 16% off discount code and free shipping, so I only paid $66.48 for the 4 pads and 8 liners!

I really love the Maxi Pad and Long Pad. These two are not nearly as bulky as the Heavy Pad but still provide complete and adequate coverage for postpartum bleeding after the first few days.

About Lunapads:

Lunapads International is a women-owned and operated mission-based business based in Vancouver, Canada. Our mission is to help individuals have healthier and more positive experiences of their menstrual cycles, and by extension, their bodies overall. Our team is made up of a passionate group of women who believe that using natural menstrual products is a creative and empowering way to honor and care for ourselves and the planet.

Giveaway: Win a $50 gift certificate to lunapads.com

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment telling me if you’re already using reusable menstrual products, if you’re thinking about it or if you didn’t even know such a thing existed!

Additional Entries: {leave a separate comment for each entry}

• Like Lunapads on Facebook
• Follow @lunapads on Twitter
• Subscribe to Frugal and Simple via RSS or e-mail
• “Like” Frugal and Simple on Facebook

Giveaway ends Monday, March 5th at 12 pm EST.

*Giveaway restricted to US and Canada.

Disclaimer: I was provided a Lunapads Heavy Pad with Wing Liner and Tri-Fold Liner to review. I personally purchased the Heavy Flow Starter Kit. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed in this post are my own!

This giveaway is now closed! Congratulations to commenter #37, Meg!!

I looked at several different brands of cloth pads and purchased samples of the different brands so I could actually see the product before investing in several.

I was also given the opportunity to review a GladRags Night/Postpartum Pad:

This pad comes with 1 Night Holder {approximately 14" long and 3" wide at the middle} and 2 Inserts. It retails for $17.99.

The inserts are placed inside the holder {this side is what touches your underwear}. You snap the pad in place around your underwear.

Once the pad is snapped in place, this is what touches your body.

When this pad came in the mail, I was shocked at the length! It's huge as you can see!It's pictured with a ruler to give you an idea of the length.

My first impression was this thing is huge and there’s no way it will be comfortable. After wearing it the first time, I realized I was wrong! It was so comfortable, so much better than the pads from the hospital. I didn’t feel like I was wearing a diaper, like the disposables feel, even though it was large and provided full coverage. As far as postpartum pads go, this is really bulky, but that is the purpose of a postpartum/overnight pad. I started wearing the cloth pads at 1 week postpartum and by that point, I was only wearing this one at night.  Of course this postpartum pad will make a fabulous overnight pads beyond the postpartum recovery. This one piece pad system with inserts is so easy to use, it’s really no different than disposables, only you wash and reuse instead of throwing away!

How many pads are recommended? I just guessed on how many I would need. I ended up with a total of 11 pads {3 postpartum pads, 4 long/heavy pads and 4 maxi pads} and 4 liners which were more than enough with my wash routine. I would recommend a minimum of 5 pads per day.

How often do you wash them? I washed every day and a half along with the boys diapers. I simply put them in the diaper pail and they were washed along with the diapers which was no extra laundry.

What about staining? I have had no staining issues so far after 5 weeks of use.  I rinsed the pads with cold water and then stored them in the diaper pail to wash with diapers. My current diaper wash routine is cold rinse, hot wash with detergent and another hot wash {to make sure all the detergent residue is gone to prevent build up issues in the diapers.}

Recommendation:

If you’re tired of spending money on pads and exposing your body to chemicals, then look into cloth pads! I invested around $75 into cloth pads which should last 5 years or longer. I’ll save a ton of money and prevent so much waste!

All of the GladRags are made of a comfortable cotton flannel and come in a variety of prints as well as undyed organic cotton.

About GladRags:

Inspired by the simple utility, earth-friendliness, and comfort of cloth diapers, GladRags was founded in 1992 in Portland, Oregon. It began as a home based business that quickly outgrew the extra bedroom and moved to its own building.  Today, GladRags is still a small company but with a big presence, promoting positive attitudes toward menstruation and making the environment a safer, cleaner place. GladRags can be found in health food stores and natural pharmacies nationwide.

Here are some informative links regarding disposable feminine products:

The Shocking Truth About Feminine Hygiene Products

Scary Tampon Recall May Change Your Periods Forever

I’d love to answer any questions you may have  about cloth pads! Either leave a comment or send an e-mail to rachel@frugalandsimple.com. Please don’t leave any rude comments saying this is ‘disgusting’ or ‘extreme’, menstruation is a natural function that is neither disgusting or nasty. Women’s bodies are doing just what God intended for them to do and it’s nothing to be ashamed of or disgusted by!

Disclaimer: I was provided a GladRags Night/Postpartum Pad to review. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed in this post are my own!

If you’re looking for a deal on cloth diapers this weekend or other ‘green’ gifts for your children or friends, check out Sweetbottoms Baby ! They’re offering 10% off a $30 or more purchase through Monday night when you use discount code ‘BLACKFRIDAY2011′!

Diapers on Sale*:

*GroVia: Buy 2, Get 1 FREE  (applies to AIO, Newborn AIO, Shells, & Bio Diapers)

*Rump-a-rooz Pocket Diapers: Buy 4+, Get 1 FREE; Buy 8+, Get 2 FREE; Buy 12+, Get 3 FREE; Buy 20+, Get 4 FREE

*Bottombumpers AIOs: Buy 6 solid or 4 prints, Get 1 FREE

*Econobum: Buy 1 Prefold/Cover Set, Get 1 FREE

{*If you purchase the sale diapers, the 10% off doesn’t apply.}

I took advantage of the discount code twice this weekend purchasing a few items for my boys and a few gifts!! 

{Note: I am a Sweetbottoms Baby Affiliate}

We’ve been using cloth wipes since day one of our cloth diapering and love them! They can be quite frugal too. Most of my cloth wipes are baby wash cloths which are inexpensive.

However, since we’re having baby #2, in addition to needing a larger diaper stash, we also needed more cloth wipes! I’ve been looking around for wash cloths I like {without edge binding and a cotton blend} and the cheapest I’ve found is $8 for a pack of 12! I’d rather not spend that much on wipes!

Thankfully before I made a purchase, one of my cloth diapering friends showed me some cloth wipes she’d made out of old flannel receiving blankets. I immediately liked them and remembered I had some flannel in my fabric stash. She gave me one to test out and after using it on Paxton, I was sold! Time to break out the sewing machine!

These wipes were so simple to make. I cut squares out of flannel fabric and then sewed the fabric inside out {leaving a small hole to flip it}. Then I used a zig-zag stitch to top stitch and was done! Easy.

There really is no right or wrong size, just choose a size of wipe that you think will work best for you! Mine are a little bit smaller than the baby wash cloths I’m currently using as cloth wipes.

Lovely stack of 9 new cloth wipes! And yes, I have pink ones even though I have boys! But, who cares since these are going to be used to wipe their bottoms!! The flannel was free since I already had it!

After making the 9 blue and pink washcloths, I was sold on them so I decided to make more! The fabric this time was an old pair of my pajama pants! I was able to get 10 cloth wipes from the pajama pants and I love the red and white stripes.

Using cloth wipes is easy and frugal and making cloth wipes is too! If you don’t have any flannel already, look at resale and thrift stores for old receiving blankets or ask your friends, I’m sure you can easily find someone who has a ton of extra receiving blankets they’d be more than willing to give you!

Do you use cloth wipes if you cloth diaper?

My grandma gave me several beautiful Christmas fabrics a year or two ago and they’ve just sat in my craft chest. I realized it would just take a little bit of time and effort to turn the Christmas fabric into cloth Christmas bags that can be used for years to come!

Making these bags was so simple. They’re not super fancy and the edges aren’t serged {due to the fact that I don’t own one} but they’re adorable and I love that they’ll be reused over and over in our family!

Step 1: Cut out your fabric in a rectangular shape. The size doesn’t matter, just base it upon how big you want your finished bags. I made several bags of varying sizes to hold both large and small gifts.

Step 2: Hem the edges of the fabric that will become the top of the bag. This step makes them look much neater!

Step 3: Fold your rectangle over with the hemmed edges touching and sew up the sides.

Step 4: You’ve sewn a cloth Christmas bag! All that’s left now is finding the perfect gift to place in your bag!

Isn’t this cute? I used scrap ribbon {mostly ‘recycled’ from gifts I’ve received in the past} to tie up my bags!

I love these colorful cloth Christmas bags!! { The larger bag is holding a 12×12 children’t book to give you an idea of the scale}.

I made about 10 bags already and have plans to make a few more. I’m using a few as gift wrap for gifts outside our family so I won’t personally be able to reuse them. The rest will be used in our little family so we’ll be able to reuse them for years to come!!

The best part of these bags, they were completely free since I already had the fabric on hand! Look in your fabric stash and see if you have any fabric that would work, reds and greens would make wonderful traditional colored bags but don’t forget blues and whites too! And of course any color or print would work because there are no rules that say your gift wrap has to be a certain color!!

Are you taking any steps towards a ‘green’ Christmas? If so, what are you doing? 

What’s the solution? Snack Bags!!

Planet Wise has a Bag Your Snack Stuff line which includes snack bags, sandwich bags and even a sandwich wrap! These bags are perfect for on the go.

Sandwich Wrap, Window Bag & Snack Bag

We have a sandwich wrap, window bag and snack bag.

The sandwich bag is great for sending sandwiches and bread to work with my husband. It folds out and makes a nice little ‘plate’ too! One or two of these would be perfect for sending lunches to school with kids!

Around here the snack bag and the window bag get the most use! Just about every time we leave the house, one of these bags is in my purse or Paxton’s backpack {and many times I’ve got them both packed!} We pack cereal, crackers, small cookies, dried fruit, just about any snack in these. They keep the food fresh and we’ve never had any leaks.

One of the best parts is the fact that Paxton can easily hold these bags and eat his snacks out of them on his own.

Each bag is $7.99 each which may seem a little pricey but when you consider that you won’t be purchasing {and throwing away} snack bags or bringing heavy snack containers {we use glass containers, not plastic} with you on the go, they’re a fabulous investment! After several months of use, mine are showing no signs of wear and I know they have years of life left in them!

These bags would make wonderful first birthday gifts or Christmas gifts for toddlers, kids or even your eco-friendly friends and family!!

They’re useful, they’re easy to carry with you and they also come in adorable prints!

Giveaway:

Win a set {sandwich wrap, window bag and snack bag} in your choice of prints!

Mandatory Entry: {leave a comment telling me you did}

• “Like” Planet Wise on Facebook

Additional Entries: {leave a separate comment for each entry}

• Tell me which snack bag you like the best
• Visit Planet Wise and tell me which print is your favorite
• “Like” Frugal and Simple on Facebook

Giveaway ends Monday, November 21 at 12 pm EST.

*Giveaway restricted to Continental US and Canada.

Disclaimer: I was provided the Planet Wise Bag Your Snack Stuff bags to review. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed in this post are my own!

*This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to commenter #67, Kate! 

During the Month of November, Econobum Single Packs are Buy 1, Get 1! The Single Packs are only $9.95!!

This is an awesome deal on an inexpensive cloth diapering system. Each pack comes with a cover and a pre-fold, so you’re getting 2 covers and 2 pre-folds for less than $10!!!

We have 2 Econobum covers and 5 pre-folds {you can purchase an additional 3-pack of pre-folds for $6!} and we use them all the time!

The 2 covers we have were purchased during the last Buy 1, Get 1 deal back in February and they’re holding up great, showing little to no wear after 9 months!  {I gave the first Econobum I bought before Paxton was born to my sister and it’s still in great condition!}

As for the pre-folds, I really love the Econobum pre-folds. They’re thick, absorbant and get softer with each use.

If you’re looking into cloth diapering but don’t want to make a huge investment, the Econobum system would be a great, inexpensive start!

And, if you order from Sweetbottoms Baby, all orders ship free!

{Note: I am a Sweetbottoms Baby Affiliate}

{Note: I am a Sweetbottoms Baby  Affiliate}

{Note: I am a Sweetbottoms Baby Affiliate}

{Note: I am a Sweetbottoms Baby Affiliate}

{Note: I am a Sweetbottoms Baby Affiliate}

{Note: I am a Sweetbottoms Baby Affiliate}

An introduction to the different types of cloth diapers!

{Note: I am a Sweetbottoms Baby Affiliate}

Cloth diapering at home is one thing but cloth diapering on the go or traveling with cloth diapers is something that seems scary to many who are beginning to cloth diaper!

We started cloth diapering when our son was a month old. After a few days we were in the rhythm of cloth diapering and it wasn’t difficult at all. However, we would take disposables with us when we were on the go and didn’t even want to think about traveling with cloth diapers!

After purchasing a wet bag, I took him to church in cloth and then to town and then realized it was easy and we haven’t looked back.

Traveling with cloth diapers was the next step and it’s easier than one might imagine. We’ve visited our parents and taken a few overnight trips with our son 100% in cloth and it’s simple. It just requires a bit of planning to have your diaper stash washed and ready to go when you leave!

Tips for traveling with cloth diapers:

• Have a large bag to put the diaper stash, wipes and wet bag in. We use a large duffel bag and our entire diaper stash, wipes and detergent fit in it.
• Wash all of your diapers soon before leaving so you’ll have mostly clean diapers. I typically will start a load about 8 hours before we leave on a trip so they’ll be ready to be packed right before departure time. {Of course you have to bring along some dirty ones since they won’t all be clean.}
• Bring your diaper pail or a large wet bag with you. We have a small airtight diaper pail that we use to store dirty diapers and we take it with us when we travel. We’ve never had any issues with our car smelling with the diaper pail in it.
• Pre-measure your laundry detergent. {A divided formula dispenser is perfect for this!} I fill the 3 compartments and we’re ready to go.
• If you are staying with family/friends, ask if they are okay with you bringing your cloth diapers if you need to wash while you are there.

Traveling with cloth diapers is really easy and saves money!

Do you travel with your cloth diapers?

This post contains affiliate links. 

Our one raised bed is showing progress, our two banana peppers are looking great and so are our 5 tomato plants {we were given these plants!} The other 3 beds still haven’t been built. We really need to get on it!!

We actually have a teeny, tiny pepper growing!

Our seedlings have not fared well (mainly due to me forgetting to water them a few days last week!) Our cantaloupes recovered from a few days without water and are looking good again. Now, we just need to build another bed so they can be transplanted!

Not much to report and I have a feeling I’m going to have to let go of some of my lofty gardening dreams this year!

Linked to: Frugal Gardening 101 at Amy’s Finer Things, Getting Freedom and Smockity Frocks

Breastfeeding is by far the frugal (and green) way to feed your baby! Of course breast pads are a necessity for nursing mamas. A big question is whether to use disposable or reusable!

Before Paxton was born, I was given disposable pads which I used during the first few weeks. The disposables were uncomfortable and I was incredibly self conscious due to the ‘paper sounds’! Not to mention, I hated all the waste they created!

After those early weeks, I switched to reusables and haven’t looked back with no plans to use disposables with future babies.

There is a cost with whatever nursing pads you choose to use. I’ve invested in reusable pads which have held up through this first year of breastfeeding showing minimal wear! I prefer that to spending $10 or so on a box of disposables every few weeks.

There are all different types of reusable nursing pads but there is a quality and comfort difference! While nursing you’ll be wearing nursing pads daily so choose a soft, comfortable and absorbant pad like Bamboobies!

There are two different types of Bamboobies – Regulars and Overnights.

Regulars:

The regulars are heart shaped and adorable! They come in pale pink, hot pink and black. They really are soft, they’re comfortable and absorbant! The heart shaped pads shifted on me when worn right side up so I wore them upside down with minimal movement. Of course, bodies are shaped differently so you may have no problems wearing them right side up!

Overnights:

Overnights are round shaped, plush and incredibly soft! They are designed for heavy leakers and for those early weeks of nursing. These are the most comfortable nursing pads I have ever tried! Honestly, I love these so much that I wear them during the day. I would recommend the overnight Bamboobies to new mamas wanting to avoid disposables entirely during the first few weeks.

Buy Bamboobies:

2-pair packages of Regular Bamboobies or Overnight Bamboobies ~ $16.99

Multi-pack (a lingerie bag with one pair of Overnights and three pair of Regulars) ~ $29.99

4-pair package of Overnights (in a pink lingerie bag) ~ $29.99

Use discount code FAS20 for 20% off!

Giveaway:

Win a coupon code worth $16.99! You can purchase a 2-pair package to sample or apply them towards anything else they sell!

Mandatory Entry:

Visit Bamboobies and tell me what you like the best about them!

Additional Entries:

• Tell me if you are a expectant mom or how long you’ve been nursing!
• “Like” Bamboobies on Facebook
• “Like” Frugal and Simple on Facebook

Giveaway ends Tuesday, April 26 at 12 pm EST.

Disclaimer: I was provided a pair of Regular and Overnight Bamboobies to review. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed in this post are my own!

Winner: Commentor #6, Jill!

We haven’t been in our home 2 weeks and aren’t fully settled in but you better believe we’ve started the garden! One of the reasons we purchased our home was the amazing yard with ample space to raise our own food.

Last weekend, my husband attempted tilling (with a borrowed tiller) a spot in our back yard without much success. This north Georgia soil is rocky! With no success following a traditional method, we starting looking into other ways to garden. We decided to go the route of raised beds.

So far, we’ve built one bed using James Hardie siding (which is stands up to moisture and rot and is considered ‘green’ because it uses “natural ingredients that are low in toxicity“.) One 12-foot board is around $7 and it makes a 9 square foot bed! (We currently have supplies for 3  more but haven’t had time to build them!)

In our one raised bed, we  have our two banana pepper plants that we purchased.

I have an incredibly cute gardening helper, he’ll be gardening alongside of me all summer long!

Last week I also started our seeds. I’m a little behind where I’d like to be but at this point but this will be a “learning year” at the new house as well as gardening with a child!

We already have some growth! I just hope our Georgia soil grows cantalopues like our Tennessee soil did!

One of our goals is to have much of our yard become an edible landscape. Instead of lining the side of our home with flowers, we put strawberries there. So far we just have 4 strawberry plants and hopefully will add some more in the future! (We are starting small this year!)

One of our strawberries is turning! I’m looking forward to eating these juicy berries!

And while I snapped these pictures, Paxton entertained himself with dandelions! He loves them!

So far, we’ve spent under $50 for our garden and most of that was for supplies for building the raised beds which will be used for years to come!

Do you have a garden? If not, have you thought about growing 1 or 2 of your favorite vegetables in a small container garden?

Linked to Frugal Gardening 101 at Amy’s Finer Things, Getting Freedom and Smockity Frocks!

We have successfully stuck to the changes we implemented in January and added a few more in the month of February.

Our February changes:

1. Switched to a Deodorant Crystal

I am the one who made this change! I don’t know if my husband is quite ready for this one! I was a little leery of using a deodorant crystal. So far I’ve been using it 3 weeks and haven’t had any odor issues! I wear it every day. {I did put on ‘conventional’ deodorant one warm day when we went on a day trip!} Of course, the real test will come in a few months in the sweltering Georgia summer heat!

2. Purchase Fresh Ground Peanut Butter

We love that freshly ground peanut butter contains just fresh peanuts. We both were a little surprised at the taste at first, it’s not sweet because it doesn’t have added sugar! Since becoming accustomed to the difference, we both are really enjoying it. In fact, I’ll occasionally go get a spoonful of peanut butter as a quick snack, something I never did before.

3. Easy to Use Grain Mill

We’ve been grinding our own wheat about 85% of the time for the past 3 months and decided to no longer purchase flour. Since we weren’t going to have flour in our pantry, we needed an easier to use grain mill than the one we owned since it required a lot of clean up, was quite large and wasn’t easy to access once it was ground. We purchased a (updated) KoMo Magic Grain Mill which is designed to be left on the counter. We love the way it looks and the best part, grinding is easy! We put the amount of wheat in the hopper that we need, grind it and there’s no clean up! I no longer think, “I want to make bread but I won’t because I don’t want to get the grinder out!”

4. Reusable Coffee Mug

This one is all my husband since he’s the coffee drinker! He brings his reusable Copco cup to work every day and to church on Sunday which is saving our church about 6 coffee cups a week! Plus, he’ll sometimes put his tea in it if there’s a dinner at church.

5. Glass Water Bottle

This one is all me! I purchased a 22 ounce Life Factory glass bottle to make drinking water easier when I’m away from home. Since I’m still nursing it’s important to stay hydrated! I also try to carry this with me to church when we have dinners so I don’t waste a cup for water. Yes, the glass is heavier but it doesn’t give the water a funny taste like plastic or stainless bottles do! {And these bottles have silicone sleeves on them to protect the glass!}

These 5 steps in February combined with the 3 in January mean we’ve made 8 changes so far in 2011 towards more natural living!

Have you implemented any changes towards green living lately?

Living a frugal and simple life is green in many ways. We don’t consume much, we recycle and use cloth for just about everything but toilet paper!

Since Paxton was born, we’ve found ourselves desiring to live a green(er) life.

Thinking about living green(er) can seem overwhelming and expensive: switching toiletries, buying more organics, purchasing meat that is hormone free, just to name a few.  The best way to make changes without getting overwhelmed is to begin making small steps each month!

We’re going to be making small green steps each month towards more natural living.

Our January changes:

1. Replace Conventional Shampoo and Soap.

Our whole family is no longer using conventional shampoos and soaps. We’ve switched to Dr. Bronner’s Unscented Soap as both shampoo and body wash. Paxton has been shampoo free for 3 weeks now and we’re using the Dr. Bronner’s as body wash for him.

2. Purchase Organic Produce for items on the ‘Dirty Dozen’

I have a list of the ‘Dirty Dozen’ (that I keep in my purse so it’s handy at the grocery store) and these are the items that are a priority to purchase organic. Yes, organic foods cost more than conventionally produced foods but the extra cost for the ‘dirty dozen’ is worth it to our family.

3. Purchase Non-Conventional Chicken

We’ve begun purchasing Springer Mountain Farms chicken. Their chickens “are fed only a diet of grains and soybeans; without the use of antibiotics, chemical medicines, hormones, or animal by-products.” They are located in Northeast Georgia so their chicken is local!

{Cost: We paid $1.99/pound for a whole chicken. We cut up the chicken and separated the breasts, thighs, wings, and then boiled the remaining carcass.}

More Information:

• How to Clean Your Hair Without Shampoo from Simple Mom
• The “Dirty Dozen” from Organic.org
• Springer Mountain Farms

Are you making any changes towards living a healthier and greener life?

Frugal and green living go hand in hand.

Cloth napkins, rags for cleaning instead of paper towels, cloth diapers and wipes are all green and save us money! We also recycle and compost {although it’s somewhat difficult to compost while living in a condo}. Doing these simple things cuts back on our waste.

We use less than one garbage bag a week and don’t pull our trash can down to the curb every week. In fact, it’s been 6 weeks since we pulled it down for pick up last {and that includes our Christmas trash!}

We were surprised to see our neighbors trash cans brimming full of trash after missing just one week of trash pickup {due to the Georgia snow last week!}

It’s sad to see how much trash families accumulate in a week.

Making small changes really make a difference and cuts down on waste.

Try out cloth napkins, give cloth diapering a try and recycle everything your city recycles!

If we all did the little things it would begin to make a huge impact and there would be less waste!

This post contains affiliate links.

We started cloth diapering when our son was around a month old. We quickly learned breastfed baby poo and the Flip System did not work for us. We still used the system but we typically had one wear out of the cover because he would almost always poo while wearing the Flip and it would get all over the cover!

Now that he’s eating solids, we’re beginning to see the money saving benefits of the Flip System.

The Flip System::

Stay Dry Insert-$4.95

One-Size Diaper Cover-$13.95

Organic Insert-$7.95

*You can purchase a Cover/Stay Dry Insert for $16.95 or a Cover/Organic Insert for $19.95 (saving $1.95 over purchasing them separately).

**We purchased 2 Cover/Inserts together, 3 Stay Dry Inserts and 1 Organic Insert.

The Flip cover is a one-size adjustable cover, that “fits babies from 7-35 pounds”. Our baby had skinny legs, it didn’t fit until he hit the 10 pound mark.

Our son at 2 weeks wearing the Flip Diaper cover with a Stay Dry Insert. It was too big on his legs, babies with chunkier legs could probably wear these diapers earlier.

The Stay Dry Insert has microfiber on one side and stay-dry suede on the other. There are lines (you can see on the left) where you fold for a small, medium or large setting.

The Stay Dry Insert inside the Flip cover. This is on the medium setting, I folded the insert on the second line and then tucked it in the cover. Now it is ready to snap on baby!

The Flip Organic Insert is like a pre-fold. (I was surprised when it arrived, I thought it would look just like a Stay Dry Insert just with organic cotton.)

You fold the insert according to the size your child needs.

This insert is bulkier but it is very soft and absorbant!

The Organic Insert tucked in the  Flip cover.

There are also Disposable Inserts for the Flip Diaper System, a pack of 18 is $4.95. (We have not tried them.)

I believe this system is perfect for babies on solids! If we have another child before Paxton is potty trained, we’ll probably purchase another cover and a few more inserts and use the Flip System on him and use our pocket diapers on our newborn.

How much could you save versus pocket diapers (like bumGenius)?

(It is recommended you have no less than 12 diapers in your stash.)

• 12-bumGenius One-Size Diapers (@$17.95) = $215.40
• 4-Flip Covers with Stay Dry Inserts (@$16.95) & 8 Stay Dry Inserts (@$4.95) =$107.40
• Savings-$108

[We still love our bumGenius diapers because they are so easy to use, are great for cloth diapering on the go and are simple for nursery workers/babysitters/grandparents to use but the Flip System is great too!]

What are your thoughts on the Flip Diaper System?

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Meet Charlie, my stain fighting friend! I’ve been using Charlie’s Soap since I started cloth diapering back in May. It works wonders on our diapers! After a few blowouts when Paxton was a newborn, resulting in stains on his clothes, I decided to give Charlie’s Soap a try on soiled baby clothes and it works!

I typically will rinse the poo off of the garment with cold water, apply a little Zout and then wash with Charlie’s Soap and usually there is no stain.

This past week while we were traveling, Paxton wore disposables (which means more blowouts!) He soiled several pieces of clothing. The worst was a light blue onesie (the poo was all over the back!)

Once we arrived home (just a few hours after the incident), I rinsed the poo out and let it soak in cold water overnight. The next morning I applied Zout and washed in Charlie’s Soap. Unfortunately, Charlie failed me and there was still a faint yellow stain on the back of the onesie.

I decided to give Charlie another chance and dissolved about 1/4 a tablespoon of Charlie’s Soap in cold water and then soaked the onesie for 2 days.

It worked! Here is the onesie…minus the stain! (I didn’t take a before picture for comparison because I really don’t like the idea of taking pictures of clothing covered in poo!)

I am thrilled that the stain is gone because this is a really cute little onesie.

Warning: The water I soaked the onesie in had a faint blue tint when I poured it out, so it is pulling a little dye out of the clothing after a 2 day soak. However, I’d rather the color of the garmet fade a little instead of being stained permanently!

Do you have any stain fighting tips?

Linked to: Works for Me Wednesday

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We received our new Bum Genius 4.0 with snaps last week and so far we love it! It’s a lot like our 3.0s but with a few improvements! And the snaps should give this diaper a longer life (which will save us money!)

Paxton received a package this week!

His new Bum Genius 4.0 with snaps arrived! Can’t you tell he’s excited about his new diaper!! (Mama was very excited too!)

Here’s the new Bum Genius 4.0! They are making the 4.0′s with both the hook & loop (velcro) and snaps! I purchased our 4.0 with snaps since all of our 3.0s are hook & loop.

These diapers cost $17.95 (I used a gift card to Cotton Babies to pay for ours!)

I just love cloth diapering! We have a stash of cloth diapers and it’s fun to add diapers in!!

It’s the simple things, I never would have thought receiving a diaper in the mail would be fun but when we’re saving money and not adding more diapers to landfills it is exciting…plus they’re really cute!!

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Here is my current stash:

11-Bum Genius One-Size Diapers

1-Bum Genius Small All-in-One

2-Flip Covers, 5 Flip Inserts, 1 Flip Organic Insert (6 changes)

1-Econobum Cover, 3 Indian Prefolds (3 changes)

2-Fuzzi Bunz One-Size

My initial cloth diapering plan is different from my actual diaper stash.

I was planning on having 4 Bum Genius One-Size diapers and I now have 11! These diapers are so easy to use, they are like disposables and my husband prefers them! They are also great for grandparents and babysitters to use because there is no stuffing (I would have the diapers stuffed already) or snapping, simply put the diaper on Paxton! I also have a Bum Genius Small All-in-One that I received free when I purchased $10 worth of Bum Genius, Flip or Econobum products! I like the All-in-One since it is the trimmest diaper however it takes forever to dry!

Initially, the Flip diaper was my favorite and I wanted it to comprise the majority of my diaper stash, however after using it, I’ve had some issues with the poo getting on the leg band on the cover and then I have to wash the cover and can’t reuse it so sometimes I just get one wear out of the cover! I do love the concept of the Flip system though…if I didn’t have that issue it would be my favorite diaper!

I actually really like the Econobum cover! At $8.95 (cover only) it is very economical and if I had purchased all of my diapers I probably would have more of them! I initally purchased the cover and one insert for $9.95 and purchased two additional Indian Prefolds at $.60 each!

I really like the Fuzzi Bunz One-Size diapers also. They are a lot like the Bum Genius diapers but with snaps and the adjustable legs and waist band is nice also.

My changing table! The middle shelf contains my cloth diapers and wipes (in the wipe box) and the bottom shelf holds my extra Bum Genius and Fuzzi Bunz inserts as well as my Gerber prefolds (I use those to change on as you can see under Paxton, I tried using them a few times in my Econobum cover but they didn’t work well at all!) On the right I have my disposable wipes and diapers (which currently are used for church and some trips).

I know cost is a factor and these diapers did cost quite a bit. If I had purchased every diaper I would have spent around $320 (which still is not bad for diapers that will go from birth to potty training and hopefully last for our next child!)

However, I spent around $75 out of pocket for these diapers! I was given 4 Bum Genius One-Size, 2 Fuzzi Bunz and 1 Flip at one of my showers, the BG All-in-One was Free with a $10 purchase (I purchased a Flip Insert & a Flip Organic Insert) and I won a $100 Cotton Babies gift certificate which I used to purchase 5 Bum Genius One-Size and 2 Indian Prefolds!

Cloth diapering has worked well for us and we’ve been blessed that we were able to build up our diaper stash with so little money out of pocket! It’s wonderful not having to pick up diapers every week at the store and spend $7-8 a package on our tight budget!

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