Hipkiddo Cloth Diapers: Review and Giveaway

To finish up a week of cloth diapering posts I am happy to be hosting a giveaway for my favourite brand of cloth diapers: Hipkiddo!

You all know by now that when I started cloth diapering I chose prefolds with covers, but when I found those weren't working for us I decided to switch over to pockets. Because of the trial I did, I had an idea what I was looking for and was happy when I found Hipkiddo, a Canadian company, selling exactly what I wanted and at a great price.

Hipkiddo is a family company selling affordable diapers and giving back to the community. I felt good about buying from them and love the diapers. I recommend them to everyone who asks for my opinion.



Since buying my Classically Hip diapers, Hipkiddo has added a line of preemie and newborn diapers (WeeBaby Hip), a line of bamboo/organic cotton diapers (Naturally Hip), and their Intelligently Hip line. You can click the links to see the different diapers or read Hipkiddo's FAQ page for a run down.

I was so excited when Hipkiddo agreed to sponsor this giveaway and sent me an Intelligently Hip cloth diaper in the fun Ooga Booga print to review.



This diaper is sparkling white and so soft. The pocket opening is a little different from what I'm used to but not at all hard to stuff. And the print made Little K so excited that it was hard to explain to her that the diaper needed to be washed a few times before she could wear her "monster diaper".



My only worry with this diaper was the lack of hip snap for my petite girl. This diaper has two rows of snaps whereas the Classically Hip diapers (the red one on the right in the picture below) have a top row and another snap closer to the hip that helps keep the diaper snug on skinny legs. I shouldn't have worried. The diaper fit her well and I never saw the "wing droop" I had seen with other brands.



Little K absolutely loves her monster diaper and asks to wear it all the time. It fits her so well and isn't bulky at all. Here it is from the front:



And from the back:



Isn't it cute??



If I needed more diapers I would be stocking up on these ones for sure. Hipkiddo is my favourite brand of cloth diapers. For quality and cost they can't be beat. And I love their motto: If it ain't cloth.. It's garbage!

Hipkiddo is offering one of my readers an Intelligently Hip cloth diaper in the print of their choice. All you have to do is leave a comment telling me which print you would choose (check out their website to see all the prints). Enter using the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Check out the whole cloth diapering series: Types of cloth diapers, Washing and drying, and Tips and Tricks.



Giveaway closes on May 24, 2013 at midnight. Open to Canada and the US. Winner will be chosen randomly by Rafflecopter. Winner must be willing to provide their mailing address.

Disclaimer: I was given a Hipkiddo Intelligently Hip cloth diaper to review, but was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own.

Cloth diapering series: Tips and Tricks

To continue my cloth diapering series, I want to talk about some of the tips and tricks I've learned over the last two years. I need to say that I am not an expert and I certainly don't know everything or have all the answers, but I have learned a thing or two, and I'm pretty good at finding out what I need to know. Maybe I'll convince you to give cloth a try!

Cloth diapering series - Tips and Tricks

Cloth diapering can save you money: The amount you spend on cloth diapers vs. disposables is so little, even if you go with the most expensive ones, and the savings keep adding up the longer your kid is in diapers and if you are able to use the same diapers for more than one kid. You will use more water, more laundry detergent, more electricity, which all cost money, so that's something to consider.

Cloth diapering isn't all or nothing: You can still use disposable diapers. Just because you use cloth doesn't mean you must all the time. Realizing this really made me feel better.

Just because you picked one type doesn't mean you have to stick with it: Figuring out what works best for you and your baby is tricky and maybe what you chose isn't working. Sell them!

There is a huge market for used cloth diapers: Buy/sell/trade groups exist and selling cloth diapers is not only possible, it is sometimes easy. Some brands or prints even fetch more money that they sell for brand new.

The cloth diapering community is big and friendly and informative: Got a question about cloth diapering? Almost anyone who uses cloth diapers will be willing to lend a hand. There are baby shops for in-person advice and online groups for advice, trouble-shooting, ideas, opinions... everything.

You can use a diaper service: A diaper service is the best of both worlds in my opinion. You use cloth diapers and you don't have to wash them. It is most likely more expensive than buying and washing your own or using disposables, but if you want to use cloth it's another option.



It isn't just about the diapers: To cloth diaper with ease, you'll need a few other things. I touched on a cloth-friendly laundry detergent and wet bags to hold dirty diapers (at least 2 so that you'll have one to use while the other is in the wash). Also a small wet bag for your when you go out (I have 2), and diaper liners or a diaper sprayer are handy.

Covers or un-stuffed pocket diapers can be used as swim diapers: No need to buy disposable swim diapers if you have covers or pocket diapers. Just know that the chlorine can bleach the diaper so either have one dedicated diaper or use them all. Don't use cloth? Consider getting a cloth swim diaper. You can use a wet bag for wet diapers and bathing suits too.



Cloth diapers may help your kid potty train earlier: Some say that because the kid can feel wet in cloth diapers potty training will be easier and will happen at a younger age. I don't know if this is true, but it might be worth it to get out of diapers sooner!

Cloth diapers, especially with snaps, are hard to take off: For the kid, that is. You've heard the horror stories where the kid was napping and when the parent went to get them there was poop everywhere. Betcha it was a disposable diaper.

They are so much cuter than disposables: Just take a look at all the colours and prints available in cloth diapers!


There are lots of things I didn't cover because frankly it would take too long and I am not an expert. There are some great blogs out there all about cloth diapering and others that touch on it. A great post I read recently about dealing with daycare with a kid in cloth was on Mommy Miracles. If you're in that situation, you may have a bit more work to do than someone like me who stays home.

What I Do

Here is how I cloth diaper my little girl. I have about 20 pocket diapers, almost all one brand, two large wet bags and two small ones. I don't use cream on her unless she gets a rash and then I put her in disposables until the rash goes away. I line my diapers.



I wash a bag full of diapers (10-14) every second night using the routine I mentioned here (rinse, wash, rinse) using a cloth-friendly detergent (that I use on all of our laundry now). I hang them to dry, outside about once a week in the summer. About every month I add a small bit of bleach to the wash cycle. About every 6 months I soak the diapers in some blue Dawn then rinse, rinse, rinse to keep them fresh.

I use disposables at night and when we travel and I don't feel one bit bad about it. When I need help with something I hit up a Facebook group I belong to.

Up Next

Like promised I will be posting a giveaway tomorrow for my favourite brand of cloth diaper so be sure to check back!

I would love to hear if you use cloth diapers on your kid and what kind. 


{See the previous posts in the cloth diapering series here: Types of cloth diapers, Washing and drying.}

Wordless Wednesday and iPPP: Time with friends

Yesterday we had a great playdate. It was a redo from last week when Little K puked in the car on the way. But this week we made it!

I'm so glad we did because the kids always have a great time with their friend JH and they adore Baby E. Plus I get to chat with my friend while they all play nicely together.

Little JH showed us her park and SH and I were aaah'ing before we even left the driveway when the kids insisted on holding hands. It was so cute.



The kids enjoyed the play structure until Little J hit his head. He was running under the structure and then came to a point that wasn't as tall and he didn't notice. After he stopped crying he went to the swings and stayed there for a while, probably until his head stopped pounding, poor guy.



Baby E loves the swings and giggled the entire time. So cute! And then there are these two girls who had a great time too.



And on the way home there was much stick throwing.




At the house, my kids had fun discovering all of Little JH's toys. Little J especially liked this Lightning McQueen ramp toy.




Little K especially liked Baby E. 



We had lunch together and then got ready to go. I just love seeing our kids playing together and I'm glad that I'm home with the kids and able to get together with my friends like this.



{Linking up with The Sunday Spill and GFunkified for iPPP.}
{Linking up with Home of OHM for Wordless Wednesday.}

Cloth diapering series: Washing and drying

The second post in my cloth diapering series to celebrate two years of using cloth diapers is all about washing diapers. This is something I was most worried about when thinking about making the switch from disposables to cloth. All of a sudden I would have to do laundry on the regular just so my baby's butt would be covered. Talk about responsibilities. Thankfully laundry is one of my fortes.

Cloth Diapering Series - Washing and Drying Cloth Diapers

Unfortunately it isn't as easy as throwing the diapers in the washer and dryer and being done with it. There are some things you need to know before even starting. Cloth diapers need to be prepped before you can use them. That's right, just like towels, they do not absorb well at first. Most diapers need to be washed and dried a few times first.

In general, diapers need lots of water and a little soap. And the soap should be a cloth diaper-friendly one, one that won't cause build-up in the diapers. Too much soap or the wrong kind of soap can make your diapers not as absorbant, actually repel liquid, or stink.

One of the best online resources I found is on a blog called PinStrips and PolkaDots. It lists all sorts of detergents and how diaper-friendly they are. If you're unsure, go to a diaper store and buy one of the detergents they sell.



The best thing you can do when washing your diapers is to follow the instructions on the diapers or on the manufacturers website. At least use that as a starting point. It's not an exact science and things like the kind of washing machine you have (top loader vs. front loader), the type of water you have (hard vs soft), the detergent you use, and how many and what kind of diapers you have, all factor into what will work best for you.

When trying to figure it out talking to other people who also cloth diaper is very helpful. I found a Facebook group of people in my area and was able to troubleshoot there. It's a nice little community and I'm sure if you look you can find a similar group.

Some other things to mention when it comes to washing diapers is how to store the dirty ones. For this you'll need a pail or a bag - either a plastic or wicker garbage can of some sort or a wet bag, a bag specifically made to store wet things without leaking.

What I Do

I have two wet bags. One is in the wash and the other is hung right beside the change table in Little K's room. Dirty diapers go in the bag and every second night the bag gets emptied into the washer and washed with the diapers.

My wash routine looks like this: a warm rinse cycle, a hot wash cycle (with detergent, extra water, and an extra rinse), and a cold rinse cycle.

The diapers can go in the dryer on low heat, but mine get hung to dry on a rack beside my washer. In the summer I hang them to dry outside. They end up a little crinkly but the sun does wonders for stains, bleaching the diapers back to whiteness. 

Up Next

Tomorrow we'll take a quick break for my usual Wordless Wednesday/iPPP post. Thursday I'm going to talk about the tips and tricks I've learned in the past two years.

{See the previous posts in the cloth diapering series here: Types of cloth diapers.}

Cloth diapering series: Types of cloth diapers

Two years ago I started cloth diapering my little girl and to celebrate I have some posts about cloth diapering to share. And if you stick around, a sweet little giveaway at the end of the week. Fun, right?

Cloth Diapering Series - Types of Cloth Diapers

Today I wanted to do a quick overview of cloth diapers in case you're curious (if not, come back another day because I have another giveaway coming up that I'm sure you'll love). Cloth diapering can be so overwhelming that you don't even know where to begin. I hear you. There are different types and fits and things to consider and, as with most things, specific language to learn as well.

Little K in a prefold and cheerful flowery cover, summer 2011.

It really isn't rocket science though. Diapers need to be absorbant and they need to keep the mess in. Some cloth diapers do this in one step, others have two or more pieces. Disposable diapers are made of paper and filled with gel that absorbs liquid. Cloth diapers are basically an absorbant layer covered with a plastic-y layer.

The most basic type of cloth diaper is, well, just cloth with a waterproof cover. You can use receiving blankets folded up with a cover. Most people I know use something a little more elaborate, more fun even. These are the four popular types:

Prefolds with covers. Prefolds are rectangular pieces of fabric that have more layers in the middle section. They get folded, wrapped around baby, fastened with pins or a fancy snappi, and covered.

Fitted diapers are similar to prefolds but look more diaper-like. They also need a cover and need to be fastened, whether with pins, snappis or velcro.

Pocket diapers are more elaborate cloth diapers. The absorbant fabric (the insert) is stuffed into a pocket in the cover before putting it on the baby. The diaper is fastened with snaps or velcro.

All-in-ones (AIOs) or All-in-twos (AI2s) are similar to pocket diapers but the absorbant layer lies inside the cover, which fastens with snaps or velcro.

The different types of diapers each have pros and cons and I don't think there's any way to know what you'd like until you get your hands on them or see them in action. And knowing that, if you are considering switching to cloth from disposables or starting with cloth on your newborn, I would recommend some internet research and then visiting a baby store to see the diapers in person.

You can also do a trial. The one I did was for two weeks and cost just $20. When I picked up my kit, I was shown how to use each diaper and told to throw everything in the bag and return it at the end of the trial.

In Ottawa there are a couple stores that have trial kits: Ottawa Cloth Diapers and Belly Laughs.

What I Do

I researched cloth diapers online and did a two week trial. I chose prefolds and covers. They are ones of the cheapest options, dry quickly, and still look cute. I was happy with my choice until Little K got so squirmy that I was afraid I was going to hurt her trying to fasten the diapers on her (the snappis are pretty sharp).

I switched over to pockets and haven't looked back. I have about 20 diapers and more inserts than that. I went with snaps instead of velcro and chose Hipkiddo brand. Hipkiddo is a Canadian company out of B.C. The diapers are cheaper than most but still good quality and after two years are holding up well.

I was able to sell the prefolds and covers.

Up Next

Tomorrow we'll talk about washing cloth diapers and why the sun is your best friend.

Mother's Day

This was my fourth Mother's Day and it was a great one. I am so lucky, not only for my kids who make me a mother, but J who allows me to be the parent I am.

After spending all of Saturday away, I was ready to spend all of today with my family. But I was also ready for a bit of a sleep in so when Little K woke up, I fed her and crawled back into bed.

J got up with the kids and fed them breakfast. Them yelling 1-2-3 BOOM! over and over woke me, but it was perfect timing because then I heard them creeping up the stairs as quietly as two toddlers can, and I was set up with breakfast in bed. They gave me flowers that they picked out - Little J's were pink, Little K's were yellow - and new sheets. J knows me so well.




As I said in my post on parenting the other day, I do think I'm doing a good job and I think my kids think so too. I just hope that I keep doing a good job and they always think so. That's my goal.



In the morning we went and saw my parents. We gave my mom a cute turtle flower pot and spent some time catching up.  The middle of the day was filled with lunch and naps and tv and snacks until it was time to head to J's parent's house for dinner. J's mom was the lucky recipient of a turtle flower pot too. Aren't they cute?



And yes, there are 4. That's because I was facing potential toddler meltdowns in the store unless Little J and Little K each got one too. So we have two turtle flower pots. One with pink flowers and one with yellow, can you guess which one belongs to which kid?

Dinner was nice and other than some crying (falling into a wall gives you a pretty big bruise if you do it right) it was a great night.

And now that I just finished my book I think I'll try and go to bed early. This is a 5-day week, but at least the long weekend is coming up.

Just so you know, I have some posts written about cloth diapering going up this week. If that's not for you, please check back soon.

Parenting

I've been thinking a lot lately about how I parent and how I was parented. I think everyone takes what they know and what they learn and morph it into a parenting style that suits them. I don't know exactly what you would call my parenting style, and I won't really know if it's working until my kids are grown and off on their own, but I like to think I'm doing an okay job.

Parenting is hard. Every decision, every action, I question myself. Did I make the right choice? Was I too hard, too soft? Was I supposed to be good cop or bad cop that time? Am I scarring my children for life? What will my children think when they're grown and looking back on their childhood? Will they think of me as a fun mom or resent me for the choices I made?

Most importantly, will they try to emulate me in how they parent or will they aim to do the exact opposite?

I don't think anyone can be the best parent all the time. Just like you can have an off day at work or in a game, you can definitely have an off day parenting. You can go to bed hoping that tomorrow is better because today certainly sucked.

I don't pretend to know what I'm doing. I do try to learn though. I read books and talk to people. I observe people interacting with their children and think about how I would have reacted in that situation. Every day I think about the tough parts of the day and what I could have done differently. I think about the great parts too.

I think overall I'm doing a pretty good job. I like my kids. I even chose to stay home with them instead of working, a choice that still surprises me, and would completely blow the mind of my younger self.

I think my kids are nice and polite and fun and happy. They really like each other and are happy most of the time. We have fun together even if sometimes I'm just waiting until they fall asleep for the night so I can not parent any more.

Some days I can't wait for bedtime. Some days I can't wait for J to get home. Some days I don't do my best and on those days when I go over everything that happened I tell myself that tomorrow will be better. Tomorrow I won't yell as much. I will be more present. I will do better.

Because there's always a tomorrow and I can always do a little better.