cloth diaper accessories

Coconut Oatmeal with Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil {Breakfast Recipe}

May 23, 2012 by Danielle

We’re always trying to find great alternatives to classic favorites in this home. Since my daughter consistantly eats oatmeal for us for breakfast we wanted to continue our luck with the one meal we know she’ll finish. So when I received my Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil I knew exactly what I’d to do try it out… put it in our oatmeal!

When I was done making the first batch of coconut oatmeal I went into the fridge to grab the kids some milk for their sippy cups. I looked over and saw an open package of mini chocolate chips from my husbands latest baking adventure so I grabbed the bag and sprinkled a few chocolate chips over the top of each bowl for an added treat. OMG! This oatmeal tasted exactly like my favorite chocolate chip oatmeal cookie. Delicious!

I cannot wait to start using Tropical Traditions coconut oil in other recipes. Added benefit? We can use it as cloth diaper friendly diaper cream too! Who knew? Plus there are so many other ways to use this stuff. Go here to find more!

Coconut Oatmeal

1 cup milk
1 teaspoon Tropical Traditions coconut oil
1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips (optional)

Pour milk into a small saucepan and heat on medium.

Stir in coconut oil and coconut flakes. Stir until oil is completely melted. Add in oats. Sprinkle on cinnamon and continue to stir. Cook for 3-5 minutes.

Pour into a bowl and sprinkle with chocolate chips for an added bit of sweetness!

Serves 2 (or 1 adult, 2 kids)

Do you use coconut oil? I’d love to hear how!

Disclaimer: I received a 32oz jar of Tropical Traditions coconut oil for review purposes only. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Filed Under: Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: Breakfast, cloth diaper accessories, Cloth Diapers, coconut oil, diaper creams, healthy recipes, Toddler Food, Tropical Traditions

The Basics Beyond Cloth Diapers

September 30, 2011 by Danielle

So you’ve ordered your cloth diapers. Now what? After choosing what type of cloth diapers you want to use there are a few items that you might find come in handy while cloth diapering. I’ve listed a few below. if you have any to add please feel free to comment below or email me at simmworksfamily (at) gmail.com and I’ll gladly add to the list!

Diaper/Butt Creams
You can’t just use any diaper cream on your child’s tush if you cloth diaper. Most creams can actually ruin your cloth diapers. And no amount of stripping will get your diapers back to their original absorbency. So read labels and choose a cream that will work with your cloth diaper, not against. And if in doubt, use a liner to protect your diaper.

A few commercially available diaper creams may be used with cloth diapers. Always avoid diaper creams with cod liver oil or any other fish oils. Recently many cloth diaper manufacturer’s have developed diaper rash creams that are considered safe for cloth diapers. In many cases, diaper rash creams specifically developed for use with cloth diapers is preferred. I used this list from Pinstripes and Polkadots to choose the cream I currently use and love (CA Baby). The tube lasts a long time and the smell is so relaxing and calming. Plus the product works perfectly for my kids. They also have a wonderful Diaper Area Wash that we’ve had great success with.

If a diaper rash does not go away please consult your physician. It may be a fungal infection that requires a fungicide or other type of medication.

Diaper Liners
As I mentioned above, diaper liners are a great way to protect your diaper from any creams or ointments you may use on your child. They can also help you out by making poop removal easier if you’re using the disposable kind. Some choose not to invest in these but others swear by them.

Here’s some information from Pinstripes and Polkadots about liners:
Liners are used to between the baby treated with a rash cream and the diaper in an effort to protect the diaper from the negative water repelling properties of the diaper rash ointment or cream. People use flushable liners, fleece liners, cloth wipes, and even cut up old t-shirts. If you plan to re-use your liners you will want to wash them thoroughly and separate from your diapers. Likewise, you will also want to wash any wipes used to clean off the ointment or cream with your liners: separate from your diapers. Realize that some flushable liners may not protect a diaper well enough from certain creams.

Laundry Detergent

Just like creams, some detergents are just too harsh on cloth diapers. Not to mention on our clothes as well. And the fragrances and added ingredients can irritate your child’s diaper area. Switching to a cloth diaper friendly detergent for all of your clothes may reduce the chance of a rash or other irritation forming.

In order to choose the perfect detergent you should think about a few things. The most important determinant in the detergent you use is if you have a HE washer or not. The amount of detergent you use as well as the type of detergent can depend on this. To find out more about different detergents and what will work best for you check out The Diaper Jungle. Another great source is Pinstripes and Polkadots (I love this site!) and their HE selection can be found here.

Pins & Snappis
If you are considering using prefolds then you should grab a few sets of pins or some snappis. These great products will give you a tighter fit and can help create a great barrier to keep the poo where it belongs… in the diaper. To tell you the truth, pins kinda scared me. So when I heard about snappis I knew I was going to go this route. But I’ve heard from a few sources that pins can get a tighter fit. This may help when you’re on the verge of going up a diaper size. Your smaller prefolds can be used longer with pins.

Wetbags/Diaper Pail Liners
There are a few size options when it comes to wetbags. And I have a few of each. Some are more for convenience and others are a necessity. I was able to get away with not using a pail liner for quite some time by substituting a large pillow case. But then I found two used liners for sale for $5 each and couldn’t pass them up.

I suggest having at least two wet bags for diaper bag rotation and two diaper pail liners (again, for rotation if one is in the wash). I currently have four wetbags: a small, two medium and one large. I feel that this is the perfect amount for our family. Here’s what I use each for:

Small (1-2 diapers) – for quick errands out and about
Medium (3-5 diapers) – for day trips
Large (8-10 diapers) – for weekend trips (our go-to for Disneyland overnight visits)

I also use our wet bags for other things. I keep an extra one in the diaper bag if we’re going to the beach or pool so I can throw wet and sandy suits and clothes in one and not have to worry about getting everything else wet and sandy (although the kids do a good job of spreading the sand anyway…). They’re also great to store extra diapers in the car. I keep an “emergency kit” in the car with a change of clothes for each kids and 1-2 extra diapers. I keep it all in a wet bag so they stay fresh and clean.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: CA Baby, cloth diaper accessories, cloth diaper necessities, Cloth Diapers, diaper creams, diaper liners, snappis, wetbags

Why We Use Prefolds and Covers

August 2, 2009 by Danielle

I love cloth diapering. I love that there are no nasty chemicals touching my baby’s butt. I also love that he’s only had two instances of redness in the diaper area (not even a real rash). One of the best things about cloth diapering is you decide how much (or how little) you want to spend! The cheapest way to cloth diaper is by using prefolds and covers.

This post contains affiliate links.

Why Prefolds? Sizes and Types

I have only used Green Mountain Diaper (GMD) prefolds. There are two types of prefolds, Indian and Chinese. I have no idea what the difference is but GMD was recommended and we fell in love with their absorbency and durability after using them. There are multiple sizes. Most likely you can skip sizes and go to the next size up instead of buying every size. We went from Orange Edged (newborn) to Yellow Edged to Brown Edged. Most suggest either doing the Orange & Red combo OR the Yellow & Brown combo so I did it a bit different but I loved having the newborn size. We now use them as inserts for our pocket diapers.

Why Prefolds? Types of Folds

There are a few folds for a prefold. The most known are the angel wing fold, the jelly roll fold and the newspaper fold. For the longest time we would only use the angel wing fold but every time he pooed we’d have to get a new cover because the prefold leaked. So now we use the jelly roll fold exclusively (tutorial to follow in next post).

I use a Snappi to pin the diaper in place because frankly… diaper pins scare me. It’s not that I don’t think I can do it but I think of the pain I’d cause E if I screwed up. Just can’t do it… so I am sticking with the Snappi for now. I may change later on.

Why Prefolds? Covers

The great thing about prefolds is that it has a cover to keep everything IN. Our favorite diaper covers are the Thirsties brand covers. I don’t think we’ve ever had a blowout that went out of the Thirsties diaper covers we use. I’m sure that there could be some chance that it’d happen if the baby was positioned a certain way and had a large explosion but it’s very rare.

Another great thing about the Thirsties covers (and this goes along with prefolds in general) is that they aren’t as expensive as other cloth diapering options. And they hold up VERY well. We use our covers daily and they still look as good as they did when I first bought them.

The prefold is the workhorse of the diaper family. You can do just about anything to it and can’t screw it up. I’ve sometimes accidentally let one slip into the regular wash with my clothes (it was clean… just being used as a burp rag instead of a diaper) and it was still as absorbant as my others. And one final thing about prefolds… even my mother-in-law and husband know how to fold a prefold successfully. So if you’re thinking… oh, I couldn’t do that, think again! You can!