the methods and madness of one family of 12
Current giveaway: The Last Pilgrims book: ends 2/23
Zulily is a site with daily deals for moms, babies and children. Lots of adorable clothes, fun toys, handy accessories. You have to provide an email address to see sales.
Right now they have Bumkins pocket diapers on sale for $9.99 in 7 patterns cute enough to make you squeal. Inserts are 2/$8.99.
Hurry – they won’t last long!
Current giveaway: The Last Pilgrims book: ends 2/23
Is it just me, or does that title sound a little pompous? As if my way were the only way, or the best way. Well, maybe it is, but you and I don’t know that for sure. Maybe I should have said, “How I do an egg shampoo.” But then it sounds as if I don’t know what I’m doing and that could damage my reputation because we all know that I know it all.
That’s why you read my blog, right? So you can be more like me? I’m just kidding. I know the truth. When you’re having a bad day, you know you can always pop over here and read about my own days gone awry. Poop, vomit, car trouble, water woes, kids you want to flush down the toilet: whatever your problem du jour is, there’s a fair chance we’ve had it worse. Then you’ll feel better. You know it’s true.
Anyway, I wanted to give you an update on my shampoo-free adventure. I still can’t bring myself to say no-poo with a straight face, but you knew what I meant.
Parker was born during my baking soda and vinegar period. After he was born, my hair seemed to change. It got more and more oily, and the baking soda – even when added to boiled water - just didn’t seem to get it as clean as it used to. I experimented with the amount of vinegar in my rinse, but just couldn’t get my hair to feel the way I wanted.
I didn’t want to go back to my old hair: flaky all the time and visibly oily within 24 hours of shampooing. I started shampooing again, but this time I used just a dab on the crown every 3 days or so. My hair never really felt clean, but I never let it get too oily either. It was a delicate balance and I wasn’t entirely satisfied but it was the best I could think of.
After a month or two, I remembered my egg shampoo and switched back to that. Back when I was trying to get my scalp to adjust to life without shampoo, I had worried that using an egg shampoo would be a setback. This time, I looked forward to the results.
An egg with a bit of vinegar every 3 days left my hair soft and clean and kept my scalp healthy. The only downside was that it was difficult to rinse thoroughly enough, especially if you like your shower nice and hot like I do. Invariably, I found bits of egg white left in my hair. They combed out easily enough, but still it was a little unsettling to say the least.
I finally stumbled across the answer to that little problems in an email forwarded by a friend. It was one of those “how times have changed” emails, contrasting everyday life today with that of 100 years ago. One item in the list: women used to wash their hair once a month with egg yolk and borax.
I’m not ready for once a month washing and I know nothing about borax so I’m not about to put it in my hair. But egg yolk? No white, just yolk? As Homer Simpson used to say, “Doh!” Maybe he still says it. Homer and I parted ways years ago, though I can’t help but remember him with some fondness.
Egg shampoo may not be frugal if you have to buy your eggs, but the feathered members of our family are producing well so that’s not a problem here. I love my hair now. Here’s what I do every 3 or 4 days:
You shouldn’t need additional conditioner, as the vinegar accomplishes this. In fact, I have found that even in dry winter weather this leaves my hair better conditioned and less static-y than the high dollar shampoos/conditioners that some of my daughters insist on buying for their personal use. I only snitch those when the girls leave them in the shower and I forgot to prepare my egg yolk. It’s ok. I don’t think they read my blog.
Current giveaway: The Last Pilgrims book: ends 2/23
We dried our laundry exclusively on racks for nearly 2 years. When our washer died a few weeks ago, we bought a used pair from friends so we have an electric dryer again, but much to my children’s chagrin we seldom use it.
It costs a lot to use an electric dryer for a big family, so I have rules and a jar.
When you use your drying rack as much as we do, it’s important to have one that fits your needs and stands up to daily use. A good design can be the difference between a money-saving piece of equipment and just another guilt-inducing piece of clutter.
I think the Homestead Drying Racks fit that description. These beautiful handcrafted hardwood drying racks, created by a homesteading family of 7, are made to last a lifetime.
Shipping and insurance is included in the price of all their products. I love having shipping included on big items like this: you don’t have to wonder and calculate how shipping will affect the total cost, because you know exactly what your cost will be.
Homestead Drying Racks would like to give one Life in a Shoe reader a free Pioneer Drying Rack valued at $85!
For your first entry, leave a comment telling why you need one of these racks. You must do this to enter.
For up to 7 additional entries, do any or all of the following:
We’ll take entries for one week then choose a random winner.
Current giveaway: The Last Pilgrims book: ends 2/23
Have you ever made your own soaps? I know many people who have talked about it, dreamed about it, studied the process, or just wished they had the time, motivation, knowledge and supplies. But how many people have actually done it? Not me.
Apple Valley is a business run by a family that really does it. You won’t believe the variety of natural soaps that they have available, and all are cured 6 weeks for a silky smooth, long-lasting product.
Learn more about the Klejwa family and their business on their blog, or watch the video created by their very talented 17yo son.
The winner of this giveaway will receive abeautiful, luxurious triple soap stack in the flavor(s) of their choice.
There are many ways to enter, so increase your chance of winning by doing as many as possible!
For your first entry, visit Apple Valley Natural Soap and check out the dizzying array of choices. Personally, I have my eye on the lip balms. Bet you didn’t know they had those. Leave a comment telling us your favorite. You must enter this way first.
For additional entries, do any or all of the following. Remember to come back here and leave a separate comment for each entry.
We’ll take entries through Tuesday, February 8 and will announce the winner soon after.
OK, who’s giggling at how vague I am about exactly when I will announce the winner? Be honest. I have a thick skin. I can handle your mockery. I promise not to eliminate you from the drawing.
Current giveaway: The Last Pilgrims book: ends 2/23
You know the game Chicken, right? Whoever swerves first is the loser. I always assumed the game was named because the loser was lacking in courage, but maybe not. Yesterday I found myself playing chicken…with a chicken…and my 4,000 lb. van swerved before she did. Maybe the game is named Chicken because they’re good at it.
Or maybe I just have some very special chickens. They’re determined – I’ll grant them that. They do their chicken thing with zest. While others complain that chickens don’t lay in the winter, ours never seem to notice sub-freezing weather. [Light is the key: keep a fluorescent bulb burning in the coop all night.]
The books say that chickens may quit laying for up to 10 weeks while they molt, but ours never even put in a request for vacation time. They kept right on laying while they molted. [Plenty of protein: provide high protein lay pellets or mash on demand for quick molts with little or no disruption in laying.]
They do get a little pushy when it comes to food. Leghorns are good layers and light eaters, but there’s a downside. I had read that Leghorns are flighty, skittish and difficult to tame. But now that we finally added Leghorns to our flock, we have more visitors than ever on the deck. They politely squeeze past me on their way up the steps, and peek inside the front door to inquire if we’ve forgotten to send out the leftovers. I think they’re even friendlier than the other breeds. Maybe it’s because they know they’re not good eating. Like the goose that lays the golden egg, if you kill a Leghorn you’ve got nuthin’.
I have learned one hard lesson. Next time I’m getting the brown leghorns. If you have hawks, foxes or dogs with insatiable instincts to chase livestock and/or carry birds (whose idea was it to own an Aussie and a Golden Retriever?!), a little natural camouflage is a good thing. A white leghorn may as well have a bull’s eye painted on its back.
Current giveaway: The Last Pilgrims book: ends 2/23
First of all, I have to say that I am impressed. So many of you are a wealth of knowledge about cooking oils! Thanks for all the input. You’ve given me some new questions and plenty of (warning: bad pun ahead) food for thought.
Here’s a summary of what we’re doing and my new questions. I hope you help answer some of them.
Butter:We have never used margarine in our house. It’s always been butter. I’ll be using it more than ever in baking now. That’s an easy change to make. It will be more expensive than vegetable oil, but not prohibitively so.
Question: How concerned should we be about hormones in the butter?
Grapeseed oil:We’re experimenting with grapeseed oil in baking as well. In spite of the greenish tinge, it hasn’t turned any baked goods green yet and we don’t notice a change in flavor at all. It’s roughly the same price as butter right now at Costco.
Question: Are there any advantages to using grapeseed oil over butter? Is grapeseed oil good for making mayo?
Olive oil:We’re also experimenting with olive oil. I understand that it doesn’t respond well to high heat so we should use it primarily for uncooked purposes, and maybe for light sauteeing. We have used it in cheesy garlic biscuits and plan to use it in pizza crust as well in spite of the fact that it doesn’t seem to be recommended for cooking.
Questions: What are the benefits of extra virgin? Is it bad to use olive oil in baked goods, or just less than ideal? Some say olive oil separates when used in mayo; are there tips to avoid that problem?
Coconut oil:I have a small container of refined stuff from WalMart. I plan to add a small spoonful to our morning green smoothies, but I’m always so groggy I forget. I would also like to try it as a substitute for shortening, which we really don’t use often.
Questions: If I don’t buy unrefined, are all health benefits lost? Does it become just another saturated fat, or is it still a better choice than most?
I have no problem buying in bulk on two conditions: the price is right, and shelf life allows it.
Questions: What is the shelf life of coconut oil, both refined and unrefined? What about olive oil? Can we expect anything like a normal shelf life in our south Texas climate?
Cost Comparison:I did a quick cost comparison to help wrap my mind around the options, and here’s what I found. I’m assuming that 1 gallon = 7 pounds (not 8, like water).
The prices below are rounded to the nearest dollar, recorded to the best of my memory, and include shipping if the source is online. If you live outside of Texas, you’ll probably find that your own cost varies significantly.
If you’re a perfectionist, you’ll probably find plenty to complain about in my list below. If you’re just curious about quick ‘n’ dirty cost comparison in a general sort of way, read on.
Have you found better prices than these, local or otherwise? Remember to factor in shipping if you’re buying online. If so, I would love to know your source!
Current giveaway: The Last Pilgrims book: ends 2/23
Now that the weather is warmer we’re beginning to crave cold cereal again. It’s a summertime tradition in our house, and summer lasts a loooong time here in south Texas.
But we’re also eating much healthier and cheaper these days, and I find myself choking a bit even on the very cheapest prepared cereals. Besides, they just don’t keep a person full. We find ourselves needing a second breakfast an hour later, and there’s nothing cheap about eating the same meal twice.
And so I’m trying my hand again at granola. In typical homeschooler style, I can’t just find and follow a recipe. I have to find 10 recipes and study the proportions of oats to other dry ingredients, dry ingredients to moist, oil to sweetener, etc. Then I combine them to suit our taste, budget, pantry and whims.
Here is the recipe for what is now in my oven, preserved here for either repetition or mockery, depending upon the results. update: The recipe was a hit. The amounts below have been tweaked slightly to make it even more perfect.
Granola
Stir together dry ingredients. Heat honey and oil together and add to dry ingredients, stirring to combine thoroughly.
Divide onto 2 large cookie sheets and cook 20-30 minutes at 325 degrees, stirring once or twice. Cool on sheets, add dried fruit if desired, and store in an airtight container.
What do you think, granola makers of the world? Will it work? Smells good, looks good, tasted good before it went in the oven…but my kids still remember our last homemade granola. It was hard as a rock, and I have no clue what recipe I used.
Current giveaway: The Last Pilgrims book: ends 2/23
Since we made the switch from disposable diapers to cloth last year, I’ve received a lot of questions from other cloth newbies and mothers considering cloth.
Since the mothers who ask these questions thought my answers might be helpful, I’ve decided to share my answers here too. Feel free to jump in if you have anything to add to my cloth diaper q&a.
Good drying rack for diapers?
I read that you don’t use an electric dryer. I have one, but would like to air dry my diapers to make them last (for more children, hopefully!). Do you have a suggestion for a sturdy/large-enough-to-hold-a-couple-day’s-worth-of-diapers drying rack? The one I had before was your run-of-the-mill Wal-Mart variety that ended up breaking on me and didn’t always hold my entire load of diapers at once.
answer:
For a drying rack, I love my 2 racks from IKEA. One is nearly 6 feet tall and holds 2-3 loads of laundry – I can’t seem to find it on their website but it’s called the Antonius clothes dryer, and costs $37.99.
They also have a smaller drying rack that holds about as much as the walmart variety you mentioned but seems to hold up much better. It’s $6.99. You can get one similar to the smaller model at The Container Store for about $20. I know, that’s a huge price difference, but the quality is better and you’re more likely to have one nearby. Even at $20, I think it’s well worth it – it’s a great, simple design that folds down flat in one second flat so you can store it behind the sofa, etc.
How to store dirty diapers?
What do you use to store your diapers in before you wash them. Have you ever heard of/researched the type of bag I referred to above…Planet Wise Wet/dry bag? It is 16.5 x 27 inches, which seems large, but maybe I am nuts for thinking this will work for everyday use at home??
answer:
We store our dirty diapers in one of those diaper genie buckets, found at a yard sale for $2. 
I pulled out the insides, so it’s just a bucket with a flip-top lid. A trash can with a flip top lid would do nicely too.
Many people are very happy with wetbags, so that’s certainly an option, though I’ve only used our wetbags in the diaper bag. Make sure you get one that seals well to keep both wetness and odor inside. Most can be turned inside out and tossed in the washer when you wash diapers.
My sister uses a standard 5 gallon bucket with the lid set loosely on top so it’s not a struggle every time.
Whatever you use, make sure it has plenty of room to hold all your diapers between washings. You’ll probably find that you change a bit more often with cloth diapers than disposables, so it may take a little more room than you expect. It’s also important not to pack the diapers too firmly between washes. Ventilation keeps them from developing extra stink that can be hard to remove.
How to keep the stink away?
I do not want to bleach my diapers this time around, but I am worried that the stink will eventually overtake them. I can hang them out in the sun for the first few months (baby’s due in July), but even here in northern Georgia – it gets too cold in the winter to be hanging the diapers out all the time. Does Charlie’s Soap truly keep the stink away? I thought I read that you had to seek out other ways to deter it. What tricks have you learned?
answer:
I did (and do) have problems with stink, but I blame our extremely hard water and our washer, which is definitely having issues. If we prewash with cold, then wash twice in hot with just a bit of detergent, and if we wash every 2 days and don’t let the bucket get packed too full, we do alright.
Best diaper cover?
What diaper cover have you been most satisfied with (please don’t tell me about any that you’ve sewn yourself… remember – I’m not there yet!
answer:
Regarding my favorite diaper cover, I think Proraps are probably the best buy and most people prefer velcro to snaps, which is exactly what Proraps offer. But honestly – we have trouble with velcro in our house. I prefer anything with snaps. The fit isn’t so infinitely adjustable, but it’s good enough for us and far more durable.
We started out with prefolds, snappies and Prorap covers. They worked very well for us aside from the fuzzies in the velcro, but since I’m pregnant and we always wind up with 2 in diapers, I decided to switch to Coolababy all-in-one pocket diapers from ebay. They fit newborn through toddler so we won’t need 2 separate diaper stashes. There are certainly other nicer choices, but these are very affordable (especially if you buy 24 at a time) and very easy to use.
Got questions? I’m no expert, but I’ll try to answer them.
Current giveaway: The Last Pilgrims book: ends 2/23
Every day Vision Forum has a Deal Of The Day in the sidebar of their website. Today it’s a good ‘un!
Back when Vision Forum first started carrying The Backyard Homestead, it was new to me. I grabbed a copy as soon as I saw it! It’s packed full of very helpful info to help you make the most of your resources – even on a modest city lot.
It’s not just about gardening, although that is certainly included. You will also learn about fruit trees and berries, and livestock appropriate for city or suburban settings, like chickens, rabbits, goats and even bees.
There are recipes for an easy homemade mozzarella-type cheese (I need to try that!), complete instructions for making yogurt, tips on growing sprouts, bread recipes and more.
And…I think there’s more, but…we I can’t find my copy. I think we accidentally sold my copy on our For Sale page…grrr…
Guess I should pick one up while it’s half price.
tip: although the deal of the day will disappear and be replaced by another deal, it might be available for another day. Most seem to stay valid for 48 hours instead of just the 24 that you see it in the sidebar.
Current giveaway: The Last Pilgrims book: ends 2/23
Our kefir grains have been growing and thriving in store-bought homogenized milk with absolutely no pampering. I might not be able to keep a green plant alive, but my kefir grains love me. We’ve been able to share with 4 people so far, and have enough to make a half gallon at a time now.
We’re making our half gallon about 3 times/week, but we got a little ahead of ourselves over the weekend. Hubby and I forgot to drink it every morning and evening, and the kids forgot to drink it entirely. We gave some to the chickens today because it was several days old and the flavor and consistency had changed – it was getting thin, yeasty and carbonated.
If you’re more experienced in kefir than I am, you know how foolish this was.
A little googling today taught me that kefir can be substituted for buttermilk, sour cream or yogurt in nearly any recipe. I had heard this already and we’re not afraid to tinker with recipes (recipe? what’s a recipe?), but somehow it failed to sink in.
This means it can be used in bread dough (we make all our own bread), pancakes (we love pancakes), cornbread and other quick breads (we make quick breads all the time), banana smoothies (I have 2 or 3 gallons of ripe bananas in the freezer)…
Here are more recipes than I’ll ever try: Got Kefir?
If I ever pour kefir in the compost bucket again, somebody smack me.
Current giveaway: The Last Pilgrims book: ends 2/23
Thanks Mama on their blog! There are 10 ways to enter so do as many as possible to really increase your odds of winning.
They’re also having a great sale on Thirsties, and shipping is always free on orders over $60.
I couldn’t help but notice that they also carry my favorite-ever baby carrier, the Ergo, at a competitive price. It’s not cheap, but so worth it! I love mine, and it’s so ergonomically well-designed that my skinny 8yo can adjust it to fit herself in seconds, and can carry the 35 lb. boy in it with ease. It’s truly amazing!
Too many temptations? Use the code below to save 5% on your order and remember that orders over $60 get free shipping. Be sure to tell them KimC sent you.
5% off promo code: mama
Current giveaway: The Last Pilgrims book: ends 2/23
I may be a little late to join this new craze, but a friend gave me some kefir last night. She also emailed me instructions for culturing and some tips for use, but I would love to hear from others who do this.
What do you wish you had known when you first started making and using kefir? What is your favorite source of information? Did you run into any problems? And – big question – do you have to use unpasteurized milk? I do have a source for raw milk if necessary, but store bought homogenized milk is still the institutional standard in our home.
Current giveaway: The Last Pilgrims book: ends 2/23
I mentioned in a recent post that our 18 hens were only laying 1-2 eggs/days, and I blamed the lack of daylight. I had read that hens need 14-17 hours of light for optimum laying.
Well, less than a week after I finally installed a light in the chicken house, their egg production more than doubled to a whopping 4 eggs per day! Maybe it’s not quite that exciting, but it’s definitely an improvement and it costs us very little since I used a fluorescent bulb . If we tried, we could probably get by on that without buying eggs from the store, though I don’t think we’ll want to do that. We do tend to eat a lot of eggs and even store-bought ones are an inexpensive source of protein.
We’re hoping production will continue to rise a bit, but we don’t have mature hens (they’re less than a year old) and we don’t have the very best laying varieties either. We did get a new sort of egg yesterday – brown with tiny green specks all over it – and it was the 5th egg of the day! We don’t expect to get more than 6/day until the spring.
That’s fine, because after the initial investment they’re costing us very little. They live on our scraps, our land, and a bag of laying pellets every 3 or 4 weeks – that’s all they want, because there are so many scraps. And some of the breeds we chose do tend to be broody, so we’re hoping they will hatch out future generations for us, which means little to no investment in new stock for years to come.
Now if we could just convince them to hang out somewhere other than right under the house. The cooler weather has discouraged the flies now but they were awful during the summer! That’s the downside to our friendly hens. They want to be near us. Some even come up on the deck to join us, but we shoo them away. One used to jump into the van whenever the children got in. Silly chickens.
Current giveaway: The Last Pilgrims book: ends 2/23
It’s been a long time since I mentioned the no-shampoo thing (I just can’t bring myself to call it no-poo), because I’ve adjusted very well. The initial adjustment was tough, but that was largely because of the learning curve and my horrible hard water. Maybe somebody out there can learn from my experience and have an easier time of it.
There are a few pros and cons, but overall I think my hair and scalp are much happier and healthier. Saving some money is a nice perk, too.
MY PRODUCTS
soda water
To prepare my soda water, I boil 2 quarts of water. Then I turn off the heat and slowly stir in 1/3-1/2 cup baking soda. Once it cools, I pour into a large empty dishsoap bottle. This makes it easy to open and close, and easy to apply. I keep this right in the shower, like a bottle of shampoo. 2 quarts is enough for at least 8 uses, even with my long thick hair. For those with less hair, it would go much further.
Try just stirring together baking soda and water first. If you don’t have freakishly hard water, you probably won’t need to boil yours like I do. But if you find that your baking soda just sits like grit on your head instead of dissolving while the natural oils stay in your hair, try boiling. The soda water should feel slippery rather than gritty, and the oil should just rinse away.
vinegar rinse
My “conditioner” is just diluted apple cider vinegar in a second dishsoap bottle. I don’t measure. I just pour ~1/2 cup in the bottom of a 1/2 gallon bottle and add water to fill.
White vinegar works too but apple cider vinegar seems to be milder and has a more slippery feel to it, so it leaves my hair feeling more conditioned.
MY ROUTINE
Most of the time I put my hair up when I shower. About every 3 days, I decide my scalp is getting oily or dirty enough to benefit from washing. On these days, I use soda water to wet it down. I don’t know why, but I find it works much better if I don’t wet my hair first with plain water. Although my hair is long and thick, it only takes ~1 cup to thoroughly wet my scalp.
I don’t worry about the rest of my hair – that doesn’t really get dirty, and does gets plenty clean in the process. I just wet down my scalp and scrub gently to work in the soda water. I have a tendency toward dandruff in certain areas so I pay special attention to those areas.
After washing with soda water and rinsing with plain water, I squirt about 1 cup of this throughout my hair and gently work it in. It should feel slightly slippery. One more rinse and I’m done. I’ve learned not to worry about lingering vinegar smell. It dissipates as my hair dry.
PROS AND CONS
My hair used to be so oily that even 24 hours between shampoos was a little gross. I had dandruff nearly all the time, only barely hidden by frequent shampooing and trials with dandruff shampoos. At first I tried to go a week between washings. That was simply too much, and made the transition harder than it needed to be. Now I wash about twice/week. For the first time since I was little, after 3 or 4 days my hair just looks shinier than usual rather than having an oil slick on top of my head.
I have found that the occasional flakiness I get now can be brushed away. I think this is more of a natural shedding than the unhealthy scalp I had before.
My hair has a subtly different feel now, and I like it. It’s a bit heavier and more substantial. It feels thicker and is more obedient, even though I use absolutely no styling products. This always reminds me of the old saying, “I just washed my hair and can’t do a thing with it!” Now I know what they meant. My hair used to be so soft and slippery that I couldn’t keep it in a clip – it just fell right through. Now it’s soft but has some body to it. It also looks shiny and healthy, with none of the flyaway-frizzies that I used to get when I skipped conditioner. Weather affects it very little. No static, no frizzies, no flathead. Just normal happy hair.
One thing I don’t like is that the natural oils make my scalp attract dust and lint. I have to brush more often to keep it clean, and my brush gets a white greasy residue and has to be cleaned frequently. Yes, kinda gross, but I just remind myself that this is the natural oil designed to protect my hair from the elements. Frequent brushing helps distribute this oil to keep your head of hair sleek and shiny.
At first I missed the fragrance of shampoo and conditioner, but I quickly realized that I can add my own fragrances by applying a dab of perfume oil or a spray of cologne to my hair brush. The funny thing is, once I realized this I stopped missing it. Just knowing that could seemed to stop me from feeling “deprived.” I rarely remember to do it now.
I’m not one to jump in with every trend that comes along, and I thought this one sounded crazy when I first heard it. Now I have to admit there’s something satisfying about not being dependent upon commercial shampoo. It feels like the way hair is meant to be treated. Once I quit stripping my hair daily, it became hard to think about going back.
Have you jumped on the no-shampoo bandwagon?
Current giveaway: The Last Pilgrims book: ends 2/23
You probably remember that we switched to cloth diapers earlier this year. I started with a big assortment of used items, sold by a kind reader at a very, very nice price.
I split them with my sister and never looked back, but our used items are beginning to show some heavy wear. We’ve had to repair several of our Proraps, and they just don’t have much life left in them. It was time to start looking at replacements.
On the recommendation of several readers, we recently got some Thirsties. These are among the more moderately priced diaper covers, and claim to be the best-selling diaper cover on the market. Based on the number of recommendations we received, I believe it!
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Oh, look. My baby was helping with the post, and she knows how to spell my name! Do you see it? I always knew she was smart. She must know that this post is about diapers, and therefore about her.
We have really enjoyed our Thirsties diaper covers. The colors are adorable and they do the job, plain and simple. They have gussets – a must for us, with our rather bulky prefolds.
I think the crossover tabs are brilliant and obvious. Why doesn’t every cover on the market have those?
Ditto for laundry tabs, though we’re not used to them yet. I’ll have to train my diaper-changing children to actually use them, right after I retrain myself. If our old Proraps had laundry tabs, they might not need to be replaced already.
Like most diaper covers, size medium covers a lot of ground, from about 9 months until potty-training age for many children. If you want even more sizing flexibility, pay a wee bit more for the Duo Wrap. It has all the features of the standard cover plus snaps to quickly and easily change the rise. Did I really just say wee while talking about diapers?
Just for fun, we also got one of their Fab Fitted diapers. I have to be honest: I squealed just a little when it came. I can’t explain the thrill of a soft-n-squishy raspberry colored diaper, but there you have it. You’ll probably want to rub it on your cheek before you put it on the baby the first time. I can almost guarantee that this diaper will be the first one to get used every time. It’s not super absorbent, but is just fine for daytime use and is much trimmer than the prefolds that we normally use.
Speaking of absorbency, I have to confess one more thing: I think the Fab Doublers are irresistibly adorable too. Why would I care if it’s cute when it’s going to completely hidden from view? I don’t know, but I want them.
Now for the best part:
Thristies has generously offered to give one of our readers a Thirsties Cover and a Fab Fitted in their choice of colors!
To enter, just visit the Thirsties site to pick your favorite color for each. While you’re there, consider sending Thirsties a quick thank you on their Contact Page for sponsoring the giveaway. Then come back and tell us in a comment. To enter up to 3 more times, tell your friends about this giveaway by linking to it on Facebook, Twitter, and/or your own blog. Come back and leave another comment for each entry.
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