For 9 months I’ve been washing cloth diapers with Hot Water because that is what is recommended by the manufacturers of cloth diapers.  All of my other laundry I wash using cold water as I have done for a few years. 

I just read a blog that is changing my mind about washing cloth diapers using hot water, Green Breakthrough: Save Energy by Washing Diapers in Cold Water. With my cloth diaper washing, I had completely forgotten one of the reasons why I stopped using hot water with the rest of my laundry. The hot water in your washing machine (unless it has a heater) doesn’t get hot enough to kill bacteria. Think about it, the hot water for your washing machine comes from your water heater (unlike dishwashers that have their own heater).

I know that washing with cold water only is NOT recommended by most manufacturers and in most cases will void any warranties, but I’m going to try it.  The diapers in my stash I’ve had for a while now with no problems so I’m comfortable doing this.  I don’t recommend anyone new to cloth diapers use a cold wash, only test this out for yourself once you are happy with your diapers as in most cases this will void your warranty.  I am not recommending this washing, but wanted to point out another option for families looking to save money.

The best way to sanitize your diapers is to put out in the sun.  UV rays are great at killing bacteria and it’s natural!

I will report back here how it goes and if I notice any difference in my diapers from this change.

Stop by and visit Green Bebe at any of our local events. 

• August 1-2, Green Bebe will have a booth at North Aurora Days festival Craft and Vendor Fair.  We will have diapers available to purchase at our booth. 
• October 11-12, Green Bebe will be at The Indy Baby Expo in Indiana.  We will have all of our products available for purchase during the show.

Workshops - I’ve finally scheduled upcoming cloth diaper workshops.  You must register for the workshops to attend.  They will be held in North Aurora IL, once you’ve registered I’ll send you the location (sorry I need to know exactly who is coming this is an unfortunate requirement for the meeting room I’m using.)

• Wed August 13 2008; 6:30-7:30 pm. North Aurora, IL 60542
  Signup for this Cloth Diaper workshop.
• Tues Sept 30 2008; 6:30-7:30 pm. North Aurora, IL 60542
  Signup for this Cloth Diaper workshop.

 If you would like to see us at one of your local events let us know!  We are always looking for new opportunities to get out and talk with parents about cloth diapers!

Green-bebe.com is once again open for business.

My name is Kari Faber and my husband and I purchased green-bebe.com from Pam after she decided to close the store. I plan to run the business as Pam did, with great products, great customer service and fast shipping. I am an advocate for cloth diapers and am currently transitioning my lifestyle to green products. I plan to continue cloth diapering education by holding workshops and also plan to introduce more green products to green-bebe.com.

I was introduced to cloth diapers last summer when I saw a local newspaper featuring green-bebe.com. At the time I was expecting my first child and was interested in learning all I could about diapering options. My husband and I talked a lot about cloth diapers and wanted to give them a test run to see how it worked with our lifestyle, unfortunately I didn’t get around to buying them until after our daughter was born. Admittedly our daughter spent the first few weeks in disposable diapers and not surprisingly developed diaper rash that wouldn’t go away. This prompted me to go ahead and order the cloth diapers from the website that had first brought cloth diapering to my attention, green-bebe.com. At first I was skeptical if I would stick with cloth diapering, but it was a lot easier than I ever thought. After a few cloth diaper changes, our daughters diaper rash cleared up and without any ointment. This was enough of a reason for me to personally make a commitment to cloth diapering. I’m also very proud of the fact that I am keeping at least 2 tons of non-biodegradable waste out of our local landfills, and the monetary savings doesn’t hurt either!

I’m happy to say our daughter is 6 months old and still in cloth diapers. She has never had a diaper rash problem since changing over to cloth diapers. Her daycare provider was skeptical at first, but now also happily uses cloth diapers as they witnessed firsthand what happened when she was in disposables for just a few diaper changes and how easy it is to use cloth diapers.

Looking back to my experience so far, I’ve learned a lot in a short period of time. I look forward to helping others find the right fit for their lifestyle.

Fuzzi Bunz on Sale $13.95 each with insert!  While supplies last!

Fuzzi Bunz will introduce a new design in November so in with the new brings great deals for you!