How to Do Laundry Only Once a Week (7QT)

When I hear that some people do laundry every single day, you should see the odd sideways glance I give them. Actually, no, you shouldn't. I'm probably a jerk. I don't care how many kids you have, once a day is too flippin' much. Our family, with 2 working parents and a fully(!) potty-trained 3-year-old girl does laundry on Saturday. And only Saturday. (I will admit when I stayed home full-time, we did laundry on Tuesday AND Saturday. But we could have gotten away with just Saturday.)

Side note: Cloth diapers don't count as laundry, so none of this applies to those loads. Also, if you have an infant under 6 months old, I wouldn't even attempt any of this. Carry on.

--- 1 ---

Know that you'll be doing more than one load on laundry day. The most I've done in one day is 4 loads. (But I think that actually included diapers, so maybe only 3.)

B and I have one very full basket, Cora's basket is half-full or a bit more. (Kids' clothes are small!) For us, that's usually 2 full loads on laundry day.

--- 2 ---

Have only 1 child. Don't know what you'll do with the rest of them. Ship 'em off to somewhere sunny and let them run around naked, I suppose.

*I'm pretty sure I can maintain this once a week thing with 2 kids (after the 6-month window). Time will tell. After 2 kids, maybe we'll bump it up to twice a week.

--- 3 ---

Live somewhere so cold that you're inside all winter. Make sure that winter lasts at least 9 months.

Read: no mud stains to sort out. Snowsuits and coats don't get washed until June, of course.

None of this is laundry.

--- 4 ---

Have LOTS of clothes. Too many clothes, actually. Especially underwear and workout clothes. Your drawers need to be full of drawers--enough undies for everyone in your family to be able to go 2 weeks if it came down to it.

[I say this, but I'll also claim that I only have enough maternity office clothes to last me about one week right now. And yet we still make it work.]

--- 5 ---

Get a HE (High-Efficiency) washer. Our top-loader HE fits an entire basket full of clothes in it. Make sure you have a dryer with similar capacity. I don't know why top-loading HE's aren't more popular--they're only a bit more expensive than the old-school kind. This puppy has probably paid for itself in the 4.5 years we've had it.

--- 6 ---

DO NOT separate your colors. No. Just don't. Segregation is over, didn't ya hear? It's unnecessary. Separate your laundry by how it needs to be washed. Which, for us, is 2 things: hot water/high heat dry; or delicate/cold water/low heat dry (or hung). If you're afraid of your colors running, maybe try a color catcher thing. But I don't use 'em. (We also don't use bleach or fabric softener, so no need to separate towels or whites or do any of that nonsense.)

The 'hot wash' (don't-care clothes) are in the washer and the 'delicates' are standing by

--- 7 ---

Lower your standards. This is probably the most important step. Bed sheets get washed once a month. Maybe. When's the last time that bath towel was washed? Meh, keep on using it unless I have some spare space in the 'hot wash' load. The only thing I really make sure gets washed are washrags and kitchen towels, because ain't nobody got time for salmonella. And Shout totally works on weeks-old stains.

On that note, don't pre-wash anything unless you got it second-hand. This tip especially applies to brand-new baby clothes. Because if you don't take the tags off and baby never wears it, you can totally re-gift it.

For more Quick Takes, visit This Ain't the Lyceum

Cloth Diaper Reviews: All-In-Ones

 We have been using cloth diapers for almost a year now. While we have mostly stuck to tri-folded prefolds and covers using this set-up, I have been adding in all-in-ones (AIOs) and a few pocket-style diapers to see if I liked them.

Today I'm going to review 3 of the AIO's we have used. These are all one-size AIO's, which means they should be able to be worn from newborn(ish--I would say at least 8lbs, really) to potty-training.

I paid for all of these (didn't win any), have been using them all for at least 6 months, and nobody is giving me any incentive to review these. (There is one affiliate link at the bottom for the place I use to buy most of my cloth diapers. I only make money on it if you actually buy something.)

The "too long, didn't read" version is that we didn't like the first one (to the point where I sold it off), like the second, and love the third. Read on for details.

First up: ones&twos AIO (link to website)

ones&twos AIO, shown on Cora at 6 months old, about 15 lbs.

I was really excited about this diaper when we got it. It's pretty affordable, retailing for around $17 at most sites, and it's a one-size (usually 8-10lbs all the way up to 35ish). It can be used with or without the additional soaker piece that comes with it. The booster just tucks into a flap on the front of the inside.

We used it without the extra soaker for a little while. I think it was around the 6-month mark we started using the extra part all the time. Then around 10 months, she was wetting through this diaper every time she wore it. You could visibly see the wetness around the legs and sometimes just in middle front of the crotch area. Wetting through the front is where I draw the line, so I ended up selling it on Craigslist.

Pros:

• Stickiest aplix EVER! -- also I find aplix diapers very Grandma/caregiver-friendly
• Price
• One size
• Laundry tabs (I refuse to buy any velcro diaper without them!)
• Trim

Cons:

• Synthetic fiber touches baby's skin (I'm starting to think that my baby just wets too much for synthetics)
• Leaks out the front
• Aplix was actually so sticky it was hard to undo with one hand

We were able to use it for a few months, but it definitely didn't make it all the way through. I don't know if I should have 'stripped' it or what. The truth is that my cotton prefolds are so easy to deal with that I don't really know how to handle synthetics.

Overall, I would give the ones&twos AIO 2 stars out of 5. 

HOWEVER, I recently found out that ones&twos sells an additional bamboo soaker that you can stack in there, and that may have a good solution for me. But I haven't missed it too much since selling.

Next up: Bumkins AIO (link to website)

This is the only cloth diaper I haven't bought off the internet. Somebody tipped me off that the Pensacola commissary had started carrying some cloth diapers, so I decided to see what they had. It was these Bumkins AIO's for a fabulous price! I think it was $12.99. Definitely worth trying for that price! I have not seen the price that low online, however. So I guess you need to call up your military friends and send them on a hunt. (Don't call me; we have moved on from the military!)

Bumkins AIO on baby around 6 months and 15 lbs

Bumkins AIO, shown on baby around 12 months and 21 lbs.

(I find it fascinating that the only thing that changed in 6 months here was the rise.)

This diaper is a cotton material on the inside (their website says blended cotton and bamboo rayon) and has a tongue design. The tongue helps the diaper dry quickly (and I always dry everything but my covers in the dryer). The tongue then pushes into the pocket and it has snaps to snap it down.  I kind of think those snaps are unnecessary, and I feel like I should unsnap them when I take it off baby. But that area is usually pretty pee-soaked, so it's not the most fun task. I usually don't pull the tongue part out though, and it often agitates out in the washer (I have a HE top-loader, since I know you're wondering).

Bumkins AIO inside, ready to be put on baby

Bumkins AIO with the tongue flap out. You can see the snaps here next to the fold.
This is how it comes out of the dryer.

I also think they went a little snap-happy with the front snaps. I mean, it's great that it can fit all sizes, but there are 5 snaps on each side to snap when putting the diaper on.

Pros:

• PRICE!
• Truly only one piece
• One size
• Adorable prints to choose from (including lots of Dr. Seuss prints)
• Natural fiber touches baby's bottom
• Tongue part agitates out in my HE top-loader

Cons:

• So. Many. Snaps!
• Tongue snaps into place, which means I'm touching pee when I unsnap it
• Sorta hard to stuff when rise isn't all the way up (it's closed on the other end)
• Why is it leaking??!

Overall, I like this diaper. I usually will not put her in an AIO for night-time, but this one happened on her once for night around 8 months and I was quite impressed! (No leaks!) However, we have had a few side leaks in this one in the past month or so--and actually just had one while I was in the middle of writing this review!--but I don't plan to get rid of it (yet?). I asked in a forum about it, and someone told me that I shouldn't leave her in a diaper for more than 2 hours (the leak was right at the 2-hour mark). Umm, maybe I'm just really spoiled with our trifolded prefolds and covers then! A 14-month-old baby shouldn't need to be changed every 2 hours, in my opinion. Does anyone have any suggestions? I think I just may need to tweak her fit some.

I would give the Bumkins AIO 3.5 out of 5 stars. (It was 4 out of 5 until the leak just happened. Sigh.)

Lastly: GroVia AIO (link to website) (my affiliate link to buy this on Mom's Milk Boutique)

This is one of the first AIO's I bought. I had been considering the Grovia AI2 (all-in-two), but somebody on some forum told me it actually took longer to dry. I wanted to try some AIO's for various reasons any way, and this one went on sale because I think they were retiring the print. The 'sale' was still more than I had paid for a diaper, but so far it has been worth it. These go for about $24 at most retailers.

The GroVia has a 'flap' design to make drying quicker. It comes with an additional snap-in booster that you can use for heavy wetters or night time. It is all organic cotton on the inside. We used it without the additional booster until she got to be about 9 months old. We never had a leak, we just knew she was wetting a lot more heavily so I decided to start using it. This diaper also has side snaps, which took some getting used to.

GroVia AIO on baby at 6 months old and 15 lbs.

GroVia AIO shown on baby at 13.5 months, about 22 lbs.

Closer picture of the side snaps

GroVia AIO with extra soaker snapped in and ready for baby

GroVia AIO unfolded and with extra soaker

Alright, I don't make claims like this usually, but this is my favorite diaper EVER. Seriously. It is so trim, but holds so much! We have never had a leak and have been using it for close to a year now. It dries in the dryer in the same amount of time as the prefolds.

Pros:

• Organic cotton touches baby's skin
• Optional snap-in booster
• Super trim
• One size, even if you don't believe it when you put it on your chunky 4-month-old. (Kids slim out a bit.)
• No stuffing
• Never had a leak--super absorbent

Cons:

• Expensive!
• Side snaps have a bit of a learning curve and not always Daddy/Grandma-friendly
• Sometimes leaves some read marks on her legs, but she's never been mad about it or seemed like she was in pain

The GroVia AIO gets a 5 out of 5 from me.

Have you used any of these diapers? What did you think?

Stuff On My Sidebar and Black Friday Online Deals

I've been adding a few items to my sidebar lately, most under the title "Check It Out"

1. First, I want to mention that I've now joined the affiliate program for my favorite cloth diaper retailer, Mom's Milk Boutique. My very first order of cloth diapers was with them last year on Black Friday. They have great prices and free shipping for orders over $25, which is pretty easy to do. In addition, they have a "Milk Miles" reward program, where you get a $10 gift card at 200 miles. A lot of times they do "double miles" days, so I've been able to cash out quicker than I thought. Their Black Friday deals (going on all weekend, actually) also has stackable freebies, so I'll be putting in an order again this year. I got some free Babylegs along with some other stuff last year with my order. Not only do they sell cloth diapers, they also have baby carriers, nursing tanks, and more.

Signing up to be an affiliate means that I get a kickback if you order by clicking my referral link. They also sent me a coupon code to share with everyone. The coupon code is MMB10 and it is good for $10 off a customer's very first purchase of at least $75 with Mom's Milk Boutique. (The coupon does have some exclusion due to manufacturer restrictions - bumGenius, FLIP, Econobum, ERGObaby, Thirsties, Sakura Bloom and Beco Baby Carriers.)

You can click this box or the one on my sidebar to get to MMB!

2. It's not on my sidebar any more, but I wanted to give a shout out to Lilla Rose, the hair clips that I reviewed and gave away a few months back. I still looooove my clips, and my consultant Linda Menke is running a Black Friday special. It's 20% off all orders, including party orders, on Friday and Free Shipping for orders over $50.  In addition, the adorable Who’s Hoo Owl will be available that day only while supplies last. The owl clip is so cute!

3. I also have my referral button for Swagbucks on my sidebar. I have been using Swagbucks for almost two years now, and it has been a good and consistent way for me to earn a little spending money. It's a point website that is free to join, and you earn points by searching the web, watching videos, even using coupons. You can redeem your points for Amazon gift cards (or other items), and I have earned quite a few--even given away a few on this blog in the past. There's also an option to redeem your points for a Mom's Milk Boutique gift card, so this blog post has just come full circle :-) You should definitely check out Swagbucks if you haven't already.


I'm not much for Black Friday stuff in the stores, but I'll be hunting for some fab deals online this year. I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving!

Our Cloth Diaper Set-Up

I'm always interested in hearing how other families use cloth diapers, so I figured I'd show you how we use our stash!

I had said in a pregnancy post that we would just use the Gerber/Babies R Us prefolds that people had given us in diaper cakes, but a friend who actually cloth diapers her own girls sent us the kind she uses: awesome Cloth-eez prefolds from Green Mountain Diapers!  (Can they please re-design their 1997-looking site already??)  I added some Econobums and one Thirsties hemp prefold to that, and we have the makings of an almost-full stash.  We now use our Gerber/BRU ones as rags for all kinda of messes (mostly as burp cloths).

This was actually my sister's dresser when we were growing up.  Glad it's got some years left in it!

Like my man Alton Brown, I hate unitaskers.  Instead of a changing table, we use just one drawer in a dresser.  Cora's clothes are in those other drawers.  I also think a Diaper Genie is a rip-off, so I got a simple trash can from Target.

This Planet Wise pail liner fits perfectly!

I bought one pail liner, and another sweet friend hooked me up with a second (along with some other great diapering essentials--she doesn't even have a child yet, so this was so unexpected!).  The liner above has owls on it, and the other one has giraffes!

I also won some cloth wipes from an Etsy shop in a blog giveaway back when I was pregnant.

Fun robot print from TurtlesRUs

It was only a dozen wipes, so we added some baby washcloths in there to round it out.  That's Kissaluv's spray you see there, also.  (Although at the time it was most likely about 90% water.) You may also have noticed the box of disposable wipes in the first picture.  Yep, I find the big messes are easiest to clean with the wet ones!  The only issue is that the closest real trash can is in another room.

Anything that's clean goes in the drawer!  (And yes, I trifold them after they dry, just to eliminate that step later!)

Right now, we have 6 covers (Flip, Econobum, Bummis, Thirsties) and about 20 prefolds.  We tri-fold the prefolds, and they are pretty bulky.  So bulky that they sometimes didn't fit under certain onesies (especially before 3 months), so I got a few all-in-ones and one pocket diaper to try out as well.  We've learned that she does better in prefolds at night, though (rarely a leak!).  I've done pretty much all of my cloth diaper shopping through Mom's Milk Boutique.  They have a great customer loyalty program, often throw in free samples, and I can usually hit it when they do "double milk miles" days.  I've already been able to cash out for a $10 gift card!  They also have a SwagBucks option for a $5 credit that costs half as much as the Amazon card, so I've used that as well.  (Too bad there's a one-time limit on cashing out for that one!)

Our basic system is that we have 2 covers "going" at once.  One is on baby's bum, and the other one is sorta "airing out."  Covers go in the pail once they're soiled, and cloth diaper laundry is every 2-3 days in our HE top loader.  Cora needs disposables for daycare once or twice a week, so we keep those on hand as well.  Since we don't have a huge stash, sometimes during cloth diaper laundry, she goes into a 'sposie.  I bring a plastic grocery bag into the room for the trash bag when that happens.

Our apartment won't allow us to hang a drying line on the patio, but hanging them in our laundry room works just fine.

Also, since our apartment faces a terrible direction for the sun (NNE, I think), if any of them are stained and need to be "sunned out," I take them with me to my volunteering gig, park facing due west and put them on the dashboard.  At the end of the day, I come back to some awesomely clean diapers!

Here are our five all-in-ones/pocket diapers.  I'll be doing another post with reviews of each.

In summary: hate, love, like okay, still unsure, like okay

So far, we have LOVED cloth diapering!  I guess it's easy now since our baby isn't really eating solids yet.  But we're saving so much money that we'll just deal with that once the time comes and I'm sure it will be routine soon enough.

Don't let her face fool you; she really loves her cloth diapers, too!

Note: These opinions are my own.  None of these companies have reimbursed me in any way, but if they're reading, I wouldn't mind doing a real review in exchange for a diaper!

a pregnancy update

I don't post about it much, but maybe I should since it's what everyone asks me about the most!

I don't think I could've asked for a better pregnancy.  Seriously.  I'm 35 weeks along, and most nights I don't even have to get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.  That might change when she drops, but I'll deal with that later.  The first trimester remains the worst part of this so far, and I didn't even throw up then.

I told someone the other day that this is going "better than textbook."  All of those "par for the course" pregnancy woes that I'm mostly not experiencing.  If I wasn't feeling her move and kick all the time, I'd probably be concerned.  But everything is great.  I had an appointment today and found out that she's head-down for now, so let's hope she stays that way!

I've had fun tracking my stats every Wednesday (sometimes Thursdays, sometimes I forgot).  Here's a graph of my weight gain and another of my stomach circumference.  I love me some graphs!

I've gained 27 pounds so far and am not ashamed!

I'm almost 40" around!!

I love the circumference one because you can kinda see when I "popped"--I'd say 22-24 weeks, which is when I really started looking pregnant.

Some fun things I've gotten to figure out:

• Clipping my toenails.  Luckily, it doesn't have to be done that often, but it's not easy!  My fingernails are growing at an alarming rate.  I've had people say this is due to prenatal vitamins, but I think that's bologna.  I took prenatal vitamins when I wasn't pregnant and there was no difference.  
• My hair isn't falling out as quickly.  I have a ton of hair and used to lose a lot of hair every time I washed it, and for most of this pregnancy it's only been a few strands.  My mom told me that about 6 weeks after the birth, I better be ready for tons of it to fall out!
• Working out has gotten a lot harder.  Climbing the stairs to the office I volunteer in winds me.  My usual elliptical routine takes a lot more out of me than I'm used to.  I'm definitely toning it down now and just trying to keep the endurance up.
• Setting up the nursery.  Holy cow.  This took us 2 days of just sorting through all the clothes and gifts we had gotten.  We're only missing maybe two semi-crucial items (like a trash can/diaper pail).
• Speaking of dipes, I got my first order of cloth diapers in the mail!  I found a pretty good Black Friday sale online at this site--I had been tracking prices of the covers I plan to use.  I now own 3 covers (all are different brands), a cute giraffe cloth pail liner, a small wetbag, and some other cloth essentials.  I haven't had to buy any prefolds because both diaper cakes that were given to me used cloth!  I think they're just generic Gerber ones, but I'm gonna try them out first before buying any more.  I was also given a ton of leftover size 1 disposables from my sister and tons of normal wipes and washcloths/wipes from everyone under the sun, so hopefully we'll be set for a bit.  I do have my eye on some other cloth stuff too, and have been doing my darndest to win some of it in giveaways.
• Labor plan.  You wanna know my plan?  It's called "wait and see."  I have nothing against epidurals, but if I'm able to do this all on my own with no drugs, then hooray for me!  If not, whatever.  B and I took the "Childbirth Preparation" course offered by our hospital, so this is all starting to sink in that it's actually gonna happen!

And of course I couldn't leave you without some belly pics!  Here's an overview of how I've progressed.  I seriously do no feel as huge as that last pictures makes me look, and everyone I know keeps telling me that my belly is "cute and small."  Not sure if I believe them!

The very last picture was taken Saturday morning (12/17)

In 2 weeks I'll be considered "full term," but I'm hoping to make it to 39 weeks because it's best for baby.  I am ready to meet her soon though!