It's All in the "Two"

Last year, when my sister suggested that we cloth diaper the babies we were each expecting, the only thing I could think was "But the poop..." It was the only reason I could think of for NOT cloth diapering. I thought that there was no way I could ever use cloth. I thought that I was far too disgusted by poop to deal with it on that level.

At that point, when cloth was brought up, I pictured myself having to dunk flat diapers in the toilet to get off the poo, then throw them in a bucket to be washed later. Blech. I went home and kept thinking about why in the world my sister would want to cloth diaper her baby, especially when we have the convenience of disposable diapers. I mean, what is easier than wrapping the poop and dirty wipes together and throwing them in the trash?!

Once I looked up modern cloth, I found that they are actually pretty cute. They were more like disposables than I could've ever imagined. I wanted to know more! I continued researching, and finally decided that I was going to try cloth when my baby was born.

Even though I was going to try cloth, I was still nervous about this poop issue. Was I going to be dunking these cute diapers? I envisioned myself with a doctors mask (because I knew if I smelled it, I'd vomit), an apron to keep my clothes clean, and plastic gloves to protect my hands. What I saw was myself looking more like a surgeon than a mother.

I learned something interesting about big, bad #2 before my daughter was born. When your baby is EBF (exclusively breast fed), the poop is water soluble, and there really isn't a need to do the dunk. When it's that consistency, you just throw it in the wash, and you're done. Yup. It's that easy. You aren't washing any more poop than you would if your baby had a blow out. I planned on my baby being EBF anyway, so I was sold.

My baby is almost 8 months old, eats solids and breastfeeds, and poop has never been an issue. Most of the time, her dirty diapers get thrown in the washer. When it's more solid, Spray Pal is there to save my day. Instead of dunking, I can put the diaper in my Spray Pal Shield, spray it with my Spray Pal sprayer, and it's over with quickly and painlessly.

I love my cloth and I'm so happy to get to have this experience with my baby. I would recommend to anyone that they not let this issue be an issue. Cloth diapering (and Spray Pal) has been a life saver to my family.

This article been generously contributed by Leah Rogers, a member of Spray Pal's Team Mainstream!

Let's Try Something New! {$100 gift card GIVEAWAY!}

We love giveaways. We really do. And we especially love when we combine our love of giveaways with our love of spreading the word about cloth diapers to help #makeclothmainstream. So, that's why I've been wracking my brain lately trying to come up with a fun and NEW way to accomplish this!

Earlier today I went live on our Facebook page to crowd source some ideas from you, and of course, you took my crazy, hair-brained idea and refined it into something that makes sense! So, using your suggestions, here's what we came up with:

Basically, the point of this challenge is to show the general public on social media that cloth diapers can be easy, cute, and fun! You can enter as many times as you'd like (well, up to once per hour) on Instagram, Facebook, and/or Pinterest. Just share your photo, tag @spraypal, and on Instagram be sure to use the hashtags #spraypalgiveaway and #makeclothmainstream. Please note, the photo prompts do not need to be in any particular order, and if you feel like repeating any of them, go right ahead! Just keep in mind that the mission of this challenge is to show people that cloth diapering is cute, easy, and fun, so let's keep the messages in the photos nice and positive! :) Also, while you and I may understand that poop is just part of the picture when you have a baby...the general public may not want it to be a part of *your* picture if you catch my drift. ;)

YouTube video entries can only be submitted once but will earn you 10 chances to win since we know these take more time. If you're in the mood to create a video, feel free to cover any or all of the prompts we've given. Or, you can freestyle it and just talk about your cloth diapering routine in whatever way makes sense to you! You have complete creative license there, just be sure to tag Spray Pal in the description so we can show your video some love!

IMPORTANT: Once you've shared your photo or video, make sure you come back here to get your entries on the Gleam giveaway widget below! The winner will be selected there, so you MUST complete this step to have your entries counted.

Contest starts May 27, 2016 and ends on June 5, 2015 at midnight. All content (photos/videos/etc) shared must be newly posted/uploaded during the giveaway time period to be counted. This giveaway is open worldwide and the winner will receive a $100 gift card to our shop. You can use this toward any "in stock" item we carry, including our cloth diaper exclusives! Spray Pal will notify the winner within 48 hours of contest close, and the winner will then have 48 hour to reply. If the winner fails to respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be selected.

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below! Let the #makeclothmainstream games begin! Enter below:

Spray Pal's #makeclothmainstream Photo Challenge Giveaway!

How to Store Your Spray Pal

The Spray Pal has become a cloth diapering staple for parents who want to handle dirty diapers the EASY way. But with any new and innovative product there may be some questions that pop up along the way. To help you make the most of your Spray Pal (and companion products) we're bringing you an entire FAQ series about our cloth diapering products, so stay tuned for more basics, how-tos, and silly shenanigans by following us here, on Facebook, Instagram, and even Periscope!

So let's get started! We asked you how you stored your Spray Pal and you didn't disappoint. Below are a few of our favorites. And for those who are wondering, CLICK HERE to see how WE store our Spray Pal at home!

While there may be no wrong way, @inherentparent does have some ideas about how-to and how-not-to store your Spray Pal.

How to store your Spray Pal... @spraypal #spraypalstorage #makeclothmainstream

A photo posted by theInherentParent (@inherentparent) on Nov 6, 2015 at 6:20am PST

The Peak-a-Boo: Perfect for storage in a tight spot!

#spraypalstorage #makeclothmainstream I store mine in a wetbag behind the pedestal sink. @spraypal

A photo posted by Brittany Parzych (@bparzych) on Nov 2, 2015 at 10:57am PST

Tub Time - Even Spray Pals enjoy a little R&R

Our @spraypal just sits in our tub. When the tub is being used it lays across the toilet. #spraypalstorage #makeclothmainstream

A photo posted by Jamie Werden Hammel (@jhammel1005) on Nov 2, 2015 at 3:19pm PST

Wet Bag Easy Peasy Hanging Storage: You can even store your qdspray!

My favorite cloth diaper accessories: poop sprayer and a shield to protect me from the nasty. @spraypal #makeclothmainstream #spraypal #qdspray #spraypalstorage

A photo posted by Ashley Burdick (@lassothemoonmama) on Nov 2, 2015 at 12:11pm PST

Waste Binning: It's totally a thing.

Our current #spraypalstorage. A wet bag would look much nicer! #makeclothmainstream

A photo posted by Miriam M (@miriamkatherine) on Nov 6, 2015 at 8:17am PST

The Rebel. Who needs storage? Spray that baby off and set it on the floor. It'll tuck right behind the toilet and be ready for the next mess!

Bathrooms should always be photographed in black and white. Especially when there are poo sprayers just hanging out. There's a DIY wet bag on the wall, but that's just for drippy diapers and the sprayer lives on the floor. No snapping, unsnapping, folding...just as is 💩 #clothdiapers @spraypal #makeclothmainstream #spraypalstorage

A photo posted by @beachfroggy on Nov 2, 2015 at 4:08pm PST

Want more great ideas? Check out the #spraypalstorage hashtag on Instagram! And feel free to share your tips below!

Don't have a Spray Pal? You can pick one up a Spray Pal bundle (with sprayer to get you going) here.

Find The “Perfect” Diaper

Let me introduce myself. I am Becky, stay at home mom of a 5 year old and an 18 month old. My first experience with cloth diapering was when my mom cloth diapered me as a baby, and chances are, if you were born in the early 80’s like me, you were cloth diapered too. My mom said back then disposables were expensive. I think they are now too.

Fast forward to May of 2014. I was at a birthday party of one of my bestie’s kids. She started showing me her stash of cloth diapers and they were beautiful! I happened to have a new baby. I know, convenient right? I promptly went home and began my research.

Wow! Things like pockets, all in ones, flats, covers… microfiber inserts, bamboo inserts… Just when you have that figured out you need to decide snaps or hook & loop. How did I find the perfect diaper? Well, I have found it is a lot like bra shopping. Babies, like breasts, come in all shapes and sizes. I asked on my crunchy Facebook groups which diaper was best. There were so many answers. Unlike bra manufacturers that claim they make the perfect bra I have found manufactures in the cloth diapering world to be more truthful.

You see, the perfect diaper is the one that works with your lifestyle. The perfect diaper is the one that fits your baby best. There is no one diaper. No Holy Grail of diapers so don’t worry when you don’t find it.

My advice to you is simple. Don’t spend all of your pennies on one type or brand of diaper. Buy a few different brands and styles. Try them out.  See what you like.

I found that pockets work best for us. Lalabye Baby is the diaper I use when we are out and about because my little won’t soak out of them. At home we use Funky Fluff because they are narrow in the crotch and my baby is skinny. We use GroVia all in ones and hybrids. The GroVia all in ones are fabulous under a pair of jeggings! I have a few Bum Genius because the prints were just too stinkin’ cute.

I like snaps over hook & loop. I don’t care for microfiber inserts. (They sure are great for washing the car though!) And I love natural fiber inserts.

If you want to review all of the diapers in one place and not hunt around on the internet like I had to Dirty Diaper Laundry put together a cloth diaper finder, and it is pretty darn amazing!

Most importantly, don’t stress. Don’t feel like you need to defend or justify your “perfect” diaper. I won’t judge and neither should anyone else! I am just happy that you have chosen to dive into the world of cloth diapering.

Here are the diapers I listed above.

Top: Lalabye Baby, Funky Fluff, Grovia all in one, Grovia hybrid (hook & loop)

Bottom: Bum Genius

This article been generously contributed by Becky Skidmore, a member of Spray Pal's Team Mainstream!