#miniSPbdaybash is LIVE for the third year running!

We couldn't miss this annual celebration in honor of our super star little guy, Ryan. I won't even be able to call him little much longer because he's turning FOUR today!!

We'll be waking up in a hotel in Indiana (halfway home from our road trip to Chicago for the Natural Parenting Store Conference which I forced the entire family to come along to so that we could all wake up together on his birthday!). We'll have a lovely breakfast (that I won't have to make), mom and dad will get Starbucks (I saw one on the way into the hotel), and we'll drive the rest of the way home to celebrate in style. ;)

This just made me realize it's our first family celebration in our new home in TN! So exciting to be starting new traditions as we settle in to our forever home. I know 1.0 is mostly looking forward to baking a cake together. Maybe we can actually get 2.0 to try some!

So, once again we will have a new giveaway each day starting on his birthday. This year there are EIGHT different prize bundles, so make sure you keep checking back and doing those daily entries on each giveaway. I was only planning on a week of giveaways, but I ended up adding an extra day because so many amazing brands wanted to be involved! Be sure to show them some love for helping us celebrate this big day.

So without further ado, I give you our first day's prizes!

1 Spray Pal diaper sprayer
1 Spray Pal splatter shield
A set of 3 reusable bags from spbang
A $75 gift card to Logan + Lenora
2 six packs of Smart Sheep wool dryer balls

This prize is valued at $260 and is open to winners WORLDWIDE!! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ryan's Making More Sounds!!

You guys, after the craziness of today's recall, I had to share this HUGE milestone for #minispraypal 2.0! When Dave and Ryan picked Dani and me up at the airport yesterday after BabyFest, I was shocked to hear all the babble coming from the back seat! I swear Dave must have been working on him all weekend to say Dada because he was nailing the D sound like never before. It sounded like a legit baby babble conversation!! Up until then, he was doing lots of grunting and had really mastered the M sound (of course, because his first big syllable was MA!) ;)

Ryan's had his right implant activated in December of 2014 and his left ear activated almost exactly one year ago in April of 2015. He immediately became noisier with his babbling after they were activated, but he's never done anything like this before. Which is super exciting because we just don't know where he'll go with his oral language development, but this is definitely a big step in the right direction! We'll continue to immerse him in language and ASL and see where he will go with it all.

So here you have it, his latest sounds!! I think it sounds a lot like the sound we make when we tickle him. ;) What do you think?!

Spray Pal Shield Recall!

Hey everyone! So, I have a quick PSA I need to get out there, and if you know anyone in any of the mommy groups you're in who may have recently purchased a Spray Pal shield, please share this information with them!!

**Recall** Please email us (info@spray-pal.com) if you purchased a new Spray Pal shield anytime after Feb. 25, 2016 and have had any issues with your snaps popping off. We will send a replacement right away! More info below**

In the process of moving our family from CA to TN, we also moved the production of our Spray Pal from CA to IN so it would be closer to us. This warehouse is affiliated with our former production warehouse, but they source their components from a different place. Namely, their snaps were sourced out of New Jersey, and this is what we need to address, because it turns out these snaps were mostly defective.

Shortly after we moved to TN, we received the first three pallets of Spray Pals from this new production facility. We had many retailers on back order and we were also nearly out of stock on Amazon, so as soon as they arrived we fulfilled all of those orders with what we were given. Once things settled down and we were caught up on all orders, we (well, Mr. Spray Pal while I was away in SoCal for BabyFest) decided to open a few packages and test them out. Learning note for future reference: DO THIS STEP FIRST NEXT TIME!! After opening and unsnapping 25 Spray Pal shields, 20 of them had snaps that popped off immediately upon opening. That's what we would call a significant phenomenon.

So, we immediately contacted the production facility and they acknowledged the issue and we are working together to make everything right with the world again. They've already sent us a sample Spray Pal shield with a brand NEW snap that's stronger than ever, and they're scheduled to ship us a pallet of these in the next few days.

This is our garage as we prepare to send back the remainder of the three pallets of Spray Pal shields with defective snaps.

In the meantime, if you have experienced this unfortunate phenomenon of the snap popping off of your shield as soon as you open it, PLEASE email us at info@spray-pal.com! This would apply to anyone who purchased a new Spray Pal shield starting from around the end of February. It's important to note that NOT ALL of the shields purchased in this time frame will be affected. You'll know right away if you have a bad one because the snap will literally pop off after you open it. We still have a few cases in California that have the previous snaps that work great, and we will send you a replacement Spray Pal shield right away.

We've been providing the best customer service possible for the past almost 5 years we've been in business, and we always stand by our product. We wouldn't be here without our amazing customers and your word of mouth, so we will do whatever it takes to make sure you get the perfect product to make your cloth diapering journey easier! Our biggest concern is that people won't see this in time and may think that these snaps are our standard, but it's not the case! Please SHARE this with anyone you know in the cloth diapering community so we can get the word out and make it right.

Going forward, rest assured that any purchases made on our website will contain the new and improved snaps. You can also check out our retailers tab to find a local store near you!

www.spray-pal.com

First {MASSIVE} Spray Pal Giveaway of 2016!

Well, the holidays are over and we're long overdue for a fun giveaway around here on the Spray Pal blog! We'd like to kick off the year right with something HUGE!

How about TEN winners with over $400 worth of prizes?! Sound good? ;) It's easy to enter, just fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

We're making this one a quicky because as many of you know, we're moving our family across the nation, and packing day starts Monday! We'll leave the contest open through 11:59pm Pacific time on Sunday the 17th and we'll choose our ten winners first thing Monday morning so we can get those prizes out to you before we pack them away.

We'll also have one last BIG sale which will last for 24 hours starting on Monday. By entering this giveaway, you'll be added to this one time email list for sale details. Stay tuned for that email announcement on Monday because even if you don't win the giveaway, you'll still be able to score some GREAT DEALS on cloth diapers and accessories from our website and we'll share the deals there first. Thanks for helping us lighten the load!!

Oh, and I almost forgot!! We also have these bundles ON SALE on Amazon NOW!

Prize details:

10 random winners will be selected using Rafflecopter on Monday morning before the sale announcement. Each winner will receive a Spray Pal and a Jaq Jaq Bird wetbag which can be used to store your Spray Pal shield OR cloth diapers on the go. Winner can choose the wetbag print. Each prize is valued at $43. Open to US only this time.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spray Pal + Bambino Mio USA Giveaway!

We had the pleasure of meeting the lovely people behind Bambino Mio cloth diapers while we were at the ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas a few months back. We had heard of their brand, but we hadn't actually tried their cloth diapers until recently. I must say, we were not disappointed! The diapers are high quality and super soft. Plus, their prints are adorable.

Bambino Mio is based in the UK and their diapers are widely available out there and all across Europe. You can even find them on shelves in mainstream grocery stores! They haven't been as widely available out here in the US, that is until now. Keep your eyes peeled because we are certain you'll be seeing these diapers more and more, and we are excited to give our of our readers the chance to try out their miosolo diaper (or should I say nappy) in the pandamonium print!

Just use the Rafflecopter form below to enter to win a Bambino Mio Miosolo along with a Spray Pal splatter shield, a prize valued at $47! Best of luck!

***Prize open to US only. This post contains affiliate links.

a Rafflecopter 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!