COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED!!! I will Talley up the votes tomorrow evening and announce the winner.

The time has come! It’s time to vote for the Biggest Fluffy Diaper Butt Contest!!!! I hope you guys had as much fun taking these pictures as I did looking at them.

First the rules:

1. You can vote once and only once. So check out all the photos before voting. When you are sure you have the biggest booty picked out, leave a comment here to be counted.

2. Then help me spread the word and show off these darling fluffy bottoms, by twittering, blogging, etc about the contest to get the vote count up. (Hint: If your sweetie happens to be one of the entries- feel free to campaign to all your buddies. Send them here to vote for your cutie pie. There are no rules against bribery, general cheerleading, etc…. )

And remember, on the 15th, we will tally up the votes and award the winner a brand spankin’ new GADBaby diaper with super-trim hemp insert. So the big ‘ol fluffy butt will be a thing of the past.

So with out further adieu….I give you….the fluffy butts!

Stash Nirvana

My cloth diaper story started simple enough. I needed cloth diapers, and I found a stash of fairly decent diapers on craigslist. 100 bucks later, I had a stash of 12 diapers. They weren’t that cute, the fit was a little off, but they held the poop and pee in pretty well.

Then I stumbled unto diaperswappers.com. Suddenly the sky opened up, and there was a whole new world before me. As I sat there reading these threads, and looking at pictures, suddenly my little diaper stash seemed sad and unfufilling. I needed more. Or so I thought.

I then blew the budget and started buying one of everything, because I thought I needed to try it all. The second diaper I tried, was a side snapping pocket. And that should have been where my journey ended. For us, it was all we needed. And 2 kids later, it is still our diaper of choice (but you guys know that already! lol) But still, the drug that is diaperswappers.com pulled me in. I would stay up late looking at pictures of others stashes- one in particular still sticks in my mind. She had 200 diapers, for one baby. An entire wall in her house was covered with diaper shelves. And all of mine sat in a bin on the living room floor…

I spent a ton of fancy fitteds and diapers with 100’s of snaps and complicated instructions…..diapers that my husband refused to use because he wouldn’t read the schematics necessary to operate them. I would sit at my computer for hours “stalking” diaper sites, waiting for them to put up a handful of diapers. Then we would go after them like sharks! I once bought a pack of 12 diapers for almost $500 bucks, and I hadn’t even tried one yet. But diaperswappers told me they were the “cool” diaper right now- so it must be true, right?

We tried diapers that wouldn’t hold more than one pee before leaking out the side. I bought prefolds and snappies, that never even made it out of the package before they were vetoed. We dabbled in wool, which I loved, but had no place for it in our pocket loving household.

And sadly, many of these fad diapers sold for a fraction of what I paid. Because others found out all too soon, that they weren’t all they were cracked up to be either. And in the end, I always found myself coming back to what I loved and trusting my instincts.

So what did I wish I knew then that I know now? I wish someone had told me that stash nirvana isn’t real, and that the best thing you can do is love your stash. Love your new diapers that are squishy and soft. Love the old ones, that were your starter diapers. Try new things, but don’t drive yourself crazy stalking diapers, because there is plenty to be had. It’s supposed to be fun!

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Between now ( Monday 7/27/2009) and Tuesday 7/28/2009 2:00 Pm CST) for every 2 diapers you buy, you get a free microfiber insert.

So if you buy 2 diapers- you get one free microfiber insert.

If you buy 4 diapers- you get two free microfiber inserts.

If you buy 6 diapers- you get three..

If you buy 8 diapers- you get four

And so on and so forth…

You don’t have to use any coupon codes or do anything special in the cart. Simply pick out your diapers and inserts (and Rockin’ Green!) and I will throw in an extra insert for every 2 diapers purchased.

(This offer isnt’ good with any other coupon codes)

So fill up your cart with the diapers you love- and get more bang for your buck!

Unfortunately, there are a few things that have come down the pike that are forcing me to make some changes to the pricing of my detergent, and I want to make the transition for everyone as smooth as possible. Many of my suppliers have begun raising prices, and postage rates are so high that it has caused me to take a loss on large detergent orders.

The new pricing structure will take effect on August 1 on GADBaby.com, which will give everyone time to stock up before the price change. After that, all existing customers will be given a coupon code good for $3 dollars off your next purchase, to help out even more. I hope you all understand that this decision was one that wasn’t taken lightly, but our prices are still lower than some of the other brands of cloth diaper safe detergent which is very important to me.

Now, for the good news!

-Brand new packaging! You don’t have to worry about plastic baggies breaking during transit. Our new packaging consists of high quality, mulsin bags stamped with the Rockin’ Green logo. You can use it over and over again to carry goodies, or to display your yummy smelling detergent on your washing machine.

-More product variety. The new Rockin’ Green website is full off goodies like pail powder, laundry scoops, and bundles. And there are even more things coming down the pipeline.

-Cheaper shipping on several items. The shipping on the new site is based on the items purchased. So,  if you buy things like Pail Powder or Laundry scoops you only pay for shipping for that items weight. And as always, samples are only $3 dollars.

-More fragrance choices. I plan to include at least 5 new scents a month, which gives you even more reasons to love Rockin’ Green.

-The ability to purchase Rockin’ Green at other locations. This one is probobly the biggest change - I have several businesses already lined up to carry Rockin’ Green and there will be more to come in the month’s ahead. This will ultimatly save you time and money as we expand our retailer network.

-More giveaways and coupons. I know you all love freebies, and I love to give them out. So be on the lookout for lots of fun things coming up soon. I can tell you that starting August 1st, all orders will go out with a special “code” on each bag that is good for a certain percentage off your next order. You won’t know what the discount is, until you login to the site to play.

I can’t even begin to tell you how much your loyalty and support has touched my heart! This truly is a family business in every sense of the word, and I love nothing more than making yummy smelling detergent for all of you.

-Kim

The rules:

Choose your best photo of your little one in his/her biggest/fluffiest diaper. We want to see them double and triple stuffed!

Submit the photo to Kim@GADBaby.com by July 31st, 2009 11pm CST. You can only submit one photo, so make it a good one!

Then on August 1st, all photos will be put online to be judged by you. You can campaign to all your friends and family members, and twitter to your hearts content. It’s totally up to you how you get your little one votes!

The picture with the most votes-  by August 15th 11pm CST,  for the biggest fluffy diaper butt wins a GADBaby diaper and hemp insert of their choice.

GADBaby diapers are known for being trim fitting, so we figure that it’s a fair trade. You show us a big fluffy butt, and we will hook you up with a cool new diaper!

So send your pictures in today!

First off we have some new additions to the GADBaby lineup.

Windpro Yumminess

Windpro Diapers are here! These diapers have windpro fleece on the outer layer, which makes them a great, breathable diaper. Many people LOVE these for night time. Double stuff them, and your baby and your sheets will be dry in the morning. I highly recommend you pick up a couple of these babies to try them out.

GADBaby Bundles

Also, thanks to your help I have created some great bundles that will save you money on the stuff you already love!

You have 3 options:

Day at the Zoo- Why not pack the diaper bag with fun colors like brown, grassy green, meadow lime and bright yellow and go hang out with the monkeys for a few hours? This pack include 4 diapers in your choice of colors, inners, and inserts. You also get a sample of Rockin’ Green in your choice of fragrance. May I suggest Monkey Snacks?

Slumber Party- This pack will get through an encore presentation of the Little Mermaid, cupcake baking and that Candyland tournament. The Slumber Party pack includes 8 diapers in your choice of colors, inners and inserts. You also get a 45 load bag of Rockin’ Green in your choice of fragrance. PLUS, you get an extra insert which is great for night time double stuffing. So load up your sleeping bag with choices like princess pink, lilac, and orchid with butter. Ohh and I would recommend the Vanilla buttercream for your detergent, it’s the next best thing to eating a cupcake.

Visit to Grandmas- Looking to pack up the car and go visit Grandma for the weekend? Then this GADBaby pack will keep your baby comfy all weekend long. Order one every color- like navy, meadow lime, purple, red, blaze orange…this bundle includes 12 diapers in your choice of colors, inners and inserts. You also get a 90 load bag of Rockin’ Green in your choice of fragrance (Grandma will ohh and ahh over Fresh Linen and Vanilla Lavender). This is the best value, because you are getting 12 diapers for the cost of 10!

*Please note that coupons will not apply to bundle purchases unless specifically noted*

Mix-it-Up Mondays

Last month, the response to the bamboo sale was outstanding. So this time around we are doing “Mix-it-Up Mondays!” Every Monday I will pick 5 diapers to be on sale for the week. The next week they will go back to regular price, and another 5 will be chosen. It’s a great way to mix things up, and create a rainbow colored stash for less.

Rockin’ Thursdays

Lastly, be on the lookout for Rockin’ Thursdays. Every Thursday I will pick a fragrance, and give out a coupon code good for one free sample in the smell of the week. All diaper orders placed on Thursdays, will be eligible. You simply add the sample to your cart, and then use the code to get the discount.

There are also a lot of contests and giveaways coming up the pipeline- including our own “Biggest Cloth Diaper Butt” contest, which I will explain in a few days.

Here’s to a great month!
Kim

1. First, the number of diapers included in the bundles. I was originally thinking 3, 6 and 12 packs. But there is also 4, 8, and 12 as an option. Do you have a preference?

2. Color choices- this is a tough one for a lot of people, so I thought about doing a girl, boy and gender neutral bundle with the option for customers choice. You would have to email me with your color selections after ordering, so some may want to just go with a gender bundle because it would be easier.

3. Inners- I can give the option for all bamboo, all microfleece or a combo of both? Should I even make this an option- or do you want to be surprised?

4. Hemp or microfiber- I love having the choice, and I don’t want to put restrictions and make people use microfiber or hemp just to get a bundle deal.

5. Rockin’ Green Detergent- I want to include a sample bag with every small bundle, a 45 load bag with every medium bundle, and a 90 load bag with every large bundle. You pick the type and fragrance.

So that’s basically a 6 drop-down order form. Is that too much? Not enough? GADBaby is all about choices- you have tons of different options to choose from when ordering diapers and detergent, and I want to capture that in the bundles as well.

I would love your feedback, on which way to go with this. So chime in please!

Sized Pocket Diapers

Let’s, first begin by looking at this from the financial side of things. For the sake of this article, I am going to assume that we are building up a stash of 15 diapers. Now, your personal stash could have more or less diapers but I find that 15 is a good average. Also note, that that for the sake of fairness I won’t name names for any particular brands.

A stash of 15 pocket diapers, with one size inserts will cost you $300 dollars. Since the inserts will work in any size diaper, you will be able to re-use them when you move up to your medium and large stash.
Once you are done with your smalls, you can assume that they will be in excellent used condition (EUC) since they were used for about 4 months. So you can then resell them for approximately 50-75% of their value new (based on numbers from current for sale or trade sites). So your initial investment on your small stash was $240 dollars and you can expect to get $180 of that back when you sell your used diapers.  So, by these calculations a small stash costs you $60 dollars.

The same conditions would be true of your medium stash, so you can assume that you would get 75% of your investment back, since your medium stash will be in rotation for about 6-8 months depending.  By the time your baby is a year old, your diaper stash would have cost you $120 dollars.

Once you sell your large stash, you would also have the ability to sell your inserts as well which hold about 75% of their value regardless of age. So you can expect to recoup another $45 dollars from the sale of the inserts which make the cost of your large stash closer to $15 dollars.

So the grand total to diaper your baby with sized diapers from birth to potty training- $134 dollars.

One Sized Diapers

The math on one-sized diapers seems a lot simpler. A stash of 15 diapers will cost you $269. At first glance, it looks like we already have a clear winner. But you have to factor in resell value to get a true indication of the cost value of these diapers. If the diapers have been used in a rotation from birth to potty training, you can expect them to be in Good Used Condition (GUC) which will get you about 40-50% of the resell value. So when you sell your used stash, you can expect to recoup $135 dollars of your initial $269 dollar investment.

So the grand total to diaper your baby with one sized diapers from birth to potty training- $134 dollars.

So It’s a Tie?
Yes, and no. There are a few other things that you should consider when deciding what type of diapers to buy.

The Fit Factor
When it comes to cloth diapers, fit is a huge deal. If you don’t get a good fit for your babies shape, bad things happen. Blow outs, leaks, red marks on their legs…all things that will drive a mom to give up on cloth diapers all together. This is especially true during the early days, when newborns have explosive poops and notoriously skinny chicken legs! Many one sized diapers really don’t start working until your baby is upwards of 10 pounds or more, which for many babies isn’t until their second or third month of life and even then they are pretty bulky. So keep that in mind when you are building up a stash.  If the diaper doesn’t fit your baby the way that it should, for their age and body shape, it isn’t a good deal.

Boredom is a Bad Thing
I have been around cloth diapering moms for years, and most will tell that you that stash boredom is a very real thing. You look at the same 15 diapers (usually in just a few colors) day in and day out, and eventually you get bored. You start window shopping, seeing what else is out there…and you find yourself buying more diapers. You may not need them, but you have the overwhelming urge to get some fluffy mail, and add something new to your diaper stash. If you are using sized diapers, you don’t have the chance to get stash boredom. You get to flip your diaper stash every 6 months or so, to move up to a different size. Which gives you the opportunity to try out new colors! And since you are selling your used diapers to fund the new ones you don’t have to fight with your spouse about spending more money on diapers.

The Wear and Tear Wars
If you were to wear the same shirt every day for 3 years, what would it look like at the end of the third year? If you were to wash a pair of jeans 365 times, would they hold up? Cloth diapers are built to last, but they can only undergo so much washing before they start to show signs of wear. Many moms will attest to the fact that while one size diapers may last till potty training, they wouldn’t be able to hold out for a second or third baby. Especially if they have things like Aplix on them, which tends to act wonky over time.

Sized cloth diapers are usually in rotation for about 6 months, so they are generally in much better condition. So if you wanted to use your small stash for baby #2, you have a much better chance of them holding up then the one-sized counterparts.
It’s sort of like your own closet, you have winter clothes…summer clothes etc. You don’t wear the same articles of clothing day in and day out, for several years in a row. They just aren’t built for that kind of abuse.

The Bottom Line
No matter which kind of cloth diaper you choose, the fact remains that you are going to save a ton of money. The average cost to put disposables on a baby is $2666 dollars and as seen above, you can cloth diaper your baby from birth to potty training for less than $150 dollars! That is a savings of over $2,500 dollars. Not to mention the environmental and health benefits that go along with using cloth diapers. There really is no wrong way to go.

Good luck with your cloth diapering adventure- and thank you for letting GADBaby be a part of that journey!