Where I come from...

So I come from a place called Fayetteville, NC.  Home to Fort Bragg, Fayetteville has gotten a bad rap over the years, Fayettenam ring a bell? When I was young I remember it being a bit unsavory, the highlight was the mall and downtown was the kind of place your mom and dad made you put your head down when you were driving through.

Fast forward two decades (yes, I've been kicking around Fayetteville on and off for 20 years) and the city is completely different.  The downtown area now has restaurants, cute shops, bars and museums. It's urban revitalization done right.  When we go to visit my parents, downtown is where we choose to go. 

You know what's downtown that I love? Sweetbottoms Baby Boutique!!! Yay, diapers that I can touch and ogle over!  Ok, ok so I know the main store is in Raleigh/Fuqay Varina and to be clear I've never been there, but wow do I love the Fayetteville store! The store is cute and small and the women who staff it are nice, like legitimately nice. I went in one Saturday close to closing time and they let me browse the consignment bin while they closed up (I got a Fuzzibunz ).  It's a well curated store and they even have those famous SBB wipes that always seem to sell out so quickly online (that'll be another post).

It's stores like SBB that make downtown Fayetteville a fun place to be.  So SBB? I love shopping with you both online and in the Fayetteville store.  You, and you alone have my love and loyalty when it comes to online diaper shopping.

Smooches.

Thirsties wipes

Here it is! My first review!

When we started cloth diapering I wasn't so sure about using cloth wipes. Frankly it seemed like cloth diapering was accomplishment enough, but after about a week of trying to separate the disposable wipes from the diapers, I gave in and purchased four packs ( three girl and one boy set) of Thirsties fab wipes. Wow, what a life changer! Of all the wipes I have, admittedly not a ton, these are the first ones I reach for when I open a messy diaper.  In short, they are my workhorse wipes.  After almost nine months of continuous use, they are still soft which is not something I can say for other wipes I own.  As I've mentioned before, I use anywhere from 6-9 wipes per messy diaper, so each wipe is getting washed anywhere from 2-3 times a week, so it's not like they aren't getting used a bunch.  I have been beyond impressed with the quality of the Thirsties wipes and Thirsties in general. 

I also really love that they are made in the US and that Thirsties is such a responsible manufacturer. Carbon credits? Low impact dyes? Solar Panels? Seriously, what's not to love.  More and more, as the economy is in flux and people are out of work and struggling I want to support eco-friendly US businesses. It's a nice feeling for me knowing that I am 1) getting a good product and 2) that I am supporting a business that has good values.

But, in the spirit of honesty, the Honeydew color drives me crazy. Absolutely bananas.  You'll notice it's on the top of the stack, well I want to use it first so I don't have to see it.  I really have no idea why the color upsets me so, on its own I like it, but in that stack of lush wipes it just bugs the heck out of me. 

Car seat + The Child= poop

No seriously. For the last week everytime I put the child into her car seat and leave the house, she promptly poops. What gives!! I'm not talking about "the oh I can just change her in the back seat of the car and continue shopping"sort of poop, no I'm talking about the turn the car around and place child in bath sort of poop. This is cramping my style, how am I supposed to get stuff done?!? On another, far more personally satisfying note, I am all out of wipes (laundry day) and therefore I must acquire more.

No, I don't just use one

I often read that people like cloth wipes because they only need one or two to get the job done. Are you kidding me???? I use anywhere from 6-9 for a poopy diaper!!! I am not gifted enough to fold a wipe a million times to get all the nooks and crannies clean. Just not happening for me. So you know what I love about cloth wipes? That I can use so many and not feel bad about it! Cloth wipes have been a worthwhile investment! So worthwhile that I'm buying more, specifically some Geffen baby ones. Don't judge me! and don't tell The Husband!

Are cloth diapers the new beanie babies

There are lots of Mama's out there who have impressive diaper collections. I don't know these women at all, and I have no idea how many children they are currently diapering, so I'm not judging, but when I think about 150 plus diapers, I think "where the heck do they keep them!!!!". That's besides the point though. I think for some, cloth diapers are like beanie babies. Yeah, I said it. Remember the late 90s? Aside from the mass hype and commercialism, I knew girls ( ok, so for the record I'm currently 27) with hundreds of those little choking hazards. They collected them, lovingly arranged them, waited obsessively for the next ones to come out... Wait, sound a little familiar? I realize the parallel isn't exactly the same, but the short is - that's how some mama's treat their dipes, AND that is how I feel about my cloth wipes. I love my cloth wipes. I lovingly fold them, color coordinate them ( I like them to look good on the changing table), trawl the internet for pretty, absorbent, WAHM ones, excitedly order them, and then I wipe up messy poops with them. Crazy, I know.