Pages

Sunday, March 2, 2014

10 New Baby Shower Gift Ideas for the Cloth Diapering Family


In honor of our Lil B's first birthday, we have compiled our top 10 list of the best baby shower gifts for a cloth diapering family based on our own experience and from a poll we conducted with other cloth diapering families. We are so excited to be able to include our blog's first giveaway with this post!


1. Cloth Diapers, of course!

There are many varieties and brands of diapers. If your friend doesn't have any on her registry (or doesn't have a registry), you can't really go wrong with opting for a pocket diaper that can be washed and dried in the machine. This is particularly helpful in climates that don't always support line drying. Though we love to line dry diapers, Utah winters don't make it possible year round.
We have absolutely loved our Glow Bug Diapers! Glow Bug offers great bundles for very reasonable prices and they don't take much time to wash, dry, or prep. We haven't experienced any major leaks or blow outs and can happily report that after a year of use, our Glow Bugs are still going strong!





Glow Bug's website offers helpful tips and explanations for first time cloth users. If you have questions about how many diapers you/your friend will need or how to wash them, Glow Bug has the answers you need.


2. Cloth Diaper detergent

Cloth diapers require diaper safe detergent. My favorite is Rockin' Green. Check back with them each season - they sometimes offer exclusive scents! Last summer they featured a Barry Mango-lo (mango scented) detergent that I love. I hope they've got something new and exciting like that for this summer because I'm almost out of my Mango-lo (even though I bought 3 bags).






Rockin' Green has fantastic scents and can be used for much more than just cloth diapers. I use it for all of my son's clothes and many of my own. We use it for blankets and soft toys, too. A cute way to wrap this up is to include some clothes pins and a cheap clothesline (something like this). Wrap the clotheslines all around the bag of detergent (or box if you're using a different cloth-friendly detergent like BumGenius) and then pop a cute little pin up at the top. You can wrap the whole thing in cellophane if that floats your boat, but it's not necessary. See item 4 for an even better idea. Another great tie-in for this gift would be a water testing strip. Knowing how hard your water is can be very important when washing cloth diapers.

(Rockin' Green offers Military and First Responder discounts!)






3. The Diaper Sprayer and Spray Pal 

Every now and again there is a diaper so tremendous that it requires special help. Now before y'all start with the "That's why I don't want to use cloth!" nonsense, let me just say this: It's the same with disposables. When your babe is completed covered in something that must have weighed more than they do, it's a mess and it requires a bit of effort to clean it up. When that happens, you can muddle through with wipes or you can use the most remarkable diaper cleaning combo I've ever seen.


I was so excited to share this shower gift with you that I contacted the makers of the Spray Pal and they graciously offered to give away a free Spray Pal to one lucky reader! Thank you, Spray Pal! 
For the rest of you, you can find their bundle that includes both the Spray Pal and a diaper sprayer HERE. To enter the giveaway, use the form at the bottom of this post. 



4. The gift wrap that keeps on giving: The Wet Bag 

There are many reasons for cloth diapering, but one of the most prominent is to reduce waste and protect the environment. Rather than spending any of your gift budget on wrapping that will be thrown away, try to think of ways to show your eco-lovin' friend that you respect their decision and the reasons behind it. A wet bag is a fantastic way to wrap any of the gifts on this list! 

What is a "wet bag"? 
A wet bag is a waterproof bag (usually zippered) that can be used to store dirty cloth diapers until it's time to wash them. A wet bag can be used to line a diaper pale, too. After Baby's outgrown diapers, a wet bag remains useful! You can use them in the kitchen to store wet rags or soiled bibs. Toss one in the glove box of your car for any moist stuff you don't want all over your seats. When we travel, we bring wet bags to store our swimwear and beach items! Our daughters will be taking small wet bags to keep their toiletries separated and clean when they head off to camp this summer. We've even used them as lunch bags on day trips to the zoo. Hikers get a ton of use out of a well-constructed wet bag. 

My favorite wet bags are from Monkey Foot Designs and I always recommend purchasing the largest double-pocket bag that fits within your gift budget. Pro Tip: A wet bag does not have to match the rest of Baby's layette! Have some fun with it! 




5. Cloth Diaper Wipes

Make 'em! If you've got a serger and some cotton flannel, you can make wonderful cloth diaper wipes. I chose to make my wipes 6"x6", but you can opt for larger or smaller ones if you'd like. I made mine with one side of cotton flannel and the other with terry cloth (cut up old towels that are getting ratty around the edges anyway! You'll get bonus points for recycling) but I will warn that terry cloth is a pain to sew. Your serger tension will need to be taken into account if you use terry. 



After everything was said and done, I ended up using the cotton flannel side more.
If I make another batch, I'm going to just use three squares of cotton flannel for thickness 
and forget all about the dreaded terry cloth. Tip: Choose busy designs. They hide stains!



6. Project Pomona Jeans

B received his first pair of Pomonas before he was born. When they arrived, I looked at the adjustable snaps and the cuff at the bottom of the legs and questioned whether they would really fit a newborn. Imagine my surprise: Not only did they fit him as a newborn, he hasn't grown out of them yet!



Celebrating his birthday today at the zoo. See? They still fit great!


ADMIRE THE PROJECT POMONAS!


The same pair of pants has fit him for a full year and he's still got plenty of room to grow before he'll outgrow them! Project Pomona pants are made especially to fit over cloth diapers, but because of their custom fit snaps, they'll fit over any diaper and they will adjust as the baby grows. The stitching is strong and they've held together extremely well despite many, many, many washings.

Project Pomona has been kind enough to join our giveaway and will be sending our lucky winner a free pair of their brand new shorts!

These are the girly ones. Follow the link to see the 
adorable prints for boys! Personally, I think I'll 
be buying a pair of the skull & crossbones for Lil B. 

You can find Project Pomona here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProjectPomona
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/projectpomona/
and Instagram: http://instagram.com/projectpomona


7. Wool Dryer Balls 

Woolies are my personal favorite, but anything without a strong color will work. It's true: Cloth diapering means doing more laundry than you might otherwise. Wool dryer balls eliminate the need for dryer sheets and they do not contain any chemicals. They cut down on drying time, too! I bought mine for cloth diapers and now use them for everything.


8. Cloth-Safe Diaper Cream 

Desitin and petroleum jelly are not friendly to cloth diapers. Pinstripes and Polkadots has the best rundown of cloth-safe diaper creams I've ever seen. Since I don't feel I can improve upon it, I'll refer you to their post: Choosing and Using Diaper Rash Ointments and Creams


9. Disposable Bamboo Liners


This may seem counter intuitive, but there's a reason for these little gems. After Baby starts solid foods, the messes in their diapers will change consistency. If you're using a disposable FLUSHABLE liner in each diaper, you can simply drop the liner in the toilet and flush the mess away.
Interesting fact: Did you know that even with disposable diapers you're not supposed to throw solid fecal matter in the garbage? These flushable liners are fantastic not just for their convenience, but also for their minimal impact on the environment. Zulily often has these on sale. Sign up for their site and keep an eye out for all sorts of cloth diapering deals. You can also find them here on Amazon.


10. Hemp Inserts 

These are for overnight use. You can pop an extra insert into a pocket diaper and it'll help absorb more and keep baby dry during the night! Two of my best friends got me a set of hemp inserts for my baby shower and I have used them every week (except when we were traveling and used disposable diapers) since then! Thirsties inserts work great.




The moment you've all been waiting for: 


Time to enter to win our fabulous prizes! 

We once again would like to thank Spray Pal and Project Pomona 
for celebrating Lil B's birthday with us and for 
making this giveaway possible!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Winner must be living in the United States.


You might also enjoy: Baby Shower vs. Open House

115 comments:

  1. My favorite definitely would be cloth diapers & a diaper sprayer. Who couldn't use more fluff in their life.

    ReplyDelete
  2. my favorite gift was my swing/bouncer, we have used it almost every day for the last 6 months

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anything that was actually on the registry. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anything from my registry. But my favorite from last pregnancy was my swing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. My favorite from your list is definitely cloth diapers and hemp inserts (I love Thirsties, too!) I didn't get anything useful except clothes from my baby shower. Tons of disposables "just in case." =P

    ReplyDelete
  6. My favorite was a brand new food processor. Used it with my first for making baby food.

    ReplyDelete
  7. i love giving little useful things like teething toys books and cloth if they want to cloth diaper!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Replies
    1. Fantastic! I've been looking at upgrading my jogging stroller. Do you recommend the kind you got?

      Delete
    2. Absolutely. I got a Bob Revolution. I love it so much I now have a Duallie as well. Best strollers ever! Worth every penny.

      Delete
  9. My favorite one I received was definitely cloth diapers! My favorite to give is cloth if it's a cloth mama, or a "mom's nursing essentials" otherwise--a nursing cami, lanolin, breast pads, snacks for mom, a cute insulated water cup, and Mother's MIlk tea

    ReplyDelete
  10. If I had gotten cloth diapers, it would be that... but the favorite thing I got was a fold up, portable baby bed.

    ReplyDelete
  11. giftcards so i could choose what i wanted!! that and cloth diapers/related accessories.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I cloth diapered after my baby shower, but if I had I would have loved Project Pomonas!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Mine would be cloth diapers..can never have enough!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love to give picture books (everyone else will be giving receiving blankets, onesies, nursing items, etc.).

    ReplyDelete
  15. Co sleeper, baby carrier, burp clothes, or anything handmade! or Books!

    ReplyDelete
  16. My favorite baby shower gift that I received were my Softbums cloth diapers. The one I love to give is a backseat carseat mirror, in hopes the recipient will rear face the baby longer.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love to give cloth wipes, CJs butter and a wetbag. They are useful whether you cloth diaper or not!

    ReplyDelete
  18. cloth diapers and earth mama angel baby bottom balm

    ReplyDelete
  19. If they are going to cloth diaper I like to get my favorite diaper cream, wild carrot herbals goo goo baby balm, a wet,dry bag and some other essentials based on what kind they are going to use. If not I get something from their registry that I know I loved or would have loved to have.

    ReplyDelete
  20. My favorite baby shower gift was my Boba baby carrier

    ReplyDelete
  21. An offer to babysit so the new parents don't go crazy.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Gift cards so I can buy what I need!

    ReplyDelete
  23. i received a bunch of gift baskets at my baby shower and I loved them because I got a bunch of stuff to try that I never would have thought about buying.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Cloth diapers are the best gift!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Gift card to a local grocery store like Plum Market or Whole Foods. It was great to pick up pre-cooked meals when we had no time to cook.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I always like to gift breast feeding supplies (bags, pads, lanolin) or a ring sling to new mommies.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Something fun and something necessary

    ReplyDelete
  28. My favorite gift was my breastpump.

    ReplyDelete
  29. My Showers are coming up yet, but I'm really hoping to get a nice carrier!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Books! We hope to raise a little reader and books are so personal!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Cloth diapers are my favorite baby shower gift!

    ReplyDelete
  32. A Boppy Pillow is always a good gift!

    ReplyDelete
  33. The gift cards I got to use to buy a great pump that has allowed me to exclusively pump for my daughter for 17 months!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Project Pomona pants. I love the jeans I got our little guy for Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  35. I didn't receive either of these, but they definitely would have been my favorite baby shower gifts - cloth diapers or baby carrier/wrap!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Cloth diaper or amber Teething Necklace

    ReplyDelete
  37. Gift cards, cloth diapers, organic baby wash... so many great things!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Money is always the best baby shower gift for me. I'm picky and research any medium to high child related purchase, I've had bad luck with getting what I want off baby registries.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Cloth diapers and gift cards are my favorites! I also love boutique items that are one of a kind or personalized!

    ReplyDelete
  40. My favorite babyshower gifts were my Moby Wrap (we live in it) and a My Brest Friend nursing pillow (especially since I ended up with a c-section. It made breast feeding much easier.)

    ReplyDelete
  41. I like gift cards. I know they aren't very personal, but it is a great way to let the new parents get something that they really needed or wanted but didn't get.

    ReplyDelete
  42. My favorite gift was my boppy pillow. I like to give feeding stuff spoons plates ect.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Gift card that way I can get what i need.

    ReplyDelete
  44. I have to say a gift card. I can get diapers and whatever else we need.

    ReplyDelete
  45. My go to gift is a handmade ring sling.

    ReplyDelete
  46. everyone at mine brought a bead and a note with happy thoughts for my birth, I could look at all the beads while I was having him and remember the positive thoughts everyone was sending!

    ReplyDelete
  47. My favorite shower gift was my Boppy!

    ReplyDelete
  48. The baby mirror for my car - never thought of it myself but I love it!

    ReplyDelete
  49. To give or get? I'm not getting a baby shower, but I would love if someone bought cloth diapers, or crib sheets, something really useful. I like giving the same, useful.

    ReplyDelete
  50. cloth diapers!!!! but never got em lol but my favorite that i got from my mom was my crib bedding i still love it!!

    ReplyDelete
  51. cloth diapers, anything handmade, pajamas or blankets!!

    ReplyDelete
  52. to give or receive? I guess either is... A meal to the new family :)

    ReplyDelete
  53. Handmade baby quilts are a beautiful keepsake.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Practical items that actually get used and handmade blankets!

    ReplyDelete
  55. Cloth diapers, board books, and toys!

    ReplyDelete
  56. My favorite gift to give is a kit to make a mold of the baby's hand. You forget how tiny they are.

    ReplyDelete
  57. I was excited to get lots of cute clothes :)

    ReplyDelete
  58. cute clothes and of course fluff!

    ReplyDelete
  59. Good swaddlers and cloth diapers. And a nosefrida. :)

    ReplyDelete
  60. My favorite was my breast pump!

    ReplyDelete
  61. I liked getting gift certificates .

    ReplyDelete
  62. I'm hoping at my baby shower my grandma crochets my baby a new blanket :-)

    ReplyDelete
  63. I just loveeee this post. All the 10 ideas are best for shower the cloth diapers. I am also using cloth diapers for my sweet baby tina she is just 3 months old and now i am happy that it become more easy to use them.
    Baby cloth diapers

    ReplyDelete
  64. My favorite gift is definitely diapers!

    ReplyDelete
  65. Any of the homemade blankets we received. I didn't "need" any more blankets but I love the thought and time that my loved ones put into their gifts to us!
    jbang0331 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  66. In addition to all of these great cloth diapering gifts, sometimes babies need non cloth things if they don't seem to want to cloth diaper. My personal favorite gift to give is Aden + Anais Swaddling blankets! :)

    ReplyDelete
  67. Cloth diapers - you can never have enough.

    ReplyDelete
  68. My favorite gift was nursing tank tops. I live in them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fantastic! I used to live in them, too. I don't know if you saw my DIY tutorial: http://stayingonanewcourse.blogspot.com/2013/02/silver-linings-and-nursing-tank-tops.html

      Delete
  69. Anything from the registry, cloth diapers

    ReplyDelete
  70. Comfy pants for me for the hospital :)

    ReplyDelete
  71. We are expecting our first baby. I'm looking forward to getting some cute outfits :-)

    ReplyDelete
  72. I love giving/getting baby carriers.

    ReplyDelete
  73. Boppy pillow and playpen for traveling. Would have loved cloth diapers!

    ReplyDelete
  74. My favorite gift was all the books we received.

    ReplyDelete
  75. Diapers (cloth or disposable depending on the mom)!

    ReplyDelete
  76. It's a toss up between my double breast pump and my stroller

    ReplyDelete
  77. It was awesome getting cloth diapers at my shower but with twins, I'd have to say my favorite shower gift was my Schwinn Tourismo double jogger stroller!

    ReplyDelete
  78. The changing station caddy to keep everything for diaper changes handy and mobile.

    ReplyDelete
  79. My rocking chair is my favorite :)

    ReplyDelete
  80. Cloth diapers from the registry!

    ReplyDelete
  81. my favorite baby shower gift.. cloth diapers!!!

    ReplyDelete
  82. Home made things from friends or family.

    ReplyDelete
  83. my favorite baby shower gift was definitely the mob wrap. The first four months of my baby's life he did not sleep, he needed sleeping. It was so exhausting. I put him in the moby wrap during the day, and it was the only way to get him to sleep!

    ReplyDelete
  84. I haven't had a baby shower yet for this one but my favorite from last time was our car seat!

    ReplyDelete
  85. Gift cards! Momma can get what she needs :)

    ReplyDelete
  86. Cloth diapers or meals if it's after the baby has been born.

    ReplyDelete
  87. My favorite baby shower gift? Hard to answer, but probably the hand made Beatrix Potter crib bedding set my friends got me from etsy. Love it for my little one!

    ReplyDelete
  88. Hi,
    Your blog from baby cloth diapers has really nice. we sale cloth diapers through online and anybody can purchase your cheap diaper for your babies.
    Cloth diapers india

    ReplyDelete