Product Review- The Green Panda Wipe Solution Soap Bits

Company: The Green Panda

Product: Organic Wipe Solution Soap Bits - Several scents available. Scent purchased Cucumber Melon

Price: $9.00 + $3.00 shipping

Directions for use: Dissolve one Soap bit (baby pin) in 1 to 2 cups of hot water

When I first got the soap bits in the mail I opened the package and was slightly overwhelmed by the perfume smell. This made mer nervous about trying the product. However upon further inspection there were 2 additional soap bits in the package of a different scent (Irish Tweed) . The free scent was either just not what I was expecting or a little to strong for my liking. The cucumber melon soap bits had a very slight and pleasant  cucumber melon scent.

In the directions for preparing the wipe solution it says to dissolve the soap bit in 1 to 2 cups of hot water. Initially I used 2 cups of hot tap water. I swirled the water around in a stainless steal bowl (plastic absorbs some smells) until the water was room temperature and the soap bit was still not dissolved. I think placed my stack of wipes in the bowl and absorbed all of the water. This generally requires flipping the wipes so the top gets solution. The 2 cups of water was not enough and since the soap bit was still not dissolved I added another cup of hot water and stirred until the soap bit was dissolved. This was enough solution for all of the wipes to become damp.

When I prepare my cloth wipes I fold my wipes (from Pretty Printed Diapers) in half and stack them in a disposable wipe case. I just put wipes in the case until it is full I have no idea how many wipes are actually in the case. The next time I stack wipes I will try to remember to note the total number of wipes.


Overview:
Overall I am very pleased with the soap bits from The Green Panda. It was more convenient than mixing my own solution;even though technically still mixing my own solution, but I didn't have to measure out anything but the water. I think the reason the soap bit didn't dissolve in the 2 cups of water is that my tap water does not get very hot, even at its hottest I can still keep my hand under the water. So next time I am going to heat the water on the stove or in the microwave prior to trying to dissolve the soap bit. Everyone might not need to use 3 cups of water the scent was a lot less noticeable with 3 cups of water than it was with 2 cups of water. But I don't really want my son smelling like overwhelming like cucumber melon so to me that is a plus.

This product is going in my list of products to suggest to new cloth diapering moms.

Making progress...

I mentioned last week that I was doing some research/ product testing on cloth wipe solution. Well I ordered some soap bits from The Green Panda and some more cloth wipes from Pretty Printed Diapers and they both came in today!  In an early post I mentioned how important it was to have cloth wipes and Pretty Printed Diapers is who I ordered my first cloth wipes from. So far she has been the most reasonably priced cloth wipes that I have been able to find. Ive been using the first ones that I ordered since early February; so far no problems with my initial order I did order a print fabric and that has faded considerably but what do you expect from leaving cloth in water aloe and tea tree oil? Even the faded wipes are structurally sound, and still super soft.

I am excited to try to the soap bits from The Green Panda. I got the cucumber melon scent which is my favorite scent of all time. They have a lot of scents available and seem to be reasonably priced. I really haven't found many soap bits to do comparrison shopping and since I haven't had the chance to make any wipe solution yet and don't know the quality of the product it is going to be a trial and error process. But hopefully Monday morning I get to make wipe solution and start the review process!
I am hoping to take pictures of the product *both the wipes and the soap bits* and possibly the process behind making the solution even though the process seems pretty simple.
here are pictures of the products from their site
Soap Bits


Wipes

Spiky- the amazing standing baby!

Mid last week Spiky decided that he was going to start pulling up on stuff and standing
  *as pictured here*
This has made me a super nervous mama. I thought that he would only do it when on the floor; by pulling up on the laundry basket, the couch, his bouncy seat etc but nooooo, this morning he did it in his crib and almost fell out! So after the Easter festivities there will probably be pictures later and I got my school work done I lowered the mattress on his crib. I lowered it to the next level which I hope is enough. If he wasn't napping on his daddy right now I would put him in there to check. I guess Ill find out later and have to go through lowering it again if I'm wrong. I still plan to do another CD'ing post soon. I am currently doing some research on wipe solution and where to buy cloth wipes at a reasonable price. Hopefully I am able to get this done in the next couple of weeks! 

Spring break and ...

I have been told I need to do another cloth diapering post. I think that I want to discuss in more detail: cloth wipes, cloth wipe solution, and remedies for diaper pail funk. Its Spring Break *woohoo* right now so Its been pretty crazy at work. Plus I started a new class on the 6th so I haven't had tons of time to research for anything extracaricular. But I am hoping to get a new post done this weekend. No promises though.

This is how I see it….

If you are “cheap” , maybe frugal is a better word, like me cloth diapering could be a very viable option for you. If you look, back in my blog or click the cloth diaper tag on the right side of the page or just click the hyperlink. Whatever works. For this post, I’m going to do something I don’t like and Im going to steal information from Wikipedia. 1. Because I am not an expert and 2. It’s easier :)

So here goes the stolen information. In general it’s a detailed description of the different types of cloth diapers.

Prefolds – Prefold diapers are a rectangle of layered cloth, sewn together in the center third to create a thicker layer. They come in several sizes to correspond with a baby’s weight range. Prefolds are fastened with pins or a Snappi, or folded in thirds and laid inside a cover. They require a cover to be waterproof. Prefolds must be washed after each diaper change but the cover can be reused several times if it is not soiled with feces.

Flats – Flat diapers are a single large layer of cloth that must be folded into the correct size to fit a baby. Flats must be pinned or Snappi’d to stay on the baby. Flats require a cover to be waterproof. Flat diapers must be washed after each diaper change but the cover can be reused several times if it is not soiled with feces.

Fitteds – Fitted diapers look similar to a disposable diaper and are made of a few layers of absorbent cloth material. Fitteds are fastened shut in three ways: pins, snaps, or hook and loop tape (velcro). Fitted diapers come in several sizes to fit a baby’s weight range. They require a separate cover to be waterproof. Fitted diapers must be washed after each diaper change but the cover can be reused several times if it is not soiled with feces.
Covers- For the above mentioned options you need covers. Covers are made from waterproof material and hold the prefold, flat or fitted. 

Pocket diapers – Pocket diapers consist of a waterproof outer layer and a moisture-wicking inner layer that are sewn together on three sides to create a stuffable pocket. Pocket diapers look similar to disposable diapers. The pocket is stuffed with absorbent material to customize an absorbency level for each baby. Typically microfiber cloth is used to absorb the moisture away from the babies skin to prevent diaper rash. Pocket diapers dry more quickly than all-in-one diapers because they have less material in them. A pocket diaper must be washed after each diaper change. Pocket diapers often come in one size that can be adjusted with snaps and hook and loop tape (velcro) to fit a baby over a wide variety of weight ranges.

All-in-one diaper – An all in one (AIO) diaper consists of a waterproof outer layer, sewn together with a moisture wicking inner layer and an attached absorbent flap. AIO diapers are the most convenient diapers to use since there is only one item to put on the baby; however, they take longer to dry since they are thicker than other options. AIOs can be sized for a particular weight range or one-sized to adjust to a wider weight range. AIOs must be washed after each diaper change.

All-in-two diaper – An all-in-two- diaper (AI2) is a diaper that can function as an all-in-one diaper or as a diaper cover, thus the name all-in-two. An all-in-two diaper has a snap in, or lay in insert that can be removed and replaced with a clean insert after it has been wet. The cover of an all-in-two only needs to be laundered if the diaper is soiled and the cover needs cleaning. With the insert removed the diaper can be used as a cover over a prefold or fitted cloth diaper.

And now for my opinion.. yep that’s the fun part…

Personally I love the cute design diapers but I think they are crazy expensive. Since I started CDing to save money I don’t have many cutesy diapers but If I find them on a diaper swap or on clearance or as factory seconds for the right price I buy them. In a previous post I mentioned buying Spiky 2 cow print diapers. They were on clearance that’s the only reason he got them. For the most part I think simple is best. Also I prefer prefolds and covers over pocket diapers, all in ones or all in twos. To me it just doesn’t make sense to have to buy 2-3 days worth of diapers that can get expensive. When you have a cover you don’t have to change the cover with every diaper change, really only if it gets pooped on. I go through about 4 covers a day. Not because of poop but because of dampness. I’ve read you can just lay them out to dry and they are good to go but I am kind of weird about that, it’s a personal choice though.

Here are some things that I didn’t know about when I started, there are individual posts for some of these but to save you time I’ll retype.

1.      You really need a free and clear laundry detergent for your diapers. And even if it is all natural and scented with essential oils your baby can get a rash. I learned this today. After a lot of research I found a free and clear detergent called ECOS it was rated highly on a site that ranked detergents for diapers. It was about $9 at walmart and enough for 250+ loads of diapers. Just FYI when you wash diapers you only use a ¼ of the amount of soap you would use with a regular load of clothes but you (at least I do) do 2 washes. One is cold one is hot.

2.      Prepping is important. I use prefolds and with most prefolds you have to “prep” them which is a non descriptive way to say wash and dry them at least 3 times before first use. This insures their absorbency and will save you, your couch, the bed from getting peed on… yep it happened to me … not only did it happen to me it happened twice before I realized what was going on.

3.      Wool Dryer balls are the bomb. My first time washing and drying the prefolds it took FOREVER to dry the prefolds and I couldn’t figure out why because we had just bought a brand new dryer. After some searching I found that because of the weight and whatnot of the prefolds they basically stick to the side of the dryer when its spinning and they don’t get dry. To remedy this you need to use dryer balls. Now you can buy the plastic ones at walmart and at other places online which at first I did and then I found out that wool worked better. So after a few days of using the plastic ones and my drying time being cut down from 2 hours to 40 minutes I bought a few skeins of fisherman’s wool and made my own wool dryer balls and the dry time cut down to around 30 minutes. If you want to make your own dryer balls, I used the instructions found here. And if you make your own and you screw up some they look irregular or you just aren’t happy with them they are baby safe. Just make sure there are no loose threads or small enough to be a choking hazard basically use common sense.

4.      Cloth wipes are pretty nice. I think we used cloth diapers for a few weeks before I had the realization that I could use cloth wipes. It started with the first poopy diaper and I had no idea where to put the disposable wipes while I was trying to get the diaper changed because you can’t just wrap them up in the cloth and throw it away that is not economical. I searched on etsy for cloth wipes and found quite a few people that sell cloth wipes for reasonable prices and you just make your own wipe solution. I use aloe water and a few drops of teatree oil. I also use a disposable wipe case. If you live in a cold environment or you just like wipe warmers I recommend getting one. I don’t have one but I keep the wipes on top of the dryer and since we have 4 kids and my nephew living in our house we are always doing laundry so the wipes are pretty much always warm.

5.      One size diapers rock. I have a few sized diapers. And I don’t like the way they fit. One size diapers have buttons along the front so that you can adjust the rise of the diaper most fit from 10lbs to potty training.

Sticker Shock

Buying cloth carries a bit of a sticker shock for a lot of people (mom’s and dad’s) but there is something that you must keep in mind. First it is basically a one time purchase, until you get addicted (Hi My name is Amber and I’m addicted to Cloth diapers). Here is what you need to keep in mind.

Disposable diapers cost approximately 30 cents apiece. I don’t know about you but I have a kid who pees a lot we go through at least 13 diapers a day. So if you take the average amount of diapers you use a day and multiply that by 30 cents and that amount by 30 you will know about how much you spend on disposables a month. For us that was:

.30x13= $3.90 a day

3.90x30=$117 a month.

My advice is to spend an equal or lesser amount on cloth that you would spend in one month on disposables. That way if you only use cloth one month you really aren’t out any money. Plus cloth keeps its value as long as you take care of it correctly and you should have no problems selling your stash on a swap board and even some sites will buy back your used diapers. After your first month is over and you are going to stick with cloth just make sure you spend less than what you would spend on disposables and you will save money. 

This is a video I found on how to use a prefold in econobums it works in all of the cover brands that I have tried.

PS. I am NOT an expert in Cloth diapers, I don't have all the answers and there is always the option that I am wrong about something mentioned above. If you know differently please let me know because I am all about new knowledge. Thank you :)

Cloth Wipes

After cloth diapering for 5 days I am beginning to wonder why I still use regular baby wipes. I am very used to wiping the baby and putting the dirty wipe inside the disposable diaper and throwing it all away. Now I have to figure out where to put the dirty wipes until I can flush them and I really don't think you are supposed to flush baby wipes but I think it would be gross to just throw them in the trash.
I wonder how difficult it is to make your own cloth wipes, I am sure there are people out there that do it... I am off to research on the interwebs!