With baby number two due to arrive in only a few weeks, I'm proud to say that for the most part I've resisted the urge to purchase oodles of new baby-related gear, since I have rubbermaid bins full of stuff from the boy. That being said, I have done some (non-gender neutral, bad momma) sewing, though I am currently sewing a pair of adorable little overalls, purchased a new miracle blanket (an amazing swaddle blanket) and some super cute AGOO clothing at 70% off (this amazing sale is still on).I can also say with confidence that I have NOT been perusing flyers, purchasing diapers and filling up my closets with disposable diapers, a common practice before the birth of a child. Instead I made a simple call to Happy Nappy, my diaper service provider and a week before my due date my first delivery of itty bitty, super soft, fleecy diapers will arrive on my doorstop.
For those of you that are new to the Momma Stuff Blog, it's no secret that I am passionate about cloth diapering and that I believe Diaper Service is a great option, particularly if your family is divided on the cloth vs disposable debate. I have written previously about the Environmental Benefits of Cloth Diapering and Our experience with Happy Nappy and have also guest posted about Why we chose Cloth Dipaer Service.
Since my previous post, Happy Nappy diaper service is now available to families in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan (new franchise location) and Ontario. More details about specific locations and pricing is available on the Happy Nappy Website.
Because I have written about Happy Nappy Diaper Service before and I don't want to repeat myself, I want to respond to a couple comments I frequently hear about diaper service.
- Does the diaper pail REALLY keeps the smell "locked in" for an entire week?
In short, yes. Newborn poops barely smell, so in the beginning the smell is not even worth worrying about. As your child begins to eat solids, diaper odours will definitely become more evident but that's just the natural process of things, and at that point disposables are going to start stinking up your garbage too. In order to keep your diaper pail from getting uber stinky there are a few things you can do and the more diligent you are, the less likely you are to notice any odours.
- First wash down your diaper pail weekly; at the least wipe down your pail with a couple of baby wipes on delivery day (I tend to do this most weeks, as I'm lazy), in the summer I often hose them down in the backyard and occasionally I use some good quality environmentally-friendly bathroom cleaner and give it a good scrub. Obviously the latter works the best, you need to figure out what works for you and your family.
- Happy Nappy Diaper pails come with two clamps to firmly hold the lid in place - use them. A tight fitting lid keeps odours trapped inside. End of story.
- Finally, each Happy Nappy Diaper Pail comes with a replaceable charcoal filter; replace it often, they are cheap (~ $5/filter) and effective. If you call Happy Nappy and order your filter couple days before your delivery, a new filter will arrive at your doorstep with your next diaper delivery.
Keep in mind that with pungent toddler poops (which we now have at our house) the diaper pail will smell when you open up the lid, but if there was a way to avoid that altogether I think it would require either some serious nose plugs or a magic wand.
- First wash down your diaper pail weekly; at the least wipe down your pail with a couple of baby wipes on delivery day (I tend to do this most weeks, as I'm lazy), in the summer I often hose them down in the backyard and occasionally I use some good quality environmentally-friendly bathroom cleaner and give it a good scrub. Obviously the latter works the best, you need to figure out what works for you and your family.
- I wish I'd heard about that when my baby was born, maybe next time...
I admit it, this is a bit of a pet peeve of mine, but I don't like pushy people and have no desire to be one, so I tend to be non-responsive when I hear this comment.
The truth is, unless your child is on the verge of potty training, its NOT too late to try out diaper service. The price is at least comparable to disposables and although there may be a small administrative fee to get your account setup and arrange for your first delivery, I figure that one time fee is probably pretty close to the amount of 'incidental' shopping that would occur on only one or two trips to the drugstore to buy diapers. Because seriously, do you EVER just buy diapers? I always walk out of the drugstore with way more than I intended. Plus every disposable not in a landfill is a good thing in my books.
Let me know if you have more diaper service related questions and I'll do my best to answer them.
This post was not sponsored by Happy Nappy in any way, I am a loyal customer who frequently recommends their services to friends. No compensation was received in any way and opinions are my own.
