Christmas means many things in my family.  Gifts, candles, carols, blah, blah, blah.  In my family, Christmas is about the food.  We don’t even pretend anymore.  We don’t dress up or set the table or use forks.  That fancy stuff  just gets in the way of the eatin’.  We even abandoned an actual menu for Christmas Eve.  We just load up the living room coffee table with all our favorite dips and appetizers and desserts and go to town.

Shrimp, artichoke dip,  salsa…….these are a few of my favorite things……..

But, one of the most important parts of our family Christmas Eve, our “yule log” if you will, is the Christmas Salami.  We’re not usually much of a sausage family.  But, what’s Christmas without the salami?  So, on Christmas Eve, my (vegan!) sister and my (carnivore!) mom and I went to the grocery store to get the essentials.  Wow.  You should grocery shop with my mom sometime.  Wonderful, but painful.  I regret that I don’t have any daughters I will be able to subject to the Christmas Grocery Shopping.  It’s a rite of passage in our family.  But I doubt that any daughters-in-law will be willing to accompany me.  Only mom knows how to get the RIGHT cocktail sauce (refrigerated, not canned), the RIGHT crackers (stone-ground wheat), and the RIGHT salami (not too soft).  My mom rejected the salami I chose and went back for one that was “harder”.  Seriously.  You can’t make this stuff up.

As usual, my mom was right.  I hate that.  (Someday, it will be my turn to always be right.)  Christmas Eve “dinner” was painfully good.  And filling.  And big enough that I’m still eating artichoke dip and corn chips for breakfast.  But, not the salami.  That was gone right away.

My mom, triumphant in the quest for the 2009 Christmas Salami.

when using cloth diapers, your choice of laundry detergent is very important.  Detergent residue is a common problem with cloth diapers.  Are your diapers less absorbent that they used to be?  Do they smell like urine even after they’re washed?  Then, you probably have a residue problem!  Nearly all laundry detergents contain enzymes, brighteners, softeners, and natural oils.  These are the things that make most of our laundry smell good and get whiter and feel softer.   But they can cause real problems with cloth diapers!  All these detergent ingredients will  build up on diapers and cause them to be less absorbent.  They can even cause the diapers to trap odors and stains.  The secret to getting your cloth diapers really clean is lots of hot water and just a little bit of the right kind of detergent.  Even “natural” detergents and “baby” detergents can be hard on cloth diapers.  Mom and Pop Place recommends Allen’s Naturally Detergent.  It’s been the standard for washing cloth diapers for years.  Bummis (the diaper company) has come out with a list of detergents acceptable for cloth diapers.

Is your detergent safe for use with cloth diapers?  Find out here.

You wouldn’t believe how many of you Moms and Pops are making the switch to cloth diapers.  It warms our eco-conscious hearts.  (As a diaper seller, it warms our pocketbooks too, but we mostly worry about our hearts.)  We love helping people choose the diapering system that works best for them: pockets, prefolds, contours, flip………  Check out our Cloth Diaper information sheet here.

With so many cloth-diapering parents out there, we get our share of questions about how to use the diapers, how to wash them, how to get the best fit.  We LOVE the Tips and Troubleshooting information from Bummis.  We sell fabulous diaper covers, prefolds, liners, and kits from Bummis.  They really know their stuff:

Tips & Troubleshooting

TIPS

Take some time to get accustomed to your new diapering system, and don’t be afraid to play around with folding, stuffing and fastening, etc.
If you are making the switch to cloth diapers from disposable diapers, mixing your cloth diapering system with disposables in the beginning (for outings or overnight) can make this transition easier. Most parents find that using and washing cloth diapers is easier than they thought it would be, and quickly become avid full time users.
And if you are starting with a newborn baby, don’t be afraid to dive in full time with cloth diapers. It is pretty easy and you will get the routine down fast.
By the way, you may find that you will need to acquire baby clothes that can accommodate larger bums!

Important Reminders!

• Using a diaper cream? Please protect your diaper with a liner! We recommend not using ointments with petroleum, fish oils or zinc.

• Runny newborn poop? If using prefolds, use the fan fold. And don’t be afraid to try out the bikini twist! It may take a few tries to master it – but it works really well for runny poop. A Bio-Soft liner can also help to absorb runny poop.

• Be sure the diaper cover is fastened snugly enough so that it fits well and does not sag. Saggy diapers will leak! You will need to be especially careful to pay attention to this when your baby starts to walk!

• Reduce drying time by doing an extra spin cycle and/or throwing a dry towel or dryer balls into the dryer with your diapers.

• Don’t use dryer sheets, even in your regular laundry – they will leave a stubborn residue on everything you dry in your dryer!

• Dry your diapers occasionally in the sun – it brightens and disinfects.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Leaking problems?

Level 1

• Check the important reminders above

• Did you pre-wash your diapers and test for absorbance?

• Do you have the proper size of diaper and/or cover for your baby?

• Does the cover fit snugly around baby’s legs and belly? Is it fastened tightly enough to create a proper fit?

• If using a 2 part system, make sure that diaper and liner are completely contained inside the waterproof cover. Any bit of diaper left outside of the waterproof cover can cause leaking.

• Don’t tuck your diaper into that front flap on the inside of the diaper cover – it is meant to prevent leaking through the sewing line!

Level 2

• Is there leaking straight through the fabric of the diaper cover?  Is the suede cloth on your synthetic diapers repelling moisture completely? Unless you are using diaper creams without a liner, then you have a detergent residue problem. This is caused by:

1. not using enough hot water to wash and rinse or
2. using too much detergent or
3. using a detergent with additives

• Are you changing your baby’s diaper often enough? Newborns need to be changed about every 2 hours! A huge advantage of using cloth diapers is that you know when your baby’s diaper is wet, so you change their diaper more often.

• Is your baby going through a growth spurt or sleeping more soundly at night? If so, you may need to add a diaper doubler or liner for increased absorbency.

• Are you reaching the limit of the diaper’s size range? If so, you may need to add a diaper doubler or liner for increased absorbency.

Smelly Diapers or Diaper Covers?

Once washed, your diapers should not smell like urine or detergent!

• If they smell of detergent, wash them again in plenty of hot water and less detergent.

• If they smell like ammonia once your baby wets them, make sure that you are using enough hot water and enough detergent.

• Do your diapers smell clean when washed, but utterly horrible after the first pee? This could mean that urine residue is trapped within the fibres of your diapers, and this is always related to washing and rinsing without enough hot water. Urine residue can also lead to diaper rashes. You probably need to adjust the water level in your machine or ”trick“ your HE machine to increase the water level by adding one or two wet towels. Do not overstuff your machine – wash fewer diapers at a time.

• Are your diapers and diaper covers stinky or discoloured? Then it is pretty clear that you have a detergent residue problem!

You will have to get rid of the residue problem and adjust your washing routine to ensure that it does not happen again.

Does Your Baby Have a Recurring Rash in Cloth Diapers?

Please suspect a residue. Your baby will react to a urine residue in the diaper fabric.  Some babies are also very sensitive to detergent residues. If your baby is rashy and your diapers are discoloured or smelly – please take action to resolve your residue problem.

Mom and Pop Place is excited to be part of the Roosevelt Holiday Home Tour again this year.  Have you seen the signs and posters for the tour?  It’s a community fund-raiser put on by Roosevelt Elementary School in Neenah.  Roosevelt is where my kids go, so you know it’s the best school ever.  Sorry.

Every December, Roosevelt hosts a Holiday Home Tour showcasing 4 festively decorated Neenah homes.  Local designers and florists and businesses donate decorations and time to create incredible holiday displays inside and out.  People come to enjoy the holiday spirit, to get inspiration for their own holiday decorations, and to snoop through other people’s incredible houses (let’s be real, here).  No matter what, it’s a fabulous event.  So many people work so hard to pull it off.  Funds raised go towards our school enrichment fund, of course, but a larger chunk goes right back to the community through Best Friends of Neenah-Menasha and the Neenah-Menasha Emergencey Society.

Last year, Mom and Pop Place was invited to help decorate one of the homes.  It was the home of 5 children and we helped the designers create some toy displays.  It was a lot of fun!  This year, we’re more deeply involved.  I’ll be decorating 3 spaces in one of the homes and running a holiday boutique during the show!

You should come to the Home Tour!  It’s on Friday December 4th from 10AM-2PM and 4PM-8PM.  Tickets are on sale here at Mom and Pop Place for $15 in advance.  Mom and Pop PLace will be decorating the Kearny Home at 103 Limekiln Road.  The homes and the displays will be amazing!

Look at these adorable bracelets by our crafter-in-residence, Emily.  (You can see some of her hats in the background, too.)  Emily hangs in the cafe a couple times a week to play with her kids and work on her crafts.    Her creations were so cute, we had to get them in the store!  So come and pick up a flower bracelet for the little girls in your life!  At only $8.99 each, you can get a whole garden of flowers!  But, you better hurry.  I already bought two for myself.

Join Emily and Nikki in the cafe every 3rd Monday for the Crafty Mamas Pop-In.  Bring your knitting, sewing, or craft and get to work!  Sit, stitch, play.

Adria

Here’s the recipe of the week from our Whatchamakin Pop-In on Monday mornings.  Try this Peanut Sauce as a veggie dip, over noodles, or with chicken.

Peanut Sauce

1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter

1 T Grated Ginger

1 T Minced Garlic

3 T Brown Sugar

1 1/2 Cups Hot Water

4 T Cider Vinegar

2 T Soy Sauce

1 t salt

Crused Red Pepper to taste

Puree all ingredients in the blender until smooth.  Adjust seasoning (salt, pepper, etc) to taste.

Don’t be afraid!  Washing your wool diaper covers is easy.  Best of all, you only have to do it every few weeks: when your covers start to hold a pee smell or when your covers start to allow leaks.

1.  Fill a sink with tepid water and woolwash (like Eucalan) or baby shampoo.

(1.5.  Every few months or so when covers become less waterproof, wool covers can be re-lanolized.  Dissolve a small amount of pure Lanolin in boiling hot water.  Add the dissolved mixture to tepid water and soak covers for 15 minutes.)

2.  Soak or gently swirl covers for 15 minutes or so.

3.  Gently squeeze excess water from covers.

4.  Roll covers in a dry towel to remove even more water.

5.  Lay covers flat to dry.

We have some wonderful new wool diaper covers in stock.  They were hand-made by Gretchen, right in Appleton!  Check out all of her adorable diapers and cover here in the store.

Have you ever used wool for diapering?  It has magical properties.  It’s super-soft (forget your Grandpa’s scratchy wool sweater).  It’s lightweight and breathable so it stays warm in winter and cool in summer.  It’s waterproof and manages to both absorb and repel leaks at the same time.  Best of all, it has natural antibacterial and antismell properties.  It basically cleans itself.  If your wool diaper cover gets urine on it, simply hang it up to dry and the moisture and smell will disappear.  You can actually go weeks between washings!  On purpose!  Give wool a try.  You won’t be sorry.

For more details on washing wool diaper covers, see our blog post.

Adria