FuzziBunz Cloth Diapers on Shark Tank Tomorrow!!

Does anyone watch the show Shark Tank on ABC? My hubby and I love to sit down and watch this show together every Friday night. Shark Tank is a TV series where people pitch their ideas, inventions, or established businesses to 5 investors (Sharks) looking for the next great idea! I have always been intrigued by the inventions that people come up with!

This week, Tereson Dupuy, owner and inventor of FuzziBunz will be featured on the show! You can imagine how excited I am as two of my favorites things are combining together! Shark Tank and Cloth Diapers!!!

History of FuzziBunz :

Tereson Dupuy is the founder and CEO of FuzziBunz Diapers, LLC and the inventor and patent holder for FuzziBunz® pocket-style cloth reusable diapers. Tereson is often called the Mother of the Modern Cloth Diaper. This determined mother-of-three invented FuzziBunz® diapers 12 years ago  because her son, was suffering from chronic diaper rash. She tried every cloth and disposable diapering system on the market to no avail. After an exhaustive search, Tereson knew there had to be a better option and that’s when she invented the modern cloth diapers, now known as FuzziBunz®. Today, FuzziBunz® diapers are found in hundreds of online and in-store boutiques and have been used by millions of babies around the world! (Taken from the FuzziBunz website)

I am curious as to what exactly Dupuy will be "pitching" to the Sharks. FuzziBunz is one of the most well-known, established and successful companies within the cloth diapering community. In fact, the first cloth diaper I ever purchased was a FuzziBunz. Here are some  guesses as to what FuzziBunz may "pitch" to the Sharks:

• Expanding to the mass markets (walmart, target)
• Coming up with a new design or feature to improve current products and make them more easily accessible, and easy to use for moms and dads

I for one will be routing for FuzziBunz. Even if they don't make a deal with the sharks, the exposure for the ease of use, practicality, and cost savings of modern day cloth diapers will be huge. Can you imagine the audience that will just see the program? This could be a giant step forward for cloth diapers!!

Since I am still staying with my Stash Sister, I will be having the entire house tune in whether they like it or not. They have already had a 1 week warning that I am claiming the TV for that time period. Be sure to tune in to TOMORROW with me, Friday September 28th at 8pm EST on ABC  to find out what the next big step for FuzziBunz is! Be sure to check your local listings for channels and times. For more information on this week's episode, check out the Shark Tank Blog.

Have you ever watched Shark Tank before?
What do you think the big "pitch" will be?
Will you be tuning in this Friday?

PUL vs. TPU: Delaminating the Differences

Pic Credit

Have you ever wondered what the shiny, tacky-like material that lines many cloth diapers is? Most likely it is either PUL or TPU. I know you are thinking...what the heck do these terms mean? These are acronyms which are short for fancy scientific names. The goal of this post is to give you a better understanding about what the differences are between the two terms and how it applies to you and your cloth diapers.

PUL stands for Polyurethane Laminate. Just like when you laminate a piece of paper or an identification card to protect it, PUL is applied to some cloth diapers to make them waterproof...and of course waterproofing is what allows us to cloth diaper successfully without leaks! TPU stands for Thermoplastic Polyurethane which acts in a similar way as PUL, but with a slightly different manufacturing and application process. Specifically in regards to cloth diapers, PUL and TPU be found in:

• Covers
• Pocket Diapers
• All in One's (AIO)
• All in Two's (AI2)
• All in Three's (AI3)

What's the Deal with PUL? 
PUL is a chemical that is laminated onto fabrics such as polyester or cotton forming a flexible waterproof layer. PUL is said to be laminated using solvents in a chemical bonding process. 

Examples of PUL Diaper Brands
Applecheeks 
Best Bottoms 
BumGenius
Econobum
Flip
Fuzzibunz
Gen-Y Covers 
Happy Heinys
Thirsties
Tots Bots
ZookiesCrafts

Benefits to using cloth diapers with a PUL outer layer:

• Durable, stands up to many washes
• Waterproof material to keep the wetness inside the diaper
• Flexible so it can easily be applied to fabrics
• Comfortable for the baby

Potential drawbacks to using PUL: 

• Non-biodegradable (as it is a form of plastic)
• It is synthetic (man made) and some babies may have a sensitivity to synthetic materials.
• Not as breathable as other all natural fiber alternatives (wool, fleece)
• Can delaminate if exposed to extremely hot temperatures 

 What's the Deal with TPU?
TPU is very similar to PUL. TPU is bonded to cotton or polyester using a heat bonding lamination process which is said to be more environmentally friendly. During the lamination process, solvents are not used, and thus TPU is said to be exposed to fewer harmful chemicals.

Examples of TPU Diaper Brands
Diaper Rite
Gro Via
Kawaii
Oh Katy
Ruparooz

Benefits to using cloth diapers with a TPU outer layer:

• Said to be more environmentally friendly (biodegradable)
• Has a softer feel to it
• More flexible and less stiff than PUL

 Potential drawbacks to using TPU:

• Said to be less durable (than PUL)
• More prone to delamination and cracks with higher temperatures
• It is synthetic (man made) and some babies may have a sensitivity to synthetic materials.
• Not as breathable as other all natural fiber alternatives (wool, fleece) 

When it comes down to it, both TPU and PUL are synthetic materials. In my research, I did not come across any studies to prove that TPU was better for the environment than PUL. I was surprised at some of the discussions and forums that suggested that PUL and TPU were essentially the same thing, nearly just a marketing scheme to push one product over the other. I guess time will tell as these materials become more widely used in the field of cloth diapers. As for me, I have diapers with both materials and have not noticed any difference in the absorbency of the diaper. I do agree that the diapers laminated with TPU are a little softer ad more flexible than those that have been laminated with PUL. I will continue using both for now as the seem to work well.

What kind of layer are your diapers laminated with?
Do you prefer all natural barriers such as wool or fleece to PUL or TPU?

And the most popular style of cloth diapers is...

 

A few months ago, DiaperShops.com put out their 2nd Annual Pulse Survey about...you guessed it...Cloth Diapers! I always love to see what the results of these types of surveys reveal as compared to how I myself answered the survey. For this years survey, there were 3,000 people who participated!! Seems like the number of modern day cloth diapering parents is on the rise!

Objective:

"In July and August 2012, DiaperShops developed a 34-question survey to better understand the preferences and usage habits of avid cloth diapering users. The objective was to provide insights to cloth diaper manufacturers and retailers on how to best meet the needs of this growing audience as well as share the results among cloth diapering fans. "

 Here are some results that I found interesting:

• #1 Reason People Cloth Diaper is to SAVE MONEY!
• Most Popular Brands include: Bumgenius, Fuzzibunz, GroVia, Swaddlebees, Rumparooz, followed by Thirsties, Kawaii, and Flip.
• Snaps rule over aplix by nearly 77%.
• 51% of the respondents prefer pocket style cloth diapers. But there is an increasing number of people who are using prefolds and covers (Me).
• 64% of us own more than 25 Cloth Diapers....hmmm...guess we all like to hoard our diapers.
• Nearly 55% do cloth diaper laundry 3 times per week.
• 69.2% of respondents use cloth diapers full time! This is awesome!
• Nearly 73% of people buy cloth diapers based on how they function.
• 51% of us sun our diapers on a regular basis.
• 46.5 of us use reusable swim diapers.
• The biggest challenge for those using cloth diapers is getting a proper laundry routine or detergent.
• Nearly 42% of us use diaper sprayers to help out with poop!
• 72% are most surprised HOW EASY cloth diapering really is (Me included).
• Nearly 69% of us buy cloth diapers from online retailers.

If you want to learn more about these results and more, be sure to check out the complete list of the survey results at the DiaperShops.com Blog!

Did you get a chance to take the DiaperShops Survey this year?

Were you surprised at any of the results?

Did you fall into the majority or minority of some of these statistics?

My Stash Sister Bought Cloth Diapers!!!!!

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about converting my sister to cloth diapers with her new baby that would be arriving soon. My sister is not...shall we say...totally "gung ho" about cloth diapers like her sister is. I have been putting "the bug" in her ear about how cute they are and how much money they would save her! 

So as we were skyping last week and she whips out some cloth diapers!!!! Wowza! I was shocked!!! They were fitted cloth diapers at that! She had 1 XS Mother-ease Cover and 1 XS Sandy's Fitted Diaper. I was impressed.

I was also secretly:
1) Surprised she even had cloth diapers
2) Thrilled that she might try them
3) Even happier that I would get them when she was done:-)

I snapped the above pictures from our session! Looks like I will be giving her a lesson on these in the near future! Stay tuned for more updates on my Stash Sister as she enters the cloth diaper world!!

Were you ever surprised at a family member or friend who was closer to cloth diapering than you thought?

Who are you trying to convert to cloth diapers?

Nip Diaper Rash in the Bum

I was always told that if I used cloth diapers my baby wouldn’t get diaper rash. So what is a mom to do when out of the blue, my little baby’s bottom started to turn red. “Oh know” I thought, “this isn’t supposed to happen with cloth diapers”, but it did. So what are you supposed to do if baby comes down with diaper rash in cloth diapers…or better yet, how can you prevent diaper rash?

Go check out these 5 tips that will help you nip diaper rash in the bum!! In addition to these tips, you will want to make sure that you use a Cloth Diaper Safe detergent that does not build up on diapers, because detergent build up can lead to a rash as well!

How do you prevent diaper rash?

What tips, tricks, or products do you use or like for rashes?

Is Your Baltic Amber Teething Necklace Real?

I have recently been hearing that there has been a lot of fake Baltic Amber Jewelry floating around the web. Of course I got nervous seeing as I recently received mine in the mail and was still "on the fence" as to whether it was doing any good or not. So I decided to do a little investigation for myself. 

I researched to see if I could find out how you can spot the difference between real Baltic Jewelery and fakes. Here is what I found:

Fake Baltic Jewelry can be made from:

• Plastic
• Glass
• Copal
• Fenolic Resins
• Casein
• Celluloid

Test Yours Out

1. Smell/Burn Test this is said to be the most reliable test. If you hold a flame to the amber necklace, it SHOULD give off a pleasant "pine-tree resin" smell if it is genuine. If it is a fake, it will either melt or give off a burnt plastic smell. If it is a glass fake, it will smell like nothing. (This is the method I tried below)
2. Rub Test is similar to the smell/burn test above, except you don't use a flame to heat the Baltic stones, you use the heat from your hands. Simply rub the stones in your hand to see if they release that "pine-tree resin" smell. This test may be a little more difficult to perform. 
3. Hot Needle Test is another effective test that involves using a hot needle to once again evoke the "pine-tree resin" smell. Simply place a hot needle into an already drilled hole into the amber and see what happens. Obviously if you stick the needle into plastic or glass there will be no smell, and possible melting. Please be advised that this method may leave a slight burn mark where the needle was placed. Also note that the clasps are made of plastic and will burn if you stick the need in those. 
4. Salt Water Test is another easy way to test and see if your Amber is real. Amber will float in salt water, but be sure there is not metal that would weigh the necklace down and make it sink. Please note that Copal also floats too, so while your necklace might not be glass, this test is not totally foolproof. Use 1 part salt to 2 parts water and drop the necklace on it.

Tips in Recognizing Fakes:

• Purchase from a reliable or reputable source
• Use any one of the tests above
• Look for 100% Guarantee on the necklaces
• A Cheap price may be a RED FLAG
• Amber does not melt
• Amber has a sweet pine-tree type smell when burned

And here is the test we did on our Baltic teething necklace below. I was a little disappointed because part of the necklace turned black when we put the flame on it. It did however smell like PINE!! Yeah!! I was a little nervous there for awhile. I would advise you try to hold the necklace over a heat source that doesn't involve a direct flame such as an electric stove. This way the smell can still resonate without harming your necklace. Please don't mind my neurotic voice in the video...I was nervous the necklace might get ruined.

Do you own any Baltic amber jewelry?
Have you tested it out before?

My Fall Fluffy Favorites

My Tajo's - Tang

Sassybumz Lumberjack

Barrelandaheap Fall Leaves

 Lagamorph Lounge Fall Maple Leaf

Blessed Bee Baby - Fall Polka Dot

Holdens Landing - Maple Leaves

earthLINGZdiapers - Autumn Glow (Hemp)

Northern Mom - Autumn Ooga Booga

Living Green Baby - Autumn Leaves Fleece Soaker

Holdens Landing - Pumpkins

Wolbybug - Autumn Dot

Do you have any of these diapers?

Which is your favorite?