Nicki's June AND July Mom of the Month!

***Since I'm a little behind this month, I'm going to let this mom shine in the spotlight for June and July!***

Name: Kendra S Hometown: Janesville WI Occupation: Stay at home Mom (former teacher) Children: twin girls: Abigail & Emma (2yrs 2 1/2 months) and one due in July How did you decide to cloth diaper? Honestly, I had thought about cloth diapering long before I became pregnant, but didn't discuss it much. After we found out we were having twins, it was a no brainer for us as I would be staying home and we would be on one income. My husband was fully on board; not afraid of it at all. He even does the laundry sometimes. :) What types of cloth diapers do you use? Actually, for the twins we used the cheap Gerber diapers and covers. We are not going that route again. I have also used a few Fuzzi Bunz my sister bought for me. This time we purchased some Thirsties covers with prefolds and Haute pocket diapers. I am looking forward to using these!! What is your favorite cloth diaper and why? At this point, not sure. I do like prefolds (higher quality ones of course). They just seem the easiest to care for and they dry faster. Fuzzi Bunz worked well for one daughter but the other one always reacted to the material and was a heavy wetter. The pocket diapers are nice for times we are out and about or when someone else needs to change their diaper. They don't have to touch the icky part! What is your favorite non-mommy related activity or hobby? I like to garden, exercise and camp- basically be outdoors! What type of music do you play in the car when you don't have your children? I listen to the same music with or without the children, Christian. What would you tell someone who is just starting out? Don't be afraid to go out and about when cloth diapering. Just go out prepared with extra clothes, diapers and a bag to put the soiled diapers in. Always pack more than you may think necessary. Don't be afraid of using prefolds and covers. Try several kinds within your budget/price range and talk to others that have CD. I made it through 2 years of cloth diapering twins with the cheapest CD you could find. I also have two much older step-children that we do a lot of running around for. I CD through it all. It is doable if you want it to be. Anything else we should know about you? Twins run in my family as I am a twin myself.

Nicki's May Mom of the Month

Name: Laureanna R-D.

Hometown: Grew up in Edgerton, WI and now live in Colgate, WI

Occupation: I taught 3rd grade at Lannon Elementary School in Sussex, WI for eight years before becoming a full-time mom last year.

Child: Sierra is our daughter and she'll be one on May 25!

How did you decide to cloth diaper? I was inspired by my good friend, Amy, and my sister-in-law, Kelly. They both used CDs and made it more modern than the 70s version I had always imagined it was. I feel good about saving money, but my primary reason is environmental. I'm hoping to do my part in my little corner of the world, and hoping that others will be inspired by me, too.

What types of cloth diapers do you use? We have a wonderful mix of brands, but use one-size pocket diapers almost exclusively.

What is your favorite cloth diaper and why? Hmmm...tough one because each brand has its merits! The Happy Heiny's velcro one-size fit Sierra the best, and I love that they have four rows of snaps to adjust to her as she grows. (Very slowly, I might add. She's tiny.)

What is your favorite non-mommy related activity or hobby? We love ttraveling and hiking, especially out West. Fortunately, we can cart Sierra around with us right now. Other guilty pleasures: watching "Chuck" episodes online (we always miss it on TV) and catching up with "Chelsea Lately" or "The Daily Show" if I'm not reading in bed.

What type of music do you play in the car when you don't have your child? Sierra listens to whatever we have on, so when I'm alone, I indulge in NPR.

What would you tell someone who is just starting out? Its not as crazy as most people think it is! Be sure to ask lots of questions, both from people who have used CD, and the staff at Nicki's. Everyone wants to make it as easy as possible - we're all Moms, after all.

Anything else we should know about you? I'm a Harry Potter freak and an avid Carcassonne player. If you know them, then you know. ;)

Nicki's April Mom of the Month

Name: Lisa B.

Hometown: Jefferson, WI

Occupation: I currently stay at home with my children while laid off from a sales job. I will have to return to work soon, but I really enjoy being home with the kids to do activities at home and take trips during the week to places like the library or zoo. I wish it could stay like this forever.

Children: Our daughter, Phoebe, will be three in May. Walter is five months old.

How did you decide to cloth diaper? Is it bad that I can't remember? I'm pretty sure I had seen pictures of cloth diapered babies on a moms forum I frequent and decided to look into it. I know I did so much research before that first big buy. I loved the concept of saving money, keeping chemicals off my baby's skin, and helping the environment.

What types of cloth diapers do you use? Our very first diaper stash was a bundle of 12 Bumgenius one-size pockets when Phoebe was three months old. I love pockets the best out of all the types of diapers because I can completely customize them for the kids. They are what I know and work the best for us. I also have used them for daycare providers and grandparents because I find a pre-stuffed by me pocket diaper to be the most similar to disposables many are used to using. Over the two years we've used cloth, I have purchased some other kinds of pockets (knickernappies, fuzzi bunz, haute pockets, tweedlebugs and more) along with prefolds, fitteds (mainly kissaluvs and thirsties), and all-in-ones to try.

What is your favorite cloth diaper and why? While I really love the prints and minkee on some diapers, I love my BGs. I now have the newer colors that were released after that first order and I've paid to have some of them converted to snaps since they don't currently offer snaps on the one size pockets.

What is your favorite non-mommy related activity or hobby? I really love crafts. I paint custom shirts and have been trying to learn to sew. I'm still too scared to use my sewing machine if my mom or grandma aren't around since it's a really old Viking just like my grandma's and I think I'll break it. I've made blankets with tags for the kids and painted things like their Easter shirts this year. I enjoy it and it helps me relax after they go to bed.

What type of music do you play in the car when you don't have your children? The difference in my car is only volume when the kids aren't there. Phoebe and I have sung along to everything from country to Lady Gaga. My guilty pleasure is Glee. I love playing the soundtracks and singing along.

What would you tell someone who is just starting out cloth diapering? I didn't realize there was such a thing as a diaper trial like the 15 Day Wash and I didn't have any friends nearby that used cloth. It worked out that the diapers we chose ended up being our favorites, but there are so many options out there. If you want to start, try something like the 15 Day Wash or find a friend that might have a couple CD options for you to actually see and feel. And you need to use a cloth diaper friendly diaper rash cream or your cute CDs will end up with stains from it (much of our BG stash does now, but they still perform fine). I am a huge fan of LuSa Baby Moon Booty Balm. It won't stain, soothes diaper rash, and smells good.

Anything else we should know about you? I have a tiny little etsy store where I sell my custom shirts and other crafts - elephantbubbles.etsy.com.

Nicki's March Mom of the Month

Name: Sharel Nelson Hometown: Madison, WI (born and raised) Occupation: currently a stay at home mom and daycare provider after teaching in the Madison schools for 15 years Children: 3, Conrad 9, Riley 6 1/2 and Clara 15 months How you decided to Cloth Diaper? There was never really a thought to do anything else :) It seemed like the right thing to do and it was what I was most familiar with. What types of cloth diapers do you use? Nicki's micro inserts w/ Wonder warps and Best Bottoms, DryBees Pocket diapers and GroBaby biodegradable soaker pads with both wraps What is your favorite cloth diaper and why? I like the Wonder Wraps but LOVE Best Bottoms! Both are adjustable (a plus) but the Best Bottoms wipe up a bit easier between washings What is your favorite non-mommy related activity or hobby? I love to catch 30 minutes on our elliptical singing out loud to tunes on my I-Pod. Meeting girlfriends at some of our wonderful coffee shops is a treat I try to indulge in as well. If I can squeeze in a few free minutes I love to try my hand at photography for homemade cards. Most of what I do, I do with our kiddos. We love to roller blading, ice skating, sledding, swimming, biking, hiking, boating, taking the dogs to the dog park, crafts, etc.

What type of music do you play in the car when you don't have your children? I listen to the same with kids as without kids, only louder. We have an eclectic mix of Joss Stone, Bob Marley, Nitty Gritty Dirt band, Jimmy Buffet and Peter, Paul and Mary

What would you tell someone who is just starting out? Try a few different styles, don't commit to one right out of the gate, be flexible. Take your time to get on a schedule for washing and ask lots of questions of friends who CD and of the great staff at Nicki's. Anything else we should know about you? I love the products at Nicki's and am so glad you have a West Madison store :) I am addicted to the Planet Wise wet/dry bags. Everyone in the family now has one for swimming season--ONE bag for wet and dry stuff, yeah!

I am a baby wearer through and through! I wear my 15 month old daily, and have since she was little. With older brothers we are on the go. I have a Moby, Maya ring sling, Kangaroo Pouch, Ergo and Kelty framed backpack. Other swim team families were always curious to see which one she would be in during the summer meets. She napped and watched in them, allowing me to be there to see her brother swim in every event. I wear the 9 month old I care for as well. I am proof that you can teach an "old mommy" new tricks. I am trying so many new and different things this time around than when I had our 1st two kiddos, 9 and almost 7 years ago. With three kids I want to accomplish several things through cloth diapering: save some money, limit our footprint on the environment and add to my daughter's health (lessening diaper rash and exposure to disposable diaper gels). I also LOVE hanging our clothes on the line to dry and the diapers only add 1-2 more loads a week. I love when people say, "you're using cloth?" it gives me the opportunity to talk a little about the great benefits and easy usability. I also get to talk about Nicki's Diapers:)

Nicki's February Mom of the Month

Name: Nancy B

Hometown: Monona, WI

Occupation: Research specialist with the Dept of Ophthalmology at the University of WI-Madison

Children: Abby, 3, Maggie 11 mos.

How did you decide to cloth diaper? I wanted to cloth diaper my babies because it's a very traditional way to parent. My grandmothers cloth diapered their children, my mother cloth diapered her children, and I wanted to do the same. My husband was on-board from the very beginning because of the environmental benefits and as he learned more, he became a big cloth diaper supporter for health and financial reasons as well.

What types of cloth diapers do you use? When the babies are young, from birth to about 8 months, we really prefer prefolds. When they get to that wiggly stage, when it's nearly impossible to get them to hold still for longer than 10 seconds, we find it easier to use Sandys fitted diapers. At night, we like to use either a bamboo fitted or a Sandy fitteds with a doubler and a wool cover or longies.

What is your favorite cloth diaper and why? We love both our prefolds and our Sandys. We've used the same diapers on both of our girls and find that both prefolds and Sandys are real workhorse diapers. They're still going strong! In fact, my Sandys were all obtained second-hand. Some of them have seen the bottoms of more than 5 babies by now and yet they have no wear issues at all. The snaps and elastic are fully functional and none of them are stained. For covers, we love the Motherease Air Flow covers. I'm a huge fan of snaps and gussets and my husband loves the MEAFs.

What is your favorite non-mommy related activity or hobby? doll-making, sewing, knitting, cooking, biking. I like making things, just about anything. (And yes, doll-making is a non-mommy related activity. I've been a doll maker since I was 5 and designed dolls for Pleasant Company for 4 years.)

What type of music do you play in the car when you don't have your children? You mean I can do that? Get out without the girls? LOL. Seriously, though, I usually dont' listen to music. I commute during the times when NPR is playing various programs so I usually listen to that. News, social interest stories, etc.

What would you tell someone who is just starting out? Give cloth diapering a fair shot. Don't just buy the bare minimum to try it for a day and don't buy department store prefolds. Buy enough diapers to feel like you can make a real committment to it and make sure that the quality is good enough to not drive you batty. Also buy enough of the tools to make it easier, such as a sprayer, liners, wetbags, etc. It's only when you really put your heart in it that it becomes not only do-able but easy and enjoyable. Also, try to be active in an online diapering community. The advise and experience available there is priceless.

Nicki's January Mom of the Month

Name: Katie S. Hometown: Suburban Denver, CO Occupation: home health occupational therapist Children: Violet, 16 months How did you decide to cloth diaper? The biggest reason was environmental. When I read about how long diapers will sit in landfills, I didn't want to contribute to the problem. Of course we do use disposables at times, but it's pretty infrequently. The other issue was cost. I couldn't see spending even $14 on a box of diapers (store brand) and just throwing them away after one use. True, we've spent a pretty penny on our cloth diapers because I love the extra cute ones, but if we do decide to have a second child, we'll still be able to use them on that child too. What types of cloth diapers do you use? We use BumGenius 3.0's for daycare at grandma's because of the velcro. We have about 10 of them. We have one of each color of SmartiPants, a few Blueberry, and then one each of Knickernappies, FuzziBunz OS, Rocky Mountain Diapers, and Haute pockets. I also have fitteds and wool covers that we use overnight. What is your favorite cloth diaper and why? If I had to just pick one, I'd pick SmartiPants. I love snaps, I love that they're very trim, and I especially love that the insert doesn't have to be removed before washing. They are really economical too. What is your favorite non-mommy related activity or hobby? I'm a HUGE baseball fan. My favorite team is the Oakland Athletics and I also love the Colorado Rockies. When I lived in the Oakland area, I had season tickets and often went to over 100 baseball games a year (including road games). Now we only get to 10-15 games a year, but I still watch baseball every night on TV in the summer. What type of music do you play in the car when you don't have your children? I listen to a lot of country music, and bands like Dave Matthews Band, Rob Thomas, One Republic, Jason Mraz, etc. I also listen to a lot of sports talk radio when I drive around all day for work. What would you tell someone who is just starting out? I'd highly suggest trying a few different types of diapers. You don't want to spend a lot of money on one brand because everyone says they're great and then find out that they just don't work for your baby. Don't be afraid of trying prefolds, especially on a newborn. You can do it. I work full time and still manage to have plenty of time for diaper laundry! Anything else we should know about you? I'm a proud kitty owner to 3 cats, Ellis, Helton & Vinny. I'm really active in animal welfare causes and volunteer at a shelter when time permits. I am a native Minnesotan & wish we could move back there, but for now it's not a possibility. I also run a mommy blog called thinkPINK in my spare (haha!) time - http://katieandscotts.blogspot.com

Nicki's December Mom of the Month

Name: Jené G Where you live: Cincinnati, OH Occupation: Statistical Analyist Children: Charlie, 16 months

What made you decide to cloth diaper? We had been making efforts to live a greener/more sustainable life, so when we found out that we were expecting it just seemed like the next logical step!

What kind of cloth diapers to you use? We started out using a mix of Thirsties, Kissaluvs, BumGenius3.0s, and prefolds. Prefolds pretty much dominated the newborn weeks. I liked all of the diapers I tried, but we settled on the BG3.0s for our go-to diaper. I actually just ordered some Haute Pockets from Nicki’s Cloth Diaper Clearance – I’m looking forward to trying them.

What is your favorite cloth diaper? Our BG3.0s because of the one-size feature. I liked the idea of buying a single diaper stash that would last us throughout the diapering years. If/when Charlie gets a younger sibling I plan to branch out a little more on the diaper options!

What is your favorite non-mommy related activity or hobby? I love to read! I could sit for hours and devour book after book.

What type of music do you play in the car? Right now I have 6 CDs in my player, and I didn’t realize until I made this list how odd my playlist really is:

1. Bruce Springsteen
2. Bright Eyes
3. RATM
4. Goldfinger
5. The Beatles
6. My very guilty pleasure – NKOTB

What is your best tip for a new cloth diapering mom (or dad!)? A lot of people will look at you like you have two heads when they hear that you use/are planning to use cloth diapers. I got a lot of wrinkled noses and raised eyebrows. Don’t pay any attention to the naysayers – you can do it!

Anything else we should know about you? I have a blog - http://theoriginalbean.blogspot.com/

Nicki's November Mom of the Month

Name: Heather K. Where you live: Norfolk, NE Occupation: Preschool Teacher Children: Madelyn Elaine - 27 months

What made you decide to cloth diaper? I was sick of hauling out a bag of dirty disposable diapers every night. It was disgusting me how many diapers we were throwing away knowing that they would still be there long after us. Also, the cuteness factor. They're much cuter than disposable diapers. I'm also incredibly frugal (read: cheap) and I loved that we'd be saving money.

What kind of cloth diapers to you use? A mix of everything! We have prefolds and covers, fitteds and pockets.

What is your favorite cloth diaper? FuzziBunz Perfect Size and Knickernappies

What is your favorite non-mommy related activity or hobby? Sewing and reading. I'm attemping some new sewing projects for Christmas. Hopefully, they turn out!

What type of music do you play in the car? We're usually listening to K-love (a Christian music station).

What is your best tip for a new cloth diapering mom (or dad!)? Don't get discouraged. It takes time to figure out what works best for your child and for your family. Also, some kids are heavier wetters than others. My daughter soaks out of everything if we use one insert. We have to double up. Don't be afraid to try different things right away, I wish we would have. I was pretty adamant against using prefolds but ended up loving them after trying them later on!

Nicki's Mom of the Month!

Are you a clothing diapering Mom? Do you love shopping at Nicki's? Would you like to see you and your child(ren's) faces featured on our blog? Sign up to be the next Nicki's "Mom of the Month!" You'll answer a few fun questions about yourself (hobbies, favorite meal to cook, etc.) and about your experiences clothing diapering (why you started, favorite diapers, etc.) and submit a picture of yourself and your children to show off to all our blog readers! Send us a brief description of yourself and why you'd like to be featured! We'll select one mom every month and we'll email you with our questions at the time you're chosen! Entries to: annie@nickisdiapers.com. Can't wait to see you on our blog!

~Annie