Thursday, September 30, 2010

1000 Fans / WAHM Celebration

Here are the basic guidelines for our giveaways going on from October 1, – October 10th, 2010.

Giveaways will begin on October 1st, at 9am CST and run through October 10th, with the last one being posted that day at 9am CST. They will all remain open until October 17th at 9PM CST. You will have until then to get all entries completed and comments posted.

To complete an entry you first need to complete the task (example “like” us on Facebook) and then come back to our blog and leave a comment (stating you completed it) on EACH post/giveaway you’d like to enter. So if you’d like to enter each giveaway, you need to comment on each post.

Mandatory Entry must be completed before all extra entries for them to count. If you fail to complete (and comment) the MANDATORY Entry, all other comments will be disqualified. After completing the Mandatory Entry, you are free to complete as many or as little Extra Entries as you prefer.

For all order entries, you must leave one comment per entry and please include your order number for reference. Only valid on new orders.

All winners will be notified via Email, and will have 48 hours to respond before we choose another winner. So this means, be sure there is an email address attached to your profile, or leave it in your comments. I will not search for your email address if you just left it in one comment, it needs to be on EVERY comment if you don’t have it attached to your profile.

Please note that all products that are being given away during this event, were donated and other than the product giveaway we are not being compensated in any other form.

Monday, September 27, 2010

1000 Fans Celebration

A couple days ago we realized we were dangerously close to reaching 1000 fans on our Facebook Page. Around the same time we added our 10th WAHM (work at home mom) to our store’s retailer line-up.

We thought what better way to celebrate than to have a grand celebration! We also decided that since we LOVE working with WAHM’s, what better thing to do than to celebrate them.

Starting October 1st we will feature one of our great WAHM’s a day for 10 days. Along with highlighting the products we carry to the ones that we don’t. As well as getting to know our retailers just a little bit more. What better way to get their products known and out there than to give them away. Yes, you heard me right, we’re going to have 10 days of giveaways!

We’re so excited to share this with you! And we want you to tell your friends/fans/the world! Here’s the deal. Add our event button to your blog, come back here, and let me know you did. Pretty simple. If you do it by Midnight CST on Sept. 30th, and leave us a comment we’ll give you 10 extra entries into EACH giveaway!

Top to Bottom Baby Boutique

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Great Cloth Diaper Hunt

We’re super excited to announce that we will be a Sponsor for Diaper Decisions Great Cloth Diaper Hunt!

Have you participated in the past? Or are you wondering what the heck I’m talking about? Either way I’m here to give you some great information, and help you get just as excited as we are!

Basically what the Great Cloth Diaper Hunt is is a scavenger hunt where you follow the clues in search of a simple icon. Much like the one below, although we do not have the official icon yet.

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Once you find the icon, you will copy/paste the URL onto a form on Diaper Decisions website. It’s all pretty simple in a sense, but there are a few sites that can be tricky. What do I do then?

Well you head on over to the Diaper Decisions Forum and ask for hints! Pretty simple huh? 

I know you’re all probably really lost right now. It’s okay. I just wanted to share a little info now, and get you all excited. When I have more specific links to this fall’s hunt I will share them as soon as possible!

Here’s the Info I CAN tell you:

Great Cloth Diaper Hunt (or GCDH) starts November 1st

There will be AMAZING prizes

It’s a Month Full of Fun

*Watch for a fully loaded blog post coming soon, with updated links*

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Omaha’s Biggest Baby Shower

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Brought to you by the Omaha Children’s Museum.

“Join us for a fun, interactive, free and open to the public event designed to “shower” expectant moms (and dads) with useful information, items and resources for parenthood along with plenty of pampering!”

Omaha's Biggest Baby Shower
September 25, 2010
8-11 a.m.

  • Classes and workshops by Methodist Health System
  • Great door prizes
  • Free parking

This is going to be an AWESOME event and we at Top to Bottom Baby Boutique are proud to be a part of it. There are tons of things planned for expectant parents at all stages of pregnancy.

We will have our table set up to help inform parents of the choices available to them today. As well has have a special demonstration featuring Rump-a-Rooz Little Joey’s. Along with a giveaway for both Mommy & Baby. And even a coupon code for those who attend!

So be sure to tell all the pregnant mommies and daddies you know in the Omaha area. If they make a purchase and mention your name, you’ll get referral points as well!

So make plans to meet us at the Omaha Children’s Museum on September 25th for Omaha’s Biggest Baby Shower!

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Sunday, September 12, 2010

Two in Cloth

Means twice as many cute fluffy bottoms!

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When I was pregnant with my first daughter Grace I decided to cloth diaper. When she was first born I used disposables until she was big enough to fit into her diapers. I love cloth diapering so much that when I was pregnant with my second daughter I decided to cloth diaper her right from the beginning!

My daughters are only 20 months apart so I knew that I would have two in diapers. Not too much has changed from cloth diapering one to cloth diapering two. I had to invest in a few more diapers so that I didn't have to do laundry more than every other day. I got a second laundry pail and pail liner so that I could have a pail in each of their bedrooms. I got a few more cloth wipes. Mostly just small changes. And depending on your budget, changes that you don't necessarily have to make.

My washing routine is pretty much the same for two as it was with one. I just grab the second bag of diapers on the way down to the laundry room. Sometimes I wash more frequently because the pails just seem to fill a little faster!

One of the great things about cloth diapering two as opposed to using disposable diapers is that they can share diapers! All of the cloth diapers I use are one-size diapers, meaning they adjust to grow with your child. If Grace is out of diapers, I can just go grab one of Molly's and adjust it larger to fit Grace. How convenient!

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As I started the post, the best thing about cloth diapering two is twice as many cute fluffy bottoms! There are some many different styles, brands, colors and patterns to try. I've had so much fun trying out diapers and finding what works best for our family. Cloth diapering can be addictive and now I have two bottoms to feed my habit!

By: Jessica – Follow her blog: The Rabbit Hutch

Friday, September 10, 2010

HE washing routine

When I started using cloth diapers, the amount of differences in wash routines was a little overwhelming!! I have a front-load washer (or HE machine) and discovered (after the fact) that it would become rather difficult to achieve the ultimate goal of clean (not stinky) diapers. So here is the routine that has worked for me and my washer (a Whirlpool Duet).

I did a lot of research on washing with a front loader and I think the best piece of advice I found was to wash less diapers more often. This allows for a much higher ratio of water to diapers. I have found that by adding water to the wash and doing it more often (every 1-1.5 days), I am able to keep everything clean, absorbent, and stink free.

I should also caution that the majority of my diapers are pockets and the inserts are primarily microfiber (as I have heard that different materials wash differently). We unstuff the pockets prior to dropping them in the pail and I do think we have more stink issues when they sit in a bag for a day with the inserts still inside the pockets. Things gotta air out sometimes!!

Alright, enough disclaimers...here is my actual wash routine. The diapers/covers/wet bags/pail liners all go into the washing machine. I used to put in a wet towel, but later discovered that it was consuming much of the water I wanted my diapers to be floating around in and did not weigh enough to actually cause the washer to add enough water.
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I start with a "soak" cycle. I believe it is also be called a "prewash" cycle. This is set on cold water with no spin and do NOT add soap to this cycle. If your washer does not have a "soak" setting you can simply set it to a "normal wash" with cold water and press (or hold) the pause/stop button once the water is in. If you hold that button a second time it will drain the water with no spin. (This is also how to do an overnight soak with an HE machine!) This cycle defaults to 30mins on my machine, but if you select the "more/less soiled" option the time will be longer/shorter. For a while I was using 35mins, but have since backed down and have not had any issues. 

Next comes the issue of getting enough water into the wash. Back to the less diapers, more water statement from before. Ideally you want the diapers to be floating loosely to allow the water to dissolve the contents of the diaper. Accomplishing that in an HE machine can be a little tricky since they are designed to use less water. If you open the soap dispenser during the wash cycle, you can add water directly into the drum. I started by adding the water with an old milk jug but after a few gallons it became clear I was going to have to get a new plan!! We have a sink right next to the washer making this much easier.

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I simply sent my husband to the hardware store and he picked up a hose adapter and a few feet of plastic hose to rig up a better system. The only thing I will caution about this is to get a durable hose (mine is a clear plastic and when adding hot water I have to be careful that it doesn't kink off due to how pliable it gets with the heat). 

When adding water to any cycle, I simply watch through the door until the water is just DSC_0052above the break in the door. I did try and add more water a few times on days when I was lazy and had way too many diapers to wash and discovered that the washer will simply drain the water right back out.

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After the soak cycle has finished, I don't even open the door and just turn the controls right back on. I am then able to add the soap (oh yeah, that's a whole different issue) and start the wash. I use the "whitest whites" cycle on my washer. You should never use the "sanitize" cycle as the water is so hot it will in fact cause breakdown in your diapers (especially the PUL). If you feel they need to be cleaned that deeply you can just send the inserts through a sanitize cycle. The whitest whites is a hot/cold wash with an extra rinse. However, if I simply run a normal cycle and add the extra rinse, it is a shorter wash (I have no idea why). You are again able to adjust the soil level if you find you need more wash time. I also add water to this cycle in the same manner as before. The extra rinse is what allows all of the detergent residue to rinse clean, so you will need to have that in whatever cycle you are using.

OK, back to the detergent issue. I started with Country Save and had some major stink issues. Not sure if it was the detergent or that I didn't have the routine down yet. I then switched to Rockin Green and have had no issues since!! I add 1 Tablespoon to the wash cycle and so far it seems to be working great (I am two bags in already). They also have a different formula for hard water if that is a problem for you. We have a water softener, so I use the classic :)

After the wash cycle has finished, I simply throw all of the diapers into the dryer on Med heat and let them go. Do NOT use dryer sheets or fabric softeners with your diapers as they are designed to make your clothes repel water (the opposite of what you want the diapers to do)! You can add dryer balls to help speed up the drying time instead. I do put them in the sun to dry on occasion just to keep them nice and white, but the PUL actually does well to go through the dryer once in a while.

By: Maia

Maia joined the TTBBB family “officially” about 2 months imageago as our baby wearing consultant and helps teach our Cloth Diapering 101 classes. She is the mother of two sweet little boys Cole, 3, and Easton, 11 months. Easton is also one of our super cute diaper testers! You can follow Maia and her family on their blog: Poutre Family Happenings . Help us to give Maia a warm welcome!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Baltic Amber Teething Necklace Winner

image Sarah, you have 24 hours to respond to my email!

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Saturday, September 4, 2010

Extending Giveaway!

I’ve been quite scarce around the Top to Bottom scene lately. My computer crashed, and now that I’m back up and running it’s time to catch up.

Since I wasn’t around for much of the time the Baltic Amber Teething Necklace giveaway was going on, I’ve decided to extend the deadline. Giveaway now ends Monday September 6th at 6pm CST, with the winner announced during #clothdiapers chat on twitter!

Also for extra entries, come up with a tweet to tell your friends! You can tweet up to 4 times per day, and must include @knickernappies and @toptobottombaby.

And well just because we’ve got another giveaway going on, head over to Silent Storm’s blog and enter her giveaway as well. Come back here and let us know you did for another entry!

I’ve lost count at how many ways you can enter our giveaway. There are lots that’s for sure!! Good luck!

-Amanda