Saturday, January 12, 2008

Buying Baby Clothes Online

Today’s parents have more options available to them when it comes to finding and purchasing clothes and other items for their babies than ever before. With the advent of the internet, shopping for baby clothes has never been easier as there are numerous online retailers that can provide almost anything a parent needs. What follows are some of the best web sites for buying baby clothes online.

Discount Baby Clothes

Not surprisingly, some of the best physical discount stores that carry baby clothes are also some of the best online retailers. When looking for baby duds at an acceptable price the kings online are Wal-Mart, Target, and Kmart. Each company offers direct sales from their web site, have pretty much everything you could need in terms of baby clothing and layette needs, and offer it all at prices that won’t make you spit up your Isomil formula. Each offers clearance items and baby registry services as well. Other good sites with slightly higher, but still mid-range, pricing belong to Old Navy and Land’s End.

Designer Baby Clothes

For the parent that wants to dress little Kelly or Clay with a bit more pizzazz and who doesn’t mind paying considerably more to do so there is E-Luxury, a site that offers the full line of Baby Dior products and the direct web sites of several other designers who deal in baby clothing. Baby Phat has their own site as does Anne Geddes who recently launched a line of her own baby wear based on her famous photographs. If you’re looking to shop for as much as possible under one electronic roof there is Chic Baby Boutique, who carries most of the Mak the Yak and Baby Om clothing lines.
Let Your Browser do the Walking

There are literally hundreds of other web sites out there that offer baby clothes at all price ranges and designed to meet all specifications. If you’re interested in organically grown cotton, there’s a site that specializes in baby clothing made from those fibers. If you want punk rock designs on your baby’s T-shirts, there are sites that offer just that! There are sites that offer political slogans on baby sized clothing, “alternative’ baby clothing, and sites for baby & toddler tuxedos and evening gowns. If you can imagine it, you can probably find it somewhere on the internet where there is someone just waiting to sell it to you.

About The Author

Kirsten Hawkins is a baby and parenting expert specializing new mothers and single parent issues. Visit http://www.babyhelp411.com/ for more information on how to raising healthy, happy children.

Buying Baby Clothes At A Discount

Dressing your little darling doesn’t have to cost a fortune

It is no secret that having and providing for a new baby is an expensive job. With the expense of those all-important early doctor’s visits, necessary items for the nursery, and the rising prices of formula, diapers, and various infant accessories, it seems a wonder that anyone can afford to reproduce anymore. While it’s difficult to argue in favor of cutting corners when it comes to your baby, there are a few ways that you can save money on some of your baby related purchases. Baby clothes and layette needs are fortunately one area where you can afford to save a few bucks without diminishing the level of comfort and care that your little Nick or Jessica receives.

Secondhand Baby Clothes

This is a sore spot for some parents and not without good reason. The thought of putting “used” clothing on your baby can come with numerous unspoken horrors and various levels of mental anguish. After all, how do you know where that used Onesie has been? Fortunately, concerned parents can rest their minds easily and put aside the fears associated with purchasing secondhand baby wear by following a few bits of common sense. Used infant attire should only be purchased from a reputable source. A thrift store like those run by the Salvation Army or a good secondhand store that specializes in baby goods (Other Mothers is a particularly good chain in the Western United States) can be considered safe sources since they make a point of sterilizing such items before offering them for resale. Avoid purchasing any items for a baby from a garage sale or “flea market” unless you know the seller personally and even then do so with caution. Any secondhand baby items you do obtain – even those given to you by friends or family members – should be washed thoroughly before you ever put them on your child.

Shopping Online

The internet has been doing wonders for people’s wallets for years. In almost every case items that you can purchase in a local store can be found online for less. Baby clothes are no exception and there are literally hundreds of e-commerce web sites that will be more than happy to sell you everything you need for your baby’s layette and wardrobe at a considerable savings compared to what you’ll pay at the local Babies ‘R’ Us store. In addition to baby clothing, almost every other conceivable baby need can be met online for less. In many cases you can get free shipping as well. The web won’t save you from the occasional midnight run to the local 24 hour grocer or Wal-Mart for emergency diapers or formula, but it’s a veritable hero in most other regards.

Other options for saving money on baby clothes and accessories do exist, and most are fairly common sense approaches. Buying infant wear from Kmart, Target or Wal-Mart is certainly going to cost you less than shopping at Dillards, JC Penney, or Sak’s, for example, as will choosing off brand or no-name items instead of Baby Dior and Weebok’s. Babies cost enough money as it is, there’s no reason not to put a little green back in your pocket now by saving on baby clothes when you know you’ll be shelling it out for braces and piano lessons later in life.

About The Author

Kirsten Hawkins is a baby and parenting expert specializing new mothers and single parent issues. Visit http://www.babyhelp411.com/ for more information on how to raising healthy, happy children.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Three Kinds Of Baby Clothes

When buying baby clothes parents are suddenly inundated with multiple choices that can become quite confusing. How many cute and adorable outfits does little Bill or Hillary need? How many “Onesie” body suits are enough? For little people that grow so quickly there are certainly a wide variety of clothing options, how does a new parent know what to get?

To help settle the dilemma and answer these questions, parents need to keep in mind a simple “rule of three.” Babies need three kinds of clothes. Clothes are needed for daytime wear, for going out, and for sleeping. The baby sleepwear will likely outnumber the other varieties since sleeping is what babies spend most of their time doing, but the numbers of each outfit will vary in direct relation to the number of times the parents are willing to do laundry.

Baby Daywear

The clothes you have for your baby to “hang around” in should be comfortable, easy to access for diaper changes, and simple. These are the articles that your baby will spend most of her time in and they’re bound to get dirty. When the baby spits up, spews strained beets all over the place, crawls around on the floor, or does any of the other relatively messy and somewhat disgusting things that babies do, these clothes are going to bear the brunt of the abuse. As such, you probably don’t want these things to happen while baby is wearing the beautiful Baby Dior outfit that Aunt Edna gave as a shower gift. The best clothes for these day to day needs are simple body suits with snaps at the crotch. Onesies are a brand name of these items, but the term has pretty much entered the language to mean any such article designed this way. You’ll probably want anywhere between five and ten of these on hand.

Baby Sleepwear

Clothing for sleeping should meet some of the same specifications as the baby daywear in terms of comfort and accessibility. Obviously if you live in a colder region or it is the middle of December you’ll want heavier articles than if you live in Phoenix and its July. Babies can still be messy when they sleep, but are usually nowhere near as messy as when they’re up and around. In warm enough climates the same style of Onesies that are used for baby’s daytime activities can double as sleepwear, but if the temperature is cooler you’ll want heavier knit PJs or similar sleepwear.

Dressing up Baby

The outdoor baby wear is where the parents really get to shine. Here is where you can utilize the cute and adorable stuff that was given as shower gifts or that you just couldn’t resist picking up during a routine trip to Wal-Mart. These items should still be examined for practicality, making sure that straps, snaps, bows and such do not interfere with diaper changing or cause discomfort to the infant, but you’re a little freer to show off. After all, everyone wants to coo over an adorable baby. When the adorable baby is adorably dressed, the cooing is that much sweeter.

About The Author

Kirsten Hawkins is a baby and parenting expert specializing new mothers and single parent issues. Visit http://www.babyhelp411.com/ for more information on how to raising healthy, happy children.

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Retro Baby Clothing

If it was cool when you were a kid, it’s cool for your kids!

Baby clothing is quite a bit different today than it was when you were an infant. From the designer styles of Baby Dior and Baby Phat to the bizarre offerings of the alternative baby clothing market, there’s now something for every parent to adorn her children with in an effort to transfer a bit of her own personality onto her offspring. One of the latest trends in baby fashions is the “retro” look in baby wear.

Retro baby clothing indicates baby sized tees and “Onesies” that have been printed or screened with images of pop culture past. In many cases the pictures are of icons from before even the parents’ time, making it cool to be the most obscure. Interested parties are not likely to find these offerings at the local Wal-Mart but will instead have to order them online. Fortunately for those interested in giving their children a little piece of the past to wear on their chests, there is no shortage of those sites available.

The most complete and probably best known of these sites is The Retro Baby. Perusing the offerings of the site is like a walk down memory lane for anyone who is in their thirties or has a keen fix on the pop-culture of the 1980s. Designs available here include television references like The A Team, ALF, CHiPs, and Dallas (the Dallas print will be instantly familiar to anyone who remembers the summer that America was wondering who shot J.R.) as well as older images from shows that the parents of today watched in reruns while growing up: Barbara Eden in her silky outfit from I Dream of Jeanie and Clayton Moore in his blue Texas Ranger outfit complete with black mask from The Lone Ranger. Prices for these printed “Onesies” are a bit steep at $14.95 ($16.95 for toddler-sized tees) considering the baby will grow out of them completely in a few months’ time, but even the most stoic of thirty-somethings will have to admit that they are getting a certain dose of cool for their cash.

Retro doesn’t just mean pop culture references, however. Several clothiers are offering styles that are a clear throwback to those worn by kids in the fifties, sixties, and seventies. One such company, Cakewalk Baby, offers flower print designs reminiscent of the post-hippie era of the late seventies; a time when PC meant petty cash, Elvis Presley was still with us, and no one knew what a video game or MTV was. A website called Milena Bee offers these designs and more and is definitely worth a look.

Whether you want to put stills of Bruce Lee from Enter the Dragon or flowery designs from an era gone by on your baby’s body, retro baby clothes may be just what you need to show the world that your baby is cooler than cool. Look hard enough and you may be able to find a tee shirt that says “I’m the Fonz” or “Frankie Say Relax.”

About The Author

Kirsten Hawkins is a baby and parenting expert specializing new mothers and single parent issues. Visit http://www.babyhelp411.com/ for more information on how to raising healthy, happy children.

Special Baby Clothes For Those Special Days


Baby clothes are a necessity more than anything else, but there are a couple of special occasions that make the baby the center of attention. It is moments like this that the mother's keen sense of fashion gets to shine. Here, the fact that the baby will undoubtedly grow out of the outfit quickly is of little to no concern, and style is of the utmost importance. In most cases, so is tradition.

Perhaps the most obvious of these occasions is baby's homecoming. Almost any mother can tell you what they brought their baby home in. Depending on the time of year, this special outfit can range from a fruit print romper to a pair of footsie pajamas. In this case, it is the sentiment attached to the moment that makes the outfit so special. It is a good idea to save this outfit in a memory box for when your child has children of their own, or make it into a treasured stuffed animal. Any way that you think is fitting to preserve the memory works, but doing something to set this outfit aside is important.

The next big day is the baby's introduction to family. What is your baby going to be wearing the first time they meet their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and close friends? If this is a small secular gathering, then something informal is an easy out. However, you may want to dress the new family member up for the multitude of pictures that will inevitably be taken. Of course, there is also the weather to take into account. If the baby is going to be in a hot crowded home, then keeping them cool is they key factor in choosing appropriate attire. A thin cotton dress for a girl, or a onesie works great. Think of the day as an excuse to let others change the diapers for a little while.

There is of course the more common baby coming out, either christenings or a bris. The traditional christening attire is, of course a white garment. This can take many forms, from a gown to a suit, and a whole host of materials. The important thing to remember is that the baby is going to be passed around a lot on a day like today, so make sure that he or she is comfortable no matter how angelic they look.

For a bris, the attire is clearly gender specific. Therefore, baby tuxedos and suits are a hot item. You would be surprised at the inexpensive prices at which you can find a tiny tux. For less than thirty dollars, your baby can be in his very own penguin suit. There are also more traditional items, which are very much like that of the Christian baptism ceremony. That is, long white gowns with blue trim. These are also modestly priced, and generally work for either ceremony (which could potentially be a big money saver for an interfaith marriage).

The special occasion that all mothers look forward to at the end of a stressful but joyous year is the baby's first birthday. This outfit is much like the baby's coming home outfit (except significantly larger), and can be a whole host of different styles or degrees of formality. The most important thing about this outfit is, of course, its resistance to cake stains.

About The Author

Kirsten Hawkins is a baby and parenting expert specializing new mothers and single parent issues. Visit http://www.babyhelp411.com/ for more information on how to raising healthy, happy children.

Essential Baby Clothes And Accessories

Leave the cute outfits to the shower guests – these are the things you need.

Having a baby is a time of combined joy and stress for most people. Nothing compares to the joy that a mother feels when she’s holding her new baby for those first few days after bringing the little tyke home or that of the proud father showing off pictures of the infant to his friends and family. Unfortunately there is also nothing quite like the stress in worrying that everything is going to be all right and that the family is properly prepared for their joyous new addition.

New parents often fall into the trap of being unprepared when it comes to suitable clothing for their baby. In the months and weeks prior to the mother’s due date the couple will be preparing for baby’s arrival by setting up the baby’s room, buying necessary items like a crib, playpen, changing table, walker, and, of course baby clothes. The problem introduces itself when the parents (and this usually comes from Mom’s side) focus too much on purchasing the “cutsie” baby outfits and ignoring the basic essentials that babies will need.

Cotton bodysuits, absorbent baby blankets, bibs, and baby booties are items that a new parent can never have enough of. Babies are messy simply by their nature. For all the cuteness and adorability that they possess they are essentially little drooling, slobbering, spewing, waste producing machines for about the first year or so of their lives. As such, their clothes get messy quickly and often. So often that a parent may find herself changing her baby’s clothing almost as often as she changes baby’s diaper – sometimes more.

The best plan is to stock up on the practical “onesies” suits, baby tees, and mess-cleaning cotton blankets so that you always have plenty on hand. Buy plenty, but not so many that you’ll quickly be stuck with a pile of baby items that no longer fit the baby. A good rule of thumb is to have at least five clean outfits at any time. Pack extra when taking baby on an outing, and always make sure that you have plenty of clean backups. This may require a good deal of additional laundry duty, but that is just one of those fringe benefits that come along with a little bundle of joy.

The cute and adorable baby outfits are fine for taking baby to church or to visit grandma’s house, or for taking family photos, but keep in mind that the odds dictate that as soon as you fasten that last cute little button or tie the final adorable pink bow, the baby is going to spit up all over that precious little outfit. While planning and preparing for the arrival of your newest family member, forego a few cute outfits so you can stock up on more of the practical essentials. The guests at the baby shower can provide the cute stuff while you ensure that you are truly prepared.

About The Author

Kirsten Hawkins is a baby and parenting expert specializing new mothers and single parent issues. Visit http://www.babyhelp411.com/ for more information on how to raising healthy, happy children.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Global Mamas – Baby Clothes With A Conscience



There are a lot of options in today’s world for parents seeking to purchase baby clothes for the newest members of their families. The trends in baby clothing run from the simplistic and traditional (average, low cost baby clothing purchased second-hand or from discount stores like Kmart and Wal-Mart) to the seemingly extravagant (“designer” baby clothing created by the likes of Christian Dior and Kimora Lee) and the wildly untraditional (“alternative” baby clothing based on the punk rock and heavy metal styles of the 1980s and 1990s). All of these choices save the first can cost considerable amounts of money, more than the average baby outfit may be worth, yet the items sell. Why? Because people love style and they love to dress their children and babies with style.

Global Mamas is a company that is taking that concept of style and shaking it up a bit, turning it around, and offering something new: style with conscience.

Global Mamas sells all manner of children’s apparel, including baby clothes, at prices that are similar to the unique offerings of the “alternative” baby clothes retailers and often considerably less than the “designer” retailers. The items that they market are handmade by African women who benefit directly from the profits. According to the company’s web site (http://www.globalmamas.org) the mission of Global Mamas is to “enhance the international marketplace with unique, high quality, handmade apparel, and at the same time provides sustainable livelihoods for women and girls in Africa.”

Global Mamas is a member of an organization known as the Fair Trade Federation (FTF), a US non-profit organization that works to ensure a “fair trade partnership” between North American marketers and distributors and the African women who create the items marketed by Global Mamas. The FTF works with companies that have similar partnerships with workers in Asia, South America, and Latin America as well.

If you’re in the market for baby clothes with style, you could get the style that you’re seeking and do a bit of good in the world at the same time by taking a look at the different designs in baby clothing that Global Mamas has to offer. Purchasing children’s and babies’ clothing from Global Mamas can present a win/win/win situation. The FTF and Global Mamas both win by getting to continue their work, the African women win by getting the chance to make their lives just a little better, and you win by obtaining the style that you’re seeking… with a conscience.

About The Author

Kirsten Hawkins is a baby and parenting expert specializing new mothers and single parent issues. Visit http://www.babyhelp411.com/ for more information on how to raising healthy, happy children.

Preparing For The Birth Of A Baby - Essential Baby Clothes

If you are expecting a baby in the next few months, the chances are you will have started planning for some of her important things, if not doing them and buying them already. Her crib may be chosen; her nursery may be painted and decorated; you may have some beautiful bedding to match the baby decor of her room; and you may have bought a few gorgeous newborn outfits with which to adorn your newborn.

However, there may be a whole host of things you have not really thought of seriously, especially if you are a first time parent. It is so tempting to focus on the pretty things, and forget, or not learn of, the practical ones. So, when it comes to baby clothes, leave all the cute outfits to the baby shower guests, and concentrate for a while on the things you will really need. After all, you do not want your baby to be caught with her diapers down!

Having a baby is a combination of joy and stress for most people, and I suppose that is true of most major events in our lives. There is nothing to compare to the pleasure and happiness that a mother feels when she holds her new baby for those first few days after the birth; or the father showing off pictures of the baby to his friends and family.

Unfortunately, there is also nothing quite like the stress in worrying that everything is going to be all right on the night, or day, as the case may be. To reduce the chance of those stresses taking over, and to ensure that the family is properly prepared for their joyous new addition, it is as well to get organised with the practical things for the baby layette. Let the person who is to organise the baby shower sort out all that side of things, while you ensure all the most practical items are in place by month 7 of the pregnancy.

New parents quite often fall into the trap of being unprepared when it comes to suitable clothing for their baby. So, here are some of the essentials you will need to complete your preparation for the baby's arrival:

1. Cotton bodysuits, absorbent baby blankets, bibs, and baby booties are items that a new parent can never have enough of. Babies, God Bless them, are messy little things sometimes. For all the cuteness and adorability that they possess, they do dribble, slobber, vomit and overfill their diapers with some of their profuse outputs, and they are like that for about the first year or so of their lives. As such, their clothes do get messy quickly and often; so be prepared, and be practical. A mum may find herself changing her baby’s clothing almost as often as she changes her diaper – sometimes more.

2. The best plan is to stock up on the practical things such as “onesies” suits, baby tees, and mess-cleaning cotton blankets so that you always have plenty on hand. Buy these practical items in abundance, but not so many that you’ll quickly be stuck with a pile of baby items that no longer fit the baby. It is a good idea to have at least five clean outfits at any time; that is clean items, and not awaiting the next wash. If you are going out on a long outing, you will need to pack extra, so always make sure that you have plenty of clean backups. Do not underestimate your little baby's ability to take your laundry load to record levels, unlike anything you have seen before if you are a first time parent.

The cute and adorable baby outfits, and the stores are stuffed full of those, are fine for taking baby to church, for visiting grandparents, or for taking family photos. However, be prepared for the baby to make a mess over that precious little outfit. While planning and preparing for the arrival of your new offspring, forego some of the cute outfits so that you can stock up on more of the practical essentials. The guests at the baby shower can provide the cute things, while you ensure that you are truly prepared for the reality of having a bouncing new baby in the house.

About The Author

Roy Thomsitt

This preparing for baby article was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner author of the baby website, http://www.bouncing-new-baby.com. Ably assisted by his baby daughter, he is also responsible for the Baby Blog, http://feeds.feedburner.com/bouncing-new-baby/RVnf.

Baby Clothes On The Cheap



In the world of art, there is a movement called Postmodernism. If you're not an art student, or an artist, or a professor of art, there's really only one thing you need to know about Postmodernism. It means that you can do whatever you want. Essentially, it is a melding of things that have come before, a new take on old things. What does this have to do with baby clothes? Anything you want it to.

Perhaps you're a young mother who is sick of the basic options of pink and blue, ruffled or hemmed with ribbon. Perhaps you're on your second or third child and frustrated that the styles for your baby haven’t changed at and you’re tired of looking at the same thing over and over again. Perhaps you just don't feel like shopping for baby clothes once every two weeks as your infant grows into the next size that they will rapidly outgrow. In any case, there is a solution to your frustration.

There are lots of things that are not baby clothes, but could be. Like what you ask? How about bandanas? That's right, your baby is tiny. If teeny bopper club girls can wear bandanas as shirts, imagine how much baby can fit into one! Bandanas are great for summer time as a shirt or a diaper cover, and that can be accomplished without a bit of sewing! With a little bit of snipping and stitching, there is plenty of material for an infant sized dress or pair of pants.

Baby doll t-shirts that are made for young women are ideal as dresses for older infants or even toddlers. Sure, some of the writing on them may not be so “babyish,” but some of the more neutral styles would be much more dressy than you can find for the same price in baby dresses.

Taking your own worn out clothes, or just clothes you're sick of as material to make clothing for your baby is a great way to personalize their style through your once loved clothing. It will save money and give you a little bit more space in your closet. Do you have a t-shirt that you once loved, but that now is stretched in an unflattering manner, or perhaps has wear spots in a specific area? If so, you're not alone! Most of the material from the t-shirt can be salvaged and made into a whole outfit for your baby to play in with a simple pattern that can be purchased for less than two dollars.

There are lots of other household items that can be used to tend to your baby. A normal sized bath towel, for example, can, in a matter of minutes be converted into a robe for your baby to wear at the beach or when just out of the bath. When the baby is an infant, just adding some accents and a hood to the towel will make a cheaper alternative to designer robes, and is a one of a kind statement that you simply can't buy at a department store. Let your creative mind wander before you throw out those never used scraps of material and old clothes. Your wallet and your baby will thank you.

About The Author

Kirsten Hawkins is a baby and parenting expert specializing new mothers and single parent issues. Visit http://www.babyhelp411.com/ for more information on how to raising healthy, happy children.

Baby Clothes For All Seasons

Few things seem more important at a baby shower than duckies, monkeys and theme colors. Once you get the baby home though, the most important thing about baby clothes is how well they protect your baby.Depending on the time of year that your baby is born, and the type of climate you live in, there are a variety of concerns to take into consideration for your baby's very sensitive nature.

For summer babies, or babies in warm climates, overheating is not the only concern. A baby's skin is incredibly sensitive to light, especially with the increasingly less protective o-zone layer.

Sunscreen is not the only necessity for baby's sensitive skin. Keeping a towel or blanket over the baby's carriage or bassinet during summer play is a great way to keep the sun from harming your baby. Umbrellas and pop up tents are also great for beach days. Make sure there is plenty of ventilation but little to no sun—that way your baby won’t get sunburned or have to squint at the bright sun rays.

For daily summer wear, onesies that are made of a lightweight cotton are a great alternative to pants and shirts. In addition to being comfortable, they will easily fit in a small bag or purse that you can bring along in extra in case of a spill or accident. Another bonus of your baby being born in the summer is that it will keep shoe costs down, since a baby in a stroller in seventy five to eighty degree weather does not really need to wear shoes! Keeping a blanket in the stroller is important, especially if you're in air conditioned buildings a lot, since babies are a lot more sensitive to the change in air temperature.

For winter wear, bundling babies in layers is a good way to combat the difference between heated buildings and the outside. Avoiding long stretches of being outside in colder temperatures is probably a good idea, but for short walks or trips between cars and buildings, warm bundling is vital. If you live in a climate that has a lot of snow, the danger of sun burn is even more prevalent than in the summer, since it attacks from all angles. Warm socks, mittens, and hats will do a good deal to keep most of the baby's body heat in. Buntings that button down the front are a great way to let the baby escape from the heat a little bit when you are inside without too much effort for you or discomfort for the baby.

Layers work in almost every weather. As any New Englander will tell you, the ability to put on a layer or take it off is the key to combating shifting climates. This is particularly important for your baby, who is much more sensitive than you to slight changes in temperature or outside conditions. So keeping an extra sweater around, or putting an onesie underneath warmer clothing is a great way to prepare for anything that Mother Nature has in store. She likes to keep new mothers on their toes!

About The Author

Kirsten Hawkins is a baby and parenting expert specializing new mothers and single parent issues. Visit http://www.babyhelp411.com/ for more information on how to raising healthy, happy children.

Diaper Debate – Cloth or Disposables


Originally, “diaper” was referred to the type of material rather than the usage. Linen was the original diaper cloth. Shakespeare wrote “"Another bear the ewer, the third a diaper" in The Taming of the Shrew. In US, diapers are often referred to as "pampers" from the popular brand.

Diapers are made with absorbent layers of disposable materials, terry toweling fabric or cloth. The choice to use either disposable diapers or cloth is controversial. Most attribute health, convenience emphasized by the makers of commercial diapers whereas the cloth diapers are cheaper and have less impact on the environment.

Cloth diapers are reusable, place less stress on landfills and are washable. Children wearing cloth diapers tend to get toilet trained earlier, since the cloth retains moisture, permitting the child to feel when it is dirty and wet causing them to associate the feeling with elimination. Eco friendly and alternative materials, which are grown without any use of pesticides, such as unbleached hemp and organic cotton are also used in some niche market diapers.

In recent years, cloth diapers have become more user friendly, with Velcro or snaps and pre-formed. The pocket or stuffable diapers are also getting popular. These diapers come with an outer shell sewn on three sides to a stay-dry liner. In many cities, there are cloth-diapering services, which deliver clean diapers and pick up soiled ones.

Disposable diapers are normally made of a waterproof exterior which resembles cloth in appearance, an inside layer which is actually a moisture-wick and an inner core to absorb the moisture (mostly dried hydrogel). The cloth diaper market has been taken over by the disposable diapers.

Unintentional and intentional chemicals are laced up in disposable diapers to speed up the absorption process. Even though the system enables to keep the skin dry, there is a potential risk of skin irritation suffered by the baby.

The ease of simply throwing away a soiled diaper is the inherent convenient factor for the popularity of disposable diapers whereas the cloth diapers leads to the irritating chore of washing it.

One of the recent developments is a reusable, flushable hybrid system, which contains an outer pant – quite fashionable – and an inner part, which absorbs the moisture. The inner part can be flushed or disposed of easily and the outer part is reused after washing.

Anastasia Phocas is a proud contributing author. Find more articles here. For more info visit Diapers or Cloth Diaper Service

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anastasia_Phocas

Diapers

Diapers are as old as the evolution of modern man, since they are an essential part of every newborn's life. They are generally made of cloth or cotton wool pads that are pre-folded with shaped contours to fit tiny bottoms. Though diapers are associated with babies in general, there are diapers for specific uses for older people and family pets.

There are a variety of diapers on the market designed for newborns, babies and toddlers. Some are designed for older babies as a first step towards toilet-training.

A baby generally needs about 10-12 diaper changes a day. There are disposable diapers as well as cloth ones. Cloth diapers are meant to sustain heavy washing and can be reused. Disposable diapers promise top quality, and a dry feeling for the baby even when the diaper is completely saturated. These are ideal for babies with working parents since time management is a major issue.

Diapers are generally expensive, but with so brands on the market, prices are competitive. Customers are offered a wide variety of choices. There are a few things to remember before choosing a diaper. The health and comfort of the child should always be considered. Fit is very important and should not be too loose or too tight.

As pointed out earlier, there are other kinds of diapers also available. There are incontinent diapers meant for adults and dog diapers for your pet dog. Dog diapers help the dog owner protect his expensive Persian rug from dog urine. However, these diapers are only meant for male dogs.

When one ponders a little on diapers, particularly on baby diapers, one cannot help but think about how this necessity has contributed so vitally to bringing peace of mind to caregivers and parents.

Diapers provides detailed information about diapers, cloth diapers, diaper bags, and more. Diapers is affiliated with Breast Pumps For Sale.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jimmy_Sturo