Okay. I fully admit it. I am a cloth diaper geek. 
Other people get excited over test driving new cars, or checking out the latest tech gadgets. Me? I'm thrilled when I get to test out a new cloth diaper.
Well, not me exactly. It's more like my daughter, Amelia, does the actual testing. 
So, I was very happy to receive a new shipment of Charlie Banana diapers - especially the super cute ones that had "goodbye disposable, hello cloth" written on them.
And, since we have just moved and the web store was down for a little bit, we had plenty of time to get some use out of them.

Their one size works like most other one size diapers, and was very easy to put on the girl (even a crazy active girl like our Amelia who rarely sits still). We made sure to use these new diapers at least 3 times a week, and to include naps and overnights too - just to see how they would perform. Overnights are currently a big deal with us right now. Our DD usually wakes up with a super wet diaper, and we have certain diapers which we reserve for overnight use. 

I LOVE Charlie Banana! These diapers never leaked - never! They fit our girl (at 32 pounds) perfectly, and contained her overnight wetting like few other diapers can. We used these diapers on our girl when we took the ferry to Vancouver (it's not always easy to change a baby on the ferry so I always try to put a really good diaper on her before we leave), and we used them overnight when staying at our relatives homes. I find it very important to trust that Amelia's diaper will not leak overnight and hence, will not leak onto guest beds. 

For overnight use, I triple stuff her diapers (3 inserts), and for naps and daytime use, the 2 inserts worked wonderfully. 

Our la la ladybug family is very excited to be offering Charlie Banana diapers for your family. Another bonus is that Charlie Banana supports Operation Smile, a medical charity that helps children around the world.:
https://www.charliebanana.com/Operation-Smile_ep_44-1.html

It's a Win-Win!

In celebration of our grand re-opening, we will be giving away a fabulous Charlie Banana "Goodbye Disposable, Hello Cloth" One Size Diaper. All you need to do is sign up for our newsletter at www.lalaladybug.com for the giveaway details.

Have a lovely day!

the la la ladybug family.

Hi everyone,

I am just so excited about Family Fun Day coming up on December 5th. 

Time:

Sunday, December 5 · 11:00am - 4:00pm

Location:

Dance Co.

9030 McKenney Avenue, Mission Ridge Plaza.

St. Albert

Holiday Extravaganza!
Where else can you learn about cloth diapers and baby wearing, sip healthy coffee, shop for holiday gifts AND sample some super fun parent and child dance / fitness classes?

We don't call it Family Fun Day for nothing.

-Reanna Maitland will be doing trial dance / fitness classes for parents and kids (see schedule below).
http://jadoredance.com/

-Emily Hiller will be there with her Healthy Coffee. Check it out: http://www.emilyhiller.organogold.com/

-Jaclyn Thomey will be there to host several cloth diapering workshops throughout the day, and will also have various la la ladybug goodies for sale
www.lalaladybug.com


-Erin from Cosy Baby, Happy Mommy will be doing a baby wearing info session too!
http://cosybabyhappymommy.com/about.htm


-We are collecting New, Unwrapped, TOYS for children from infants to 12 years old for Santas Anonymous.
http://www.santasanonymous.ca/events/icalrepeat.detail/2010/12/05/95/-/ZmFkYWRhNzgwNzU4ZGIwZjk2MjEzNDNjMDM5YWQyMzU=


We will be offering some adult fitness and dance classes too - but that is no reason to leave the kids at home. We will have plenty of crafts and fun things for them to do while you enjoy some adult time.

Schedule:

11:00 am - INTELLIDANCE BABIES™.Postnatal class (3 - 18 months)

Learn how dance and movement can nurture early neural development and strengthen the caregiver-baby bond.

11:30 am - BABY WEARING SESSION

With Erin from Cosy Baby, Happy Mommy.

Noon - HAWT SALSA MAMA. Postnatal class (6-8 weeks of age and up)

With little ones snuggled into baby carriers, new moms learn popular Latin dances while babies shake maraca rattles and bounce along to the Salsa beat! All levels of fitness and dance experience are welcome.

1:00 pm - INTELLIDANCE TOTS™. Parent and Tot class (2 - 4 years)

Offers a creative environment for independent movers and their caregivers, to experience the joy of dance and movement together.

1:30 pm - FIESTA FAMILY Parent and Tot class (1 - 5 years)

Fiesta Family combines movement and play, with lively rhythms that parents and kids can both enjoy!

2:30 pm - SALSA BURN. Adult Class

Salsa Burn is a fitness dance class that teaches participants the sultry Latin rhythms of Samba, Salsa, Merengue, Cha Cha, and Bachata. Suitable for all dance and fitness levels.

3:00 pm - FIT HOP. Adult Class

Come and try this fun and funky cardio style hip hop class. No dance experience necessary.

The girl is down for a nap so I thought I would take this time and update our blog. 

This summer was a whirlwind for our family - within one month, we went to British Columbia AND Newfoundland. We literally cloth diapered from one coast of Canada to the other. And yes, it can be done. Here are some quick tips on how to travel with your cloth diapers.

Bring two large laundry bags - one for dirty diapers and one for clean (don't mix them up - it makes for a long laundry day. Trust me).
http://lalaladybug.com/products/cloth-diapers-and-accessories/applecheeks-storage-sack-size-2
When traveling by plane, we put both laundry bags in cargo. Most airlines will give you a certain amount of cargo luggage for kids - car seat, cloth diaper bags (2), and portable play pen. We brought our stroller all the way to door of the plane and they stowed it before take off.

Make sure you bring a change pad to change the baby on the plane. The changing station is super tiny and you'll need to provide some padding for your baby.
http://lalaladybug.com/products/cloth-diapers-and-accessories/dri-pad-change-pad
It was also helpful to have Rob standing outside the bathroom to pass me things as I needed them (wipes, new diaper, etc.)

We have stayed in hotels and also at family members houses and have washed diapers at both places. All you really need is your detergent, a wash basin (or bathtub) to rinse out poopy diapers, and a washing machine. We usually did diaper laundry while Amelia was napping (our monitor was super handy to have in the hotel when the washing machines were a floor below us). 

Yes, you will have to set aside some time to wash diapers, but we found that it was a nice way to relax and hang out with each other. It was the perfect way to get some downtime. 

When heading out for the day, we used a backpack instead our regular diaper bag. We found it especially useful on days walking around the city, and when taking long day trips. Sometimes, a backpack is just easier to haul around than a diaper bag. 

Cloth diapering while traveling takes a little bit more time, but it was well worth it. 
If you are planning on traveling with your diapers and would like some tips, or anything else, you can contact us at: jaclyn@lalaladybug.com

Happy Travels!

 Amelia in Stanley Park

 lighthouse at Cape Spear, Newfoundland