Monday Mommies: Lori C.

This weeks featured Monday Mommy is Lori C!

I am a first time mom to a 6 month old son. We live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. We've been cloth diapering for 2 months now. I'm a Pilates and Gyrotonic® trainer, and even though technically I am on my one-year maternity leave, I am back to teaching a few hours a week.

I decided to give cloth diapers a try mostly because of the impact disposable diapers have on the environment. When I did the math (10-12 changes a day for a newborn!), that is a lot of disposables going into the landfill and taking years to decompose. While I realize that the cloth diapering manufacturing process and the energy and water used for washing them also has an impact on the environment, I believe that in the end, cloth diapers make more sense. Financially, I will have spent less on cloth diapers (as long as I don't let my cloth diaper addiction get out of control) than on disposables, and if we do have another child, we will be able to use them again.

We had a diaper consultant from a local company come to our house to help us decide which brand/type of cloth diapers would be best for our family. It was great - she brought samples of all the types of diapers they carry, and went over the benefits of each one. We decided to go with Applecheeks sized pocket diapers, with bamboo inserts. We love them! An added bonus is the fact that Applecheeks are made in Canada, so we were able to support a Canadian product.

Here is our diaper drawer:
A lot of people still have the misconception that cloth diapers mean diaper pins and waterproof pants. When I showed my family our pocket diapers, they were surprised at how cute and easy to use they were. Many of my friends are already cloth diaperers, so I had many people I could ask for advice.

Do you still use the first diaper you purchased?
We are still using our first cloth diapers, Applecheeks :) We currently have sized pockets (Applecheeks and AMP) and bamboo sustainablebabyish fitteds for night. We have a rainbow of colors, but my favorite is the Sailor Blue.

What are some sites you like to look at for cloth diapering?
I check out the diaperswappers.com message board once in awhile, and the applecheeks and www.sogreenbaby.com's blogs are good resources as well.

A must-have cloth diapering accessory is a wetbag... although they can be like a shoe or purse addiction. So many patterns, choices, colors! Who can choose just one?? Also fleece liners - makes clean-up so much easier!

What washing routine do you use?
Still trying to figure out the best washing routine - we use either Rockin' Green Rage against the Raspberries Hard Rock or Claudia's Choices. Pre-wash cold, heavy-duty wash, with 2 extra rinses seems to do the trick. Any stains get sunned out on our deck :)

Cloth diapering is not as hard to do or as gross as you might think! If you can take advantage of a local company that do diaper consultations or diaper trials, it's a good way to figure out which cloth diapers you like best. Also to know that there are great resources out there (such as Cloth Diaper Addiction) to help you out along the way.

WiggyRoll Review

Have you ever left the house and forgot to grab your little ones blanker? WiggyRoll is the perfect solution for you! I was given the oppertunity to review a WiggyRoll and really love it!

What is the WiggyRoll?

Introducing the first ever, easy to use, infant carrier blanket! Made with durable 100% anti-pill fleece, the WiggyRoll is a long-lasting way to keep your bundle of joy snug and warm. Using precise measurements, the WiggyRoll neatly tucks into any carrier with no overhang. The WiggyRoll offers a detachable fastening system that allows for quick removal without causing any disturbance to your baby. Our unique, compact design provides convenient storage both on your carrier or in any baby bag. Patent Pending

Price: $29.95

I received the Dino Camo print which is super cute!

All rolled up the blanket is nice and small so it doesn't get in the way.

There is a piece of fabric that roll around the blanket and closes with Velcro.

Here is the blanket slightly unrolled. On the left you can see the opening where it attached around the buckle of the seat.

Here is the blanket completely unrolled.

Here is the reverse side of the blanket.

The blanket rolls up and hangs below the seat. I attached it to our little rocking chair and it worked great!

And here is the blanket in use by my bubble maker. It fits nicely up over him and tucks under his sides.

My experience with this product:
-I am very happy with the WiggyRoll. It is very well made and is a great idea. I know that with two young boys I always seem to forget a blanket. But with the WiggyRoll I can always have one with me.
-The multiple prints and solid colors are great. Often times when prints are offered there are not always good choices for boys but WiggyRoll has cute choices.
-It took me a few tries to figure out how to roll it back up but after trying and looking online I was able to do it. Its easiest to do if you roll it up while its hooked to the seat while learning.
- Nice and compact, not bulky or in the way.
-The material is strong and the blanket is well made.
-Its a great size for the car seat!
Here are a couple of pictures pulled from WiggyRoll's website:

Want to buy it? Go here.



*This Product is being given by the WiggyCo company. I was not paid to do this giveaway. I received a WiggyRoll to test and review. This review is of my own personal opinions

Night time Diapering: Drybees Fleece Pocket Diaper

Okay tonight is the last night of my night time diapering series. I hope I have been able to show everyone some different ideas for night time diapering. Its so hard to figure out what to use. I will end tonight with my favorite night time diaper. I use this diaper on my E-man. It s the Drybees Night time Fleece Pocket diaper.

Here is some information about the diaper from the Drybees website:

These diapers are made with the same well loved diaper pattern as other DryBees Diapers. Made with Heavy Weight Malden Mills Windpro Fleece
these diapers are perfect over night and heavy wetter diapers.
Where other night time diapering systems have failed - DryBees Fleece Pocket Diapers have been the answer for many families, including my own.

DryBees Fleece Diapers feature our specially milled suede cloth.
Milled in the USA specifically for DryBees. Leg Casings keep a snug yet gentle fit against your baby's leg to help keep them as DRY as can BEE!

Because of the nature of the fabrics used to create DryBees Fleece Pocket Diapers you will find they are more bulky than your typical PUL pocket
but are an amazing solution for night time and heavy wetting babies.

Here is the front of the diaper. I have the yellow!

Here is the diaper opened up.
Here is the front of the diaper opened up.
Here is the magical part of the diaper...the super soaker, aka...SuperDo by Knickernapies.
This thing can hold a lot of pee!

My experience with this diaper:
- I LOVE THIS DIAPER! We have had this diaper for a while now and my toddler is a massive superdooper heavy wetter. Take your heavy wetter and multiply it by 20 and that's how much my kid pees. Okay maybe not that much but you got my point. He pees a lot. So in this diaper I have never had a leak!
-So super soft, washes up great and is really cute.
-Extremely bulky. It gives my little guy the biggest butt ever but its so worth it and it doesn't seem to bother him at all!
-The pocket is easy to stuff and easy to remove. I like that I dont have to pull the insert out through the front of the diaper like I do on his other diapers.
-This is a pricey combo...19.95 for the diaper shell and 12.95 for the insert. But worth every penny. I might even get a set for my infant to have.

Night time Diapering: Fuzzibunz

Tonight's night time diaper solution is the perfect size Fuzzibunz. I use this on my infant. With him it took a really long time to find the right diaper for night time. I would just put him in prefolds or this or that diaper. I got a steal of a deal on these diapers. I have two of them. Both white. My sister works at Target and marks items on clearance. Apparently Target sells some cloth diapers on website but not in stores. So if someone purchases them online and doesn't like/want them they can return them in store. And because Target does not carry them in store they get marked down 75% instantly. So I got two perfect size Fuzzibunz in size small for only $4.88, that's for both so only $2.44 a piece! So anyways that's how I came across these diapers. The insert that comes with them is nice and thick and holds a lot of liquid. Here is the diaper:

Cute and simple. This is also a super soft and fluffy diaper to put on my baby!
It comes in snaps, which I really like. There is a row of snaps across the top which allows you to adjust the waist tightness and then there is a lower curved row of snaps which allows you to adjust the leg tightness.
The diaper opened up. There is a nice soft fleece lining the inside of the diaper which is nice for night time to keep moisture off the baby's bottom.
There is a big pocket opening for stuffing the diaper.

This picture below was taken about a month ago. It fits really well and isn't to bulky on him. I like that the snaps can be adjusted to fit his chunky legs and can be tighter at the waist if needed.
My overall experience with this diaper:
-I really like this diaper for my infant. I will put the insert that came with as well as a second microfiber insert into it for night time and rarely ever have a leak.
-I also use this for day time if needed but I like to save it for night time.
-You can get the perfect size Fuzzibunz on clearance at different stores right now. They come in cute colors and also some cute daisy prints.
-These wash up really well. I've had mine for a few months not and have not had a single issue with it. No loose threads, no piling anywhere on it. The elastic is holding up well.
-So far this is my favorite night time diaper for my infant.

Have you used this as your night time diaper? What do you think?

Night time Diapering: Thirsties AIO

For our second night in diapers I have chosen to share with you another way that works for us. I have a Thirsties AIO and a Knickernappies LoopyDo.

Okay to start us off here is a picture of the Thirsties AIO all closed up. This diaper unfortunately is discontinued but you can still find it online at different diaper stores or diaper swapping sites. I have three of these diapers, one green and two purple...yeah that's right I put my toddler son in a purple diaper! lol Actually its only a NIGHT TIME DIAPER! We don't put him in this (purple) diaper during the day.

Here is a picture of the diaper opened up. This is a perfect fit diaper so you have to buy small, medium or large. We have the larges which are probably a little to big on him but work with out any leaks. Like all other Thirsties diapers this comes with the great leg gussets!
The inside is a nice soft material. There are laundry tabs for when you launder.

Lastly about this diaper: Its considered a hybrid because it not only is an AIO where no stuffing is required but it also has an opening so that you can add extra inserts to make it more absorbent it needed. Which is what we do for night time.We stuff it with a Knickernappies LoopyDo. This is nice because it has on the outside microfiber and on the inside hemp making it a great insert for night time stuffing!

Why this diaper works for us at night time:
-I love that its an AIO diaper and has a pocket so that I can adjust the absorbency to fit our needs. I know a lot of people have heavy wetters...well I have a massive, super, extreme heavy wetter and this system works great for us.
-When I go to dry this diaper I like to turn it inside out. I know a lot of people don't like AIO's because they take a long time to dry. And I was having that problem with these diapers until one day I thought duh, turn it inside out and it now drys so much faster!
-I love the loopydo in here because its super absorbent and not to bulky. However with this combo there is bulk...just like every other night time diaper.
-This is a fairly decent priced combo. I think I paid around $20 for both parts. Not the cheapest diaper for night time but I'm happy with how it works for us.

Have you used the Thirsties AIO and LoopyDo combo or the items on their own? Let us know in the comments below!

Night time Diapering: Kawaii baby

We all believe we have heavy wetters. And we all have a hard time finding that perfect night time cloth diaper. So this week I am doing a series on night time cloth diapering. When I first started cloth diapering my two boys I will be honest and say that I still used disposables for night time. I think most of us do because we have no idea what to use to guarantee no leaks over night in cloth...not that sposies are leak free at night either! So to start us off on our night time adventure we have the:

Goodnight Heavy Wetter AIO Diaper
US$7.75

Multi Layer Outer Cover, 4 Layers XL inserts

SUPER SOFT Micro-fleece inner lined

Each Diaper comes in 2 XL Microfiber Inserts

Fit from 8-36lbs

Okay for my first night time diaper review I choose I do my newest method. I asked my sister in law if I could borrow her diapers that she didn't use anymore for my boys to try out and one of the diapers she gave me to use was the Kawaii Baby Goodnight Heavy Wetter diaper. They come as onesize, and have cute animal prints with either a purple, white or green back ground.The picture below shows the diaper on all of the size settings going small, medium and then large.
Here is a close of of the white diaper set on the smallest setting which I used for my infant.
This is what the diaper looks opened up. It has two rows of snaps across the top and then three rows of snaps for the rise of the diaper.
The diaper pocket is nice. When the diaper is stuffed you tuck the back part of the insert under the flap in the back. Then the top fleece layer goes over top of the flap to keep it down. There is nice opening making it easy to stuff.
The elastic in the leg is great. It has a great stretch to it.
One issue that I've found with this diaper is that there is a lot of excess bulk with the insert if you have it on the smaller setting. There is no where for it to go unless you fold it over in the front or in the back.
Here is the diaper on my baby. This is his bum from the top.
Here is his bum from the side view...its bulky but what do you expect for a night time diaper?!
Here is the front from the side. Its not to bad depending on where you folded over the extra insert at.
Here is a front top shot.
My Experience with this diaper:
-I love how soft this diaper is. The outside is really nice and can be wiped clean if it gets dirty yet has a nice cloth-y feeling to it. I also love the adorable animals on it. The inside is a super soft micro-fleece and washes really well and stays soft.
-This diaper comes with 2 4 layer microfiber inserts (both are large). This is nice because it is a night time diaper for heavy wetters, however they are both large and with the diaper on the small setting it get quite bulky. I wish it had a large and small insert with the diaper.
-The diaper is a bit bulky but not bad at all. You could easily fix that problem by putting different inserts into it.
-This diaper is made specifically for night time however I used it all day and at night time and was very happy with the way it worked. I only had a couple of leaks and they happened when Z was sleeping on his side for a couple of hours and the other time was because I had the snaps not tight enough.
- I really like these diapers for night time and for day time. I grab them before some of my other 'name brand' diapers even!
-These diapers are really cheap, only 7.75! So you are probably wondering how a diaper that sell for that cheap work well and last, well I have no idea but I am very happy with it and how its working for me and I might even look into getting more of the Kawaii day time diapers to try out.
-You can get these on ebay for even cheaper if you catch a great deal or you can purchase them online at Luv Your Baby Products

Have you used the Kawaii Night Time Diapers? What do you think of them?

Monday Mommies: Christi H.

Hi fellow addicts, This weeks Monday Mommy is Christi H! Check out her great story below!

Hi! My name is Christi, but these days I’m usually just referred to as “Adah’s Momma.” She’s my 7 month old darling that I fall more in love with each day. We live in

southern Minnesota where Daddy is Pastor at a small country church.

Adah’s tush resides only in cloth diapers. I have very sensitive skin and I figured my kid would likely have some of the same tendencies, so we decided to go cloth and haven’t looked back! Our family loves cloth for many reasons including the money saving aspect (although once you become addicted, it’s hard to stop buying them), it’s so much nicer on those adorable baby butts, and it’s just darn cute.
People’s reaction when they hear that we cloth diaper is usually admiration. “Oh, I could never do that” I often hear. And then I say, “Yes you can!” Cloth diapers these days sure are a lot different than even 10 years ago. The variety of options and ease of use make cloth diapering a lot more accessible than most people think.

When I first started diapering Adah in cloth, I made a bunch of contour diapers with an extra microfiber soaker. I planned to use these with Snappies and Thirsties or Bummis covers. After a while, I discovered all-in-ones (AIOs). Still loyal to Thirsties—gotta love the double leg gusset—I purchased a few of these.
While I liked the AIOs, the drying time was killing me, so I decided to try some pocket diapers, which offered the convenience of AIO with less drying time. A love affair was born. I experimented with several brands and styles, but these days I primarily use Nubunz and Bum Genius 3.0 for daytime and Fuzzibunz with an extra insert for overnight.

At first I thought I’d be a liberal cloth diaperer. You know, when it was convenient for me, when we were at home, we’d use them, but when we went out or on longer trips or overnight, we’d use disposable. Instead, I have become so convinced of the benefits of cloth diapering that we are hard-core full-timers. A disposable diaper hasn’t touched my Adah’s tush in months. We’ve gone so far as to have gotten rid of the disposable wipes too! Who needs all the extra ingredients and to spend the extra money and fill the landfill with that trash? I make my own and even sell them in my Etsy store (http://www.etsy.com/shop/christihagen)
I love converting my friends to cloth diapers. So far I have managed to convince no less than 4 people to make the switch! My biggest piece of advice to someone interested in cloth diapers is that it isn’t as hard as you think; you can really do this! And, invest in a diaper sprayer. It’s worth every single penny.

--Christi H

WubbaNub Review

I was given the opportunity to use (well my son was) and review a WubbaNub Infant Pacifier. I had seen these around before but never had purchased one for either or my boys. Mainly because my oldest couldn't keep that kind of pacifier in his mouth for nothing and for my infant we just used the brand the hospital used. So when I had the opportunity to try out this cute pacifier I took it! Here is how it arrived, we got the cute puppy dog!
Before getting into to much detail about my experience I want to share a little about how the WubbaNub came to be. The following was taken directly from WubbaNub. To read more go here.

The Birth of WubbaNub... They say "necessity is the mother of invention " and for Carla Schneider, it was an absolute necessity that she soothe her infant baby on their first vacation as a family. What was supposed to be a relatively relaxing, blissful time was replaced with non-stop fussing and crying. After an entire night of the ever-persistent "missing pacifier syndrome", Carla knew she needed to take matters into her own hands. She found the hotel sewing kit and took her baby's favorite soft plush toy and sewed the pacifier right onto it. Thus, a happy ending for the Schneider family's vacation and the birth of the first WubbaNub!

About the product: The puppy attached to the pacifier is really light weight making it easier for the baby to keep the pacifier in their mouth with out a bunch of weight pulling down on it. The material is nice and soft and machine washable! The pacifier is a Soothie pacifier. One of the first things I looked at after opening the WubbaNub was how the pacifier was attached to the animal. It is attached really well at the dogs mouth by the stem of the pacifier. I gave it a few good pulls to see how strong it was.

Then on to the test subject. My cutie Z. Z usually uses a MAM pacifier, like the one we were given from the hospital. The two pacifiers have different structures and I wasn't sure how he would do sucking on the new pluggie(that's what we call a pacifier). It took him a minute with the WubbaNub but he got the hang of it. Here are a few shots of him using it in different positions. Belly, back, side, sitting up.
My Review:
Overall I really like this WubbaNub. Its a fun and cute alternative to a plain old pluggie. It has a really soft doggie attached and had no scratchy parts on it that made me worry. The Soothie pacifier was attached extremely well and I tugged good and hard on it to make sure it wouldn't come off. I really liked the fact that it was easy to find. I usually have to dig around down by the hips in the car seat to try and find a plug but with this it is much easier to find because it has the puppy attached. It is easy to clean because the pacifier is one solid piece so it does not have spots where gunk can build up in and get gross. It is also machine washable, air dry. One thing that Z likes is to hold onto something and this was great for that. We could put the pacifier in and he would hold on tight to the puppy part. The only problem that I found at this point is that he has a tendency to pull it out and he's not really old enough to get it back in. I think once he gets a little older and is able to put the pluggie in on his own this will be a great item to have!

Would you like a WubbaNub?
-You can go here to find a store near you that sells them. You can also purchase them at diapers.com (valued at around $12.95)


* This Product is being given by the WubbaNub company. I was not paid to do this giveaway. I received a WubbaNub to test and review. This review is of my own personal opinions.

Happy Birthday!

Its hard to believe that my baby boy is almost 2 years old. The other day my husband said to my son, "E your going to be 2 soon!" I got a sad face and said "No my baby can't be 2 yet." So my little E-man turned to me and said "Mommy, why sad?" It was the sweetest thing ever. I thought I would share with you a couple of special pictures in honor of his up coming birthday.

We went in on Labor Day..hahaha..and after having my water broken and being on pitocen for 22 hours, ugh!, we ended up with a c-section the next day. We didn't know what we were having and were blessed to welcome our E-man into the world at 8 pounds 11 ounces! This is a picture of me and my little E-man, which we do actually call him for a nick-name, shortly after I came up from recovery.
While in the hospital we watched him get yellower and yellower. He was poked so many times it broke my heart. We were able to leave the hospital on time but had to go back the next day for more blood work. That night the pediatrician called and ordered him to have a billi blanket. So he was our little glow worm for a while.

And now he is our busy, non stop, keep Mommy on her toes, adorable, little E-man!
We actually didn't start cloth diapering with him until he was 21 months old. We had just had our second and diapers were costly for two boys so we switched to cloth and haven't gone back. E-man loves to sit on the potty already but hasn't actually gone on it yet. I hope to start training him shortly after his birthday!

Cutey Baby "Thats a Wrap" Diaper

So recently while grocery shopping at my local Meijer store I came across a diaper called Cutey Baby...who would have thought that you could buy a cloth dipaer at a grocery store that usually specializes in diapers like Huggies and Pampers! I had to check them out. They had adorable prints for both boys and girls as well as wet bags. The wet bags ran about $10.00 and were about the size of a Planet Wise Medium wet bag (for size comparison). The material seems really nice and looks like it will hold up well. I am hoping to purchase one soon to try out. They also had a 2pk of inserts that are specially made for this diaper. Is made of microfiber and has a soft fleece lining on the top for going against baby's bottom.

So on to the diaper; I was actually surprised to see the empty slots on the shelf where the diapers were supposed to be hanging. The wraps were pretty picked over, but they did have a nice selection left. These wraps come in three sizes: Small (5-12), Medium (10-30) and Large (25-40). I purchased the medium to try on my boys. I paid 13.99 for this wrap which is a little more than a regular cover would cost. I did not purchase the inserts that Cuteybaby made specifically for this diaper. Their website says that you can use any type of insert or prefold with this wrap.The sizing on this medium diaper kind of worried me because it's supposed to fit 10-30 pounds. I was thinking it would either be way to small on my 28 pound toddler or way to big on my 13 infant. After getting home I threw it in the wash with my other diapers and waited. After I took the diaper out of the wash I decided to use it first because I was curious how it would work. Mainly because of the way it is made. The outside is made of a waterproof polyester that is laminated to prevent leaks and the inside is a soft fleece that wicks moisture away from the baby's bottom. There is a hole in the middle of the wrap that you stuff the inserts into. Because I didn't buy their inserts I had to come up with something of my own so I used a microfiber insert on the bottom with a insert that I picked up at a garage sale that I think might be home made but I'm not positive. It's made of flannel and has a fleece layer on top for against baby's skin. So with it stuffed I put it on my little guy and put it to the test. I was thinking that with the front of the diaper having the fleece lining coming down more that he would pee all over it but when I pulled it up he actually was not on the fleece liner but on the inserts. After 2 hours I decided to change him and for the next time we used the diaper on him I used a microfiber with a hemp on top. This time he truly put the diaper to the test with a major EBF poopy explosion! I was so afraid to look inside and see a huge mess. But after I took it off I was so surprised to find that the fleece liner actually contained the poo really well. It all went under the lining and onto the inserts. With that said, who wants to stick their fingers into that hole and pull out the inserts??? Not me! Which is good because with this diaper you dont have to! You throw it into the wet bag as is and the inserts come out in the wash. Very handy. However my toddler has yet to poo in this diaper, mainly because its usually on my infant, but I'm not sure how cleaning it would go. I don't have a diaper sprayer yet but I think that if you were to spray the poo it would all get caught up underneath the fleece liner. So you would almost have to remove the inserts anyways to clean up the mess.

Okay on to the fit of this diaper. I was actually quite happy with the way it fit my infant. With it fitting 10-30 pounds with no way to adjust the rise of the diaper I really thought I would have problems with this. However it fit great and we have not had any leaks yet. The front of the diaper velcro's shut. He had just enough of a gut so that it wasn't lose on him. There wasn't to much bulk in the front, I guess it just depends on what you stuff it with. I really like the Green Tribal print I purchased. On the back of the diaper is their label with pink flowers but its not to overwhelming on a boy. The rear of the diaper isn't to bulky either. It probably looks bigger than it really is in the picture, but it will also depend on what you stuff it with that will determine the final bulk. In the last picture I show the leg area of the diaper. There is a little bit of a gap between the diaper and the leg, and this was on my chunky 3 1/2 month old. When I put it on my skinny toddler there was no gap.

I didn't get any pictures of my toddler in this diaper but he has worn it a few times. It fits him really well as well. I have had no leaks as of yet with this diaper and hopes it continues this way. I might eventually purchase a few more of these wraps because they have some really cute prints, especially for boys and its hard to find cute boy prints. Over all I would say this is a good diaper, the only issue I have with it is the Velcro tabs. They are already curling and I am thinking I'm going to need to replace them already. When I looked online at their site says this diaper has removable Velcro tabs to prevent wear in the laundry but I can't find them on my diaper...