Welcome To Cloth Diaper Addiction!

If you would like us to review a product of yours please email us at: Kristina{at}clothdiaperaddiction{dot}com Thanks!

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April 28, 2011

Baby Go Green Fitted and Wool Cover Review

Wool has become my latest addiction - I absolutely love it. I was thrilled to review a fitted/wool cover combo from Baby Go Green. Amanda informed me that the fitted would be sherpa (I can translate. Sherpa, in Terra-Speak means, "The softest material you've ever touched") ;) and the wool soaker is a repurposed 100% merino wool sweater! I can't even imagine what this feels like on my lil guys bum!

The Fitted: A great OS (one-size) fitted that easily adjusts sizes.

Nice and trim!

All absorbency is sewn to the fitted.
The outside of the back.
Some extra absorbency.
As I said, this fitted is so incredibly soft. And, there is so much absorbency packed into this extremely trim fitted, we can easily go coverless for about an hour without feeling any wetness. In a messier note, my youngest has been teething and has had some disgusting diapers lately - this fitted has held it all in!

The wool soaker:

Super cute dinosaur!
The front.
The inside, completely sweater!
This soaker is bullet proof! We use it almost everyday and have been very pleased with it. It's a tad too big for my guy (it was custom sized and apparently, I was off a tad, hehe), but, it still works like a dream. I also love to pair it with a super-jam-packed fitted for night time use.

Sweet, little legs trying to figure out this whole standing thing

This combo is very trim and, as I mentioned earlier, bulletproof. We've yet to experience a leak. If you are looking for a more breathable option to fitteds and covers, wool is definitely the way to go, and repurposing sweaters, perfect! Thank you Amanda for the opportunity to try this combo out (and for adding to my wool addiction, hehe!)

You can view more of Amanda's creations at her etsy shop, PeanutPants as well as on her Facebook page, Baby Go Green. Be sure to say CDA sent you!

April 26, 2011

Infantino Cart Cover

How many of you go grocery shopping? Yes, that's right, every one of you. Now here is the biggie...how many of you go grocery shopping with your children in tow? I can honestly say that I try not to bring my to boys along when I go. My MLinkom usually watches them on Tuesdays for me so I can go out and do all my errands with out having to buckle and unbuckle two boys in and out of the car at each stop. Anyways... I was recently reading through Parents Magazine and seen a big yellow box that read GERM ALERT... and it was all about how gross and disgusting restaurants high chairs are even though they look clean. In a study done by scientists at 30 different restaurants they found more bacteria on the high chairs than they do on public restroom toilet seats! YUCK! Not to mention harmful bacteria like E.coli and MRSA. So what can you do to help keep your little ones safe? INVEST in sanitary wipes and a high chair cover. Infantino makes a cover that is good for those gross restaurant high chairs and the nasty shopping cars as well. I was given the opportunity to review their new Infantion Cloud Cover. Here is a quick look at it:

This cover covers the area your child is sitting in 360 degrees leaving no area uncovered and in open range of your little ones mouth. The back side features elastic all the way around.

The part that goes the side of the shopping cart, where their arms are at, comes with velcro to help keep it in place and makes it harder for them to rip off and pull away.
The front/inside of this cover comes with its own buckle and of course leg holes.

Here is the cover on my local Meijer shopping cart. It fit like a charm. There is a special section that goes over the back seat of the cart and then the side flaps that velcro and the front that goes over the whole handle bar area leaving nothing exposed.
Here is a side view of the cart. This is where it velcros on. You can also see the buckle and where it is located when its on the cart. Its down by the hips of the baby rather than up by the babys arm pits where the carts buckles are located.
The holes matched up well with the cart.

It also comes with loops to hook toys onto for your child to play with while shopping.Here is my little boy in the cover. I love the print!

Overall I really like this cover. I do have another cover that I used to use but it only went up and over the back and up and over the front handle leaving the sides open and allowed chewing on the cart. (gross). So I really like that this cover goes all the way around. One thing I didn't care for with this cover was the location of the buckle. It is down by the hips which gave my son more wiggly room. He would tip towards the sides and lean all the way forward. The buckle on the cover isn't attached to anything else so if I were to put my 2 1/2 year old and he tried standing up the buckle wouldn't really do any good because it would just pick right up with him. Other than that I really like this cover.

April 25, 2011

Monday Mommy

If you would like to be featured as a Monday Mommy go here.

I am pretty excited to share todays Monday Mommy (Not that I don't love all my other Monday Mommy's). Today is all about Amy who runs the blog Paint and Prozac. I personally know Amy, as she was one of my boss's at my last job, but don't worry, she is WONDERFUL and I love to check out blog out for things to do with my children. Amy however doesn't cloth diaper...oh well we still love her! Hope you enjoy reading about her AND find some amazing crafts ideas to do with your children.

Q: What is the focus of your blog?
A: Paint and Prozac is all about doing crafts with your little ones. I share craft ideas, supply recommendations, and tons of tips for making toddler crafts fun (for moms and kids). Each craft is easy, only requires a few materials and is rarely super messy.

Q: Tell me a little bit about your family, where you are from etc.
A: My husband and I have one 15 month old daughter, Finley. I worked in early childhood education for 10 years before becoming a stay at home mom. I have lived in The Mitten my whole life (except for a 3 month temporary move to Wisconsin) and I plan to stay here forever.

Q: What do you enjoy doing during the day with your children?
A: We enjoy crafts of course! We go to playgroup, story time at the library, and to the park (when it's not arctic). When we are at home we love music, reading books, blowing bubbles, and baking.

Q: What are some of your favorite blogs to check out? Do you visit blogs for fun, research, learning, to get ideas, etc?
A: I love to read blogs just for fun. My favorites are...
Heir to Blair-She always makes me laugh. So honest!
Enjoying the Small Things-She reminds me to slow down and soak in the moments.
A Year of Slow Cooking-So many great recipes for busy moms.
JennAnd Tonica-She has preemie triplets and I love them!

paintandprozac

April 22, 2011

Skoy Cloth Review


Kitchen sponges = Gross (in my book). There are some people in my house, who shall remain nameless, who always forget to squeeze all the excess water out of the sponge...then I go to pick it up hours (or days) later, and it's soaked with gross, old water (and who KNOWS what else....) Gross.

I was so excited to learn about Skoy cloths as an alternative to cleaning with paper towels and sponges, considering 2.5 million TONS of paper towels are filling up landfills annually. That's pretty gross too. You can find out everything about Skoy by reading their FAQ page, but I had to share that the biggest kicker for me in using a Skoy cloth is that one Skoy cloth is akin to using 15 rolls of paper towels! Pre-paperless-as-possible-kitchen, I was a paper towel addict. I could go through a roll a week. Ridiculous.

Using a Skoy cloth is super easy. You need to wet it with water prior to using. Doing this makes it go from feeling almost cardboard like, to feeling 'thick paper towel' like. After that, get to cleaning! Once you're done, allow it to air dry (note: it will dry in whatever way you lay it. If you lay it flat, it will dry flat. If you lay it hanging over a bottle of cleaner, it will dry in a 'hanging' U shape).
I confess, I'm absolutely addicted to my Skoy cloths! I received a 4-pack for review, I have two in the kitchen: one for dishes that don't make it into the dishwasher and another for cleaning the counters multiple times a day. I have a third one set aside for bathroom cleaning. The forth is waiting in the wings, yet to be used.

The cloths last through a lot of cleaning. I've been using the one on my counters for a month now, many times a day, and other than being slightly discolored, it still works as great as day 1! I've read that it can be used for over a year! I'm excited to see how long my cloths last.
I had read on the Skoy site that the cloths were dishwasher safe. Really now? So, here went nothing! I'm not sure if I didn't do it correctly, but the cloth came out pretty icky and, even with going through the heated dry cycle, was still wet, and didn't seem clean...

I also read that it was microwave safe WHEN WET! Doing this will kill any bacteria growing within the cloth. I tried this option as well. Please note: when removing the cloth from the microwave: it will be very hot. Give it a minute and then rinse with cool water and allow to dry. This worked well enough, felt clean...

And then I read that you can wash them in the washer! I've since started throwing my gunky (ie: I just cleaned the bathroom or my whole kitchen) Skoy cloths with our un-paper towels. This is definitely my preferred method of cleaning my Skoy cloths.

The cloths are a perfect size. And have two different textured sides:
Skoy cloths are made from natural materials (unlike sponges or microfiber cloths) and are completely biodegradable (ie: throw it in your compost if it reaches the end of its life cycle, or at least don't have a guilty conscience when throwing it out in the trash!)

For those of you with children who are school aged, you know fundraisers are always happening. Well, Skoy has a fundraising program! Your school will receive 40% of the money earned! (click on the link to learn more about the program if you are interested).

If you are interested in purchasing Skoy cloths, feel free to click here and start shopping!

Disclaimer: I received a 4-pack of Skoy cloths for review. All opinions are my own and you may have a different experience.

Made in the Red Barn Review

As I mentioned yesterday, I recently made the switch to a (nearly) paperless kitchen. The key ingredient in a paperless kitchen is having cloth towels, or "unpaper towels" within easy reach. Here is my set up: As you can see, there is a roll of paper towels still hiding on the counter, but, having the unpaper towels closer keeps us from using the paper towels (I have an unspoken goal to remove the paper towels from the counter by May...Even if they are under the sink, I just want them off the counter).

I wanted to support a WAHM/D/F (mom/dad/family) when purchasing my unpaper towels and kept seeing Made in the Red Barn on Etsy. I originally found them because of their unpaper towels, but in browsing their shop, I discovered their Towel House for those unpaper towels. I found a Green Apple one to match my rugs (brown/lime green) and fell in love!
It seems the older I get, the more obscure the gifts I ask for on birthdays and holidays: I begged for a Towel House and unpaper towels for my birthday. I was thrilled to receive the Apple Green towel house and 2 dozen unpaper towels - a dozen white and a dozen Caribbean Blue.

The unpaper towels are made from birdseye flats, are prewashed, and get softer and more absorbent as you wash them. The colors are so rich and vibrant (this picture does no justice).
The towel house was no where near as large as I expected (which is a good thing!) It holds 2 dozen unpaper towels and is a perfect addition to my counter top. I have tried flannel napkins in the towel house, but the birdseye cotton napkins definitely work better. Some great things about the towel house - you don't have to fold the napkins, just stuff them in (this is where my big boys come in. Keaton gets the white towels and Benjamin gets the blue and as I sort through the towel laundry, I toss a towel to them and they stuff my towel house for me!)

The unpaper towels pull out easily from the bottom as you need them.
While I still have a basket with a dozen folded flannel napkins right next to the Towel House, I find myself reaching for the Made in the Red Barn towels more frequently.

Disclaimer: I received 2 dozen unpaper towels and a Towel House from Made in the Red Barn as a gift for my birthday. I was not compensated in any way for this review and all opinions are my own.

April 21, 2011

Sweet Slings: Kitchen Wetbag Review

I recently made the switch in my kitchen to go as paperless as possible. I had made some large hanging hand towels, but confess that I was a bit too lazy to make a couple dozen cloth napkins. So in the spirit of supporting the WAHF (family), I got a couple sets off Etsy.

My next concern was what to do with the dirty napkins and towels, without making half a dozen trips to laundry baskets throughout the day. I wanted a wet bag (since some towels/napkins/rags do get wet in cleaning up the kitchen) and I needed to be able to hang it. While browsing Etsy, I saw this little cutie in the Sweet Slings shop:
I knew that it was exactly what I wanted: A hanging wet bag, cute print and large enough to hold a couple days' worth of napkins and towels.
This has been great for our switch! Not only does the wet bag add a splash of color to our drab kitchen, as well as provide a conversation piece, I am able to throw in dirty towels and napkins as needed. I can go approximately 3-4 days between washings and my routine is barely messed with! And the print is perfect for a kitchen!
The wet bag itself is excellently made. Shanna has sewn the bag so the PUL (the waterproof material) doesn't come out in the wash (one less thing to 'stuff' in this cloth diaper house!)
The snaps/straps stay out of the way, and easily move across the stove handle as needed.

And the size of the bag is perfect - 13inches wide by 20inches tall. If you're looking to green up your kitchen, while not a necessity, this wetbag will definitely make things easier!

Disclaimer: I purchased my own wet bag for use in our home. I was not compensated in any way for this review. All opinions are my own and you may have a different experience.

April 20, 2011

Bummas Wipes

Awhile ago I had the opportunity to review a set of Bummas Wipes. You can find my review here. I did uses them as cloth wipes and they worked well. But recently I have started finding new ways that I can be more 'green' so to speak in my home by reducing the amount of waste we produce by using reusable items in other areas of our home. That is where the Bummas wipes come into play. I was doing the dishes a couple of weeks ago and my dish sponge was getting pretty gross and was ready to be tossed out. So in the trash it went and I was left standing at the sink wondering what to use...(yes, we wash dishes with our hands, not a dish washer- feel sorry me here and then be done)...anyways I remembered that I had a stack of Bummas wipes sitting on the back our our toilet (we were using them for our son while potty training) that were nice and CLEAN. Now try not to be grossed out by the fact that I used the same wipes for washing dishes as I did for wiping up poop but seriously, they were clean, no stains on them or anything like that. So I grabbed a couple of those wipes and brought them to the kitchen. I thought the size of them was perfect for this job. I hate using a big ole' wash cloth because its bulky and always bunches up in the wrong spots and is a pain to use, the Bummas wipes are smaller like a dish sponge and worked great. Plus the fact that they have a soft side and a rougher textured side was great for scrubbing. So I can happily say that I was able find a great solution to my problem while saving money and helping the environment!

But what else can you use Bummas Wipes for? Here is a list of some of the things I have used them for:
-Cloth Wipes
-Toilet cleaners for the potty training sprinkles that don't make it in the bowl but rather on the bowl.
-Washing hands and faces (great for bath time too)
-Cleaning off the high chair tray
-wiping off glasses
-dusting
-dishes
-and more!

These wipes come in really handy. I love that they are small and don't take up much space. Have you tried the Bummas Wipes? What do you think of them? What have you used them for?

Monkey Foot Designs

Each day I am always eager to check my mail to see what goodies I might find. When I received my package from Monkey Foot Designs I was thrilled! For starters, I not only have a cloth diaper addiction but a wet bag addiction as well. I have at least 7 wet bags and 3 pail liners. But I have a good excuse... I use them for EVERYTHING! So I opened my package up knowing this would be for our 'Earth Week' and was in awe! The bag came folded nicely and tied with a string with little cards tied to it telling about the bag and the company.
I carefully opened it up to see the print. IN LOVE! I have to say that having 2 boys and of course my hubby in the house has kind of made me go green and blue so to speak. Everything I buy even shirts for myself are of blues and greens. I need some more color in my life! So then I got this bag with all these bright beautiful colors and shall we say incredible print and I was stoked! I now own something nice and colorful and slightly girly although still boy appropriate.
Check it out: This bag is the medium size. It has a neat handle/strap that snaps open and shut for easily attaching to what ever. It also has a nice strong zipper on it.
The inside of the bag is a nice strong material. Its not a typical PUL like you would find in your cloth diapers. They use a material called ProCare Lining.
I love this wet bag and have found many different purposes for it.
What do I think?
-I am in love! I truly love this wet bag. It it was larger it would be my main wet bag for diapers. I have used this bag for snacks (pictured above), sippy cups they 'claim' to be spill proof but are not. I have used this for our wet bag when little guy is in the church nursery. I love that its small enough that I can snap it onto the outside of my diaper bag, stroller or whatever I need to and it doesn't get in the way. The quality of this bag is great and I haven't had one single issue with it. I recommend if you are looking for a great wet bag, made of great materials, and that has beautiful prints you check out Monkey Foot Designs! Oh and you can use this wet bag for cloth wipes and mama cloth, nursing pads etc, it is the perfect size!

While browsing around on Monkey Foot Designs I found a section that said: "Psst... did you hear that MFD wet bags are being used by NASA's astronauts on the Space Station? Check it out HERE!" I mean how AWESOME is that! Great article by the way, you should go read it!