Oeko Popo - Review

The Versatility Cover from Oeko Popo isn't like every other cover on the market. Yes, it's a cover, but it can also become an AI2 if you so choose, or you can even make it a Pocket!For starters there are two different diapers offered by Oeko Popo - The Versatility Cover (which I received for review) and the Trim Cut (TCS). Both come in 2 sizes: Size 1 (5-18lbs, complete with an umbilical snap for those early days) and Size 2, or the One-Size (8-40lbs). The biggest difference between the two is the width in the crotch of the diaper. The TCS has a (you guessed it!) trimmer fit, whereas the Versatility Cover is wider to accommodate fitting over a wider range of diapers.The Pocket Sleeve comes complete with gussets and it snaps into the cover (I received for review, a "snap in insert" so mine did not have the gussets, as you can see from my pictures). But, the gusseted sleeves would allow you to reuse the cover, just as with a fitted or prefold, but the diaper acts like an AI2/AIO or pocket!Custom Embroidery makes the diapers YOURS (or, ahem, your child's!) You can click here to see all the options available from Oeko Popo, or even suggest your own! I loved the goofy face on the back of the Oeko Popo I received for review! My big boys found it especially funny and anyone who has seen it has definitely gotten a laugh too!And the amount of snaps on the Oeko Popo guarantee that you will find a fit for your little one - Crossover snaps, 3 different rise settings, and two rows to adjust both tummy and thigh, as well as to prevent wing droop!
We have really enjoyed trying out the Oeko Popo. The fit is fantastic with all diapers that we have tried it with.We mostly used it with the Snap-In Insert that was provided with the Versatility Cover. The Snap-In Inserts are made out of 3 layers of microfiber and then a layer of PUL and are incredibly absorbent!
We have also tried it a number of times paired with a fitted diaper, and again, works great! The width was perfect for covering all fitteds we tried it with and we never had any leaks.We also tried this with a double-stuffed prefold for bedtime one night - and again, perfection! No leaks, dry baby, happy mama!

The Oeko Popo comes in a slew of colors - blue, red, green, pink, violet, orange and yellow, as well as a couple of prints - camo, jeans and whales. Combine this with embroidery and the amazingness packed into this diapers, and you have yourself a great alternative to other covers/pockets/AI2's out there!

You can find Oeko Popo via the following links:
Oeko Popo website
Oeko Popo Hyena Cart
Oeko Popo on Facebook
Oeko Popo on Twitter

Disclaimer: I received for review: 1 Versatility Cover in yellow and 1 Snap-In Insert. All opinions are honest and my own.

Lil' Helper AI2 Diapers

Lil Helper is a newer companies based out of Canada. I was contacted by them to review their AI2 diaper...I was floored when I received this awesome package of products to review!

First a little 'history' on Lil Helper. The items pictured above were created by two MEN! That's right, MEN who were looking for better cloth diapering options for their children. After putting their heads together (over a period of 2 years) and playing around with their ideas on CAD software (yup on a computer) they finally perfected their products to be exactly what they wanted them to be.

So on to the items I was able to review for Lil Helper. I was sent all three of their different types of diapers. They have the following:
-Original Cloth which is made with a PUL outer and microfleece on the inside lining. (pictured in yellow)
-Bamboo Cloth which is made with a PUL outer and organic bamboo cotton inner lining. (Pictured in purple with dots)
- Charcoal Bamboo Fleece which is made with a waterproof organic Bamboo PUL and has organic bamboo charcoal fleece lining. (pictured in red)


Below you can really see the different materials used for each kind of diaper.
So a basic run down of the AI2 Lil Helper Diapers. These diapers offer the 3 rise snap settings allowing the diaper to fit from 7 pounds up to approximately 35 pounds. There are two rows of snaps across the waist, One that goes all the way across and then the second row are more of hip snaps. This allows you to adjust the diaper tighter or looser around the legs and/or waist to provide a perfect fit. It also features cross over tabs for the tiny babies
The inside of the diapers have a snap at the front and back where you attach the snap on inserts. There is elastic across the back top of the diaper as well.
There are three different options for inserts. They do 'match' a particular diaper shell but can go into any of the shells that you wish. Below in the picture are the inserts starting left to right:
-Organic Bamboo insert
-Cotton insert
-Bamboo Charcoal insert
Here is a quick look at the inserts. Each set of inserts comes with a small and large insert. The back side of the large insert has a snap at the front and back where it snaps into the shell. The front (as pictured) has two snaps on one end. This is where the small insert hooks on to it. The small insert has 4 snaps all on the same side (as pictured). The two on the ends in the middle is where you would snap the insert into the shell if you were going to use just the one small insert. Otherwise you would use the two outer snaps on the one end to hook it to the large insert and then snap the large insert into the shell. (I hope that makes sense!)
I was also sent two of their wet bags to review. The first, which is a yellow zipper bag is shown below. It is a single layer of pul and has a nice strap on it to hang from a stroller, diaper bag, or even a changing table...what ever you need to strap it to. This bag can hold 3-4 diapers.
The second wet bag they make is a pull chord/toggle bag. This can hold around 3 diapers as well. The pull string is easy to use and the toggle is a nice size to grab, not tiny like some others I have seen.
And last but not least are the Lil Helper wipes. These are so soft! One side is a bamboo material and the other side is a soft fleece. Nice and gentle on the babys bottom, especially if they have a rash.
You can view a video of the diapers here that Lil Helper put together. Its a really fun one showing off the sizing on their diapers!

Here is the AI2 diaper on my DS. He looks like he has major bubble butt in this picture but he is just bending funny. It actually is really cute and trim. I love the yellow...its my favorite color!
Here is a front shot. DS is almost 20 months, he is 27 pounds. I have it set on the middle rise setting for him and the snaps around the waist still have plenty of room for growing.
I was really nervous at first about putting the Charcoal bamboo diaper on my son because, well, its all fleece and fleece is a natural repellant for liquids but it turns out that it can actually hold a lot of pee! We didn't have any leaking issues with the fleece and it was super soft against DS's bottom. The bamboo cotton and regular cotton diapers are also really nice and soft. The Bamboo cotton is so super soft and the regular cotton diaper has a birdseye (like prefold material) feeling to it but it also held a lot of pee.

We haven't had any leak issues with these diapers and I am pretty pleased with their performance.

Lil Helper also has a great program called "BabyDoGood" Where they donate one diaper for every 3 diapers purchased from them. You can read more about the program here.

Be on the look out for a giveaway of Lil Helper Products on December 12th as a part of our 12 Days of Clothmas giveaway event! Its going to be great and its going to be huge! Lots of fun giveaways Dec 1-12th!

buybuy BABY Hint

Hello dear readers!

Thanks to the holidays, illnesses, a procedure, and the hospitalization of a family member...life is a bit crazy right now... This post will be short and sweet. =)

Anyone have a buybuy BABY store near them? buybuy BABY is a chain similiar to Babies "R" Us. Anyway, they actually carry bumGenius diapers (and a couple of other brands). Here is the reason for my post: they take competitor's coupons...which means it's time to stock up on those $5 off your order of $15 coupons from Bed Bath and Beyond. Why? You can get a new bumGenius diaper for $12.99! That's a great deal!

Thought I'd clue you into that deal. =)

Keep your eyes open for our 12 Days of Clothmas coming up...there are lots of things just waiting to be given away!

BabyVille Boutique

Something I enjoy doing is sewing, granted I'm not like a professional seamstress or anything like that and I don't think I would ever sell anything I make. I do like to make baby blankets as gifts though. I can do those pretty good. So, anyways, When I heard about a company called Babyville Boutique I decided to check it out. They make and sell cloth diaper related sewing supplies. And the best part is that you can buy them locally, and not just online! I contacted the company about doing a review and here is what they sent me.
I received a 3pk of boy print diaper cuts, their cloth diaper sewing book which includes patterns, a pack of patch embellishments, fold over elastic, aplix and snaps. A great variety of items.
Here is a picture of their PUL. I love the lil monster print. I have heard that some people have had issues with their PUL separating but I haven't had any issues with this.
I decided to make a large diaper but wasn't sure what kind. I went with a cover/AI2 diaper shell. I used the pattern from the BabyVille Boutique pattern book. It was pretty easy to follow along to their directions. I used snaps for this cover.
So here is my finished diaper cover. I think it looks pretty good. I did alter where my snaps went from where their pattern says to place them mainly because I know where I like snaps on my diapers.

I did cross over snaps as well as hip snaps.

The outside of the diaper opened up.

The inside of the diaper opened up. I used a soft fleece on the inside.Here is the diaper on my son. I used a best bottoms insert snapped into this cover and it worked really well. I haven't had any leak issues at all with this cover which is great. One thing that I don't care for with this patter in the extra bulk in the middle of the diaper. You can see there is a lot bunched up between the legs. However, their pattern offers a trim fit diaper or a wider fit diaper and I did the wider fit which adds in the extra material between the legs. The next diaper I make I will use the trim fit for.

So where can you get these products locally? I found mine at Joann Fabrics. Above is a picture of what is available at my store. I had so much fun looking at the items. While I was there there was a group of 3 elderly ladies checking out the items as well. They were so impressed with 'modern' cloth diapers and I showed them the one my son was wearing too. It was so funny to hear what they were talking about related to cloth diapers. You can also purchase these online at Joann Fabrics.

Babyville Boutique has offered to give a reader their own set of diaper making supplies in winners choice of Girl, Boy or GN! To enter you will need to fill out the form below.

Links:
Babyville Boutique
Babyville Boutique on Facebook
Babyville Boutique on Twitter

I was sent products from Babyville Boutique to use and review. All opinions are of my own and I did not receive payment to write this review.

Smartipants - Review

The Smartipants OS Pocket diaper is "the #1 OS Diaper on Diaperpin" for a reason! There are 6 (listed) features that make Smartipants so unique:1. Leak-Guard Technology: This is basically an extra liner (it forms a pocket and the pocket holds the insert). Most pocket diapers have Waterproof material on the outside, then the absorbent insert and then the liner that touches baby's skin. Not Smartipants! They have waterproof material, liner, insert, liner! Just a little bit more protection from any unsightly leaks.

2. The Smart Sleeve: I have a few diapers that feature this type of design and I adore it - basically, the sleeve design allows the inserts to come out in the wash - no need to pull our soggy or poopy inserts! Hurrah!
3. Soft Waterproof Outer Fabric: This diaper's outer fabric IS super soft, and doesn't end up feeling yucky on your fingers after a few washes!

4. Gentle Stretch Elastic: I love the back elastic - my youngest was on an antibiotic last week...resulting in major messes. He leaked out of all diapers except this one. The elastic is so tight and good, but doesn't leave red marks on his legs - double bonus!

5. Adjustable Snaps: 3 different rise settings + crossover snaps = awesome. Throw in the 2 year guarantee on the snaps and you're set!

6. Ultra-Premium Production: Promises of ultra-soft and high performing materials, made right here in the USA.

So, now that you've learned what makes up Smartipants, what about how it works?

In a word.

Amazingly.

The Smart Sleeve is wide enough to allow room for other inserts making it great for adjusting the absorbency.This makes the Smartipants ideal for nighttime, naps and long wearing sessions. I did try the Smartipants OS a few times at night (with an additional hemp booster for some extra absorbency) and it worked so well - no leaks to speak of!

The Smartipants claims to fit from 7-35lbs, making it a great OS fit from birth to potty time. With the wide variety of snap options - both on the rise and the waist - you can easily adjust this to fit your little one.And the fit? It fits GREAT! I feel that it is a little wide through the crotch, but with the phenomenal elastic, there has never been any leaks (and we definitely have had the opportunity for them!) Other than that, every where else, it fits like a dream.

My little model is clocking in at approximately 26lbs these days and the Smartipants fits great:(He also doesn't stand still for pictures) ;)
The fit is VERY trim! Most of our pants that fit over our cloth diapers were falling off of Caedmon with this particular diaper! (So for those of you hoping to avoid "bubble butt" this diaper is definitely one to check out!)Showing off the back & leg elastic:(We also have a hard time keeping hands off our bellies and out of diapers. sigh!)The fit across the tummy was nice and flat.

And the colors, oh the COLORS!You can purchase any of these colors in a variety of package sizes - single, 3-pack, 12-pack and 24-pack. And of course, the more you purchase, the more you save!

You can find Smartipants via the following social networking links:
Smartipants Facebook page
Smartipants Twitter page

Disclaimer: I received one Smartipants OS Pocket Diaper for review. All opinions are honest and my own.

Thanksgiving Turkeys

Need a last minute idea for Thanksgiving favors? I found this adorable idea online and enlisted my kiddos! Here's what you need:

Toliet paper rolls

Brown paint and/or brown markers

Googly eyes

Red/orange construction paper

Scissors

Feathers (any fall colors will work)

Craft glue

Happy participants! =)

First I had the kiddos color and paint the toliet paper rolls. We have 10 Thanksgiving guests to prepare for so they were able to color some and paint some.

While that kept them busy, I got to work cutting out the beaks, the "gobblers", and the feet for the turkeys.

Does anyone do Muffin Tin Mondays (or Tuesdays, or Wednesdays, or...)? We do! I thought it would be fun to put those tins to use and help the kiddos know what each turkey needed. They helped me count the eyes and make sure that each tin had all of the turkey parts needed.

Then it was time to assemble! One really handy tip I've learned along the way includes a paper muffin cup and Q-tips. I put a small amount of glue in each paper muffin cup and gave them a couple of Q-tips. This helps keep the mess a little more contained and allows them to do the gluing by themselves. They were VERY excited to get going!

We allowed our projects to completely dry before I added the finishing touch: names to make them into place cards. I added a little slit to each side of the turkey and wiggled the paper down in.

And because no party favor is complete without an edible treat - I plan to hide homemade peanut butter cups under each turkey. =) Enjoy!

May each of you have a happy Thanksgiving this year!