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March 31, 2011

Fare Well to Under Cover Month

I can hardly believe that Under Cover Month is over already! It has gone by so incredibly fast! I think that this event was a huge success and that everyone was able to learn some useful information. I myself was also learning as I tried out new products (like wool). I am looking forward to some other great things that we have in store for the future as well! Here are some things coming soon to Cloth Diaper Addiction:

April 17-23 Green Week : Ways to save money and the earth by simply choosing reusable items rather than their paper foe!

May will have a special Wet Bag and Pail liners feature

AND

JUNE! will be time to celebrate! We will be celebrating Cloth Diaper Addcition's 1 year BirthVersary! (we didn't know what to call it...is it a birthday? or an Anniversary?...we decided BOTH!)

If you would like to sponsor a giveaway for our BirthVersary please send me an email.

And now the moment you have all been waiting for,

OUR UNDER COVER WINNERS!
All winners will be contacted via Email to get your information. If your item is a custom item, it will obviously take some time to make and get sent out. Items already made will be able to ship right away. Congrats to all the winners and if you are bummed you don't win don't worry, we have so many AMAZING reviews and giveaways coming up!

(All winners will receive an email from Cloth Diaper Addiction to get your information and choices for size, fabric etc. If you do not receive and email right away don't worry, it will take some time to get all the emails sent out!)

-Natural Family Supplies WollyPop Cover & OsoCozy Prefold with snappi:
Jenn Nolda


-Natural Family Supplies SB Wool Cover and OsoCozy fitted:
Leann LaPresti


-Bumpkins Cover from Natural Pure Essentials:
Rebecca Smith


-GoGreen Baby Bummis Polar Fleece Cover and Baby Kicks Prefold:
Kim McIntosh

-PetitePeeps bloomer:
Lindsey Skoog


-Mother-ease RikkiWrap and Sandy's fitted:
Laura Jackson


-Cheeky Diapers Fitted and Cover :
Amanda Kump


-Zookies Cover:
Miranda Uhl


-Fluffy Monkey Butts Fitted:
Sara Danczak

-Star Baby Designs Fitted:
Colleen Maurina


-$20 Gift Certificate to The Eli Monster:
Lindsey (Lindseygalvez@...)

-Discount of 75% off one item to Caprichos:
Amanda Bove

-Thirsties Duo Prefold:
Christina (Chrismt25@....)

Congratulations to all the winners!!!
And thank you to all the sponsors who helped make Under Cover Month possible!

March 27, 2011

Wool time!

Because I don't know very much about wool I asked around and found a wonderful Mama who was more than willing to help not only me but all you wonderful readers as well! Sabrina Radke offered to write up a great post for us AND was able to get some giveaways! Here is her article on wool:

When I first started cloth diapering I jumped in head first and researched and tried everything I could get my hands on including wool. I met lots of ladies that had been cloth diapering for years that hadn’t even considered wool because it was ‘overwhelming’ and ‘hard’. I think anything new can be overwhelming at first especially when there is a right and wrong way to do things and several steps involved, however wool doesn’t have to be difficult or frustrating and you may even find it to be your favorite thing and a new obsession to add to your cloth diapering adventure.
First thing to know is there are different ways wool is made into covers. Either by knitting/crochet out of wool yarn, interlock which is cut from yardage (think of fabric stores material) and sewn like clothing or upcycled out of sweaters that are cut and sew into covers. I prefer upcycled for a few reasons, number one you get use out of unused sweaters which usually means affordability and second the possibilities of colors and designs are endless.

There are several different types of covers you might come across when trying to choose wool, first is the soaker which is a cover that looks kind of like underwear, typically a pull on cover that is sized. Next would be shorties and longies which are exactly how they sound, shorts and pants both sized typically. For the little ladies skirties are a choice which usually has a soaker under a skirt that is attached and again sized. Lastly you may come across a one sized snap cover which is my favorite for overnight use for a couple of reasons being I am a one sized type of gal mostly and since we have a super heavy wetting little guy the adjustability of a snap closure cover with rise snaps helps when we need to add absorbency or bulk and not have to stretch our covers out of shape. Pictures of all covers are at the bottom of this post courtesy of CCbaby.
wool skirtie

This leads me to a few facts about wool-it is SUPER absorbent. Obviously you need to have a great diaper underneath however when properly lanolized (don’t worry I will get to that!) wool is very absorbent (I always ask for my wool to have an extra wet zone area sewn in for extra coverage). Wool is naturally anti bacterial; when urine mixes with the wool fiber it turns into salt water (the process is called salinization-thanks to Vilate from Nifty Nappy for explaining this on her website!) which is why when your covers are wet you can simply air dry and reuse several times only having to wash once every couple of weeks. Wool is also very breathable, it is literally like having a sweater on your baby’s tush and air flows right through so less rash and redness which is why we use wool EVERY night, no more red blotchy spots from not enough air flow for hours on end.
wool soaker

How many covers you have really depends on your use, if you only use it overnight you might only want a few covers so you can rotate them and have one on hand if another is drying from the wash/lanolize process or if you want to use during the day as well maybe you want a couple of pairs of longies and shorties for use in summer and winter as outfit bottoms. Currently my guy sleeps through the night and then takes a long nap in the morning so we use 2 covers a day and I have a bit of an addiction (just like cloth diapers!) so we have quite a little wool collection. There are lots of wool brands out there and lots of price ranges, just like cloth diapers and I have tried several of them and read mixed reviews on them as well. In my experience with cloth diapers and wool covers the most expensive isn’t always the best so you have to try and see what works for you and your baby but I would recommend trying affordable first, if you find you don’t like wool at all or don’t like the brand you first tried at least you aren’t out a ton of money. Janna is the brilliant creator behind CCbaby on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/ccbabycrafts) and Hyenacart (http://hyenacart.com/ccbaby/) is very affordable with Facebook sales and prices as low as $10 to start. Janna taught me almost everything I know about wool and has a plethora of information on her page about different types of wool, care and use of coves and offers a great referral program and frequent buyer program. She also outlines how to measure your baby for sized covers so not only is everything custom and low cost but a perfect fit.
wool longies

I had my first batch of wool covers for over a month before I washed and lanolized them because I was so sure I would mess up that I just kept putting it off. When I finally did it I realized that the hardest part was the long wait for them to dry. Dry time will obviously be longer on your thicker wool items. I simply lay my covers on my bar stools to dry and flip them over every few hours and they dry within a day or so. Some people lay their covers on top of their dryer (interlock can actually be washed and dried in your machine) however I don’t want to risk shrinkage so I don’t put them on my dryer. Another thing to avoid while drying your covers is hanging, this will stretch your covers out, and dangling wet isn’t good.
wool snap cover

To wash your wool covers you need a few things that you might already have; Eucalan delicate wash, Lansinoh brand lanolin (yes the kind you use for breastfeeding!) and I use a small glass jar with a lid-mine is actually an old bouillon cube jar.

1. Simply fill up your clean sink with luke warm water (hot water will shrink your wool and it is very difficult to un-shrink wool) and a cap full of your Eucalan and soak for as little as 15 minutes or as long as you like. I usually soak for an hour or so but you can’t soak for too long so if you forget about them and come back a day later no worries.
2. Once you drain the sink and gently squeeze out the excess water, don’t wring just squeeze.
3. Next take your little glass jar and squeeze about an inch of your Lansinoh into it with a little water and a drop or two of Eucalan. I then heat it in the microwave for maybe 40 seconds just long enough for the lanolin to melt. Screw on your lid and remove from the microwave-IT WILL BE HOT so I use a towel and shake up the jar to mix the ingredients.
4. Then fill up your sink again with warm water and mix in your jar solution and let soak for a few hours. I soak overnight.
5. Once you drain your sink squeeze out excess water just like before then roll up in a clean towel to get more water out and lay flat to dry. You wool will feel tacky or sticky which is fine and it will not hurt your diapers.
shorties

Lansinoh can be found in several local stores across the nation and one lucky Cloth Diaper Addiction reader will win some! Please be sure to like Lansinoh USA on Facebook and thank them for the giveaway!

March 26, 2011

Caprichos Wool Cover Review

First Confession: Before Under Cover Month, I had never used wool.
Second Confession: Since Under Cover Month started, I am now so in love with wool. And this love affair all started with this beauty.
It's no secret in our home that I'm drawn to more 'natural' rustic colors. When I contacted Laura of Caprichos, I immediately fell in love with this cover. However, I sat and looked at it for what seemed like forever before I finally bit the bullet and prepped it. I was so certain I was doing it wrong OR it just was not going to work. I let it dry and the next day, I put the cover on my sweet boy over a fitted. It was (is!) so soft. And fit(s) him like a dream.
It came time for nap time and I really wanted to test what this cover could do. So, I left him in it and held my proverbial breath. A nice two hour nap later, and it was still holding up strong.
I have since acquired a few more wool covers and longies and I cannot get enough of them! And I have Laura to thank!

The only thing about this cover that isn't my cup of tea is the velcro (I'm just not a velcro fan), but that doesn't stop me from reaching for this wool cover as soon as it is dry and ready to go again!
I was so worried that our home would smell like wet sheep or something when the cover got wet, but, of course, it doesn't. The lanolizing process was super easy (I confess to being too impatient though - the air drying drives me crazy, sitting there just staring at the beautiful wool just waiting to be used! At least it doesn't need to be washed every time the cover is used!) I really do love this cover. I use it almost everyday! It has proven to be bulletproof for us.

If you haven't tried wool before, I would really encourage you to give it a try! Find a friend who loves it (or ask on our Facebook wall for any help!)

Disclaimer: I received a wool cover from Caprichos for review for the Under Cover Event. All opinions are my own and you may have a different experience.

March 25, 2011

Milk Made Momma

Using Wool covers requires a little more than just your normal cloth diaper detergents. With wool you have to use the right kind of soaps/washes so that you don't ruin the material. Once I received my wool I had to find something to lanolize it with as well as wash it with. I contacted Milk Made Momma on etsy and was given the chance to review her Pure Lanolin Soap.
Here is a little bit of information about the soap taken from her store:
"Here at MilkMadeMomma, we choose to keep ingredients simple, with names you can recognize and pronounce! As a result, our products have a shorter shelf life (6-12 months), and are closer to Nature and better for the environment...AND your Baby's skin!"
I was able to convo back and forth with Becca from Milk Made Momma about the soap which was so nice becasue I honestly had no clue what I was doing. Here is a little bit of what she told me:
"I have used everything I sell. I especially love the WoollyMomma Lanolin Soap...its mild and lightly scented in Warm Coconut. Its good for lanolizing while you cleanse your covers/soakers/inserts. The Wash is good for spot treatment (like if Baby poops on your wool!) without stripping your wool fibers down (which is BAD! The lanolin on the fibers is what keeps your covers supple and water-resistant!)."

Becca was more than willing to answer any questions I had and was a huge help.

The bottle comes with a nice pump to use to squire out the amount you need. I followed the directions for washing and lanolizing. I used my sink to do all of this in. After filling the sink with the recommend water and amount of soap I...well the cover, too the plunge. Into the sink it went. I thought it looked cool so I took a picture! I had to push it down into the water to get it soaked so it would all be covered evenly.
And then you wait for what seems like forever, well at least it does for a first timer...
I then drained the sink and rinsed with cold water. I'm not sure if this is how everyone does it but this was what I had found out during my research. I also learned that should not sqweese or twist the soaker because it will cause it to loose form and it won't fit like it's supposed to. After rinsing it I gently pushed on it to get excess water out.
Then I laid it on top of a towel
Next I rolled it up nice and tight and squeezed it as I rolled to get out any water I could.
All rolled up. I pushed on this some to get more water out.
Then I unrolled the towel and had to get a picture of the imprint the cover left.

Then onto the top of my washing machine it went to dry...and dry...and dry...It took about 36 hours to dry completely before I could use it. I did flip it inside out about halfway through because the inside was pretty damp yet.
While the process of caring for wool may seem time consuming it really wasn't to bad. I was still really nervous about doing everything because I was afraid I was going to do something wrong. The soap that Milk Made Momma sent me smells really good. I never had to use it for the spot treating but I thought it did do well to wash and clean it up. Some moms will wash their wool covers every 4 - 6 weeks but Becca from Milk Made Momma said she usually does hers about every 3 weeks. It just depends on how much the cover is used and if it gets soiled. The soap also contained lanolin in it but I did have a little bit of a problem with the soaker getting wet. I'm not sure if this is normal ( I wouldn't think so) but I also think part of my problem was because the item I was using under the cover wasn't that absorbent.

If you are in the market for some soap I would recommend Milk Made Mommas. Not that I have tried a whole lot but I was pleased with its performance. Becca was wonderful to work with and I appreciate her allowing me to review her soap and giving me helpful advise!

Sustainablebabyish Knit Wool Cover

Wool. YIKES! A lot of us have ZERO experience with wool but are so tempted to try it out. But where in the world do you start? I had no idea what to do with wool when I was given the opportunity to review a wool cover. And not just any wool cover but a very popular Sustainablebabyish (SB) wool cover from Natural Family Supplies. Nicole sent me this brown cover to try out.

This is the first wool I have ever owned. Wool requires lanolizing which takes some time (at least for me) to figure out. I will have a post up soon all about wool and the what nots and how toos!
Here is the cover on my little guy. I love how soft this cover it. The quality of it is great as well. After using it it has held up and I haven't noticed any piling of the material or snagged strings etc.
Depending on what you put under it will really determine how bulky it will be. If you do a prefold with a snappi under it it will be more trim but you might also want something that is more absorbent like a thicker fitted to help prevent the wool from getting wet. This happened to me the first couple of times.
The fit on my little guy was great. The legs were nice and snug but not tight. Never left any red marks. The waist was just right as well. With this cover no matter how bulky your fitteds or prefolds are it won't affect the waist and leg openings as far as them gaping away from the body allowing leaking. You can see in the picture below that there is room for a thicker item to go under the cover.
My thoughts on this cover:
I really liked this cover. It is so soft and definitely great quality. It had a great fit with room to grow. The colors you can get this wool cover in are so pretty. I had a hard time picking out one that I like! I wanted the purple one but I didn't think that would be a good choice for my boys...maybe some day. This cover did take about 24-36 hours to dry after lanolizing. I also had to wait a few times in between changes to use this because the inside of it got wet. I think once I got it figured wool figured out a little better I was able to use the cover for a longer period of time.

My thoughts on Wool in general:
To be honest, trying to figure out what to do with a wool cover worried me...A LOT! What in the world do you have to do to keep it with as far as lanolizing. I emailed numerous people asking for tips and advise. I finally went ahead and lanolized the cover. Completely nervous as I stood next to the sink waiting to see what would happen. I then took it out and rolled it in a towel and laid it flat on my dryer to air dry. That was a very long day and a half of waiting, anticipating and worrying! Then after having the cover leak through after not that long of a time on my son I was so bummed and confused and had no idea what to do. So I sent out some more emails and was told to try a few different things. I eventually found the best solution for us and am able to use the cover with out much problems. For me, a newbie to wool, this was a great experience to have. (Thanks Nicole from NFS!)

I was not paid to do this review. I received the cover free and the opinions are of my own.

March 24, 2011

Bumkins Cover

Natural Pure Essentials contacted me and wanted to be a part of Under Cover Month. They sent me a Bumkins Cover in 'Green Eggs and Ham' print to review. I can honestly say that I have NEVER used a cover like this one. I love the print (so did my 2 1/2 year old who kept examining his little brothers bottom while he was wearing this). I haven't had a lot of time to use this yet to see how the velcro is going to hold up but it does seem to be of good quality and is nice and sticky.
The material used is not the typical PUL that you find with most other covers. This is made of a waterproof woven nylon material. It is a little bit thinner than PUL but its not a hugely noticeable difference.
One thing I was confused about on this diaper were the laundry tabs. One of the tabs has a flap on it to stick to it. The other side though does not. So when I put this in the washer I attached the one side to the tab and then hooked the two tabs together. They held during the wash.
Now this is the most unique feature I have seen on a cover. It has a vented opening in the back of the diaper. How neat! But to be honest I was worried it would look like a skirt on my little boy. As you can see it does flip up. Inside is a nice mesh like material to allow air to flow through it. On Pure Natural Essentials Navine put that she likes to flip this open when her daughter has a fever to help her cool down extra.
This cover also features nice size leg gussets.
And Now the fit: I like the bright covers on this cover so I got a little extra photo happy...sorry!

On my 11 month old, with a prefold and snappi underneath this cover fit pretty well. I probably had it a little tighter than it needed to be but it didn't leave any marks.
Here is a view of the vent that the diaper cover has.
Here is the back of the diaper. You can barely see the flap on the cover, so nope it doesn't look like a skirt!

And my little wiggle butt boy trying to crawl over my leg gave us a great shot of the leg gusset!
A problem that I did have with this cover is that right at the top of each thigh I had trouble keeping the prefold in the cover. I had to tuck it up a lot to get it in but it kept coming back out. I also tried to readjust the velcro and placement of the cover to fix this problem but didn't have a lot of luck.
My thoughts:
This isn't a bad little cover. The prints are so much fun. The velcro seems to be really good and looks like it will hold up well. Other than the fit of the cover on his thigh I really liked it. The vented back is a really cool feature to have. I wonder if I had a bigger size cover for him if the thigh/prefold exposure wouldn't be a problem.

Bummis Polar Fleece Cover

Go Green Baby sent to me a Bummis Polar Fleece cover to review for Under Cover month along with the BabyKicks Prefold I reviewed here. When I was first looking over the different covers I wasnt sure which one I wanted to review. I already owned a good selection of covers and this Bummis Polar Fleece cover I hadn't tried yet. I actually didn't even know that Bummis made a fleece cover! I did a little research to see what I could find out about this cover. Here is what I found:
"This is the latest in diapering miracles - a micro fleece diaper cover from Bummis! The Polar Bummi combines hi-tech performance with super softness and comfort. Two layers of breathable fleece with a highly breathable laminate sandwiched inside - this diaper cover is the ultimate in comfortable diapering wear. Not too hot - not too bulky! Will fit great under baby's clothes. The high quality Canadian-made micro fleece of this cover is manufactured to Bummis own specifications. It is a truly amazing new age textile. This is a densely knitted but lightweight, anti-pill fleece that will wick moisture away from baby’s skin while the interior waterproof laminate prevents any moisture from leaking onto clothing."
Looking at the above picture you can see that it is quite similar to Super Bright cover made by Bummis. It has the same build and leg gussets. It is also nice and soft!

One thing that I have always loved about Bummis products is their velcro. I don't think I have ever had a problem with them coming unhooked in the wash. When I opened up the tabs on this cover I was a little skeptical. Look at that tiny little square that is supposed to hold the waist tab down! How in the world was that supposed to work!? Well, I have no idea but it did!
The leg gussests on this diaper are really nice as well.

Here is the cover on my little *tear* 11 month old. He was so squirmy while I was trying to get these pictures that I didn't have a lot of luck. I only got the one picture above. I have the size large in this cover and It had a nice fit. In the above picture he was wearing a fitted underneath so it was a little puffier than it would have been with a prefold.

My thoughts:
I really like this cover. I will say though that I was surprised that it had a 'highly breathable laminate' sandwiched in between. I really can't tell how breathable it is. I was thinking that is was completely fleece. Anyways, the cover fit nicely on my baby. It did go a bit higher in the back but I think that is because he is on the lower end of weight for this size. Unfortunately I do believe this cover is being discontinued but you can find it online.

March 23, 2011

Sweet Monogrammed Bloomers review and GIVEAWAY!

I was searching and searching to find some really cute covers for our under cover month. I came across PetitePeeps and she has the cutest little covers and outfits in her shop.

I was able to test and review her Monogrammed bloomers! I was able to pick the size, color and letter of the monogram. These are the cutest little covers to put over top of your diapers to just give them some jazz. I got the size 4 and put them on my 3 year old daughter Alydiah. That is why there is an awesome A embroidered on the back of the bloomers.

I was so very happy with the way they fit on her. She just loved them! If it was warm enough I think she would wear them as shorts. I put them under her dresses and I even put them over tops of her leggings. She thought that was so neat.


I did try them on my son, ha ha just to see if they fit over top of his cloth diaper. They have a very nice fit to them. These bloomers are by no means waterproof or to be used as a diaper. These are strictly for a cute little bloomer!!!

. Visit her shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/PetitePeeps to see all of the adorable outfits and handmade items she has on her site! These covers are a $11.00 value. Overall I am very excited with her product and would recommend it to anyone!! Check her out!!!

-Dana

Mother-Ease Rikki Wrap Cover

A while ago I had won an air-flow cover from Mother-ease. I wasn't completely impressed with it. It worked well but it just seem thin and I didn't really use it much. So when I was asked if I wanted to review the Rikki Wrap from Mother-ease I thought I would give it ago. Right away I noticed multiple differences. This cover velcros in the front vs. snaps on the side. It also has leg gussets.
The leg gussets are pretty large but I think there is a good reason for that. By the time you put a fitted diaper or a prefold under a cover there might be a bit of a gap depending on how thick the stuff under it is. These leg gussets fit around the fitted nicely keeping the leg openings nice and snug.

I used this on my 10 month old with the Sandy's fitted underneath. These are sized covers so not really a need for cross over tabs. This cover fit my little guy just right.
Mother-ease has some cute prints and colors too!
What do I think? I was a lot happier with the Rikki Wrap than I was with the air flow cover. This seemed to have a better fit all over and it seemed more durable. The price for these covers are about the same as most other covers that you find, maybe a tad bit cheaper.

March 22, 2011

Wolly Pop Cover

When I received this Wolly Pop Fleece cover from Natural Family Supplies I was excited. I had only tried one other kind of fleece cover and it was a soaker so it had to be pulled on. This Wolly Pop cover comes with a velcro closure. The fleece is a nice thick material and was sewn very well. I got this light green cover to test out.
The tabs can cross over and also have laundry tabs for sticking when you to the laundry. They do hold together well in the wash!

The inside of this cover is nice and simple. You can see the laundry tabs on the left and the front of the diaper is on the right. The nice thing about fleece is that is does not have PUL because it naturally keeps moisture off baby and is breathable and allows air to pass through.
I believe I got the size large for my boys. It had a great fit on both of them. My toddler is now potty tained so no more diaper testing on him...bummer! Oh well...I like washing less diapers, and the diaper bag isn't crammed as full each time we go out. Anyways, I had to use the cross over tabs on my 10 month old so there is PLENTY of room to grow still in this cover. He probably would have fit into a medium comfortably. One thing I did notice that you can kind of see in this picture is that the leg holes cut VERY high. I usually had to tuck in what ever prefold/fitted diaper that was under the cover otherwise at the top of the thigh it would be exposed. If you look on the right (his left) thigh you can see a tiny bit of the prefold that I had on him.
The cover goes up high in the back but I think as he grows this cover will fit him great. He is at the lower end of the weight range for the large size.
With a simple prefold underneath the cover it wasn't to bulky.
My thoughts on the Wolly Pop Cover:
I really enjoyed this cover. It is nice to have a fleece cover or two around for when my baby's bum gets a little red. I love to use the fleece to help them air out and clear up the rash. I found that when I put a fitted diaper on under this that it did get quite big because the fleece is thicker than the thin PUL other covers are made with. For using fitteds and prefolds at night this is great to have as well. Because baby is in a single diaper for such a long period of time its nice having them be in one that can breath rather than trap in all the wetness along the bottom. I haven't had any leak issues with this cover either. If I could revamp this cover I would simply lower the material on the thigh so that you didn't have to tuck the prefold/fitted in each time. Other than that the price for this cover is great, the colors are fun and it works well!