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!

There are some people asking about how to follow Cloth Diaper Addiction via GFC (google friend connect) on the blog. How to do this: When on the blog look on the left hand column there is black lettering that says "Followers", just below that is a blue box that says "Join our site" (via google friend connect - under the blue box) Just click the blue "Join our Site" Box and log in and you are all good to go!

August 29, 2012

My 'Must Haves' for Nursing

 I decided to share with CDA readers what I have found to be helpful to have around as a nursing mommy. Micah is now 9 weeks and nurses like a champ {He LOVES to eat}!


The first item is Lansinoh milk storage bags. Obviously as a nursing mommy you need something to keep milk in that you pump. My favorite bags are the Lansinoh ones although there are so many other great options out there. I like that these come in a little bit bigger bag that also has the ziplock feature on it so you can easily get the bags out. It also has a perforated hole in it so you can just open it and pull the bags out though the hole.


 My next must have item is a hand pump. I will honestly say I have only used this a couple of times but it has been a life saver during those times. When I go out on Tuesdays to do all my shopping and errands sometimes Micah just feels the need to sleep the whole time which results in me having a massive amount of milk ready to explode out of me. I honestly don't want to walk into Meijer and all of the sudden have wet spots all over my shirt so I will just grab my little pump and express some milk to relieve myself of soreness and the possibility of a wet shirt. I have the Evenflow SimplyGo hand pump. I choose this one simply because it was the cheapest one at the store.

 I have a very good supply of milk and a heavy let down when Micah eats which results in milk getting spit and sputtered all over the place. So I defiantly need spit rags. We go though these pretty fast so its nice to have a little pile handy to just grab and go.

 We currently have a temporary changing station in our room on our dresser for Micah because he is still sleeping in our room in a bassinet. I keep a small green basket on the dresser next to the changing pad filled with nursing pads and nipple cream.

 I have a tube of medela lanolin cream. I can be lucky enough to say that I haven't had to use this once because Micah had a great latch right from the beginning and I didn't have any issues with cracking or dryness. However its kept close by in case anything does happen. I used this stuff most with my 1st son who was a horrible nurser and it helped out a lot with my cracked spots.

 While nursing Zeke (our second son) I got sick of spending tons of money on disposable nursing pads so I gradually built up my stash of washable ones. My favorite were the Knickernappies nursing pads and that is all I have now in my pile. They have a water proof backing to help prevent leaks but if Micah has gone a longer amount of time than normal in between feedings I will occasionally leak though.

 Nursing tops are a must as well as dresses. Micah will have attended 4 weddings in the first 3 months of his life which means that I need dresses that are cute but nursing friendly. I was able to find some nice ones on clearance at Target!

 A Hair Tie. Yes that is correct. I MUST HAVE A HAIR TIE for nursing...why? Because I have three boys and for the life of me can not ever remember what side I nursed on last! So I simply hook a small hair tie around my bra on the side that is due to be nursed on next and I am good to go. I mean really what mother who just had a baby and has had no sleep at all can remember what side is due to be fed off of?

 I also am glad I have my Medela Pump In Style double electric pump. Our hospital sells pumps there at a discounted price to moms which is so awesome. We got this pump after having our first son and now it is being used on our third. I can honestly say that I hate, hate, hate pumping and give thousands of kudos to the ladies that do it every day for their baby's because for what ever reason they can't nurse, or have to work etc. Bless their hearts. However I don't need to pump a ton but this bad boy is handy to have!

 Kindle- a must have to keep you awake while nursing or entertained in the least. I also find that I am able to nurse Micah longer when I have something for myself to do so the Kindle is great to have! (However my almost 4 year old snatched this while I was nursing and that quick he stepped on it and broke it! So I know have the kindle app on my phone but can't wait to save up enough money to buy a new actual kindle)

 DVD's...what in the world am I thinking right? WRONG! I know I would never make it though the night with out a DVD to keep me awake while nursing. I always am afraid I'm going to fall asleep while nursing and drop him or something so I started watching movies at night while nursing Micah and it helps greatly with keeping me awake and alert. He nurses for about 20-30 mins at night so it takes a couple nights to watch a movie but thats alright!

 A nursing cover. This one I made myself and I have only used it a couple times. Now Micah and I are pretty good with discrete public nursing and I just use my top shirt to cover myself so no one can see anything.

 My boppy pillow has been a life saver. With having a c-section your lower torso is really sore so having a boppy to help hold your baby up as well as provide a little bit of protection for your incision is nice.

 A comfy place to sit while nursing...a must!

 A cute hungry baby...a must! (However he isn't hungry in this picture but he was just to cute sleeping away with a full tummy.

 Cloth Diaper Addiction on the phone...a must!
What are some of your must have items for nursing?

August 28, 2012

Boogie Bear Creations OS AI2 - Review

Melissa from Boogie Bear Creations was amazing to work with in the review process of her OS AI2 diaper. And, reviewing her diaper creation, was just as amazing. Arriving in the mail, faster than a speeding bullet...It's performance, more powerful than a locomotive....Giving my toddler the bright idea that he is able to leap tall buildings in a single bound... When I opened the envelope, my gaggle of guys all screamed, "SUPERMAN!!!!!!!" (well, my youngest shouted, "Man! Man! Fly!" Bonus points to the 2 year old) ;)
I mean really - adorable. I was curious as to how the outer fabric would feel, but, it's such a soft cotton. There is a hidden layer of PUL between the woven cotton outer and the cotton velour inner.

For everything hidden inside, it's very trim (more on the innards in a moment)...

The OS AI2 has crossover tabs, of which I daily sing their praises :)

You may have been wondering, especially if you are newer to the cloth world, how in the world this diaper can be one size without rise snaps. Melissa has started making her OS diapers with a Fold Down Rise (FDR).
If you flip the top of the diaper over, you'll see a row of snaps, this allows the diaper to "shrink" in size, and allowing smaller babies to wear the diaper. And, even with the FDR, the crossover tabs still work!
And, I'm sure you're wondering - my little guy has yet to show any signs of the FDR snaps rubbing on his tummy when in the larger setting. This probably has to do with the fact that the snap in insert is amazing.
This is probably one of my favorite inserts I've reviewed. The top layer (that touches baby) is incredibly soft OBV (Organic Bamboo Velour), and that is paired with an incredibly absorbent Zorb2. Then, some organic bamboo fleece, and a coordinating layer of cotton velour. Whew, right?! Even hubby commented on how soft this diaper was all over.
This is a powerful pair.

So, how did it fit? Perfectly. Honestly, when I put it on Caedmon, I forgot that this was not a custom made diaper (ie: Melissa didn't ask for his sizes). It just fits great!
The back elastic is nice and tight. And, since Caedmon is still working on those 2 year molars, in our trying out this diaper, there were a few "happenings" that I was amazed stayed in.
The leg elastic also performed very well. While it is very snug, and nice and tight, it does not leave red marks on his legs.
We didn't experience any leaks with this AI2. There are no gaps, and it is incredibly easily to get a perfect fit. We are new, huge fans of Boogie Bear Creations!

If you would like to try out a Boogie Bears Creations, Melissa stocks on Fridays, but the times vary. The key is to stay tuned on Facebook for those times!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I received for review one Boogie Bear Creations Superman OS AI2. All opinions are my own, and you may have a different experience. Boogie Bear Creations is sponsoring the giveaway of one OS AI2.

August 27, 2012

Alvin Allosaurus InterAction Figure

I was contacted to review Alvin, a dinosaur character from the cartoon show Dinosaur Train. My 2 older boys LOVE to watch this show and learn about dinosaurs. So I was pretty excited to get this item to review. I didn't tell my boys about it so it was a big surprise for them when they opened it. I have to say they were pretty excited when they opened up the new Dinosaur toy!

After opening the box and taking Alvin out I handed it over for my boys to explore. They found the noise making button right away. There are actually a couple of buttons on Alvin. The one on his head opens his mouth and shares information about this kind of dinosaur. Such as "I'm a carnivore, I love to eat meat." So while the kids are playing with this they are learning about the dinosaur. The other button also has some fun sayings such as  "This is my territory!" and it also makes him jump forward which my boys love to see.

On the front of the dinosaur there is an infra-red light sensor. What this allows is communication between Alvin and other InterAction Figures from Dinosaur Train to talk back and forth together. We don't have any of the other dinosaurs for them to interact with but we have seen them at the store and they are pretty fun.

Over all my boys really enjoy watching Alvin in action while playing with him and stomping him around crushing cars etc with  him.

We will be giving away an Alvin dinosaur to a lucky reader, thanks to  our sponsor. To enter to win comment below with your child's favorite Dinosaur Train Character.

Good Luck!



August 25, 2012

Can you help me?

In October, I have the privilege of leading a class on cloth diapering at our church for their annual Women's Day. I'm very excited about this opportunity! However, I only have 50 minutes to teach - and there is SO much I could cover!

Many, if not all, of the women attending this class will be completely new to cloth diapering (many not even having touched a cloth diaper before). I don't want to overwhelm them with information, however I want to send them out of the class thinking, "Yes! I CAN use cloth!"

So, this is where I need YOUR help! Would you please take a few minutes to answer the following questions?

Thank you in advance for your help!!

August 24, 2012

Friday Four!

Hello all!

Hooray!  The weekend is here!  Here are some cool birthday ideas I found this week.  We have several birthdays coming up and these ideas will help us with planning.  Hopefully they'll help you too!

1. Birthday party ideas for boys: Our son will be celebrating his 6th birthday next month and we'll be throwing our first friend party for him - can't wait!  This website has a lot of great themed party ideas - check it out!
(I pictured the LEGO one since that may be where we head first....)

2. Birthday party ideas for girls: Had to be fair...and our daughter's birthday is coming up too. =)  There are some really cute ideas here too!



3. Banana Split Cupcakes: Couldn't post birthday ideas without these cuties!  Don't have a birthday coming up?  How about - "Yay!  We survived the first week of school!" - or some other made up celebration to say goodbye to summer. =)  We'll be making these el pronto.



4. Serve ice cream like a pro: Wow!  Pinterest is my best friend!  While looking for ideas, I came across this one for ice cream.  I think it would be cute to leave the ice cream in the paper cups.  How clever!


Hope you all have something to celebrate soon too!

-Joy

August 22, 2012

Totsbots Easyfit Snaps

 When Totsbots announced their new prints I was pretty excited. When they announced they were also releasing the new version of their Easyfit Diapers with SNAPS (aka poppers) I was really hesitant. Why take something that is great already and add/change it? You can still get the new version of the easyfit in aplix but you can also get them in snaps now. I have used a few of the new easyfits with the aplix and honestly was pretty disappointed in them. I believe I heard/read somewhere they they did change the aplix they were using and I have found with my own experience that it has a tendency to fray, get really pilly and I think it isn't as strong. It still holds fine but I am rather disappointing in the new aplix they are using. So what was I going to do? I so wanted the new easyfits is all the prints and colors but I didn't want to get them in aplix. I braved it and purchased one with snaps and I was quite impressed. I think over all it gives the diaper a lot cleaner of a look and over time will really keep the diaper looking nice, vs the aplix that gets all frayed and pilly. So here is a look at the Totsbots Easyfit Cloth diaper in SNAPS!

 Here are 6 of the 7 prints that were recently released. I do not have Jubilee as its to girly for us. The snaps all coordinate nicely with the prints.

 On the left is a snap diaper snapped as tight as it goes. On the right is a aplix diaper as tight as it will go. As you can see the sizing is pretty similar to each other.

 I used the snap diaper on my 2 year old who is around 33 pounds. There are three open snaps across the waist and he wears it on the middle rise setting.

 It has a nice fit across the backside.
 The snaps are very trim as well. I would say its almost trimmer than the aplix diapers.
 Then I decided to try the new easyfit on my newborn. Micah was about 3 weeks and almost 10 pounds when he wore this for the first time. It snapped all the way closed and fit perfectly. I also had it on the smallest rise setting.

 He looks so comfy in it and it fit below the belly button. If he still had his cord it probably would have rubbed against it but he has lost it before we used these diapers on him.
After really not thinking I would enjoy the snaps on the easyfits they have turned out to be my preference. I actually really like them because my 2 year old thinks he needs to rip his diaper off all the time and these snaps are pretty strong so he has a hard with it. So overall I give the snaps a A+ for awesomeness and the aplix a B- for being a real bummer!

August 21, 2012

Baby Babu Pocket Diaper Review


Baby Babu Pocket Diapers may look like your typical one-size pocket diaper at first glance, but there are a couple of neat features that make it stand out from others.

The 3 snaps on the wings allows for a great fit fit on your little one!
Probably my favorite feature - an extra gusset! Whenever I find a diaper with an extra gusset, I want to shout THANK YOU from the mountaintops! We put the extra gusset to good use with 2 year molars coming in. Let's just say, it worked, very well! ;)
Inside the pocket, there is a snap to hold the insert in place. At first, I didn't think I'd make much use of this feature. And then I realized how inserts in my other pocket diapers without this inner snap shift around - not a ton of shifting, but having that snap definitely makes me reach for this diaper before others (especially at a diaper change before a high-activity activity)
The Baby Babu has two openings - at the front, and the back - of the diaper, allowing the insert to agitate out in the wash. I've even left the insert snapped in and it still agitates out - and unsnaps itself. What does this mean for you? No touching a gross insert (if that is something that grosses you out!)
And can I just say, look at that snuggy elastic?! I was so worried about red marks on Caedmon's legs, but not once have we seen any. Just good solid elastic that holds in the most serious of messes!
My kiddo absolutely refused to stand up and allow me to take his picture. Did I mention that he's 2 now? And that he has my stubborn personality? ;) The fit looks funny here, but it's actually an amazing fit....
 Nice and trim. No gaps. No front pooching.
 Snug in the rear too.
I really, really loved the way this diaper performed. We have not experienced any leaks, #1 or #2, with the Baby Babu. The PUL is very thick (not cheap and flimsy feeling) - and a very fun, bright color!

At $11.99 per diaper, the price is great too!

The only thing that I wasn't a huge fan of regarding this diaper was the microfiber insert, as I prefer to use natural inserts. However, Baby Babu does offer the option to purchase a 4 Layer Bamboo Insert

Baby Babu also has other styles of diapers to choose from including Covers, AIOs, Flats, and Prefolds.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclaimer: I received one Baby Babu Pocket Diaper for review. All opinions are honest and my own. You may have a different experience. Baby Babu is offering one Pocket Diaper for the giveaway.

August 14, 2012

Bunzuke Cloth Convertabunz - Review

Trying out the Bunzuke Convertabunz 2.0 was too much fun! I first discovered WAHM Sara of Bunzuke Cloth via Facebook when a friend liked a picture of a custom Yoda diaper she made.
Living in a house with 4 Star Wars fans, I had to check out more. She is amazingly talented and creative!

One of her creations is an incredible little diaper called the Convertabunz. The Convertabunz is made up of Bamboo and Organic Cotton Bamboo. In the wetzone, there is a layer of ZORB for extra absorbency. Simply put, it looks like this:
It's nice and long when unfolded, and harbors lots of snaps!
It can seem a bit intimidating at first...But once you get the hang of it, a world of possibilities is available in this one diaper!
The inside has a stay dry strip -
that is actually a pocket!

Turn it inside out, and you have a trifolded prefold to lay inside a cover, or a super absorbent insert for your favorite pocket diaper!
 Inside out also reveals adjustable snaps to create a fitted diaper!
Showing the "Normal" setting on the left side, and preparing for a "Fitted" setting on the right
Squirmy baby alert: my guy will not lay still for diaper changes. Getting the Convertabunz on him 'prefold style' took forever, and this was unfortunately the best shot.
But, as you can see it is incredibly trim!
Here is the Convertabunz in a "fitted" style (created using the inner adjustable snaps)
Paired with a favorite cover
So trim!And offering so much protection!
We paired the Convertabunz {as a fitted} with a bamboo doubler and a fleece cover for nighttime and were so pleased with the results on our heavy wetter {no leaks}!

My pictures only touched the surface of the Convertabunz!
This picture is straight from the Bunzuke Cloth Hyena Cart, and shows how the Convertabunz can transform to perfectly fit your needs!
The Convertabunz can convert into the following styles of diapers:
  1. Snapping Newborn/Infant Prefold
  2. Snapping Infant/Toddler Prefold
  3. Fitted Newborn/Infant Diaper
  4. Fitted Infant/Toddler Diaper
  5. "Stay Dry" Snap-In Soaker {to almost any AI2 you may have in your stash}
  6. Pocket Diaper Insert
  7. Elasticized Insert
  8. Pocket to add Extra Absorbency
Please take a minute to watch this awesome video on the Convertabunz and see what all you can do with this one diaper!

Incredible, right?!
Keep up with Bunzuke Cloth via Facebook and Twitter to find out the latest on stockings in the Bunzuke Cloth Hyena Cart.

Is this a diaper you would be interested in trying out? What 'fit' do you think you'd like best?

*Please Note: Sara will be adjusting the sizing of the Convertabunz soon, to include a Medium size. She will continue to be making Smalls and Larges, but just stretching the size a bit on the Large!*

Disclaimer: I received one Kelly Green Convertabunz from Bunzuke Cloth for review. All opinions are my own and you may have a different experience.