The Mommy Goods

Intelligender Review and Giveaway

2012-01-24T12:42:00.000-08:00

As with most parents, as soon as that pregnancy test says PREGNANT, the wondering begins. Is it a boy? Is it a girl? And if you are completely impatient and curious like I am, waiting for that 20 week ultrasound (or 40 weeks to birth) is an absolute eternity!!!

So, my curiosity got the best of me, and I started wondering if there was a reliable at home test that you could take to determine the gender of the baby you are carrying. Before I got pregnant, I remembered hearing tale of a urine test that determined gender, so when I finally found out I was pregnant, I decided to find out more.

In comes Intelligender. Intelligender is a simple at home kit that uses your first morning urine to determine the gender of your baby! Seems simple right? Well it is!!! Any time after 10 weeks of gestation, you can use this kit to determine the gender of your baby!

So how reliable is Intelligender? My husband did some research online and compiled the positive and negative results and he determined that it was 80%-85% reliable. Intelligender had an independent study done that concluded an 87.6% reliability. Either way, this test is fairly reliable, but is not 100% accurate so don't go buying pink or blue based just on this test! If you are looking for an absolute, this is not it! But if you are curious and are ok with reliable results that are probably accurate but can also be ok if they are wrong, this is the test for you!

So how exactly does this work? When you wake in the morning, you collect your first morning urine (the most concentrated of the day) in a clean or sterile container; I used a paper cup. The Intelligender box includes a plastic syringe and the test container. You draw up your urine into the syringe and insert it into the test container. You then swirl the container mixing the urine and the reagent, wait 5 minutes, and read! It is quite easy to do! A dark green result means BOY and a golden yellow result means GIRL!

I debated whether to tell you guys this or not, but I actually took the Intelligender test three times. Yes...it is sad. But I want to tell you guys why so that you can avoid my mistakes.

The first time I took the test was at 11 weeks 3 days. I had received my review kit and was extremely excited to use it and see what the baby was! I followed the directions to the letter. And at 5 minutes, my husband and I read the result. It said BOY! I left the test sit on the counter and made the biggest mistake of all, I kept looking at it. The box specifically says not to read the result past 5 minutes. Well, hours later when I went in to the bathroom to pee, I noticed that the test had separated and that the liquid was golden yellow with dark green sediment. My husband and I discussed it and neither of us could remember if we looked at the test at eye level (as you are supposed to do). Since I was reviewing this item, I could not post a review without knowing the actual result...so we bought another one just to make sure.

I took the second test at 13 weeks 7 days. I again followed the directions to the letter, waited the 5 minutes, and read the test. It was strange. There were TWO colors. It was golden yellow with a green streak through it. The result looked boy to me, but I wasn't 100% sure. I knew that Intelligender encouraged people to send their photos for assistance or just to report their results, so I took some good photos and sent them an email. It was only a short while (maybe an hour or two) until I heard back. They felt that it was a girl result, but since it was inconclusive, they were willing to send me another test kit for free. They also recommended that I swirl the test pretty vigorously to make certain that the urine and the reagent mixed well.

And on to test number three. I took the third test at 15 weeks 4 days. As always, I followed the directions to the letter and included my two new pieces of experience. I swirled the container vigorously, waited the 5 minutes, and then made certain to read at eye level. And low and behold, it was a clear BOY result.

After all of this....I just had my 20 week ultrasound and yes, Intelligender was correct. We are having a BOY!!!

Overall: ★★★★★ I was quite pleased with this test. I know it sounds as if it is difficult and not worth trying. Honestly, it was quite easy and when used correctly, we got the correct result. Just remember to follow the instructions, swirl vigorously, do not read before or past 5 minutes, and read at eye level!!! Intelligender gave me the correct result and of all the people I personally know that have used Intelligender, they have all had correct results too!!!

I highly recommend this test to anyone curious about the baby they are carrying. Remember, the test has an 80-90% accuracy rate, so more than likely, if used correctly, you will be having the gender that it predicts. BUT, there is a chance either through test error or human error that you get the wrong result. It is gender PREDICTION not gender guarantee!!!

I also have to give a huge shout out to the Intelligender Customer Support! They answered my email extremely fast, were extremely friendly and helpful, and wonderful to work with!!!

Want to buy Intelligender? You can buy online from Intelligender, or here is the list of retailers near you that carry Intelligender.

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Mabu Baby Eco Diapering System Review and Giveaway

2012-01-18T14:06:00.000-08:00

**Note: Since everything in this review is white, it was very difficult to photograph**

Newborn: Fits 4-11 pounds

Mini: Fits 6-13 pounds

Midi: Fits 9-20 pounds (up to 25 pounds for skinny children)

Maxi: Fits 15-40 pounds (start at 25 pounds for skinny children)

When I heard that Wal-Mart was going to be carrying a new brand of cloth diapers called Mabu Baby Eco-Diapering System, to say this thrilled me would be an understatement! Wal-Mart is a national chain that is available to millions of people and by bringing a cloth diaper to these stores; we can make cloth diapers readily available to everyone!

Price Per Diaper: ★★★★☆ A starter kit from Wal-Mart retails for $29.94 and includes two shells, two pad holders, two reusable pads, 2 disposable pads, and 5 liners. So to break it down, you are getting two diapers for this price or one diaper is approximately $15. This is an average price per diaper. You can then purchase additional reusable pads, Newborns and Minis in packs of four for $9.94 and Midis and Maxis in packs of two for $9.94. If you are able to reuse the shells and just put a new insert in at changing time, this really drops the price per diaper! Also, you can purchase packages of disposable pads for $10.94 and liners for $1.94.

Leaks: ★★★☆☆ This diaper did well during the day time hours. But I found it hard to get enough absorbency in this diaper for night time. I tried putting two reusable inserts in (which was incredibly bulky) and we still had leaks. I tried putting a disposable and reusable in, and she leaked. I could not find a solution using only Mabu Baby products. I was able to put one hemp doubler in with the two Mabu reusable inserts and get through the night, but this made for a huge bulk on Miss A’s tush. Maybe in the future Mabu Baby will make a thicker night time insert. We also had the Velcro diaper issues…Miss A could easily get this diaper off leading to a very messy crib. So we were unable to use this diaper at night and nap other than just a few times.

Fit: ★★★★☆ Since this is a sized diaper, there are no rise snaps or other sizing features. This makes the diaper quite simple to use (similar to a disposable) however that does not mean the perfect fit for every child. Miss A is about 30 pounds, well within the original size (15-40 pounds) and above the revised size for skinny children (greater than 25 pounds). I have had troubles getting this diaper to fit Miss A simply because she has such a tiny waist. The addition of crossover tabs would be my #1 suggestion to Mabu Baby. This would be a simple solution to a problem that surely more parents than just myself have. Due to the ill-fitting waist, we did have some leakage from the top of the diaper especially during naps/night time. Otherwise, the fit was nice. It is a little bulky/poofy overall, but the fit is nice.

Snaps at the front of the diaper holding the diaper pad holder in place.

Snaps at the back holding the diaper pad holder in place.

Ease of Use: ★★★★☆ This is difficult to judge. In some ways, this diaper is incredibly simple to use but in other ways, I feel that they could have made this diaper easier. The diaper is simple in that you simply put the insert in and then Velcro on baby. Done. However, I feel that the diaper pad holder is unnecessary and confusing for parents who might be using this as their first ever cloth diaper. Personally I would recommend to parents buying these diapers to simply take the holder out and just use the shell. The diaper pad holder is secured in place by 3 snaps at the front and two in the back. I feel that simply putting the inserts into the outer shell without the diaper pad holder is A. easier B. simpler C. faster and D. would probably contain messes better than the complex diaper pad holder. Also, placing the reusable or the disposable inserts into the holder can be a bit tricky. The reusable microfiber pad is a perfect fit, so you must get it in there just right not to curl and bulk. The disposable insert however is a tad long and can take some fiddling to get it in there without bunching. I think if the disposable insert was a ½ inch shorter, it would be easier.

Washing: ★★★★☆ Washing this diaper is quite simple. Unlike pocket diapers, you do not have to unstuff or do anything to this diaper. If you do not want to take the insert out of the diaper prior to tossing it in the washer, you do not have to. With the open design of this diaper, the insert will agitate out in the wash. If you are using disposable inserts, again you can simply turn the diaper over and let the insert fall out with gravity and not touch a messy insert. The shell is a recycled polyester that washes up perfectly. However, the microfiber washable pads do stain easily. I believe some sun would take this out though.

Overall Performance: ★★★☆☆ Like I said in the beginning, I love that cloth diapers are becoming more readily available to everyone and a supercenter like Wal-Mart is a perfect venue to open up a whole new arena of customers to cloth diapers. I also love that this is an AI2 hybrid diaper. Especially for parents new to cloth diapering and/or parents that travel a lot and/or parents that just aren’t ready for 100% cloth diapering, this is the perfect in between solution for them so that they can have the benefits of cloth while having the convenience of disposable when they want/need it. However, I feel that the design of the diaper is more confusing than it needs to be. The diaper pad holder is unnecessary and may be very confusing for parents. I believe that a simple cover would be easier. Also, you cannot reuse the shell if your baby poops. Due to the design of the diaper pad holder, it is almost impossible not to get poop on the holder and/or the shell when your child poops, and the interior of the shell is not wipeable. The interior of the shell is polyester and rayon from bamboo which is nice and soft on baby’s bum but if you get poop or pee on it, you will not be able to reuse this shell until it is washed.

I want to love this diaper. I really do! I love the idea and the availability, but as for the design, it was not a hit for me. I love the microfiber inserts since they fold and unfold for washing and drying. This will cut down tremendously on ammonia buildup. Although unknowing parents need a huge warning to NOT put the microfiber side next to their child, the placement of the tag makes this pretty obvious. I do like the disposable inserts, they are very similar to a post- partum peri-pad which is a little weird for me, but they are very absorbent and would be perfect for newbie cloth diapering parents or traveling parents.

I do also love the environmental aspects of this diaper and do want to mention them. First of all, this diaper is made from thinner fabrics than many cloth diapers and is designed to dry faster in order to save dryer time and electricity. This can add up hugely for both the environment and your wallet. Also, Mabu Baby products are made from recycled materials whenever possible. For instance, the polyester is made from recycled plastic bottles. Amazing.

This is a great place to start for many parents interested in cloth diapering. It is readily available at many Wal-Marts across the country and is an easy way for parents to take a step toward reusable products.

At this point, this diaper is only available in white. Maybe someday in the future we will see some colors and prints!

You can see the list of participating Wal-Mart retailers here. If your local Wal-Mart is not on the list of retailers, you can fill out a product request form here so that your Wal-Mart will know to stock this item!

Total Stars: 22/30

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Breastfeeding Awareness - Can we bring breastfeeding back to Sesame Street?

2012-01-12T09:34:00.000-08:00

***Warning, soap box Breastfeeding post ahead!***
This post is not meant to upset or disrespect bottle feeding mamas, only to bring awareness to breastfeeding.

As a Labor and Delivery nurse as well as a breastfeeding mama, I have always been shocked at how breastfeeding is viewed in the public eye. Over the years, breastfeeding has become a gross, disgusting, wrong, inhumane, and very closeted topic. WHY? Breastfeeding may not be for everyone...BUT Breastfeeding is none of the above! Breastfeeding can be beautiful, natural, normal, and should not be done in secret. It saddens me that many mamas feel the need to rush off to their homes, a car, a bathroom, or other secluded place to feed their baby. I can understand modesty and privacy, but you should not have to hide the fact that your child is hungry and you feed him/her from the breasts that God gave you for this exact reason.

I honestly feel that we need to bring awareness to breastfeeding, for many reasons.

One, for those that have this completely wrong perspective on breastfeeding, they will never even think twice about bottle feeding their child. If the public perspective on breastfeeding was not so negative, there might be more mamas out their choosing to at least try breastfeeding. At least by opening such a closed topic, more mamas would have a choice instead of feeling that breastfeeding is dirty and not even thinking about it.

Two, we need to support mamas who want to breastfeed! So many mamas have troubles with breastfeeding and have no one to turn to. Out of frustration and/or desperation, they throw in the towel because they have absolutely no support and have no one to turn to for help. If this topic was not so closed off, mamas would openly talk about breastfeeding and have all the support in the world!

Three, we need to normalize breastfeeding. Women breastfed their babies for hundreds of years because there was no other choice and breastfeeding is STILL regarded as the healthiest choice for your child. When did it come about that breastfeeding became the "un-natural and non-normal" way to feed your child? Ok, bottle feeding exists and many parents choose this as their feeding preference...but there are still SOOOO many mamas that choose to breastfeed too. So why does the public only recognize bottle feeding as normal? This skewed and incorrect public view needs to be changed! There are TWO choices for feeding your child, and to only publicly recognize and support bottle feeding is just wrong. The public needs to recognize and SUPPORT both methods of feeding, not just bottle feeding.

And lastly, Four. We need to make it ok for mothers to nurse in public (NIP). Now ok, I can understand the whole maybe we shouldn't just whip the boob out anywhere we please deal. A nice light weight cover-up is a perfect addition for most breastfeeding mothers diaper bag essentials. However, if a mother does not have a cover-up...just don't look!!! It is that easy! And I don't feel that mamas should have to hide in a dark corner or GASP a public bathroom stall to feed their child. Would you want to eat your lunch in a public restroom??? Talk about inhumane...trying to feed your child in a nasty restroom is inhumane! I personally ran to the car to breastfeed my child because I did not feel comfortable nursing in public. In retrospect, this infuriates me. My baby was hungry. If I was bottlefeeding, I would have had a bottle right there and popped it in her mouth and fed her where ever we were. But because I was breastfeeding, I had to rush my screaming baby to the car (however far away it was) to breastfeed. I refused to breastfeed in a nasty, dirty, disgusting public restroom. Bottle feeding mothers do not have to worry about where they are going to feed their baby, why should breastfeeding mothers?

So where am I going with this post?

There is a petition going around right now in an effort to bring breastfeeding back to Sesame Street. In the 70's and 80's mothers openly breastfed their babies on the show, then in the 90's suddenly breastfeeding was not allowed on the show. Bottle feeding is the only feeding choice allowed to be shown on the show. By bringing breastfeeding back to this educational show, we can again show how breastfeeding can be normal and not un-natural as recent years have led people to believe. Also, this would serve as an effort to level the playing field of normal between breastfeeding and bottle feeding and educate a new generation of children to make the decision for themselves.

If you agree and want to sign the petition, here is the link. Bring Breastfeeding back to Sesame Street.

Also, this petition and its message made the Time News.

Again, these are only my opinions. This is not meant to upset or disrespect any mamas out there. I simply want support for ALL parents and ALL feeding choices equally.

Pregnancy Wednesday: 18 Weeks

2012-01-04T10:48:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys!

I hope that you all had a wonderful Holiday/Christmas/New Year/Hanukkah season and that the New Year has found you all safe and well!

The blog has been rather quiet the past few weeks for a bunch of reasons. The first is that I honestly don't have a ton of reviews to catch up on and I am not one of those bloggers that is going to post stuff just to post. I would rather bring you good information than a crappy post just to say I posted. Plus, my family was hit by the plague (flu, fever, chills, cough, bronchitis, antibiotics, decongestants, and a lingering 3 week won't go away cough) right before Christmas and as I just said, it is still lingering. At least Miss A and my hubby could take medicine, I was limited on what I could take with being pregnant and it seems that mine is just taking that much longer to get rid of. And the last reason for the blog being quiet is that it was the holidays. As much as I didn't want to write posts, I knew that you guys would be busy with family and wouldn't have time to read what I wrote anyway. So now that the new year is here, back to the blogging world we come!

As of today, I am 18 weeks pregnant! Seriously, it is so hard to believe that the midpoint of my pregnancy is so near. June seems so far away but yet it seems to be approaching so quickly! Miss A got some more baby dolls for Christmas and she has been having so much fun feeding them, changing them, bathing them, etc so I am getting pretty excited to see what she thinks of a baby brother or sister! I know we will have some hard times and some jealousy issues to work out, but I am really excited to see how these two siblings take to one another.

And on to the guessing! Some days I really think it is a boy. And others I am convinced it is a girl. We find out the end of the month, so I am getting really anxious for that Ultrasound. Not only do I want to know the gender, but I am anxious to see that everything is ok too.

A few months back, I contacted Intelligender to see about reviewing their gender prediction kit. I was fortunate enough for them to send me a kit. I will post the review in its entirety after my Ultrasound to conclude on the validity of the test in my case, but in order to be truly unbiased and fair in my review, I feel the need to post the results BEFORE my Ultrasound!

So here it is...Intelligender predicts that we will have a.......BOY! (a boy result will match the boy label and be a dark green, a girl result will match the girl label and be a sunny yellow/gold) No doubt, that result is all boy!!!

We did have some troubles with the Intelligender test, and did have to have them send us another test (I will include that information in the review). So now we just have to wait for the Ultrasound to see if it was right! I have known a few others who have used the Intelligender predictor, and so far, I have not met anyone with a false result. If you go to the Intelligender website, there are quite a few that were wrong, but the majority are correct. My husband decided to sit down and calculate it and his calculations are that the Intelligender is approximately 80-90% accurate. So of course, don't go buying pink or blue quite yet, but it is fun and fairly reliable!

So we are thinking Boy and Blue...and have NO CLUE for a Boy name! So feel free to suggest any boy names that you like! We have an awkward last name, so there are many that just cannot be used, but we are desperately looking for a boy name that we both love!

Here is the Christmas belly shot!

Also, one other little note. After many very mean, rude, falsely led, and just plain hurtful emails and comments (which have been deleted) I will no longer be doing weekly pregnancy updates. I will do one from time to time like today, but they will not be weekly or regular. I hope you can understand.

If you are pregnant, how many weeks are you? Do you know what you are having or are you going to find out? How are you feeling? Here's to happy healthy pregnancies!

Soft Bums One Size Echo AI2 Review and Giveaway

2011-12-22T11:50:00.000-08:00

For this review, I was sent a Soft Bums Echo shell and one Dry Touch Pod for review from All About Baby Boutique. All statements are my own opinions and observations.

Price Per Diaper: ★★☆☆☆ This diaper can be a little pricey when you initially look into these diapers. The Echo shell alone retails for $21.95 and one Dry Touch pod retails for $4.95. This means the entire diaper would cost approximately $27 for just one. However, since this is an AI2 diaper, the savings occur when you buy more than one. You can purchase packs of one shell (to reuse) and three dry touch pods for only $35.95 which comes out to just $11.98 for three diapers! And, this diaper comes with some extremely unique features that may work well for your diapering style! So don’t count this diaper out based on initial pricing!

Cross-over Tab.

Leaks: ★★★★☆ This diaper is amazing at absorbing and not leaking. However, for night time use, I did find that this diaper needed a doubler or extra insert. Soft Bums does make Super Dry Touch pods, Organic Bamboo pods, and Dry Touch mini pods that can either be used as a doubler or newborn pod. Any of these would probably have fixed our night time leaking, but I did not have these on hand to test. I was sent the Dry Touch pod for this review. This pod is made of 4 layers of microfiber and topped with microfleece to sit next to baby skin. These inserts are extremely soft and comfy for baby while being very absorbent too.

Fit: ★★★★★ Can I give this diaper more than a five? Wow. That is all I can say. When the diaper first arrived, I knew next to nothing about Soft Bums and I thought “Ha! That will never fit Miss A, it is too small!” Then I discovered the pull strings in the leg gussets and decided to do a little internet searching. Slide2Size technology is BRILLIANT!!! This diaper has elastic strings in the leg gussets and a little tiny slide clamp (like you would find on a bookbag) to size the diaper to your child. You can slide it the entire way in to fit a newborn or slide it out to fit a toddler. Soft Bums does not list a weight minimum and maximum for this diaper, but rather leg measurements due to this unique system. This diaper will fit legs from 4 inches to 14 inches without causing red marks and without allowing leaks! You truly can customize this diaper to fit your baby! So as soon as I realized that the diaper came to me on the smallest setting and that I could let it out, I was absolutely amazed! And it fit Miss A like a glove! Even better, because of the way this diaper is made, it is extremely trim on any size child!

Ease of Use: ★★★★★ This is one of the easiest diapers to use! Once you snap (the one snap) in the insert, it is a simple on/off baby at diaper changes. Not only that, to reuse the shell is a simple one snap out and one snap in! Perfect for squirmy kids! The adjustment of the leg gussets is a simple pull of the string and clamp to the desired size and they are easily accessible through a small opening in the front of the diaper! My only warning is to watch the insert in the front of the diaper. Since the insert snaps at the back, the insert may poke out at the front and cause leaking. For smaller sizes you can fold the insert to prevent this problem.

Washing: ★★★★★ This diaper was extremely easy to wash. Simply undo the one snap that connects the insert to the shell and toss it in. No need to touch messy inserts. The laundry tabs are a simple fold back kind that may through time start to show wear, but in the time I used this diaper, I did not see any wear or tear on the aplix or laundry tabs. All in all, I was quite impressed with how well this diaper washed and how easily staining came out with normal wash routine.

Elastic let out the whole way for toddler.

Elastic drawn in the whole way for NB.

Overall Performance: ★★★★★ Like I mentioned above, when the diaper arrived, I thought this was going to be BAD but once I realized the unique sizing of the diaper, I was in LOVE. This diaper is extremely trim and will fit any baby and any stature with just a quick adjustment of the Slide2Size elastic. This is a brilliant design and a well made diaper. This would make an excellent addition to any cloth diaper stash or would do well as a one and only kind of diaper in your stash! There aren't many OS diapers that I truly feel would fit from birth to potty training, but I really do think this one would! I am excited to try out my theory when number two gets here in June!

Total Stars: 26/30

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icaughtsanta Review and Giveaway!!!

2011-12-21T11:15:00.000-08:00

Some of you may recall the I caught the Easter Bunny giveaway....well, here is the next chapter...I caught Santa!!! This is just such a darn cute idea!! I am so excited to show Miss A. She has quite the love for Santa this year and this will just make her screech with delight!!! I just love that you can take a picture of your own tree, stockings, whatever you want...insert santa and have an ADORABLE photo to give your child. This will be a cherished treasure in our home for years!!! This is just a plain old fun and cute idea for any kid! (or adult...I am pretty darn excited about it too!)

To make your own I caught Santa photo, you can go to icaughtsanta.com.

Or, Giveaway below!!

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

New Product - Fluff Bling!!!

2011-12-13T11:16:00.000-08:00

I have been anxiously waiting to tell you guys about something exciting!! The newest invention in the cloth diapering world is FLUFF BLING! How cool is this!? If you have drab diapers or plain colored ones that you want to jazz up, this is a simple and inexpensive way to give a little bling to your diapers!! For only $2.75 you can purchase one of these adorable little snap on blings to jazz up your diaper. These do not work on all brands of diapers, so check with Fluff Bling before purchasing!

You can visit their website here to see styles and order - Fluff Bling Website

Or their Facebook Page here for more information - Fluff Bling on Facebook

This product is brand new! They are still taking design ideas and are still releasing information on the product! So stay tuned!

Fuzzibunz Trickle Free Trainer Review and Giveaway

2011-12-13T11:00:00.000-08:00

Small – Fits 18-23 pounds

Medium – Fits 20-30 pounds (this is what I reviewed)

Large – Fits 32-45 pounds

Price Per Trainer: ★★★☆☆ The Fuzzibunz Trickle Free Trainer retails for anywhere from $15.95 to $22.95 depending on size and solid/print. Most trainers average $16-20 in price, so this is an average and fair price. Plus this trainer has a lot of nice features.

Fit: ★★★★★ This trainer has what many other trainers do not, adjustable snaps. There are two rows of snaps on each side to give you a little more customizable fit and makes the trainer fit longer as your baby grows. I love that the snaps give you the ability to make the leg casing looser or tighter depending on your child’s build. The snaps also give you the ability to change your little one easily if he/she has an accident or if he/she is wearing complicated clothing and needs to go NOW! I did find that the sizing is generous on my skinny child. She is already 29 pounds and has a lot of room to grow in her size medium. Check the Fuzzibunz website for further details on the fit specifics of this trainer in order to decide which size is best for your child.

Accident Absorbency: ★★★★☆ This trainer has a PUL outer and a minky fleece inner. This extremely soft fleece is not only comfy for your child, but it is also absorbent while allowing your child to feel wetness. The entire trainer is lined with the minky fleece and there is also an extra absorbent padding in the wet zone to absorb accidents. This trainer is more absorbent that regular underwear would be, but it will not absorb more than just a little accident. This would be perfect for more advanced potty learners that are not prone to accidents or who might just have tiny ones.

Washing: ★★★★★ Like most other Fuzzibunz products, this trainer is top quality! The print on the outer PUL are digitally printed to prevent fading and peeling and the PUL itself and inner fleece are top quality to prevent wear and tear! After many washes, this trainer looks and feels brand new. I do not see any signs of wear and it washes/dries perfectly. It is simple to wash this trainer, simply toss in with your diaper laundry and tumble dry. This trainer dries quickly and is ready to go again!

Overall Performance: ★★★★★ I love this trainer and all of its features. I love the adjustable side snaps to adjust the trainer to your child as he/she grows. I love how well this trainer fits. I love the soft inner fleece and the cute outer prints. I love how trim it is under clothes and that it has a little bit of absorbency to catch those accidents and feel wet to your child. And I feel that this trainer would be especially appealing to young children and give them that extra incentive to potty train.

Total Stars: 22/25

CLICK ON THE "READ MORE" FOR THE GIVEAWAY!!

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Reuseit Nalgene Bottle Review

2011-12-12T12:04:00.000-08:00

You are all quite aware of my journey into everything natural and reusable. One of my newest favorite things is to take drinks where ever we go. This way we aren't drinking who knows what and paying a huge price for it. My daughter loves to take milk (she is addicted to milk) where ever we go. So not only do I have to travel with milk, I also need something that is spill proof and fits nicely in a small cool case with an ice pack. I don't want to be lugging a huge cooler everywhere I go.

So what is spill proof, easy for Miss A to use on her own in the back seat, easy to clean, and will withstand whatever my toddler does to it? Enter Reuseit.com. I was recently sent a Reuseit Nalgene 12 oz Kids MiniGrip Bottle with ATB cap to review. When I received the bottle I thought "ha, my kid will kill this thing in 0.5 seconds." I was incredibly wrong.

First off, the bottle is pink! It is adorable! Miss A loves anything pink or purple so this was an immediate hit! The bottle had a tag on it that said "dishwasher safe" which is a HUGE plus and so of course before I would let Miss A use the bottle, it had to be washed! So the first test was the dishwasher, which I must admit, I was skeptical putting this bottle in the dishwasher. But, it washed nicely and had no damage or melting coming out! This bottle has a very wide mouth for getting ice cubes and such into the bottle but this also makes washing (either dishwasher or by hand) a ton easier.

The pop top is amazing. Miss A can simply pop the top up to drink her milk, juice, water or whatever she is drinking and then close the cap. When you close the cap, it pushes the pop top down in case you forgot, so no leaking!

And guess what, mom uses it too! With being pregnant, I find myself thirsty ALL of the time and I crave water! So I have taken to carrying a water bottle with me at all times! This water bottle is designed for kids and their lunch boxes, but it also fits perfectly inside of purses and diaper bags! :)

This bottle is free of BPA and Phthalates and made in the USA!

Overall, I absolutely love this bottle and so did Miss A. There are so many uses that you can find for a nice bottle like this and it has taken every beating that we have given it. I would highly recommend this bottle and other products from Reuseit.com. Reuseit sells much more than just bottles, they also sell totes, bags, cleaning items, laundry items, food savers, kitchen items, and more all designed to be reusable!

Total Stars: ★★★★★

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Pregnancy Wednesday: 14 weeks

2011-12-07T11:36:00.000-08:00

Another week has gone by and we are another week closer to finding out what this little munchkin is and closer to holding this little one. I cannot wait. We still have a long winter to get through before June gets here. I will be so happy to see the weather get warm this spring because it will mean this baby is coming soon!

Nothing too interesting to report this week. Getting bigger and feeling more movement more frequently. That is about it. Miss A has finally started pointing to my belly and saying "baby." I don't think she has a clue as to what is happening and what changes she will have in her life come June, but it is cute and it is one more step for her toward recognition.

I am feeling good. The tiredness seems to have completely faded now and I am sleeping MUCH better at night, probably because my 4-5 trips to the bathroom has reduced to 2-3. I feel like I am getting better quality sleep and I am sleeping like the dead!

No strange food cravings or aversions this week. Still enjoying my dill pickles and colby cheese, but nothing else. I have found that spaghetti is not on my list of wants. I can eat it, but we generally have some sort of spaghetti or pasta with red sauce once a week, I just don't want it that often right now. Ah well!

Any guesses on this baby? I am thinking boy, but who knows!

How are you this week?

Grandma El’s Diaper Rash Remedy and Prevention Review and Giveaway

2011-12-06T11:51:00.000-08:00

As cloth diapering parents, we are always looking for a great diaper rash ointment that is cloth diaper safe and WORKS! To find one that is both CD safe and actually clears up a rash, can be difficult. I have heard wonderful things about Grandma El’s Diaper Rash Remedy and Prevention Ointment, but I wasn’t a true believer until I had the opportunity to review it for myself!

Grandma El’s is an all natural, and USA made, ointment that creates a breathable barrier that soothes, calms, and heals any rash that your baby may develop. It is Pediatrician recommended and it is free of Parabens, Phthalates, and SLS so it is perfectly safe to use with every diaper change.

So, all of this sounds wonderful, but how did it honestly do?

Straight from the tube, I had concerns. This ointment has the consistency and appearance similar to Vaseline. I was quite concerned that it would harm my cloth diapers. To the internet I went to seek out other mamas and their experience before I actually put this ointment in contact with my diapers. I could not find one negative experience between the ointment and the cloth diapers. So, I applied it to Miss A’s bum, said a prayer, put her in cloth, and down for a nap!

At this point in time, we had been having extreme problems with ammonia in our diapers and Miss A had some ammonia burn on her tush. L It makes me feel like a horrible mama when she gets even a little rash, but ammonia burn makes me feel just terrible. For the purposes of this review, it was perfect that her tush was a little red, because…

When Miss A woke from her nap, I went to get her. I feared the worst that the ointment had made my diaper repel and there would be a huge mess. Not only was there no mess…but the redness on her tush was GONE! My fears were completely put to rest and I was amazed at how well Grandma El’s worked!

Cost: ★★★★★ A 2 oz tube of Grandma El’s (exactly like I reviewed) retails for $7-9. With this tube, a little ointment goes a long way and after using this ointment regularly for over a month, I do not see the tube being empty any time soon. If you prefer the jar, a 3.75 oz jar retails for $13-15, also a fantastic price!

Ease of Use: ★★★★☆ Obviously, this is a tube of ointment, so you are going to get it on your hands. But it is easy to slather onto baby and easy to wash off!

Smell: ★★★★★ This ointment has Vitamin E, Lanolin, and other ingredients that somehow mix together and smell fruity. It is a very nice, not overly powerful, clean smelling yet minutely fruity scent. It is very nice. I would warn that with the nice fruity smell, keep this out of reach of small children, they might eat it.

Effectiveness: ★★★★★ As I mentioned above, Miss A had a rash, I put Grandma El’s on, and by the next change the rash was gone! It was like a magic act! It worked that well!

Overall: ★★★★★ I was completely impressed and fell in love with Grandma El’s Rash Ointment. I have used it repeatedly with different brands/types of cloth diapers, and there is no residue or problems with my diapers. Even better, Miss A’s tush has never looked better! One application of Grandma El’s and her rash was completely gone. I highly recommend that every parent of a child in diapers (cloth or disposable) keep Grandma El’s on hand! It really is a miracle ointment!!!

Total Stars: 24/25

You can purchase Grandma El's from Drugstore.com, Target, Babies R Us, CVS, Rite Aid, Diapers.com, and from Grandma El's direct website.

CLICK ON THE "READ MORE" FOR THE GIVEAWAY!!

MyClyns Food Wash Review

2011-12-01T08:38:00.000-08:00

As you guys know, I am on the all natural cleaning products kick and love it! When I was given the opportunity to try and review MyClyns 100% Natural Food Wash, I just couldn’t pass it up! We eat a lot of fresh fruit, veggies, and meats in our house, so this was perfect for us!

MyClyns is made from 100% natural ingredients, so you don’t have to worry about nasty chemicals getting on your food and it also washes away any residue or chemicals that might be there from pesticides or other chemicals that can get on your food through production and packaging. The MyClyns wash can remove 98% more chemicals, wax, and contaminates than just water alone, so this can be a very handy tool to have sitting by your kitchen sink!

MyClyns comes in a simple and easy to use spray bottle. You simply spray the entire surface of the food you are cleaning, rub the wash over the food for approximately 1 minute, then rinse with water. Simple as that! Honestly, it does not take any longer than rinsing your food well with just water and you are removing 98% more chemicals and other harmful products.

Overall, I was extremely pleased with this product. I love that it removes so many more chemicals and harmful products than just water and I love that it is so easy to use! This is just one more product in my natural cleaning products armada and I love adding to the crew! My only warning when using this product, it does foam a little when you wash foods, especially fruits. So be sure to rinse rinse rinse. It is all natural, so it would not hurt you in the least if you ingested it, but I was still fanatic about making sure that I rinsed it all off!

Note: Since this wash is made from all natural sources, it is completely organic and vegan.

Total Stars: ★★★★★

You can purchase this product here.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Smart Bottoms Trainer Review and Giveaway

2011-11-30T11:52:00.000-08:00

Small – Fits 20-30 pounds (I was sent a size small)

Large – Fits 30+ pounds

Price Per Trainer: ★★★☆☆ This trainer retails for $18 direct from Smart Bottoms. Other popular trainers retail for $16-$20 so this seems to be an average and very fair price. Plus this trainer comes with some additional features and benefits that other trainers do not have.

Fit: ★★★★☆ I was surprised, for a trainer with no possible adjustments, it fit well on my daughter at 24 pounds and at 29 pounds. Since she is so tall, as she approached the 29 pounds, the rise is extremely low on her. This is not as important since a trainer is not meant to absorb a ton, but it does sit pretty low on her. Around the legs and around the waist, this trainer is quite stretchy to fit any stature of child. This also makes this trainer extremely comfy for the child.

Accident Absorbency: ★★★★★ This trainer is lined with 100% Organic cotton and the exterior is fleece with a hidden layer of PUL in the wet zone. Additionally, there is a snap in/out insert to add 4 layers of absorbency. This would be perfect for those early trainers that are still prone to accidents. My daughter is still not ready to potty train so we had many accidents in these and they absorbed extremely well!

Washing: ★★★★☆ This trainer washed up very well. Since the interior is 100% organic cotton, it is prone to stains. So if your child had a #2 accident, it would stain easily but it could be sunned out. I was also sad at how pilly the fleece got after washing. Neither of these problems would affect function of this trainer. It is very easy to wash. You can snap out the soaker if you desire but is not necessary. And if your child just had a little dribble on the insert you can replace with another insert and keep using the trainer or just take the insert out and use the trainer without. Very easy to use!

Overall Performance: ★★★★★ I love how easy this trainer is to simply pull up and down for potty runs, I love the added absorbency, and I love how comfy it is for baby. Highly recommend! These trainers also come in some adorable (and child pleasing) colors that might make potty training that much easier!

Total Stars: 21/25

You can purchase this trainer direct from Smart Bottoms here.

CLICK ON THE "READ MORE" FOR THE GIVEAWAY!!

Pregnancy Wednesday: 13 weeks

2011-11-30T08:45:00.000-08:00

13 Weeks. How did that happen? I know I say that every week, but seriously...the weeks are just flying on by.

The biggest development this week is the bump! I cannot fit into anything that is either not maternity or not elastic waist and there is definitely a noticeable bump there. Not so noticeable that passersby would know for sure that I am pregnant, but they would wonder! It is so fun to start "showing" and actually feel pregnant. I didn't really show with Miss A until 14 weeks, so 13 weeks doesn't sound too strange! It just seems SO early to be sporting a bump.

And it is official, I am definitely feeling movement. Last night I was sitting in bed and I felt the baby completely roll over. This little FLOP from within and I knew exactly what it was. Every time we have looked at this little one on Ultrasound, it has been VERY active, so I am not terribly surprised that I am feeling movement early. And every time I use my doppler to listen to the heart beat, I feel movement as the baby tries to run away from the doppler! LOL

Nothing else big has happened this week. Baby seemed to really enjoy turkey on Thanksgiving. But, my mom put a ton of fresh cracked pepper in the potatoes and the baby (and my stomach) did NOT like that. Little bit of nausea, some water and tums, and I was back on track for Thanksgiving dinner...I just avoided the potatoes! Funny how little things like that affect you so much more when you are pregnant! That is really the first nausea that I have felt the entire pregnancy, so I cannot complain!

Otherwise, still feeling great! Still tired on and off, but still manageable. I was really tired the other day (after a bad night of sleep) and I was a bad girl and had a Dr Pepper. Boy, that tasted good! With Miss A, I did not have one drop of caffeine my entire pregnancy. I had planned to do the same this time, but sometimes a little tiny pick-me-up is needed. My one little Dr Pepper was still less than the pregnancy daily recommended amount and I was out of the first trimester, so I took the chance. Plus, I actually split it over two days. Baby and I both enjoyed it!

Something funny: I kept making a repeated typo while typing this post...I kept typing "boy" for any "b" word. Trying to tell me something fingers?

Food cravings this week: Dill pickles, Colby cheese sticks, and Fruit Snacks.

Aversion: Pepper.

How are you feeling?

Smart Bottoms Swim Diaper Review and Giveaway

2011-11-23T11:11:00.000-08:00

Small – Fits 8-16 pounds

Medium – Fits 16-24 pounds

Large – Fits 24+ pounds

Price Per Diaper: ★★★★☆ This swim diaper retails for $12 direct from Smart Bottoms. For a swim diaper, this is an average price and for the quality of this swim diaper, the price is fair! For comparison, a 24 pack of disposable swim diapers costs approximately $10-12. Buying a reusable swim diaper can save you money and waste.

Fit: ★★★★★ This diaper is made of a PUL outer with Polyester Jersey material (similar to football jersey material) on the inside. The waist and the legs are elastic to give a nice snug fit to contain messes while in the pool. No matter the size of your child, the elastic will hug their waist and legs making this a comfortable and contained diaper.

Washing: ★★★★★ Because there is no absorbent material to this diaper, you can simply hang to dry like you would a swim suit between uses. If soiled, I hand washed and hung to dry. This swim diaper shows absolutely no wear or tear from use, washing, or chlorine.

Overall Performance: ★★★★★ This swim diaper is extremely comfortable for my daughter, it is nice and stretchy around the legs to contain messes but not so tight that it leaves marks or bothers her. The material is nice and comfortable and it washes well. Also, this is extremely trim for under swimsuits and easy up/down for potty learners. Overall, I am in love with reusable swim diapers!

Total Stars: 19/20

Miss A is not feeling well today as you can tell from the pics, she just stayed however I put her...poor thing. Evil mommy taking photos.

CLICK ON THE "READ MORE" FOR THE GIVEAWAY!!

Pregnancy Wednesday: 12 weeks

2011-11-23T10:30:00.000-08:00

Bye Bye first trimester!!!! Depending on which reference you use, some texts say that 12 weeks begins the second trimester and some say that 13 weeks begins the second trimester. As a L&D nurse, we always go with 12 weeks beginning the second trimester...so I am celebrating!!! WOOHOO!!!

I seems unreal to be 12 weeks. It also seems unreal to realize how big the baby is already! A plum! My baby is the size of a plum! That is BIG! With Miss A, my pregnancy just flew by and was such an easy pregnancy...apparently (and hopefully) this one is going to be just as nice! Although I am trying to take moments like this to stop and just enjoy this! Life seems to get away from you, we all need to slow down and enjoy the moment!

My husband and I are quickly realizing the list of lasts...this will be our last Thanksgiving and Christmas with just Miss A. Next year we will be a family of four! I almost feel like we are taking something away from Miss A, almost like we are mourning the end of time with her as an only child. But at the same time, we are so excited to expand our family! Did anyone else feel this weird guilty feeling when adding to your family? I mean, we are NOT waiting until she is 18 to have another!!! Honestly, she will be just a few weeks short of 3 when this one arrives, so it really will be perfect timing! She will be old enough to grasp a little of what is going on but not so old that she hates us!

I am still feeling great! Still a little tired here and there. This past week Miss A and I have had the most awful colds...so we are fighting those. Tis the season! If I weren't pregnant, I would probably be taking every over the counter cold medicine there is...but I am trying to fight through with nothing. I know I could take something safe, but I haven't gotten that desperate....yet!! It keeps getting worse, not better, so I may end up taking something.

And I SWEAR no matter what people say...I am feeling movement. I feel little flutters and little flops...it is SO not gas! Especially when I use my doppler to listen to the heartbeat...the baby tries to get away and I can feel the "flop" of the baby trying to roll away. It is so weird but so wonderful! I mentioned before, that with Miss A, I didn't feel movement until 22 weeks. So I really never felt the flutters of early pregnancy. By the time I felt her, they were for real kicks! So this is amazing!!!

Still craving dill pickles...but nothing crazy that I just HAVE to have!

How are you feeling?

A peek at the little one...

Smart Bottoms AIO 2.0 Review

2011-11-16T12:16:00.000-08:00

X-Small: Fits 5-8 pounds

Small: Fits 8-16 pounds

Medium: Fits 16-24 pounds

Large: Fits 24+ pounds

Note: When I first received this diaper for review, my daughter was approximately 23 pounds and I was sent a Medium. It fit her perfectly at that time and I will write this review based on that time frame. Since then, she has grown like a WEED and is now 29 pounds. The Medium still fits her skinny frame well, the rise is getting pretty low on her though. Please note this for the pictures, she is wearing the medium but she should be in a large now. When this diaper first arrived, the rise was perfect on her.

Price Per Diaper: ★★★☆☆ The Smart Bottoms AIO 2.0 retails for $20 each. For an AIO diaper, this is a fantastic price. AIO diapers are generally one of the most expensive diapers and the average price is $28-$34. You can purchase this diaper direct from Smart Bottoms. Since these are sized diapers XS-S-M-L you will have to buy the next size as your child grows.

Leaks: ★★★☆☆ For day time use, this diaper performed perfectly. However, for long naps and night use, my heavy wetting daughter required a booster or else the diaper would leak. This diaper is extremely absorbent and did amazingly well for awake times and short naps, but for long naps and night, it just didn’t have enough absorbency. A simple booster fixed the problem and with the booster, it is a great night time diaper!

Fit: ★★★★★ I know I have raved about the fit of Smart Bottoms Diapers in the past, but here I go again! My tall skinny mini daughter has had troubles with some diapers fitting correctly and without leaks; not Smart Bottoms! The creator of Smart Bottoms also has skinny children and was able to see a need where other cloth diaper companies did not. This diaper has a 3 snap tab, two snaps at the waist and a hip snap. The hip snap is perfect for skinny children with little skinny legs (like Miss A). The waist is also wonderful due to a stretchy front and stretchy back, this gives the perfect waist fit! Also, for those skinny minis, there is a crossover snap at the waist to give you an even smaller size. Likewise, if you have a chunky kid, you can size up and not be worried about the fit since it is stretchy with hip snaps and crossover tabs! Genius design! Also, due to the brilliant design of this diaper, it is extremely trim and fits nicely under clothes!

Ease of Use: ★★★★★ This diaper could not be easier! It is an AIO diaper, so no removable or movable parts! Just on baby and off baby…nothing more! This also makes washing a cinch since you just toss it in the washer and don’t have to worry about unstuffing or removing anything! Also, with the stretchy waist and perfectly located snaps, it is a breeze to get this diaper snapped and on unlike other snap diapers!

Washing: ★★★★★ As I mentioned above, this diaper is a cinch to wash since it is an AIO you can just toss it in the washer and then into the dryer or onto the line. When it is dry, there is nothing to prep or stuff, it is ready to go back onto baby. The inner is a 100% organic cotton with synthetic core. This is very easy to wash, stays very soft against baby’s skin, and stains come out in the wash or with a little sun. The shell is made of PUL and washes perfectly.

Overall Performance: ★★★★☆ Overall, I really love this diaper. I love the design, how well it fits my skinny baby, the soft organic cotton inner, the great price, and how easy it is to care for this diaper. I do wish that this diaper was a little more absorbent for naps and night, but this was easily solved with a simple booster. Great diaper! Made in the USA!

Total Stars: 25/30

Please follow Smart Bottoms on Facebook and thank them for this review!!!

CLICK ON THE "READ MORE" FOR THE GIVEAWAY!!

Pregnancy Wednesday: 11 weeks

2011-11-16T08:30:00.000-08:00

Holy Moly! 11 weeks! So crazy! I can just see that second trimester on the horizon!!! How is that possible? June seems sooooo far away, but at the same time this pregnancy is just flying!!!

I am still feeling great! A little tired still here and there but not all of the time! The urge to pee every 5 seconds seems to be fading a little. I am now able to sleep longer than 2 hours at night without getting up to pee! YAY! And other than those two MINOR complaints, I have no other complaints!

It is kind of strange, I keep forgetting that I am pregnant. It will just not occur to me for a little bit and then it will all come back. I think it is because I feel so good! However, I am now definitely needing pregnancy clothes! At home, I wear sweats and a t-shirt so I don't notice it as much. But going out, yeah, the pre-pregnancy pants just don't cut it!!!

No crazy cravings this week. Just that I cannot get enough fruit. Yum. Doesn't matter what fruit, just give me any and all fruit! And salads. I am looking forward to making my salad at lunch today!!! Hey, if the baby is going to crave fruit and salad...bring it!!! Better than cakes and cookies...which I can also eat anytime!!! :)

The other funny part of all of this is Miss A. She is still grasping to understand all of this. Her new favorite toy is my "Pregnancy Week by Week" book. This was my favorite book during my pregnancy with her and still is my favorite. I like it better than "What to Expect." I recommend this book to any and all expectant moms out there! You can buy it from Barnes and Noble here. Anyway, Miss A has latched onto this book as HERS. It is so cute! She sits on the couch and flips through the book like she is reading it like a big girl. When she can't find it, she comes to me and says "My book?" It is HER book. And I don't mind, because I have it on my Nook too, so if she ruins it, oh well! She learned very quickly that those pictures are babies. She will point and say "dady." She has her b's and d's backwards. So I have been trying to explain to her that there is a baby in mommy's tummy too. She just looks at me like I am nuts. When I get bigger and she can feel the baby kick, I think it will be more real for her. It is just so fun to watch all of this through her eyes and try to help her understand.

The weeks are just flying by! Hard to believe that I am almost out of the first trimester and will soon be in the second!

If you are pregnant, trying, or just had a baby...how are you feeling?

Laura

Posting Delay.

2011-11-14T09:28:00.000-08:00

Sorry guys. I have a bunch of reviews to post...and my camera broke. :( So until I can get it fixed or replaced, reviews will be on hold. Who knew that a camera was SO vital!

Please stay tuned. And sorry for the delay/ quiet blog.

Laura

Pregnancy Wednesday: 10 weeks

2011-11-09T07:29:00.000-08:00

10 weeks today...wow! I am so excited and anxious to get to 20 weeks and see what this little one is and even more excited and anxious to hold this baby...but at the same time, how is it possible that I am almost done with the first trimester? This pregnancy just seems to be flying! I am already 1/4 of the way there!

Question: How early did you feel movement? With Miss A, my placenta was anterior (in the front) and I really didn't feel movement until around 22 weeks. It was a sad and LONG wait to finally feel those kicks and movements. I know it is crazy because the baby is so tiny, but I swear that I feel movement at times. It is probably all in my head though!

I am also excited to share a review with you...I am going to wait until later in the pregnancy and see how well it does at all stages, but I did buy a fetal doppler with my own money and I am excited with the results already! As a Labor and Delivery nurse, I had the pleasure of being able to check on Miss A whenever I worked. I was so nice to get to hear that heartbeat a couple times a week since I was working FT. Now that I am only working casually (4 days a month) I wanted to get a doppler for at home so I could have the same comfort with this pregnancy of being able to check on the little one. Working in the job I do, I see the good, the bad, and the really really ugly of pregnancy. So with all of those experiences and memories, I sometimes have a very hard time just putting my faith in the fact that everything SHOULD be going ok with the pregnancy. I have seen far too much to not have some control and be able to check in on the baby whenever I want.

So I did a ton of research and price comparison and then I stalked ebay for a good price! I was shocked that I got it for such a great deal! Yay Ebay!

Now, for those moms out there wondering...your uterus does not come up out of the pelvis until around 10 weeks. So it is nearly impossible (and most practitioners will not try) to find the heartbeat with a doppler until 10-12 weeks. With that knowledge in mind, my doppler arrived when I was 9 weeks and 2 days. I wasn't going to try it out, but something in me just wanted to know! So I decided to try and find the heartbeat the day that the doppler came.

I must say, it is hard to doppler yourself. I am always standing over the patient and can visualize the landmarks and get the heartbeat right away. But trying to do it to yourself it quite a bit more difficult. So after a LOT of searching and feeling around for landmarks, I found it! It probably took me 10 minutes, but at 9 weeks and 2 days, I was able to get the baby's heartbeat on my home doppler! The heart rate was 125-130. I was so excited to find it!

Now, for those of you wanting to buy a doppler and are hopeful that you can find the heart beat at 9 weeks, I want to warn you. I am a Labor and Delivery nurse. I know the landmarks and I know how to find the heartbeat. At 9 weeks and 5 days, I could not find it. It was very frustrating for me, but I was not surprised. Please do not expect to find the heartbeat until after 10-12 weeks. More like 12 weeks for a home doppler. If you buy one and cannot find the heartbeat, do not get scared/worried/etc. It can be very hard to find the heartbeat, especially before 20 weeks. And depending on the position of the baby, it can be near impossible even with a good doppler; let alone a cheapie home doppler.

I am extremely excited to keep using it though and let you guys know what I find! It was extremely affordable, so I am thrilled to share! But not yet! I want to thoroughly test it out first!

I am still feeling great! I get a little tired at times but that is really my biggest complaint. And I still can't get enough dill pickles. I need to buy stock in Clausen! Yum!

How are you guys this week?

Happy Pregnancy Wednesday!

Northern Essence Baby Sudz Soap Review

2011-11-08T12:16:00.000-08:00

Last, but certainly not least, of the Northern Essence reviews is their Baby Sudz Soap. This is an all natural ingredient bar of soap made from Shea Butter, Vitamin E, Olive oil, Coconut oil, Palm oil, and Rice Bran oil. There is no added fragrance or coloring. This mixture makes this soap safe for even the most sensitive of skin and skin of all ages from birth to adult!

I used this soap on both myself and Miss A. We both have extremely fair and sensitive skin, so we are always looking for products that won’t irritate our skin! This soap did wonders! In addition to not irritating either Miss A or myself, the natural oils and other ingredients replaced moisture and gave added protection to our skin!

When wet, this soap creates a nice milky lather that is just sinfully nice to rub all over yourself! Miss A enjoyed being bathed with this soap and I did too, because it just makes your skin feel refreshed and renewed. It rinses clean and leaves your skin feeling moisturized and clean.

It is sometimes so difficult to find soap that is actually safe for extremely sensitive skin. As a person with sensitive skin, I have bought all of those “made for sensitive skin” products and many of them are in fact NOT safe for sensitive skin. I can assure you that the Baby Sudz soap is made from a safe formula, is extremely safe and gentle for sensitive skin, and would be perfect for infants, toddlers, and young children with sensitive skin!

Overall, I really loved this soap. I have tried countless sensitive formula soaps and many of them still irritated my skin. Miss A irritates even more easily than I do! So finding a soap that is safe for both of us is a real treat! This soap is gentle enough for even the most sensitive of skin, it is all natural, and it has a nice light and fresh soapy smell that is not overly powerful for those sensitive noses!

Total Stars: 5/5

You can purchase this item direct from Nothern Essence here. A sample size bar is only $0.99 and a full size bar is only $4.50. Very affordable to try for yourself!!!

And please follow Northern Essence on Facebook and thank them for this review!

Northern Essence Better Butt(er) Cream Review

2011-11-07T12:27:00.000-08:00

Wouldn't you love to find a diaper rash cream that can also be used for other things as well? Northern Essence’s Better Butt(er) Cream can do it all! Not only is it a fantastic diaper rash cream and cloth diaper safe, but it also works great on dry cracked skin such as your hands! This cream is also perfect for diaper rashes caused by yeast since it will not irritate the yeast and make it worse!

Cost: ★★★★★ Depending on what size tub you buy, obviously, the price will change. For a 2 ounce tub, the price is $7.95. The 5 ounce tub is $14.95.

Ease of Use: ★★★★☆ This light and fluffy cream comes in a nice little tub with an easy screw on/off lid. The tub is wide and easy to get the cream out of. The cream itself is very easy to apply since it is so soft and light. Obviously, a cream of this type cannot come in stick form, so there is a little bit of mess that you need to wash off of your hands or simply rub into your hands for the moisture!

Smell: ★★★★☆ This cream is marketed as “fragrance free” and is almost completely odorless, but there is a faint oil smell to it. It is so faint that you can barely make it out. The smell is very clean and fresh and almost non-existent, so it is not offensive to those very sensitive smellers out there! There are no added fragrances though which means no additional ingredients to possibly cause reaction.

Effectiveness: ★★★★★ As I mentioned above, this cream can be used for any type of diaper rash or skin irritation. At the first sign of redness, I applied just a tiny bit of this cream and her rash was gone. This cream is full of Hemp Butter, Shea Butter, Meadowfoam Oil, Grapefruit Seed Extract, and other ingredients. Many sensitive skinned babies (and even adults) cannot use creams with essential oils due to their sensitivities. This cream does not contain any essential oils and is perfect for even the most sensitive of skin.

Overall: ★★★★★ This cream is fantastic on both my daughter’s easily rashed tush and my extremely sensitive and easily dried hands. This cream is obviously marketed as a diaper cream, but I found it to also be an exceptional healing hand cream. (only I would think to put diaper rash cream on my hands! LOL) Overall, I love this cream! I did wonders on Miss A’s bum and I found a perfect second use for it too!

Total Stars: 23/25

You can purchase this item direct from Nothern Essence here.

And please follow Northern Essence on Facebook and thank them for this review!

Pregnancy Wednesday: 9 weeks

2011-11-02T08:40:00.000-07:00

So, since I am terrible at keeping up with Wordless Wednesdays, I decided to create Pregnancy Wednesdays! Since Wednesday is the beginning of my pregnancy week and I want to talk pregnancy with you guys...seemed like a neat idea! So feel free to post your pregnancy comments, questions, etc and/or what week you are, how you are feeling, anything new with your pregnancy, etc!

As for me, I am 9 weeks today! Seems crazy to me; like a dream! I never shared with you guys, but conceiving this baby was a tad difficult. We had been trying for 6 months! Which I have been told by midwives, doctors, and parents that 6 months is not a long time...but we got pregnant with Miss A the first month that we tried...so 6 months this time seemed like an eternity. When that stick said "pregnant" I truly felt as though I was dreaming.

I am feeling really good! No morning sickness (didn't have any with Miss A either) and just generally feeling good. In fact, I keep forgetting that I am pregnant because I really don't feel anything. Some days I am a little tired...but others I am not. So it could just be lack of sleep and not actually pregnancy...who knows!

I remember with Miss A, I needed to go maternity shopping around 8-9 weeks as suddenly my clothes just did not fit. I was surprised this time as 8 1/2 weeks came and I still had not started feeling tight in my clothes. Well as of yesterday, it seems like BAM my clothes don't fit. It is so funny...Monday, clothes felt fine. Woke up Tuesday and suddenly, I feel like I have a belly. Sadly, I have gained weight since having Miss A, so I need to go maternity pants shopping. My pants from my first pregnancy fit, but they don't look very nice...LOL! Guess my hubby is just going to have to buy me pants for Christmas!

So that is where I am at! If you are pregnant, trying to conceive, or just want to talk pregnancy....leave a comment below!!! I can't wait to hear from other mamas out there on their pregnancy experiences! Also, if you have questions, go ahead and ask! I am a Labor and Delivery nurse and can answer them or there are plenty of other mamas reading that would love to chat pregnancy!

Weird Pregnancy Food of the Week: I can't get enough dill pickles.

Happy Pregnancy Wednesday!

Northern Essence All Natural Diaper Rash Salve Review and Giveaway

2011-11-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

For this review, I was sent the original formula in the push up tube.

My daughter has extremely; let me stress that again, EXTREMELY sensitive skin. It does not take much at all to break her out in a rash. So I am constantly looking for cloth diaper safe creams, ointments, salves, etc that do not make her skin worse and will clear up any rash big or small quickly. I am happy to say, that I have found some amazing products from Northern Essence.

The Northern Essence All Natural Diaper Rash Salve is just one of their amazing products. I had the pleasure of reviewing their original salve in the push up tube. I was a little apprehensive when I learned that I was using the original formula as opposed to the sensitive formula, but I must confess, as well as the original formula did for my daughter’s sensitive skin, I cannot imagine how much more sensitive the sensitive formula can be!

Cost: ★★★★★ Depending on what size and what formula your are looking for, the price of these products ranges from $4.50 for a 1 oz tube to $7.95 for their 2 oz tubs and twist ups. For as long as these products last, this is a fabulous price!

Ease of Use: ★★★★★ This stick is simple to use. It is a push up tube so you simply push up from the bottom of the tube for more of the stick and you simply rub the stick across baby’s bum to apply. You do not have to get your hands all messy putting the salve on, nor do you have to touch sensitive skin with potentially dirty hands.

Smell: ★★★★☆ Like many products containing tee tree oil, you can definitely smell the tee tree oils when you open the stick. It is a nice clean smell, but if you are very sensitive to smells, I recommend the sensitive formula with the citrus. I did review the Sensitive Skin Wipes Concentrate which contained citrus instead of tee tree oil. You may find the sensitive versions of these products are less “smelly.” I like the smell of tee tree oil, but for those with sensitive noses, you may prefer the citrus!

Effectiveness: ★★★★★ During our use of this product, my daughter had a horrible illness complete with diarrhea as well as a few instances of ammonia burn with her night time diapers. In all cases, as soon as I saw any hint of redness (or more than a hint in some cases) I simply put some of this salve on and by next diaper change there was no redness to be seen!

The salve is made of all natural ingredients including beeswax, calendula infused with olive oil, avocado oil, meadowfoam seed oil, cocoa butter, shea butter, tea tree and lavender essential oils. The sensitive formula does not have the tee tree and lavender essential oils, but rather citrus oils as the tee tree can be more irritating that the citrus. So this salve is all natural (YAY), cloth diaper safe (YAY), and is extremely beneficial for my little one’s bum (YAY!).

Don’t have rash problems? Since this salve is full of essential oils, it can protect baby’s bum from potential breakdown and rash. So even if you don’t have rash problems, if you apply this with every diaper change or even just once a day, you can help prevent any problems in the future while knowing that you are applying something that is all natural and chemical free!

Overall: ★★★★★ Overall, I really loved this product. As I stated before, at the first sign of redness, I applied this to my daughter’s bum and by the next diaper change, the redness was gone. This is also perfect to apply at night time when your child may be in a diaper longer and exposed to wetness longer. I love that the push up stick is simple to use, no mess and no fuss! And best of all, this product is all natural and cloth diaper safe!

Total Stars: 24/25

Please Follow Northern Essence on Facebook and thank them for this giveaway!!!

You may purchase Northern Essence products here.

CLICK ON THE "READ MORE" FOR THE GIVEAWAY!!

Northern Essence Baby Wipe Concentrate Review

2011-10-26T12:24:00.000-07:00

This review is for the Northern Essence Sensitive Skin Concentrate Only.

Wipe Solutions are one of those things that you are always looking for. There are so many different ways to make wipes, different wipe solution products, and so many variations that it is fun to try them all!

Yes, you can use simple water on your wipes for a quick and simple way to make wet wipes or wipes solution. But there are also fantastic wipes solutions that may actually cleanse baby’s bum better, prevent rash and skin breakdown, and promote healing all at the same time.

Many wipes solutions are made from either tea tree oil, lavender, or both. These oils are great for disinfecting and cleansing, but many sensitive bottoms are too sensitive for these products. Northern Essence has perfected a formula for wipes concentrate that does not use these ingredients but rather organic aloe vera, organic coconut oil, organic olive oil, vitamin E, mild glycerin soap, and citrus oil. This extremely mild blend is safe for even the most sensitive of bums!

Also, this concentrate is a cinch to use! Many solution formulas come in tabs that you have to dissolve in hot water. Northern Essence has produced this wipes concentrate in liquid form. The instructions are to mix 1 part concentrate with 4 parts water, I found that you can use even less of this concentrate to make it last longer and it works just as well! Being that it is liquid, it is a cinch to mix up and either put into a spray bottle or over your wipes, whichever method you use! No fussing with heating water, waiting for bits to dissolve, and then waiting for solution to cool! Easy as pie!

The citrus scent is very refreshing…smells like lemon and orange. It is a very clean smelling scent and made the wipes smell nice. It takes some getting used to though. Obviously I have used mostly solutions with tea tree oil, lavender, other oils, or soapy smells. This was a scent that I was not used to and it was surprising to me when I would open my wipes. It was not unpleasant, actually it was very nice, it just took time to get used to the different scent! J

Overall, I was quite pleased with this concentrate. It smelled nice, it worked well, it did not irritate my extremely sensitive skinned baby, and it was extremely easy to mix up and use! Even better, you can use less of the concentrate in your mix and make the bottle last longer and save some extra money! Fabulous product!

Total Stars: ★★★★★

This is review one of four from Northern Essence! Stay tuned for more of their fabulous products!

You can purchase this product direct from Northern Essence here!

Please follow Northern Essence on Facebook!

Note: I personally make my wipes solution and pour it over my wipes in the container so that they are wet and ready to wipe bums. However, you make your wipes solution, this concentrate would work well for it!

It has been Quiet...

2011-10-24T11:18:00.000-07:00

Since the Breastfeeding event, the TMG blog has been pretty quiet. There are a few reasons for that. One, I threw my back out last Monday and I have basically just been laying on my heating pad since. Two, I have a bunch of reviews in the oven, but not quite ready to post many of them! I do have one coming tomorrow though!!! So stay tuned!

And three...there is something else in the oven!

I am almost 8 weeks along with our newest little addition and due the first week of June! We are so excited to move from a family of three to a family of four! So far I have been feeling great! A little tired here and there, but nothing to really complain about! The back issues have been the worst, made even worse since I can't take anything! But it is SO worth it!!!

So keep posted for pregnancy reviews and giveaways and then in June....Newborn diaper reviews and giveaways! I cannot wait for my newest little diaper tester to arrive!!!! (and get cute fluff on his or her bum!!)

Laura

Balboa Baby Nursing Cover and Nursing Pillow Review

2011-10-14T12:29:00.000-07:00

Balboa Baby Nursing Cover

For any breastfeeding mother, a Nursing cover is a MUST. There are so many different covers on the market today that it gives mothers a choice in what features and colors they want. This is wonderful! Gone are the days of just using a hot blanket to cover mom and baby or buying an ugly nursing cover just because it was the one and only that existed! Now moms can choose what kid of cover they want and can actually look nice while breastfeeding!

The Balboa Baby Nursing Cover is simple and elegant. It’s designed to contour around mom and baby, giving you the most coverage possible. It has a nice sized pocket on the front, perfect for pacifiers, nursing pads, etc. The cover also has a rigid neckline so that you can have both hands supporting baby and don’t have to fuss with the cover to be able to maintain eye contact with baby. Many nursing covers, you are constantly having to shift or lift the collar line to see baby, with the rigid neckline you don’t have to do a thing! Also, if the collar is too tight or too loose, there is an adjustable buckle to adjust the collar to fit you better.

This cover is also made of 100% cotton and is nice and lightweight so you don’t have to worry about mom or baby roasting during nursing. Other covers can be thick and hot, but this cover is light and allows air flow through the rigid neckline and any air that gets in from the bottom and sides.

This cover washed very well. Since it is 100% cotton, you can simply machine wash on gentle/cold and then tumble dry. I did notice that if I only tumble dried it, it wrinkled like crazy! Instead, I air dried it and then tumbled it to get the stiffness and wrinkles out. This worked better for me that simply tumbling it.

I really loved this nursing cover. It is contoured and fits/covers better than many other nursing covers because of these contours. The rigid neckline allows ventilation as well as mommy/baby eye contact. And these covers come in an array of gorgeous prints! You truly can look nice (and even chic) while breastfeeding! Even better, Balboa Baby offers the entire coordinating line of Nursing Covers, Nursing Pillows, Adjustable Slings, Shopping Cart Covers, and Stroller Liners. So you could buy the entire collection in one print and have a lovely coordinating ensemble!

Overall, I love this cover. I love the contours instead of the traditional square covers. I love that it has a nice generous fit that is much nicer than square covers and seems to cover/hide more of mom and baby for privacy! The rigid neckline is amazingly helpful and the beautiful prints are to die for!

Total Stars: ★★★★★

Demonstration only, there is a baby doll under there! :)

Balboa Baby Nursing Pillow

Previously to being sent this nursing pillow, I had only used one mainstream nursing pillow. I was surprised and amazed to see how different nursing pillows could be and how well this one worked!

Right from the package, the first thing that I noticed about the Balboa Baby Nursing Pillow was the contour design. This pillow was designed by Medical Professionals and Lactation consultants. They designed this pillow with a contour to naturally help maintain that “belly to belly” correct positioning. This is brilliant. With many other pillows, it is hard to maintain belly to belly, this pillow maintains that position with no effort!

This pillow is also made from a sturdy foam, which is soft enough for baby and mom comfort, but strong enough that I firmly feel it would withstand multiple children!

The cover is removable and washable, which is perfect because breastfeeding is not always a clean job. There is spit up, vomit, drool, pee, and poop blow outs to contend with. So a washable cover is a MUST! The cover washed well, but like the Nursing Cover, it tended to come out wrinkly and a little stiff. I again air dried and then tumbled…worked like a charm!

My other immediate thought about this pillow was that it is smaller than many other pillows. Many mainstream nursing pillows wrap the entire way around mom’s abdomen. This pillow does not. I was concerned about this. However, I found that since this pillow is not a wrap around, you have more options with it! It actually works BETTER than wrap around nursing pillows.

When my daughter was a newborn, she only nursed football hold on the right side. This was trick with my mainstream nursing pillow because she would slide off the back of the pillow. I was constantly adjusting her and the pillow. This was not exactly ideal for me or for her feeding! I wish that I had the Balboa Baby Nursing Pillow back then! Because it is smaller, you can simply move the pillow to the side and it instantly works for the football hold as well! Not matter what hold or position you nurse your baby in (aside from laying down or standing on your head!), this pillow will work beautifully.

Overall, I was just amazed at how different this pillow was and how the brilliant design worked beautifully. My only worry is that for parents that nurse past a year, your child may outgrow this pillow. Due to the contour design, I do not feel that larger/older children would be comfortable. If you have used this pillow with a bigger child, I would love to know your thoughts on this!

Total Stars: ★★★★★

You can purchase these products on the Balboa Baby website or at Target and Toys R Us.

PLEASE FOLLOW BALBOA BABY ON FACEBOOK AND THANK THEM FOR THIS REVIEW!

Breastfeeding Guest Blogger - Jennifer B.

2011-10-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

Our next Guest Blogger for this week's Breastfeeding event is Jennifer B. Jennifer has a wonderful story to tell. She tackled breastfeeding with her premie twins! If you have any questions or comments for Jennifer, please leave them below! And please, enjoy her breastfeeding journey! ~Laura

I had always planned on breast feeding my babies, but had not planned on twins! It was a huge surprise to my husband and I, that is for sure! Although, this did not change my plans for nursing them. How was I going to do it? I had no clue...

Ever & Viv stayed in the NICU for four weeks and had no major health or development issues... they didn't even need a breathing tube!

I began pumping while still in the hospital, recovering from my C-Section. I had a torn placenta that formed infected blood clots, and was still very sick from this. Despite this, my milk came in when the twins were a day old. From that day on, my milk was given to them through their feeding tubes.

At about 33.5 weeks gestation, I became adamant about letting my babies start to practice nursing. The nurses finally allowed me to start "breast feeding" them in the NICU. I love the NICU nurses and will be forever thankful to them, but I will say, some of them were not very supportive of this. The majority of the nurses said things like "They are too young, so don't expect much." " Don't become discouraged, when they don't latch on." " They probably will not be able to suck at this gestational age."

I guess, I just ignored them, for the most part. I was aware that they would probably not latch or suck, but wanted to try, despite the odds against them. After all, they had already beaten most odds- being born so early and in perfect health!

One of the nurses showed me how to do the "Football" hold. She gave me the shields and said preemies do much better with them ( I continued to use these until they were 12 weeks old). I remember the first time they latched onto my nipple, It was so amazing to see these TINY babies, doing exactly what nature intended.

The nurses were shocked and started calling the twins "Super Preemies"! Even the doctors were talking about how amazing it was, that they were nursing at such an early gestational age.

The twins were not allowed to suck very long at this point, in fear that they would burn too many calories and loose weight. As the days went by, I continued to "practice nurse" at least once a day.

When the twins were about 35 weeks gestation, the nursing became part of their feedings and they were consuming anywhere from half an ounce to a full ounce, on a good feeding. The amount they nursed, depended on how tired they became, usually falling asleep quickly and taking the rest of their milk through the feeding tube.

When I left the hospital, I continued to pump every three hours and was traveling to the hospital 2-3 times a day to nurse the twins, followed by pumping. After the twins came home, I continued to tandem nurse them, using the nipple shields and a Boppy pillow. This pillow worked for us, because they were still under 6 pounds for a long time. I believe I switched to a My Breast Friend when they were around 13 weeks. Personally, the twin feeding pillows did not work for me. I am petite and short waisted. They would not stay on and were so big and bulky.

I would say, the hardest part of my nursing experience was when they were very young ( about 33 weeks gestation - 13 weeks old). The babies were constantly falling off the nipple, falling asleep, and/or just not consistent with anything! I was also still having to pump after nursing, as they were not taking all of my milk and I wanted to keep up my production. It was so frustrating and extremely tiring. They were on a 1.5-2 hour feeding schedule to gain weight and that included the night time feedings too. Since I was nursing, my husband wasn't much help. Although, he and my brother took turns "preping" the babies for their feedings at night, and then placing them on my feeding pillow to nurse. Occasionally, I would take a break from the feedings, and they were given a bottle, but usually I choose to nurse them. I am so glad they were introduced to the bottle early on. Bottle feeding is crucial with twins, because it's very difficult to tandem feed in public. I would never even attempt that!

So, basically, all I did for the first 4 months was change diapers, nurse, burp, put babies to sleep, pump, wash pumping parts, and start all over again.

My biggest problem while nursing came around 5 months when I was back to work (around 3 months). The challenge for me, was not having the time to consume enough calories or pump often enough at work, to keep up my production and keep the milk caloric.

I was/am about 110 pounds and I barely had time for one meal, let alone, consume the amount of food it took to keep my milk fatty. I was having to eat over 3,000 calories a day! My milk began to look like water, literally translucent, and the twins continued to spit it up and/or need a bottle of formula after nursing. I tried supplements for milk production, and it helped with the production amount, but not the quality of the milk. At one point, my family would joke about the feeding following my Cheeseburger, because it would be the best milk of the day!

At about 5-6 months, My weight continued to drop and I was still struggling on not having enough quality milk for both babies and I began nursing one/bottle feeding the other and switching back and forth with every feeding. Of course, this made the milk problem even worse and I couldn't do this when I was away from them at work 3 days a week.

The "watery milk" and low production never got better. This inevitably, became the reason for me weaning the twins at 7 months.

I miss breast feeding my babies and I feel guilty in the fact that they are not getting the best source of nutrition, but I am also very proud for having nursed twins for 7 months.

They are healthy, happy, and loved beyond measure and that is what matters at the end of the day.

I have always said "Breast feeding is not only the best gift you can give your baby. It is a birthright." Do what you can and breast feed as long as you can. There are countless options available for practically every problem you could have, when breast feeding. It's not easy, but it can be done.

Jennifer

Thank you Jennifer for sharing your experience and your words of wisdom on the art of Breastfeeding! ~Laura

Bamboobies Butterfly Wrap Review and Giveaway

2011-10-13T12:23:00.000-07:00

What is the one thing that is priceless to any breastfeeding mother? A Nursing Cover! And once again, Bamboobies has created a one of a kind and smartly designed product! The Butterfly wrap is stretchy, soft, light-weight, comfortable, and versatile. It is made from an extremely soft and comfortable blend of Organic Cotton, Soy Fiber, and Spandex. This combination keeps both mom and baby cool and comfortable while nursing.

Bamboobies also loves to make their products versatile and able to do more than just the primary intention of the product. The Butterfly Wrap is also able to be used in a multitude of ways. Since it is a stretchy wrap, it is perfect to wear on a cool day whether you are pregnant, post-partum, breastfeeding, or not! You can wear it as a shawl around your shoulders or, it can even be worn as a skirt! Since the wrap is basically square, you could even use it as a receiving blanket in a pinch! You will find a hundred other uses for this wrap in addition to a nursing cover.

When I first got the Butterfly Wrap, I was concerned about the sizing. I am a plus size mama and I was skeptical about the sizes. The Butterfly Wrap comes in two sizes, S/M and M/L. Of course I chose the M/L but I was a little concerned that it would not fit since I cannot remember the last time that I purchased a Medium or a Large!

The package finally came, and it was time to see IF this Butterfly wrap would fit or not. To my surprise, due to the stretchy fabric, the Wrap fit very well! It is not tight or uncomfortable. I love the soft stretchy fabric and I love the fact that I can proudly state that I am wearing a M/L!!! J

The Wrap has a generous neck opening so that you can see baby for that precious eye contact, but there is also enough fabric around the neck so that you aren’t showing anything that you don’t want to. There is enough fabric and enough stretch that you are completely covered at all times and do not feel like you are hanging out.

This wrap also washes very easily and dries quickly. So if baby spits up on your pretty and elegant wrap, no problem! You can rinse it out in any bathroom and it will dry in no time or you can toss it in the washer/dryer at home. This wrap washes well, with no wear or tear visible after about 7-10 washes; it dries quickly, and has not lost any of its stretch or comfort.

Overall, I love the Butterfly Wrap. It comes in four very attractive and pleasing colors and can easily be added into your wardrobe. It folds flat to go into a purse or diaper bag, or you can simply wear it as a wrap and be ready to breastfeed wherever you are! This wrap is very soft, very comfortable, and very versatile. This would make a great addition to any expectant or breastfeeding mother’s arsenal of baby accessories!

My only note to Bamboobies would be, to potentially in the future have a larger size for plus size mamas. I was comfortable in the wrap and felt that I had enough room and enough coverage to breastfeed. However, I know that there are many mamas out there who are bigger than me and would probably feel more comfortable in a larger size.

Total Stars: ★★★★★

You can purchase Bamboobies Butterfly Wrap here! Please use the coupon code "MOMGOODS" at the check out for 20% off of your purchase!

And PLEASE follow Bamboobies on Facebook and thank them for this generous giveaway!!

CLICK ON THE "READ MORE" FOR THE GIVEAWAY!!

Breastfeeding Guest Blogger - Amy P.

2011-10-13T10:06:00.000-07:00

Our next Guest Blogger for this week's Breastfeeding event is Amy P. If you have any questions or comments for Amy, please leave them below! And please, enjoy her breastfeeding journey! ~Laura

When you're pregnant there are things that everyone tells you. “Rest now because soon you'll be up multiple times a night.” “You'd be surprised how many of your conversations revolve around poop when you're a parent.” “Take lots of pictures because babies change so fast.” But nobody ever said, “There's a learning curve with breastfeeding and it doesn't always work out.” I soooo wish someone had told me.

I had my heart set on breastfeeding from the get go. It was a no-brainer! It was cheap, good for my little man, and would be readily available since I would be home with him. I checked out books and videos from the library about breastfeeding and felt I had a general grasp of how things would go. I got a breast pump and my husband and I joked about needing an extra freezer to store all the milk I would pump. I was prepared.

My son had a few issues trying to be born, so we ended up with an emergency C-section. I was in recovery for over an hour and when we finally made it back to the room, I asked the nurses for help getting my little guy latched. They were encouraging, helped us get situated, and then.... pure bliss. He latched so easily and the feeling was amazing! Cradling my precious bundle and providing him with exactly what he wanted, far more incredible than I could have imagined! Things went fairly well in the hospital. I got valuable pointers from the lactation consultants and I felt like we were getting the hang of things. My sweet boy had lost a little more than the “normal” amount of weight at discharge so we made an appointment for a weight check a few days later, but I didn't think anything of it and we took him home.

The weight check was when I knew there was a problem. He had lost a whole pound of weight, wasn't nursing as well as he had been, and I was a week postpartum and hadn't experienced the “engorgement” I'd read about. I was scared for my baby, he was so small and skinny. I contacted the lactation consultants and the battle began. During a one-on-one consultation we determined that my son was a lazy nurser which resulted in a poor milk supply and started a vicious cycle that I fought for the next 5 months. I had wonderful support from my husband and a support group led by the lactation consultants. One consultant in particular reminded me repeatedly, “Good things come in small packages.” Even though I didn't have much milk, what I DID have was good for him and packed with all the great benefits that come from breast milk, and it was worth the tremendous effort I was putting in.

I tried EVERY trick in the book to boost my supply, but it was not to be. We had to start supplementing when my little man was two weeks old, and at five months what little supply I had fought to build, started to decrease. I called the lactation consultant once again and she reassured me, I had done everything and it was okay if it wasn't working out. My heart was breaking, but I had given him the “small package” I had and hung on longer than many people would have. “I don't know why you had to struggle through breastfeeding or why it was so hard, but you have learned more than a lot of other people and there must be a reason,” she encouraged. I will never forget that. I don't know why it was such an uphill battle for my son and I, but I DO know there is a reason. I've already had opportunity to offer support to others with milk supply issues. It can be a lonely, agonizing battle and it took me a long time to be OKAY with the fact that breastfeeding didn't work out. I know it doesn't make me less of a mommy because my body didn't cooperate. I hope the knowledge I gained will set us up for better breastfeeding with future kiddos, but even if it doesn't, that's okay. I'll know I tried and it was soooo worth it!

Amy

Thank you Amy for sharing your experience and your words of wisdom on the art of Breastfeeding! ~Laura

bamboob-ease Soothing Therapy Pillow Review and Giveaway

2011-10-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

Since the guest post for today was a tip on how to heal a cracked nipple…let’s keep the spirit of healing boobies alive with a review of the new bamboob-ease Soothing Therapy Pillows!! Because we all know…if the boobies aren’t happy…nobody is happy!!

Bamboobies is a company dedicated to finding organic items to aid in breastfeeding health and happiness. A few months ago, I reviewed their amazing nursing pads. I was thrilled when they agreed to sponsor this breastfeeding event as well! They are an amazing company, with amazing ideas and products to promote breastfeeding as well as breast health and happiness!

The new bamboob-ease Soothing Therapy Pillow is just one more of Bamboobies brilliant ideas! This pillow made amazingly soft organic cotton and bamboo is just what any mother in pain needs! The pillow is filled with flaxseeds. The wonderfulness of flaxseeds is that they can be warmed up for heat and can be cooled down for cold. So whatever your boobies need, this soft pillow can give you! It is so simple to use too! To warm up, simply toss it in the microwave for 20-40 seconds! To cool down, simply toss it in the freezer for a little bit! The flaxseeds also allow the pillow to conform to your breast and get to those ouchy spots better.

This is perfect for any breastfeeding mother. We all have those times when we need cool for the boobies (ie. Engorgement pain, nipple pain, teething pain) and we have those times when we need heat for the boobies (ie. Open a clogged duct, stimulate let down, ease mastitis). Rather than having an assortment of breastfeeding accessories, this is the all in one item that can cover all of these needs! Just like the name bamboob-ease implies, this product is meant to ease whatever problem your boobies are having!

I was surprised and amazed at the softness of this pillow. It is extremely soft and plush, perfect to put next to such a sensitive area! I was also surprised by the size of this pillow! It is a nice, generous size to fit any breast size and to cover a lot of boobie area! Many times pain from engorgement, clogged duct, etc is on the side of the breast closer to the arm pit. Generally, a compress could only be in that area. This pillow is generously sized to cover more of the breast in order to provide more relief! I am a D cup and it nicely covers almost my entire breast!

Looking for more reasons to buy these? Who doesn’t have a thousand uses for a heat/cold pack? These are also the perfect size to heat up for a little one with a belly ache. Or cool for those boo-boos! Since the pillow is so nice and soft, it is more comforting than other heat/cold packs for little children!

My one and only complaint about this item…it is not washable. You can wipe the pillow with a damp cloth and air dry…but you cannot get it wet or machine wash. Therefore, if you are leaking a ton or think you might leak, you may want to wrap a washcloth around this pillow. It really stinks to cover the plush soft fabric, but since it is not washable, you almost have to! Likewise, be careful when microwaving this item that there is no food residue in your microwave. I put the pillow on a clean plate when microwaving so as to not get it dirty. Yes, I looked pretty silly putting my boobie pillow on a plate and microwaving it!!! J

Overall, I absolutely love this soothing therapy pillow! It is a genius invention created by a mother with lots of experience! Only a mother could think of something this brilliant! I love that you can heat or cool this pillow depending on what your need is and I love that it is just the right size to fit most any breast! I do wish that the cover was removable and washable, maybe they will do that next time!

Total Stars: ★★★★★

You can purchase Bamboobies here! Please use the coupon code "MOMGOODS" at the check out for 20% off of your purchase!

And PLEASE follow Bamboobies on Facebook and thank them for this generous giveaway!!

CLICK ON THE "READ MORE" FOR THE GIVEAWAY!!

Breastfeeding Guest Blogger - Ariel W.

2011-10-12T12:18:00.000-07:00

Our next Guest Blogger for this week's Breastfeeding event is Ariel. Ariel has a surprising, yet wonderful tip for Breastfeeding mamas! ~Laura

Breastfeeding Troubleshooting

My tip is on how to heal a cracked nipple: lanolin oil and saran wrap. I didn't believe this would work (I had a horrible crack and had tried every tip I could find on the internet), but it worked like a miracle! Apply lanolin oil after nursing and cover it with a little square of saran wrap (this keeps it very moist and allows healing). Keep the saran wrap on until the next nursing session. Repeat after every single nursing session until crack is healed!

Ariel

Thank you Ariel for sharing your experience and your helpful Breastfeeding Troubleshooting tip! ~Laura

Breastfeeding Guest Blogger - Sarah M.

2011-10-11T14:19:00.000-07:00

Our next Guest Blogger for this week's Breastfeeding event is Sarah M. If you have any questions or comments for Sarah, please leave them below! And please, enjoy her breastfeeding journey! ~Laura

When I was pregnant with my daughter, Charis, there was no question in my mind how I would feed her. My husband and I both wanted me to breastfeed her. Thankfully, our family was very supportive. Breastfeeding seemed like the only option to me, and I have my mom to thank for that. She breastfed my brother, sister, and I. I remember watching The Bill Cosby Show when I was four years old, with my mom in the same room nursing my sister.

I am also very thankful for my midwife, Sheila. Before Charis was born, Sheila asked, "How are you going to feed your baby?" I answered, "I plan on breastfeeding her." Sheila was THRILLED, but also told me what to expect. She said that breastfeeding will be painful in the beginning for the first few weeks. She explained that after my daughter was born, I would have this human who wants to be at my breast ALL THE TIME and that my breasts and nipples would not be used to it, so it would be painful until they "toughened up." I was thankful that Sheila gave me a realistic picture what it would be like the first few weeks. Had I not been told this, I would have thought I am a failure, because many books say that breastfeeding is painless.

Do not be afraid to seek out help. I had a cracked nipple and mastitis a week after Charis was born. When my daughter's pediatrician found out I had mastitis, he wanted me to go see a Lactation Consultant. Looking back, I am glad he recommended that. The Lactation Consultant helped me see that Charis was not latching on correctly on my left side, where the cracked nipple was. They also pointed me to a product that would help my breasts feel better, Lasinoh's Soothies Gel Pads. http://www.lansinoh.com/products/soothies-by-lansinoh-gel-pads

About seven weeks after my daughter was born, I went back to working PRN at a local hospital in CCU. Going back to work was hard. I had bought a manual pump since I only worked 2 days/month. If I have to work next time, I plan on buying an electric pump. The biggest drawback for a manual pump was that I could only pump one breast at a time, so I was off the floor longer than I would have liked, but since I worked as a nurse infrequently it was fine for those needs. I have a two pumping recommendations:

1. Pump in the morning when your milk supply is higher, during late afternoon/early evening the milk supply is lower.

2. When you are at work, try to pump the same amount of times your baby will be taking a bottle or nursing. That way the demand is still there even when your child is at home.

I'm still nursing my daughter. It's been over 13 months. My goal was to breastfeed her for at least a year, and she's not showing any signs of wanting to stop. One of the fears I had was, "What will I do when my daughter's teeth come?" So far that fear has been completely unfounded. The few times my daughter has bit me, I put my finger to break the latch and told her, "No. Do not bite mommy." I have also found with my daughter that when she bites, it usually means she is almost finished.

About 20 months ago, I made the decision to breastfeed my child, and I am thrilled with that decision. I hope you are too.

Sarah

You can catch Sarah on her blog Musings of a SAHM.

Thank you Sarah for sharing your experience and your words of wisdom on the art of Breastfeeding! ~Laura

Breastfeeding Guest Blogger - Jessica B.

2011-10-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

Today's Guest Blogger for this week's Breastfeeding event is Jessica B. Jessica is currently ready to pop with baby number three and ready to start another breastfeeding experience! Here are her responses to the questions that I asked the guest bloggers to speak on. If you have any questions or comments for Jessica, please leave them below! And please, enjoy her breastfeeding journey! ~Laura

Breastfeeding Tips, Tricks, and Techniques
My biggest tip is to relax, relax, relax. Women have been doing this since the beginning of time – our bodies were created for this and we need to have more faith in them. If someone tells you something and it doesn’t feel right – do not feel guilty for not believing them – do what’s best for YOU and your baby

Things you wish you had known prior to your first breastfeeding session
It’s hard. And tiring. But oh so rewarding. As I am anticipating the birth of my third child – the only thing that is getting me through my fear of labor and delivery is the chance to breastfeed again. There is absolutely nothing like snuggling with your baby in the middle of the night while all is quiet and calm.
Also – you can combo nurse-on-command and nurse-on-schedule. But a baby does need a schedule – that’s one thing I wish I would have known. My first BF experience was rough because I constantly offered the boob to her and she just wasn’t hungry half the time – she just need to fuss to burn some energy so she could eat better later. There’s a fine line and you’ll know what it is!

How you dealt with going back to work and pumping
Start pumping early… very very early and build up your supply – it’s never too early to build it up. But make sure your freezer door shuts every time! A picture never worked to help let my milk down but I took a blanket with me and the smell did the trick every time!

Manual vs. Electric Pump. Include brand name and/or model if you found one that you highly recommend.
I bought a very expensive electric pump and it didn’t work at all for me. I actually pumped by hand into a glass cup. Yes… I really did. Once you get the knack for it – I found I could pump twice the amount in half the time.

Those embarrassing Breastfeeding stories…we all have them!
My supply was always great and at least once if not twice a day my poor girl would get covered in a milk bath because she couldn't drink fast enough... hee hee I remember the first time trying to nurse her in public. My husband and I were shopping and I went into a fancy restroom in one of those fancy stores where they have couches. It was an EPIC FAIL. I remember trying to get her to latch on and she refused but was screaming with everything she had so of course I 'let down' and when I say sprayed, I mean I sprayed that girl with breastmilk.... trying to get her to latch on, holding her screaming body, trying to cover myself as other women were staring (some with sympathy, others with amusement, and others with disgust), and finally got myself put back together, picked everything up and rushed back out. The look on my husband face was priceless.... it obviously did not go well since I was out in 5 minutes, my daughter was soaked from head to toe, and we were both still crying. From that point on - we only nursed in the car where it was quiet and I had much more privacy!

When and how you came to the decision to Breastfeed. When did you decide? Prior to pregnancy? During Pregnancy? After delivery? How did you decide?
I knew from the very beginning before I was pregnant that I would breastfeed – I was blessed to come from a family where my mother, grandmother, MIL, many cousins all breastfed and it was HUGELY accepted and encouraged. My husband used to walk down the formula aisle at the store and proudly state ‘I love boobs’ while looking at the prices. Liquid gold it is.

How your friends, family, and significant other reacted to your decision to Breastfeed. Were they supportive?
As I stated my husband was hugely supportive. He was the official ‘burper’ for our children and that’s a great way to get him involved.

How long did you Breastfeed? Why did you go that long? Why did you stop at that point? Was this a difficult transition for you or baby?
I breastfed my daughter until she was 14 months – the transition wasn’t too bad. My son was still nursing at 14 months and I felt that it was time to wean. Sadly it was very traumatic for both of us and after 3 miserable days we started up again. For two more months we did evening nursings and he eventually weaned himself with no pain for me or him. Let your child lead.

The one breastfeeding item that you could not live without? Ie. Boppy, nursing pads, breast pump, etc. Feel free to mention types, brand names, or models so that others know what you have used and loved.
A good sexy nursing bra. Splurge and get a padded one – it will do wonders for your self confidence! I used it only when I was out in public and needed to look ‘nice’ in our bedroom. So I kept it for good but it really was worth every penny .

If given the chance to go back in time, would you change anything about your Breastfeeding experience?
Nope. Honestly not a thing.

Jessica

You can catch Jessica on her blog Living Each Day for God.

Thank you Jessica for sharing your experience and your words of wisdom on the art of Breastfeeding! ~Laura

Breastfeeding Guest Blogger - Sara R.

2011-10-10T12:38:00.000-07:00

Our First Guest Blogger for this week's Breastfeeding event is Sara R. If you have any questions or comments for Sara, please leave them below! And please, enjoy her breastfeeding journey! ~Laura

I have breastfed 5 kids. All five of my kids have been breastfed and all have been different.

My first, he was hard. I was told I had flat nipples and was handed a shield to use while nursing. No one told me that you should stop using it after a few weeks. After 5 weeks of nursing, I got a terrible breast infection. My sweet mother-in-law, a "retired" la leche league leader, told me that the best way was to just have him nurse it out. OUCH! It hurt so bad. And I was so sick. Fever, weakness, and I just wanted to sleep all the time. It didn't help that we were moving three states over in a week.

But I got better within a few days and moved without a hitch. But there we were, thousands of miles away from family and it was just the three of us. I lasted nursing him for 9 months. I just dried up. I don't know why I dried up, but I did. I think it might have been stress. I was going to go back to school, we moved again, and I was working. It was a crazy time, and I think my milk just couldn't survive that.

With my second, I was a little weirded out about nursing a girl. In my crazy mind, I felt it was wrong. Thankfully, my husband said I was being stupid and it would be ok. I loved nursing my daughter. I was just sad when I dried up again. This time at 6 months. My doctor told me to stop nursing because she had quit growing. It broke my heart, but I knew I just wasn't producing the milk needed to help her grow. The time we did spend nursing, was great. No infections and no hang-ups. Just that one major one. lol!

Number three, well, I dried up super early. Just shy of 4 months. I was heart broken. He was my best nurser to date. I loved the special time with him. Again, I just wasn't producing the milk to help him grown. Still, I don't know why my first three kiddos I dried up. He was such a good baby, hardly spit up.

Number four, well, he was my only child that latched on within minutes of being born. All the others wouldn't latch on until about 6 hours after birth. Then, wouldn't really eat well until they were 24 hours old. But not number 4. He rooted around for my breast and just latched on for a good 45 minutes! You can guess, that he was my best nurser! We moved to a new states a week after he was born, and even though there was a ton of stress from that, whatever happened, I was able to nurse him for 14 months! We were both done at that time and it was a great weening experience. It was so easy.

As for number five. Well, we are still going strong! He nurses ALL. THE. TIME! He is great. No problems at all. I'm planning on going for as long as we can. I'll let him tell me when we are done.

Nursing isn't easy. It hurts so bad the first month. I know with each of my kids I have cried through a few nursing. The flat nipples went away. I used the shield with my daughter, but learned that they shouldn't be used for more than a few weeks. So I said good-bye to using a shield forever a few weeks after my daughter was born. I haven't had a problem with my nipples since then. I think a few children using them helps draw them out!

Teething and nursing does not mix. My kids like to grind their gums on my nipples. Or pull back with their head, while still attached. Both will earn them a short time at nursing.

All in all, nursing is touch, but well worth it. I've had a pretty easy time with it. Starting out is hard. It really is. But it's so worth it in the end! All I can say to new moms, don't give up! The pain will go away. You'll get a hang of it. Nursing is something that you and your sweet little one learn together. And when you need help, turn to your mother, or mother-in-law, a good friend or a la leche league advisor for help! But in the end, trust your instincts!

Sara

You can also catch Sara on her blog Outta this World with Me.

Thank you Sara for sharing your experience and your words of wisdom on the art of Breastfeeding! ~Laura

Breastfeeding Awareness Week!!

2011-10-10T12:09:00.000-07:00

So, because October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and we are celebrating all things boobie, I have put together an event to celebrate Breastfeeding! Throughout the week, you will be seeing reviews, giveaways, and guest posts by breastfeeding moms. Breastfeeding can be beautiful, easy, difficult, painful, funny, sad, and basically every emotion you can name. So this week, we are going to talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of breastfeeding!

To kick the event off....HUGE Medela giveaway below! Medela was WONDERFUL enough to donate a HUGE box of goodies for this event. There will be multiple winners and each winner will get a goodie bag of Breastmilk storage magnets, Medela Tender Care Lanolin, and Medela disposable nursing pads.

Please follow Medela on Facebook and thank them for this ENORMOUS giveaway! The box of goodies that arrived on my porch was CRAZY huge and they deserve an even bigger thank you for their support!

CLICK ON THE "READ MORE" FOR THE GIVEAWAY!!

Fun Fall Family Activities

2011-10-05T10:49:00.000-07:00

Welcome today's Guest blogger, Kathleen Thomas! Kathleen is a Communications Coordinator for the Atlanta day care facility, a member of the AdvancED® accredited family of Primrose Schools (located in 16 states throughout the U.S.) and part of the network of day care preschools delivering progressive, early childhood, Balanced Learning® curriculum. Please welcome her and enjoy her thoughts on fun Fall activities for your family! ~Laura

Fun Fall Family Activities

Article submitted on behalf of Primrose Schools by Kathleen Thomas

As autumn approaches and cool, crisp weather beckons, it's time to start making your list of activities for the entire family to enjoy. Whether you make plans to enjoy a local harvest festival, plan a neighborhood game night, or enjoy touring scenic destinations nearby, fall is the perfect time for family togetherness. This article offers some ideas for spending time with your family, while enjoying the fun that fall has to offer.

Visit a Local Pick Your Own Farm -- Fall is harvest time in most communities, and the perfect time to score local fruits and vegetables. Do some online research to determine what's in season in your area, then visit a pick your own farm nearby to enjoy the fruits of the season. Many orchards offer apple picking, pressed cider, and apple butter, while pumpkin patches feature pick your own pumpkins, corn mazes, and hayrides. If your children are adults, you may find a local winery tour more appealing. Supporting local farms can be a great way to spend a weekend outdoors with the entire family in the crisp autumn air.

Enjoy the Fall Scenery -- Those who live in an area that enjoys a seasonal color display may wish to plan an outing to view the leaves as they turn brilliant shades of red and orange. If your seasons aren't as dramatic, perhaps you could book a family visit to a local tourist attraction, such as caverns, a mountain range, or a historic destination. Your family can learn a bit about your local area, and you can enjoy a last road trip before winters' harsher weather drives you indoors for the season.

Attend a Sporting Event -- For many, fall means football. If this is the case in your family, make the time to make each game an event. We all know with day care, sports, ballet, and band family time is limited. Whether you're supporting your local high school or college team, or prefer to watch your favorite team on your big screen television, use the opportunity to bring your family together. Favorite snacks, dedicated pillows and blankets, and team jerseys for the entire family can help make games a traditional event that everyone can enjoy.

Get to Know Your Neighbors -- If the weather is too chilly for outdoor fun, consider planning an indoor game night. Invite your children's friends or other families from your neighborhood over, and bake sweet treats or serve warming soup and bread. You're sure to enjoy the chance to curl up inside away from the blustery fall chill, while getting to know your friends and neighbors and having a rousing good time in the process.

Please, share any other fun fall activities that you and your family enjoy in the comments below!

I hope you have enjoyed this post by Kathleen! Happy Fall Everyone!!! ~Laura

Smiley Cookie Review

2011-10-03T12:49:00.000-07:00

We are now entering my favorite time of year…fall! I love autumn, the colors, the changing leaves, and the holidays! Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are my favorite time of year…and of course, the season gets kicked off with my birthday! So, my birthday has come and gone, and now it is time to get ready for the next event…Halloween!!! Everyone loves Halloween! It is so fun to get dressed up and go trick or treating. The kiddos love to stuff their buckets full of candy, popcorn balls, cookies, and whatever else they can get their hands on!

Did I say cookies? Yes I did! Which brings me to my amazing review for the day! I had the pleasure of being chosen to review Smiley Cookies! For those of you who have ever eaten at an Eat N Park, you will recognize the trademark smiley face cookie! Even better, Smiley Cookie is based out of Pittsburgh! I love supporting local western PA businesses!!! You can see their assortment of Pittsburgh team theme cookies here!

Of course, when the box (which was packaged like Fort Knox) arrived and I opened it, my husband told me that I have the coolest job ever! Cookies delivered to our front door was a dream come true for him! He thinks I should get into food reviews! Don't worry...I plan to stick to natural parenting and cloth diapers...but who could pass up a cookie review!?

On to the cookies... If you are looking for a yummy treat, for any occasion (birthday, holiday, etc), and want it delivered right to your door…this is the place for you! These cookies are delicious! They arrived in a huge box, with tons of bubble wrap, not one of the cookies was cracked or broken, they were sealed in plastic, and they were perfectly soft and absolutely perfectly delicious.

The Halloween cookies are even more of a treat due to the candy corn face! We all loved the candy corn face and we fought over who got the last cookie. We ended up cutting it in thirds with each person getting a bite with candy corn! Good thing there are only three of us!!!

Looking for a cute idea to give trick or treaters? Try their Halloween mini cookies!!! Perfect to hand out!

Or...Looking for a cute idea to announce that you are having a baby or to announce the gender of your upcoming arrival? Try their baby cookies!!!

I highly recommend these cookies! They were a yummy treat and would make a perfect addition to any holiday or celebration! Think of the possibilities!!!!

Total Stars: ★★★★★

Want to purchase Smiley Cookies? Become a fan of their Facebook page for 20% off your order of Halloween Cookie Gifts and Baskets!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Diaper Laundry Difficulties

2011-09-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

I try to stuff my pockets after Miss A goes to bed, but last night I was just too tired. This is what happens when I try to do my diapers during the day! Do you have problems like this? :)

Miss Daisy Dog had to get in on the action too! LOL Have a great day everyone!!!

DesignerLiners Review and Giveaway

2011-09-28T12:05:00.000-07:00

Got stink? Tips, Tricks, and the last resort.

2011-09-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

It is inevitable…stink. Cloth diapers are wonderful, but in time, many parents have the stink issue. Worse yet, depending on your type of stink issue, it can hard your baby’s skin. No one likes to see a bright red and/or blistered bum, so it is important to diagnose your stink correctly.

So how do I diagnose my stink problem? There are a few reasons why your diaper may stink; ammonia build-up, detergent residue, yeast, or they just aren’t clean.

First of all, are they clean? If your diapers just simply aren’t getting clean, try using a different detergent (make sure it is a cloth diaper friendly detergent) and use lots of water. Remember, when changing diaper detergents, you may need to strip your diapers. And make sure that you are using the detergent according to the manufacturer recommendations, especially if you have an HE washer. I have found that Tiny Bubbles by GroVia works best for us. I have used many other detergents, but this one works best for our water, our diapers, our HE washer, etc. Detergent choice will make or break your cloth diapering experience.

Secondly. Are you washing diapers every 2-3 days? Make sure that you are not letting that ammonia fester in your pail for more than 2-3 days. Leaving your diapers sit for too long can cause serious ammonia issues for your cloth diapers and can be a bear to get rid of!

Make certain that you are only using cloth diaper safe ointments on your baby’s tush. Non Cloth Diaper safe ointments can ruin your diapers and/or cause them to repel. You can use liners in your cloth diapers if you MUST use an ointment that is not CD safe.

Next attempt. Maybe you are experiencing detergent build up. It is quite common for parents not to rinse their diapers enough and the detergent is building up residue in your diapers. This is even more common for HE washers since they use less water. Try running your diapers through the wash a couple of times with no detergent to get any excess detergent out. Peek in from time to time and see if there are bubbles. When the diapers no longer produce bubbles or you have run them through the wash 3-4 times with no detergent, your stink will be gone if detergent build up was the problem. If this cures your problem, you may need to add an extra rinse to your wash routine, add extra water to your machine, or throw a soaking wet towel in to add water. Also, as I said above, make sure that you follow the manufacturer recommendations for amount of detergent to use. Too much or too little detergent can cause diaper problems.

Another reason for detergent build-up to consider; what do you wash your clothing in? If you are using regular non cloth diaper safe detergent on your regular laundry, that detergent can build up in your washer and get on your diapers. This can cause detergent build up, repelling, or ruin your diapers. Just food for thought!

Natural Technology: Sunning. The sun is natural bleaching at its finest. No matter what your problem; stains, smells, ammonia, funk, yeast, etc the sun can naturally bleach it out! Plus, you can save a ton of energy by drying your diapers naturally! Bonus!

Still have stink? If you are having yeast problems, you can boil your microfiber inserts and/or use bleach. Make sure to boil ONLY microfiber, prefolds, or flats. Boiling will ruin PUL. As for using bleach, check your labels first. Using bleach may void the warranty on your diapers. If you chose to use bleach, a little bit of bleach goes a long way and then rinse, rinse, rinse! If you do not get the bleach out of your diapers, it can burn baby’s bum! So make sure you rinse the heck out of them!

Lastly, The dreaded ammonia. If this is your problem…please follow all of the steps above. Wash every 2-3 days religiously. Get a good detergent and follow the recommended amount for your washer. To kill ammonia, follow one of the treatments below.

To kick ammonia, you can always try to soak your diapers. Soaking can get the detergent in there to cleanse and kill ammonia and bacteria. Rockin Green is well known for “rockin a soak” and their “funk rock.” Both are designed to help with ammonia issues. I have tried “rockin a soak” but I found that this was just a bandaid treatment. My ammonia issues seemed to be gone, only to return a week or two later. I have not tried the Funk Rock. Many other brands such as Miss Lily’s, Ruby Moon, and others can be used to soak diapers (I have not tried them as well). Many parents swear by this option. Since using detergent does not void your diaper warranty and the last resort below might, you may want to try this first. It doesn’t hurt to try. And if it works…YAY!

Last resort, use bleach to get ammonia on the run. When I had ammonia issues, I ran a load of just microfiber inserts so that I could use a little more bleach and then ran MULTIPLE rinses. Since most of my stash is made of pocket diapers, I wanted to bleach the microfleece and microfiber too. I ran the pockets in a load of their own and used less bleach and then rinsed repeatedly. This completely cured my ammonia. Just be careful to rinse rinse rinse that bleach out of your diapers! If your diapers are clean, just use the bleach and no detergent. If your diapers are dirty, you can use detergent and bleach.

When using bleach, when you feel that you have rinsed enough times…rinse a couple more! Rinse Rinse Rinse!!!

And, Please Please Please read your diaper labels before performing any de-stink treatments. Many diaper warranties will be voided if you use bleach. I used bleach and voided many warranties, but when you are ammonia ridden, you have little choice but to bite the bullet, void the warranty, and fix your diapers. They are useless if you cannot use them.

If you do not want to void your warranty and none of the other steps worked, contact the specific diaper company for the diaper you are having trouble with. Most diaper companies can direct you on what will work best for their specific diaper and its materials.

To see my first post on the EEK stink issues, you can see my post from a few months back here.

The Peaceful Housewife Natural Household Cleaners E-Book Review and Giveaway

2011-09-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

Lately, more and more, I have been getting into an “everything natural” way of thinking. I buy more organic foods, I recycle more, I use reusable items where ever possible, and natural household cleaning products are a must! I love the idea of natural, and for the most part, it is simple ingredients as opposed to the complex chemical properties of most household cleaners.

When I saw this review opportunity for a natural cleaners book, I had to apply! When I was approved, and checked out the book, I was thrilled! This e-book is full of recipes for laundry care, kitchen cleaners, floor cleaners, wipes solutions, and many other household cleaners! It is amazing how simple ingredients that you most likely have in your cupboards at home, can come together and make wonderful cleaners that most likely will work better than those store bought ones.

Many of the ingredients for these recipes.

The book is easy to read, easy to follow, and gives detailed information on how to prepare your cleaners. I love the recipes! They are easy to make, have simple ingredients, and work very well!!! My favorites are the multipurpose cleaner and the mop refills!!! You won’t regret checking this book out if you want to get rid of harsh chemicals in your house and use natural cleaning products!

Pair the Multipurpose Cleaner with reusable spray bottle and an unpaper towel or the wipes solution with cloth wipes and you have a reusable and environmentally friendly method for every day chores!

Recipes Included are: (some include multiple recipes)

Powdered Laundry Detergent

Fabric Softener

Gel Stain Treatment

Spray Stain Treatment

Foaming Dish or Hand Soap

Dishwasher Detergent

Wet Mop Refills

Carpet Cleaner

Glass Cleaner

Multipurpose Spray

Disinfecting Wipe Solution

Scouring Powder

Diaper Pail Freshener

Furniture Polish

Pest Sprays

Make-up Brush Cleaner

Granite Cleaner

Oven Cleaner

Brass Cleaner

Liquid Scrubbing Cleaner

Overall, I love this e-book! Easy to read, easy to follow and make recipes, and best of all...they are all natural and work perfectly!

Total Stars: ★★★★★

You may purchase your own copy of The Peaceful Housewife Natural Household Cleaners E-Book here, or Giveaway below!

Pile of Diapers

2011-09-19T06:51:00.000-07:00

I don't like to post pictures of Miss A's face due to scary internet people and what they may do, but this just had to be posted. My FIL was here this past weekend and he loves to take pictures, is pretty good at it, and has the right equipment and knowledge to get some nice pics. He was entering a photo contest entitled "Where's Waldo" and we came up with the bright idea to bury Miss A in a pile of cloth diapers. He thought that the color and the depth of the diapers would be a nice photo. I just thought it was CUTE as all heck! So here is one of the pics taken from the photo shoot. (PS. it's hard to keep a 2 year old still and buried for the photos! LOL)

Maybe I should have a contest to see how many diapers you can name! hehe

Momma Pia Bib n Burp Review and Giveaway

2011-09-16T12:36:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Momma Pia to review their new Bib n Burp. This seemed like a wonderful product and I was excited to review this item.

Just as the name implies, this is a bib and burp cloth all in one! It is a bib, so it hooks with Velcro to fit little one’s neck, but there are also elongated sides to the bib which can be used as a burp cloth to wipe up messes, burp baby, etc.

The front (pretty part) of this Bib n Burp is made of cotton and the entire back is 100% cotton terry cloth. It comes in many chic and pretty prints. The Bib n Burp washes easily and well, stains come out, there is no wear, and it remains soft for baby.

What I love about this item is that it can be used for any feeding. Whether you are solely breastfeeding, solely bottle feeding, pumping breast milk, or a combination you will find this Bib and Burp quite handy! Also, you can use this as a burp cloth for either on the shoulder burping or lap burping! No longer do you have to juggle the baby, the bib, and the burp cloth!

If you are bottle feeding your baby, you can put this on your baby like a bib. The bib will catch drips and drools keeping formula or pumped breast milk out of that neck crevice and keep baby’s clothes clean. When it is burp time, you can simply put the excess burp end of the Bib n Burp on your shoulder, burp baby, and then wipe his/her mouth with the terry. Everything you need is in one place without having to transfer a burp cloth from baby to shoulder and back!

If you are breastfeeding, you can use this too! Again, you can put the Bib n Burp on baby as a bib to catch the drips and drools and keep milk out of that neck crevice! But many babies are messy nursers! I know that I had to keep a towel or burp cloth under Miss A so that my shirt, bra, couch, etc was not soaked with milk! With the excess burp end of the Bib n Burp, you can tuck this under the breast while nursing! This can keep drips and messes to a minimum! Also, you have to dry your nipples off after nursing so they don't cry out and crack...hey, there is a terry burp cloth right there! And you have your burp cloth right there when it is burp time!

After a few feedings and the Bib n Burp is dirty (milk, formula, drool, spit up, puke, etc) just toss it in the wash and it is ready to roll again! It is also very compact which is great for tossing in the diaper bag! With this, you won't have to pack as much!

Even better, the Bib n Burp grows with your child. Due to the ingenious design, it works perfectly even for toddlers! I love using this on my 2 year old because the long burp cloth sides work perfectly to tuck in around my daughter's sides under her arms. This keeps dropped food from getting on the sides of her shirt!

Overall, I am in LOVE with this product! It is one of those “why didn’t I think of that” items! Such a simple and smart design! I also love that it works perfectly for all feeding types! No matter your feeding situation, you will LOVE this Bib n Burp!!!

Total Stars: ★★★★★

I was sent the Momma Pia Bib n Burp in Daisy Chain in Grey free of charge for the sole purpose of this review. All opinions and comments are my own. I was not paid, bribed, or coerced into any of the content or text of this review.

You may purchase Momma Pia products here or giveaway below!!!

Please follow Momma Pia on Facebook and thank them for this review and giveaway!

CLICK ON THE "READ MORE" FOR THE GIVEAWAY!!

CrazyForBargains Sleepwear Review and Giveaway

2011-09-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

A while back, I was contacted by CrazyForBargains to review their sleepwear for both myself and Miss A! I was excited to hear from them and excited to branch out from cloth diapering! I was also excited because we are a jammie loving family. Miss A and I just LOVE our pajamas and would love to just stay in them all day long! So this seemed like a perfect fit for us!

When the pajamas arrived, I was in love!! I did not choose the pajamas, but the ones that they sent were absolutely perfect! They sent an absolutely adorable pant/top set for Miss A that is pink, girly with ruffles, and had Disney princesses on it. Can it get any better for my little Disney Princess? She absolutely loved them! I couldn’t get the plastic wrap off fast enough for her to check out her jammies!!! She loves to point to the princesses and call them by name! And it was absolutely one of the hardest things I have had to do to get those pajamas away from her. It’s hard to reason with a two year old that they needed to be washed first and she could not wear them to bed that night. She kept hugging them and saying “bed time.” Poor kid!

As for my pajamas, again, they nailed that one too! I wear capris year round at home and guess what…my pajama set was a pair of capris and a matching tank top! Love my set! Plus, I am the exact opposite of Miss A…I don’t do girly…so the blue and teal print is perfect for me!

Now, for the real test…how did the pajamas do with washing and wearing? All I can say, is these pajamas have held up well!!! Miss A wears her pajamas 1-2 times a week (depending on laundry) and they still look brand new. I was concerned with the fabric that it would wear and pill, it may someday, but it has not yet! I was also concerned that the ruffles might not be sewn on well and would come off…nope! No problems at all! Same with my pajamas, they are 100% cotton and I was afraid that they would come apart quickly in the wash, but they have not! Both sets of pajamas are holding up quite nicely and show no signs of wear.

Miss A wears 3t clothes and for the most part they fit her well to a little big. These pajamas are sized nicely. For a 3t, it fits, but she also has lots of room to grow. If you are getting kids sizes, I would say that they are generously sized. Do not buy a size larger to have room to grow or it will be too big! Same with adult sizes, they are true to size. (although I am not disclosing what size my pajamas are!)

Overall, I loved these pajamas. We had no trouble with pajamas having wear and tear nor did we have size difficulties.

Total Stars: ★★★★★

I was sent these items free of charge for the sole purpose of this review. All opinions and text are my own. I was not paid or coerced to print any of the above review.

You may purchase from CrazyForBargains here or Giveaway below!

Please follow CrazyForBargains on Facebook and thank them for this review and giveaway!!!

Breastfeeding Event

2011-09-08T13:48:00.000-07:00

Do you have breastfeeding tips that you would like to share? A breastfeeding story that you feel would help other moms? I am putting together a breastfeeding event and I would love to have as many contributors as possible!

Email me at themommygoods@gmail.com for more details!

Shiny Hineys Nursery Tub Review

2011-09-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

You all may remember a few weeks back, one of the amazing sponsors of the TMG Birthday Bash was Shiny Hineys. Shiny Hineys is run by a WAHM who has a keen eye for cute things that we moms need! In addition to her nursery tubs, she also sells small wipes cases, diaper envelopes, burp cloths, car seat covers, changing pads, peepee shields, and hooded towels! And she keeps coming up with great ideas, so keep watching for what she has in store next! Also, you can purchase the entire line of her products in one print to have a matching set!

The Shiny Hineys nursery tubs are absolutely adorable!!! And you can get almost any theme/color/print/etc that your heart desires! If you do not see something that you love, she will work with you to customize for you. Whether you use cloth or disposable wipes, a tub to put them in is necessary! The only negative of these tubs (which will be true of ANY embellished tub) is that you cannot use the smaller pop-up lid on the top of the tub. You simply open and close the tub. This does not affect the use of the tub and there is no way to cover the tub in fabric and still use the smaller pop-up lid. So this really isn’t a draw back, just something to know.

Shiny Hineys tubs are quality construction. After weeks of HEAVY use (meaning every diaper change and my daughter playing with the tub constantly) none of the detail is coming loose or having any wear and tear. It has held up very well and I do not foresee any problems in the near future.

Most importantly, who can resist the cuteness? I absolutely LOVE my nursery tub and I plan on buying more! These would make an excellent Baby Shower gift, Birthday Gift, etc. You can even make the daddy happy and buy a tub in his favorite sports team! Or even better, but one cutesy tub for mom and one sports tub for dad! (my household is reversed, I wanted the Steelers tub and my husband wanted the Zoo Party tub to match our nursery! LOL You see who won…)

I personally prepare my cloth wipes wet. This means that I pour my wipes solution over my wipes in the nursery tub so that they are ready for when I need them. This tub works perfectly and is the perfect reusable accessory for my increasing supply of reusable household items! Depending on the thickness of the wipe, this tub holds 14-20 wet cloth wipes. This tub is the exact same size as wipes tubs from name brands like Pampers and Huggies and it works perfectly for cloth wipes!

I highly recommend Shiny Hineys Nursery Tubs! It really brings the cute factor to an otherwise blah looking wipes container!

Total Stars: ★★★★★

You can purchase Shiny Hineys products here! And please follow Shiny Hineys on Facebook for upcoming products and specials!!! Please also thank her on FB for sponsoring this review and the giveaway during the Birthday Bash!

And of course…Go Steelers! (I apologize to you Ravens, Bengals, Browns, and Eagles fans out there) This Sunday marks Week 1 of the regular season and the Steelers are meeting the Ravens! Dust off the jerseys, it’s Football season!

The Entire Line from Shiny Hineys:

Posh Pumpkins OS Diaper and Turtle Bag Review and Giveaway

2011-08-31T11:53:00.000-07:00

Fits – One-Size fits 7-35 pounds

Price Per Diaper: ★★☆☆☆ The Posh Pumpkins OS diaper retails for $27.95 per diaper. Since this is an All-in-One diaper (AIO) this is about average for this type of diaper. You do get a bang for your buck since this is an AIO diaper and it is made of absorbent and soft bamboo and organic cotton. Also, the outer of this diaper is made from waterproof bamboo jersey; no PUL here!

Leaks: ★★★☆☆ This diaper is comprised of two attached three layer bamboo inserts. One is attached at the front and one at the back. Simply overlap both inserts into the diaper and you have 6 layers of absorbency! There are also elastic leg gussets and elastic back waist to provide a great fit and contain messes and leaks. This diaper performed very well with no leaks during the day. For nap time, I found that about half of the time, this diaper would leak with my super soaker child. With a simple booster (of another brand) this diaper did very well for nap time use, but the diaper just did not work alone to contain leaks for nap time. For this reason, I did not use this diaper at night. I do feel that if you found a booster that fit this diaper well, you could have a great overnight option!

Fit: ★★★★★ This diaper has a 3 snap down rise to adjust the rise as your baby grows. Also, this diaper has two rows of snaps across the front of the diaper to adjust the waist as well as a crossover snap for infants. Due to the stretchy back waist, the ample snap options, and the small innate stretch ability of the bamboo fabric of the diaper, you can find a perfect fit every time! I had no trouble fitting this diaper to my daughter and loved that the fabric gave enough stretch if she was between snaps to fix the “between snap debacle” from being a problem! I feel that this diaper will fit a small baby such as a newborn earlier than other OS diapers and may actually fit most children from birth. However, on the other end of that, I feel that this diaper fits smaller than many OS diapers. If you have a chunky baby or if your child is in diapers for a long while before potty training; your child may grow out of this diaper before other diapers. My two year old daughter is about 25 pounds and is 36 inches tall (very tall and very skinny). Most of her OS diapers fit perfectly, this one is out further on snaps and seemed a little smaller on her.

Ease of Use: ★★★★★ It almost cannot get easier! The snaps and stretchy of this diaper made it easy as pie to get on. There are no removable parts, just toss in the wash and take out. No stuffing or fussing. It washes well. It is made of natural fibers so there is no stink issues. Easy peasey!

Washing: ★★★★★ As I said above, this diaper is a cinch to wash. It washes well, poop comes out easily and without staining. There are no stink issues. There are no inserts or other parts to fuss with. Just toss it in the wash then tumble dry or hang to dry. And simply lay the inserts back in place when ready to use! Also, because the inserts are only attached at one end of the diaper, they are free to dangle in the wash and drying, this negates the age old battle of AIOs and the long drying time. This diaper dries in no time!

Overall Performance: ★★★★☆ I really enjoyed this diaper! I love how soft the diaper is inside and out! It has a one of a kind design between the bamboo inner and outer fabric as well as the insert design. I love that it washes easily and is quite easy to use and I LOVE the bright and adorable colors (see colors here)! My only concerns with this diaper are that it may not fit as long as other OS diapers and that it was not absorbent enough on it’s own for nap and night time. I would recommend this diaper, however I suggest buying some additional boosters to go with it!

Total Stars: 24/30

Posh Pumpkins Turtle Bag – Small

This is a very nice wet bag and the adorable bright prints are just amazing! The inner is made of ProCare antibacterial waterproof material that is extremely waterproof and stink resistant. The zipper is a nice big size which is a huge improvement from the teeny tiny zipper on many wet bags. This wet bag seems to be a little smaller than many other small wet bags measuring at just 12in x 12in. There is enough room for 4-5 PP diapers since they are so trim. But I would say there is only room for 3-4 typical one size diapers. There is a strap on one side to hook the wet bag to a diaper bag, door handle, etc. This strap is wonderful because there are so many different uses for it! This bag is quality construction and seems as though it will last the test of time. My only complaint (which isn’t a big deal) is that after washing, the cotton outer seems smaller than the ProCare inner. This may be due to drying the wet bag in the dryer. It is no biggie, but my wet bag will not lay or fold flat. Instead it bunches a little bit at one end where the inner fits into the corners and is a little too big. I did not notice this until after washing, and I assume that the cotton outer shrunk a little in the dryer causing this glitch. It does not affect the function or beauty of the wet bag.

Posh Pumpkin wet bags are available in Small (12inx12in), Medium (13inx20in), and large (16inx25in).

Total Stars: ★★★★★

You can purchase Posh Pumpkins products here or Giveaway below!

PLEASE FOLLOW POSH PUMPKINS ON FACEBOOK AND THANK THEM FOR THE GIVEAWAY!!!

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Survey and Beta Test for a new App!

2011-08-25T10:16:00.000-07:00

How many of you remember the Pregnancy Organizer and Planner by Pam Socolow that I reviewed a while back? Well, she is now in development of an app and would like your help! If you could please take this short survey, it would help her tremendously. Also, at the bottom of the survey, you can sign up to be in the beta test!

Survey here!

More about the app: In two easy steps a busy mom jots down what she wants to remember and links related to emails, pictures, contacts, and more. All the related information is saved together and searched for quick and easy reference. Information regarding the future can be saved, so searches reveal the past, present, and future with all related information. It's better than a big filing cabinet in the sky, it relates your information so when you search it, all the related information is saved together. It's a no brainer for health, home, and care information, but can be used for anything that is important to you!

Wahmies OS Diaper Review and Giveaway

2011-08-24T15:06:00.000-07:00

Fits: 7-30 pounds

Price Per Diaper: ★★★☆☆ This Wahmies OS diaper retails for $17.95 generally, but can be found at many retailers on sale right now for $14.35-$14.95 (4 stars!). This is right on par for many OS diapers and this diaper features an innovative soaker design and a plush comfy pocket next to baby.

Leaks: ★★★☆☆ This diaper comes with a fold to fit viscose of bamboo and cotton insert which you trifold to fit into the pocket (much like a prefold or flat). Also, the inner side of the pocket (the side that touches baby) is lined with a super soft and luxurious viscose of bamboo and cotton velour fabric that wicks moisture away from baby, keeps baby dry, and is super comfy. What does this all add up to? A very absorbent diaper! I found that this diaper was extremely absorbent for day time and nap time use. However, it was not absorbent enough for night time use and we did have some leaks. With one simple additional insert, it was perfect for night time use! But the diaper as it comes from the store was not absorbent enough, it needs another insert for night time use. The outer layer is made of waterproof PUL and Wahmies smartly brought the PUL around to the inside edges of the pocket to contain mess and prevent leaks/ wicking.

Fit: ★★★★★ This diaper has a snap waist with two snaps side by side and a single row of snaps on the front of the diaper to adjust the waist. There is also a cross over snap on the right tab to make the waist smaller for newborns and skinny babies. In addition to the waist snaps, there is also a four snap rise to adjust the rise of the diaper smaller or bigger depending on height/age. This is a nice fitting diaper with lots of snap options, also, due to the stretchy back waist, you can easily find the perfect snap setting. Additionally, due to the smart trifold insert, this diaper is extremely trim, even if double folding for the newborn size.

Ease of Use: ★★★★☆ This diaper is extremely easy to stuff, wash, and care for. However, the snaps can be a bit of a challenge at times. Also I found that I had more problems with drop tabs on this diaper than I do with other similar diapers.

Washing: ★★★★★ This diaper washes beautifully! When I pulled this diaper from the package, I was amazed at the softness of the velour. Many many washes later, and it is still luxuriously soft! My daughter likes to wear this diaper because it is nice and soft against her bum and she calls it “fluffy.” The velour has retained no stains, the fabric has no wear, and the diaper looks brand new!

Overall Performance: ★★★★★ The scores do not reflect just how much I enjoyed this diaper and my daughter would give it a 5 star rating. However, we did have some leaking at nights without another insert. Overall, I really loved this diaper and I would highly recommend it. Best part…made in the USA!

Total Stars: 25/30

For a list of retailers that sell Wahmies products, look here. Or giveaway below!

PLEASE follow Wahmies on Facebook and Thank them for the giveaway!!!

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Wahmies Pail Liner Review and Giveaway

2011-08-22T13:02:00.000-07:00

After doing the Wahmies Wet Bag review a while back and loving that product, I was thrilled when Wahmies contacted me to review two more of their procucts!!! (stay tuned tomorrow for another one!) I am always looking for new products and new cloth diapering accessories to try, so I was excited when they sent me a Wahmies Pail liner to review.

When looking at this pail liner, it seems so simple, but the construction of this pail liner is perfect! The overall fabric of the liner is Waterproof Polyurethane Laminated Polyester (PUL) so it is waterproof, wipe able, and machine washable with the rest of your diaper laundry. It is so convenient that you can just toss the diapers into the washer and toss the pail liner in along with them!

The Wahmies Pail liner is designed with an elastic top to the liner that will stretch and hug any size pail. The Pail Liner measures 29 inches tall and fits most diaper pails or standard Kitchen trash cans up to 53 quarts/ 13 gallons.

Also at the top of the Pail Liner is a stretchy elastic band. This is the Wahmies “custom closure” device. When you are removing the pail for wash day, simply pull the elastic around the top of the pail liner to close the bag! The elastic is long enough to get around the bag but not long enough to pose a strangulation hazard for your little one.

If you are having stink issues with your pail or if you just want your pail to smell nice, there is a fabric pad sewn into the inside seam of the pail liner that you can put tea tree oil or other fragrances on to keep your pail smelling fresh. I did not have any stink issues with this liner, but this is a nice feature if you like to smell something nice when you lift the pail lid!

I love this pail liner! It works well in my diaper pail, it washes up nicely with no wear or tear, and it is a cinch to use! I have found that it fits my pail better, is constructed better, and is more resistant to smells than my other washable pail liners! A+

Total Stars: ★★★★★

I use a simple 10 gallon kitchen garbage can with a step to open the lid as my diaper pail. I highly recommend this as it works perfectly, is a ton cheaper than a diaper pail, and is readily available at local stores. It is available from Walmart here for $14.94.

You may Purchase this pail liner from my affiliates Kelly’s Closet and Happy Baby Company, affiliate links to right. Or Giveaway below!

PLEASE FOLLOW WAHMIES AND PLEASE REMEMBER TO THANK THEM FOR THE GIVEAWAY!!!

Wahmies on Facebook

Wooly Rounds Extra Entry Answer.

2011-08-19T07:59:00.000-07:00

Sadly...I must have made this too hard, no one go it right. :( But I completely understand why. Many of you put that the diaper in the back left corner was an Applecheeks....I have to agree, it does look like one! But it is an AMP diaper. So I decided to give anyone who got 3/5 right the bonus point! Thanks for playing! I will make it easier next time!!! What do you think about the photo bonus entry? Like or not?

Birthday Bash Giveaways!

2011-08-15T12:15:00.000-07:00

In honor of TMG's first Birthday and as a way to thank all of you FABULOUS fans for supporting me and this blog, I have rounded up a HUGE giveaway spectacular event! Below you will find information on each giveaway, links to sponsor pages, and finally, the giveaways! It is simple to enter, just fill in the one and only mandatory entry for each item. If you do not wish to enter for a specific item, you may leave that one blank.

Also, with the ever changing Facebook laws, I will no longer be using Facebook as an entry in the giveaways. So below with the item and sponsor information is also their Facebook and Twitter links. Please follow them and thank them for this amazing giveaway, but of course, this is not mandatory nor is it an entry. It is just a nice thing to do for these amazing sponsors who are giving away free items!

Giveaway ends August 22nd at midnight and winners will be announced on the blog and emailed on August 23rd. All winners will be drawn using random.org.

Everything Birth - Garden Dreams Baby Bum Butter 2 oz.
Everything Birth on Facebook
Everything Birth on Twitter

A gentle cream formulated to heal rash and protect baby's tender bum from irritating moisture. Works great on overworked hands as well!

Fuzzibunz - Hanging Diaper Pail and One-Size Diaper
Fuzzibunz on Facebook
Fuzzibunz on Twitter

Winner's choice of colors.

Rockin Green Laundry Detergent - 90/180 Bag of Detergent
Rockin Green on Facebook
Rockin Green on Twitter

Winner's choice of formula and scent.

Miss Lily's Washing Powder - Full Bag of Detergent
Miss Lily's on Facebook

Winner's choice of scent, unscented, or oils.

EcoMcBaby - Customized Reusable Sandwich and Snack Bags
EcoMcBaby on Facebook

Winner's choice of fabric.

Reusable sandwich and snack bags made of decorative cotton outer layer and a waterproof PUL inner layer. To clean, simply turn inside out and rinse!

Sandwich bag: 7 x 6.5

Snack bag: 3.5 x 6.5

You may search through the EcoMcBaby ready to sell items to see what fabric choices are in stock, but she is also willing to work with the winner to find a fabric choice or theme that you like.

GoGreen Pocket Diapers - Champ Diaper
GoGreen Pocket Diapers on Facebook
GoGreen Pocket Diapers on Twitter

Winner's choice of color/print.

Diva Diapers - $25 Gift Certificate
Diva Diapers on Facebook
Diva Diapers on Twitter

MammaMichal's Freshly Made Natural Body Care Products - Gift Vouchers
MammaMichal's on Facebook

For this Giveaway, there are four vouchers and will be four different winners. I will email the first winner for their choice of voucher, than the second, and so on.

The vouchers are:

1. 35% off aromatherapy lotions. Chose from:
*8 oz Aromatherapy Rose Lotion
*8 oz Aromatherapy English Garden Lotion
*8 oz Aromatherapy Lavender Lotion
*8 ox Aromatherapy Rustic Touch Lotion

2. 50% of our hot lava muscle rub

3. Spa for all Package - Buy any of our 8 oz aromatherapy lotions at regular price and receive 25% off our hot lava muscle rub, 50% off our herbal healing salve, a free lipbalm and free shipping to USA.

4. 50% off our Aromatherapy Floral Bath Salts.

ShinyHineys - Nursery Tub and Travel Wipes case in Pink Picnic.
ShinyHineys on Facebook

Bebe Au Lait - Nursing Cover
Bebe Au Lait on Facebook
Bebe Au Lait on Twitter

Winner's choice of print.

Thirsties - Duo Wrap and Duo Hemp Prefold
Thirsties on Facebook
Thirsties on Twitter

Winner's choice of size, print/color, and closure.

Again, Please Please Please follow these sponsors on Facebook and Twitter. And Please thank them as well!!! Giveaways below! Good luck!!!

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Thirsties Duo Wrap and Duo Hemp Prefold Review

2011-08-15T11:01:00.000-07:00

Thirsties Website

Thirsties Duo Wrap Cover (Aplix only)

Size 1 – Fits 6-18 pounds

Size 2 – Fits 18-40 pounds

Price Per Cover: ★★★★☆ This cover retails for $12.25 - $13.25 making it one of the more affordable covers. The price varies depending on size and print. This cover is not a OS cover, therefore you will need 2 different sized covers to get your child from birth to potty. While needing two different sizes may not be optimal for some parents, some of the other features of this cover may warrant the extra money for the two different sizes. This cover is available from both of my affiliates, links to right.

Leaks: ★★★★★ This cover is made from a very soft and stretchy polyester with urethane laminated inner. This fabric combination is bullet proof at leaks getting through the fabric itself. This cover also features elastic in the back waist and front waist to hug baby and hold in leaks from these areas as well as elastic leg gussets to hug baby and hold in messes around the legs. This cover also has a flap at the front of the diaper but Thirsties does not recommend using this to hold the insert in place, the insert should sit on top of the cover, not in the flap.

Fit: ★★★★★ This cover comes in two different sizes, size 1 and size 2. While many parents love the longevity of the OS covers and diapers, Thirsties has broken down their diapers and covers into two sizes giving them a supreme fit over the OS counterparts. In actuality, most OS diapers will not fit at birth and will not last until potty training, meaning many parents have to buy three sizes of diapers. This cover features a three snap down rise (just like OS) in order to customize the fit for your baby. I was shocked when I got this cover that my daughter needed it snapped down one rise. My 20 month old is generally on the largest setting of most OS diapers that claim to fit to 35 pounds. This cover fits to 40 pounds and I had to snap down the rise one snap. Also, I have only tried this cover in aplix closure. The aplix is very strong and well made. After many washes and wear, I can see no signs of breakdown on the aplix. Also, the aplix gives you the ability to fit the cover specifically to your baby.

Ease of Use: ★★★★★ It cannot get any easier than this cover. This cover is a breeze to put on, fits well, and can be simply wiped between uses.

Washing: ★★★★★ This cover looks brand new. The polyester material does not hold stains and shows no wear or tear. The inner is laminated, so dirt and grime just comes right off. The aplix shows no wear and appears to be very well made to withstand many years of use. The best part is, this cover can simply be wiped between uses and only washed when it is soiled or has been used a few times. This means less laundry for you!

Overall Performance: ★★★★★ I am in LOVE with this cover! It does not get any easier than this! Combine this cover with a Thirsties Duo Fab Fitted for a bullet proof diaper! Also, Thirsties are made in the USA. This cover gets a score of 29/30 and it deserves every star!!!

Total Stars: 29/30

Thirsties Duo Hemp Prefold

Size 1 – 13.5in x 15in (before wash) for 6-18 pounds

Size 2 – 16.5in x 16.5in (before wash) for 18-40 pounds

Price Per Prefold: ★★★☆☆ This prefold retails for $7 each. This prefold is made from 55% hemp and 45% cotton as opposed to traditional 100% cotton prefolds. The addition of hemp to this prefold makes it extraordinarily soft to the touch (Thirsties calls it “buttery” and it is!), naturally antimicrobial, and more absorbent than the 100% cotton prefolds. For these reasons, the price may be worth it!

Absorbency: ★★★★★ My heavy wetting daughter did not pee through this prefold. I shouldn’t have been surprised since it is hemp, but because it is so trim, I had my doubts. I used this prefold with the Thirsties Duo Wrap Cover for naps and at night, and had no problems with absorbency or leaking. The Duo Hemp prefold is extremely absorbent and contained every drop of pee my daughter gave it!

Ease of Use: ★★★★★ When this insert first arrived, I looked at it like it was a puzzle. It is not made like traditional prefolds but rather it is sewn in a loop. Because it is sewn in a loop, there is an additional 1 in. piece of fabric on the one end. After a few uses, I found just how brilliant this construction was. Because the fabric is sewn in a loop, the prefold dries extremely fast, even air drying! It is easy to wash (even hand wash), easy to dry, and easy to simply tri-fold and place in a cover. This prefold is also easy to size as you can simply fold to make it smaller or unfold to make it bigger depending on your child’s size. My initial confusion was simply seeing a new item, but after use, I am amazed at how easy this prefold, how well it works, and how easy it is to care for.

Total Stars: 13/15

You may purchase Thirsties products from my affiliate links to right. Or check out the TMG Birthday Bash Giveaways (to be posted later today) for the giveaway! One lucky reader will win a Thirsties Duo Wrap Cover in their choice of color/print and Duo Hemp Prefold!

Additional Links:

Thirsties Catalog
Thirsties on Facebook
Thirsties Retailers

Bebe Au Lait Nursing Cover Review

2011-08-15T09:14:00.000-07:00

Recently, I was sent a Bebe Au Lait nursing cover in Chateau Silver to review. Even before I opened the package, I could tell how beautiful the print on this cover was. Bebe Au Lait has their own exclusive prints and has designed them with mom in mind. Just one look at the different prints they make, and you can see how much care they put into making lovely attractive prints. Breastfeeding is one of the most beautiful gifts that you can give your child. While breastfeeding is an art, it is nice to have a cover that is just as beautiful as the gift you are giving your child.

Whether you are using a cover because of your modesty or whether it is because others around you are uncomfortable with you just whipping out the breast to feed your child, this cover provides comfortable protection for both you and baby. The cover is made of a soft 100% cotton fabric which is light and breathes easily to keep you and baby covered but cool.

This cover also has 100% cotton terry cloth pockets on the inside bottom corners of the cover. These are perfect for nursing pads, pacifiers, etc when you are nursing and can be a quick and easy burp cloth for those little spit ups.

The most unique part of this nursing cover is the neck line. We have all been there…you are using both hands to get baby latched and you cannot see what you are doing because the cover is in the way. Bebe Au Lait has brilliantly put a rigid boning around the neckline. This makes it possible to use both hands and still see baby. This also promotes bonding since baby can see you as well. Also, this allows for more ventilation. While the boning allows for you to see each other, it does not stick out far enough for others to see down your shirt. And with the adjustable neck strap, you can raise or lower the cover depending on your stature, etc.

Looking down into the cover from the top.

The best part of this cover, its generous size. As a plus sized mama, I am always worried that One-Size items will be too small. This cover is generously sized and I find it roomy enough for me, a boppy, and a baby to fit under and still maintain coverage. Perfect!

Additionally, this cover can be used for multiple other purposes such as carseat or baby carrier cover, sunshade on the stroller, as a blanket, changing pad, etc. The possibilities are endless!

This cover washed well with no wear, tear, fading, etc. Also, the boning in the neck, which I was concerned about, had no trouble in the wash. It came out perfectly with no poking through the fabric, no problems, and went right back into its rounded shape.

Overall, I really love this cover. It is simple, yet has everything you could want! The beautiful prints, the terry pockets/burp cloth, the rigid neckline, the adjustable neck strap, and the generous size! It all adds up to one great nursing cover that moms will ask you about!

Total Stars: ★★★★★

You may purchase Bebe Au Lait Covers here or check the TMG Birthday Bash Giveaways (to be posted later today) for the giveaway!!! One lucky reader will win a Bebe Au Lait Nursing cover in their choice of color!

Changing Diapers - The Hip Mom's Guide to Modern Cloth Diapering Review

2011-08-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

I have never written a book review before, so this is uncharted territory. But if ever I was going to do a book review, this is THEE book for me to review. Recently, I was contacted to review Kelly Wel’s new book “Changing Diapers The Hip Mom’s Guide to Modern Cloth Diapering" and I was thrilled to have this opportunity to check out Kelly’s new book!

To put it simply, this book is a MUST for every parent who already cloth diapers, who is thinking about cloth diapering, or someone who knows nothing about cloth diapering and you want to show them how easy it is. Kelly did an amazing job of taking the TON of information associated with cloth diapering and broke it down piece by piece into understandable language and concise sections. Her tone throughout the book is friendly and she writes as though she is sitting on the couch next to you sipping a cup of coffee. You completely forget that you are reading a book…let alone a “how to” book.

Kelly perfectly entwines reasons for cloth diapering, key points, how-tos, and a bunch of quotes and hints from moms like us. Kelly also does a wonderful job to not put down disposable diapers. She does not speak out negatively about disposables but rather gives information on how and why cloth diapering can be beneficial to your family, your child, your wallet, and the environment. The book is factual and informational without being negative toward disposable diapers or parents who chose to use them.

The book is also put together perfectly into chapters that make sense and the book flows easily from topic to topic. As I read the book, I would think of something that I thought she should have added only to find it later in the book. I cannot think of a single thing that she left out or forgot. The only thing that I might add would be a more thorough list of diaper brands in the back of the book, but with the enormous volume of brands and WAHM’s out there, you have to stop at some point so I can completely understand why she only mentioned the few that she did.

Any parent considering cloth diapering would find this book easy to read, easy to follow, and complete with every piece of information you need to know to start cloth diapering. We have all struck out on the internet with a question or a quandary only to find 10,000 different sites and even more opinions or tips. It is hard for even an experienced cloth diapering parent to sort through all of that information. Kelly has worked to create a concise, to the point, easy to read, and even easier to understand reference book that answers any question you may have about cloth diapering. And as an RDA member and experienced cloth diapering parent, you know you can trust what she says.

The best chapter in the book to show any newbie cloth diaperer, is Cloth Diapering 101 where Kelly discusses and gives examples of the different types of cloth diapers; All in Ones, Pockets, One Size Diapers, All in Twos, Flats, Prefolds, Fitteds, Hybrid Diapers, and Covers. I think this is the hardest part for newbies to understand and get past to start diapering. The overwhelming amount of choices can make anyone’s head swim and can turn many people off from cloth diapering right there. Kelly broke this down into very understandable and manageable sections so that it is not too overwhelming.

Overall, I love this book! Anyone can learn from it whether they have been cloth diapering for years or are just starting. The book helps to make decisions on what cloth diaper to buy, explains what all you need to buy to cloth diaper, explains accessories, discusses wash techniques as well as troubleshooting in the wash, and discusses the benefits of switching to cloth. This book is the whole package; the whole cloth diapering package that is!

Total Stars: ★★★★★

Miss A doing a little light reading during a diaper change...

As a special treat, I also had my husband read the book. He proclaims to not understand cloth diapering and it seems that anything I tell him goes in one ear and out the other. All he knows is to get a diaper out of the bin, put it on Miss A, take it off when dirty, put it in the pail, and put a clean one on. Terms like Pockets, AIO’s, AI2’s, Hybrids, One Size, etc absolutely elude him. Diaper on and Diaper off…that’s all he knows. When we first started using cloth diapers, if there were disposables in the house, he would just use those rather than use the cloth. I soon realized this, and stopped buying disposables! Ever since, he has been so supportive of the cloth diapering and has not complained…much! So I asked him if he would read Kelly’s book and give me his opinion. He read the book cover to cover in an evening and then excitedly reported his thoughts. I was surprised to have a very long conversation on the finer points of cloth diapering and find that he is even more in love with it now that he understands more! When I asked him to write a paragraph or two for the blog, all the color drained out of his face! LOL! He has a PHD and had to write a gazillion page thesis and yet a summary of his thoughts on a Cloth Diapering book make him nervous! Anyway…after a long while of staring at the laptop, this is what he had to say!

My first response to my wife after reading the book was, “why the h**l don’t we have a diaper sprayer!?” since scraping poop off with toilet paper was my main deterrent in cloth diapering! But seriously, I was surprised that the book answered any and all questions that I had about cloth diapering (e.g. how to wash diapers, different types of diapers, benefits of each, how many diapers to buy). My wife often tries to explain the different types of cloth diapers but it was not until I read this book with the diagrams that it seems to have stuck with me. As a visual person myself, I would have liked to seen a chart comparing the pros and cons of each of the major types of diapers but since it was clearly described in the passages I guess that it was not necessary. Also, while I respect that everyone is going to have different preferences in diapers and that one diaper may fit your baby better than another, I would have liked Kelly to give more of her opinion as to what diaper brands are the best for the money, if there are any brands to stay away from, and what types of diapers would she buy if she knew what she knows now and had to do it all over again. But whether you know absolutely nothing about cloth diapering or you have been cloth diapering for years, you will definitely learn some things you did not know from reading this book. ~Ryan (Mr. TMG)

To this I said…I will order a diaper sprayer tomorrow! J The only reason why we do not have a diaper sprayer yet is the fact that we are trying to sell our house and I did not want to hook it up only to move. Plus, I did not think that my husband would appreciate having to hook it up and then have this contraption on the side of our toilet. But, since I have wanted one forever, and now my husband is on board too…bring on the diaper sprayer! I also love the fact that now my husband truly understands what I am talking about when I go on a cloth diapering rant!!! He can’t play dumb anymore! And now that he understands how to wash diapers…hmmm…he may have a new job!

I snapped this when he wasn't paying attention...hehe!

This book is available for pre-order now and will be released on October 1st 2011. Kelly's book is also available for Nook pre-order (love my Nook!) and I have heard that it will be available for Kindle as well.

If you would like to pre-order this book now, you can purchase here. Please use the coupon code "MOMMY" for 50% off your purchase! That was no typo...it is honestly 50%!!! Coupon is valid through Sept. 30th! The link above is also my affiliate link (plus the button link to right). By purchasing through this link, you earn me a commission. Additionally, each time I earn enough commission to purchase another book, I will give it away on the blog! The number of books that I give away is ENDLESS it all depends on how many you guys buy!!! Happy Reading! PS. All pre-ordered books will be autographed by Kelly Wels...how cool is that???!!!

Please Follow Kelly and please thank her for the Giveaway!!!

Kelly Wels on Facebook
Changing Diapers Book on Facebook
Kelly Wels on Twitter

Wooly Rounds Review and Giveaway

2011-08-04T12:56:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back, I was contacted by Cyndi the creator and owner of Wooly Rounds, to review her product! I was so excited to do this review since I have been hearing so much buzz about wool dryer balls but hadn’t had the chance to try them yet.

Wool Dryer balls are one of those “why didn’t I think of that” inventions. By rolling wool yarn into a ball and meticulously felting it, you have a time and energy saving dryer ball. Wool dryer balls can cut down on dryer time (decrease your electric or gas bill), soften, and cut down on static cling. These are all wonderful uses especially for cloth diapers which you do not want in the dryer too long, you cannot use fabric softener on, and the static cling of cloth wipes on microfiber is annoying to say the least! Wool dryer balls cure all of these problems!!! The most important being that dryer balls cut down on dry time and can save you a ton of money!

Wooly Rounds is one maker of wool dryer balls! Right from the package, I was amazed at the quality of the balls. I have never used dryer balls before, but I was still amazed at how tightly bound the yarn was and how well felted the ball was; I could barely make out the lines of the yarn. The ball is also quite solid and firm, not soft and squishy like I thought it would be.

The dryer test. The Wooly Rounds held up wonderfully in the dryer. I have been using these balls in my laundry for over a month and they still look as they did right from the package. The balls are so well constructed and put together that not one single piece of yarn has come loose or out of place.

And the results. I am extremely pleased with how these balls helped my laundry. They cut down on the static cling tremendously. I used these balls in our clothing laundry as well as my cloth diapers and the difference in softness and static is amazing! I also noticed a HUGE decrease in my dryer run time which is a big bonus! I was not expecting such a large difference in the run time, but it really did make a difference! I love that something so simple can make a huge difference in how much my electric bill is!

My only complaint, and I feel this will be true with any dryer balls, is the noise. It did not matter how large or small my load was or how many or few balls I used, there was the THUMP THUMP of the dryer balls going around the dryer. If my washer and dryer were in my basement, this would be no biggie. But, my washer and dryer are in our second floor bathroom next to our master bedroom and right across the hall from Miss A’s bedroom. I had to be careful to either not use the dryer at night/nap or not use the dryer balls.

Overall, I love these dryer balls! They are such a smart and simple idea but they make such a huge difference in your laundry and your wallet!

Total Stars: ★★★★★

You may purchase wool dryer balls directly from Wooly Rounds here or Giveaway below!

EXTRA ENTRY FOR GIVEAWAY!

For one extra entry in this giveaway, name the 5 brands of diapers show in this photo. Answers will be posted when winner is announced.

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Best Bottom Diapers Review and Giveaway

2011-07-28T12:52:00.000-07:00

Fits: Birth to 35+ pounds with an optional extender that can fit to 50+ pounds

Price Per Diaper: ★★☆☆☆ To get one complete Best Bottoms diaper (a shell and an insert) it would take approximately $20.90. While this is on the upper side of average for a one-size diaper, this diaper does come with a lot of fabulous features. Plus, since this is an AI2 diapering system, you can reuse the shell with a new insert. One complete diaper may cost more than another brand of diaper, however, if buying an entire stash of these, it would be cheaper than an entire stash of other diapers since you will need more inserts than shells and can simply wipe and reuse the shell.

Leaks: ★★★★★ Absolutely no leaks! Not one! This diaper comes with many options for the inserts. The inserts come in sizes small, medium, and large to correspond with the shell rise setting. Since I have a toddler, my rise is on the largest setting and I use large size inserts. The inserts have two snaps, one in the front and one in the back, to keep the insert in place. For day time use, one of the stay dry inserts worked beautifully. The day use stay dry inserts are made from 4 layers of microfiber with a fleece layer on top to go next to baby skin. For night and nap use, there is a night insert. The night insert is made of 6 layers of microfiber. However, the night insert does not have a fleece top. Instead it has another set of snaps that you attach the day insert to. So for night time, you have 10 layers of microfiber and a layer of fleece. My heavy wetting toddler never once peed through this diaper day, nap, or night! If I could give these inserts more than 5 stars, I would. There is also an optional hemp/ organic cotton insert, but I have not tried this. This shell also has elastic at the back waist and front waist as well as leg gussets to contain any leaks or blow-outs.

Fit: ★★★★★ I tend not to give snap diapers 5 stars simply because they are a snap diaper. However, I feel that this diaper can truly give you a perfect fit every time between the generous snap settings and the elastic/ stretchy fabric of the shell. You get a nice tight (but not too tight) fit every time to keep in leaks. This diaper has a 4 rise snap setting on the front of the diaper to make the rise larger/smaller as well as crossover tabs for small waisted children and newborns. This diaper also has elastic leg gussets to fit any size leg and contain mess. This shell really seems as though it would fit any body type well.

Ease of Use: ★★★★★ Many snap diapers are difficult to get snapped the right way on the first try. This diaper is quite easy to fit to baby and snap. The simple two snaps for the insert make it a cinch to take one insert out and get the other in, even with a squirming toddler to wrangle. The snaps on the inserts are tight enough to keep them snapped, but not so tight that you are fighting to get them apart either. Both the inserts and the shell are a breeze to work with.

Washing: ★★★★★ This diaper is easy to wash. First of all, the shell does not need to be washed with every use. Since it is designed with a laminated PUL inner that can be wiped clean, you can simply wipe and reuse the shell with a new insert. Best Bottom Diapers recommends having enough shells for as many times as your baby poops between wash days since you may have to wash the shell after poops. The inserts are easy to care for in the wash just like other microfiber inserts. And putting diapers back together after wash is even easier, there is no stuffing! Simply snap inserts in the shells and stack the extra inserts for use! I can see that an entire stash of this diapering system would make washing and putting away diapers SO much faster and easier! One of my day inserts did have a few light stains on it, but a little sunning took that right out!

Overall Performance: ★★★★★ This is my new favorite diaper! Anyone looking for a simple, easy to care for, and dare I say cute diapering system should look no further! Yes, this review lost stars for the price per diaper, but since you will only need a few shells and more inserts, this could be a very budget conscious choice overall! Nicki’s Diapers sells a package of Best Bottoms Diapers that includes 9 shells, 18 inserts of each size, and 3 overnight inserts of each size for only $407.87. This means that you could have an entire stash to last from birth to potty for just over $400. That is AMAZING! And if your child starts to out grow the waist of this diaper, you may want to splurge on the waist extenders! This system is truly perfect! I will be buying more of these for number two! Thanks Nicki for inventing a great product!

Total Stars: 27/30

A little about Nicki, the creator of Best Bottom Diapers; taken from Nicki's Diapers website.

After years of experience, Nicki the owner of Nicki's Diapers created a new diaper taking the pros of all the different diapering systems and eliminated the cons. This resulted in the Best cloth diaper system available - trimmest fitting and highly absorbent! To help reduce early confusion and that overwhelmed feeling when researching cloth diapers, the Best Bottom diapers has simplified cloth diapering while making one of the most economical systems. The Best Bottom one size diapering system is not a pocket diaper, not an all in one, not a fitted diaper and not a prefold system...it is the best of all types!

Diaper	Pros	Cons
Best Bottom	ALL THE PROS
Pocket Diapers	Fast Drying	Have to Stuff
All In One Diapers	Easy to Use/Trim	Longer Drying Time
Fitted Diapers	Very Absorbent	Bulky
Prefold Diapers	Inexpensive	Bulky and Have to Fold

You may purchase Best Bottoms Diapers from Nicki's Diapers or from my affiliates Kelly's Closet and Diaper Safari, affiliate links to right. Or, Giveaway below!

I was sent this diaper to review, free of charge. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Rocky Mountain OS Diaper Review and Giveaway

2011-07-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

Fits: 5-30+ pounds

Price Per Diaper: ★★★☆☆ Rocky Mountain OS Diapers retail for approximately $19.50 which is an average price for a one size diaper. This diaper does have some unique sizing features and a trim fit which may make it worth the price to many parents.

Leaks: ★★★★☆ As a day time diaper, I did not have any leaks with this diaper. The included microfiber insert was very absorbent and held a lot during waking hours. However, for night and naptime use, I did have to add another insert to the nicely sized pocket. Between the extra inserts and the PUL outer, this diaper did very well at night. When the diaper is stuffed with only the microfiber insert that it came with, the diaper is extremely trim and would fit under any clothing without having to size up.

Fit: ★★★★☆ I really like the way that this diaper fits. Looking at the diaper, all you see it the single row of snaps across the front of the diaper to adjust the waist. What you do not see, is the internal system of elastic and snaps that adjusts the rise of the diaper as well as the tightness of the leg casings. To make the rise higher and the diaper bigger, you simply let out the elastic a few settings and then snap to hold the setting. This is an amazing feature and I feel that this diaper would fit a newborn around 5 pounds as the manufacturer states. This diaper also has crossover tabs to fit smaller babies and newborns. Rocky Mountain Diapers also states on their website that this diaper can fit children up to 35 pounds and maybe more depending on their stature.

Ease of Use: ★★★★☆ I found that this diaper was very easy to use. The pocket is nice and wide and easy to stuff and unstuff. The rise adjustments are quick and easy (only 2 snaps, one on each side) to change if you have multiple children in diapers. The waist snaps are easy to use since they are a side by side single row of snaps, however, I did find it difficult at times to get the waist snapped correctly as the distance between the male snaps on the tabs is shorter than the distance between the female snaps on the front of the diaper. This was odd to me until I got used to it.

Washing: ★★★★★ This diaper and it’s insert washed very well. The diaper itself shows no wear and tear from wash and wear. The interior microsuede has no stains and has washed well. Also, the interior of the diaper that I tested is a creamy/yellow color, this is perfect for hiding stains that whites would show.

Overall Peformance: ★★★★★ Overall, I was extremely impressed with this diaper. When I first received it and saw how trim it was, I had my doubts, but they were put to rest very quickly. I am amazed at how trim the diaper fits and how well it fits. The inner elastic system is a great idea and works extremely well for changing the rise/size of the diaper. My only complaints were that it needs more absorbency for nights and naps and that the male and female snaps are at different distances on the tabs and the front of the diaper. This did not affect the function of the diaper, but it did cause the tabs to pucker a little.

Total Stars: 25/30

Note: The diaper that I reviewed is a gorgeous chocolate brown with a creamy/yellow microsuede inner. The pictures do not capture the actual colors and do not do justice to the beauty of the diaper.

You may purchase Rocky Mountain OS Diapers from Rocky Mountain Diapers or from Cloth Diaper Market. Or Giveaway below!

The pictured Diaper below is the exact diaper that the winner will be receiving. This diaper was sent to me along with my review diaper from Rocky Mountain diapers. I do have two cats and a dog, while this diaper has not been in contact with the pets and it is brand new with tags on, anyone with severe allergies should know that the diaper has been in my home and is not coming direct from the manufacturer.

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Thirsties Thursday Giveaways!

2011-07-21T07:04:00.000-07:00

Have you guys heard that Thirsties is doing giveaways every Thursday??? There have been some amazing giveaways so far! Make sure you are following Thirsties on Facebook for the updates and entering the giveaways!!!

This week's giveaway!

Good Luck!!!