Soft Bums One Size Echo AI2 Review and Giveaway

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

icaughtsanta Review and Giveaway!!!

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!!

New Product - Fluff Bling!!!

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

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!!

Reuseit Nalgene Bottle Review

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

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

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

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.