Can it be Possible? Under Cover Month is Over?

Wow!  Looking around the blog at the comments and the tremendous amount of entries for all of the giveaways, I would have to say that Under Cover Month was a huge success!!!  It has been an amazing month and it was a ton of fun!  I hope that you learned a thing or two (I sure did!) and I hope that you enjoyed the event!!!

All giveaways are open through midnight tonight so make sure that you have all of your entries in!  And I will do the best part tomorrow....announce the winners!!!  I love doing the reviews and I love the interaction with you guys...but I LOVE the giveaways!  I love being able to give you guys something!  A HUGE thank you to all of the sponsors who made this event possible and FUN for all!!!

What is in store for TMG next?  I have a bunch of reviews and giveaways that have been on the back burner waiting for Under Cover Month to be over...so I am going to get those written and posted.  And there are always new reviews and giveaways coming!  I also have another (smaller) event in the works, so stay tuned for that!  And there are a few other surprises coming...but I am keeping those to myself...for now!

Also huge on the upcoming list is the Smart Bottoms diaper party on Saturday!  I am really excited for this!!!  I am really excited because I get to have friends (cloth diaper users and cloth diaper questioners) there with me to see the diapers and learn more!  But I also get to share the party with all of you!!!  I would love it if you guys would tune in Saturday night for the virtual party!  You may not get to eat the food...but you can get in the giveaways!!!  So come, play along, and maybe win something!

In the immediate future, TMG will not be posting quite as much to the blog.  My 21 month old has grown intolerant to the laptop and we have been having some behavior issues.  I do think that it comes from mommy not giving her the attention that she needs/wants/desires.  Under Cover Month was a lot of work, and while I hoped that I could keep it separate from my home life, it was just so much work that I HAD to work on those posts while she played.  I feel like a bad mommy for that...so I need to remember that the blog comes after my husband and little one.  And who knows...maybe number 2 soon!  :)  I hope!!!

And so we conclude...I hope that you have had fun on our journey...Under Cover!

~Laura~

Smart Bottoms Diaper Party!!!

You have seen Smart Bottoms on many of the blogs, and there is even a review and giveaway on this blog...now you can join the fun too!!!  The Mommy Goods is hosting a Smart Bottoms diaper party on April 2nd at 7pm!!!  This party will be live (in my home) as well as broadcast virtually for all of you to see!!!  I attended one of the Smart Bottoms parties virtually when they did Kristina from Cloth Diaper Addiction's party!  Even though you are sitting at home in your jammies, it is still a ton of fun!

For virtual attendees, there is a chat set up, so you can participate, ask questions, and enter the giveaways at the end!  It is a ton of fun!!!  You may view past parties and/or tune in Saturday night here!

If you have questions, just ask!!

~Laura~

Aliyah's Hope Chest Fleece Diaper Cover Review and Giveaway

S: Rise - 15" Waist - 13" to 15" Thigh - 7" to 8"
M: Rise - 17" Waist - 15" to 17" Thigh - 9" to 10"
L: Rise - 19" Waist - 17" to 19" Thigh - 10" to 11"
XL: Rise - 20.5" Waist - 19" to 20.5" Thigh - 11" to 13"

Price Per Cover:  ★★★★★  Most fleece diaper covers from Aliyah’s Hope Chest are sold for $6.99.  This is a fabulous price for a cover!  AHC is also always having great deals, so you might get a couple for even less per cover!!  However, depending on how much your child wets and how frequently you change your child, you may only get one use out of this cover before needing to wash.  It all depends on what you want!  However, this is a WAHM and I love supporting them!

Leaks:  ★★★★★  Even thought this is a single layer fleece cover, I did not have any issues with leaks!  This may be a testament more to the fitteds that I used with it, but I did not encounter any problems with this cover!  We did occasionally wake in the morning a little moist around the front waist since she sleeps on her stomach and there was pressure on this area trapping moisture.  But it was not enough to wet her shirt or her sheets and this was after 12-14 hours of sleep…not much does hold up that long!!

Fit:  ★★★★★  Fleece itself is a little stretchy, plus you are putting this over a fitted, contour, etc.  Even though this is a sized cover and there is no way to adjust it, I found that it fit my daughter perfectly!  Around the legs and waist, the fleece trim is folded over and is therefore 2 layers.  This makes the waist and the legs a little less stretchy (still a little stretchy) and a little more rigid.  This is great around the legs and waist to prevent blow-outs and to absorb more in these areas as they are the #1 and #2 offenders for leaks.

Ease of Use:  ★★★★★  It really does NOT get any easier than this!  This is a non-adjustable cover, so you simply pull it up (like undies) and over the prefold, flat, fitted, contour, etc of your choice.  No messing with snaps, Velcro, etc.  Your baby is happy and dry for quite a few hours, then you take it off and toss it in the diaper laundry!  There are no special instructions for anything!  Of course you can hand wash or hang to dry, but only if you want to!

Washing:  ★★★★★  Toss in with diaper laundry, into dryer, and back onto baby!  Simple!  This cover washes well and has only gotten SOFTER with multiple washes!!!  It washes up easily, dries fast, and is super comfy for baby!

Overall Performance:  ★★★★★  I will admit, I was shy and even afraid to try fleece.  I was also quite skeptical!  BUT…after using this cover…I am in Love with fleece!!  It is so nice to know that baby will wake up dry, rash free, and her bum is super soft and cute!  It is also super easy to use and care for fleece!  The only negative that I can see to fleece covers in general would be that depending on how heavy of a wetter your child is and/or how frequent you change them, you may only get one use out of your cover before it needs washed.  This just means that you may need a couple more of these ADORABLE covers!!!

Total Stars:  30/30  Wow, my first perfect score!  Congrats AHC!


You may make purchases directly from Aliyah's Hope Chest here!  If you are going to make a purchase, AHC has graciously offered a 20% discount code for all TMG readers.  Just use the code "TMG20" at the checkout!  Also, Giveaway below!!

Sustainablebabyish Wool Cover Review

X-small – Fits 5-15 pounds (0-5 months)

Small – Fits 12-23 pounds (4-12 months)

Medium – Fits 22-30 pounds (12-28 months) – (this is what I tested)

Large – Fits 30+ pounds (28+ months)

Price Per Cover:  ★☆☆☆☆  Wool is expensive.  I will say that up front.  This cover retails for approximately $42.95.  While yes, wool is expensive, you get a HUGE bang for your buck with wool, it is all natural fibers, and you do not need as many covers as you would with other types of covers.

Leaks:  ★★★★★  Wow.  All I can say is wow.  I have heard about wool from day one of cloth diapering and heard the tales about how great it does at night.  I was a skeptic and I laughed that it could never be as good as so many people say.  I was wrong.  Not one leak.  My heavy wetting daughter could not pee enough during a 12-14 hour night to soak through this cover!  There were a few times that her shirt would be damp in the morning around the front waist, this is due to the pressure from her laying on her stomach all night.  Her shirt was damp, not soaked, and the sheet was dry!  Mommy and baby were thrilled!

Fit:  ★★★★★  This cover is made from a 93% wool/ 7% spandex blend.  This makes this cover nice and soft, comfy, and stretchy.  My daughter is at the lower end of the weight range for this cover and she is very skinny, so I was a little scared that it might not fit her.  Well, again, I admit defeat!  It fit her perfectly!  Since this cover is ultra stretchy, it stretched over her fitted and hugged her well.  The amazing part is that there is still lots of stretch left to fit a larger baby!  This is amazing!

Ease of Use:  ★★★★☆  Such is the nature of wool.  To get the amazing benefits, you do have to put a little extra effort into it!  You cannot wash wool with your other diaper laundry, it does have its own set of laundering rules.  I will discuss this further below in the washing section.  Other than the special laundering considerations, wool is very simple to use!  It is a simple pull on and pull off cover with no other bells and whistles.  Most times you can simply air dry the cover between uses and you only have to go through the laundering ritual once in a while, whenever the cover is soiled, needs lanolized, or it is just time to wash.

Washing:  ★★★☆☆  This was hard to score.  Based on the fact that it has its own washing ritual, I gave it a three.  Also, the three was earned due to sheer intimidation.  I was SCARED of wool.  I was afraid to take it out of the package when it came!  In all honesty, once you do your homework and figure out how to wash and lanolize the cover properly, it is quite easy!  It just stinks that you cannot simply throw it in the wash with the diapers!  Again, you have to put the effort in for the amazing benefits.  Wool Care Instructions from Sloomb are at the bottom of this post.

Overall Performance:  ★★★★☆  I have been AMAZED by this wool cover!  It has outperformed all of my expectations!  I am still catching on to the washing ritual and I am still a little intimidated by wool.  That being said, if you have a heavy wetter like mine, this is a fantastic cover to try!  (if you can get over the price and the intimidation of course!)

Total Stars:  22/30

Wool Care Instructions from the Sustainablebabyish Website

what you will need:
Ecover Delicate Wash or other wool wash
Solid Lanolin
Sweater Shaver (makes your knits look new in minutes!)
We do not recommend spray lanolin. Solid lanolin and Ecover Delicate Wash are very inexpensive, easy to use, and make your care routine simple.

1. fill a sink/large  pot with warm water
2. warm 4-8 oz of water in the microwave until very hot/boiling
3. add 1 tsp -1 tablespoon of lanolin to the cup of hot water
4. add a squirt of baby shampoo or wool wash
5. stir until all the yellow solids are melted and the water looks white like milk
6. add this to the sink/pot of warm water-stir around
7. add your wet cover to the water and massage the water into the cover
8. let sit for 15 mins - 1 hour (you can weight it down with the butter knife)
9. squeeze water out
10. roll between two towels or put in the washer on the spin cycle (no water)
11. lay flat to dry.

This review was sponsored by Sustainablebabyish/ Sloomb.

Flip OS Cover Review and Giveaway

Fits:  7-35 pounds

Price Per Cover:  ★★★★☆  This one of the most economical and versatile covers on the market.  If you are looking for something cheap, easy to use, and/or versatile, this is the system for you!  The cover alone retails for $13.95.  You can buy a package with one cover and one stay dry insert for $16.95 (competitive with most pocket and AIO diapers) or a package with one cover and one cotton organic insert for $19.95.  As you buy larger packages, the cost per diaper decreases and you could possibly by enough covers and inserts for two days for $100, providing that you would be able to use only 2-3 covers per day.  Very economical and the versatility is priceless!

Leaks:  ★★★★★  I did not have one leak with this cover.  I did trial this diaper with the stay dry insert, the organic cotton insert, and the disposable inserts and I did not have a leak with any of them.  This cover has form fitting elastic at the legs and back to ensure a tight fit and to contain messes and leaks.  Also, the inside of the diaper features contour flaps in the front and back to hold your insert and to stop leaks.

Fit:  ★★★★★  I don’t often give five star ratings for fit on a snap diaper or cover.  However, with this diaper, you get the perfect fit every time.  The spandex butterfly flaps are stretchy and there is elastic in the back and the legs so with all of that stretch and give, you can be certain that you will find the perfect fit.  The stay dry insert, the organic cotton insert, and the disposable insert are all very trim, do not add bulk, and do not change the fact that you can always find the perfect fit.  This is an OS cover with a 3 snap down rise feature on the front.  This ensures that from birth to 35 pounds, you can find the perfect rise in addition to the perfect fit around the waist.  This cover is the perfect blend of stretch and firm to give you a solid cover with a perfect fit.

Ease of Use:  ★★★★★  Normally, I would take a point off for snaps.  I just cannot do it for this cover.  This cover is SO simple and the two snaps on each tab are not hard at all!!  This cover is so versatile and so easy to use, that it warranted 5 stars even with the snaps!  Many diapers and covers have lost the star for snaps, but due to the stretchiness of the tabs and the flexibility of this cover, the snaps are not difficult at all!

Washing:  ★★★★★  The interior of this cover is made from laminated polyester which means that you can just wipe the cover, put a new insert in, and put it back on baby.  When it is time to actually wash it, it washes perfectly.  You just throw the cover in with your other diaper laundry, hang to dry, and it is ready to go again.  This cover dries in no time and after many washes, it still looks brand new!

Overall Performance:  ★★★★★  I cannot say enough about this cover!  It is amazing!  I love the versatility.  If you like the stay dry inserts of pockets, you can use the stay dry.  If you like prefolds, you can use the organic cotton inserts.  And if you are traveling or need to use non-cloth diaper safe cream, the disposable inserts are fantastic!!!  This cover also works over any brand of prefold, flat, or fitted if you do not wish to buy Flip specific inserts!  This cover is fabulous!

Total Stars:  29/30

See Flip Stay Dry Insert Review Here

See Flip Organic Cotton Insert Here

See Flip Disposable Insert Here

You may buy Flip products from Abby's Lane here or Giveaway below!

Blueberry OS Coveralls Review

Fits:  10-40 pounds (also available in mini coveralls which fit 16-18 pounds)

This review is for the Hook and Loop version of this cover only.

Price Per Cover:  ★★★☆☆  This cover retails for $16.95.  This is an average price for a cover and you do get a lot of bang for your buck with this cover.  However, if you are wanting this cover and do not want to spend that much, check the sale section on the Blueberry website.  They frequently have sales and usually you can get an irregular cover for only $8.50.  Blueberry is very picky about what they sell as a first quality diaper or cover, in most cases the irregular items have a snap that is just a hair off from where it should be or something about as minimal.  I have bought from the irregular section multiple times and it has taken me hours to find the flaws.  If you are interested in this cover but don’t want to pay full price, I highly recommend checking this out!  This cover is available through my affiliates, links to right.

Leaks:  ★★★★☆  When I have used this diaper with a fitted or thin prefold, I have had no leaks.  However, when using larger prefolds, I have encountered a leak or two, but I attribute this to bulk.  You have to be careful when placing your prefold in the cover that there is enough room on each side for the leg casing to touch the leg and not have a gap to allow leaks.  This diaper does feature inner leg gussets which do marvelously to contain wet or mess, however the gussets do narrow the area in which your prefold should fit.  Also, the back waist is gathered in order to contain the flat or prefold from sticking out as well as preventing any leaks out the back.

Fit:  ★★★★☆  This cover is made entirely of a soft stretchy laminated fabric that is able to stretch and move so that you can get the perfect fit every time.  However, at times, the fabric is almost too stretchy and makes it harder to put on baby.  For the most part, I had no trouble fitting this cover to my baby, but with her being so skinny, I did have trouble with having drop tabs and bunching tabs due to the excess fabric.  As with other blueberry products, the aplix closure is built tough and I do not see this wearing out any time soon.  Plus, the aplix tabs can be overlapped if you have a skinny child like mine.  This OS cover features a 3 snap down rise just like many other OS covers in order to last for most of your child’s diapering years.  However, one thing going against this cover is that it does not start fitting until after 10 pounds.  You would need another cover for the first few weeks/ months of your child’s life before this would fit.  On the other hand, this cover will fit until 40 pounds, when most other ones stop at 35.

Ease of Use:  ★★★★★  This cover is about as easy as it comes.  It is thin, lightweight, stretchy, and aplix closure.  Simple is a great word to describe this cover.  Also because it is made from laminate fabric, you can just wipe it at diaper change, put a new insert in, and use again!

Washing:  ★★★★★  With the laminate inner and the polyester outer, this cover washes perfectly.  Any bit of dirt or mess just wipes off or will come off at wash time.  After many washes, the aplix shows no wear and neither does the cover as a whole.  Honestly, you would think that this cover was brand new and not used as many times as it has been.

Overall Performance:  ★★★★☆  I really loved this cover and would recommend it highly, however, the thinness and stretchiness of the fabric actually made using it a little harder than other covers and the gussets make the crotch a little too narrow for a simple prefold.  Both of those negatives are simple to overcome and get used to and are just part of the learning process.  As with any diaper or cover, you have to adjust to it!

Total Stars:  25/30

Miss Lily's Washing Powder Review and Giveaway

Overall Performance:  ★★★★★

When using a new laundry detergent, I ask myself a few questions.  Does it get my diapers clean?  Do they smell fresh?  Are the stains gone?  Do any stinkies remain?  And the answer… Miss Lily’s Washing Powder performed amazingly!!!

I was amazed by Miss Lily’s!  I had read reviews about how well this detergent did on diapers, but I really thought that I would not notice any difference from the Tiny Bubbles that I normally use…I was wrong!

I was sent a small bag of unscented Miss Lily’s to review.  After just one wash, diapers that have been stained for weeks or months were stain free!  And on top of that my diapers smelled fresh (actually, smelled like nothing!) with no stinkies or residue!

As I have said before, my daughter has very sensitive skin and I am always nervous to try new detergents that may irritate her…well, no irritation here!  Actually, the small rash that we have been battling looks better since using this detergent!!  Even better, I had no trouble using this detergent in my HE washer!

Miss Lily’s Washing powder is also great for using on your regular clothing as well as your diapers!  And, you can use Miss Lily’s in a soak for your diapers to get out those pesky stains or stinkies!!!  This truly is the all-around use detergent!

You can buy directly from Miss Lily’s here or Giveaway below!  Washing/Soaking instructions here.