Sunday, May 24, 2009

Detergents, Diaper Rash Creams, and Your Cloth Diapers...

Want to know what diaper rash creams are safe to use on your cloth diapers and what one are not? check out Pinstripes and Polkadots for Diaper Creams that are safe and others to avoid they also have a section on detergents as well. My favorite cream so far is Method Baby Squeaky Green Diaper Cream (love their whole line of natural baby products @target, safeway, etc) but its not on the list last time i checked..but I did a lot of research on diaperswappers and its safe, no stains or repelling! It dosnt get rid of a diaper rash IMO but it does protect it from getting worse. Im going to try some california baby brand next. For a detergent I use Country Save on my diapers and all my clothing and it works AWESOME!!!

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Bum-Ware Extreme BWX AIO diapers

Ok so the BWXis the 1st diaper that I have disliked a lot. But I seem to be the only mama who has issues with this diaper! I bought a new one (the snap version) and prepped it. It was SUPER trim like a disposable almost but every time my son pee'ed in it the smell of urin was SO STRONG for some reason! He also leaked everytime he wore it (maybe I had one size too big??) around the legs. I havent seen any one with the same problems as me so it might be worth it for you to try out this diaper if your looking for a super trim AIO, but unfortanantly it didnt work out for me :( I did love the brown inner on the diaper that I had so that was a plus! I just wish the pee smell didnt get amplified by the diaper :(
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overall I would say go ahead and test this diaper out..maybe get an EUC one on diaperswappers to see if it will work for you! there are some mamas in the Pink Room who swear by these :)

Want to save even more?? Make your own diapers!!

I came across an awesome blog the other day on how to make your own diapers!! The pattern is free too!!! Click Here to see the blog on how to get started! Im in the middle of making my own fleece AIO using the pattern! yay! below is a picture i borrowed from her blog so you can see!
RRP

My review on a leahandmike one-sized tester fitted on diaperswappers.com :)

www.littlefancypants.com or hyenacart.com/littlefancypants

1. What weight range was your little one(s) while wearing this fitted? **My Son was 22-23lbs

2. Did you use this fitted on multiple children?
**no

3. Did you have a print outter, or a velour outter?
**PrintFit1.

On a scale of 1-10 how well would you say this tester fit? (10 being the highest)
**a 10..it fit perfect, better than any other fitted I own!

2. Did you like the snap placements for the one size? Or would you rather have sized? (small medium large etc.)
**it was fine as is! but I dont have a tiny baby so I dont know how it would fit on a newborn. ETA: but it gets so tiny I think it would be perfect from birth and up!

3. Do you think the third hip snap is necessary to avoid wing droop?
**Yes

4. Did you like that the insert snapped in? Or would you have prefered that it just laid in?
**Loved the snap in!

5. Do you think I should offer a hip snap cover, or front snap cover as an option when buying a fitted?
**yes and snap covers for the rise adjustments.

6. How did it fit around your little ones legs? Was it too tight or just right?**PerfectQuality

1. What were your impressions of the sewing quality?
**Looked Proffesional to me

2. What were your impressions of the snap quality?
**Great!

3. Did any of the snaps fall off or not work?
**No all were fine.

4. Do you think the sherpa fleece inside was sufficient enough, or would you have prefered another type of fabric?
**I think it needs to have something more absorbant.

Washing
1. What detergent did you wash your tester in?
**Country Save

2. How many times have you washed it?
**Prepped it and then probably 10x after.

3. How did you dry your fitted?
**Hang dry or dryer. (on high if w/regular laundry or on low heat if with other diapers -BG)

4. How many dry cycles did it take for it to dry? Or how long in the sun?1 dryer cycle
**2 if on LOW with a large load

5. How did your tester hold up after a few washings?
**Looks great! the inside is a little dingy but all my velour gets that way.

6. Did you see a difference in absorbancy after a few washings?
**It got a little better but the pee still goes directly thru even if its only a tiny bit. *think i needed a different outer..this one spread the pee around.

Misc
1. What other types of fitteds have you used, and what brand would you compare your tester to, if any?
**I have a motherease's, a joyful baby and thats it. I wouldnt really compare it to the joyful baby because that one is a lot thicker (blulkyer) and holds more, and the motherease I've only used 2x...so sorry on that one haha..but i reached for yours the most because of the fit.

2. How absorbant was your tester on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best?
**Im really sorry but i would have to say a 4? if my son even peed a little bit the whole front got really wet and even my pul covers had trouble because the pee wouldnt stay in the fitted it would drip down into the cover into a little pool. like i said before i think its because of the material i picked for the outer.

3. Did you use this fitted during naptime or night time? How well did it work?
**it worked ok but couldnt also hold his pee from right after he woke up.

4. Did you ever use this on your little one with out a cover? If so, how well did it work without a cover?
**I did but i would have to change him after about 15min because the outside would get so wet even from just a tiny amount of pee.

5. What kind of cover did you use while using this tester? (Wool, PUL, Pocket, etc.)
**PUL and fleece. (worked best w/fleece)

6. What other types of one-size diapers have you used in the past if any?**BumGenius, another tester, 2 that i dont have a brand tag on any more, and i think thats it...

7. How much do you think would be a fair retail price for these fitteds?**10-12 dollars more if u add another layer in the front for boys!

8. Do you prefer knit print outter fitteds, or velour outter fitteds?
**I think if i had had the velour it would have been a lot more absorbant and not felt so wet on the outside. I would be interested in testing a velour one to test my theory

9. How many days did your fitted take to get to you in the mail?
**sorry i dont remember! but it was normal time.

10. Do you think I should offer custom slots for fitteds once I stock on my hyena cart?**Sure

11. Any other comments or suggestions?
**if you could add a few layers of something in the crotch section i think it would be a lot more absorbant for a boy!! let me know if u add more absorbancy I would love to test one again because this is the fitted that fits my son the best!

leahandmike on DS fitted
leahandmike fitted
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Its been another month or so and the more I wash this fitted it gets a bit more absorbant :) I would definantly reccomend this for newborns because it gets SO TINY!! and I think it would be highly absorbant for a small baby :) My son is just a SUPER soaker haha It still fits him the best out of all his fitteds and even better than his pockets!

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Planet Wise Wet Bags!

I currently have a Planet Wise Wet/Dry Bag and I love the concept! you keep your dry un-used diapers in the front pocket and when they are taken of baby you put them in the waterproof section (never had a leak or smell come out!!) and you have a clean diaper in the same bag waiting for you! this bag is rather large to have in a diaper bag but works great to have in the car or suit case! they have regular just wetbags here in all sizes and you can get the wet/dry version in a hanging version as well!

planet wise

I have the aqua swirl print..so pretty! and it has a snapping handle to hang off a door knob or to carry it by!

BumGenius Diaper Sprayer toilet attachment VS. O'Blue Shower attachment

Some mamas love thisbumGenius diaper sprayer but for some reason I could not get this to attach to my toilet w/out it squirting a fine mist of water on my feet every time it flushed....so I took it back figuring it was defective...so I used the money to buy this for half the cost!! This shower attachment dosnt have quite the power of the BG diaper sprayer..but the hose is long enough i can use it can be used in my shower and reach the toilet! I usually just soak my dirty diapers in a bucket in my tub and then spray off on laundry day then wash. The O'Blue does leak really bad out of the part where it attached to my shower head(also comes w/sink adaptor) but I twisted the attacment to where it sprays only inside the shower and on the curtain so my celing dosnt get wet and my floor wont as long as the curtain is shut :) (gave me a full refund for product and let me keep) I would reccomend both if u can get them to not leak!!!

BG
O'blue

bumGenius Odor Remover A+++

BG odor remover gets a big A+ from me!! I spray it into the water as its filling up in my top loader washing machine and I have never had a diaper w/any odor after its been washed! it even works on my regular laundry! This method is much easier than spraying every diaper even though I will do this if I have a very soiled diaper and I know I will not be washing laundry for a few days :)
odor remover

Bummis Diaper Totes- Good for dry...not for wet!

Bummis Diaper Totes are an affordable way to store your clean diapers when traveling, they also work ok for slightly soiled diapers..but not diaper that have been sprayed off! I found this out the hard way when I tried using a large tote as a wetbag and put my freshly sprayed off diaper in the tote and came back to a sopping wet floor! *yuck!*. I now use a kitchen sized trash can w/out any liner and its working great!!! This tote bag also shows wash wear after about 2 washes but no holes or rips or seams coming loose! just the fabric around the drawstring looks pilly. bummis tote

BGOS 3.0s

The most popular diaper in my stash is the bumGenius 3.0 one size pocket diaper! I have the suede cloth inner as well as the fleece. The fleece is awesome because it seems more cozy on the baby and a bit more stay-dry for their skin..but both hold up and hardly ever leak! (I am known to forget to change their dipes for 4 hours sometimes.. oopsie!) These are the top non-WAHM diaper I would reccomend to anyone! They get really small and from what I hear fit babies great from 10lbs-40lbs! My kids have had these from 20lbs-40lbs..wish i found them sooner!!! They even have some limited edition ones right now w/different colored wings!! too cute:
limited ed. spring
The aplix on these can get funky and curl funny so a lot of mamas convert these to snaps! here is a pic of a ratty old 2.0 version that i saved by converting to snaps and replacing the Velcro:
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colorful!
made cross over for infant mode
**you can also get Velcro replacments from cottonbabies..but i just prefer snaps :) easier to wash IMO

BGOS Organic AIO's

bumGenius Organic all in one...one size
available at:Cotton Babies
I bought this diaper for $12 from the cotton babies seconds sale to test it out! It came to me as an aplix diaper but since it was a seconds I saw no harm in converting it to snaps!! This diaper works great and gets the job done but takes FOREVER to hang dry and 2+ dryer cycles on high (not even supposed to dry these above medium heat). They also stain easy IMO at least much easier than the pocket BGOS 3.0s that I have (fleece and suede-cloth). If you need a trusty AIO then this is a great diaper that is just trim enough to fit under a pair of jeans, but you have to be willing to wait for it to dry..that is my only complaint on this diaper :) Once it was prepped all the way I have had no leaks!!!!!! Overall I recommend if your wanting organic or AIO that is one size :) here is my still 25lb DS in mine that i converted to snaps:
BG OS organic altered to have snaps not aplix
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Joyful Baby One-Size Bamboo Fitted

This was my very first fitted! I got this from a congo lineup called Naturally Nested (also where I found Primm n Proper!) This fitted works great and claims to be one-size but I have never used it on a baby less than 20lbs. It is a bit bulky to use out and about under clothing but I use it at home w/or w/out a cover and for overnights if my hemp diapers are all dirty. I prefer to use this fitted with a Bummis Super Brite cover or a Pro-Wrap cover This diaper fits great on my 25lb son and my 40lb daugter as well! I've been using this fitted w/my DS since 20lbs and have had no issues! spaggetti sauce did leave a few almsot bleached looking spots though so that was sad for me haha here are pics of my son at 25lbs in it!:
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I reccomend this diaper for at home use and night time use as well!!!

MotherEase Fitteds!

I was skeptical of fitteds at first..I could not see why you would want a diaper that snapped on and looked like an AIO..but wasn't water proof! But then I got a cotton Motherease and realized how much faster it was than pre-folds and safer than prefolds w/a snappi when not using a cover. I have a cotton w/cotton snap in insert, and a bamboo w/organic cotton insert (they were out of bamboo). Both seem to work great for daytime use (im too scared to use overnight-i have a super soaker!) The bamboo is a lot softer than the cotton one, but the cotton one has been used before I owned it and been bleached (not advised by manufacturer). Im not sure how well these would work on a new-born but they have one rise adjustment and claim to be one size. Here are pics of a fully pee'd bamboo one (wont drip)! hehe:
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motherease OS fitted Bamboo

Wonder Wraps One-Size PUL diaper covers

I got some of these really cheap off the FSOT on diaperswappers.com For the most part these diaper covers do their job. I do get some leaks in these if I leave them on overnight. One thing I have heard as an issue on these covers is that the rise snaps dont work. Mine didnt but I used my snap pliers and pushed down on all the snaps and this solved the problem! they were not pressed down hard enough when manufactured! These work the best with fitteds IMO but work over prefolds as well :) I would reccomend these for babies 15lbs and up because I have never used them on a smaller baby..but they look like they would work! *PUL is not exposed and no gussets.*
My DS at 21m and 25ish lbs!:
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wonder wraps OS cover

Shinies Pocket Diapers

I came across some diapers on eBay that were SUPER cheap and I thought they were too good to be true..but I ordered a set out of curiosity :) They adjust the rise w/little zippers instead of snaps, the zipper can get stuck sometimes but just needs some wiggling. The fit on the largest rise with the velcro wings almost touching fits my 21m old son perfect so they would need some alteration to fit a newborn because there is no overlapping Velcro spots. I converted one diaper to snaps and its holding up wonderfully! The inserts that come with these diapers are useless so I use bumGenius one-size inserts instead because they are my favorite micro fiber inserts so far! I also use Hemp babies inserts (used in pics below) and they work great also! The PUL on these diapers is a bit stretchy than my other PUL diapers but it has not seperated after tons of washes so far! One of them has a slight BM stain in the inner fleece but im sure it will sun out just fine. The only thing that might bug you on these diapers is that the pocket opening is not elastic on the inner material so it just gaps, but folding the fleece over the insert solves this problem for me. I would overall recomend these diapers as they are a great way to expand your stash. PICS of my 20m old 24lb son in some w/a hemp bigger babies trifold not folded very smoothly haha:
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And my 40lb DD (3 years old) in the same diaper w/BG insert (i think..haha)
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shinies OS pocket
(these are the orange color)

Primm n Proper Baby

www.pnpbaby.net or http://hyenacart.com/primmnproperbaby/

First of let me say I LOVE LOVE LOVE Meaghan's Diapers! She makes my favorite Hemp AI2's! I have yet to try her AIOs but I'm Sure they are awesome and I will be buying one next and some of her trainers! So check back soon! (she also made me an awesome wallet out of a Ju-Ju-Be change pad)

The reason I love her hemp AI2's is because they ROCK for overnight use, and are still trim enough for day time use under clothes! They have an awesome fit (that doesn't leave major red marks) and she can make them with side or front snaps! (probably Velcro too if that's what you fancy)

This is my newest One Size Hemp diaper from her (she added a layer of fleece to the top layer against his skin and it came w/extra booster too):

PnP hemp Ai2

And here are some pics of my son in the diaper that made me fall in love! a sz 2 hemp AI2 (please note the snaps need to be one set tighter on each side..but I was lazy haha) He is 21m and 24-24lbs:
PnP baby hemp ai2 sz 2
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She has a LOYAL customer in me!!!
Questionnaire for testers - Diaper by Just Tia on DS (she has a HC!! www.julibeans.com) This is her Tester Question Form.
**overall i really liked the fit but my son was just too much of a super soaker for it for overnights, but if i changed him really soon after he was wet it was great. im hoping to test for her again soon!

Q) When you opened the poly mailer, what were your first thoughts?
**I was really impressed on how you packaged it with the card and little bow. That really says that you took the time to make the diaper well and you care about 1st impressions with your customers!
Front of Just Tias OS AIO
back
inside
The diaper also looked tiny but it fit my DS perfect!

Q)Were you satisfied with the quality of materials and workmanship?
**Yes this diaper was very well made and held up even though I accidentally washed it with something that turned the underside of the fabric orange

Q)What size baby/babies did you test the diaper on?Were you pleased with the fit on your baby? Did the diaper seem comfortable to him/her?
**I used it on my 22-23lb 19m old son, it was too small for my 40lb 3 year old DD. The diaper was very comfy for him to run around in and very trim under clothing.
(sorry for the grainy cell phone pic)

grainy cell phone pic..sorry

Q)Did you experience any issues with leaks? If so, were the leaks from urine or poop? And where on the diaper did you experience leaks (leg, waist)?
**I did have quite a few leaks that felt like the pee was coming straight through the PUL or wicking really bad and it soaked the entire diaper. But then I added the extra soaker and that took care of most of the problems and he only leaked around the legs a little bit.
~~~ETA: I have been using this diaper for a while longer now and it no longer leaks as long as i don't leave it on too long and use the extra booster/soaker.

Q)Did you find the diaper easy to use? Was there anything about it that could be changed to make it easier or more convenient to use?
**The diaper was very easy to use, the only thing I would have changed as far as usage ease would be that you include directions of the ways to add the soaker in..i was confused but then figured it out :blush: also if u could add a snap for the tip of the insert to snap into the back where the insert starts so that its just looped over...that would help A LOT when your using a diaper sprayer and you don't have to worry about the insert end falling in the toilet repeatedly :)
~~~ETA: I figured out I could just take the snap for adding the extra booster and attach to the waist snaps and It solved that problem!

Q)Did you find the diaper easy to clean? Did you feel that the diaper dried in a reasonable amount of time after laundering?
**It was really easy to clean and I only had to dry it an extra time once because it was still really wet where the soaker/insert is sewn to the back of the diaper.

Q)In your opinion, is there anything that could be changed to improve the diaper's fit or function? If so, what?
**maybe some sort of gusset to help stop in between the legs leakage.

Q)If you were to see this diaper listed for retail sale, what would you expect a reasonable price to be?
**$13-$16?

Q)On a scale of 1-10, what would you rate your overall experience using this diaper? What most pleased/displeased you?
**I would have to say a 7..it fit awesome..i just had a leak every time he wore it(at 1st)..not as bad after i added in the extra soaker, but the awesome fit on him made up for that..just not a diaper I would have him wear outside of the home. I would really like to test for you again so I can see if the differences u make work out better for my DS. and I'm sure the results would be good for you too :) and just to let u know I love how u did the snaps! (all rainbow!!)