Zephyr Hill

A Family Blog

Little Green Bird AI2 Diaper Review & Giveaway

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Shannon at The Little Green Bird specializes stylish cloth diaper covers, AI2’s and hybrid fitteds and cute children’s clothing. And she is happy to take custom orders.

Here is the gorgeous AI2 she made for Susanna. It features a colorful cotton fruit print on the outside and heavy organic bamboo fleece on the inside. The bamboo insert is two-side and is color coordinated to match the diaper:

Our Little Green Bird diaper is very soft and absorbent. I like how the insert has two sides and either one can be against your baby’s skin – the smooth or the fleecy side. It washes up great, doesn’t hold on to stains and takes about 1 cycle to dry. It fits really nicely and the double row of snaps on the waistband is my favorite style.

Prices at The Little Green Bird start at $10 for newborn PUL diaper covers. Regular diaper covers and AI2 shells are custom-made and are just $15. Shannon’s fabric choices are listed on Facebook and are super cute! And if you still don’t see exactly what you want, she’ll search for the right fabric.

I’m happy with everything about our Little Green Bird diaper. The only issue we had was the wait time, as things were very busy on Shannon’s end. I would suggest that with any custom order you place, to check the estimated turnaround time beforehand.

Here is some more of her work!

* Add a Little Green Bird Diaper to your Stash *

See what’s in stock right now at Shannon’s online shop!
And  join the Little Green Bird Buy/Sell/Trade group on Facebook for more great deals.

* How to Win One! *

Enter for a chance to win the cute AI2 diaper pictured below from Little Green Bird by using
the easy Rafflecopter form.

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Bumgenius 4.0 Pocket Diaper Review

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I really should have tried the Bumgenius pocket diapers a long time ago, but instead it took me over four years! The Bumgenius 4.0 One Size Stay Dry Pocket won Diaper of the Year from Padded Tush Stats so that’s a pretty glowing recommendation.

We snagged a Bumgenius 4.0 in the “mirror” color, which is a really pretty aqua. I opted for snap closure since we use the heck out of our diapers and they get passed on to the next in line! The Bumgenius 4.0 has the same soft, stretchy tabs that I love on my Flip covers.

Here’s the diaper opened up so you can see the stay-dry microfleece inner lining and pocket, the two microfiber inserts that are included, and the strip of PUL at the front of the diaper which helps guard against leaks from tummy sleeping.

The larger insert can be used as is or snapped down to make it shorter. The smaller “newborn” insert can be used as an extra doubler for older babies, or on its own when the diaper is snapped down to its smallest setting.

Samuel, at 30 pounds, is at the large end of the Bumgenius weight range of 7 to 35 pounds, but I think it fits great on him. The rise is at the largest setting, but the waist snaps aren’t, so we even have a little room to spare there.

And here’s how it looks on 20-pound Susanna. The waist setting is actually the same for both of them, because of Susanna’s chubby little tummy, but the rise is snapped up for her.

So here’s what I really like about the BumGenius 4.0:

  • My babies stay dry and leak-free
  • The PUL is soft and pliable, especially on the wings
  • A nice wide pocket opening
  • Cotton Babies warranties their pockets for a full year and makes it very easy to replace the elastic
  • It includes two inserts for a custom fit and custom absorbency
  • The fit is great! 4.0’s are very trim and hug the waist and legs securely but comfortably
Here’s what I would change about the BumGenius 4.0:
  • If I could wave my magic wand and drop the price just a few bucks, that would be nice! But the quality of these diapers, the marketing costs, and the great service you get to back them up, plus the fact that they come with 2 inserts, is all factored into the price, I’m sure.

* WHERE TO BUY BUMGENIUS *

You can find BumGenius 4.0 Stay-Dry Pocket Diapers with free shipping at these cloth diaper stores:

Fuzzibunz Elite Pocket Diaper Review

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After four years of diapering, we’ve finally gotten around to trying out the famous Fuzzibunz diapers at Zephyr Hill. And this is thanks to my friend and a fellow cloth-diapering mother, Erica, at the Green Baby Goods store. At Green Baby Goods you’ll find pretty much anything to satisfy your cloth diapering needs: pockets, AIO and AI2 diapers, prefolds and flats, covers, creams, detergents and more! Erica carries one of my favorite brands – Sweet Pea diaper covers. I picked up one of their just-released covers for my newborn the other day, and can’t wait to try it in January 🙂

There’s also a great section called Fluff Under $10 and an amazing line-up of green cleaning products for your home. Even better, every order of $25 receives free shipping!

Erica sent us this gorgeous grape FuzziBunz Elite Pocket Diaper (retail $19.95). It includes two inserts and a set of replacement elastic:

This is a very trim diaper and it truly is “one size” because of the adjustable internal elastic in the waist and the legs. You simply locate the elastic inside the band and fasten the button at the proper setting for your baby’s size. There are even tiny little numbers marked on the elastic to insure that the button settings match on both sides. It takes about 30 seconds and you can tuck any excess elastic back inside the hole so it won’t bother your little one. And extra replacement elastic means that if your guy or gal reaches the toddler stage and is still in diapers, you can easily add “new life” to your Fuzzibunz diapers so they’ll last longer.

There’s also a quick video tutorial at the Fuzzibunz website that shows you how to adjust the Elite, and how to replace elastic later on, if needed.

The Fuzzibunz Elite followed the popular one-size pocket and was engineered to be trimmer fitting, faster drying and easier to adjust. The inner is also made of a higher quality, no-pill fleece.

WHAT I LIKE

  • The diaper and inserts barely take a 1/2 cycle in the dryer before they are done.
  • The minky inserts are very soft and cozy, and trimmer than standard microfiber.
  • The diaper is super trim and fits Susanna, who is short, really well.
  • The adjustable elastic gives you a fine tuned fit around the legs.

WHAT I WOULD CHANGE

  • The inserts are difficult to stuff inside the pocket
  • The diaper has a low rise and may not fit larger babies or toddlers well.
  • The minky inserts don’t seem to be quite as absorbent as regular microfiber inserts. The diaper hasn’t leaked, but Susanna can’t wear it as long as other pockets.

In addition to selling points like trimness and adjustability, you’ve also got the lifetime PUL and snap defects warranty that Fuzzibunz offers to back up their diapers. The sewing/workmanship is covered for one full year.

My overall impression of the Fuzzibunz Elite is definitely positive. It was so much fun getting to try this very popular pocket. Here are some of the beautiful colors you can choose from:

* Cloth Diaper Deals at Green Baby Goods *

Right now you can get a free diaper with your purchase over $39!
Just enter code FREEFLUFF when you checkout at Green Baby Goods

Free shipping on US orders over $25 and Canadian orders over $50

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Lil Helper Cloth Diapers Review and Giveaway

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Lil Helper cloth diapers were designed to help families save time and money. Owners Mohammed and Nader are former aerospace engineers who, in my opinion, have put their skills to use in a very unique way by designing the Lil Helper system. It’s smartly put together and made from more sustainable materials. Every Lil Helper diaper is a one-size AI2 (all-in-two). That means:

  • The pieces are interchangeable so you can diaper just the way you like. The different inserts will snap into any of their brightly colored outer shells.
  • You can re-use the shells if only the inserts get soiled or wet. Simply snap in a fresh one.
  • You can adjust the size from birth to potty training and save tons of money.
  • You can customize the absorbency by using one insert, or two.
  • You (or your husband) will never have to stuff diapers or pull yukky/wet inserts out of pockets.
Ok, here is the beautiful package that Mohammed sent me to review and try out with Samuel and Susanna. It included a green wet bag, a red Original one-size diaper, a blue Charcoal Bamboo one-size diaper, a 2-pack of unbleached cotton inserts/liners and 3 organic bamboo wipes:

A closer look at the Original (red) and Charcoal Bamboo (blue) opened up:

Here are the three options you have when buying Lil Helper diapers:

ORIGINAL: Outer layer is waterproof PUL and is lined inside with white microfleece – retail $19.95

ORGANIC BAMBOO: Outer layer is waterproof PUL and is lined inside with organic bamboo – retail $22.95

CHARCOAL BAMBOO: Outer layer is a waterproof PUL/bamboo blend and is lined inside with organic charcoal bamboo – retail $24.95

And as mentioned above, you can use any of their inserts with these three different diapers. Inserts include:

ORIGINAL COTTON: pack of two includes one small and one large, made of unbleached cotton and micro terry, retail $7.95

ORIGINAL BAMBOO: pack of two includes one small and one large, made of organic bamboo and micro terry, retail $8.95

CHARCOAL BAMBOO: pack of two includes one small and one large, made of super thirsty charcoal bamboo and micro terry, retail $9.95 – these inserts just might become your overnight solution

Unsnapped completely, the Original diaper fits perfectly on my 2-year-old, Samuel. It’s soft, trim and moves with the child.

And the blue Charcoal bamboo diaper on Susanna. The bamboo diaper is even softer; in fact, the waterproof PUL/bamboo blend on the outside feels almost like soft jersey. As nice as your favorite old t-shirt. It’s a really nice fabric and totally unique.

I don’t unsnap the inserts when I wash the diapers. They can be washed together and this really makes cleaning up a breeze. It also means you can pull the diaper out of the dryer and put it right back on baby again because the inserts are already attached. Little shortcuts like that mean a great deal to me. As most of you know, I have a lot on my plate these days with homeschooling, blogging, housekeeping and incubating baby #7, who is due to arrive in 6 weeks. (And if Samuel doesn’t potty train in that time, we’ll have three in cloth – ackk!!).

My favorite Lil Helper diaper of the two we tried is the Charcoal Bamboo with either the gray inserts or the organic bamboo inserts. The gray liners feel just like fleece and are very soft and cozy. Bonus: the gray color hides stains really well.

I found that the cotton liners that were included with the Original diaper bunched up a bit after washing; the bamboo ones stayed nice and flat. After contacting Lil Helper about this, Mohammed assured me it was a known issue and that it was being addressed in the next batch of liners to be produced. Already they are remedying this by pre-washing their cotton and bamboo liners to eliminate the shrinking/bunching. And the new liners in production don’t bunch at all. Excellent news!I like our Lil Helper wet bag a lot, too. It holds about 3 dirty diapers, so we use it for car trips and errands. The hanging loop is a nice feature and the bag is double-stitched to guard against leaks. A bigger zipper pull to grab onto would be a nice perk, but the way it’s designed now is certainly functional.

And finally, the bamboo wipes. They are a generous 8×8 size. One layer is microfiber and the other is bamboo terry. This makes for a very soft, plush wipe. In fact, they are so squishy and such a nice size that I’ve been using them as washcloths for Susanna in the bath tub. A pack of 5 retails for retails for $11.95.

Not like you would need more reasons to look Lil Helper diapers up, but I thought I would mention:

  • They are giving back. For every 3 diapers you purchase, Lil Helper donates a brand new diaper to a needy Canadian family through their Baby Go Good program.
  • Customer service is top notch and consistently highly rated. You might get a response in just a few hours. There’s a learning curve not just to cloth diapers, but also in trying a new brand/style, and Lil Helper is really on top of this.

* Shop for Lil Helpers *

You can start browsing and shopping right at the Lil Helper website
They have extended their Black Friday sale until November 30th.

That means you can buy 3 diapers GET 1 FREE and still have one more donated to charity!

Use promo code “blackfriday” at checkout
Shipping for purchases over $79 is always FREE for both Canadian and U.S. customers

* Enter to Win *

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How to Pad Fold Flat Diapers

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First of all, what is a flat diaper? It’s basically a big square or rectangle of cloth that you fold and then wrap or pin around your baby. It’s your great-grandmother’s cloth diaper. After 4 years of cloth diapering, I thought it was high time that I went back to the basics and gave flats a test drive. But what kind to buy? Well, I wanted them to be soft and economical. Although the flour sack towels that you can pick up at Walmart or Target do work as flats, I know that they aren’t quite as soft or quite as absorbent as “real” flats, and that they have a seam at the edges that can create annoying bulk when folded up. And while receiving blankets can also be used like flats, they are typically made of flannel, which is not as absorbent as cotton.

And muslin flats, although very soft, are just too expensive for me, averaging $5.00 to $8.00 each.

For this post, I’m using small cotton flat diapers (birdsye). These diapers have a thin edge seam, which means that after you fold them up, there’s not a lot of bulk due to the hemming. The unbleached organic fabric is softer than bleached cotton or flour sack towels.

Before prepping they measured about 27×29; afterwards they shrank to 24×26.

My first experience with flats has been great! I can see why mothers say flats are so easy to wash and dry and get stains out of. There’s just one layer of fabric. I would estimate that drying time for a flat as compared to my Chinese prefolds and Flip organics is 50% less. This is my guess because it always takes a full cycle to completely dry my prefolds, but the flats are done about halfway through. That’s a huge difference and a hefty savings in energy.

Here is a comparison between a Flip organic cotton insert (trifold) and a pad folded flat:

Are they hard to fold? Is it really time-consuming? Honestly, no. I had this impression that flats were complicated and required expert folding techniques. Nothing could be further from the truth when you start with something super easy like the pad fold. Here’s what it looks like. For a modified newborn flat diaper fold click here):

This takes about 10 seconds. No big deal. And then you can lay in a cover or use pins/Snappi/Boingo to secure.

I truly love these flats! We have used them both day and night and the absorbency level is impressive. Because they aren’t too bulky, it’s easy to pair them with other inserts, to stuff them in a pocket or even to double up!

* How to Win a 6-Pack of Eco Dia Flats *

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