Cloth diaper giveaway

Imagine Training Pants Review & Giveaway

July 6, 2014 by Anne Marie 140 Comments

Imagine Baby training pants have worked well for both Susanna and Samuel, so I wanted to go ahead and share an official review with you.

Two years ago, I purchased the Emerald trainers in size large:

A view of the inner lining and sewn-in soaker (it only unsnaps on one side so I can’t open it up completely to photograph).

Here are the basic features of Imagine Training pants:

Cotton knit outer with a 100% flannel lining
Hidden layer of microfiber to absorb small accidents plus a hidden layer of waterproof PUL in the wet zone
Snaps on one side (the right side of your child’s hips)
Three sizes: Small fits 21-29 pounds, Medium fits 24 to 35 pounds and Large fits 31-41 pounds.
Five colors to choose from
Available for purchase at Nicki’s Diapers for $11.95 each

Our Imagine trainers worked well for both Samuel and Susanna at a certain stage in potty training. This was the time when they were actively learning and were able to get through *most* of the day without a big accident. For the inevitable “oops,” these training pants are sufficient, but you have to change your child pretty quickly or it will wick onto clothing.

In this picture, Susanna is wearing the size large; she is 2.5 years old and 31 pounds.

Here’s a quick summary of my thoughts:

WHAT I LIKE

The cotton knit fabric is very soft and comfortable. It has a bit of stretch and the fit is superb.
The flannel lining helps them feel wetness immediately.
The inner layers are sufficient to catch a small accident but don’t add any bulk to the trainers.
Drying time is normal.
They look like “big kid” underwear, and not at all like a diaper (see photo above on Susanna)
The bright colors are fun.
They are very durable. I’ve used for over two years with two different toddlers and all I note at this point is some normal pilling on the fabric.
At $11.95, they are affordably priced. You can buy them at Nicki’s with free shipping.

WHAT I WOULD CHANGE

They run small, so to have an XL size available would be great. Lots of toddlers are still learning at age 3 and beyond.
The snaps on one side are very handy (and they are well-hidden so as not to look like a diaper); it would be nice to have them on both sides! However, if your learner does not like snaps of any kind on their “big boy” or “big girl” underwear, this would be a plus for you.
The tiny side snaps are a *little* less secure than the regular-sized snaps you see on most cloth products. Sometimes, one or two will come undone as I’m pulling the trainers up or down on my children. However, they’ve never come unfastened while wearing.

That’s a wrap for the review. Be sure to enter today’s giveaway as well!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Tiny Tush Elite 2.0 Diaper Review & Giveaway

June 20, 2014 by Anne Marie 159 Comments

Welcome to the 3rd annual Summer Cloth Diaper Giveaway Hop hosted by Heather from Mommy’s Favorite Things and Mama’s Baby Cupcakes. Giveaways are focused on everything that is cloth diaper-related! After reading my Tiny Tush review, and entering the giveaway, make sure to visit all the blogs below for a chance at more great cloth diaper prizes. Each has a minimum prize value of $25.

There’s also a Grand Prize giveaway where one lucky US winner will receive a package worth $375! With great sponsors like EweBGreen, Tidy Tots, Tiny Tush, and Smarti Pants, this package offers a little something for everyone or a great package for someone wanting to start cloth.

Tiny Tush is helping me to celebrate this year’s Summer Cloth Diaper Giveaway Hop! They sent an Elite 2.0 pocket diaper for review, plus two cotton pocket diaper stuffers in sizes small and medium.

I received the cute red and black “Derby” print. Here are the specs:

Waterproof PUL outer
White microfleece inner lining
Large back pocket for stuffing
Large range of sizing (4 rows of rise snaps)
Single row of wing snaps, including crossover snaps for skinny/small babies
Waterproof PUL fabric strip on inside front of diaper
Back elastic
2 microfiber inserts (small 5.5×12 and large 5.5×16)
13 colors sand 17 prints to choose from
Made in the USA
Retail price: $19.99

This is a very well-made pocket diaper with sturdy, high-quality fabrics, and evenly placed stitches and snaps. The inner fleece lining is super soft and a little thicker than many imported pockets I’ve tried in the past. All fabrics used by Tiny Tush are milled in the United States. The price tag is therefore higher than an import, but the quality really shows when you compare. Plus, you get 2 inserts instead of 1 and you can choose “fold to fit” inserts instead of standard microfiber, if you prefer.

And then you also have Tiny Tush’s fast shipping and 1-year warranty on materials, sewing and workmanship.

Having two inserts is definitely a plus. You can use one or both. When the diaper is fully opened on the largest setting, the large insert fits perfectly in the pocket. For 18-month-old Erik, who wears the diaper snapped up just once, I either use the small insert or fold down the front of the large insert a little before stuffing; it’s longer than most “standard” microfiber soakers. It’s very easy to slide inserts in and out; not only is the opening generous but the PUL is very slick (ever stuffed one of those diapers with a “sticky” PUL lining inside the pocket)?

Overall, I’ve been really pleased with the fit and performance of this diaper. It has a nice trim profile, especially through the crotch. The only thing I would change is to have double snaps on the wings, which is just a personal preference of mine. With both inserts in place, this is a really absorbent pocket diaper; I even tested it overnight on my 2.5 year old toddler, Susanna – it held her just fine until morning. Here are a few pictures so you can see the fit on my 18-month-old and 2.5-year-old:

I really appreciate that Charlene also send some of Tiny Tush’s cotton pocket diaper stuffers, since they offer the option of using a natural fiber. They are 2-ply organic cotton fleece; one side is smooth and the other is fluffy. Small measures 9×11.5 and medium is 9.5×13.5 after washing, and they retail for just $4.49 each. You can fold in half or fold in thirds (or even fourths for a tiny baby). I’ve used them to stuff in the pocket or just laid in a cover. The picture below shows the small and medium sizes, as well as the medium folded in half inside a waterproof diaper cover. I really like that Tiny Tush offers so many choices when it comes to inserts; you can have a more versatile stash with components made of different fabrics and that can serve different functions. These foldable cotton inserts can be used later on as burp cloths, clean up rags or even a small portable changing pad for your diaper bag. The cotton washes easily and dries in a normal amount of time.

Enter to win a Tiny Tush Elite 2.0, plus a Bumkins wet bag (12×14 inches). This giveaway is open to US residents and ends June 30th. Good luck!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Stashify Bamboo Flat Diapers Review and Giveaway

April 25, 2014 by Anne Marie 116 Comments

When Kristen at Stashify told me about a unique cloth diapering fabric she’d been testing out for a couple of months, I was intrigued! She sent an Extra Stretchy Bamboo Flat Diaper, plus a wipe, in exchange for a review. Customers can choose the thread colors they’d like for the edging; I really love our dark blue and teal.

Stashify bamboo flats come in four different sizes and wipes are approximately 8.5 inches square:

Newborn – 16″x 16″ – fits from birth until 15+ pounds (retail $9)
Infant – 24″x 24″ – fits from birth until 25+ pounds (retail $11)
Toddler – 28″x 28″ – fits 20 – 40+ pounds (retail $12)
Padfold – 14″x 27″ (retail $9.75)

I received the infant size flat for 15-month-old Erik, plus a sample wipe in the same fabric:

This super stretchy fabric is composed of 70% bamboo, 25% organic cotton and 5% spandex. It has stayed incredibly soft, wash after wash, and barely shrank at all during the prepping process. Even better, unlike regular cotton or bamboo birdseye flats, my Stashify flat has held its shape beautifully and is nearly a perfect square.

Being a “flat,” this diaper is just one layer of fabric; one side is smooth and the other is like a very soft terry. It is a thin fabric and not bulky at all. Here’s a comparison photo with a standard (small) bamboo flat diaper on the left and then Kristen’s extra stretchy flat on the right. Both are padfolded:

Although comparable to a regular flat diaper when padfolded, the Stashify diaper is far superior in absorbency, yet it’s still just one layer so just as easy to wash and dry as other flats. Erik has worn the Stashify flat overnight several times without a doubler; it holds as long as I change him first thing and he hasn’t drunk a lot of water the night before. The one time it was over-saturated and leaked he had slept 12+ hours.

The cloth wipe I reviewed is now one of my favorites. Because it’s just one layer, it works great for getting in tight places during diaper changes. Like the diaper, it has stayed nice and soft and stretchy with lots of washing and drying. I am very seriously considering buying a whole package of these, and the price is great – just $10.50 right now for a set of 12! You can choose your thread color, just like with the diapers.

I’ve discovered that the Stashify flat diaper works equally well folded up and laid in a cover, or folded and secured with a Boingo fastener. Since the Boingo (like a Snappi) has little gripper teeth on it, you have to be careful and use a gentle hand so you don’t pull or snag the bamboo fabric (with regular cotton flats and prefolds you don’t have to worry so much about snags). Once fastened, this diaper stays securely in place. In fact, the tiny bit of spandex that’s been added to the fabric not only gives it amazing stretch, but also the ability to gently hug your baby’s body – even as they are crawling, walking and jumping all over the place! So it’s not just more trim than a cotton prefold; in my opinion, the fit is far superior.

If there is a disadvantage to Stashify flats, then it would be the price of $9 and up, which means you couldn’t build a budget stash completely out of these. However, if you want to purchase just one or two for naps or nighttime, that might be an option – and it will cost less than a high quality fitted (usually $15 to $25 each). If the thought of this silky, stretchy bamboo fabric really appeals to you and you’d like to “get your feet wet,” I urge you to try the wipes I mentioned above; they are $10.50 for a dozen right now.

SALE ON BAMBOO FLATS!! In anticipation of the handwashing diaper challenge, Kristen is offering 15% off
her bamboo flats with code HANDWASH

Kristen has very sweetly offered to give one of my readers TWO of her beautifully stretchy bamboo flat diapers, in choice of size! Open to US and Canada. Good luck!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Lil Helper Cloth Diapers Review and Giveaway

November 27, 2012 by Anne Marie 53 Comments

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 *

CLOSED

Boingo Diaper Fastener vs. Snappi: a Review

July 24, 2012 by Anne Marie 41 Comments

Update: As of 2024, Boingo has closed its doors. However, new ownership might be a possibility.
There is a product almost identical to Boingo available on Amazon.

If you tend to poke yourself with Snappi’s and pins, this post is for you. Let’s look at another cloth diaper fastener on the market: Boingo. The color below Punky Pink:

The directions for these are quick and easy to follow. I simply gave each Boingo fastener a good preliminary stretch, wrapped a prefold around Susanna and then held each wing tightly as I put the Boingos in place, one at a time.

All done!

You can use the Boingo fastener with prefolds, flats, fitteds and contours. Now, just in case you’re not familiar with its closest rival, the Snappi, here’s how the Snappi looks on Susanna using the same diaper. Note that you use ONE Snappi to fasten a diaper, but TWO Boingo’s.

Having tried both of these fasteners, I vastly prefer the Boingo. Why?

I haven’t accidentally scratched myself once on the sharp little gripper teeth while using my Boingo, whereas I was constantly poking myself with the Snappi. I think the difference is due to the fact that the Boingo teeth are set at a slightly downward angle, making them a little safer. I took this photo to show the two fasteners, one on top of the other, and you can see that the Snappi teeth actually angle upward a bit. Ouch! Does the difference in angle make the Boingo any less effective in securing the diaper? Not in my testing! It works just as well as the Snappi.

The Boingo fasteners are one-size-fits-all. They don’t have to stretch all the way across the diaper like a Snappi, so they will work just as well for older babies and toddlers. With Snappi, you’ll have to choose from between two different sizes, and if cloth diapering for the long-term, you’ll need to buy both.
Boingo fasteners only have two pressure points; there is no compression on the private area as with a Snappi.

Here are the fun colors you get to choose from:

I hope you’ll love them as much as we do!

GIVEAWAY ENDED – Don’t forget to enter below for your chance to win a set of Boingo fasteners in any color you like!

Update: As of 2024, Boingo has closed its doors. However, new ownership might be a possibility.
There is a product almost identical to Boingo available on Amazon.