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Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Used Goodmama Review

Goodmama diapers were started in 2005 with a WAHM and quickly turned into a large cloth diaper boutique. They offer a few different styles of diapers in plain or adorable prints. The few Goodmama (GM) fitted diapers that I have were bought second hand. Several are in great condition with no visible stains or tears. Some others are obviously very loved.

Let's review the GM fitted features:
-OBV and cotton fitted with snap closure
-Elastic at the legs and top back to contain messes
-Two snap in inserts that separate from each other for quick drying
-Fold down rise for smaller babies

Obviously these diapers hold up to the test of time. The elastic is still great. The body is pretty absorbent. The fit is pretty trim. It's a little narrower in between the legs than Piddle Poddles, which is a comparable brand. I paired the good condition GM with a PUL cover. It lasted a few hours without leaks but the entire fitted was soaked from front to back, top to bottom. I've found that to be the case every time my daughter wears one. She can completely soak a GM in 1.5 hours.

Obviously they hold up well and fit a variety of body styles. The patterns are adorable and they're easy to clean. However, I do believe the price is a little high for what they are. There are lots of other OCV, OBV, or organic cotton knit fitteds that work just as well and last just as long that cost less money. Without regards to the price, I give this diaper one thumb up. With price involved, I give it a "meh" and shoulder shrug.


WAHM Wares by Ocean Babies

Like my previous post states, I have grown to love wool covers for my daughter's fitted diapers. They breathe well for her and they're so soft! I currently have 4 wool soakers from Ocean Babies. Normally, wool covers are quite expensive, but the "soakers" from Ocean Babies are very affordable. They are all felted and upcycled, which means soft and reused. They're basically made from wool sweaters. You can tell because the legs look like they're made from sweater cuffs. I think it's adorable, as well as environmentally friendly, and a great way to use old sweaters!

The soakers I bought were size medium and I can imagine them lasting my 8 month old daughter for many more months. They pull on like shorts and cover the diaper all the way around. They're not super snug around the waist but it's the fitted that keeps in the "mess" so it's not necessary for it to be uber snug. These soakers are soft and adorable. They're even my husband's favorite cover when he's brave enough to use fitteds. He calls them "sweater underwear" covers. Any diaper that gets daddy approval earns extra stars in my opinion!

Wool covers require specific care that took me some time to research and learn how to do correctly. However, it is not extremely regular care. As long as the cover doesn't get soiled, it can be worn over multiple changes. If it gets a little wet, you can hang it to dry and it cleans itself, due to it's antibacterial properties. I only have to lanolize my wool about every other month.





WAHM Wares by Three Happy Trees

Wool covers are a recent love of mine. I was looking for a way to cover my daughter's fitted diapers without using PUL. Wool covers are the way to go for sure! I had to learn how to measure her correctly and then I went online "window" shopping on Etsy.

I came across Three Happy Trees. The soaker was the right size, cute, and in my price range so I snatched it up. That was 3 months ago and it's still one of the covers I choose often. The wool was felted and lanolized, meaning ready to wear. The quality is amazing and it works so well! It's not the kind of wool that I think of when I hear the word "wool". It's much softer. It pulls over the baby's diaper like a pair of shorts.

Wool covers take a special kind of care that takes practice and research, but it's well worth it. It's breathable and effect. However, I prefer to use wool at home as I sometimes get compression leaks in the car seat when she's wearing wool.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

A few of my favorite things

Fitted diapers are my current favorite for my 7 month old daughter. They fit well. They're super absorbent. They last a long time. Not to mention, they're really cute and soft. I have tried a lot of brands; Goodmama, Piddle Poddles, Muttaquin Baby, Piper's Closet, ByGollyGoGreen, BumbleBunz, DDDiapers, Sticky Peas, Eco Posh, and Osocozy. While any fitted diaper would be a great addition to a cloth diapering stash, I have settled on Piddle Poddles and BumbleBunz, with one lonely DDDiapers Ooga Booga print. Most are at least partially made with bamboo materials and have cute prints.

One feature that fitted diapers don't possess is a totally waterproof quality. So what's a mama to do? Choose a cover that works for you, your baby, and your budget. There's a lot of options, so let's review some of them.

The first option is NO cover. Yes, you read that right. A lot of times, I will let my daughter go sans cover in a fitted diaper while we're at home, especially if she's wearing a fleece sleeper or pants. Fitteds are so absorbent that you can usually get a couple hours of wear without a cover before feeling wetness on the outer shell. Polyester fleece is naturally liquid repelling so if your little one is wearing fleece, all the better for no cover with a fitted. The baby has to be changed more often to prevent getting clothes, bedding, carpet etc wet, but when we're at home, that's not a big problem for us. This is obviously the most economical option.



If you're looking for true waterproof-ness, you would be shopping for PUL or TPU covers. There are numerous brands, shapes, and fits for this kind of cover. The main points are that there is a layer coated with polyurothane to make it plastic-like and waterproof. This cover is put over top the fitted and closed either by H&L or by snaps. The benefits are that they're relatively cheap to purchase, easy to use, easy to wash, and completely waterproof when using the correct fit. The downside to this cover is that it's basically plastic coated, so it's not breathable for the baby. It can get a little hot and feel plastic-y on the skin. Any diaper with PUL can be used as a cover, even pocket diapers. Some of my favorite PUL covers were originally produced as pocket diapers.



Another great option is a wool cover. Wool and the lanolin in wool are excellent as both a moisture barrier and also absorber. Wool can hold a lot of liquid before leaking and it's breathable for the baby to wear. It's also naturally self cleaning and antibacterial. Depending on the type of wool used, they are also very soft and can be cute too. There's different types of wool covers. Soakers are in the shape of underwear and pull up on the baby. Shorties are like soakers but with a little fabric around the legs to make it look like shorts. Longies are pants. Sometimes longies have a soaker sewn in. Skirties are usually like skorts, with a soaker below and a pretty skirt over top. Wool takes a little research and practice for proper care, but once you get it down, it's actually very low maintenance. My husband recently stated that it was his favorite type of cover for our fitted stash. Our little crawler is alligator rolling away from us during diaper changes, so the less snaps, the better. While there are some economical wool cover options, most of them can get pretty pricey. Don't get me wrong. They are worth the price. However, they may not be the most attainable items for your stash if you're on a limited budget.



Now that you know my favorite types of covers for my fitteds, tell me what yours are!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Thirsties Hook and Loop Cover Review

With my obsession over fitted diapers ever growing, I had a need for a quick wrap to cover the little one's fluffy bum. Luckily, I got my virtual hands on some Thirsties covers online for a really good price. Since it's a one layer PUL cover, there's no need for prepping or an out of the package review.

Let's review the features:
-sized PUL cover
-hook and loop (H&L) closure
-fold over elastic trim
-double layer of PUL at the H&L locations
-double gussets at the legs

I chose to get a size large even though the weight limit is higher than my daughter's current weight. I know that fitted diapers can get quite bulky and I wanted to be able to use them for a long time or on overnight diapers. It was the right decision. They look slightly large on her now and there's a little gap at the legs, but the fitted diaper is supposed to contain the mess anyway. In my mind, PUL covers are just to create a waterproof barrier between the diaper and clothes. These fit the bill.

I got some cute colors too. The solids are vibrant. The one print I got is adorable. I find that to be a big plus for these diapers since I'm a sucker for a cute pattern.

I've only used them a few times so I don't have a comment on the durability. I am hoping the color stays just as vibrant, the elastic lasts a long time, and the H&L closure doesn't loose it's effectiveness. Only time will tell, but for now, I am loving this quick and easy waterproof wrap for my fitteds.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Glow Bug Cloth Diaper Review and Giveaway

Glow Bug Cloth Diaper company graciously sent me a sample to review. You can find the features and out of package review here. I liked the diaper right out of the package. I couldn't wait to try this super cute pattern. It's so adorable that I didn't want to put any clothing over it!


The inserts in this pocket diaper are microfiber. I will honestly admit that microfiber is not my favorite insert material, but that is just a personal bias. I was pleasantly surprised by the diaper's absorbency potential. I initially put both inserts in the pocket because my 7 month old daughter is a heavy wetter and generally needs two inserts in her pocket diapers. After 4 hours of wear, not only were there NO leaks but she had absorbency to spare. With only one insert, she could still go several hours with less bulk. She also didn't complain about being in the diaper so long because the stay dry inner lining kept her feeling dry and comfy.  Color me impressed.

The double gussets look really useful and the opening at front and back for the pocket stuffing seem really great too. I was reserving judgement on the actual functionality of such features until it was put into practice. Let me tell you that they are both very nice features. I love that you have the option to take out the inserts from either front or back, depending on which side is least messy. The inserts have a snap to connect it to the cover, but I found it unnecessary and actually a little annoying when it was connected. My daughter tends to wet upwards, so the back of most pocket diapers is clean versus the front. Having to unsnap in the front meant I had to touch wet inserts. However, there's a super easy fix for that; I just don't use the snap. If you're wondering, the inserts did come out of the pocket in the wash, so when I don't use the insert snap, I can just put the dirty diaper in the wash without de-stuffing. Love! The double leg gussets are really nice too. The elastic is not very wide so it doesn't look uncomfortable for the little one.

One unique feature of this one size brand is the 4 size snap rise. This creates 4 different sizes to grow along with your little one. My baby is not young enough to comment on the usefulness at the itty bitty newborn stage, but the fit on my chunky monkey was very nice. At 7 months, she already comfortably fits on the highest rise. However, I do imagine that she could fit in this rise for the remainder of her diapering days.




Overall, I am very impressed with this diaper. It's a cute, creative pocket diaper with great absorbency. The craftsmanship is impeccable. The patterns are adorable. It's competitively priced. If a friend or family member was looking for a recommendation for a microfiber pocket diaper, I would highly recommend this brand. My only suggestion is that the retailer offer smaller packages than 12 diapers. This would reach more customers who aren't sure they want to invest in a complete stash of just one brand.

[Disclaimer: Glow Bug Cloth Diapers did send me a free sample to review, but the opinions I've stated are completely my own.]



And now to the big news of the week....

Glow Bug Cloth Diapers would like to offer one of my readers a FREE pocket diaper! Use the Rafflecopter entry feature below to enter for your chance to win a microfiber pocket diaper. There are two mandatory entries and extra chances to win. You can even enter once a day by tweeting and sharing this giveaway on Facebook. Good luck, readers! [Contest is open to US and Canadian residents only.]