Winter Cover Favorites

With colder temperatures coming around in the last few weeks, I've started putting my daughter in her fleece longies as covers. In general, I feel that fleece is under rated (read about it here) but I still love fleece covers anyway. It's so easy to put her in a fleece pair of pants and long sleeve shirt. I think the prints are super cute too.

Sometimes if we're going on a car trip, I'll put a PUL cover over her diaper and then her fleece pants over top but then ditch the PUL once we get home again. Some people only use fleece for one or two changes but I tend to let her wear them for the whole day. Occasionally if her diaper is soaking wet, I will need to change the longies as well.

I have been using the fleece soakers for nighttime as well. They work great for boosting the absorbency of a 'sposie diaper when travelling. They keep her dry all night with an absorbent fitted as well, especially if her pjs are fleece too.

I have seen some CUTE wool longies around as well. I wish wool didn't give my daughter eczema!

What is your favorite winter cover?

3 month Sustainablebabyish Flat Review

My Sustainablebabyish flats are two diapers in my regular rotation. They are several layers of bamboo double loop terry. You can read my initial review here. After several months of use, they are just as absorbent as ever. However, they have lost some of their softness. They are not hard or crunchy yet, but I imagine they will be after a few more months of use.

I take good care of our diapers, so I was surprised that these stained so easily. I've had to sun them several times in the last few months.

Overall, I'm impressed with its continued absorbency. They would make great inserts for pocket diapers as well. I am definitely not impressed with the durability of the fabric. I loved how soft they were out of the package and would have loved to say they are still that soft. They are pretty expensive too but I imagine you're paying for the large brand name.

3 month Bumkins Prefold Review

Bumkins indian cotton prefolds are some of my favorite diapers. Read my initial review here. They are very reasonably priced. One pack of 6 diapers costs about $28. That's a full day of changes. They are absorbent and easy to care for. You can machine wash on hot and tumble dry on high heat. They dry up really quickly too. If there are stains, lemon juice and direct sun get them out.

I was hesitant to try prefolds but it really is easier than you think it is. I tend to use the basic angel fold with a snappi. I use all kinds of covers over them; fleece, PUL, soakers, and longies. While these aren't absorbent enough to last all night, they do get a good 3 hours on my heavy wetter. I have enjoyed using these prefolds over the last few months. They are still super soft and absorbent. While my daughter has outgrown her large size fitteds, she still fits comfortably in the toddler/premium sized Bumkins. Overall, I give these diapers 5 stars for durability and affordability.

WAHM Wares Norrie's Nappies Mama Cloth

For those that don't know what "mama cloth" means, it's a term for washable feminine pads. While it is not specifically cloth diaper related, the idea is the same. Women use them for a week a month and then wash for the next month. The care is the same as cloth diapers and some women even wash them in a cloth diaper load. While washing pads may seem gross to some, for me, the benefits way outweigh the gross factor. The pads are usually diamond, oval, or contour shaped. The wings wrap around the panty and snap closed.

 I was introduced to mama cloth by Debbie of Norrie's Nappies. She's a friend of mine who has a really nice work-at-home-mom (WAHM) business. She makes pocket diapers and mama cloth. She was nice enough to send me a great stash of mama cloth for my postpartum period for my youngest child. I've since purchased more and have more than 20 pieces in my stash. Her selection of materials is great. The pads can be topped with minky, velour, athletic mesh, or flannel. The body of the pad is usually layers of flannel that trifold to the center. The backing is usually one layer of flannel and one layer of PUL.

These pads are my absolute favorite. The PUL makes it leak proof. I mostly chose athletic mesh on top which wicks away the moisture. Some of my liners have velour or minky which is super soft. Overall, the absorbency is excellent and they wash up super clean too. When I was postpartum with my youngest child, I used the hospital provided pads for the first three days. When I switched to these pads, it was heaven. I healed more quickly and was more comfortable doing it. After 18 months of use, they are still in pristine condition with no fraying, no tears, and no stains. Awesome, right?

Now I don't spend money on pads or tampons every month. Plus, the prints are so cute that it brightens that time of month, which I love. Try mama cloth but try not to get addicted to shopping and buying new prints!  I highly recommend mama cloth to all women, but especially mama cloth from Norrie's Nappies. Thanks, mama!

3 Sweet Peas PUL and Fleece Cover Review

[Please know that I am a cloth diaper blogger but I own my diaper business, 3 Sweet Peas. This is a biased review of one of my products.]

PUL and fleece covers are a wonderful mix of materials. The PUL offers the liquid barrier of plastic laminated fabric. The fleece trims creates a soft, stretchy fabric against baby's skin. These covers can be laundered with your other cloth diapers. They are mostly stocked in size large for babies who have outgrown one size covers, but can be custom made in any size.

These covers are side snapping and can be used as trainers over potty training underwear. These are my favorite covers for travel as the compression of the car seat can sometimes cause leaks for wool or fleece covers.

3 Sweet Peas Fleece Covers Review

[Please know that I am a cloth diaper blogger but I own my diaper business, 3 Sweet Peas. This is a biased review of one of my products.]

Fleece covers are underrated in the cloth diaper world. Polyester fleece is a liquid repelling synthetic fiber. Similarly to wool covers, fleece covers are breathable alternatives to plastic laminated PUL. Fleece is machine washable and can be tumble dried. They can be washed with normal clothing laundry or with cloth diaper loads. They are not completely waterproof the way PUL is, but they are effective, soft, breathable, and easy to care for. It's a great, cheap alternative to wool.

My daughter is sensitive to lanolin, so we can't use wool covers. It gives her eczema. Fleece covers are my favorite covers for her. I even use fleece soakers over disposables overnight when we're travelling. It helps the 'sposie absorb to it's potential and keeps her pjs dry. When using cloth diapers, we use soakers in warm weather and longies in cool weather.

6 month Glowbug Pocket Review

Glow Bug Pocket Diapers are one of my favorite pocket diapers. You can read my other reviews here and here. While the diaper comes with microfiber inserts, it works well with any inserts you want to use.

For several months, I used BumbleBunz overnight bamboo inserts as our nighttime solution. It was bulky but it worked to keep my heavy wetter dry all night. I then switched to using SBish bamboo fitteds for overnight but continued to use the GlowBug pockets as covers. The PUL is good quality and the largest rise setting still fits on my big girl who now is into XL size diapers.

The microsuede interior pilled slightly, but that is expected. The snaps and elastic held up beautifully. The prints on the outside haven't faded a bit. Overall, the quality is excellent. I highly recommend these diapers for people who love pockets, although I do also recommend switching to bamboo inserts.

6 month Sustainablebabyish Fitted Review

I own several Sustainablebabyish (SBish) snap fitteds. They are some of our favorite diapers. You can read my initial review here for the features and beginning impressions. This review is after 6 months of use.

These SBish bamboo fleece fitted diapers are our overnight diaper of choice. My heavy wetting daughter wets out of disposables at night. With both boosters in the SBish fitted and covered with PUL, she soaks the diaper but stays dry where she's supposed to; her clothes and sheets. Even without the extra booster, these diapers are bulky, which is why I reserve them exclusively for night time.

We have a set of 5 in large. When she outgrew the fold down rise diapers, this large was generous and she used the cross over snap on the wings. Now that she is in XLs for most brands and even outgrown the premium size Bummis prefolds, she still has one snap to go on these larges.

Over time, I have found that the OBF (organic bamboo fleece) has gotten a bit stiff. I am going to try soaking in Ecover to see if that helps soften them up. I wouldn't consider the stiffness to be such an issue that I would stop using them, but it's something to consider when pursuing an overnight solution.

Overall, I still give SBish fitteds a big thumbs up for durability, absorbency, and quality.

Snappi Review

3 Sweet Peas prefold

Snappi closures are little plastic, Y shaped contraptions that provide closure for diapers that don't have snaps or hook & loop.

Features:
-Two sizes, newborn and baby
-Rubber, Y shape
-Teeth on each of 3 arms to grip fabric
-Hooks at each end for pulling
-Usually sold in sets of 2 or 3

Megaroos ETPF

These little thingies are a little intimidating at first. I couldn't imagine putting those little teeth so close to my baby's sensitive area, but so many moms rave about them so I had to try. The manufacturer recommends pulling all of the ends several times to make them more elastic, which I did.

I then put them on a prefold. Disaster! I don't think I pull it tight enough. One of the arms came undone and then another. Ugh. Try number two. Success! I pulled tightly enough on all 3 sides. The diaper stayed closed and tight. After many changes, I've finally gotten the hang of them.

Bumkins Prefold

Overall, I think they're great. They are fairly cheap and you don't need that many of them. They're easy to clean, just a rinse and dry. I even give one to my daughter to play with and keep her occupied while I change her. The only downside that I see if if your baby is a boy. I imagine it would put a lot of pressure on his little area with the bottom arm being pull down so far and tight. Overall though, two thumbs up.

Sustainablebabyish Bamboo Flat Review

Sustainablebabyish (aka SBish) makes a bamboo loop terry flat. With the high quality of the fitteds that I've tried, I had to splurge for a couple of these flats.

Features:
-Available in 4 sizes; x-small, small, medium, and large
-Serged edge all the way around, variety of colors for thread
-Stitch lines at 1/3rds for easy folding
-3 layers of thirsty bamboo baby loop terry

I was reluctant to spend the expensive price tag of these flats, but I invested in two of them. When they got to my house, I was excited to see that they were just as soft as I was hoping. I prepped them with a couple washes and put them on my baby girl as fast as I could.

The size large is perfect for her. I don't have to fold down the rise. The back comes around to a great placement on her hips. With the fabric being so stretchy, it gives a great fit with room to move.. They are also really super absorbent. I can leave it on her for up to 4 hours before changing and even then, it's not totally soaked. The Snappi (review here) grips the fabric really well and doesn't leave holes after washing. They are easy to wash, don't stain easily, and dry fairly quickly. After quite a few washes, they've remained just as soft as straight out of the package.

This prefold works great under fleece covers. I do use it under PUL covers or pockets as covers, but I have to tuck the back thigh under the cover. It's not a big issue, just another little step before finishing the change. Overall, these are a couple of my favorite prefolds and I reach for them often.

The only downside to this diaper is the price tag. It's quite expensive for a prefold. However, they do retain their value. You may pay up to $13 each for one new, but you can sell it for $8-$10 when you're done with it. Plus, Sloomb plants one tree for every diaper you buy. You gotta love that!

Bumkins Prefold Review

At first, I was hesitant to try prefolds. I couldn't keep away when I found a good deal on brand new Bumkins prefolds from a cloth diaper service that went out of business. Encouraged by other cloth diapering mamas, I decided to give them a try.

First let's review the features:
-Available in bleached or unbleached indian cotton
-Available in newborn, mid-size range, or premium (toddler)
-Rectangular diaper with no elastic or closure system
-Extra layers in the wet zone
-Serged top and bottom

I was able to get the unbleached cotton, premium size prefolds. They came to me unused and unwashed. They were smooth and soft. After a couple washes to prep, they quilted up and got even softer.

Having never put a prefold on a real baby, I was nervous. I used a Snappi (review here) for closure. Honestly, I didn't look up how to fold a prefold over a baby. I just made it up. I was pleasantly surprised to see that my big daughter, who doesn't fit into typical one size diapers anymore, had enough left in the rise that I could fold it over in front before putting on the Snappi. I mostly use these under fleece covers, but occasionally use PUL covers or pockets. When using fleece, I just fold it on her, Snappi, and go. With PUL covers that have leg elastic, I need to tuck the fabric in from around the back of her thigh. It's not a huge deal, just one little extra step before releasing baby.

I really like these prefolds. They are soft against baby's bum. They are woven so they're not super flexible, but they are flexible enough to let her move well in them. The Snappi attaches well to the fabric for a secure hold. The fabric also washes great with a quick drying time, no staining, and no sign of the holes from the Snappi. They hold lots of liquid for a good absorbency. My daughter rarely wets the whole diaper before I change her, which is typically about every 3 hours during the day.

If you're looking for a basic stash, I highly recommend Bumkins cotton prefolds. They are relatively inexpensive for such good quality. They can be used as a prefold, lay in insert, or inserts for a pocket diaper. Of course, there's no bells and whistles but honestly, it's just going to get covered up anyway, right?

3 Sweet Peas Prefold and Flat Review

[Keep in mind that I am the writer of this blog but I also own and operate 3 Sweet Peas. This is a biased review of my own products.]

3 Sweet Peas has a few types of diapers. Prefolds and flats are recent products that are available to the public. I always keep a few of my own diapers as testers and because I love them.

Features of the prefolds and flats:
-Serged edge or T&T
-Cotton interlock, cotton sherpa, or bamboo material
-No closure system
-Rectangular shape
-Extra layer of bamboo in wet zone for prefolds
-Stitch lines at 1/3rd for easy folding
-Cute prints and hand dyed designs

I kept 5 prefolds for my own stash. Right off the machine, they are soft. I did wash them a couple times but didn't do a full prep. I am aware that the bamboo gets more absorbent with more washes, but I was okay with the slightly lower absorbency for the first few wears.

Several of the flat diapers I kept were print cotton interlock outer and cotton sherpa inner with T&T edge. That makes for 3 layers of cotton and 3 layers of sherpa in the wet zone. The absorbency is good. I wouldn't call the absorbency excellent, but it lasts a good 3 hours for each wear. The interlock is soft and the sherpa is even softer. The interlock outer grips the Snappi very well but doesn't maintain the Snappi holes after washing. It washes well without staining and dries very quickly. I love the prints that I kept too.

I have two swirl dyed prefolds that I kept. One (red/orange) has a regular bamboo fleece outer with cotton sherpa inner. The other (reversible swirls) has two layers of heavy bamboo fleece. The red and orange swirly grips the Snappi very well because the outer fleece is very soft and flexible. The reversible swirls doesn't grip the Snappi quite as well because of the heaviness of the fleece. What that diaper lacks in softness, it makes up for in absorbency. Two layers of heavy bamboo fleece is equivalent to 4 layers of regular bamboo fleece. It's a true workhorse diaper. I love that I can use either side too, depending on what dye combination I want facing out.

My only criticism of these diapers is the T&T edge. It creates a slight bulkiness around the edges. My daughter doesn't seem to mind, so it's more of an observation. I am looking forward to keeping some of the serged edge diapers. They may be more expensive than the basic prefold diapers, like Bummis or Bumkins, but they are made by a work-at-home-mom (WAHM) who puts care into every diaper. Support small business!

Megaroos Designs ETPF Review

Megaroos Designs makes fitted diapers and extended tab prefolds (ETPFs). I wasn't able to purchase some new, but I got my hands on some used ETPFs from DiaperSwappers.

Features:
-Available in 3 sizes; newborn, mid-range, and premium
-Prefolds with cotton and bamboo
-Extended wings for longer waist measurement
-Cute cotton prints on the exterior
-Serged edges
-No closure or snap closure

I was so sure that I would love them that I bought 5 larges (premium size). I prepped them as I would for any used diaper, by boiling them and then washing several times with Dawn. They came to me slightly stained and I was not able to boil that out. After washing, I lovingly folded them and added them to my stash.
torbency is very good. It washes and dries quickly. It is mostly stain free if you wash frequently, but any delay in washing (more than 24 hours) results in shadow staining that is hard to remove. I used these under fleece covers and PUL covers. They worked well under both.

Overall, I was not super impressed. Even thought the prints are super cute, I fell out of love with them pretty quickly and ended up reselling them after only a few weeks. I will say that the quality of the stitching held up well being that I was the second user. They also hold their value as enough cloth diapering parents know of Megaroos to have a demand for used diapers. I didn't like the grip-ability of the Snappi closure but in all fairness, the exterior fabric might be softer brand new. They are an okay option for mid-range priced, cute prefolds.

Summer Cloth Diaper Giveaway Hop!

Welcome to The B's Booties hop spot for the Summer Cloth Diaper Giveaway Hop hosted by Mommy's Favorite Things. Over 50 blogs are having giveaway prizes that relate to cloth diapering and have a value of $25 or more. This hop spot has a prize package worth $115!

The sponsors for The B's Booties hop spot are:
3 Sweet Peas
AdriannaKnits
Colin's Cloth Collection
The Fluffy Elephant
Mommy Loves Maddy

This sweet prize package will include 1 fold fitted and fleece cover set from 3 Sweet Peas, a set of cloth wipes and $25 gift certificate to AdriannaKnits, an overnight pocket diaper from Colin's Cloth Collection, $25 towards a custom embroidered pocket diaper at The Fluffy Elephant, and a zipper wet bag from Mommy Loves Maddy. This amazing prize is worth a retail value of $105! Enter below for your chance to win.

Visit these other blogs for more prize packages to win.

Getting a new washing machine

Our current washing machine, the one that was already here when we bought the house, had been giving us error messages randomly for a month. We were limping on by restarting the cycle and shutting off the water to the whole house temporarily. Like most families with young children, we don't have disposable income to spend on things like a new washer when you can make do with the one you have. Finally, several days ago, the washer wouldn't stop running water. Even after shutting off the water to the whole house and restarting the washer, it just wouldn't run. I use the washer not only for clothes and cloth diapers but also to wash and preshrink fabrics for my cloth diaper business. You can imagine how hard it would be on our family to not have access to a washing machine. With 3 youngins under 4 years old, going to a laundromat is not an option. With clean clothes running low and my cloth diapered baby in disposables, we needed a washer and fast. After price comparing and researching ratings online, we visited several local "outlet" appliance shops. More expensive than online?? D'oh! We visited a shop literally around the corner from our house. Luckily, they had one model left of an old GE style; high efficiency, top loader, 3.9 cu ft, with 16 wash cycles and rated 4 out of 5 stars. Not only was it available to be delivered and installed 3 days later, but it was $100 cheaper than anything we found online. Score!

WAHM Wares: Bunzuke Cloth Convertabunz 2.0 review

Picture from Bunzuke Hyena Shop

Bunzuke is a home based business that makes mostly cloth diapers. The specialty is all-in-two (AI2) diapers and an inventive, multi-use diaper called a Convertabunz. This WAHM business stocks on Hyena Cart the first of the month and is usually sold out within minutes. I had been wanting to try the convertabunz for a few months and could never get my hands on one during a stocking until this last one. Even being a diaper maker myself, I was so excited to get these diapers in the mail. The elephant print is so cute and soft.

Picture from Bunzuke Hyena Shop

Let's review the features:
-uses; insert for pocket diaper, stay dry soaker, snapping prefold, elasticized lay in soaker, and "fitted" elasticized prefold
-one layer of cotton interlock, one layer of bamboo fleece, zorb in the wet zone, stay dry fleece in wet zone
- snap closure for prefold form
-snaps in the pocket to connect to AI2 shells
-encased elastic with multiple settings for adjustable leg elastic

When I took the diapers out of the package, I will admit that I was intimidated. Even as an experienced cloth diaper user, I couldn't figure out how to use it. I had quickly watched the instructional video on the listing before purchasing, but thank goodness I could go back and watch it again more closely once I had the diaper in my hands. I mimicked what she did in the video and got the hang of all the different uses. This diaper is very versatile. I tried using it all its forms to give a thorough review.

I love that the materials are so soft and stretchy. I did the trifold with angel wing to put it on my daughter as a snapping prefold and an elasticized snapping prefold. Even with a size large, I had a hard time snapping both the wing snaps. She's on the last setting in front without having the second one rub her belly, which I didn't want to let happen. I was surprised at the snugness considering that my daughter has an average waist measurement for her age and this diaper is listed as a large. I would have liked an extended tab prefold shape for this use or a wider measurement overall. It got a snugger fit with the elastic, which I like. Overall, both the snapping prefold and the "fitted" forms were both absorbent, soft, and trim. I can't use it overnight on my heavy wetter, but for how trim it is, you can't beat the absorbency.

I tried it as an insert in a pocket and a soaker for an AI2. She describes pulling it inside out to get this insert shape. When I did that, I found that the pocket made the wings of the prefold pucker a bit and not lay completely flat, but it did fit nicely into my pocket diaper, made by Norries Nappies. It was slightly less absorbent than the prefold forms and I'm not sure exactly why. Because I didn't have a shell from Bunzuke, I used the shell from AdriannaKnits. I do like the fleece top liner for the stay dry effect. I did have to add a bamboo booster for extra absorbency in this form. I also tried this form with the elastic tightened which created the double gusset effect. While my daughter doesn't particularly need this feature in her diapers, I can imagine how it would be great to contain newborn messes or for older babies that have more frequent stools.

As for washing, I think this was the only *real* problem area. It washed and dried easily in the prefold form, but when the elastic was tightened, it took much longer to dry. I had a hard time relaxing the elastic on a wet diaper and would NOT do this if it was dirty before washing it. In the inserts and soaker forms, it took a super long time to dry and I had to pull it inside out to get it to dry more quickly. Again, I would NEVER do this before putting it in the wash. I'd have to stick my hand through a pee and possibly poop cover diaper to turn it inside out.

Despite the washing issues, I really like this diaper and reach for it often. It is very affordable, soft, and absorbent. It is creative and unique. This diaper plays many roles, which I think is a positive as well as a negative attribute. When something does too many things, it may not be excellent at any one particular thing. I believe that's the same with this diaper. It does a lot of things well, but doesn't do any one thing extremely well. After trying all forms, I use it mostly as a snapping prefold or elastic prefold, just for ease of laundering. I do love it though and would recommend it to anyone that needs a few extra changes in their stash, even if I don't recommend a full stash of this one type of diaper.

Sponsor Highlight: AdriannaKnits

AdriannaKnits is a great WAHM business that offers handmade items, like cloth diapers, hats, booties, and other children's items. This lifelong crafter and self-taught sewer, Adrianna, started the business in 2010 and now offers unique, custom patterns for crochet and knit items. I recently reviewed one of her AI2 diapers here. The mama behind the business is really nice and willing to work with you to get an order you will truly love. Her products are adorable and affordable.

AdriannaKnits is graciously offering a set of cloth wipes and a $25 gift certificate to her Etsy store for the Summer Cloth Diaper Giveaway Hop at the end of this month.

Check out her Facebook fanpage and Etsy storefront before the Summer Cloth Diaper Giveaway Hop.

Sponsor Highlight: Mommy Loves Maddy

Mommy Loves Maddy (MLM) is a WAHM business that specializes in cloth diapers, wet bags, and adorable embellished bibs. The cloth diapers are mostly one size pocket diapers with bamboo inserts. While I haven't had the pleasure of using a MLM pocket diaper, the reviews have been good.

The pockets are made from print PUL exterior and organic bamboo french terry inner. The insert included is microfiber terry between two layers of bamboo french terry.

Mommy Loves Maddy is generously offering a zipper pocket wet bag for the winner of the Summer Cloth Diaper Giveaway Hop here at The B's Booties. This bag, 9"x10.5", fits about 2-3 cloth diapers and has a handle for hanging on a wall or door. You can use this bag for anything wet; clothes, diapers, wipes, or toiletries.

Check out the Mommy Loves Maddy Etsy shop and Facebook fanpage before the hop starts.

WAHM Wares: AdriannaKnits AI2 review

AdriannaKnits is a small home based business. Adrianna is the mama behind the name. She knits and crochets hats, booties, sandals, and other items. She's recently branched out into the cloth diaper arena. Her style of choice is an all-in-two (AI2). Typically, this type of diaper has a shell cover and absorbent inserts that are directly against baby's skin. There's no pocket to stuff or unstuff in an AI2.

Let's review the features:
-all-in-two diaper
-one row of snap closure with cross over wings (cross over snap on both sides)
-one size diaper with rise snaps (3 snaps on each setting)
-cotton woven exterior
-hidden PUL
-microfleece inner

-two snap in soakers, snake style
-inserts made from cotton flannel, bamboo terry, and bamboo stretch fleece

The diaper she sent me is an adorable ladybug print from the Eric Carle collection of The Angry Ladybug. The front is the ladybug dots. The back is the ladybug and leaf print that wraps around on the tabs. She color coordinated the snaps and the red fleece interior, which I love. It's super cute and I'm glad I get to use it during summer when I can just throw a t-shirt on my daughter and show off the cute print.

This diaper has 3 snaps at each rise setting instead of the usual two. While my daughter is currently on the largest setting, I imagine that 3 snaps would help keep it snapped while it's on a smaller baby. The wings on this one size diaper are quite long. I was pleasantly surprised to be able to use the cross over wings on my daughter. I tend to close diapers fairly snuggly around my daughter's waist which made these squared-off wings tend to pop out at the corners. I believe Adrianna is in the process of tweaking the wing shape to address this issue.

Overall, I really like the fit. I don't usually like one size diapers that only have one row of closure snaps or a fold over rise, as my daughter has larger than average thigh measurements and normally average waist measurement. If it's snug at the waist, it's too tight at the thighs. If it's loose enough at the thighs, it's too loose around the waist. However, this diaper is a perfect fit. The rise snaps are perfect for the right fit on any baby.  It is fairly trim for being a cloth diaper and fits well under clothes. At first, I thought that having the cross over snap on both wings was unnecessary, but I actually love it. You can choose which side to close first whether you are right or left handed. My only suggestion on the fit is to add a second cross over snap on one wing so that smaller babies can get a snug waist fit.

The first time she wore it, she had a messy dirty diaper immediately. I don't know how babies know it's a new diaper, but they do and they poop in it right away. It contained the mess perfectly. As I used it more, I was slightly disappointed with the absorbency. My daughter is a heavy wetter so it's hard to get enough absorbency without using bamboo. She wet it so much that it wicked to the exterior cotton print and got her clothes wet. To address the issue, I added a bamboo booster (from another diaper). That was enough to get the absorbency that she needs. Adrianna is now offering an additional booster with this diaper. I think it will make the diaper slightly bulkier, but I personally don't mind the bulk, especially when I am leaving the print uncovered.

AdriannaKnits is graciously offering a $20 gift certificate to the winner of the Summer Cloth Diaper Giveaway Hop for The B's Booties. Check out her Etsy shop and Facebook page in the meantime to see her work portfolio.

Sponsor Highlight: 3 Sweet Peas

3 Sweet Peas is another sponsor for the Summer Cloth Diaper Giveaway Hop. This WAHM business offers cloth diapers and canvas baby carriers. The diaper selection mainly consists of fitteds, contour snap flats and prefolds, and a new hybrid diaper called a Snap Pea. The Snap Pea diaper is a contour flat or prefold with wings that fold around baby and snap. Leg elastic snugs the fit better than a flat or prefold so the diaper works more like a fitted. It is an affordable alternative to more expensive diapers. It's a great stash filler and dries super quickly. I personally have more than half my daughters stash as snap flats or Snap Peas. Don't love it until you try it!

Along with diapers, 3 Sweet Peas offers affordable canvas baby carriers.

Here are a couple instructional videos for the hip carrier and mei tai:

3 Sweet Peas hip carrier instructional video

3 Sweet Peas mei tai instructional video

I've written plenty about my own business, 3 Sweet Peas, so here is some independent reviews from other moms who have used my products.

First Time Mom review of a bamboo fitted and fleece skirtie

Crochet Knitting and Cloth bamboo fitted and PUL cover review

Winnie the Mom bamboo fitted diaper review

3 Sweet Peas is moving to Hyena Cart on July 8th. There is currently a clearance of Etsy stock to make room for the Hyena Cart grand opening stock. Take advantage of 30-50% off while it lasts.

Sponsor Highlight: Colin's Cloth

Colin's Cloth Collection is a relatively new cloth diaper and children's boutique on Etsy. This work at home mom makes cloth diapers and children's clothing. The most unique item available in her shop is the Pookie Pocket diaper. It is a pocket diaper with two layers of fleece on the outside and a layer of cotton fleece lining. It has been reviewed for use as an overnight pocket diaper.

Polyester fleece is a synthetic material that repels liquid. It is breathable and soft, which makes it a great option as a diaper cover. Cotton fleece is thick, absorbent material. When this pocket diaper is stuffed with inserts, it is a good overnight option for your little one. While I haven't had the pleasure of reviewing this diaper personally, other testers have said it is great for overnight use on heavy wetters.

Colin's Cloth Collection is offer a Pookie Pocket overnight diaper, without inserts, for the winner of the Summer Cloth Diaper Giveaway Hop spot at the B's Booties. Check out the CC facebook page and Etsy shop before the giveaway to view previous products. Be sure to come back at the end of June for your chance to win the prize package worth over $100!

Sponsor Highlight: The Fluffy Elephant

One of our sponsors for the Summer Cloth Diaper Giveaway Hop is The Fluffy Elephant. This work at home mom (WAHM) business creates embroidered clothing and diapers. This mama is so easy to work with. She will get an embroidery design that you love, pick out custom fabrics, and write whatever you want on the item.

She currently has a Sesame Street collection in the works, complete with Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Oscar the Grouch. This set will be a must have for Sesame Street loving toddlers. The minky exterior has the design and custom text. She usually does a hidden layer of PUL and a microfleece or suede interior for her pocket diapers, or just PUL for a cover. The diaper I bought for my daughter is a cover. You can read the review here.

For the Summer Cloth Diaper Giveaway Hop, The Fluffy Elephant is generously donating a custom embroidered, pocket diaper (without inserts) that normally retails for $24-$28. In honor of the name of her shop, the design will be the mother and baby elephant. The winner gets to choose the colors for the minky outer of the diaper, along with the embroidery thread, background prints, and custom words under the picture. If you are the winner, you can make it boyish, girly, or gender neutral. Embroider your baby elephant's name or keep it general with a nickname.

Visit The Fluffy Elephant on Facebook to view her portfolio of work or on Hyena to shop her in stock items. Don't forget to come back at the end of the month to enter the Summer Cloth Diaper Giveaway Hop for a chance to win the prize package worth over $100!