cottonbabies

Flip Trainers Review & Giveaway U.S./Canada (CLOSED 1/9)

by Maria on December 26, 2011

in Giveaway,Natural Fiber Diapers,Review,Side Snapping,Snap Closure,Training Pants

I finally received the Flip Trainer I ordered the day the new products/colors/prints were announced! My son is 2 1/2 and isn’t terribly interested in the potty. He was doing pretty well before the baby arrived, but backpedaled a little bit. I know that’s normal and I’m not concerned! I was, however, excited that Cottonbabies had created a trainer, because I knew it would be good!

The trainers are available in all 13 colors and 2 prints, including the new Albert print (what I chose.)

The trainers come with a reusable, waterproof PUL shell and 5 organic soaker pads. Each set retails for $24.95. Additional soaker pads are available in packs of 3 for $17.95, and the side panels are available separately for $5.95 a set (so you can customize the look of the trainer.) Unfortunately, the shells aren’t available for purchase separately.

The trainer unsnaps on the side to make it easy to handle messes, and the sides are stretchy for a snug fit and to make them easy to pull on and off.

They have both front and back elastic, along with gentle leg elastic.

I love the Albert print!!

The trainers have the snap down rise we’ve come to expect from Cottonbabies (trainers are estimated to fit 20-50 lbs and 18 months to 4T), and the inner is wipeable PUL.

Soakers attach to the front and back of the trainers with hook & loop. There is a “laundry tab” to press on top during washing to avoid snags.

The soakers have additional loop, as well as folding guidelines to attach them when the trainer is on the small or medium setting. You can put the extra absorbency in the back for a girl, or the front for a boy.

In addition to the rise adjustment, there are also two settings for the waist.

The adjustment is done via the rear side panel snaps. You can put each panel at the smaller setting, each at the larger setting, or one on each to get the right fit for your child.

Between the rise setting and the waist setting, the leg opening gets quite large!

Here’s the smaller waist setting measured flat and stretched (I stretched the trainer, then had to let go and place it on the tape measure since I only have two hands, LOL.)

and the larger setting:

Here’s the small rise setting measured folded & stretched:

The small setting is fairly similar to the medium Bumgenius (this is a medium 3.0 AIO.)

Medium:

Large:

My son has become very picky about diapers. He doesn’t want to be changed most of the time, and when he does, he wants specific diapers. He is not into anything new at all. I mean he freaked.out. when I put this on him. So I put it on him, then took it right off. Therefore, I unfortunately have no idea how it actually absorbs or performs! I tried to tell him that when he uses the potty, he can decide what undies he wears, but he didn’t go for it, LOL!

Here he is in the small setting at 2 1/2 years old and about 28+ pounds.

It was easy to put on and easy to take off, and fit him quite well (with tons of room to grow.)

Giveaway: This giveaway is self-sponsored. I will purchase a Flip Trainer set for one reader, in his/her choice of color or print. The trainer will be purchased from my choice of reputable online retailer. This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed, approved by, nor affiliated with any cloth diaper manufacturer or retailer.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FTC compliance: I purchased the pictured product myself at normal retail prices. I was not asked to write, nor was I compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

{ 29 comments }

Flip Hook & Loop Closure Diaper Cover and Organic Insert – Photo Review and Giveaway (CLOSED 11/27)

by Maria on November 20, 2010

in Cloth Diapers,Diaper Covers,Giveaway,Hybrid Diapers,Inserts,Natural Fiber,One Size Diapers,PUL,Review,Velcro/Aplix Closure

In April, I reviewed a Flip cover with stay-dry insert. I’m less a’skeered of snaps now than I was then, but I was still happy to learn that Flip Diapers was coming out with a hook and loop (a.k.a. Velcro or Aplix) closure diaper cover! Right now, they are only available for purchase separately for $13.95, but Cottonbabies plans to sell them packaged with inserts, and in day packs in the future. Lucky for one of you, I also bought an organic insert ($7.95 retail) to send along to the winner too!

The other Flip I bought came with a cardboard “wrapper” so I hadn’t planned on taking photos of the hook & loop Flip, since I didn’t want to give away an opened item! I was a little surprised to find that both the diaper cover and the insert came without tags, wrappings or packaging, so I’ve done a little photo review. The winner will receive the butternut color cover and organic insert pictured in this review however, we do not have pets (unless you count the kids) and the items were only on my laundry room counter, which is very clean, and my hands were clean as well!

Some of us were wondering whether the hook & loop would be the “old” Bumgenius 3.0 style, or the “new” Bumgenius 4.0 style. Fortunately, it is the new style!

The “new” style laundry tab velcro is actually grippy, instead of just the fuzzy fabric of the 3.0s. If you haven’t had the pleasure of trying the 4.0s, the laundry tabs will touch baby’s skin, but they are very soft, and haven’t caused my son any irritation.

The hook & loop cover has the same, easily wipeable PUL inner as the snap closure Flip. My snap flip has the same white fabric, but only over the closure snaps, not the rise snaps. I assume it’s to keep the PUL from leaking where it was punctured to attach them.

Here it is on the small setting, folded and stretched:

Medium setting folded and stretched:

Large setting folded and stretched:

The organic inserts are made from 100% Oeko-Tex® certified organic cotton. Cottonbabies sells them for $7.95 each; $6.65 each if you buy 3 or more. Buying a cover with an organic insert adds just $6 to the cost of the cover alone.

I was surprised by how soft this is! Granted, it is new and hadn’t been washed but wow, it is baby blanket soft! Since this hasn’t been washed/dried/prepped, you can definitely expect it to shrink a bit. You simply fold the insert along the long or short side to fit inside the insert.

Here it is measured along the short side:

flip diaper organic insert width unprepped

Measured along the long side:

flip diaper organic insert length unprepped

In the cover on the small setting:

flip organic insert in diaper small setting

In the cover on the large setting:

flip organic insert in diaper large setting

As you can see, the hook & loop and flip covers are very much the same. Of course, mine was purchased 7 months ago, so small changes wouldn’t surprise me anyway! One difference is that the Hook & Loop cover stinks! I noticed a very strong, plastic-y/chemical smell that gave me a headache, as soon as I opened the mailer it came in. I have never noticed this with any other diapers I’ve purchased. My guess is that others begin with the same smell, but they’ve sat in warehouses and been shipped back and forth enough to air out before I get them! Hopefully it will do the same before I ship it to the winner!

Here’s a side by side of the small organic insert (remember, it hasn’t been washed/dried so it will shrink!) compared to the small stay dry insert, and the same for the large.

Hooray for hook and loop! Now when it Cottonbabies going to come out with newborn versions of their pocket diapers and flip covers? Hmm?

Giveaway: One winner will receive the Butternut (sorry, boring, but I wanted it to be gender neutral!) Hook & Loop Closure Flip Cover (ARV $13.95) and Organic Insert (ARV $7.95) pictured. Combined value $21.90 if my brain is working.

Here’s how to enter: All entries go in the form below. Mandatory entries include Your name and email address. I always email winners, and I do try to look for them before giving up on them! However, if you want to be sure it’s you when I announce the winner, please use a middle or last initial, or nickname, so you’ll know it’s you. I do announce names just as you enter them! I’m offering a single bonus entry for following this blog. You may choose GFC, RSS feed or email. If you prefer, you can elect to “like” ~~me on facebook~~ or ~~follow me on twitter~~ ~~instead. Whatever will bring you back!~~

I will accept entries until Saturday, November 27th, 2010 at 9:00 P.M. Eastern. I will select a winner using random.org’s true random number generator and notify him/her by email. Winner has 48 hours to respond before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is chosen. View my ~~giveaway rules~~ ~~page for complete details. This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S.~~

I’d love for you to leave a comment (also a great way to just remind yourself that you entered) but comments don’t count as giveaway entries. I will update the post daily with the # of entries received!

# of entries received as of November 27th at Giveaway close: 241

https://spreadsheets.google.com/embeddedform?formkey=dG5JR3RiU3ZHbko2TE96N1Q2ZVgxY1E6MQ

Please note: This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed, approved by or affiliated with Cottonbabies, Flip or any cloth diaper retailer.

FTC compliance: I paid normal retail prices for all items pictured. I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own.

{ 5 comments }

Mailbox Mondays 10/25/10

by Maria on October 25, 2010

in Mailbox Mondays

Well, since I didn’t get a single Mailbox Mondays submission for this week, I’m going to ask you a question instead.

OK, here goes. Has anyone noticed a color difference between the tabs on their bumgenius 4.0 compared to the body of the diaper?

I didn’t notice this with my 3.0s, or my “sweet” or “grasshopper” 4.0. So, I was wondering if this is just how they are, if I got one with two different dye lots, or if maybe I received a “second” since this was a replacement of a 3.0 under warranty.

Anyone? I know it doesn’t matter but it bugs me darn it!!

{ 10 comments }

Bumgenius Elemental (A.K.A. Organic AIO) Review

by Maria on October 9, 2010

in A Year of Fluff,All In One Diapers,Cloth Diapers,Natural Fiber Diapers,One Size Diapers,Review,Snap Closure

I purchased this Bumgenius Elemental, Organic One-Size All-in-One with the $20 Abby’s Lane gift certificate I won from Show Your Amor the day after my Birthday. Happy Birthday me!

The elementals come with snap closures only, and the price is a little steep at $24.95 each. They are very similar to the Flip or Bumgenius 4.0 in size and shape, but it is certified organic cotton on the inside, and it’s an all-in-one style. Since it’s organic cotton, it does need to be “prepped” by washing 5 or more times, to gain maximum absorbency. I think I may have washed it 3 times before using it the first time, knowing that it would gain absorbency with further washes.

The soaker is sewn in a loop style to dry a bit faster, and wash a bit more thoroughly, but I found it still took quite a while to dry. While the soaker is all organic cotton, there will still be PUL touching the baby’s skin at the front and back (which will serve as a stopper to prevent leaking and wicking.)

The size is very similar to the Bumgenius 4.0, but I prefer the leg elastic style of the 4.0. The elemental is one-size via the same snap down rise the Bumgenius 3.0 & 4.0 Pocket diapers have.

Measurements are of course a wee bit subjective, since you can eke out a little more or less depending on just how you hold it.

Here is the small setting, folded and stretched:

Medium folded and stretched:

Large folded and stretched:

Here it is on my son, who is in the medium setting, at about 18.5 pounds and 30″:

It did fit well, and did not leak (even before it was fully prepped) but I did have to roll the leg elastic in a bit. My personal preference (which you know if you’ve been reading for a while!) is a pocket diaper with a stay dry inner and Velcro closure. However, if you are looking for an easy to use all-in-one with an organic soaker, this may be your ticket!

FTC Compliance: I paid normal retail price for this item, which was purchased using a gift certificate I won. I was not compensated for this review.

{ 9 comments }

My Bumgenius Warranty Experience

by Maria on September 8, 2010

in Cloth Diapering,Warranties

So, for anyone who inevitably says “tl;dr,” (that is, too long; didn’t read…and I don’t blame you if you do!) here’s the cliff notes version: I big puffy heart Cottonbabies customer service.

My first ever cloth diapers were Bumgenius 3.0s. I bought three in October 2009, and bought three more maybe a week or so later. Those 6 diapers have gotten a lot of use, since my strategy was to wash often, saving the money I would have spent on disposables. I used that money to build my stash gradually, and it was several months before I finally had enough to go to every other day washing!

I knew from reviews that Bumgenius aplix didn’t last very long, but after a few months, my diapers started looking like this when they came out of the wash!

These two saw the worst of it. The laundry tabs were pilly, one was rather shrunken, and the closure tabs were curled.

I know that Cottonbabies sells refresher kits, but I don’t have a sewing machine. My Mom has an older one that she would let me use, but it’s kind of awful (sorry Mom!) and would probably make a mess of it. I was thinking I could just buy some white thread and try to do them by hand, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to check first, to see if this would be covered under the 1 year warranty.

I contacted Cottonbabies customer service on Monday, August 23rd and had a response the same day. To my surprise, it indeed would be covered under warranty. On the one hand, a product advertised to take your baby through potty training should last at least a year without needing “refreshing,” but on the other hand, it didn’t seem surprising to have aplix issues after nearly a year of lots of use. I was pleasantly surprised!

I read on, and the other shoe dropped. The email said I would need to include info on how I cared for the diapers, including detergent. Dun dun dunnnnnn! We went back and forth for a few days, since the insinuation was that my warranty would be voided since I used detergents that were not “5 stars” on the “safe” list.

Finally, on August 27th, I received word that it should be OK, and I could go ahead and send them in.

I filled out an easy form online, received an RMA number, and packed the diapers up with a copy of my receipt, info about what was wrong with them, and included the RMA number inside and on the label. For the record, the RMA form did not ask me to include any info about how I cared for them.

Cottonbabies requires that diapers sent back be clean and stink free, and I think mine were. They didn’t say whether or not I need to send along the inserts and doublers, so I went ahead and put them in. I sent them via USPS priority mail, printed online with delivery confirmation, at a cost of $5.05.

I put them in the mail on Saturday, August 28th. I actually felt a little sad saying goodbye to these, since they are two of the three diapers that started me on my cloth diapering journey. Am I weird or what?

On Monday, August 30th, I received an email saying that my exchange was processed, and that I’d be receiving another email when my replacement diapers shipped. #1, hello, that was fast! #2 how awesome that I was kept aware of every step!

On Thursday, September 2nd, I received a shipping notice with a tracking number.

On Tuesday, September 7th, I received two brand new Bumgenius diapers in the mail!! They were in the next town over the weekend, so I know they would have been here even sooner if it weren’t for the holiday.

The surprise was that they are 4.0 diapers! Yay!! So that means I probably won’t have any more problems with the aplix, though I assume replacement diapers don’t come with their own warranty.

I am just beyond thrilled right now. Essentially for $5.05 I have two spanking new diapers, and got 10 1/2 months use out of the original diapers.

Awesome, just awesome! Especially when I think about the trouble I had with my Blueberry aplix after only a month or so, and the “too bad for you” response I received when I contacted them!

I have heard Bumgenius referred to as the “Wal Mart of Cloth Diapers” and while I do think they are a big name in cloth diapering, they didn’t get there with poor business practices. They make an awesome product; I have lots of favorites, but BG are still the ones my husband reaches for (past others) and they have just been all around great for us! This is just icing on the cake for me!

{ 15 comments }

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