Bebe Bottom Skincare Baby Fresh Cleanser Review & Giveaway (CLOSED 11/11)

Nov 4,2011 / By Maria / 6 Comments

Bebe Bottom Skincare makes Baby Fresh Cleanser, a diaper changing spray cleanser and alternative to disposable wipes.

Spray on baby’s bottom, wait a few seconds, then wipe.

88% organic ingredients:

Organic Aloe Leaf Juice, Polysorbate 20 (surfectant), Kosher Vegetable Glycerin, Decyl Glucoside (surfectant), Cocoamidopropyl Betaine (surfectant), Tea Tree Oil, Denatured Alcohol, Fragrance, Phenoxyethanol (preservative), Tetrasodium Edta (chelating agent), Propylene Glycol (humectant), FD&C Red 40, FD&C Red 3, FD&C Blue 1, Citric Acid

It is fairly heavily fragranced (I think it smells nice though.) My son has very sensitive skin, but we can’t seem to predict what will bother him and what won’t. We’ve been rotating this with another spray with simpler ingredients, and haven’t noticed any irritation. However, based on the ingredients, I would recommend using caution on babies with sensitive skin.

This would be a nice gift for someone who is just moving away from mainstream products into cloth diapers & wipes. It has that familiar baby smell, and works very well. Even very sticky messes just lifted right off with a gentle wipe. No scrubbing or repeated wiping needed.

Baby Fresh Cleanser is available from Bebe Bottom Skincare for $9.75 per 8 ounce bottle, with free shipping within the United States.

~~Giveaway: One winner will receive an 8 ounce bottle of Baby Fresh Cleanser (ARV $9.75.) Entries go in the Rafflecopter form.~~

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Canadian Wooly Snowballz Wool Dryer Balls Review & Giveaway (CLOSED 11/10) US/Canada

Nov 3,2011 / By Maria / 7 Comments

Victoria began Canadian Wooly Snowballz when she was frustrated by the amount of time that it took for her cloth diapers to dry and was worried about what chemicals were being released by the plastic dryer balls she was using.

Why wool dryer balls?

The dryer balls bounce around, separating your laundry and cutting down on dry time. There are no chemicals like with dryer sheets and no residue to hurt your diapers. You simply put 3 or more in with wet clothes, and be sure to check your laundry early, since they will cut down on drying time!

I received three dryer balls in the natural color. They are really pretty, which is weird to say about something that’s supposed to be utilitarian (and I chose the natural, the colors are even prettier!)

I’ve used them in every load of laundry since I’ve received them (several weeks x at least 10+ loads per week.) Over time they may become “fuzzy” which doesn’t affect their performance, but you can use a sweater shaver if it bothers you!

You may be curious about how noisy they are. They are supposed to be quieter than plastic dryer balls, but I’ve never used those. I took two short videos.

First is the dryer balls with a very small load of laundry (about 12-15 cloth diaper inserts only.)

Next I used them in a regular sized load of laundry.

They are a little loud with the tiny load of laundry, but in the larger load you just hear an occasional thump!

I want to get a few more (the more you use, the more they cut down your dry time) and see if cutting a few hours of dryer use per week out will lower my electric bill!

Receive 10% off your entire Wooly Snowballz order with coupon code CD10OFF (expires November 30th, 2011.)

Giveaway: One winner will receive three wool dryer balls in his/her choice of brown with cream accents, cream with brown accents, cream, or multi-colored (ARV $20.) Entries go in the Rafflecopter form.

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Thirsties Fab Wipes & Booty Luster Giveaway (CLOSED 10/27)

Oct 20,2011 / By Maria / 10 Comments

Thirsties makes more than just fantastic cloth diapers & covers. They also sell wonderful cloth diaper accessories including the fab wipes and booty luster.

You may have missed my Thirsties Fab Wipes & Booty Luster review, since I posted it a year and a half ago! Those wipes are still in my rotation and holding up wonderfully. They are two-sided; one side is 85% cotton 15% polyester velour, the other side is 100% polyester microfleece. They come in 6-packs of assorted boy or girl colors, for $10.75 per pack. Though cloth wipes seem pricey at first, they pay off in no time. I would stock up on disposable wipes when they were around 2.5 cents per wipe, but I often had to use 3-5 wipes per change! I rarely have to use more than one cloth wipe at a time, and in no time flat, you will recoup your investment.

The wipes are 8″ x 8″, the perfect size to fold to pop up in a wipes case or warmer!

The Booty Luster is a pre-mixed wipe spray that retails for $6.25 for a 4 ounce bottle, or $11.00 for an 8 ounce bottle. It’s biodegradable, non-toxic and non irritating. A couple squirts on baby’s bottom (or the wipe if you prefer) removes messes without leaving residue. Booty luster does not contain: petroleum, alcohols, animal products, parabens, sulfates, DPGs or dilutants, and isn’t tested on animals.

Ingredients: Aloe Vera, Vitamin E, water-based Extract of Coconut, Honey, Grapeseed Extract, traces of Glycerin, Avocado Oil, Humectant Moisturizers, and other Organic Ingredients.

The bottles are also well made and sturdy. When I was mixing up my own solution, I bought enough dollar store/travel section bottles to pay for several bottles of booty luster (and I ended up doing just that…buying several bottles of booty luster!) The bottles spray and spray, and continue to work long after the solution is gone. Other spray bottles I bought got stuck or stopped spraying quickly, and couldn’t withstand being dropped (which means you won’t survive long in this household!) A little goes a long way, so a bottle will last you quite a while.

I’m getting ready to buy another bottle or two for the new baby’s stash!

Be sure to request a Thirsties print catalog, “like” Thirsties on Facebook and follow Thirsties on Twitter!

Giveaway: Thirsties is offering one of my readers a 4 oz bottle of Booty Luster (ARV $6.25) and a 6-pack of fab wipes (ARV $10.75) in “boy” or “girl” colors. Combined ARV $17. Entries go in the Rafflecopter form.

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GoGreen Champ Cloth Diapers & Adapt-a-Snaps Giveaway (CLOSED 10/25)

Oct 18,2011 / By Maria / 13 Comments

GoGreen Diapers sells affordable pocket cloth diapers and cloth diaper accessories

I first posted my GoGreen Champ Diaper Review in January followed by a GoGreen standard diaper review and a comparison of the GoGreen standard diaper to the Champ diaper the following month. Check out those posts if you want all the details on each type of diaper, along with measurements and lots of photos!

The GoGreen Champ diaper has snap closures, 4 rise settings, a front and rear pocket opening (the inserts agitate out!) and double gussets. They have both hip and crossover snaps, to fit small babies with no wing droop. The Champs are estimated to fit 7-40 pounds, come with a 3-layer microfiber insert, and retail for $15.95 each.

I also was one of the first to try the adapt-a snap, which allows you to turn a snap diaper into a Velcro diaper! View my GoGreen adapt-a-snap review for detailed photos, plus demos of the adapt-a-snap on several diapers!

The adapt-a-snaps are available in 3-packs for $16.99 (white) or $17.49 (black.)

~~Giveaway: GoGreen is offering one of my readers two Champ pocket diapers and two adapt-a-snaps in his/her choice of color. (ARV $43.56) Entries go in the Rafflecopter form.~~

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Babyville Boutique DIY Cloth Diaper Sewing Program Kit Giveaway (CLOSED 9/27)

Sep 20,2011 / By Maria / 30 Comments

Babyville Boutique is a DIY cloth diaper sewing program from Prym that has just about everything you need to make cute diaper covers, diapers and accessories.

Available Babyville Boutique products include PUL (polyurethane laminate) fabric (in 10 prints and 14 solid colors) sold in packages of 3 generously sized 21″ x 24″ diaper cuts (MSRP $14.99) or by the yard, fold over elastic (FOE), plastic snaps, snap pliers, embroidered appliques (MSRP $5.99), embroidered labels, colored hook and loop tape (MSRP 3.49) and buttons. All products have been tested for, and either meet or exceed CPSC and CPSIA certified lab testing requirements. They are also BPA, PVC and Phthalate free.

Two full color books, the “Cloth Diapers Made Easy” Sewing Book and “Baby Essentials Made Easy” complete the family of products.

In “Cloth Diapers Made Easy,” you’ll find pull-out patterns for diapers and soakers for newborn to large sizes.

Babyville Introduces Cloth Diapers Made Easy:

“Baby Essentials Made Easy” will inspire you to make changing pads, bibs, placemats, diaper bag, toys and much more.

Babyville Introduces Baby Essentials Made Easy:

You can subscribe Babyville Boutique on YouTube so you don’t miss new videos/tutorials they add!

This diaper bag, swim bag and headband are all things you can make with Babyville Boutique products!

If you are making a diaper cover, you can buy everything but the thread from Babyville Boutique. If you want to make a lined or pocket diaper, you would buy the inner fabric separately. You can make a cover in a few hours, and as you get more practice, you can make them more quickly. You can personalize the diaper by adding a cute applique or label, and more advanced diaper sewers have even cut apart the wings and added contrasting fabric wings. You can really customize them as much as you want to!

The Babyville Boutique DIY Diaper Sewing Program arrives in most JoAnn Fabrics, all Hobby Lobby, and select Hancock Fabrics stores starting in September (and I believe the official launch date was actually this week on the 18th!)

The Babyville Boutique website and blog will launch soon, and will have places for tutorials, communicating, and sharing. The Babyville Boutique Facebook page has lots more info and great photos of products that testers have made! Also be sure to follow Babyville Boutique on Twitter.

Giveaway: One lucky winner will receive a Babyville Boutique prize package, including a book, a 3pk of diaper cuts for boy or girl, a package of EZ Adjust Tape, and a package of FOE (fold over elastic.) The suggested retail value of this collection is $35.46! Entries go in the Rafflecopter form below!