Canada

Oct 13,2011 / By Maria / 11 Comments

Earlier this year, I did a photo review of a Thirsties Duo Wrap and Prefold. (Check out that post for all the details and photos!) I had won a cover & sized fitted in a giveaway, and chose the newborn sizes, even though I wasn’t expecting at that point! You may call it crazy, I call it planning ahead! Anyway, I wanted to compare the XS cover to the duo wrap, and I had a gift certificate, so I went for it!

Since my newborn isn’t here yet, I haven’t actually gotten to use this, but I have yet to meet a Thirsties product I don’t like!

The Thirsties Duo Wrap is essentially the same design as the duo diaper, only it’s a cover!

The duo wrap has a trimmer fit than the sized covers, so it’s perfect to use over prefolds or trim diapers. It comes in size 1 (6-18 pounds) and size 2 (18-40 pounds) to get you from birth to potty training with just 2 sizes!

The wraps come in 9 colors ($12.75 each) and 5 prints ($13.75 each.) They’re available with snaps as well as Velcro closures!

They pair perfectly with the duo hemp prefold, which also comes in size 1 and 2. The prefolds are super soft (and I mean soft) cotton hemp jersey, which is more durable and more absorbent than 100% cotton, and is naturally anti-microbial. They are sewn so that each portion is only 2 layers thick, so they are easier to get clean and dry (view my review for all the pics!) Each prefold retails for $7.00.

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 Duo Wrap and Duo Hemp Prefold in his/her choice of size, color and closure! Entries go in the Rafflecopter form.

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Cloth Diaper Advice – Mailbox Mondays 6/13/11 – Night Time Diapers for a Super Soaker

Jun 13,2011 / By Maria / 3 Comments

Have a cloth diaper problem? On Mondays, I answer reader questions, and ask my other readers to give their advice too.

Questions don’t have to be cloth diaper related, just email maria at change-diapers.com with “Mailbox Mondays” in the subject, or fill out my contact form for readers, which you will always be able to find on my Contact Page.

Suki says:

Hi Maria, I had left a comment on your wall about my daughter potentially having diabetes. Well, it turned out that she doesn’t. She just hit that toddler stage where she pees a ton more. What I’ve done to keep up is to double stuff everything. That works during the day and diaper changes are about every two hours.

What I’m having trouble with is nighttime diapering. She is almost 18 months and drinks 16 – 32 ounce of milk each night and so I have to change her diaper once or twice at night or I get leaks. She’s a super duper heavy wetter at night.

I’ve tried a Super Do with a Loopy Do and that lasts maybe half the night. I’ve tried a combination of hemp and microfiber inserts (as many as I can without the leg opening gaping!). I don’t want them to be too bulky so I thought maybe some hemp flats?

I’m willing to spend some money but I want to increase my chances of something that would work.

Thanks!

I’m so glad to hear she doesn’t have diabetes! That much fluid intake will definitely soak a night time diaper! Since the Superdo (and a Loopydo, wow!) didn’t cut it, my next suggestion would be fitteds with wool. Fitteds are great because the whole diaper is absorbent.

When I was searching for really absorbent fitteds, I found the Guerilla Fluff Utilitarian. I had mine made with all the extras, like added Zorb in the soakers, and a wool precision doubler (I don’t believe she uses wool anymore though.) If you can do it without a leg gap, try adding a natural fiber (like a hemp blend) insert, doubler or prefold inside as well. Top it with an extra-thick, well lanolized wool cover. In the winter, I also used fleece PJ pants for an additional barrier!

If that doesn’t do it, you may need to continue to change her at night, until she is old enough to limit her fluids a bit before bed!

So how about the rest of you? Have you dealt with an epic super-soaker? What worked for you at night?

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Real Nappies Cloth Diapers & Covers/Wraps Review & Giveaway (CLOSED 5/26)

May 19,2011 / By Maria / 19 Comments

Real Nappies makes quality cloth diapers and covers, swim diapers, training pants and accessories at affordable prices.

I received the Real Nappies “Top up Pack” to review. The top up pack retails for $39 and contains 6 cloth diapers (100% Indian cotton prefolds, 6 diapers retail for $19.99-$29.99 separately, depending on size) and 2 snug wraps. The wraps in the packages are available in white only, but sold separately for $12 each, you can get them in red, blue or pink!

The diapers and covers come in 4 sizes. Newborn (6-13 lb), Infant (11-20 lb), Crawler (17-30 lb) and Toddler (29-40+ lb.) Even though my son is almost two, I chose the crawler size based on weight.

As I expected, the prefolds shrunk a good bit in length after washing & drying (before on left, after on right.)

They did not shrink noticeably in width.

Cloth diapers (no matter what kind) look so pretty stacked up after washing!

The snug wraps are high quality PUL, and you can reuse them for several diaper changes.

They do have laundry tabs for the Velcro closures, but I do wish they were a little bit bigger!

The covers have gentle (but effective) elastic at the rear and legs.

Here is the crawler size measured both folded and stretched. The elastic isn’t super tight, so it doesn’t have tons of stretch.

There is a flap of PUL at the front of the diaper:

Though it seems to be calling out to have the prefold tucked under it, don’t do it! The flap is there to prevent any wicking through where the Velcro strip is sewn on.

To use the system, simply fold the prefold and place it in the cover. The guide included with the pack includes tips on how to best fold for boys, girls etc. I was thinking it was going to look really bulky the way I folded it, but it didn’t!

Here’s the crawler size on my 22ish pound almost 2-year old:

I think it fit him quite well, and the prefold was very absorbent! (They also sell boosters to make them work better at night!)

Real Nappies has tons of packages available, from a $15 intro pack (1 cover & 1 prefold) to a $499 birth to potty pack. For $69, you can get 12 diapers, 3 covers and 100 liners in the Essentials Pack. That would get you in cloth full time (though you would be washing a lot!) for about the same cost as a month of disposables!

Definitely note that even though these are affordable, Real Nappies has a Two-Child Guarantee. They guarantee that you’ll be able to use Real Nappies Cloth Diapers and Snug Wraps for at least two children, and will repair or replace a diaper or cover that fails before your second child outgrows it! Now of course, there are caveats (click the link to read all the details) and in order for the guarantee to apply, you have to wash them no more often than every two days, using at least the minimum recommended # of diapers. So, you can’t wash them 2 times a day (like I did with my first 6 diapers) and have them replaced.

Giveaway: Real Nappies is offering one reader an intro pack in his/her choice of size (ARV $15.00.)

Here’s how to enter: All entries go in the form below. I love comments (great way to remind yourself you entered) but comments do not count as entries.

Mandatory entries include your name, email address and what size Real Nappies you would need. You may receive a bonus entry if you “like” The Real Nappies USA page . They are giving away a $150 prize pack when they reach 1,000 fans!

I will accept entries until Thursday, May 26th, 2011 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.

# of entries received as of giveaway close: 302

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FTC compliance: I received the pictured items at no cost in order to review them. I was not otherwise compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

Disclosure: This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, nor associated with Facebook. By entering, you release Facebook from any responsibility and understand that the information entered on this form will not be disclosed to Facebook.

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Babykicks Newborn/Small Hemp Prefold Photo Review

Jan 20,2011 / By Maria / 2 Comments

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It’s no secret that I’m more of a pocket diaper type Mama than a prefold Mama, but I’ve heard great things about Babykicks hemp prefolds. I wanted to something to go with a newborn wrap I bought with a gift card (I know, I know…it’s an illness!) so I snagged a newborn/small size from sewcraftybaby for $6.59, less a new customer discount, and got free shipping too!

Babykicks are hemp and organic cotton, and are 2 layers on the sides and 3 in the middle.

Here it is before prepping (washing and drying about 3 times to remove the natural oils and fluff up the fibers.):

Here it is after prepping (you can see how much fluffier it got):

Here it is on my newborn stand in (I know I need some practice with prefolds!):

The prefolds are available in small, medium, large and extra-large and also make great pocket diaper stuffers!

Update after using on baby.

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Thirsties Size 1 Duo Wrap & Duo Hemp Prefold Review and Giveaway (CLOSED 1/20)

Jan 13,2011 / By Maria / 17 Comments

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I had a gift certificate to an online store that sells cloth diapers. I don’t really need any more diapers, so in true cloth diaper addict form, I figured I’d buy some eeny teeny diapers for the newborn I don’t have (and no, I’m not pregnant either!) One of them was the Thirsties Duo Wrap in honeydew (MSRP $12.75) and duo hemp prefold (MSRP $7.00)

We’re still using the size 2 Thirsties Duo Diaper I reviewed last year, and I was curious about how the size 1 compared. I’m not really a prefold & cover mama (sometimes I think either you are or you aren’t!) but I think they would really come in handy for diapering a newborn. I know my kids could go through 15+ diapers per day as a newborn, and it would be way too expensive to buy a newborn stash of pocket diapers (my favorite), especially when you’re not entirely sure how long you’ll be using them.

The prefold is super soft, and it is sewn such that each portion is only two layers thick, for more thorough washing and faster drying.

I measured the prefold before prepping:

and after prepping (washing and drying 3 times to remove natural oils and fluff up the fibers):

It shrunk quite a bit in length, and ended up nearly square.

The wraps are available in snap or aplix closures, but I chose the aplix. Our duo diaper is also aplix, and after more than 7 months in our regular rotation, the aplix laundry tabs show no signs of wear and we have no issues at all.

The wrap has the same Thirsties double leg gussets as the duo diaper, but instead of a lining and pocket, it just has a wipe-able inner.

The wraps are a “duo” 2-stage system, where each size has three rise snap size adjustments. Typically, people have to buy newborn size diapers when “one size” diapers don’t fit their newborn. Then they buy one-size diapers, often followed by large/toddler size diapers when the child outgrows the one size. With the Thirsties Duo system, the size 1 fits 6-18 pounds, and the size 2 fits 18-40 pounds, making only two sizes necessary.

Note: In the pictures below, I have the prefold tucked under the PUL flap. This was incorrect and my mistake since I’m used to other diaper covers that have this flap to hold the insert on place. Thirsties actually puts this flap there to protect the snaps and stitching from touching the wet prefold or insert (it doesn’t have the additional layer over that area like the Flip does.) Tucking it in can lead to compression leaks, so don’t do what I did!

Here’s the size 1 on the small setting, folded and stretched (as always, my measurements are to give you an idea of how diapers compare, it’s not an exact science!)

Medium:

Large:

Here’s the duo wrap size 1 compared to the duo diaper size 2 (both on the small setting):

Here is the duo diaper size 2 (small setting) and the duo wrap size 1 large setting) on my 21ish lb son, both taken the same day:

Since I don’t have a newborn tester, I had to call in my usual newborn diaper model.

To compare, here he is in a newborn disposable:

The wrap is recommended for use over trifolded prefolds or trim fitteds. For bulkier systems, Thirsties suggests their diaper covers. I tried the wrap over a Kissaluvs Size 0 Fitted and it fit just fine.

thirsties duo wrap over kissaluvs fitted

Don’t laugh at me, I don’t have much experience with prefolds, but I wanted to try to snappi the prefold in addition to trifolding it.

thirsties dup hemp prefold ize 1 snappied

Here’s my model in the size 1 wrap with trifolded prefold, on the small setting:

I love Thirsties products and I think the stay dry duo insert would make this an even more fantastic system! My only complaint is that I have a heck of a time typing “duo.” I type “dup” nearly every time, LOL! See fit on my newborn.

Giveaway: Thirsties is offering one lucky reader a Duo Wrap and Prefold in his/her choice of size, color and closure!

Here’s how to enter: All entries go in the form below. I love your comments, but comments don’t count as entries! Mandatory entries include name, email address and your favorite ~~Thirsties~~ ~~product, or one you’d love to try. You can receive a bonus entry if you “like”~~ ~~Thirsties on Facebook~~.

I will accept entries until Thursday, January 20th, 2011 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.

# of entries received as of January 20th at giveaway close: 220

https://spreadsheets.google.com/embeddedform?formkey=dDIwdVZUY2FQRENvSGxhdUItOVBHUGc6MQ

FTC compliance: While Thirsties is sending a product to the giveaway winner, I was not given products or other compensation for this post and all opinions are my own.

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