Bumgenius 4.0 Cloth Diaper Giveaway – Self-Sponsored (CLOSED 4/3) U.S. & Canada

Mar 19,2012 / By Maria / 15 Comments

My love of fluff began in 2009 with 3 Bumgenius 3.0 cloth diapers, so it’s only fitting that I would give away a Bumgenius 4.0 to welcome all the new faces (and to say thanks to the folks that have been around a while!)

Consider “liking” me on Facebook, following me on Twitter, adding my Google+ page to your circles, subscribing to my YouTube channel, RSS feed, email updates or following me on Pinterest. However, this is a one click giveaway entry, so you don’t need to do any of that to get entries.

~~Giveaway details: One winner will receive a Bumgenius 4.0 one-size cloth diaper in his/her choice of color and closure (ARV $17.95.)~~

Winner may choose Albert or Lovelace print however, they may be backordered. I will purchase the diaper from a reputable cloth diaper retailer of my choice, including (but not limited to) my affiliates Cloth Diaper Outlet, Kelly’s Closet, Diaper Junction and Mom’s Milk Boutique. Winner name, address & email may be shared with the retailer for order fulfillment only. This giveaway is open to the U.S. and Canada, excluding Quebec, and will end Tuesday April 3rd, 2012 at 9:00 P.M. Eastern. I will select a winner using Rafflecopter, 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 for complete details.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please note: This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed or approved by, nor affiliated with any cloth diaper manufacturer or retailer. I was not compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking the link, I receive a small portion of the sale. Thank you!

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NEW Style – Tots Bots Easy Fit Cloth Diaper (From Bummis) Review

Mar 13,2012 / By Maria / 7 Comments

I had never used a Tots Bots Easy Fit diaper, but I did use the newborn version, a Tini Fit. Like the Tini Fit, the Easy Fit is made by Tots Bots in Glasgow, Scotland, and distributed in the U.S. by Bummis.

Bummis sent me one of the new version Easy Fits to review, although they won’t be available to purchase until April. I don’t have an old version, and I’ve already sent along my Tini Fit to a new home (it would still fit my son, but I wanted to send all the newborn diapers to my friend at once!) So, I don’t have a side-by-side comparison for you, but I will point out the features that have been changed (including the wider back elastic, which you can see above!) I’m not sure if this is new, but I noticed that the PUL is really soft. It definitely has a different feel than all my other diapers.

Whether you choose hook & loop or snaps (poppers) for your diaper (nappy), they are now color matched. Tots Bots are made in the U.K. so the Tots Bots Facebook page is full of “popper” and “nappy” talk. Tee-hee! The closure tabs are rather stiff on the Tini & Easy Fits, so I really wondered if they’d stay folded back and attached to the laundry tabs. Both the newborn and the big version didn’t give me any trouble. They have a snap down rise to fit babies 8-35 pounds, and the rise snaps are color matched as well.

Above left, I’ve pictured the fleece liner that was included with my diaper. The Easy Fit still has a half sewn-in soaker and brushed polyester side guards to prevent compression leaks. However, instead of a 2 layer soaker made of microfiber & rayon from bamboo, the soaker is 3 layers of color matched minky. This gives you more absorbency with less bulk.

The soaker is super easy to tuck in. It comes out on its own in the wash, but it doesn’t bunch or turn the whole diaper inside out. It gets cleaner & dries faster than an AIO with a completely sewn in soaker, and it’s quicker to stuff the soaker back in than it is to match and stuff pocket diapers. The pocket also allows you to add additional absorbency if you need it. The flap covering the pocket opening on my Tini Fit was the same brushed polyester as the side guards, but this Easy Fit is a different, even softer polyester.

Here is the small setting measured folded & stretched:

Below, I closed the left side of the diaper first. You can overlap the tabs (both of them,) and if you notice, the right tab extends further, allowing you to close the diaper even more tightly if you close the left tab on top of it.

Medium:

You can better see what I mean about the overlap in this picture!

Large:

My older son is 2 years, 9 months old and in the neighborhood of 29ish pounds. I put him in the large setting, and he looks like he has room in this one.

My little guy had just turned 3 months old last week when I took these pictures. He’s around 11 pounds (guessing…he was 10 lbs a month ago) and he’s somewhat slender since he’s a bit taller.

The small setting fits him with no leg gap, without struggling or double checking that it’s snug enough. This is what it looks like all the way closed, with that entire overlap being used.

The Tini Fit was one of my favorite newborn diapers because it gave me the absorbency I needed (with the booster, it was as absorbent as (if not more than) a one-size diaper, but fit far better. The Easy Fit fits my little guy with no gapping or readjusting, and fits my big guy too. Plus, it’s absorbent enough for both of them! My younger son can soak a one-size microfiber insert in 2 hours, and so far the Easy Fit has lasted longer than that without a hint of leaking. That said, I have a hard time comparing the absorbency of inserts since both boys can really have a wide variation in their wetting habits. Since I can’t remove this insert it’s not as easy to tell how wet it is as it is when you yank a sopping wet microfiber insert out of a pocket. I’m still trying to find a good way to test insert absorbency “scientifically,” but Bummis says the old style Easy Fit can hold 17.6 oz (wow!) and I believe this is more absorbent.

You will be able to find the new style Easy Fit (and new prints) at Bummis Retailers in April. The new Tots Bots Easy Fit diapers will still retail for $23.95. You can see new prints & colors in Tots Bots’ Facebook album and they have photos of the inners as well. I pretty much want one in every color. 😉

FTC compliance: I received the pictured diaper at no cost for review purposes. I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own.

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Ones & Twos AIO Cloth Diaper Review & Giveaway (CLOSED 2/7)

Jan 31,2012 / By Maria / 15 Comments

Ones & Twos are easy to use, all-in-one cloth diapers

Ones & Twos are designed to be very easy to use, even for those new to cloth. Therefore, they only come in hook & loop (Velcro) closures.

They have soft laundry tabs, and the hook part of the hook & loop is a little unusual, different than others I’ve seen. It’s more of a stiff plastic. Very hard to explain and equally difficult to photograph, but I tried!

The diapers have stay dry inners and encased leg elastic.

There are 4 snap down rise settings.

These 4 settings are designed to fit babies from 6 1/2-39 lbs.

The Ones & Twos offers the best of both worlds, with both a sewn in soaker, and also a front opening pocket to add additional absorbency.

Bamboo boosters are available separately, but each diaper comes with a microfiber booster. The best part is that the booster is topped with stay-dry microfleece, so you can just lay it right inside the diaper, without dealing with stuffing and un-stuffing.

Here is the XS/Newborn setting (6.5-13 lbs) measured folded and stretched (not an exact science!):

Small (11-22 lbs):

Medium (19-31 lbs):

Large (22-39 lbs):

I put my 29ish pound 2 1/2 year old in the large setting:

He definitely needs the included booster since he is an unpredictable heavy wetter. He isn’t big into the potty yet, but he tends to “hold it” and soak a diaper all at once sometimes!

I also tried the XS/Newborn setting on my 8 1/2 ish pound 6 week old:

It fit him well too, with no leg gap. It didn’t seem nearly as bulky as other one-size diapers are on him. I didn’t have any trouble snapping a newborn size onesie over it. The pictures make it look like the waist/rear elastic is digging in on both the boys, but it wasn’t at all.

While Ones & Twos don’t have lots of colors and prints (there are 6 colors, plus white) and don’t come in snaps, they are a great value and are super, super easy to use. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to someone thinking about switching from disposables to cloth since I think it would be an easy transition. My big question is how the velcro will hold up, and only time will tell. So far it has been fine with the handful of washes it’s been through, though it is pretty “grippy” and takes a bit of yanking to get it off the laundry tabs!

Ones & Twos Diapers solid colors retail for $16.95 each, or $79.95 ($15.99 each) for a 5-pack of white diapers. Find a Ones & Twos retailer, follow Ones & Twos on Twitter and “like” Ones & Twos on Facebook.

~~Giveaway: One reader will receive a Ones & Twos diaper in his/her choice of color. (ARV $16.95.) Entries go in the Rafflecopter form.~~

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FTC compliance: Although I received an item for review purposes, I was not otherwise compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

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Thirsties NEW Duo AIO Cloth Diaper Review

Jan 27,2012 / By Maria / 6 Comments

The Duo AIO cloth diaper is a brand new, U.S.A. made item from Thirsties.

Like the duo wrap, duo diaper and duo fitted, the duo AIO comes in size 1 (6-18 lbs/0-9 months) and size 2 (18-40 lbs/9-36 months) so you can truly take your child from birth to potty training with 2 sizes.

You can choose snap or hook & loop closures, and each size has a snap down rise to get a custom fit with 3 sizes within each size.

The duo AIO has leg & waist elastic like the fitteds rather than the double gussets of the wraps & pockets.

It also has a tunnel soaker (3 layers of microfiber) like the duo fab fitted. It doesn’t have the hemp that makes me love the duo pocket, but the tunnel design allows you to add absorbency, as well as allowing for more thorough cleaning and faster drying. The inner of the diaper is soft, stay-dry microfleece.

Here you can see that the duo AIO is much more similar to the duo fab fitted…

Than the duo pocket (accidentally had the duo pocket on the small setting vs the AIO’s large in this photo):

The sizing is also more similar to the fitteds.

Here is the size 1/small setting measured folded and stretched:

Medium:

Large:

Here’s the Thirsties Duo AIO size 1/small setting on my 6 week old, 8.5ish lb son:

To compare, here he is the same day in a Duo Pocket (print), duo fab fitted (honeydew) and wrap (honeydew also.)

I have pictures of the fab fitted on my son at days old and 6 lbs 5 oz in my newborn cloth diaper post if you’re curious about fit on a smaller baby!

This diaper is designed to be both easy to use, and affordable. 8 solid colors (plus white) retail for just $15.75, and prints are $1 more. This is $3 less than the duo pocket diaper however, hemp inserts retail for $9.00/2 pack. So, if you need the extra absorbency of hemp all the time, in every diaper, you’re not really saving over the pocket since it includes the 2 piece insert.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend these to someone new to cloth, who wants something affordable, that’s also super easy to use and wash!

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

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Thirsties Duo Pocket Cloth Diaper Review

Jan 27,2012 / By Maria / 5 Comments

In nearly 2 1/2 years of cloth diapering, I have purchased and reviewed lots of Thirsties products including a size 2 duo diaper I bought about 20 months ago. However, as I was getting ready to post my Thirsties Duo AIO review, I realized I’ve never really done a proper duo diaper review. My June 2010 review was really before I did my reviews the way I do now, and while I photographed and mentioned the size 1 in my newborn cloth diaper post, I didn’t go into a ton of detail, and I’ve never compared size 1 to size 2. Not even in my duo wrap review or my duo fitted review!

So the overview is that the duo sizing is size 1 for 6-18 lbs (0-9 months) and size 2 for 18-40 lbs (9-36 months.) This means that two sizes will fit newborn-potty vs needing newborn, one size, and potentially larger sizes once the o/s are outgrown. Both sizes of the duo diaper retail for $18.50 for solids and $19.50 for prints. There are 8 colors plus white, 5 prints, and the family tree print available exclusively at my affiliate, Kelly’s Closet. Thirsties products are made in the U.S.A., and the PUL is free of VOC’s, PVC, phthalates, lead, and latex.

Now the diapers are available in both snap and hook & loop closures.

Whether you choose size 1 or size 2, you still have 3 sizes to choose from via a snap down rise, as you often see on a one-size diaper. The overall fit is much like the duo wrap, and the duo diaper has the same double gussets.

The diaper has a microfleece, stay-dry inner, front and back pocket, and the insert agitates out without unstuffing. The insert is really two inserts that snap together; a 2-layer microfiber insert and a 5 layer hemp/cotton insert. I find that this combo is the 1-2 punch necessary for leak-free extended wear (car rides, naps etc.)

Here’s the smallest setting of the size 1 measured folded and stretched (you’ll find small/large size 2 measurements in my size 2 review):

Medium size 1 folded & stretched:

Large size 1 folded & stretched:

Now here is the size 1 vs the size 2 (in blue):

Here I have both the size 1 and the size 2 on their smallest settings:

Both on the large setting:

Finally, here is the largest setting of the size 1 compared to the smallest setting of the size 2:

Each comes with an insert sized to fit the diaper:

Here’s my 2 1/2 year old (ok, he’s “32 months” old if you want an exact #!) and about 29 pounds, in the largest setting of the size 2 (the small setting of the size 2 hit him around his belly button at a year old/17 lbs):

The small setting of the size 1 fit my little guy perfectly as soon as his cord stump fell off. It fit him with the stump too, but having diapers over it kept it from drying out. Here he is at 6 lb 5 oz and just a few days old:

Now at 6 weeks and about 8 1/2 lbs:

I generally avoid photographing old, well loved diapers because it’s kinda gross. However, I thought it was interesting to see how this diaper has held up. Keep in mind that I had a very tiny stash for more than a year, so this was washed a lot!

The inner and the exposed part of the elastic are pretty dingy, but most of the wear is in the velcro. Some choose snaps to avoid this, but I think it’s really held up pretty well for as old as the diaper is, and as much use as it’s received. My husband really prefers velcro, so that’s what I choose most of the time!

So there you have it! The Thirsties Duo Pocket diaper!

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

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Category : Velcro/Aplix Closure

Bumgenius 4.0 Cloth Diaper Giveaway – Self-Sponsored (CLOSED 4/3) U.S. & Canada

NEW Style – Tots Bots Easy Fit Cloth Diaper (From Bummis) Review

Ones & Twos AIO Cloth Diaper Review & Giveaway (CLOSED 2/7)

Thirsties NEW Duo AIO Cloth Diaper Review

Thirsties Duo Pocket Cloth Diaper Review

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