A cloth booty for Baby Alive Whoopsie Doo!

Feb 7,2010 / By Maria / 1 Comment

>As I said in my previous post, my daughter wanted a Baby Alive doll for her 5th Birthday. Since her Birthday was today (Happy Birthday!), I can finally post some good photos of the diapers I bought for her doll! She was so thrilled with her gift, I couldn’t really pry it out of her hot little hands in order to take “good” photos.

I bought 4 diapers from Heartland Dreams. Her daughter actually made them; they are flipping amazing! I paid $4 for each and they are well worth it. The normal price is $3 each, but I asked for an extra layer in the middle since these need to absorb a bit too! I think the Baby Alive brand sposies go for around a buck a piece, and even preemie size disposables are horrendously expensive, as well as wasteful.

You can see the Baby Alive diaper on the right side of the photo. The HD diapers are quite a bit larger, but work just fine. I almost forgot that she included a cloth wipe for free! You can see it on top of the diaper in the front. It is soft, double sided and very well made. I’d love some for my son!

The diapers (and wipe) are amazingly well made. I would be thrilled to receive a “real” diaper made as well as these. They are very easy for a child to use, the stitching is perfect, the prints are adorable…I could go on and on.

My daughter was so happy to get these, and was very excited that she could “feed” her baby water, then just let them dry and reuse them! She loved the prints (I didn’t ask for specific ones).

Baby Alive (named “Sophie,” for today anyway) says “Hooray for cloth booties!”

Slightly related Sidenote:

I am still peeved at myself for not buying this diaper while it was still available, and then missing out on this one too.

Even this one and this one were snapped up before I had a chance!

I’m such a waffler. Ugh, I swear. If I see an AI2 listed that I like, I am stalking that puppy and buying it! After seeing the doll diapers, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy anything she sells. In fact, if the doll diapers were bigger and had elastic at the legs (and a few more soaker layers), I’d put them on my son, ha ha!

—————

On a somewhat related topic, my daughter’s preschool allows the parent to bring a snack on their child’s Birthday. I’m not into excessive sugary “stuff,” and they actually don’t allow it. My daughter loves fruit, so I bought cherries, blueberries, strawberries, grapes, oranges and bananas.

I sliced and pitted the cherries, removed the strawberry stems, sliced the bananas (also also crinkle cut them and soaked them in orange juice), and cut and sectioned the oranges.

Yum!!

I bought some wooden skewers, I think they were 10″. The store had two lengths and these were the shorter of the two.

I alternated fruits and then topped then off with blueberries to the end of the pointy tip.

They were a huge hit and were gobbled more quickly and enthusiastically then cupcakes!

0

Fitted Buddy Bear Bottoms (say that 10x fast!)

Jan 25,2010 / By Maria / No Comment

>Buddy Bear Bottoms are made by a work at home mom, and sold on Hyenacart. P.S. Read here if you’re curious about the website name.

Sellers do not stock items continuously, and beause of the nature of the items/craft, diapers are often one of a kind or limited. I hesitated too long on the diaper I really wanted from Heartland Dreams and it sold. I was really disappointed and kept looking at this one. I finally told myself that if it was still there when I got home (I was at the grocery store at the time), I was buying it! It was, and I did!

I love little touches like that adorable piece of yarn tied in a bow, but it scared me for a second. I thought, oh no!! I didn’t mean to buy a girly diaper with a bow on it! Oh well, maybe hubby won’t notice! Don’t worry, I’m not that stupid, it only took me a second to figure it out. Hee hee.

This is a fitted diaper, which means it does not have a waterproof layer, and should be used with a cover. They’re wonderful because they are so breatheable. You can put your baby in a shirt, diaper and babylegs and just change often, rather than using a cover. Then you don’t cover the adorable diaper. Some of the cutest diapers and prints are fitteds.

I don’t know what it is about this kind of diaper, but they speak to me. I see them in their photos all squishy and trim and they call out “Buy me! Buy me!”

They look so scrumptious stacked up.

I just fell in love with this print. I know hearts are a little girly, but I think the colors make it boyish also. Right? Right?

The diaper has a thick, squishy snap in soaker.

The soaker is made out of ZORB, the outer of the diaper is cotton knit, and the inner is anti-pill fleece.

It took no time to dry.

This is a one size fitted with a fold down rise. It has adorable color coordinated snaps.

As well as an extra row of snaps on the inside, for folding down the rise.

If you notice the snap on the right between the orange and green, you’ll see you can overlap the wings to get a snug fit.

The weight guidelines are 10-35 lbs, which can vary baby to baby, as I’ve noted before. The max rise is 17″ and the max waist is 22″.

It seemed to fit my 15.5-16 pound kiddo fine on the standard (unfolded) rise setting.

However, it didn’t add much bulk to use the smaller setting with the soaker folded down.

He had it on (no cover) for at least an hour and a half, if not more than two hours (I wish I had looked at the clock!) with no leaking and no wicking. The soaker was fairly soaked (hardy har har) so as I folded it and held it in my hand, I could feel some moisture seeping into the outer layer.

I would probably use a cover in any situation where he’d be susceptible to compression (like in the car), but it’s a darn shame to cover up such a cute diaper at home! Although, the econobum cover is so thin, you could see the diaper right through it!

I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another Buddy Bear Bottoms diaper!

Edit August 2010: I ended up selling this. Fitteds are not my preference for daytime use, and it wasn’t absorbent enough to hold up to my heavy wetter at night.

0

Testing, testing 1 2 3…

Jan 23,2010 / By Maria / No Comment

>

A lot of diaper makers get started because there is some need that is not being met by other diapers. If she decides to sell to others, she needs to see how her diapers fit on babies of other sizes and shapes, how they hold up to wigglers and heavy wetters, and what other moms think of her design.

Other times, an experienced diaper seller is trying a new design, or even branching out to new products, and she needs feedback.

Enter…the tester.

What a seller usually does is offer her product for the cost of shipping and materials, in exchange for brutally honest feedback, and typically also photos of the product in use.

This can be a great chance to try a new design for a great price, though most sellers would prefer a mom who has been cloth diapering for a little while vs someone brand new to cloth. Of course, that means that you may get a product with a few flaws or bugs that need to be worked out, or something that just doesn’t work for your child.

I had the opportunity to test an E.F.F.-n-Stuffs (Enjoy Fabulous Fluff -n- stuffs) diaper. The diapers will be sold in the Home 2 Home congo on Hyenacart.

She is also working on a nighttime diaper and also plans to offer custom diaper bags and combo sets!

Her regular prices will vary between $10 and $25 depending on style. She charged her testers for materials and shipping (I paid the same as all other testers and my review was not influenced in any way!)

I got a size Medium (10-22 lbs) all in two for my 15.5 lb boy. She also offers Small (NB/6 lb-12 lb) and Large (20-34 lb).

She uses cottons, cotton knit, jersey knit, interlocks, wool interlocks and more.

She ran out of the fabric I requested (you don’t get to be too picky when you’re a tester and that’s OK!) so she used some purple polyester on mine.

The inside is lined with fleece or cotton velour.

The soaker is thick, soft and squishy. Her standard soaker has microfiber sandwiched between fleece x2 and suedecloth next to babies skin. Her special soaker is the same, but has a hidden layer of PUL in the soaker.

Prior to this round of testing she made the AI2s without PUL and used fleece only but wanted to test and see if PUL makes any difference. She, herself, never used covers with her diapers, even to go out. The fleece of the cover is considered pretty water proof.

She will also offer a custom soaker with 5 layers of OBF sandwiched between fleece x2 and suedecloth next to babies skin, or hidden PUL.

I’ve actually only ever seen diapers with PUL through the whole diaper. Her method makes a lot of sense since the PUL would only be where needed, and the rest of the diaper area could breathe more.

I was a little concerned because it seemed a bit narrow as well as bulky, but it was just fine on.

I did not seem to add too much bulk between his legs and it was just the right width.

The wings are quite wide (“extended tabs”), but she plans to also offer “minimal tabs” as an option. Her diapers are purposely cut with more of a “boy short” shape for more booty coverage, making pants optional!

I did have a little trouble selecting the right snap settings to get a good fit around his waist and rolly thighs, but I usually have a learning curve getting used to any new diaper! There is tons of adjustability, and the tabs even have the ability to overlap.

So far, so good! He wore the diaper for about 2 hours and we had no leaks. The soaker didn’t even feel wet (though I know it was!) The only thing was that his hiney & the area around his leg were very red, which is rare for him since switching to cloth. I’m not sure what to make of that.

I wondered how he’d do with the polyester, but it wasn’t touching his skin, and he doesn’t have trouble with diapers lined with PUL. I’ll have to see if it does the same thing next time we use it. It was probably just a coincidence!

Edit August 2010: I did not care for the cut of this diaper/how it fit on my son, so I ended up passing it along.

0

Detergents WAHM made

Another Addiction

Jan 10,2010 / By Maria / No Comment

>Well, cloth diapering is addictive enough. Throw in Lil Outlaws‘ great products and delicious scents, and the case is closed. I’m addicted.

I had been spending an unhealthy amount of time looking at all the fragrance descriptions already, and when I found out that there was a Buy 4, Get 4 Free Sale on the detergent, I really wanted to buy. The sale ran only through December 31st, and she warned that her prices would go up in 2010. So, I bit.

I have a really hard time choosing scents, but I’m loving everything that I’ve chosen. I prefer powdery florals or light, clean scents.

Here’s what I chose:

2 Baby Bee A fragrance cocktail of luscious fruits such as peaches, mandarin oranges, coconut pulp, bergamot, grapefruit, tropical guava, and tangy lemons. I like baby clothes to smell baby-ish and this was the only baby scent she had available at the time. Butt Naked is my favorite.

Biolage Matrix top notes of forest fresh green leaves and lemon zests, and well rounded with fruity notes of peaches, apples, and pineapples. A very fresh fragrance that will entice and energize your day. (similar to the shampoo)

Quince A duplicate of the Henri Bendel* fragrance, this fragrance is a light amber woody accord with a splash of fruit and nuance of green.

Yacht Club Want to go yacht sailing on the ocean on a mid summer morning? A fragrance reminiscent of upscale living with salty marine notes and fresh rain, with just a hint of fresh strawberry and kiwi to provide this scent with a well-rounded presentation.

Lotus Blossom The lotus flower is a symbol of beauty, purity, and fertility. Lotus flowers are water-fresh, clean, and slightly powdery in nature. Not too sweet, absolutely perfect! Even people who do not like florals will love this aroma!

Lemon EO

Rice Flower & Shea A very light scent. This duplicate of the BBW* fragrance is a rich bouquet of fruits and flowers on an intense, alluring base of musk and creamy vanilla notes.

I actually didn’t get the Rice Flower & Shea but I contacted Jacklen and she is sending a replacement out to make up for the mix-up.

The scents I’ve tried previously are Baby Bee, Baby Powder, Butt Naked, Giggles, Midsummer’s Night and Laundromat.

All the scents are fabulous, but I found myself sniffing the Quince, Lotus Blossom and Yacht club over and over. Lotus Blossom and Yacht Club are definitely my new favorites. My typical M.O. is to “save the best for last” but I went ahead and cracked open the Yacht Club so I wouldn’t be tempted to use too much to zip through it and get to my favorites. LOL!

I had an empty 4 quart oxo pop container, and I stuck 4 bags in it to contain the smell and keep the bags neat. The detergent is typically sent in a heat sealed bag with a printed label, but this time it came in ziploc bags with the scent written in sharpie. She was really busy with the big sale of course!

I would like to get some .9 Qt containers to keep the detergent in, like the ones I use for my baking stuff, but they’re a little pricey.

For now, I have the opened bags in ziploc containers.

Uh, yeah. I may also have a little label maker addiction.
I also learned something about Lil Outlaws. I am of course a numbers gal, so I had figured out the cost per load and how long each bag would last, based on the assertion that each package contained 70 loads of 1 Tablespoon each. I was figuring there should be 4 3/8 cups, or just over 1 Qt in each bag. I was confused when I realized there was only about 3 1/2 cups in a bag.

So, I asked and found out that Jacklen does it by weight. She figured that each load weighs .45 oz, or 31.5 oz for a batch. She always puts at least 2 pounds in a bag, but sometimes puts more, therefore each bag may have a slightly different amount.

It immediately all became clear. “Product sold by weight, not volume. Contents may have settled during shipping.” Sound familiar? I think we’ve all gotten a half empty box of cereal before! I have no idea why it didn’t occur to me before. In fact, I’ll bet if I measured the same 1 Tablespoon, it would be considerably heavier for me, after being packed and shipped, than it was for Jacklen when she weighed it right after mixing. So that accounts for the difference in volume and assures me that I could use less and still get the same cleaning power. Shew.

Here is a video that’s more food related, but shows why you should weigh, not measure, your food if you’re watching your calorie intake.

Anyhoo, now that the mystery is solved, I can drool over the other Lil Outlaws scents. I really want to try the “Rump Solution” for my wipes, but I still have about half of the Booty Cubes I bought. One cube makes 1 cup of solution, and that 1 cup in a spray bottle lasts me 1-2 weeks. Argh. Cost effective, yes, but I’ll never get through it!

Here are the other scents I think sounds scrumptious (though I’m not typically into fruity stuff!)

Amazing Grace – A feminine fragrance that will make you feel pretty…oh so pretty! Italian bergamot and sparkling lemon are sweetened with freshly picked citron and neroli. A white floral jasmine, orange blossom and rose are blended with sheer musk and cedarwood.

Blackened Amethyst – A seductive fragrance created for chic, confident women who like to “live a little”. This fragrance combines aquatic top notes with Italian bergamot, rare camellias, and lime; followed by notes of exotic sandalwood and vetiver.

Pink Lime – Top notes of lime, dewfruit, peach, orange, apple, and mandarin blend with middle notes of lily, berries, jasmine, and lavender into a sandalwood, raspberry vanilla, musk, coconut base.

Pink Sugar – Lively floral with top notes of bergamot, orange, strawberry and licorice. The heart blends red fruit, lily of the valley, fig leaves and soft powder notes. The base is a cotton candy, vanilla, caramel, musk and woody blend.

When I eventually get the rump solution, I’ll probably stick to butt naked, oatmeal milk & honey and baby powder.

Other scents that aren’t in stock now, but caught my eye before are moonlight path, winter candy apple, pink watermelon, white tea & ginger, white nectarine & pink coral, and nectarine mint.

You can’t waffle around on this because if a scent is in stock now, it might be sold out when you check again in an hour. It makes it fun to try new things, but also frustrating sometimes. She is offering fragrance sniffies now, but by the time you decide, it will probably be out of stock!

The good thing is that since shipping is included, you can order one bag here and there as scents you like come in stock. I’m sure my husband would kill me if I bought any more though. Hee hee.

0

Handmade Items Toys WAHM made

Cloth doll diapers

Jan 7,2010 / By Maria / No Comment

>It’s not that difficult to find cheap, single layer flannel doll diapers, like the ones that come with American Girl Bitty Baby.

However, I’ve been suckered into buying my daughter a Baby Alive Whoopsie Doo Doll for her birthday next month. I never intended to buy the baby alive diapers at over a buck a pop, but the preemie size disposables aren’t looking that attrative to me either. Not just because I’m sure she will go through a pack the first day she has it, but it’s environmentally irresponsible and just not something I want to do.

Anyway, there are some sellers on Hyenacart that have really cute doll diapers. They are much cuter and better made than the aforementioned American Girl diapers, but still only typically have two layers, and won’t hold up to a heavy wetting baby doll.

The maker of Heartland Dreams diapers offers doll diapers made by her 12 year old daughter, and said she could do a diaper with added material to make it a bit absorbent. At $4 each, a handful of them would be a much better investment than sposies anyway!

0

Category : WAHM made

A cloth booty for Baby Alive Whoopsie Doo!

Fitted Buddy Bear Bottoms (say that 10x fast!)

Testing, testing 1 2 3…

Another Addiction

Cloth doll diapers

Subscribe