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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Giveaway Virtual Baby Shower Event

Greeting Card Universe Custom Greeting Cards Giveaway (CLOSED 11/7)

Oct 31,2011 / By Maria / 3 Comments

Greeting Card Universe has a crazy number of unique, custom and personalized cards, invitations and announcements. Browse through dozens of categories, and if you don’t find quite what you’re looking for, task an artist and a new card will be created within 48 hours, at no extra charge! Cards are already easily customizable from photos to text, and Greeting Card Universe will even send your card directly to the recipient, just for the price of the stamp (internationally too!) Cards are $3.00 each, but are discounted when you buy 5 or more.

The birth announcements and photo birth announcements are so cute; they have styles to fit every taste and can I just say that I LOVE the idea of having them mailed directly?

Greeting Card Universe has cards for occasions you’d never find elsewhere, cards in foreign languages, cute, hilarious, and even sarcastic cards.

You can choose from adoption announcements, photo adoption annoucements cute or funny pregnancy announcements, and even cards for twins, triplets (and more!)

They have lots of unique thank you cards and baby shower thank you cards, and like every other card they can be customized too!

I’m known for sending thank you notes very promptly after receiving a gift. When I had my daughter, I almost dreaded getting a gift since it became a source of stress to stay on top of the thank yous when I had a newborn baby who wouldn’t nap and wouldn’t let me put her down! At one point I ran out of cards and stationery, and I would have loved to have chosen, customized and mailed a card from Greeting Card Universe vs. dragging her to the store, looking for cards, writing it out, signing it, addressing it and getting it in the mailbox!! I know it’s maybe not quite as personal as signing and addressing it yourself but still!

If you’re looking for a unique card or any card really, check Greeting Card Universe first!

Be sure to follow Greeting Card Universe on Twitter and “like” Greeting Card Universe on Facebook!

~~Giveaway: One winner will receive a code for 5 free greeting cards. (ARV $15) Entries go in the Rafflecopter form.~~

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Serta Royal Sleeper Crib Mattress Review & Organic Mattress Pad Giveaway (CLOSED 11/4)

Oct 28,2011 / By Maria / 5 Comments

I received a Serta Royal Sleeper crib mattress to review for the new baby. My son is using an almost 7 year old crib mattress, which has been in near constant use for those 7 years between my daughter using it in a crib, then toddler bed, then passing it along to him. Don’t worry, we will be buying him a new one for sure!

I’m not even sure what that mattress is, but it’s the typical white/pastel flower print, vinyl exterior, stiff crib mattress. The under side of it (the side my daughter used) is actually cracked. I don’t remember how much it was, maybe $80 or so, but really, it should have been replaced at least 3 times by now!

The mattress is not 100% organic however, it’s an excellent compromise. It has 221 continuous coils for support & durability and fully clipped perimeter border wire for firm edges and balanced support when your baby is standing. 4 corner supports and 2 side flex clips provide additional support. Over the coils, there is an ortho-insulator layer, a layer of organic cotton, then a Serta Fireblocker layer. Everything is covered with a water resistant, hypoallergenic jacquard cover. I haven’t tested the cover to see just how water resistant it is, but I initially didn’t think it was, until I read the packaging. It feels like a lovely mattress, not the plastic you expect from a crib mattress. There are also 6 vents to keep air circulating. The cover is secured with heavy binding and lock stitching.

The mattress I received actually sat in the plastic for a good month+ while we waited for our crib to ship. When we took it out we discovered a small defect where some of the lock stitching was missed. I contacted the company (the mattresses are actually made by Lajobi) not expecting much…the mattress was “free” after all, but I did want to let them know. I received a speedy response and they replaced the mattress for me! Excellent, courteous and professional customer service.

The Serta Royal Sleeper is sold at Babies R Us with a list price of $159.99. At the time I’m writing this, it’s on sale for $129.99, and there’s an additional $20 off $125 savings. I’m sure that will be over by the time this post is published, but if you’re on their mailing list, you will likely have a 20% off coupon to use! Anyway my point is that while this mattress seemed pricey at first, you can really get it for about the same as the “cheap” crib mattresses, and it is so much nicer. I don’t doubt that it will last through crib and toddler bed use, as opposed to our “cheapie” mattress, that didn’t make it through my daughter’s crib days intact.

The mattress is a standard crib mattress size, and will fit in both cribs and toddler beds. Since it is water resistant but not water proof I think I will buy a Serta Organic Mattress Cover like the one I have to give away to one of you! The cover retails for $24.99, and is 52″ x 28″ and fitted. It’s elasticized end to end so it doesn’t shift, is PVC and Phthlate free and machine washable. The top is 100% organic quilted cotton and the underside is 100% waterproof!

~~Giveaway: I have a Serta Organic Crib Mattress pad to send one winner! (ARV $24.99.) Entries go in the Rafflecopter form.~~

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EcoBabies Newborn Cloth Diaper Rental Info & Diaperaps Starter Pack Giveaway (CLOSED 11/3)

Oct 27,2011 / By Maria / 9 Comments

Eco Babies is an online cloth diaper retailer that offers cloth diapers, accessories, detergent, training pants, swim diapers, eco-friendly toys, baby grooming/skin care products, baby carriers, eco-friendly feeding products and breastfeeding products.

Eco Babies ships internationally, and offers free shipping on orders over $50 to the domestic United States. There are a few things that really make Eco Babies stand out. One is the cloth diaper workshops they offer in the Maryland, D.C./Virginia area (Prince George’s, Montgomery, Howard, Anne Arundel, Charles, St. Mary’s, Arlington & Fairfax Counties & Washington DC.) They will soon be offering baby wearing workshops as well! If you can’t make one of the workshops, Eco Babies offers in-home consults. For a small $25 fee, Lee-Ann will come to your home and go over cloth diaper basics, helping you determine what would work best for your family. She will travel within 50 miles of zip code 20720, if you live in this area (or have a friend/family member who is expecting & lives in the area) I think an in-home consult and a gift certificate would be an amazing gift. Eco Babies has a gift registry as well.

The other unique thing Eco Babies offers is their newborn cloth diaper rental. Newborn diapers can get expensive, and depending on your baby’s size, they may not be in them long. When you purchase a newborn rental/trial package, you pay $220 up front which includes a rental fee of $35/month (minimum rental period is 60 days, you just let Eco Babies know by 45 days if you need an additional month) as well as $20 worth of bio liners and cloth diaper detergent (this fee is non-refundable.) The remainder of the fee ($130) is a deposit, which will be refunded upon return of the items (less any items you decide to keep, or items that are lost or damaged beyond normal wear & tear.) You will receive your cash refund within 30 days of returning the items, or if you elect to receive store credit instead, you will get a 10% bonus, and have $143 to spend!

The package includes:

6ea. OsoCozy Indian Unbleached Prefolds – Preemie Size (4-10lbs)
12ea. OsoCozy Indian Unbleached Prefolds – Infant Size (7-15lbs)
3ea. Bummis Super Brite Covers – XS (4-9lbs)
3ea. Bummis Super Brite Covers – S (8-16lbs)
2 ea. Fuzzi Bunz XS Pocket Diapers – XS (4-12lbs)
2ea. GroVia Newborn AIOs (5-12lbs) OR Rumparooz Lil’ Joeys AIOs (4-12lbs)
2ea. Imse Vimse Newborn Contour Flanelette Diapers (4.5-18lbs) OR Bummis Bamboozle Fitted Diapers (5-18lbs)
1ea. Snappi – Infant Sized
1ea. Roll of Bummis Bio-Liners – S
1ea. Bag of Classic Rock Rockin’ Green Detergent

The package is structured in such a way that a new mom can go for 1-2 days before having to wash diapers. Items can be used or new, and used items are sanitized by a professional cloth diaper service before being sent out to another customer.

Eco Babies is offering my readers a 5% discount on their orders. Just enter coupon code CHA5DIA at checkout. (One use per customer, expires 11/30/11.)

Be sure to follow Eco Babies on Twitter, “like” Eco Babies on Facebook and follow the Eco Babies Blog.

Giveaway: One lucky winner will receive a Diaperaps starter pack including one newborn organic cotton cover (6-11 lbs), two infant size 16″ x 12″ (fits up to 16 lbs) easy fold diapers (prefolds), three biodegradable diaper liners and a cloth diapering guide in a cute box. (ARV $20) Entries go in the Rafflecopter form below.