Carole’s Cozy Comforts Newborn Hats (Keep Me off Etsy Please!)

Oct 13,2011 / By Maria / 3 Comments

It may sound silly, but since all three of my kids have been/will be “surprise” genders, it’s really fun to put them in their first pink or blue outfit. My first two were born in the hospital, so they received a cute little pink or blue hat to wear, which I saved in their memory boxes. This baby will be born at home, but I still really wanted a cute pink or blue hat! Oh and uhh…have I mentioned how much I love Etsy?

After sifting through 8 jillion baby hats (which OMG, be still my wallet, you could spend a fortune on hats alone!) I found Carole’s Cozy Comforts. Oh dear, you have to look at some of her baby hats. Acorn hats, pumpkin hats, apples, tomatoes and blueberries? So cute!!

A few days after my hat hunt, I had a dream that a friend and I were at the craft store trying to learn how to knit baby hats, ha ha!!

As cute as all the pom pom hats and elf hats and everything else are, I just wanted a basic, plain old hat in pink and blue. I found it in the Basic Baby Hat in Light Blue and the Basic Baby Hat in Light Pink. You can get a hat in pretty much any size you want, I of course chose the newborn!

They are machine washable and dryable, though it’s recommended that you hand wash them and lay them flat to dry. They are made from 100% acrylic yarn and are stretchy to fit nicely and comfortably. They were $10 each, which I think is fair considering how well made they are!

It’s a little big for my model, but hopefully it will fit a baby better, tee-hee!

FTC compliance: Products were purchased by me, at normal retail prices. I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own.

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Aden & Anais Slumber Muslin Sleeping Bag Review & Giveaway (CLOSED 10/19)

Oct 12,2011 / By Maria / 4 Comments

October is SIDS awareness month, and Aden & Anais (you may know them for their popular muslin swaddling blankets!) are proud sponsors of the CJ foundation for SIDS. They have a great PDF flyer with 10 safety tips and one of those tips is to remove loose bedding, and consider a wearable blanket instead.

I received an Aden & Anais slumber, classic muslin sleeping bag. It is a light weight, single layer of muslin, and is available in 8 prints/colors. I received the Jungle Jam elephant print! The sleeping bags are also available in a cozy version, which is 4 layers of muslin.

I chose the size small, which fits up to 6 months, 23-28″ and 10-18 lbs. I love that they are available in sizes up to XL, which fits 18-24 months, 35-40″ and 26-36 lbs. So you can keep your baby safe and cuddly warm, no matter what his age or size.

Muslin’s light, open weave allows your baby’s body to regulate it’s temperature, without getting overheated. They’re breathable and soft, and get softer with every wash.

There’s an extra strip of muslin over the zipper, so you don’t have to worry about it scratching your little one!

The sleeping bags are designed to be worn over pajamas, and zip from the bottom to make diaper changes easier!

My son caught me trying to take some pictures and insisted that his bear model for you (he is used to me snatching his Manni for newborn diaper photos!)

I can’t wait to have a new baby to put in this sleeping bag, and the elephant print will be adorable whether it’s a boy or a girl!!

~~Giveaway: One winner will receive an Aden & Anais classic sleeping bag in his/her choice of size and print (ARV $32.00) Entries go in the Rafflecopter form.~~

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Dapple Baby Dish Liquid & Toy Cleaner Wipes

Oct 11,2011 / By Maria / No Comment

Dapple Baby is a line of natural cleaners that are baby safe, including dish liquid, dishwasher powder, toy cleaner spray and wipes.

I received a travel size dish liquid and travel size toy cleaner wipes.

The baby safe dish liquid rinses easily, is biodegradable, not tested on animals, is phthlate, paraben, SLES & dye free and is certified to contain no detectable levels of dioxane

Ingredients:

Purified water, baking soda, cleaners derived from fruits, tree oils and glucose, French lavender essential oil, essential oil dispersant.

The full size dish liquid is available in cases of 6 16.9 oz bottles for $41.94, or find a store near you.

The toy wipes also contain natural based ingredients, are bidegradable, not tested on animals, phthlate, paraben, SLES and dye free, and are certified to contain no detectable levels of dioxane

Ingredients:

Two naturally derived cleaning agents, fruit derived buffer, two natural preservatives, Lavender essential oil, purified water, biodegradable fabric.

The toy cleaner wipes are available in cases of 6 35-count canisters for $47.94 (check your local store for individual canisters) or in 15-count travel soft packs (12 packs for $35.88.)

Dapple baby will help you get everything from bottles to toys to high chairs clean, without exposing your baby to harsh chemicals. I think Dapple Baby products would make a great addition to a gift basket full of natural baby products and organic baby products!

Like Dapple Baby on Facebook, Follow Dapple Baby on Twitter and Keep Up with Dapple on their blog!

FTC compliance: Although I received product samples, I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own.

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Bumgenius XS / Newborn AIO Cloth Diaper Review & Giveaway (CLOSED 10/14) US/CAN

Oct 7,2011 / By Maria / 18 Comments

My newborn cloth diaper stash just wouldn’t be complete without a Bumgenius newborn diaper!

Bumgenius 4.0s are designed to fit babies from 7-35 pounds, though I have heard some people say they don’t fit well until 8-10 lbs (depending on baby’s shape.) I will find out soon enough, since we started cloth diapering my son when he was over 14 lbs and needed the medium setting of Bumgenius 3.0s. (He is about 26 lbs, 28 months old and still in mediums!) Anyhoo, the XS/Newborn AIO is designed to bridge the gap there, and fit babies from 6-12 lbs. At just $12.95 each, I think they are very reasonably priced.

They have velcro closures, which I still think are the easiest! I know many people prefer snaps because of their longevity vs. velcro, but I figure most people won’t use newborn diapers long enough to notice. I definitely think velcro will make it easy for middle of the night changes, and trying to change diapers as quickly as possible. That’s assuming your babies scream bloody murder when they are put down, let alone diapered, like mine did. 😉 Since they are so small, they have just one laundry tab in the middle, and the other closure tab goes on the overlap of the first one.

They look just like the one size diapers as far as the leg elastic and the stay dry inner. However, the soaker is sewn in. The now discontinued Bumgenius sized AIOs in small, medium and large had an additional pocket to add absorbency. This also allowed you to turn the diaper inside out to get the insert cleaner. The XS doesn’t have this pocket. I don’t love AIOs as much as I do pockets and I wish Bumgenius would release an XS pocket diaper, or a mini one size pocket diaper. Hint, hint, hint… 😉

Here is the XS measured folded and stretched:

They are definitely a bit smaller than the one size diapers, but not really any narrower/trimmer through the crotch. It seems a bit larger than some of the other newborn diapers I have. I’m guessing I will either have to fold it down under the umbilical cord, or gently place it over. Of course, that also means it will fit longer!

Here’s my “model” in a newborn disposable and a size 1 disposable:

In the Bumgenius XS/Newborn AIO:

See my update after using this on a baby.

Giveaway: One reader will receive a Bumgenius XS/Newborn AIO cloth diaper in their choice of color (subject to availability.) Diaper will be purchased by me from my choice of reputable online cloth diaper retailer.

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Zoobies Blankie Babies / Blanket Pet Review & Giveaway (CLOSED 10/13)

Oct 6,2011 / By Maria / 14 Comments

Clearly I’ve been living in the dark ages, because I had never heard of Zoobies until about a month ago! If you’ve been living under the same rock I had been, Zoobies are plush “friends” that become a pillow, and have a fleece blanket inside.

The original blanket pets retail for $35, and are available in 24 adorable animals. Their sizes vary based on which animal you choose, but they are quite large, and the blanket measures 34″ x 44.” 9 adorable Storytime Pals feature your favorite characters, and retail for $38. Three slumber pets have sleeping bags inside instead and retail for $50. All are recommended for ages 3+, but safety tested for all ages.

I knew I couldn’t get one for one child and not the other, so instead I let them work together to choose one for the new baby. They both loved the Olivia Storytime pal, but we decided on the Baby Tama the Tortoise Blankie Baby.

The 6 cute blankie babies are smaller versions of the blanket pets, that are recommended for ages 0-2 and retail for $25.

They still serve as a friend, pillow and have a blanket measuring approximately 30″ x 24″ inside.

They also have a silky soft square on the blanket corner, and a detachable teething ring.

Velcro underneath allows it to turn from a cuddly stuffed animal to a pillow.

The blanket zips off for laundering, and it was not difficult to stuff it back in!

They’re not overwhelmingly large for the under two crowd, have squishy soft heads, and Zoobies polyester fill is made of recycled plastic (PET) bottles!

~~Giveaway: Zoobies is offering one of my readers the product of his/her choice (ARV $25-$50.) Entries go in the Rafflecopter form.~~

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Category : Review

Carole’s Cozy Comforts Newborn Hats (Keep Me off Etsy Please!)

Aden & Anais Slumber Muslin Sleeping Bag Review & Giveaway (CLOSED 10/19)

Dapple Baby Dish Liquid & Toy Cleaner Wipes

Bumgenius XS / Newborn AIO Cloth Diaper Review & Giveaway (CLOSED 10/14) US/CAN

Zoobies Blankie Babies / Blanket Pet Review & Giveaway (CLOSED 10/13)

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