OsoCozy All-in-One Cloth Diaper Review & Giveaway (CLOSED 4/12)

Apr 5,2011 / By Maria / 18 Comments

ClothDiaper.com sent me two OsoCozy All-in-One diapers to review. I had been eying them for a while, and I was excited to try them. They are U.S. made, have Velcro closures, are all-in-one style with soft cotton against baby, and though they only come in 3 colors, the colors are cute!

The diapers come in two sizes. Size 1/Small fits approximately 6-18 pounds, and size 2/Large fits about 18-35 pounds. They’re an all-in-one style with a PUL outer, so no cover is needed. I received both the bleached and unbleached version of the diaper in the size 2/Large.

Both versions have easy to use aplix closures with the ability to overlap, nice big laundry tabs and rear elastic.

The all-in-one style is very Daddy or babysitter friendly, since they go on just like a disposable!

You can choose between the bleached version, which is 100% cotton gauze, or the unbleached version, which is 100% cotton Birdseye weave. I did not notice any difference in performance or fit, so it’s just a matter of preference. Both diapers retail for just $14.95 each!

Here is the size 2/large measured folded and stretched:

My son is somewhere around 22 pounds, and while the size 2 fit him, I think he could definitely fit in the size 1 as well! My husband put the diaper on him the first time with the Velcro completely overlapped, so one wing was attached to the front of the diaper, but the other was attached only to the other wing. Without being attached to the front of the diaper, the other wing eventually drooped! The next time we just made sure both wings were attached to the diaper!

I think the OsoCozy is well made, easy to use and absorbent. The aqua color is gorgeous and gender neutral, and I love the little bear in their logo! They are very affordable at $14.95 each too!

Giveaway: ClothDiaper.com is offering one of my readers three OsoCozy AIO diapers, in their choice of size, color and bleached/unbleached! (ARV $44.85)

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 favorite ClothDiaper.com Item. You may receive Bonus entries if you “like” ClothDiaper.com on Facebook and/or “like” Osocozy on Facebook.

I will accept entries until Tuesday, April 12th, 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: 393

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

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Sprout Change Cloth Diaper Review

Mar 31,2011 / By Maria / 17 Comments

The Willow Store sent me a Sprout Change cloth diapering system to try. I’ve heard quite a bit about them, and was very intrigued by their one-size, reversible all-in-two system, with a unique size adjustment.

I received a “string bean” shell, which is an adorable bright blue on one side, and bright green on the other. Sprout Change has tons of options for the absorbent inserts.

I received two of the organic inserts, but they also have stay dry inserts, organic hemp prefolds, even organic or microfleece “soft sleeves,” so you can use extra microfiber inserts you have!

I love that the packaging includes the sizing instructions and guidelines!

The diaper is side snapping, but all of the size adjustments are made through hidden elastic inside the diaper.

The leg elastic is adjusted through a small opening located on the front of the diaper.

The waist elastic is adjusted through a snapped opening at the wing. This means that not only is the front of the diaper less bulky, but this is a very Daddy or babysitter friendly diaper, even for those who prefer Velcro. One you’ve adjusted the size, you’re set. There’s no figuring out which snap to use!

The 5 sizes are newborn (5-10 lbs), infant (10-18 lbs), crawler (15-22 lbs), walker (22-34 lbs) & potty (34+ lbs). I think you could also call these XS, S, M, L & XL. The packaging has recommended settings for each size. To keep things simple, I’ve taken photos of each size measured folded and stretched, set on the same setting for waist & legs (4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st and 0.)

Here is the Newborn/XS setting, 4th button hole for each leg, 4th on one side of the waist and 3rd on the other (couldn’t quite get it tight enough to do on both sides!)

Infant/Small/Setting 3 on Waist & Legs:

Crawler/Medium/Setting 2 on Waist & Legs:

Walker/Large/Setting 1 on Waist & Legs:

Potty/XL/Setting 0 on Waist & Legs:

When the diaper is “right side out,” the front of the diaper snaps to the wings, like a traditional side snapping diaper. When you reverse it, it still snaps on the side (vs the front) but the back of the diaper comes around to snap on the front panel of the diaper. It sounds complex, but it’s really quite simple. I was wondering how it would work!

I figured my 22 ish pound, 22 month old son would fit well in the walker setting. I knew the organic inserts would shrink when I prepped them. Initially, they were quite large!

Here is the insert measured before prepping (washing & drying 3+ times.)

After prepping:

After prepping, the inserts fit wonderfully in the walker size, without needing to fold them.

I probably could adjust the size even a little bit more; the beauty is that just taking a few minutes to get just the right fit, makes diaper changes super easy until you need to size up!

The diaper looked adorable, but also performed very well. The inserts are super absorbent, fit well with no shifting or leaking, and are very easy to use.

It was very easy to remove the wet insert, and reuse the shell, reversed for a change of pace!

Now I understand why people like Sprout Change so much! Shells retail for $16.95 separately, Stay Dry inserts are $4.75 and organic inserts are $5.75. You can save more by buying insert 6-packs or diaper packages/bundles!

FTC compliance: I received the above item at no charge in order to review it. I was not otherwise compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

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Natural Personal Care Products Review

Tom’s of Maine Natural Deodorant Review

Mar 24,2011 / By Maria / 44 Comments

Fair warning that this post talks about perspiration/smelly pits. 🙂

I’m going to be perfectly honest here; I really enjoy my “mainstream” personal care products. They work, they smell good, and since I “CVS,” I usually get them for free, “better than free,” or pennies. I know though, that the chemical filled products aren’t good for me, especially anti-perspirants that contain aluminum. So, I’m trying to take baby steps to switch things over to more natural choices.

CVS had a deal a while ago on Tom’s of Maine products, where they were $3.99, with $3.00 Extra Care Bucks back, limit 2. This deodorant cost me a net of 99 cents (haven’t paid that much in years!), but since I paid with extra bucks, I figured it wasn’t too bad. I chose the fresh apricot scent, but it comes in several others as well.

Here are the ingredients (no aluminum):

Name/Purpose/Source

Propylene glycol/Consistency/Natural gas from the earth
Water/Consistency/Maine aquifer
Sodium stearate/Stabilizer/Vegetable oil
Aloe vera leaf juice (organic)/Soothing/Organic aloe (Aloe barbadensis) plant
Witch hazel water/Soothing/Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) plant
Zinc ricinoleate/Deodorancy/Zinc oxide and castor bean (Ricinus communis) plant
Glyceryl laurate/Deodorancy/Vegetable oils
Chamomile flower aqueous extract/Soothing/Organic chamomile (Matricaria recutita) flowers
Apricot fragrance (natural)/Pleasant smell/Natural plant essential oils
Hops [CO2] extract/Deodorancy/Hops (Humulus lupulus) cones
Caprylic/capric triglyceride/Consistency/Coconut (Cocos nucifera) oil and glycerin
Ascorbic acid/Antioxidant/Corn (Zea mays) or molasses
Silica shells/Fragrance duration/Sand

The deodorant went on really smoothly, almost like a gel solid. It smelled really nice, but not too strong and not too “fruity,” despite the apricot scent.

I do tend to perspire a good bit, especially when I’m nervous (which is like, always.) Luckily, I don’t really have a stinky B.O. smell. Still, I don’t really want to smell that natural, musky scent. I know some people don’t mind it, pheromones and all, blah blah…I’m not one of them, LOL.

So while testing this, I felt like Molly Shannon’s SNL character, Mary Catherine Gallagher. I felt like I was constantly sniffing myself. Hee hee. While it smelled great at first, it very quickly seemed to “wear off” and I could “smell myself” again. I tried reapplying every few hours at home, and that seemed OK. I wanted to give this a fair shake, so I used it for about a week or so.

The other morning, I applied my deodorant, and went for a walk about an hour later. It wasn’t terribly warm; around 45 when we started, and warmed up a bit as the sun came out. By the time I finished a 45 minute walk, I felt like I smelled, and a sniff made me feel like I hadn’t put anything on at all.

So, this deodorant is definitely not for me, I’m sticking with my usual for now, but I know lots of people swear by Tom’s of Maine deodorant!

I really want to find a great natural deodorant before my daughter needs to wear it. I know, she’s only 6…but kids seem to need it earlier and earlier, and she will be a pre-teen before I know it! I know there are differing opinions on the link between aluminum/parabens and breast cancer, but if I can find a product without them, why not use it?

FTC compliance: I paid normal retail price for this product. I was not compensated in any way for this post, and all opinions are my own.

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Stroller Blanket From Nikki’s Little House – Review

Mar 22,2011 / By Maria / 4 Comments

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Nikki’s Little House sells all kinds of fabulous products, from cloth diapers to Melissa & Doug toys. Nikki also has a Hyenacart store where she sells her hand made items. You may or may not remember the custom Birthday Monster shirt and I Heart Dad shirts she made for me.

I had been eying her stroller blankets for a while, and when the monster print was on sale for $15 (regularly $20), I grabbed it!

It even has loops to attach toys for little ones!

The blanket snaps on to the stroller to keep it securely attached. When my daughter was little, I ran over her blanket many times, and occasionally she’d toss it out without my noticing. That would mean backtracking my 4 mile loop to find it!

The blanket snaps at the bottom to form a boot to cover tootsies.

You can also use it unsnapped for bigger kids.

The blanket I bought is a super cute monster print on the front, with green trim and backing.

Here it is all snapped to the stroller:

Here you can see how the “boot” covers the foot thingie on the stroller.

I’m able to take my son out for a walk and have him tucked in snugly the whole time! The blanket is very well made and nice and soft and thick!

I am getting ready to order new I heart Dad shirts for both kids, my daughter wanted to wear them to pick up Daddy from the airport (business trip), and she was sad that she & her brother both were outgrowing them!

FTC Compliance: I paid normal retail price for this item. I was not compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

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Thirsties Sized Diaper Covers Review & Comparison To Duo Wrap

Mar 17,2011 / By Maria / 8 Comments

To go along with my Thirsties Fab Fitted vs Duo Fitted Review & Comparison, I decided I needed to compare the Duo Wraps to the Covers also! As I mentioned before, I won a cover and fitted in a Dirties on Diapering backer giveaway

Pictured here in green (celery), I have a Thirsties Cover in Extra-Small. These are sized covers with XS fitting 6-12 lbs, Small 12-18 lbs, Medium 18-28 lbs and Large 28-40 lbs.

They have hook & loop closures, laundry tabs, double leg gussets and a 1 mil wipe-able PUL inner. They retail for $11.50 each.

Here is the XS measured folded and stretched:

Check out my full Thirsties Duo Wrap Review for all the details on that, but here are just a few photos for comparison.

The duo wraps of course have rise snaps to adjust from 6-18 lbs for size 1, and 18-40 lbs for size 2. Here is the Extra-Small Cover vs the size 1 Duo Wrap (smallest setting on the left, largest on the right):

Here is a Small cover vs the size 1 duo wrap on the largest setting (size 1 seems to be XS & Small with 1 additional setting between, size 2 seems to be medium & large with 1 additional setting in between.)

Finally, here’s my newborn “model” again, also pictured in newborn and size 1 disposables for comparison:

The duo wraps are a little more expensive at $12.75 for solids and $13.75 for prints vs. $11.50 for the covers. According to Thirsties, the covers are a bit roomier to fit over fitteds, while the duo wraps are better suited for prefolds or the stay dry inserts. I really didn’t notice this, but I’m sure it would be more apparent on an actual baby rather than a squishy “bear” bottom (har har.)

Which ever you choose will give you a great, versatile diapering system that’s made in the U.S.A.! See fit on my newborn.

FTC compliance: The above products were won in a giveaway and purchased at normal retail prices. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.