Thirsties Duo Diaper Review

Jun 7,2010 / By Maria / 12 Comments

I have heard people mention Thirsties duo-diapers when discussing night time diapering options, and a lot of people were interested in them after browsing the site for the fab wipes giveaway. I was able to get one at my favorite online cloth diaper store for $17 and change after coupon, free shipping, and I had a few bucks in my Paypal account.

Before I forget: Check out my “Cloth 101” post at Village of Moms. Today it’s basic cloth diaper types.

So here’s the deal with the Duo Diapers: they have the snap down rise that offers 3 sizes in 1 diaper, just like many one size pocket diapers, except Thirsties come in two sizes. Size one is supposed to fit 6-18 pounds (or 0-9 months) and size two fits 18-40 pounds (or 9-36 months.)

Many one size diapers say they will fit birth through potty training, but most people find they don’t fit well until the baby is around 10 pounds, and some say they don’t fit quite through potty training. That means even if you buy one size diapers, you could potentially have to buy three sets of sizes; newborn, one-size and XL/Toddler. With Thirsties, you’d only have to buy two.

My guy is just over 17 pounds, so I chose the size two in Ocean blue.

The double leg gusset is supposed to better contain messes, but I’m not sure how I feel about PUL potentially being directly against his skin (didn’t bother him though.)

One thing I love is that the pocket is open on both sides, which means you don’t have to pull inserts out before washing, woo-hoo!

The Duo Diaper has a unique insert as well. It has a two layer microfiber terry insert snapped to a 5 layer hemp jersey insert. You stuff the diaper with the microfiber facing the baby side (inside the pocket of course!)

The size two duo diaper on the small setting

and stretched

vs a Bumgenius 3.0 on the small setting

and stretched

Thirsties duo diaper size 2 on the large setting

Stretched

vs Bumgenius 3.0 on the large setting

stretched

Overall, the Duo Diaper size 2 is just a bit larger than a Bumgenius 3.0. Here they are one on top of the other, rises unsnapped.

Too bad they can’t “cuddle” and make some diaper babies! Wouldn’t that be cute, some wee little BG/Thirsties babies? Hee hee.

The small Thirsties setting seems to fit similarly to the Bumgenius 3.0 on the medium setting.

Notice that the microfleece inner was hanging out. I didn’t find info about this happening, so I figured it might wick if it was hanging out, and I fixed it.

It’s all good in the hood, but I prefer a diaper that doesn’t require any special instructions (make sure you do this or that, don’t let the xyz hang out!) I like diapers that anyone (who can put a sposie on) can just pick up and put on.

There’s a close up of the leg opening. If the PUL touched his skin, it didn’t bother him.

The first two times we used this diaper, he wore it for around two hours as usual. The third time, I put it on him before we went to drop my daughter off at preschool. It’s about 30 minutes round trip, but while we were out, my Mom asked if we could stop by before we headed home. I told her we couldn’t stay long since I didn’t have any diapers with me.

By the time we left, he’d had the diaper on for over 2 hours, around 2 1/2 by the time we got home. He fell asleep on the way, so I took him upstairs, nursed him and snuck him in bed, thinking it wouldn’t work. Well don’t you know that my little non-napper indeed napped. By the time I changed him, he had been wearing the diaper for over 4 hours! Eek! Not only did we have no leaks, but there wasn’t a hint of redness on his tush either!

Of course now I definitely want some size 1 Duo Diapers for my non-existent newborn baby! I know that the goal of all diaper companies is to get you to buy a complete stash of just their diapers, but I’d never recommend that. Buy one and see how it goes. If you like it, buy a few more. I still wouldn’t recommend putting your stash in one “basket” so to speak. Make sure you have a variety of brand and styles. As your baby’s shape, size and wetting habits change, things may not work quite the same for you. Or, something you loved at first, you might not like so much alter. Just sayin’.

See the size 1 on my newborn.

I also have to see how the velcro holds up over time. For now, it’s great!

Apparel & Accessories Review Toys

Radio Flyer wood “classic walker wagon” for the Birthday boy!

Jun 3,2010 / By Maria / 2 Comments

We knew we wanted to get my son something “bigger” for his first birthday, especially since we only spent $20 for his first Christmas (in my defense, he was only 6 months old, didn’t care, and got tons from other people!) and didn’t do Easter stuff for him. I settled on a walking toy.

I looked around and most of the plastic ones were in the $40 and under range. I didn’t really want plastic though, so I looked (online) at the EverEarth Activity Walker and the Parents Around the Block Wagon. They both seemed OK, but still a little expensive for something that would be outgrown so quickly.

Then I found the Radio Flyer Classic Walker Wagon. It was more than double the cost of the plastic walking toys, and more expensive than the other wooden ones as well.

I got a decent deal on it, free shipping and went through a cash back site. The site where I purchased it is also one that offers discounts to new customers, and referral credits as well. It was very expensive, but we didn’t do a party, I made the cake and this wagon will be played with long after cake and party favors are forgotten!

It was a breeze to put together, I sat on the laundry room floor and did it myself while I was waiting for a load of diapers to finish.

My Grandparents were visiting around my son’s birthday, and my Grandpa was surprised that the wagon is all wood (aside from the wheels & handle of course!)

It has a nice little “bumper” to protect your walls and doorways, and the stake sides easily come off so little ones can climb in and out, or put things in and take them out.

For me? I can’t believe it!! Note the adorable shirt! It was custom made for me by Nikki’s Little House. It is beautifully embroidered on a high quality shirt (not paper thin like some.) It was very reasonably priced too! I love that we have a unique Birthday shirt instead of the same one everyone else picked up at Gap.

He loves it! My son is ~~lazy~~ not walking yet, so thus far, he’s only riding in it, putting things in it, standing hanging onto it, or pushing it without moving his legs (and being caught by yours truly before the inevitable face-plant.) It has little plastic “clickers” that slow it down a little bit, to help him when he’s ready to start pulling up all by himself.

In closing, just for cutes:

Let ~~them~~ me eat cake!

Cloth Diapers Giveaway Made in Canada Review Sized Diapers Swim Diapers

Bummis Swimmi Review and Giveaway (CLOSED)

Jun 1,2010 / By Maria / 325 Comments

I actually bought this Bummis Swimmi swim diaper over the winter, when I thought we were going to do swim lessons at the YMCA (we didn’t.) Notice the strange color of the first few photos, that’s because there was snow on the ground reflecting light into the windows!

The small fits 9-15 pounds, medium 15-22 pounds and large 22-30 pounds.

I got the turtle print, since it’s all I could find in a medium. It is cute though!

Like other disposable and reusable swim diapers, the Bummis Swimmi is not absorbent, and is simply designed to catch solid waste. It has a polyester mesh lining, sandwiched nylon and a printed cotton outer. It has very easy to use hook and loop closures.

This is my little guy at about 17 pounds and 28″ wearing a medium.

There’s not much to say about it! It’s cute, fits well, easy to use and should do the “job” fine! I would use it under a swimsuit if your baby can open velcro!

~~Want your own? Win it. I’m buying a Bummis Swimmi for one lucky blog reader.~~

How to enter:

Do as many or as few of the following as you like. You can do one without the other, though I don’t know why you’d skip the first one. 😉

1. Just leave me a comment on this blog post to get an entry.

2. Follow my blog publicly, comment saying you follow to get an entry.

3. Fan (Whatever! Old dog/new tricks and all) me on Facebook, comment saying so to get an entry.

4. Follow me on Twitter, comment saying so to get your entry. Just don’t “follow” me in a creepy way, heh.

5. Tweet this giveaway. Please include a link to this post and @chgdiapers. One tweet per day, comment with a link to your tweet to get your entry. You can use this tweet if you like: @chgdiapers has a #giveaway for a Bummis Swimmi reusable swim diaper http://bit.ly/aFZPbT (6/11)

6. Blog about this giveaway and link back to me.

I’ll accept entries until Friday, June 11th, 2010 at 9:00, P.M. EST. I will choose a winner with random.org’s true random number generator and email the winner. This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only.

Please be sure to leave your email address in your comment if it isn’t visible in your profile. If you win and I can’t contact you, I will choose another winner.

The winner will choose her size, print and an alternate print from in stock prints. I will purchase the swim diaper for the winner and have it shipped directly to her. I reserve the right to make substitutions if necessary.

~~Please note that this review and giveaway is neither affiliated with nor sponsored, endorsed or approved by Bummis or Abby’s Lane LLC.~~

Baby Food Giveaway Natural and Organic Food Review

Happy Baby Review & Giveaway CLOSED

May 26,2010 / By Maria / 215 Comments

HappyBaby products are all organic and 100% natural with no pesticides, no chemical fertilizers, no genetic modification, and no preservatives. All of their packaging is BPA free and phthalate-free, recyclable and earth-friendly! HappyBaby works with Project Peanut Butter, and every package purchased contributes to the effort.I’ve talked about Happy Baby Food’s puffs and yogurt melts before, but they have a lot more than that! HappyBaby sent me coupons for the HappyPuffs, HappyMelts, HappyBellies cereal, HappyBites, HappyBaby Frozen and HappyTot pouches.

The puffs, cereal and yogurt melts are available to me locally at Target, my grocery store, ToysRUs and my local organic market. To find the other items, I made my first trip to Whole Foods (2 1/2 hours round trip), but I still couldn’t find the pouches!

The other day, we all taste tested the HappyBites chicken bites, salmon stix and mac + cheese.

I do wish the bags were recloseable.

The chicken bites and fish bites said to bake at 400 for 8 minutes; the mac + cheese take 15 minutes.

I popped all 3 in the oven and planned to take the chicken and fish out, and leave the mac + cheese in for another 7 minutes, but when I took them out, they were still frozen almost completely solid! After a total of nearly 20 minutes, they were heated through.

The HappyBites have “hidden” vegetables like chick peas, cauliflower, butternut squash and potato (varies based on the product.)

The mac + cheese was like baked shells and cheese in patty form.

My son absolutely inhaled the chicken bites; I couldn’t break them into bite size pieces fast enough. They had a crispy exterior and a creamy interior the consistency of stiff mashed potatoes.

The salmon stix were my husband’s favorite. I thought they smelled like crab cakes as they were baking, and he commented that with a firmer interior, they would taste like it too. He thought they were a little bland, but this is coming from “Mr. Hot Sauce.” I thought they were mild tasting enough that kids would like them, but had enough flavor to exercise their little palates. I reminded him that he wasn’t their target audience!

My 5-year old daughter was being a brat acting like a 5-year old and claimed not to like any of it. She was just angling to get dinner over with so she could go camping.

Prices seem to vary a bit depending on where you go. Where we live, the yogurt melts are $3.29-$3.69, puffs $2.79-$3.29, cereal around $3.79. The HappyBaby frozen were $4.69 and the HappyBites were $4.99-$5.99.

I haven’t been able to find the pouches. Whole Foods is supposed to have the best selection of HappyBaby, but they only had other brands of pouch baby food. I could have sworn I saw them at ToysRUs, but they were another brand as well.

I’ll continue to choose HappyBaby food for their “no junk” promise, tasty organic products, BPA free packaging and social responsibility. I’m hoping that more stores will carry their products so it will be easier to find!

Want to try some? HappyFamily is sending an awesome package to one lucky blog reader. (Value is well over $40, depends on your store’s prices of course!) It includes:

2 free trial coupons for each of their products: HAPPYBABY, HAPPYBELLES, HAPPYBABYPUFFS, HAPPYMELTS, HAPPYBITES

1 FAQ on Probiotics & DHA
1 Nutrition Guide, co-authored by Dr. Sears
1 HAPPYFAMILY Recipes

Here’s how to enter: (entries 2-8 are optional and you may do as few or as many as you like.)

1. Visit HappyBabyFood and have a look around. Leave me a comment with what product looks tastiest to you.
2. Follow my blog publicly. Comment saying you do to get your entry.
3. Fan me on Facebook. Comment saying you’re a fan to get your entry.
4. Fan HappyFamily on Facebook. Comment saying you’re a fan to get your entry. I would appreciate it if you left a comment on their wall telling them you’re visiting from my blog, but it’s not required.
5. Follow me on Twitter. Comment saying you follow to get your entry.
6. Follow HappyBabyFood on Twitter. Comment saying you follow to get your entry.
7. Tweet about this giveaway. Be sure to include @chgdiapers and @happybabyfood in your tweet. One tweet per day. Comment with a link to your tweet to get your entry. You may use this tweet if you like: @chgdiapers has a @happybabyfood #giveaway until 6/9 http://bit.ly/bDVxth #organic #babyfood
8. Blog about this giveaway and be sure to link back here. Leave a comment with a link to your blog post to get your entry.

Open to residents of the U.S. only, I’ll accept entries until Wednesday, June 9th, 2010 at 9:00 P.M., EST.

I’ll select a winner using random.org’s true random number generator and contact the winner by email. Please leave your email address in a comment if it isn’t in your profile. If I can’t contact you I will choose another winner.

Thank you to HappyFamily for providing the free product coupons for the review and giveaway. The freebies in no way affected my review.

All In One Diapers Cloth Diapers Made in the USA Review Sized Diapers Velcro/Aplix Closure WAHM made

The Eli Monster AIO Diaper Review

May 25,2010 / By Maria / 2 Comments

I spotted this diaper on The Eli Monster’s Hyenacart store a few months ago. I was surprised to see that it was still “in stock” at the beginning of April when I had some money burning a hole in my paypal account. I bought right before the owner was due to deliver her daughter, and the item’s page said shipping would be delayed by about a week. I wasn’t worried since it was in stock, and I knew she hadn’t had the baby yet (I’m a “fan” on Facebook and was watching for updates!)

What I didn’t know is that the “in stock” items are simply items available for purchase, but they are made to order. I hadn’t thought to check her about me page, where I would have seen the estimated 2-3 week turnaround. I learned my lesson there and will always read “about me” pages before I buy!

It ended up being about 6 1/2 weeks before it arrived, but it was totally worth the wait, honestly! I contacted Steph to check in a few times and she was absolutely wonderful. I’m always leery of “complaining” because I never know how the seller will respond, or if they will think I’m going to be a cranky customer. She was apologetic, understanding, and acknowledged that it had been a long wait! She asked that I tell her if there was something she could do to make this a positive experience. Considering that she birthed a 10 lb, 5 oz baby and still managed to make my diaper, and respond to my emails the same day I sent them, I’m giving her a pass. 😉

If you purchase a diaper from The Eli Monster, you can expect better quality than you’d get from the “big name” mass produced diapers. I don’t think I found a single stitch out of place. I’ve only seen one other “work at home Mom” diaper with the impeccable quality of The Eli Monster. Very, very hard to believe that she made this!

I chose a size medium, which is estimated to fit 10-22 pounds. I love that the size is on the label, and the dual sided brand label is very neat! As you see, she sells on etsy as well. When I took it out of the package my first thought was “oh no! This will never fit, it’s so tiny!”

I measured it stretched…

Folded/unstretched…

As it turns out, it’s almost exactly the same size as a Bumgenius 3.0 on the medium setting.

I think it looks smaller because it is so trim. The microcloth internal soaker is extremely thin, and is sewn just through the middle of the diaper. I have to say that I prefer the elastic style of the bumgenius (I guess “cased” elastic is the right term?) Hard to explain, but it seems to be more secure and doesn’t dig in.

The inner of the diaper is soft suedecloth to keep baby’s bottom dry. There is a hidden layer of PUL, so no cover is needed.

The outer looks like a woven cotton in the pictures, but it’s actually a very soft, nylon feeling material.

This diaper is called the “SpeedyPants” and has racing stripes and an applique (hand silkscreened) patch. My husband loved the diaper, he said it looked like a race car.

I love this diaper!! It is totally my style; those who know me know I’m not a huge fan of most “baby stuff.” I’ve found solid, stripes and dot patterns that I like OK, but I love, love, love the diapers The Eli Monster makes. At under $20 for an AIO diaper, I think it’s a pretty good deal. I love how trim it is, but it is a sized diaper, so it won’t fit forever. Oops, almost forgot, I was so hung up on how awesome it looks, it performs well too!

The problem is now I want one of her camera wrist straps, newborn diapers (and a newborn to go with it!) and this diaper (buy one of those and she will send another to miracle diapers.) I’ll also take one of these and these and these longies. Oh heck, I’ll take one of everything. Hee hee! She has even made prefolds cool.

I purchased this item myself, I wasn’t given a freebie or discount. The opinions (and diaper!) are my own.

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Category : Review

Thirsties Duo Diaper Review

Radio Flyer wood “classic walker wagon” for the Birthday boy!

Bummis Swimmi Review and Giveaway (CLOSED)

Happy Baby Review & Giveaway CLOSED

The Eli Monster AIO Diaper Review

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