Maya Wrap Ring Sling Review & $30 Eco Mom Gift Certificate Giveaway (CLOSED 11/1)

Oct 25,2011 / By Maria / 5 Comments

EcoMom sells eco-friendly and organic products for moms, kids and babies. I received a $30 gift certificate to spend on a review item for the virtual baby shower, and I had a hard time choosing. I felt like a kid in a candy store with a pocket full of money! EcoMom sells organic food, cloth diapers, natural/organic bath and skincare products, wooden and organic toys and way more eco-friendly gear than I could possibly list.

EcoMom is offering free shipping on all U.S. orders for a limited time. If you buy an Ecopass, you get free shipping all the time, plus 15% on all your orders! They have my favorite…a sale section! All products EcoMom sells are EcoMom approved, and their customer service is excellent!

EcoMom has quite a few slings and carriers, and I finally decided to put my $30 gift certificate towards a Maya Wrap Ring Sling. I love the plum and olive colors, but I decided on the neutral chocolate. The slings retail for $74.95 and are available in small, medium and large sizes. There’s a 6″ length difference between sling sizes, and the small is recommended for people under 5′ 2″ and/or who are slender. Even though I’m not exactly slender right now at 34 weeks pregnant, I am petite and small framed, so I went with the size small so I don’t have to worry about tripping on, or getting tangled up in the sling’s tail!

The slings are recommended for babies from 8-35 pounds, and the strong, light anodized aluminum rings are smooth, weld free and tested to 250 pounds. The 100% hand loomed cotton is soft, cool, breathable, durable and gives without stretching, for support and comfort. The shoulder is padded for comfort, and the unpadded tail can be used as a nursing coverup. The sling came with an instructional DVD, and it also has a zippered pocket to store keys, phone, burp cloths etc.

I was a little overwhelmed when I first opened the sling, but I was determined to figure it out before the baby came! I took lots of photos and videos to share with you. I’m sure I made mistakes and some seasoned ring sling’ers will point them out for me. 😉 I think it will be easier with a real baby vs. a teeny, squishy bear too.

To get your sling ready to use the first time, hold each end of the sling with the tags facing each other. Gather the edges of the tail to the middle.

Put the rings over your wrist to make this next step easier, then bring the tail through the rings.

Then you bring the the tail over the closest ring and under the other ring, then spread the fabric over the rings, making sure it isn’t twisted.

Hold the ring at your shoulder and pull the tail through the rings until the bottom of the pouch is around your hip bone.

Quick video demo (and yes I know my videos aren’t very good! They look so darn dark now, but they didn’t look that way on the camera or my computer. I need to find time to edit them more (just added fill light in YouTube!), but I’m hoping to do this better after I’ve used it with the new baby!):

Once you have done this, you’re pretty much ready to use it every time.

Put your arm through the sling, then bring it over your head.

You will make a pocket for the baby, then support the baby’s weight while you place them in the pocket.

Continue to support your baby’s weight while you tighten the ring sling. Make sure you have read all about babywearing safety! The material that came with the sling had lots of good info about using the sling safely. You want to make sure the baby is positioned correctly, is snug & secure, has his/her face/airway clear and head supported

Again, I’m sure I didn’t do this perfectly!

It wasn’t nearly as difficult as I thought it would be though!

The zippered pocket on the tail is really convenient.

Here’s another terrible video, this time of me putting the sling on:

One reason I really wanted a ring sling is that it’s really easy to take it off without disturbing/waking the baby.

Just support the baby’s weight while you pull the rings away from yourself to loosen the sling. Then lift the fabric over baby (while still supporting the baby’s weight of course!) and you’re done. Then it’s just as easy to put it back on again!

Be sure to follow the EcoMom blog, EcoMom on Twitter and “like” EcoMom on Facebook!

~~Giveaway: One winner will receive a $30 Gift Certificate code to spend towards anything you want from Ecomom. Entries go in the Rafflecopter form.~~

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Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Itzbeen Winner

Oct 24,2011 / By Maria / No Comment

226 people entered this giveaway. The winning entry is #80, which is Christine Mitchell.

Congratulations Christine, I’m sending you an email so you can claim your prize!

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Bumgenius 4.0 Cloth Diapers in the NEW Colors Mirror, Dazzle & Sassy!

Oct 24,2011 / By Maria / 4 Comments

When Cottonbabies announced the new Flip Trainers and Freetime AIO cloth diapers, I was excited for the new products, but I was especially excited for the new colors Mirror, Dazzle & Sassy, and the new prints, Albert & Lovelace. Somehow, I was under the impression that the existing Bumgenius (4.0, Elemental, Newborn AIO) and Flip products would be available in the colors/prints after the new products came out. In hindsight, I remember hearing “Fall 2011” as well as “early 2012” thrown around so who knows. I blame pregnancy brain.

Anyhoo, a week or two ago I started hearing things about “new colors shipping soon” so I was thinking that maybe the new products were releasing earlier than expected. Then I got with the program and realized that some retailers were receiving 4.0s and Elementals in the new colors already!! As of the time I’m writing this, Kelly’s Closet (affiliate link) has the new colors in stock, in snap-closure 4.0s!

I knew that having two in diapers (at least for a while) soon would mean that I’d need a few more diapers, if I didn’t want to start having to wash more often (I don’t.) I had wished I could take advantage of the buy 5 get 1 free sale that is ending this week, but since I don’t know if I need pink or blue, I didn’t want to end up with a whole mess of yellow diapers. Well shiver me timbers when I found out the new colors were available and part of the buy 5 get 1 sale!! $14.48 per diaper and new colors? Yes, please!

All 3 are really gorgeous, vivid, bright colors. Mirror (blue-ish), dazzle (orchid purple) and sassy (red-orange.) Dazzle is maybe a little more pink than I expected, and sassy was a bit more orange, but I’d still put either on a boy or a girl.

I didn’t have any of the artist series prints since I wasn’t exactly wild about them, but I did love the solid blue in the retail therapy print. I wondered how close the mirror color was to that blue, so I chose that as my free diaper.

I actually like the mirror better than the blue in the retail therapy print. It’s gorgeous. Just a hint of green to the blue and such a beautiful, gender neutral color.

Some people say they think Bumgenius are kind of boring because they don’t have the prints that other brands do, but my hubby and I both think that Bumgenius are some of the cutest diapers we have, despite being so simple. The solid colors contrasting with the white aplix and a hint of the white inner at the waist & legs make them classically cute in my opinion! My favorites are Twilight, Moonbeam & Ribbit, along with Blossom & Zinnia if I had a girl, and now Mirror as well!

I hope Bumgenius continues to come out with more solid colors. On the other hand, maybe not…how many more diapers can I justify buying? Tee-hee!

Looking at the Bumgenius site it appears that the new colors and prints will eventually be available in the newborn AIO diapers as well!

FTC compliance: I purchased the pictured items at normal retail prices. I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own. This post contains a single, labeled affiliate link.

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Exederm Ultra Sensitive Skincare for Baby & Eczema Review & Giveaway (CLOSED 10/31)

Oct 24,2011 / By Maria / 17 Comments

Exederm makes ultra-sensitive skincare with the mildest ingredients possible (no fragrance, lanolin, parabens, propylene glycol, colors, dyes, sodium laureth sulfate, cocamidopropyl betaine or phthlates), to help the most delicate skin types (including those with eczema or dermatitis.)

They have a full line of products for adults in addition to the baby products I reviewed. Exederm received the “seal of acceptance” award from the National Eczema Association, and all 5 baby products received a 5/5 rating from the review panel! The Exederm website has lots of resources and information, including tips and information about irritants.

My son has extremely sensitive skin, and it became pretty apparent this year that he also suffers from eczema. I was lucky enough (sarcasm) to inherit eczema from my Dad. I had it on my arms as a baby, but now I mostly get it on my hands. It is worst in winter (my hands and knuckles crack and bleed) but for some reason it’s not nearly as bad if I am pregnant or newly breastfeeding. My dermatologist told me to stick with incredibly mild skin care products, free of fragrances, dyes or chemicals. To use soap/cleansers only when necessary, don’t use very hot water, and to apply moisturizers while skin is still damp.

The same “rules” of course apply to caring for my son’s skin, and Exederm fits the bill.

My son’s eczema is mostly on his upper arms and lower legs. I had a hard time getting photos of it; it is far worse than it looks in the photos! The biggest problem is that he just won’t leave it alone. From experience, I know it’s terribly itchy, but it can’t heal with him constantly scratching at it.

The first product we tried is the hydrating baby lotion.

It doesn’t contain any potentially allergenic ingredients like botanical extracts, nut oils or herbal additives. There is no fragrance, color, dyes, parabens, lanolin, SLS or SLES, propylene glycol, formaldehyde, or phthlates.

Ingredients: Water, petroleum, capric triglyceride, glyceryl stearate, stearic acid, palmitic acid, glycerin, ceteareth-20, sodium benzoate, phenoxyethanol, citric acid

The lotion is lightweight and easily absorbed. My son let me put it on his arms & legs, and didn’t freak out (which says a lot!) My daughter used some too, and she said that it smelled like my yummy homemade bread (LOL.) It is fragrance free, but I suppose it has the slightest scent from the ingredients. A 6 ounce bottle of the lotion retails for $14.99.

Next up is the intense baby moisturizer.

Just like the lotion, it doesn’t contain fragrance, color, dyes, parabens, lanolin, SLS or SLES, propylene glycol, formaldehyde, or phthlates.

Ingredients: Water, petroleum, capric triglyceride, glyceryl stearate, stearic acid, palmitic acid, glycerin, ceteareth-20, sodium benzoate, phenoxyethanol, citric acid

It has a very thick texture, like a stiff mousse or a whipped body butter. I used it on the driest areas of my son’s skin only, and I only needed the tiniest bit. A 4 ounce jar retails for $14.99.

Next we used the non-irritating baby shampoo. My husband said it’s false advertising because all babies are at least a little irritating sometimes, no such thing as a non-irritating baby. Tee-hee!

I’m getting repetitive here, but the shampoo does not contain fragrance, color, dyes, parabens, lanolin, SLS or SLES, propylene glycol, formaldehyde, or phthlates.

Ingredients: Purified water, decyl glucoside, glycerin, xanthan gum, disodium cocoamphodiacete, phenoxyethanol, caprylyl glycol, polyquaterium-10, guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, EDTA, citric acid

My son had cradle cap for a long time, and still suffers from scaly patches on his scalp now and again. It honestly never occurred to me to use a shampoo designed for children with eczema, but it makes perfect sense. Even if they don’t suffer from dermatitis or the like on their scalp, the shampoo is still going to end up all over their bodies, and in the bath water they’re sitting in. My husband did remark that it wasn’t particularly foamy, but I explained that it doesn’t have any of the nasty chemicals that make shampoos foam! It rinsed out well and left my son’s hair clean. An 8 ounce bottle retails for $12.99.

The cleansing baby bath is next.

Are you one step ahead of me yet? No fragrance, color, dyes, parabens, lanolin, SLS or SLES, propylene glycol, formaldehyde, or phthlates.

Ingredients: Purified water, glycerin, disodium cocoamphodiacete, decyl glucoside, disodium cocoglucoside sulfosuccinate, xanthan gum, phenoxyethanol, caprylyl glycol, tetrasodium EDTA, sodium chloride, citric acid

Just like the shampoo, it doesn’t make loads of suds, but it lathers enough, rinses easily and doesn’t leave residue. An 8 ounce bottle with pump (which I LOVE, it makes it SO much easier to hold a baby and wash at the same time!) retails for $12.99.

The last of the products I tried was the flare control cream. It is America’s only paraben-free hydrocortisone cream, and is the maximum strength available without a prescription. It is also the first and only hydrocortisone product to receive the National Eczema Association’s Seal of Acceptance with a perfect 5 out of 5 score.

No fragrance, color, dyes, parabens, lanolin, SLS or SLES, propylene glycol, phthlates or formaldehyde.

Ingredients:
Active Ingredient: Hydrocortisone acetate USP 1%
Inactive ingredients: (base) caprylic/capric triglyceride, caprylyl glycol, ceteareth-20, anthemis nobilis, citric acid, glycerin, glyceryl stearate, palmitic acid, petrolatum, phenoxyethanol, stearic acid, purified water

I thought this was quite different than other hydrocortisone creams I’ve used. It wasn’t at all sticky or goopy. My son let me put it on his “boo-boos” before bed, and between the flare cream, lotion and intense moisturizer, it looked noticeably better in the morning. A 2 ounce tube retails for $14.99.

If your child (or you for that matter) has ultra-sensitive skin, eczema or dermatitis, you should definitely try Exederm!!

Buy any 3 products from Exederm.com and receive 20% off with coupon code “save20.” Orders over $50 receive free shipping to the U.S. or Canada too! The children’s products are available at lots of brick & mortar and online retailers while the standard/adult line is only available from Amazon.com or directly from Exederm at this time.

Giveaway: One winner will receive the same package of Exederm Products I reviewed (5 full-size products.) Includes 8 oz. non-irritating baby shampoo (ARV $12.99), 8 oz. cleansing baby bath (ARV $12.99), 6 oz. hydrating baby moisturizer (ARV $14.99), 4 oz. intensive baby moisturizer (ARV $14.99) and 2 oz. flare cream (ARV $14.99.) Combined retail value is $70.95. Entries go in the Rafflecopter form.

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Please Complete and Share My Cloth Diaper Detergent Survey!

Oct 22,2011 / By Maria / 1 Comment

Please click over to my Cloth Diaper Detergent Survey Page and complete the survey!

Even if you haven’t quite figured out what works for you, please complete it based on detergents you’ve already tried. Please complete the survey once per detergent and/or washing machine/water type you’ve used.

I’m hoping to get all data analyzed and compiled so you can easily narrow down what detergents may be most likely to work for you based on your washing situation!

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