Diaper Type: Fitted
Closure Type: Snaps (front)
Sizing: One Size
Rows of Snaps: 1
Number of snaps on each wing: 3
Insert/Soaker Type: Snap-in (snaps in at the back with two snaps)
Outer Material: Woven cotton
Insert Material: Cotton velour (black) and bamboo fleece (white)
Lining Material: Cotton velour (black)
Leg Elastic: Encased
Price: Fitteds are $25 USD at the Dick & Jane Etsy store
Website: http://www.etsy.com/shop/dickandjanediapers

Pros

• I love the cotton print on the outside of the diaper. Annie has a lot of beautiful prints to choose from.
• The diaper is well-made. I’ve washed this diaper a few times already, and everything is still how it should be. There is a little bit of fading and pilling which is normal.
• Very absorbent.
• Snaps in the front are hidden. This is very important to me. I really dislike snaps that are exposed and leave marks on the baby.
• Comes with a booster for night-time, or very heavy wetters.
• WAHM made, which is what I prefer. It’s actually made by a Canadian mama!

Cons

• The diaper is a bit bulky. Sometimes, I use one of my own doublers/soakers inside this diaper because the snap-in soaker is a bit thick for me. I change my little one very frequently, so I don’t need all those layers of fabric in the diaper. Other people might actually prefer all those layers. This really depends on the baby and how long the diaper is on the baby.
• 3 snaps on each wing. Personally, I prefer only two snaps on each wing, but I know a lot of cloth diaperers don’t mind having three.
• The third snap on the wings will probably be exposed soon, so I wish this diaper came with two snap covers.

Overall, I’m really happy I had the opportunity to try this diaper on my little one. It’s one of those diapers that people always notice. How could you not notice that beautiful print?

To find out more about Dick & Jane Cloth Diapers, please visit their Facebook page and Etsy store.

Super Skivvies Business Card. Love it!

Closure Type: None
Size: Small (2T-3T)
Approximately 25-35 lbs
Rise 16.5″ :: Waist 16.5″ :: Thigh 11.5″
Outer Material: Cotton
Insert Material: Rayon from bamboo/organic cotton fleece
Lining Material: Organic cotton velour (in the crotch area)
Waist/Thigh Band Material: 100% cotton interlock (no-roll elastic encased in the waist)
Leg Elastic: None
Price: $16.95 USD (includes an insert)
Website: http://superskivvies.biz

Pros:

• Great fit on my 25-lb son.
• Made of natural fibers.
• Well made.
• Easy to get clean.
• Can be easily pulled up and down.
• Great customer service.
• The training pants can be converted to underwear by leaving out the insert.
• The Super Skivvies training pants are able to hold one pee. This might depend on how much of a heavy wetter your little one is.
• Great for ECing.

This beautiful cloth diaper is a one-size Dick & Jane fitted.

Within the next few days, Nessie’s Boutique will be adding luxurious cloth wipes, and some cloth diaper doublers/inserts to their store, so make sure to visit again soon.

Today, I decided to make vegan whole wheat muffins. I’m not a vegan, but I like this recipe. It’s simple and the muffins always turn out well for me.

Over the past few days, Michelle has been working hard to create a lot of lovely items which will go on sale at 2 pm.

Diaper Type: AIO/AI2
Closure Type: Snaps (front)
Sizing: One size
Rows of Snaps: 2
Insert Type: Snap-in
Outer Material: Bamboo PUL/TPU
Insert Material: Charcoal bamboo and microterry
Lining Material: Charcoal bamboo
Leg Elastic: Encased
Number of snaps on each wing: 3
Price: Diaper with insert: $26; Additional Insert: $10
Website: http://lilhelper.ca/

Pros:

• Outer fabric is very soft.
• Snap-in insert keeps the insert from shifting.
• The shell can be re-used unless soiled or soaked.
• No wing droop on my 23-lb baby.
• Great diaper colour.
• Charcoal bamboo is very soft.
• The fabric is stretchy.
• All snaps are hidden and diaper does not leave any red marks on my baby.

Cons:

• A little more bulky than the organic bamboo diaper.
• Price might be a little high for some.
• I wish the inserts were a tiny bit narrower.
• 3 snaps on each wing is a little much for me, but most people would be fine with that since a lot of brands have 3.

Overall rating: 8/10

Lil Helper Organic Bamboo Cloth Diaper

Diaper Type: AIO
Closure Type: Snaps (front)
Sizing: One size
Rows of Snaps: 2
Insert Type: Snap-in
Outer Material: PUL/TPU
Insert Material: Organic bamboo and microterry
Lining Material: Organic bamboo
Leg Elastic: Encased
Number of snaps on each wing: 3
Price: Diaper with insert: $23; Additional Insert: $9
Website: http://lilhelper.ca/

Pros: 

• Very trim diaper.
• Snap-in insert keeps the insert from shifting.
• No wing droop on my 23-lb baby.
• Cute print.
• Inner fabric is very soft.
• All snaps are hidden and diaper does not leave any red marks on my baby.

Cons:

• Not as absorbent as the charcoal bamboo diaper. Might need a doubler for heavy wetters.
• I wish the inserts were a tiny bit narrower.
• 3 snaps on each wing is a little much for me, but most people would be fine with that since a lot of brands have 3.
• I would love to see an insert made with bamboo/organic cotton only. So far, I haven’t had any problems with the microterry (that’s under the bamboo layer), but I’d prefer to have natural fibers only in this diaper (except for the outside layer of course).

Overall rating: 8/10

Would you like to win two Lil Helper diapers and a small wetbag from Lil Helper? Then enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter form below. The giveaway is open to Canada and the US. 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Recently, I’ve been asked what I love and hate about cloth diapering four years later. Here is what I came up with.

The things I like/love about cloth diapers:

• Overall, I still believe they’re healthier for a baby, and better for the environment.
• They’re (usually) more comfortable than disposables.
  I can’t imagine sitting in paper and plastic pants 24/7. Cloth is much nicer to sit on :)
• They’re cute.
• The selection is amazing.
• They’re breathable (at least the ones I use are).
• They don’t normally stink like disposable diapers do when wet.
  If your cloth diapers smell really bad right after a pee then you probably have a residue problem.

The things I dislike/hate about cloth diapers:

• Getting the poop off the diaper is not something I like, so I’m adding it to this list.
  This is a slight dislike though because you do get used to it.  Since I’ve figured out how to use my diaper sprayer so that it doesn’t shoot poop onto the bathroom floor or wall, I haven’t found it a problem. We’re supposed to be flushing the poop that’s in disposable diapers before throwing them in the garbage anyways, so we all have to deal with the poop, whether the diapers are re-usable or disposable.
• Cloth diapering at night can be a pain.
  If you have a heavy wetter or a child who is very sensitive to wetness, then it’s not fun trying to find a night-time cloth diapering system that works for your family.

Most people who do not cloth diaper would probably wonder why I didn’t include diaper laundry on the “dislike” list. Well, I didn’t include it because I don’t hate it.  Every couple of days, I take a few minutes to put the diapers in the washer, do other things while they wash, and put them in the dryer once the wash is done.  I don’t consider that a lot of work.

Four years later, I must admit I still get a little excited at hearing news of a new cloth diaper coming out.  I do use disposables (corn-based ones) at night and sometimes when going out.  The main reason why I use disposables at night is that my son wakes up frequently and is sensitive to wetness.  Because he’s so sensitive, I have to change him every time he wakes up wet when in a cloth diaper.  When I change him he screams almost at the top of his lungs which stresses me out.  I don’t want everyone in the house to be woken up by that. So, to keep me sane and to keep him and the rest of the family happy, I’m using Nature Babycare disposable diapers at night.  I might try cloth diapering at night again in a few weeks, but the last experiment a few nights ago was a big FAIL.

Have you been cloth diapering for a few years? Do you still love it years later?  

If you cloth diaper for health reasons, then why only care about the health of your child and not your own as well? If you cloth diaper for environmental reasons, then I’m sure you’ve thought about the huge number of disposable pads that go into the landfills. If you cloth diaper for financial reasons, then using cloth will save you money in the long run.

Wool-backed cloth pads made by me

I’ve started using cloth pads part-time about 3 years ago. I made my first pads myself, and because I didn’t really know what I was doing, they weren’t amazing.  Later, I made more pads which were definitely an improvement. Before I became pregnant with our second child, I was using cloth pads 80% of the time.

When I was pregnant with my second child, I came across information about Homestead Emporium pads. The look and design of the Homestead Emporium pads captured my interest. I really wanted to try pads made by someone else, and I thought these would be great to try. So, I decided to get some custom post partum and medium/heavy flow pads made by Pietra, the owner of Homestead Emporium.

Homestead Emporium Cloth Pads, http://homesteademporium.com

One of the concerns I had initially when looking into cloth pads, was the thickness. I thought cloth pads had to be thick in order to work well. I was very wrong. The simple bamboo and PUL pads are approximately twice as thick in the middle as ultra thin disposable pads. Of course if you have a very heavy flow, you have to use thicker pads, but you probably have to use bigger/thicker disposable pads as well.

If you’ve been wanting to switch to cloth pads, go ahead! If I, someone obsessed with thickness, can do it, so can you. Cloth pads are comfortable, very absorbent, and fun. I would highly recommend trying them.  Please keep in mind though, that if you don’t like one brand of cloth pads, doesn’t mean you won’t like them all. If you can, try at least a couple of different brands/styles to see which one you like best.  And if you have any questions, ask the cloth pad maker or me.

Homestead Emporium Cloth Pads, http://homesteademporium.com