Now, you may have noticed there is a different look to our favorite cloth diapering blog this week.  I’ve been playing around.  I am wanting to redesign my own blog, but am having a hard time finding a simple way to put my vision to reality.  This is a nice way of saying that I’m too lazy to code the darned thing from the ground up myself.  Plus I’m having caffeine withdrawal headaches.

Anyhow, the point is we have another Friday upon us and with that, another giveaway!  As I lack Brit’s entirely awesome craftiness, I had a hard time coming up with a good giveaway.  But I think I’ve got something now.  And, who knows, maybe one or two of you might want to win it!

It’s a Ladybug Lunch Sack!  Someone sent this to me but I don’t have much use for it at this stage in the game.  Harry’s too old for it, Liam is just a bit too young and Evie is WAY too young.  I could either hold onto it until Evie is older (it is, admittedly, a little girly) or give it away.  So giveaway it is!  It was a tough decision to make, since it is beyond CUTE.  You can also see it for sale at Amazon.com.  It includes a strap to carry it with, a packet full of sweet notecards to tuck into your child’s lunch telling them sweet things such as “Have a Lovely Day!” and “What a Sweet Little Lady!” (so yeah, pretty dang girly!)  The inside is lined with vinyl so it’s great as a lunch bag.  If nothing else, this makes a great gift.

So… whatdya say ladies?  If you want to have a crack at this week’s giveaway, just leave a comment here before midnight on Sunday and on Monday morning I’ll announce the winner (drawn at random!).  Please, only enter if you are in the United States as I don’t want to pay postage to Canada (or anywhere else for that matter).  Good luck!

Tags: for the kids, giveaway, ladybug, lunch bag

The winner of last week’s draw is Nikki from Simplicity!  You are the proud new owner of 6 microfleece liners!  I’ll be in touch shortly to get all the pertinent details!

Remember to check back this Friday to see what new and exciting give-away will be happening next!

This week we’re giving away a set of 6 microfleece diaper liners!

For those of you who have never used a liner, you will LOVE these.  They go in between the baby’s bottom and her diaper.  This allows you to use (a small amount) of cream*, or to help keep your precious baby bum dry**.  It also helps with poopy diapers, as most of the poop will land on the liner.

Please indicate in the comments that you would like to be included in the draw, and Rob will draw a name (probably out of a bowl, as we can never find a hat around here) on Sunday night.  The winner will be announced on Monday!

* If the liner doesn’t cover the part of the bum that you are going to put cream on it, it’s not going to save your precious diapers.

** The liner will only prevent the wet feeling where the liner sits.  Sadly, this means that the whole diaper area won’t feel dry.  Someone should really make diaper-shaped liners, this would prevent a lot of problems!

This contest is open to people in Canada and the United States.  I’m shipping from Canada, so it may take a while to get to you if you’re on the south side of the border.  Canadians can expect them in 3-5 business days.  Please leave a working email address (ie. one that you check regularly) when you comment (where it asks for an email address) so I can email you to get all the important details.  Thanks!

As I’m sure you’ve heard, I love BumGenius diapers.  I’m not sure why I love them so much.  It could be that they’re nice and trim.  Could be that the aplix is easy to use and husband/babysitter/grandparent approved.  Could be that it will fit Kitten for a while to come.  Could be because we’ve never had a leak, even overnight (with both inserts).  I am sure, though, that if you’re unfamilar with BumGenius diapers, you might be a little confused when I talk about them.

There are three types of BumGenius diapers, the 3.0, the AIO, and the new Organics.

The 3.0 is typically the diaper that most people are referring to when they say BumGenius.  It’s a one-size pocket diaper, that has three rise sizes that are adjusted by snaps.  It has a pocket at the back, and comes with 2 microfiber inserts (one is a “newborn” size, and the other is an adjustable size).  It has PUL on the outside, and white suedecloth on the inside (this is a lot like microfleece only a lot thinner, and more fine).

BumGenius also offers an All-In-One diaper.  The AIO is a sized diaper - meaning that you have to buy different sizes as your baby grows (unlike the 3.0).  It still has a PUL outer, Suedecloth inner, and microfiber inside.  The difference is that you don’t stuff this diaper - it’s a very easy diaper to use.  The only problem is that AIO are notoriously hard to dry.  They take a long time because only one size is permeable.  Plus, you have to buy more than one size, which increases your cost.

The newest addition to the BumGenius lineup are the Organics.  It is an AI2 diaper, which means that it isn’t quite as streamlined as the AIO above.  A typical AI2 has a lay-in soaker, or a snap in soaker, but from what I can read, there’s nothing to undo or do up about the Organic.  You do have to fold the inside back up.  It’s loose so it dries faster, which is really something to be interested in.  The major difference is that this diaper is made of organic cotton, so babies who are sensitive to man-made fabrics should be able to wear this diaper no problem!  It’s also great for moms who are sensitive about what they put on their baby’s bottoms.  This is a one-size diaper, so you don’t have to buy multiple sizes (just multiple colours for fun!).  Don’t forget with organic cotton fiber, it needs to be fully prepped.  This means washing and drying several times before it reaches it’s full absorbency.  You can use it before it’s fully prepped, it just won’t absorb as much (AKA - maybe just use it for the day for the first half dozen uses).

BumGenius also has a slew of other products.  They have an Odor Eliminator, a bottom care spray (cleaner to use with cloths), diaper sprayer (to hook up to your toilet), Egyptian Cotton flat diapers, and flannel baby wipes.  You can view their whole product line-up at cottonbabies.com.  If you need replacement (or extra) inserts for your existing BG diapers, you can buy those as well!  The cottonbabies website also lists a BumGenius bamboo fitted, but the links don’t go anywhere.  I’m not sure if it’s a new product or a discontinued one, but I would love to get my hands on one of those to try out!

The only BumGenius I own is the 3.0.  Hopefully sometime this week, we’ll be able to branch out and pick up an Organics one (as well as 2 more 3.0’s).  I’ll definitely let you know what I think of the Organic diaper, how it stacks up against the 3.0.

Tags: All In One, bumGenius, One-size, Organic, Pocket, Pocket Diapers

Firstly, I just wanted to say that lately my choices during nap time have been: nap myself, shower, or blog.  Mostly, I’ve been chosing shower, with a bit of Plurk thrown in there.  So I apologize for my absence, and will try to make up for it with a “where to shop” type post.

I’m one of the few lucky ones out there with local shops that carry a variety of good cloth diapers.  I do some of my shopping locally, but to be honest, I do most of it online.  It’s not that I don’t want to support my local economies, but it’s mostly that I live in Canada, and like most things, diapers cost A LOT more here.  Like, $6 a diaper more.  If I know I can get a diaper cheaper (and new, with free shipping) online, there is very little incentive for me to shop locally.

My favourite place to buy diapers is from Leslie’s Boutique*.  It’s a great store, and the customer service is just about awesome.  Hands down, this has been the most economical place for me to buy new diapers from.  Also, I love love love her wetbags.  And?  She has a very fancy new diaper bag that I am jonesing for, but don’t have the cash to buy.  The snap in accessories are making me a tiny bit crazy.  I mean, I can get two bags - one wet one dry?  I can have a matching change mat?  She’ll make a small baggy for treats?  Dude.  I just about have a siezure when I think about all the matchy-matchy I can have.

There isn’t a lot that I have actually purchased from Leslie’s.  I have a small wipes sized wetbag, a Melon (AKA life preserver orange) Thirsties AIO (do not recommend), a Bubblegum Fuzzi Bunz (I’m not crazy about FB, but they’re ok), and a Grasshopper Bum Genius (love!).  My order was shipped reasonably quickly, although it took it’s sweet time getting here (the US to Canada postal system is complete pants and makes me crazy).  I have emailed them to ask them about custom bags, and they seem to be open to discussion (I wanted PUL sandwich sized bags), and were reasonable in their pricing.  I will absolutely be shopping here again.

*Did you know?  Leslie’s Boutique is having a sale on Thirsties stuff!  It’s on for a limited time, so be sure to go check it out!  Also:  Leslie’s is currently stocking the BumGenius Organic Cotton OS.  I don’t know whether to try it - it’s more expensive than the pocket, and I’m afraid that I won’t like it.  I also don’t know if I really NEED organic diapers or not.  Any thoughts?

I have also purchased from DiaperSwappers.com.  All the times I have bought from there, I haven’t had any problems…  Kind of.  I bought one Piddle Poddles which I swear isn’t an actual PP.  It is the same style, but the soaker is different then the other Piddle Poddles I have (which I know is actually a PP), the quality doesn’t seem to be the same.  Regardless, if it IS a PP, then it’s a second, and I paid full price for it.  I guess it doesn’t really matter now.  This is the problem with Diaperswappers - you have to really trust the other person to not screw you over.  I didn’t bother to follow up with this transaction because it didn’t seem to be worth it to me.  I know now that I won’t buy something that doesn’t have tags - so it will be either WAHM stuff with tags, or brand-name diapers with tags.  As a side note:  Make sure that you always always always get pictures, inside and out, of the diaper you are going to buy.  And check feedback.  If the seller doesn’t have diaperswapper feedback, ask for feedback from somewhere else.  When you get feedback from somewhere else, message that user and make sure it’s the person from diaperswappers.  If you chose to buy from someone with no feedback, do so at your own risk:  don’t spend more money than you’re willing to lose.

I have also purchased (accidentally!) from Spots’ Corner on Hyena Cart.  Here’s the catch:  if you press “buy this”, you HAVE to buy it.  Even if you go to the next page and decide, nope, not interested (as I did), you’re responsible for it.  This is how I got my Mutt.  While it’s a beautiful diaper, it’s not my favourite, and I do wish that I hadn’t purchased it.  My paypal money should have gone somewhere else.  Like maybe to a beautiful Fattycakes or something.  So let my experience be a warning - be sure to read what the button says before you click it on Hyena Cart.  Some stuff is “add to shopping cart”, which is no obligation, and some stuff is “buy now”, which means you own that item and must buy it.

If you’ve read any of my posts, you know that I love Piddle Poddles.  And I do.  I still want to try a Goodmama, just because they seem a little different in size (we’re having a bit of a sizing issue with the PP, because we’re in between snaps, but this will not be an issue in another few weeks when Kitten is a little bigger), but I’m really happy with the availability of the Piddle Poddles, and I have always received tremendous customer service from Robin.  The store is stocked every Friday, so you don’t have to worry about “stealth” stockings, or stalking a page.  Granted, if there is something special that you want, you will have to stalk a little to be sure to get it, but the majority of her regular One-Size Organic Bamboo Velour diapers are available for purchase (on stocking days, not just randomly).

So this is where I shop.  Does anyone have any recommendations?  Insights?  Difference in opinion?  Does anyone want to sell me a new (or barely used) Goodmama for $35 or less?  No?  Nuts.