Even MORE fluff mail is coming my way!

I don't want to make this blog entirely  about cloth diapers but I am so excited I just couldn't wait until Tuesday to share!

I say it all the time but I truly do have too many cloth diapers!! 

And now...I have 3 more on the way! 

In pursuit of a diaper that would stand up to Emmett's 10-12 hour, heavy wetting nights I ended up here. 

My initial attraction was to the Charcoal Bamboo cloth diaper.  These little babies are supposed to offer mammoth sized protection overnight! 

Next, I feel in love with this print...of course Emmett had to have one!


Photo: lilhelper.ca

Thirdly, these guys are fricken funny!!  Their wicked sense of humour is plastered all over their site!  We all need a chuckle when dealing with poop! 

They are local to me, well close enough.  I love me a good local diaper!

Finally, and this was the clincher.   For every 3 diapers purchased at the end of the month they will donate 1 diaper to a family in need.  They also hold themselves accountable in their blog.  Amazing.  Best reason to shop there!

Now...I sit and wait for my dipes to show up so I can review, review, review!

Product Review: Glowbug Cloth Diapers

Disclosure: I did not receive compensation or free product for this review.  These opinions are my own and were in no way influenced by the company.

 

This citrusy sweet diaper holds a dear place in my heart...a diaper really??  Yup.  It was our very first cloth diaper.  One lovely, one sized, pocket diaper.

 

I had hear so much about this local company but no one I knew had tried them out.  I was hesitant to purchase such a large quantity of diapers (they are sold in package of 12 for $150 which includes a coordinating wet bag and inserts) without first trying one out.  Fortunately a limited edition diaper came out around that time so I snatched one up!

 

The day my very first fluff mail arrived I was over the moon.  I took that diaper everywhere to show too people.   Yup, the crazy pregnant lady and her diaper.

 

I immediately fell in love and ordered a boy package!

 

Just mere weeks after my diapers arrived Glowbug announced that they would be dropping the old patterns and releasing twelve new boy designs!!  I patiently waited each day for close to 24 days as they showed  a new print a day on facebook - and cursed each day a girl pattern was released!  I should note - I was still just pregnant at this point and already obsessed with fluff mail!

 

As we had purchased the remainder of our stash from other brands I decided I didn't need another 12 diapers no matter how cute they were.

 

Fortunately Glowbug knew the way to my heart!  They soon had a promo - buy a package and get a booster pack (6 dipes) free!!  Heck ya!!  This Mama put in her order!

 

My Glowbug stash is now 26 diapers (and growing)...

 

 

 

I am so passionate about these guys, I could gush about the company all day.  Okay, now onto the review!

 

Glowbugs are an All in One, One Sized Pocket Diaper - the blue monkey dipe is set on the smallest setting, the robots are on the largest.

Amazing design feature on these pocket dipes - the snap!

You simply unsnap the liner from the dipe and it will agitate out in the wash!  Most pocket diapers require you to stick you hand in and pull out the soiled liner prior to washing.

This picture shows a Glowbug vs a Bumgenius 4.0

Each is stuffed with 2 liners for added overnight protection.

Note how much bulkier the Bumgenius is. 





 

The Glowbugs are open at each end which allows for easy stuffing as well! 

 

I forgot to take a picture but the new design also features a hip snap!  This keeps the diaper from "winging". 

 

They are a great deal at $150 for 12 boy or girl patterns (and I've read on their facebook page that they are coming out with a unisex pack!).  Including a wetbag!  That is only $12.50 a diaper!  For a great piece of fluff that compares (and I prefer) to a $25+ Bumgenius!

 

Prep is super easy!  One wash and dry to increase absorbency and seal the PUL and you are ready to go.

 

The ONLY negative is I find the back flap moves up easily when the diaper is on the smallest setting pushing the liner up onto babies skin.  However, as he got bigger I find this isn't a problem anymore (or I've figured out how to fix it!).

 

These diapers are truly amazing as are the kind, friendly women behind this great company!

 

Make sure you check them out! 

 

It's Emmett's Unbirthday! So we want to give you a present!

In the spirit of Emmett's "Unbirthday" we are having a giveaway!  With one of our new products!

Toy leash! Sophie not included in giveaway



You can be entered up to 3 times!

1.  Follow the blog by e-mail

2. Share this post on facebook by clicking the link on the right -->

3. Leave a comment here telling me what you did!

Giveaway closes tomorrow morning at 10am!

Wordless Wednesday - Unbirthday

I am glad today is Wordless Wednesday.   Today is Emmett's "Unbirthday".  I can't believe my amazing little man is 6 months old today.

Happy Unbirthday Sweet Bear!!

 

 

 

Introducing...Tushie Talk Tuesdays!

I have decided to dub Tuesdays: Tushie Talk Tuesdays.  I will be devoting as many Tuesdays as possible to nothing but Cloth Diapering (CD).

Most e-mails I get through the blog or boutique or just from people that I talk too are about....cloth diapering!

There are so many things to consider when getting started....fitted, AIO, pockets, flip...how to wash, how to store dirties, which brands are best.  Wool, minky, polyester.  And what the heck is PUL!???!!!

Seriously, when we first started I was incredibly overwhelmed.  I thought maybe I had made a big mistake in choosing the CD route (not that I would have EVER admitted that to anyone then!).  I promise, if you are thinking of going down this avenue, it gets so much easier and the benefits far outweigh the negatives!

Today I am sharing the basics of my stash and supplies!

Where the changing magic happens

 

My stash!...sadly this is not the entire stash.  There are about a dozen missing that are washing, being stripped and just plain ole dirty (plus I just ordered about a dozen!).

 

A few of my favorites!

There are Blueberry snaps, Swaddlebee Simplex Velcro's (All pockets).

Blueberry AIO with snaps

My absolute favorite on the right are my Tots N Bots Minky with Aplix.  Gah.  Heaven!  If they weren't $25 a diaper my whole stash would be these!

 

The swim dipes.  These are Bummi's reusable swim diapers.  I buy them here. 

 

Finally, the gear! 

I use Rockin Green for washing (not pictured).  We use Hard Rock because we have hard water.  We have had no issues yet.  It also comes in lots of fun scents!  We like Watermelon.

 

I also use - Funk Rock - this is a great alternative to stripping.  It generally fixes the stinky dipes so a full stripping isn't necessary.

 

Finally - Shake it up- you sprinkle a bit of this into the wetbag (or pail or you go that route) and the powder helps to keep the stink at bay!

 

Also pictured: Coconut oil - we use this as a diaper cream (it is CD safe, most creams are not).  If we have a bad rash we usually switch to disposables for a few days and break out the Zincofax.

Bummi's Diaper Lines - These are flushable liners and are great now that Emmett's started solids and his poop isn't water soluble anymore.  It just goes straight into the toilet!

 

 

There you have it!  The general overview of our CD system.  My goal is to break down this info (and more) on Tuesday's as a reference, help or give me some pointers!!  I am by no means an expert on CD!

 

If you are interested in starting out with Cloth Diapering check out a local shop (if you are local to Ontario I have lots of suggestions!).  You can also check out this video on youtube.  She has a series of 7 videos that are a great informational tool for anyone considering cloth diapering!





 

 

 

The Mom Stays in the Picture

I love this article. 

Lately it has been continually creeping up in my life.  In my Mommy blog, friends Facebook pages and discussions at playgroup.

It really hit home recently when a friends Mom passed.  She sent me a message reminding me that as much as everyone loves seeing pictures of Emmett on Facebook that there are few pictures of Emmett & I.  Someday those would be the pictures that he needs for comfort, memories or just a smile.

I am EXACTLY the  Mom described in this article.  Still struggling with post partum weight issues.  Constant exhaustion = no time for me to get ready.  Rushing out of the house because once again we are running late = no time for me to get ready.  Being uncomfortable in my 6 months after C-Section body.

Whether it be nothing fits, I don't feel comfortable in what fits, didn't have time to do my hair, no time for makeup.  Eyebrow waxing....I remember knowing what that was once.  There is always some excuse when the camera is brought up that I vanish from the room, hold Emmett up to cover my face or delete each picture because something looked funny.

As a result of these events I made two goals:

1. Use my camera more often. 

I am forever snapping pics of Emmett with my phone.  Why?  We have a fantastic Nikon SLR yet I choose cellphone camera quality.  (This goal also stemmed from nearly losing my phone and a major meltdown - I didn't care about the phone.  I cared about the hundreds of pictures lost!).

I am getting better at this!  Sometimes with the other 2399298 bags I run out the door with I'm lucky to remember Emmett much less my camera bag!  But I am getting better.

2.  Take more photos of Emmett and I

I HAVE been doing well with this.  Although I've been taking them on my iPhone...and not posting them.  I have been taking them.  I don't need to share them with anyone right now, I just need to know that they are there for me!

 

DIY Baby Food

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist, dietitian or expert in this matter.  These are just my opinions/experiences!

For a lot of new Mom's making your own baby food can be a daunting task!

Fortunately I wasn't one of them.  I jumped right in!  I was excited to know exactly what was going into Emmett's baby food.   It was definitely concerning to me that these jars containing "nutrition" for our babes could sit on the shelf for months yet they claim to have no ingredients other than the fruit/vegetable and water?  I don’t think so.

Now, don't get me wrong.  There is nothing wrong with using premade baby food.  There are certain things we use from a jar/pouch.  However, we are very fortunate that I have the time to make the majority of Emmett's baby food being on maternity leave.  So I do.

This is a quick glimpse into a morning of my baby food making adventures!

Started at 8:37 A.M.

 

Prepping this week:

Sweet Potatoes

Apples

Acorn Squash

Butternut Squash

Pears

Apricots

Carrots

 

New this week: Butternut Squash and Apricots. 

Not pictured: Bananas - pureed bananas give Emmett really bad stomach aches.  Instead we use whole bananas as part of Baby Led Weaning (BLW), which we use part-time.  He usually takes a few bites and the rest ends up as banana mush.  In his hands, high chair, clothes, hair, the dog...you get the picture.

Carrots & pears boiling, sweet potatoes and butternut squash ready for the blender!

 

I generally get the carrots in the pot and the root vegetables in the oven first.  They take the longest to cook.  Fruit usually boils/steams in a few minutes.

 

Once the food is soft I throw it in the fridge for a while to cool off before pureeing...nothing like the vacuum seal effect!

 

We have a Baby Bullet.  It is a decent, okay, not good blender.  It does work but I find that unless your stuff is very watered down it takes FOREVER!

 

I prefer my Ninja.  Plus it's much bigger.

 

 

Finished!  Well it isn't all frozen yet but I need to get more trays! 

This will make approximately 2-3 weeks worth of food.  I think it cost about $15 and everything except the two squashes is organic. 

 

Time finished: 10:14 A.M.

 

 

There ya go!  How I spent Emmett's Saturday morning nap.

 

Now, off to enjoy the rest of the weekend adventure on this cloudy Sunday!