MadeOn Hard Lotion Review

In this post, I mentioned a few of our favorite bath products from MadeOn Hard Lotion: diaper rash cream, hard lotion bars, and beesilk jr.  I just had to give them their own post and rave about them a bit more!  (Click here to visit MadeOn Lotion.)

diaper rash cream:  This is one of the best rash creams I've come across!  It contains zinc oxide, but not the nasty fishy stink and chemicals that other rash creams have.  A huge plus is that its safe for cloth diapers. I've used it for quite some time now and haven't had any issues with the diapers.  Usually one or two applications of this cream quickly clears up any redness.

hard lotion bar:  This is the first product that I ever bought from MadeOn Hard Lotion.  Lucy gets really red chapped hands in the winter.  We've tried plenty of creams and lotions, and this one works best.  It is nice and thick as it goes on, and really soaks into the skin and just works so well.  I've raved about it to others, and gave some to my mother in law for her sore cracking fingers.  At Christmas, I got each of my girls their own tiny hard lotion bar in a tin.  They like having their own to carry around (and I like that its perfectly safe for them).

beesilk jr:  Esther gets dry bumpy skin on her legs.  Beesilk jr is similar to the hard lotion bars, but easier to coat sensitive baby skin with.  We rub this on her after a bath, and it really helps.  Like the hard lotion, it stays on the skin and absorbs really well.  This is the perfect lotion for babies and little ones.

We were sent diaper rash cream and beesilk jr so that we could share with you just how much we love these products.  I have also purchased these on my own before and truly do enjoy them.  I am also an affiliate for MadeOn Hard Lotion, so clicking through my site to make a purchase helps.  Thanks!  Click here to visit MadeOn Lotion.

What's In the Diaper Bag?

Isaac and I had our first trip out of the house the other day, to a La Leche League meeting.  It took me a while to figure out what I needed to pack in the diaper bag!  I had been carrying a smaller purse with just an extra diaper for Esther in it, but now I need the bigger bag again.  So, what's in the bag?

(Note: My diaper bag is the medium zip tote from Land's End.  I got it for around $15.  If you keep an eye out they run some great specials.)

nursing cover

changing pad (just a layer of PUL and cotton sewn together)

diaper (cloth diapers and a disposable as a back up extra)

wipes

zipper pouch containing:

nursing pads

hand sanitizer

mints

lotion

chapstick

maxi pad

bandaids

hair tie

and mommy/blog business cards,

kleenex

fruit leathers

pen

keys

wallet

wet bag

spare big sister panties in a ziploc bag

burp cloth

change of clothes

blanket

Depending on where I am going, I would grab my ring sling too.  If I am traveling with all three girls, I bring a snack for each, a diaper or two for Esther, and water bottles for all.

Everything packed neatly inside.  

Want to play along?  What are your must-have diaper bag items?

Cloth Diapers In Action (Newborn)

Isaac is 11 days old and is in cloth diapers full time now.  We waited for the meconium to be gone before starting cloth.  At 4 days old, I tried a XS Fuzzi Bunz on him and the fleece ended up sticking badly to his umbilical cord.  It gapped a bit around the legs, but seemed to work okay otherwise.  I went back to the disposables that I could fold down for the cord though.  He was around 7lbs 7oz here:

XS Fuzzi Bunz at 4 days old

At 9 days old we started using BumGenius one size pocket diapers with just the newborn insert.  They have been working well.  The legs are a little bit loose, but the diaper is wide enough that it keeps everything contained.  The inserts are soaked whenever I change him, so we'll have to move up to the regular inserts soon.  He did leak through once at night because I had him in it too long.  The cloth diapers seem much more comfortable on him; the disposables were irritating his legs.  Isaac is about 7lbs 9oz now.

BumGenius one size pocket diaper at 9 days old

BumGenius one size pocket diaper at 11 days old

This one is stuffed with the bigger insert.  You can see it makes him have a puffy bottom, but not too bad.  We didn't have any leaks with this overnight.  (He hates having his diaper changed, so its hard to get good photos!)

Here is the XS Fuzzi Bunz at 11 days old.  It fits nicely.  I'm interested to see how quickly he outgrows it. 

XS Fuzzi Bunz at 11 days old

The Small Fuzzi Bunz is still way too big.  I ended up taking it back off of him because it was huge around the legs.

My little helper and I hung the diapers out in the sun today:

:)

Cloth Diapers: Our Newborn Stash

I wrote this post before baby arrived.  He is still in disposables at the moment, but we will start using cloth soon.  I'll be sure to snap some photos to post!

Esther's cloth diapers have all been through three kids and are about done for, so I bought new ones this time around.  I watched Black Friday sales and other deals and got these at great prices.  I'll admit the stash looks pretty boyish, but I couldn't very well buy pink in case we have a boy.  Blues and greens work either way.  If we have a girl I am going to order the lovelace print and a couple of pinks to round out the colors.

On the top shelf are mostly BumGenius one size snap pocket diapers.  On the right are size small Fuzzi Bunz and the tiny one in the front is an xsmall Fuzzi Bunz.  I have two of those and they are oh so cute!  The BumGenius are all set to the newborn size with just the newborn insert stuffed in them for now.

The bottom shelf holds prefolds, size one Seventh Generation disposables (for the first week), a couple of covers and fitted diapers, toddler size prefolds (to use as changing pads), and boxes of cloth and disposable wipes.  I am definitely a pocket diapering momma, but have prefolds and fitteds on hand just in case baby's tiny legs do not fit well in the pocket diapers at first.  I also like them for back-up, when diaper laundry is not done on time.  The prefolds are organic yellow edge GMDs, my absolute favorite.  I love how they are sized shorter than other prefolds and fit so much better.  The covers that I have are Thirsties Duo Wrap size one with snaps.

The BumGenius will last us all of baby's diapering years!  I have a couple of Medium Fuzzi Bunz that are probably still good that baby will use eventually too.  I have tried various sized fitteds and other brands over the years but am happy with our simple pocket stash now.  I love having all snap diapers - no more icky velcro that doesn't stay on and gets nasty in the wash.

If you're curious: I went through and added up my receipts from the various orders.  For 17 Bumgenius, 1 Thirsties cover, 2 xs Fuzzi Bunz, a pail liner, wet bag, and 5 small Fuzzi Bunz (like new from a friend) I spent a total of $297.26  Part of that was funded by selling other cloth diapers that I had and didn't want.  Everything but the small Fuzzi Bunz were purchased new from online stores.  I already had the prefolds, fitteds, and cloth wipes from last time.

Even if you were new to cloth diapering and had to purchase a few more items, you would still be saving sooo much money over disposables!  Oh, and I still have enough rewards money from Abby's Lane to get two free Bumgenius in pink if I end up needing them.  ;)  For a premium stash that will last all of baby's diapering years, I'm happy with the total.  Because the diapers are all new, I'm sure they'll last through one or two more children as well.  (That would cut the cost of diapering down to $150 or $100 per child!)

I think we're all set!  Now to have a baby to put these diapers on!  Of course I will post newborn fluffy bottom photos just as soon as I can.  :)

Newborn Stash?

What's your favorite newborn diaper?  

I just got a few new diapers for the baby.  Bumgenius are on sale buy 5 - get 1 free, so after selling some misc. cloth diapers on Craigslist, I was able to buy these.  

I also had a $10 credit to Diapers.com and found this adorable little FuzziBunz XS on sale for $11.16 (sold out now).  Its soo tiny!

I haven't decided what to use as newborn diapers yet.  I like the idea of prefolds or fitteds, I just hate a soggy wet diaper being against baby's skin.  My first two babies were terrible sleepers and I dared not add in another factor that may wake them (a wet feeling diaper).  FuzziBunz sized pocket diapers are definitely my favorite.  If it were practical, I'd love to have a complete stash of them in XS, S, and M.  I just don't think baby will be in XS long enough to justify buying a whole set.  The Bumgenius one size or FB smalls don't fit right away though.  Should I just go with disposables in the beginning, or something else?  Hm....

Diaper Drive

EcoBuns is hosting a diaper drive this month- collecting gently used cloth diapers and packaged disposables to send to an orphanage in Kenya.  They are offering a 20% discount on any one item in their store in exchange for donating.   If you are not local you can still mail in your diapers and order by phone to receive the discount.  I'd love to see them overwhelmed with diapers, so please spread the word!

Cloth Diapering Overnight

For a long time, Julia wore disposables at night because she kept leaking through any cloth I put on her.  We finally found a couple of night time solutions - one of them being a DryBees fleece pocket diaper.  I used this with Julia with good success, and have been using it with Esther for a couple of months now.
 

My favorite thing to stuff it with is a Knickernappies SuperDo insert.  The SuperDo is 6 layers of hemp sandwiched between two layers of microfiber, sewn in a loop for faster drying.  This has been working perfectly for Esther, who is a pretty heavy wetter overnight.  The medium SuperDo fits nicely in the medium DryBees Fleece pocket diaper.

I like that the SuperDo insert is absorbent, but not too bulky.  It looks bulky in the photo, but for a night diaper, its pretty good.  Esther sleeps on her tummy now, so I have to be sure and stuff the insert all the way in.

One of the keys to night time cloth diapering is to have adequate absorbency to help break down the concentration of urine.  We had previously tried extra stuffing a pocket diaper, but without enough absorbency, it didn't work.  The extra wetness just sits against baby's skin or leaks out of the diaper - neither of which is a good option.  The SuperDo insert is a great way to add enough absorbency to keep baby dry and happy.  I think we've found the perfect night time solution!

Here is my sweet girl just waking up...

Knickernappies provided me with a SuperDo Insert for review.  Opinions expressed are my own.  You can find a retailer here.  

Ecobuns Grand Opening

Ecobuns has a store front!  Saturday July 24th from 9am to 3pm they are having a grand opening event.  Things will kick off with a cloth diapering/ babywearing/ pregnant mama parade at 9am.  Each family that joins in the parade will receive a $5 gift card, along with free balloons for the kids.  Kellie is planning all sorts of fun including raffles, drawings, and refreshments.  Be sure and stop by.

(The store looks great, I was just there today!  Way to go, Kellie!)

Rocky Mountain Diapers Review and Giveaway

        

Esther was five months old yesterday!  She has chubby little legs and is outgrowing her small Fuzzi Bunz.  Julia is finally potty trained, so I am down to one baby in cloth again.  I've been rearranging the cloth diapers and trying out a couple new things.  Here Esther is wearing a Rocky Mountain pocket diaper.  These are a one size pocket diaper with a unique adjustment system.  The leg elastic has snaps that adjust when you need to change sizes.  The inside of the diaper doesn't show any snaps or anything:

When you reach inside the wing area you find the elastic with snaps:

Just unsnap the elastic and pull it tighter or looser as needed:

From the outside you can see the snap:

These are similar to the Fuzzi Bunz One Size, but those button through the elastic.  I like that everything is neatly hidden away with this diaper, the Fuzzi Bunz One Size elastic pops out of the pocket when washed and has to be tucked in each time.  The FB does come with replacement elastic though, and this diaper elastic wouldn't be as easy to replace.  

After having the velcro on some of my diapers wear out, I am a big fan of snaps.  This one seems to have a good range of snaps and has room for Esther to grow.  I LOVE the color and wearing colored pocket diapers under dresses is so much fun in the summer!  There is even a new Chocolate color that is super cute, is it bad if I want one in every color they make?  ;)  This is a great pocket diaper that will get lots of use at our house.  

Would you like to win one?  Just leave a comment letting me know your favorite color Rocky Mountain cloth diaper.  (The one I have to give away is blue with yellow inside.)  I'll choose a winner on June 24th at midnight.  For an extra entry you can like One Little Word She Knew on Facebook and leave a comment letting me know you did that.  Thanks for stopping by!

I received a diaper for the purpose of review.  Opinions expressed are my own and are honest.

Giveaway now closed.  Congrats #16!

Trying Rockin' Green

So far we've been using Purex Free and Clear laundry detergent on our cloth diapers. I haven't had any problems, but wanted something more natural. I mistakenly thought that since Purex didn't have enzymes, softeners, scents, or dyes (according to this chart) that it was safe. Here are the ingredients of Purex: Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, C12-16 Pareth-7, Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Dodecylbenzenesulfonate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Polyacrylate, C.I. Fluorescent Brightening Agent 28, Tetrasodium Edta, Methylisothiazolinone. I'm not even sure what some of those are. A quick search on the Cosmetics Database shows these ingredients linked to neurotoxicity, skin irritation, and more. The words "known immune system toxicant" should not be used in reference to my laundry soap!

I've heard good things about Rockin Green Laundy Soap and decided to try it out. Now, some of their ingredients aren't completely favorable on the Cosmetics Database either. Rockin' Green's ingredient list is shorter and although I'm not a chemicals expert, it does seem like a better choice. (sodium carbonate, sodium percarbonate, natural chelating agents, sodium sulfate, biodegradable surfactants, natural fragrance oils (if scented is chosen)) Many other natural detergents aren't safe for cloth diapers because they are too soapy. I've looked at homemade detergent recipes, but they often contain Borax, which I'm a bit leery of. For now we are going with this.

I received two sample packets to try. My diapers were completely stink free after a good soak in Rockin' Green. You can see in the photo that the rinse water is pretty clear as well. I usually do a rinse, hot wash/ cold rinse with Purex, and then another hot wash/ cold rinse with no detergent. With Rockin' Green I'm doing an initial rinse, hot wash/ cold rinse with the laundry soap, and then another rinse. (eliminating the second hot wash) With Purex the diapers would have a lingering stink at times, and I think the Rockin' Green soak was great for stripping any leftover smell. I've only used this a couple of times but I did just order some more. I'm not sure yet if we'll use this on all of our laundry or if that would cost too much. There are some natural laundry soaps at Meijer that I'm going to look at for our regular laundry.

Would you like to try this out? Rockin' Green is giving away a 45/90 bag in your choice of formula and scent. To enter the giveaway let me know what detergent you currently use on your cloth diapers (or laundry) and if you like it or not. I'll close the giveaway in two weeks on June 3rd at midnight. For extra entries follow my blog and/ or be a confirmed email subscriber. Leave a comment for each extra entry with a total of three entries possible. Be sure that you include your email or have it listed on your profile. If you're interested in placing an order you can use the code "onelittle" for 10% off.

*Giveaway now closed.  Thanks for the interest.  Congrats to TheGirl!*

Abby's Lane

Abby's Lane is one of my favorite places to shop for cloth diapering supplies. They offer a great range of products at the best prices out there and have FREE shipping on every order! Join their yahoo group to get a 5% off code good every time you order from them as well. Become a Facebook fan for fun giveaways and contests. From now until April 30th, mention my name when you order and I will receive $5 in store credit! You must be a new customer, place a paying order, and mention my name in the comments box for me to get credit. (mention Christy - christy.vwATgmail DOTcom sent you) With free shipping and 5% off, I'm sure you can all find something you need. :)

BumGenius, Flip, Babylegs, and so much more. Check it out!

(Originally posted April 5, bumping this up for the last few days of this promotion.)

Flip Disposable Diapers

I'm not impressed with the Flip Disposable Inserts. I want to like them, but I don't. At all. We took them along with us on our recent weekend trip out of town. Thank goodness I brought disposables too because these are awful.

I had three Flip covers and the disposable inserts to use. The first time I had one of them on Esther she pooped and it went all over. It was sort of like just letting her poop in a plain cover because the insert did nothing to contain or absorb the poop. I had to rinse out her clothes, the pad I changed her on, and the cover. I had planned on washing the cover by hand in the sink if it got dirty, but I couldn't get the poop out of the folds in the elastic leg casing and across the back. Thankfully this all happened in the hotel room rather than during one of the conference sessions. I still had the other two covers to use, but I didn't even try again that weekend because I couldn't risk another huge mess.

Other times that I've had the disposable inserts on Esther, even with just pee they are soaked and the cover gets wet and isn't reusable. Like I said, I want to like them - the inserts are soft and I like that they are "healthier" than disposables. I think they are too narrow and thin though. For some reason, I've also had trouble with the laminate peeling on the inside of the covers, something my other diapers have never done. I may be able to exchange these, but I haven't tried to do that yet.

We do like the Flip covers with the organic prefold insert, but its the same thing as folding a prefold and laying it in any cover. I like the snaps on the cover and the stretchy elastic tabs but overall I just don't love the system as much as I had hoped to.

I did not receive this product for review, I purchased it.

Angel Baby Bottom Balm

Lately Esther has been wearing her Flip diaper with the organic prefold fairly often. Its absorbent, trim, and cute! What's your favorite baby fluff-wear this week? We're headed out of town this weekend and I'm taking the Flip disposable inserts, I'll let you know how that goes.

I had Esther is a disposable diaper recently and noticed that she was very red and bled a bit in her leg creases. I'm not sure if the diaper rubbed her the wrong way or what but cloth is definitely much more comfortable. Thankfully we had just gotten some Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm to review. I put some on her and it did seem to help. I've also used this on Julia's "toddler mouth" - you know, where they bite their bottom lip and make it red and chapped? She calls it her medicine and asked me to put it on her face a couple of times until it cleared up. I love having this natural option and not worrying about chemicals being absorbed into my babies' skin.

I didn't use a ton of this all at once, but its supposed to be safe for cloth diapers. It seems like it would wash out just fine and I didn't have any issues with the small amount that I used. This is a great all purpose healing balm to have around - good for scrapes, dry skin and more. Thanks Earth Mama Angel Baby! In April, you can use the code "CLOTH20" for 20% off an online order. (Hint: join their Facebook page and email list for fun giveaways and more.)

Kissaluvs Hybrid One Size Review

After my series of cloth diaper reviews, a friend suggested that I try a Kissaluvs Hybrid One Size diaper. I had never heard of these before but they looked interesting and Kissaluvs let me try one! I'm going to go back and add this to the post on fitteds and prefolds too so the newborn reviews are all in one place.

Esther has been using this diaper at 12-13 lbs now. It fits her nicely and I can see it fitting for a long time. Its basically like a fitted diaper without snaps and generously sized so that it has a large range of fit. It can be folded down for smaller babies, but it fits Esther without needing to do that. I tried it on Julia and it fit her too. (23lbs, 2 1/2 years old) Its a bit hard to get a snappi to grab on to this diaper so I felt like it might not stay on Julia right. It stays on Esther just fine though since she's not too mobile.

I like that the soaker is sewn in across the back - no searching for it in the laundry. Its nice and absorbent, but still pretty trim. I fold the soaker part under so that there is plenty of absorbency right where its needed. The elastic fits well at the legs and seems to hold in poop well. This is a good sturdy diaper that we'll get lots of use out of. It comes in cute colors too. Thanks Kissaluvs!

DryBees Night Diaper

Julia still is not potty trained. She expressed interest almost a year ago and at one point was staying almost completely dry. Right now she just doesn't remember to go on the potty when she needs to. This summer we'll be spending lots of time outside potty training I suppose. She still wets a ton at night too. I reviewed a night diaper back in November and just recently got to try out another one. The Drybees Fleece Nighttime Pocket diaper has been working well for us.

Julia weighs about 23 pounds sopping wet but I went ahead and chose a medium. It fits well with room to spare, so I'd say these run a bit big (that and my kids run small...). Its bulky, but not too bad. One of our other nighttime combos is a Happy Hempy pocket fitted diaper with a wool cover. Julia really waddles in that one, but the DryBees is not quite as puffy. The fit around the legs is nice and snug and the diaper is soft so it doesn't leave red marks or anything. Julia likes the little bee on the tag.

The diaper does not come with an insert. I stuff ours with whatever is handy - last night it was a microfiber insert along with an infant prefold. This morning she was dry, the outside of the diaper didn't even feel damp. The DryBees Nighttime diaper is made of a very thick fleece, which makes the diaper breathable. When I just use a regular pocket diaper extra stuffed, I feel like the PUL keeps the wetness in too much and irritates Julia's skin. With this diaper, her skin can breathe just enough.

A good nighttime diaper has been hard to find, but this one fits the bill. Soft, breathable, absorbent, cute, great fit... we give it two thumbs up. Thanks DryBees.

Mother-Ease Cloth Diaper Giveaway

Mother-ease has a great introductory offer for anyone who wants to try their cloth diapers and covers. For a special low price you can get a cover, liner, and fitted diaper with shipping included, one per customer. I received a Mother-ease Introductory set to review with Esther. I chose the Sandy's small in bamboo terry along with an airflow cover in size small. A friend of mine always raves about the airflow cover, so I was excited to try these.

If you read my posts this week on newborn cloth diapering, you already know some of my thoughts on these diapers. I had a big stash of Kissaluvs that Esther quickly grew out of but the Sandy's small is much more generously sized. At about 11 lbs, it fits Esther well and also has some room to grow. For pictures comparing the sizes, see my post here. This is one of the softest diapers we have, the bamboo is great! As for absorbency, I do have to include the liner each time I use the diaper. I wish that the liners came with the diapers rather than being sold separately since I think they are pretty necessary.

The cover is great also. It is a nice big size with a good fit around the legs. The elastic is soft enough to not pinch or leave marks. It fits well over any of the fitteds and prefolds that we have. My comparison post on diaper covers is here if you want to read more.

Back in September, I reviewed Mother-ease training pants. If you read that post you already know that the Mother-ease factory uses 100% green power! The prints for their covers and training pants were specially developed to represent environmentally sensitive regions of the world. Very cool; a great company to support. If you decide to make a purchase from Mother-ease, please let them know that you read about them on my blog.

I have an introductory set to give away to one reader! This includes a white cotton small Sandy's diaper, a liner, and a medium savanna print cover. To enter the giveaway, leave a comment and tell me why you cloth diaper. Leave another comment if you're a follower of my blog for an extra entry. I'll close this on March 27th at midnight. If you're new to my blog, take a look around. I have lots of baby product giveaways going on this month you won't want to miss!

*Giveaway closed. Congrats to Isi and Jas' mom!*

Newborn Cloth Diapering: Pocket Diapers

(This is part of a series on cloth diapering. See my post on fitteds and prefolds here, and a post on covers here.)

Fuzzi Bunz Small - These are probably my favorite diapers on Esther. We use these at night and whenever we're going out somewhere. They are very absorbent but the fleece inner keeps her dry. I didn't try these until she was about 10lbs. At that point they fit nicely and I expect to get quite a bit more use from these. We have had poop leak once or twice out the legs but most of the time its contained pretty well. These are great diapers, I think I could go with a whole stash of just these.

BumGenius One Size- These are a great fit on the small setting. I was using just the tiny insert but we've moved up to the bigger insert snapped down to the small setting. The suedecloth inner is great at keeping Esther dry which is nice for night or going out places because she can stay in the diaper a bit longer. We reach for these often and like them. The only drawback is that over time the velcro wears out, Julia has a stash of these that I need to repair so that Esther can use them too.

Fuzzi Bunz One Size - I reviewed this diaper a couple of months ago on Julia. I was curious to see how well it would work for a newborn. After tightening the leg elastic, it is very similar to the small Fuzzi Bunz. Its baggier in the bottom, but not too much. As Esther grows it will be nice to be able to customize the fit just by loosening the elastic a bit.

Swaddlebees - This is a nice trim fitting pocket diaper with fleece stay dry lining. One drawback is that the velcro is too close to the top of the diaper and ends up scratching Esther's tummy sometimes. The fleece lining also kind of shows around the leg and I'm afraid this diaper just won't contain messy newborn poop very well. I haven't it enough to be sure though.

Flip Diaper - I'll include this here, although its really a hybrid diaper. You can read about it at Abby's Lane. I like how the cover fits, its tight enough around the legs and the stretchy tabs at the waist are nice. The insert doesn't contain newborn poop very well, I usually end up having to throw the whole thing in the wash because it gets on the cover. I also tried this diaper on Julia and it fits nicely on her but she pees through the insert pretty quickly. I'd love to get a few more pieces of this system, the pink Zinnia color is adorable.

Summary -

If you haven't noticed, I can't make up my mind about which diaper system I like best! Fitteds and covers are great for containing newborn poop. I also like using cute wool covers, although I suppose I could always use wool over a pocket diaper too. Fuzzi Bunz are probably my favorite. ...who knew there was this much to think about with cloth diapers? What's your favorite system?

Some of my favorite stores to shop for diapers are Abby's Lane, Ecobuns, and Nicki's Diapers. Abby's Lane offers free shipping and 5% off everything when you join their yahoo group (purple button at the bottom of the page). If you happen to order from them for the first time, mention that I referred you and I'll get a small credit. Thanks!