Newborn Cloth Diaper Event Ends

Thank you all for a wonderful Celebration!  

I loved learning more from the other Moms over at

FTM,

Just Add Cloth, 

Mommy's Favorite Things 

and Mama's Baby Cupcakes.  

Some of the reviews and giveaways at the other blogs are filtering over into the next month.

So stop by and check them out!

Thank you to everyone who sponsored, participated and joined us in reading this month.  And in Trophy Wife tradition....here is a hint to the next OTTW giveaway.  It will post next week!  If you stop by Facebook and answer this question correctly with either the company or the product...you'll get an extra entry into the giveaway.

How many of you love Mama and her all natural Angel products?

GroVia Review

I am saving my most favorite of the newborn sized diapers that I tried out for last.  They are the GroVia AIO newborn cloth diapers.  I absolutely loved them.

There are many things that I loved about the GroVia Newborn AIO diapers.  I love the prints and colors.  They are so cute.  They have a lot of selections for boy, girl and neutral colors and prints.  My favorite was the Mod Flower and the Cloud.  I really loved how they have extra snaps in the front so that the rise can be lowered to accommodate the umbilical cord area.  This makes them perfect to use right from the start.  I also liked that the interior is natural cotton (instead of the typical microfiber) and the outer is TPU.  They are technically AIOs because the absorbent layer is sewn on the inside, but it's not inside the diaper.  It is loose allowing it to be folded as needed for wetness protection (higher for boys, lower for girls) and it allows the absorbent layer to be washed and dried on both sides.

At 6 lbs with rise snapped down.

It's difficult to explain what I didn't like about them because it is caused by one of the reasons that they are my favorites.  I really didn't like that they took forever to wash and dry.  They were the only diapers that stained.  They took two wash cycles and two dry cycles, plus I had to hang them overnight to get them to finish drying.  They were very absorbent; which is good for using, but not so fun for washing.  This is because they use cotton instead of mircofiber.  Because I love that they use a natural fiber (perfect for those really sensitive babies!!), it is something that I didn't like, but I was happy to live with.  My other complaint is that when they were getting too small (by 10 lbs!) they leaked out of the leg areas.  I think it's because of the cute gathering around the edges.  I think that if the inner cotton fabric wasn't exposed by that, then they probably wouldn't have leaked and I could have used them a little longer.  I really wish we could have used them longer, they were the first ones that she grew out of.

8 lbs.

8 lbs. Cute ruffle at legs.

I still think that their pros far outweigh their cons.  I can't wait for an opportunity to try more GroVia products.  I really loved these diapers, even with the few inconveniences...they were the ones that I was going for first.  And they are the ones that I'm the most sad that I can't use anymore.

10 lbs.  Already on the last snaps.

10 lbs.  Little legs are getting chunky!

GroVia definitely gets this Trophy Wife's Seal of Approval!

My favorite diaper company

I love our cloth diapers....all the different brands.  I have really enjoyed working with all of the cloth diaper companies that I have been blessed to do reviews for too.  But there is one that really stands out to me.  It could be because it was the first cloth diaper stash that I had.  It could also be because it's the diaper that makes up the majority of my stash.  Hands down though....I am smitten.

I love FuzziBunz.  Sure, I have had my frustrations with them.  From learning how to keep the build up and stinkies away to learning how to size them to fit well.  But those are things that you have to learn with each diaper brand.  I know that they are in the mid range for price, being anywhere from $14 to $20 a diaper.

We have used FuzziBunz for 1 year and 9 months now, and I have to tell you that I have never had a bad experience with the company.  I found that some of our diapers had defective PUL a while back.  (They have changed companies that provides their PUL after those diapers were made.)  I contacted the company because they were technically out of their warranty date because we bought them 3 months before Little Man started using them.  They replaced them with no problems.  I even found that I still had a few of those diapers in my stash last month that didn't get returned with the initial group.  They had been put away for 5 months and when I took them out, the PUL problems showed up.  They still replaced them!  They really go above and beyond to make sure that they provide your with not only the best quality, but the best service too.

I have always been thankful that we decided to go with FuzziBunz for our initial stash.  There have been times when I thought my problems were hopeless.  Time and time again, they prove why they are one of the best cloth diapering companies out there.  They are so understanding and helpful.  They provide quick and convenient service.  All I can say is, "Thank you!"

Troubleshooting Diaper Problems

After choosing the type of diaper that you want to use for your newborn, there are a few things to do before they are ready.  The first thing to do with your newborn diapers is to prep them for use.  I suggest doing this when you are about 32 weeks along so that they are ready to go right from the start.  Here is a link to my post for new to cloth parents; it explains the different styles of cloth diapers and other great information.  To prep your stash means to wash them and have them clean and dry for your first diaper use.

When your diapers are prepped and ready to go, the next step is to figure out where you are going to keep them.  Cloth diapers do take up more room than their counterpart, the disposable diaper.  I personally like to keep mine in a cute box nicely stuffed and folded.  That way I can just reach out and grab one when I need it.  The box is on top of the dresser next to the cloth wipe warmer.

When you have a problem with leaks, the first step is to look at how the diaper fits.  If there is a gap in the legs or waist that is too big, that could cause a leak.  If part of the interior fabric is sticking out of the back, waist or legs, that could cause a leak too.  I've even found out that if your diaper is fitted too tight, that will also cause leaks.  I always go by the rule of thumb for fit.....if I can easily slip my thumb in between the elastic and my baby and easily pull the diaper out a finger width, then it should be a good fit.  If it is more tight or loose than that, then I readjust the diaper.

If fit is not the problem, then your next step is to look at repelling problems.  Repelling is when the fabric doesn't absorb liquids.  Repelling could be caused by build up of detergent or minerals from your water.  All you need to do is strip your diapers.  Also make sure that you are not using non cloth diaper diaper creams or petroleum based products on your baby when they are wearing cloth diapers.  These products cause repelling problems in cloth diapers and they will also void most warranties.  One other factor to repelling is the type of detergent that you use.  I strongly suggest using a cloth diaper specific detergent like Rockin Green, Crunchy Clean, or Ruby Moon; to name a few.  They are less likely to cause build up problems than name brand detergents.

If all else fails and you just need a little advice....always feel free to leave me a question or send me an email.  I always love to help if I can.  thetrophywife (at) obsessionsottw (dot) com

Mother-ease Wizard Uno Review

We were sent from Mother-ease Cloth Diapers the Wizard Uno AIO cloth diaper in size extra small to use.  I love how the innovative design makes it the easiest AIO to wash and dry.

The insert is sewn into the interior of the diaper like other AIOs.  What makes it different is that the interior is sewn to the outer shell on the top and bottom; leaving the sides open.  This allows for the interior to get washed and dried from both sides, making it easier to clean and quicker to dry.  I also liked how this also made a dual gusset type of protection.

We first used it on Peanut when she was 8 lbs.  It has a scoop in the front that allows for the diaper to sit down below the belly button.  The interior fit snug around her legs even though the outer shell was a little loose around the leg openings.  I was sure that it would leak like the others did because of the gap, but it didn't.  I even kept it on her for 3 hours.  She had a large soupy breast milk poo and it never leaked.  I was so impressed.  I know that we would have been able to use this diaper at 6 lbs even though the outer shell didn't fit snug around her legs.

We continued to use it on her at 12 lbs and it was fitting wonderfully at that point.  It never left a red mark and it was trim underneath her clothes.  It never stained and was very easy to wash.  I still use it on her at 14 lbs.  The rise is a little short, but it still fits well around the waist and legs.  This is one of the longest lasting diapers in our newborn stash!

I was very impressed by the Mothers Ease Cloth Diapers Wizard Uno diaper.  It is one of my favorite AIO diapers.  It comes in multiple sizes too, so you can use the style all the way to potty training.  The only thing that I would add to it is some girly colors and prints too.

FuzziBunz Perfect Size Giveaway! - CLOSED

Greenie Beanie Bottoms is a great little online store.  It has all your needs from cloth diapering babies to Mama things.  I was surprised that I just found this great little store.  I was told about it from my blogger friend, Just Add Cloth.

They have generously offered one lucky OTTW reader the chance to win a FuzziBunz Perfect Size diaper in their choice of available color and size.  Here is my review of FuzziBunz Perfect Size Small.

Greenie Beanie Bottoms

Is it worth it?

When I was looking for newborn cloth diaper choices, I had to ask myself what kind of cloth diaper I wanted to start with.  As I asked for advice, most people kept telling me to just use prefolds and covers because it was the cheapest way to go.  What about the easiest?  Isn't having sleepless nights and a brand new baby hard enough?  I kept hearing from people that they were worried about the cost of using AIO or Pocket newborn sized diapers.  So, is it really worth it?

Little Man at 4 weeks.

I would have to say yes.  The added cost of AIO and Pocket newborn sized diapers is worth it...as long as you get what you need.  The reason it is worth it is because they are so easy to use.  Those middle of the night diaper changes can be done practically in your sleep.  You don't have to worry about folding, tucking, pinning or remembering the cover.  You can get help from others without too much fuss.  Your husband, mother, nurses, or whoever else is around to help won't mind the simple put on and snap (or velcro) shut the diaper....one step, just like a disposable.  There is no intimidation like with prefolds and covers.

Little Man at 6 weeks.

The diapers that I loved the most from day one were the Gro-Via.  They fit perfectly, didn't leak and had a snap down feature in the front that protected the umbilical cord for the first week.  I just wish that they would have lasted longer!  My second favorites were the Bumcessories and Wizard Uno.  They worked from day one.  They were also the easiest to clean.  The diapers that lasted the longest for us were the Bumcessories, Little Smartis, Wizard Uno and FuzziBunz Perfect Size Small.

The diapers are only used for a short time.  Some go for 8 weeks, others can last 12 weeks.  Some you can't use until 2-4 weeks, some you can start right away.  But, because of this...the diapers are not usually worn out after they are done being used.  So, the reason why I think that AIO and Pocket newborn diapers are worth it is because you can pass them on!  You can sell your diapers for a reasonable price and I'd expect that if they were well cared for, you could get 65-80% of what you paid for them.  Or, if you had a friend or two that are expecting a few months before or after you, you could buy a stash together and split the cost!  You can also find some really great rental programs for newborn cloth diapers.  Some of them have just one type of diaper, others have multiple different brands and styles to use so that you can find the right diaper for you.  The rental programs are great because you use the diapers as long as you need them, then you send them back.  It's a fraction of the cost of having a full stash and you don't have to deal with the leftover diapers when you're done using them.

Now, I'm not saying that prefolds and covers are not a good choice.  You could always have half a stash of prefolds and half of AIOs.  You could also choose to just use prefolds and covers too.  Prefolds and covers are easier to wash for the most part and they are more economical.  They can also be intimidating to use because of the extra steps.  I have to admit that I haven't given prefolds and covers a good try, but I am hoping to get the opportunity to soon.

The other side of the coin is to go with one size diapers.  That is what we did with Little Man.  This is the most economical choice of all.  The biggest downsize is that they are so bulky on a little one.  You have to use a size larger clothing to accommodate all the extra fluff.  Plus, many of them are not easy to use on a baby before 6 weeks.  That is where newborn sized diapers come into play....to bridge the gap.

I'd love to hear about what choice you make!

FuzziBunz Perfect Size Review

FuzziBunz have always been one of my favorite brands to use.  Their OneSize diapers were the first cloth diapers that I purchased.  I was sent a FuzziBunz Perfect Size diaper in Small.  It is a pocket style diaper with snaps.  Since we were anticipating a regular sized (possibly 8 lbs) baby, they sent us the small instead of the extra small to try on her.

We started using them on her when she hit 8 lbs.  They just looked a little too big before that point.  When we started using them, they were very high in rise.  They went up to the bottom of her rib cage!  But, they fit very well around the waist and the legs!  I really loved how well it fit on her.  It wasn't bulky like the FuzziBunz onesize was.  It seemed pretty comfortable.

Like all my experiences with FuzziBunz, there were no leaks.  They were very easy to wash and dry.  They fit wonderfully.  What I really love about having the small size is that we are still using it.  Even though the rise was really high to start, it works perfectly now.  The small size diaper worked well at 8 lbs, 21 inches and is still going at approximately 13 lbs, 26 inches.



**Thank you to FuzziBunz for providing me with a small perfect size diaper.  All opinions are my own based on my personal interaction with the product.  I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion.  All pictures used are property of OTTW.  Use of any information or pictures is strictly prohibited without consent from OTTW.**

Bumcessories Review

Bumcessories is a really great WAHM.  I have the pleasure of knowing her personally and I am so very excited to get a chance to share about her diapers with you all.

I really love the diaper that was sent to me.  It was a newborn sized diaper.  Bumcessories diapers are a pocket diaper.  They have touch tape (velcro) closure, a waterproof outer material and a stay dry layer inside (fleece).  The pocket opening is in the front of the diaper.  When we first got it, I didn't think that I'd like it.  I thought that it looked like it would be way too wide in the crotch area, plus it has velcro.  I'm not a fan of velcro.  I was going to give it a good try though.  It turns out that it was one of my favorites to use!

Unlike other velcro closure diapers, I really like how her velcro works.  It is soft to the touch and doesn't have a large pill to it, but it still holds very well.  It also stays closed in the wash!  I didn't have any problems with snags at all.  Once I stuffed it, it didn't look so wide in the crotch.  I used what I had on hand to stuff it, a small FuzziBunz microterry insert.  It filled the diaper all the way to the opening, but it worked well.  I think it helped it close up around the legs well.  This diaper fit so well from day one.  I never had a single leak.  It fit snug, even around her tiny little legs.  This diaper went all the way from 6 lbs to 13 lbs.  I did have to change my inside stuffing to hemp so that it would have good absorbency and be a little thinner than the microfiber.  This let the diaper have less bulk so it would fit longer.

The diaper also washed up really well.  It dried quickly and didn't stain.  I also like the colored interior fabric. The elastic that she uses is stretchy yet firm.  The diaper is very durable.  I would say that the quality of her work is amazing!  I also like that she has 5 different sizes.  She will take your child's body type into consideration when making your diapers.  She even explains how she figures rise, so you will get a perfect fit every time.  Bumcessories uses custom fabrics that change all the time too.

Check her out of Facebook too!

Bumcessories has generously offered every OTTW reader a discount to her store.  

Just use the code:  trophywife10.

* Thank you so much to Bumcessories for providing a newborn diaper for this review.  I was not compensated for my review.  All pictures and information is property of OTTW.  All use of pictures is prohibited without permission from The Trophy Wife.*

Finding Newborn Cloth Diapers

Finding diapers can be a time consuming process.  For those of us who are addicted to cloth (yes, it really does happen), we don't mind spending our free time while the kids sleep searching the web for tips on new and exciting cloth diapers.  For those of you who are new to cloth, it can be overwhelming.  I wrote a post a while back explaining some of the details of cloth diapering.  Now I'm going to share some of my favorite tips to finding diapers, specifically for your newborn.

Online - You can spend hours, days, even months searching all of the thousands of online stores and bargain places to find cloth diapers.  Here were my favorite places to look when I was searching for newborn diapers for Peanut.

• Wee Little Changes - They have a great Newborn Diaper rental program.  The diapers are all pocket or AIO, so they are super easy to use and clean.  Everything is so easy to find in their online store.  They have great discounts and plenty of selections of great products.
• EcoBuns - They have a very interesting "Try before you buy" program.  You can try out 5 different types of diapers and some accessories for 2 weeks for $25.  This is really great if you are starting out and you are not quite sure if you want to cloth diaper or if you are unsure of what kind of diaper you want to use.
• Go Green Diapers - They are one of my favorites for economical diapers and wetbags.  They also have great products like 'adapt-a-snap' that can make your snap diapers into aplix diapers without having to alter them by sewing.
• Cloth Diapers Inc. - They make the most amazing wipe spray.  It has a great soft scent and witch hazel to help heal red little bottoms.  It cleans really well.
• Etsy - Is a great place to find WAHM (Work at Home Mom) made cloth diapers.  Support a Mom, support a family!
• Hyena Cart - Another great resource to find some amazing WAHM products.

In stores - If you would prefer to shop in person so you can look and feel diapers.

• Find a brand that you like and search for their 'Where To Buy' page.  You can usually look up a store near you there.  For example:  FuzziBunz Where To Buy
• There are chain stores that are starting to carry cloth diapers.  One of them is Walmart!  The brand is Mabu Baby.  You can find your local Walmart here.

eBay and Craigslist -

• You can always look for diapers on eBay.  I would be very cautious about working only with people that have plenty of positive feedback and only buy things that are new.
• If you are going to look for diapers on Craigslist, be very cautious.  Check the diapers over carefully for stains, worn fabric, snaps, velcro and elastic.  Ask how they've been washed.  Feel free to decline if you are unsure.  Always know that there can be a risk when you buy used diapers.  If you have a friend that is a seasoned cloth diaperer, take them along to see the diapers before you buy.

Enter giveaways -

• Cloth Diaper Giveaways - I love to use them to find new cloth diaper giveaway opportunities.  I also love that they also advertise cloth diaper accessories too.
• Cloth Diaper Contests and Giveaways - They also list giveaways, but they also do giveaways and reviews of their own too!

Make your own -

• If you are good with a sewing machine (or have the patience to learn), then making your own diapers can be fun and worth the savings!
• You can find patterns on Etsy.
• You can also find free patterns here and here.
• Just remember that diaper companies have patents on their designs, so if you get into the business of making diapers to sell, please do research on your design to make sure that it's not already patented.  Some companies will license you to be registered to recreate their designs.

Good luck and happy hunting!

Little Smarti Smartipants Review

As most of you know, I am a big fan of SmartiPants onesize diapers.  I love working with SmartiPants.  Their designs are so unique and their quality is always top notch.  They sent me a Little Smarti to try out with Peanut.  Little Smartis are made specifically for newborn babies.  They are different from the regular SmartiPants because they are sized for newborns.  They are also an All In One (AIO) diaper, meaning that they have a waterproof cover sewn to the microterry inner and they are stuffed with an insert that is not removable.  They are closed with Velcro instead of snaps.

Peanut first wore this diaper at 6 lbs 10 oz.  It fit very well around the waist, but like most of the newborn diapers we tried, there was a little gaping around the legs.  Luckily though, this gap didn't cause too much of a problem because the absorbent core soaked up everything and there were no leaks.  I liked how the waist fit comfortably.  Even though it was up over her umbilical cord, it was soft enough to not cause irritation.  I also liked how easy this was for other people to use.  Just like a disposable; no inside to stuff or snaps to adjust.

At 8 lbs, there was still plenty of room left to grow into these diapers.  I accidentally forgot to change her after one feeding and she was in this diaper for 2.5 hours.  It was stuffed when I went to change it!  There was a little wetness around the leg openings of her onesie, but it held in all of the solids...and for a breastfed baby, that's quite the accomplishment for any diaper!  It was fitting very well around the legs and still fastened tight around the waist.

The Little Smarti was the last diaper that we were able to use out of our Newborn specific sized diapers.  It fit well up to 12 lbs and 23 inches.  The rise was starting to get short, but she is a very long baby.  I really loved how easy it was to launder too.  It never stained, everything washed out of it easily.  It also dried just as fast as my empty pocket diapers.  This diaper is probably the easiest to use and wash that I've found.  I guess there's a reason why SmartiPants diapers already has the Trophy Wife's Seal of Approval!

Check out Smartipants Diapers right now.  They are having a great sale!