Newborn Nanipoo Giveaway

Newborn Nanipoo Giveaway!

In my opinion there is nothing cuter than a newborn baby sporting a Nanipoo cloth diaper. During my pregnancy with Garrett I spent a lot of time stalking Shannon’s Hyena Cart for cute newborn diapers. Much to my amazement my son was born weighing a whopping 11lbs 3 oz (his family nickname is Goliath) so we were unable to use the cute newborn size however I did stock up on smalls and we loved them! They are definitely one of the best newborn diapers out there and they have a nice cutout for the umbilical cord.

UPDATE: There has been some confusion on the type of diaper that a nanipoo is. It is actually a fitted diaper and will require a cover to be “leak proof”. It is not a diaper cover. When we used them we usually didn’t use covers, just changed him when he wet them.

To enter the Nanipoo giveaway and win the adorable butterfly and flower print Nanipoo pictured above simply leave a comment below answering one (or both) of the following questions:

“What is your favorite, gotta have it, can’t imagine living without it, baby product?” Or  “What is the most pointless baby product that is still on the market. One of those things that everyone registers for but never uses or something you’d just like to see never used again.”

Don’t have any kids yet? No problem. You can answer the questions or you can simply say “hi!” in the comments. Don’t feel like putting a pink diaper with flowers and butterflies on your little boys bum? Me neither! In that case you can still enter to win the diaper if you want and you can save it for a gift, put it on junior when dad isn’t looking and snap a picture to use as blackmail (or a funny holiday postcard), donate it, sell it, put it on the family dog, really it doesn’t matter. Once it is yours you can do whatever you want with it.

The giveaway will end next Thursday (Nov 20th) at 11:59pm pacific standard time. The winner will be chosen at random and announced on Friday the 21st. The winner will have 72 hours from the announcement to contact me to collect their prize. If the prize is not collected another random winner will be chosen. I recommend that you subscribe to the blog to make sure you don’t miss the announcement.

Good Luck!

To learn more about Nanipoo Cloth Diapers please go to the following link:

http://hyenacart.com/nanipoo/

EDIT:

I forgot to answer the questions myself. Here goes, my favorite gotta have it baby product thus far is definitely a wrap. I wish, wish, wish I would have had one with Camden when she was a newborn. Instead I struggled with an uncomfortable Baby Bjorn that hurt my back. I picked up my first wrap when I was a nanny for a baby and it was such a blessing! I can’t imagine not having a wrap now. I have two moby’s (I meant to sell one of them and just haven’t gotten around to it) and I have an amazing Didymos that my friend Emeth gave me. For useless products I’d have to say the Diaper Genie. We registered and received one of those with Camden. Seriously those things WREAK and frankly I don’t think they’re worth the hassle. Plus, all I can envision is all of those diaper sausages filling up landfills. LOL.

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Purely Nurtured Product Review

Purely Nurtured

The Scoop

Purely Nurtured is a refreshing website that offers a unique array of products. Run by two moms, Kelly and Nicole, Purely Nurtured seeks to offer their customers simple and natural products designed with the whole family in mind.

One factor that I believe helps Purely Nurtured stand out in the pack from other cloth diaper and natural product retailers is their interesting mix of products. Not only do they carry cloth diapers, wipes and diaper bags but they delve into a creative array of scrumptious bath products and homemade goodies. So why you are buying a diaper for junior you can purchase an “I dream of Sleeping” cupcake bubble bath and a pound of fudge and kiss your cares away. Because, after all, there are no parenting woes that can not be cured with a bubble bath and chocolate…

Would you believe this is a bubble bath??!! They are designed to look like cupcakes but are actually a solid bubble bath. These would make EXCELLENT gifts.

DinoSphere Bath Bomb with a surprise inside! A dinosaur! A great way to get your little one to willingly take a bath. What a great stocking stuffer.

Peanut Butter and Marshmallow Truffle. Mmmmmm

The Crunchville Experience

Due to dye sensitivities and nut allergies we were not able to test out Purely Nurtured’s bath products or candies. Instead we had the opportunity to test out a one-size fitted cloth diaper by Mosaic Moon.

Every mom that uses cloth diapers loves to get “fluffy mail,” a term of endearment given to receiving diapers in the mail. I am definitely no exception. I certainly didn’t have to wait long, all of Purely Nurtured’s packages are sent via priority mail. When I received the package I was pleasantly surprised with their great attention to detail in the packaging. It was like receiving a fancy present.
They layered the box with fancy tissue paper…

And artfully wrapped the diaper…

Inside we received the Later Gator print Mosaic Moon one-size-fits-most fitted diaper     (10-35+ lbs). The version we received has a double snap-in soaker for extra absorption and quick drying.

Outside of the Mosaic Moon

Inside of Mosaic Moon with snap-in soaker

-Sizing & Fit-

During the testing period Garrett weighed about 13 pounds with a 15 inch waist and 9 1/2 inch thigh. Mosaic Moons are designed to fit a large size range of babies by having a fold down front tab that shortens the rise and multiple snap settings, including the option of cross-over snaps.

We first tried the Mosaic Moon on Garrett on the small setting with the flap folded down. We used the smallest snap settings but didn’t find it necessary to use the cross-over snap function. The diaper had a secure fit and Garrett had the classic cloth diaper bulk look.

We then tried the Mosaic Moon on the largest setting with the flap up. It still seemed to fit fine but was higher up on his waist.

We also tried on the Mosaic Moon without the snap in soaker and this did take away a lot of the bulk.

Mosaic Moon without snap-in soaker on smallest rise

Mosaic Moon without snap-in soaker on largest rise

I found the fit of the Mosaic Moon to be more versatile than I would have expected but with small babies the bulk of the diaper is hard to miss. Even so, the benefit of buying a diaper that will fit the baby for the life of their diapering experience and the cute prints available make dealing with diaper bulk on newborns a typical and forgivable side effect of one size diapers.

-Functionality-

I have to admit that having never dealt with a one-size fitted diaper before I was a little perplexed when looking at all the snaps in how exactly the diaper was supposed to work. My friend, Emeth, who owns a Mosaic Moon diaper was kind enough to show me how the tab folded down.
Once you understand how the snaps work the diaper is simple to put on and off and the way the diaper is gusseted creates a secure fit around the babies back and thighs (where it counts for catching poo).

I didn’t feel as nervous pulling the snaps apart with one hand as I do with other pocket style diapers because the fabric feels more secure and less likely to have runs in the fabric around the snaps.

-The Wash-

Mosaic Moon’s have a simple straight forward wash method. You can wash them with all of your other diapers and use the standard cold rinse, hot wash, cold rinse method of washing. Fitted’s are nice because there are no inserts to try and shake out and the fabrics are not as sensitive to soap buildup or repelling. If the insert is soiled you can either unsnap it or you can wash the diaper with it snapped on and remove the insert once go to dry the diaper.

One drawback to washing the Mosaic Moon is that all of the layers in the diaper make for slow drying. Even with the soaker that snaps out I found that the diaper did not dry all the way on medium heat with the rest of my inserts that I dry in the dryer. What I found to be easiest (and conserve the most energy) is to dry it for once cycle in the dryer with my inserts and then hang it to dry for the rest of its drying time. If you were in a pinch to use it again I would suggest drying it on hot.

On a positive note the diaper looked just as good after the first wash as it did when it was brand new. I didn’t notice any fading or pilling of the fabric and it was just as soft as ever.

-Real Life Application (AKA The Pee Test)-

The first time Garrett wore the Mosaic Moon and I took him to use the potty (we practice EC) I was pleasantly surprised to find that Garrett had wet the diaper but that there was no hint of moisture or wicking on the outside layer of fabric. The snap in soaker makes the diaper extremely absorbable. Because of its high absorbability we chose never to use a cover with the Mosaic Moon but I would suggest using a cover for in the car or overnight to prevent any possible wicking.
Not having to use a cover and still avoid any wicking is a great feature of the diaper that we found very useful for EC. I liked how Garrett was still able to have the instant feedback of the diaper being wet since the fabrics do not wick moisture away from baby’s skin but that I was able to avoid having a wet shirt due to the diaper wicking.

We did not test how the diaper handles the containment of poo because my son will not poo in a diaper. The fit does seem secure so I imagine it would hold up fine.

Wrapping It Up

-Suggestions, Observations and Wishes-

- Mosaic Moon diapers are definitely bulky. They create the classic cloth diaper bulk look which is perfectly fine as long as you understand you are not getting a trim fitting diaper. The bulk will obviously lessen as the child grows since it is a one size diaper.

-All though once I saw how the fold down flap and snaps worked it was an “oh duh” type of experience I’d love to see visual instructions on the different diaper and snap positions to help alleviate the confusion experienced by first time users. I’d like to see something included with the diaper itself or even a note on what website to go to in order to view pictures on how the diapers work, etc. I also love to see wash instructions included with the diapers.

-I think that this diaper would make a great overnight diaper but we haven’t had a chance to test this out because Garrett is so sensitive to feeling wet at night and he also won’t let me potty him or change his diaper while he is sleeping without making a huge fuss. He likes his sleep, can you tell? So at night we are still using a disposable. This will be one of the first diapers we try for overnights once he is more tolerant. I imagine for use as an overnight diaper that you’d want to use a cover to be on the safe side.

- All thought this is not under Purely Nurtured’s control I would love to see the makers of their bath bombs, cupcakes and other bath products update their recipes to use vegetable based dyes and pure essential oils so that we could use them (we have sensitivities in the house). It would also make them more “natural.” Nevertheless they are so absolutely adorable and I think they are such a great idea and gift.

-Overall-

I like the Mosaic Moon for a reliable cover free diaper to use at home. The prints are adorable and it is nice to have a cute fitted diaper that doesn’t need to be covered up and that can still avoid wicking, even with a large pee. My preference to use the Mosaic Moon at home is because of its bulk under clothing and my hope is that this will lessen as he gets older since I’d love to use this when we are out and about as well. I also think this diaper has great potential as an overnight diaper.

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EcaPants Cloth Diaper Review

EcaPants

Revolutionizing Cloth Diapers…

Let me preface this review by saying that this is by far one of the most impressive products in the cloth diapering world that I have ever tried. If you practice Elimination Communication or are attempting to potty train your child this is a MUST HAVE product.

The Scoop

EcaPants are designed to be trim fitting and quick and simple to flip open so that the baby/child can use the potty. Instead of trying to hassle with completely removing the clean diaper and then putting it back on, patent pending EcaPants are designed to stay on the waist, via a waist belt.

This makes putting the diaper back on after using the potty simple and quick and most importantly, possible with one hand. EcaPants are also a saving grace for older toddlers who have little patience for diaper changes or anything else that gets in the way of their exploring. It is the ultimate training diaper.

EcaPants come in various styles. There are waterproof and non-waterproof EcaPants and also snap closures or velcro closures. There is also a waterproof pocket style EcaPants that is currently being tested before becoming available to the public.

Inside of the new “pocket” style

The waterproof EcaPants like the ones we tested are made with a waterproof polyurethane laminate (PUL)outer with an inside flannel layer and a hidden internal cotton sherpa soaker.

The Crunchville Experience

Inside of maroon “original” style

Garrett and I received two EcaPants diapers in the mail from Lisa, the owner of EcaWare Baby and the inventor of EcaPants. Since we practice Elimination Communication (infant potty learning) we were very excited to give these a try. We received a brown EcaPants in size small and a rich maroon EcaPants in size Medium. The brown EcaPants is the newer “pocket” style that is currently being tested and the maroon is from the original line of Ecapants.

-Sizing and Fit-

We tried out the brown pocket style first and I was very impressed with the fit. He is at the tail end, waist wise, of being able to fit in the size small but even so the diaper fit snug and securely without being too tight. The waist belt has 4 snappable positions and Garrett is in the largest setting on the size small.

When I tried the medium maroon EcaPants on Garrett I was surprised at how well it also fit him. Like most cloth diapers I was expecting there to be a funky transitional period in which the smalls were getting to be too small but the mediums were still too big. EcaPants seems to have created a diaper that seamlessly moves your child from one size to the next. In the mediums Garrett was on the smallest waist setting.

I found the fit of the EcaPants diapers to be trim and overall to look great. They didn’t appear bulky under pants and even the newer pocket style with the added soaker remained trim. I love the low cut features of this diaper. It allowed Garrett to be more comfortable without all of the extra bulk around his tummy that makes the sitting position look uncomfortable on some diapers the way it gathers around his waist. I also noticed that the fit between his legs was very trim which creates a much more natural fit.

In general, EcaPants look great. The craftsmanship is excellent and the colors are great.

-Functionality-

I expected there to be some awkwardness in figuring out how to put the diaper on and in flipping it open to take Garrett potty. To my delight it was simple and pain free.

To put it on I simply laid Garrett on the floor…

snapped on the waist belt…

and pulled the diaper up between his legs and secured it in the back with velcro…

Wha la!

When it was time to go potty I was able to hold Garrett in one arm and unsecure the velcro with the other hand and flip open the diaper to allow Garrett to go potty.

For parents that practice EC this makes the “in arms” phase of pottying so much simpler and faster. Putting the diaper back on after Garrett went potty was the best part. I didn’t even have to sit down or lay him down to put the diaper back on. I supported him in one arm and used my other hand to flip the diaper back to the front and then secured the velcro on each side.

I love that it is possible to get the diaper back on securely with only one available hand. Genius I tell you! For those wiggle worm children who refuse to lie down for diaper changes this would certainly be an answered prayer.

Other super features include the velcro (it’s actually aplix). With other velcro diapers the velcro can begin to fray over time due to washings (think bumGenius). EcaPants all ready had that under control by sewing a protective edge around the velcro. No fraying, no accidentally scratching baby and I think it makes the velcro look nice.

Equally important is that the velcro attaches in the back. Obviously this allows the diaper to flip back and be out of the way but as an added bonus it keeps the velcro away from babies belly so that there is no chance of baby accidentally being scratched by the velcro.

-The Wash-

EcaPants have a pretty straight forward wash routine. Secure the velcro to the wash tabs. Do a hot wash and dry on hot. I followed the wash instructions and the diapers held up great. There was a normal amount of pilling on the flannel (pictured below).

The velcro stayed securely attached to the wash tabs. My suggestion, however, would be to use the dryer sparingly when drying your cloth diapers. The longevity of your diapers will last much longer if you line dry them. This goes for any cloth diaper.

I also appreciated that each EcaPants diaper had washing instructions included with it.

-Real Life Application (AKA The Pee Test)-

We’ve used both diapers several times and have found them to be very reliable in containing any misses. We used the diapers on outings, in the car and at naptimes and had great success. We only had one incidence of wicking and that was because Garrett had a large pee and he was in the original EcaPants that does not have a pocket for additional absorbency. Even so, the wicking was very minimal. I liked that I didn’t need to use the additional soaker in the pocket style diaper and that the diaper was still waterproof without it.

The other benefit of this diaper that is very useful for EC and also for older children learning to use the potty is that unlike most pocket diapers, EcaPants do not wick moisture away from baby’s skin. This helps to create a stronger association between urinating and being wet thus increasing the likelihood for potty success.

Since my son refuses to poo in a diaper we were not able to test EcaPants capabilities in containing poo. I imagine it does very well since the fit is so secure around the thighs and the back.

Wrapping it Up

-Suggestions, Observations and Wishes-

- I found that on the smaller sized diaper that the waist belt had a tendency to want to rise up above the outer shell of the diaper. All though this didn’t affect the functionality of the diaper, visually it is distracting.

- EcaPants are not for everyone. Since they are designed with EC and potty learning in mind they will not be an optimal diaper for those not wishing to take their children to the potty because inevitably you would experience leaks.

- All though I love that the velcro adheres in the back I imagine that this might make it somewhat cumbersome for the “do it yourself” toddler. However, since I don’t have a toddler I’m not sure if it makes it cumbersome or not, it is still reachable so perhaps they are able to detach it just fine. It is definitely something I’d look into if I were buying these for the older potty training toddler.

- My son doesn’t poo in his diapers so this was not an issue for us but I noticed that with the pocket having the insert in the middle and exposed that there is a high likelihood of poo getting on the fingers when removing the insert.

-If your child is a heavy wetter with even one pee you will want to invest in the new “pocket” style once they are available since there is the option to add extra absorption.

-Overall-

I absolutely LOVE this diaper. It is the answer to my EC wishes and makes pottying my son simple and quick. I can’t wait until the new pocket style becomes available so that I can buy a dozen of them. I’m not sure if I’ll use them for our night time diaper since we aren’t really practicing EC at night but it will definitely be our diaper of choice during the day.

NOTE: This is the first of many product reviews that I will begin to conduct on the site. All of the reviews will be archived on the Product Reviews page for future reference. If you have a product you would like me to review please email me.

Also, please keep your eye out for an article about Elimination Communication (EC). I am hoping to get this completed after our move.

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“It’s a Stung”

Well, this is the week of marred faces for us.

Poor Camden. On Monday we were reading stories in the playroom when a bee buzzed by us. Camden took the book and tried to swat it away. The bee didn’t think that was so nice and upon Camden’s assassination attempt the bee became quite angry. I went to go get the fly swatter and take the kamikaze bee out but I was too late.  As my back was turned I was met with a piercing scream followed by frantic crying. At first I thought the bee just scared her but her continued wailing made it very apparent that she’d been stung. The bee got her between her nose, just above her left eye. After some ice, some salve, a cool wash cloth and a distracting movie I finally had a calmer Camden. On Monday her eye didn’t look too bad. Just a little red where she was stung.

This morning, however, I woke up to her eye being very swollen and red. I had to do a double take when I saw her face because I wasn’t expecting it to look like that. I am glad she is old enough to tell people what happened because I felt very self-conscious when we went to the grocery store today. It looks like someone punched her in the eye.

It is very cute to hear her explain to people what happened. “I got stung because I scared the bee. He thought I was going to hit him with that book and I am so big and he’s just small so he was scared so he stung me!” One old lady at the store came up to her and said, “Oh, you have an owie on your face” and Camden replied “No, it’s a stung.” LOL

I’ve still never been stung before…

In better news, Garrett’s rash is almost completely gone. It was definitely prickly heat that he was suffering from because the rash has cleared up just by giving him lukewarm baths and keeping him dressed in only his diaper. He still has a few spots left but it’s almost all completely healed.

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Little Tidbits

This post is just a bunch of random tidbits. Updates about Garrett and the family, etc.

First of all, I can not believe Garrett is all ready 3 weeks old. The time flies. He is growing so quickly. I weighed him today and he is exactly 12 pounds. His face is changing and it is neat to see his personality bloom. He started smiling on Thursday, which is wonderful. He has the most precious smile. I haven’t been able to get it on camera yet. Cami got to see him smile for that first time with me so that was special. I can’t wait to hear him laugh. Who wants to bet it will be Camden that gets him to laugh first? He is a roly poly little little thing and can roll from his side to his tummy or from his side to his back. He hasn’t yet rolled from his tummy to his back again but he’s been close.

Garrett is a pretty easy going little guy. He usually only squawks when he needs to go to the bathroom. He took to Elimination Communication (EC) like a pro. He is pretty good about letting me know when he has to go and he pretty much refuses to poop in his diaper. The only time he gets good and mad and cries his little heart out is when he has to poop. His tummy still hurts him sometimes when he has to go but he is starting to get the hang of it and about half the time he is calm through them.

Camden is still adjusting great to being a big sister. Camden says her favorite thing about having a little brother is that she gets to help “pick out his diapers. That is my favorite part about being a big sister, helping you.” How sweet is that? She is also a cloth diaper fanatic like me. LOL. I was antisipating a lot of regression from Camden and maybe it is too soon and the regression will come later but so far so good. She only slept in our room for those few nights when she was sick and then one other night she came in, in the middle of the night and told me that she didn’t, “want to be lonely” so we let her hop up into the bed with all of us. She is going to bed good at night and will even let Mike put her to bed, which is nice. There is a bit too much movie watching but I’m not going to worry about it right now.

The move to Bellingham is a bit stressful. Yesterday it looked like we weren’t going to be able to move directly to Bellingham and would have to move to Moses Lake for 6-9 months first and that really stressed me out. The hormones are definitely there because I had a hard time rationally talking about it with Mike and instead became a blubbering mess. Luckily there is no housing available in Moses Lake right now. All of the apartments are full and have a six month waiting list. So if we do move to Bellingham in October, which was the original plan, there is a chance that Mike might not have work right away. It looks like no matter what we do the transition isn’t going to go as smoothly as we hoped. Cross your fingers for us.

Next Thursday our ward at Church is going to throw Garrett a baby shower which is so sweet. I will try to get some pictures of that.

I swear I originally had a lot more to say but my brain isn’t working anymore, so that is all for now. Here are some pics:

2 1/2 Weeks, holding his head up so high!

Two weeks old

The Family Bed

Sweet Little Baby Hand

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