CD {wordless wednesday}

This picture makes me giddy for diapering again.

If you’ve used disposable diapers you’re probably starring at the screen thinking I’m crazy for ever being experience over a diaper anything.

If you’ve cloth diapered then you’re nodding your head up and down totally and completely understanding my obsession.

Cloth Diaper Week wrap up

Like I mentioned at beginning of the week economical savings were our #1 reason for switching to cloth diapers. Yes, most people know that you can save money using cloth but I wanted to find out exactly how much that number is! I used Fuzzi Bunz brand and Rockin’ Green detergent as my base products; both good quality items to show this price comparison aren’t based off of the “cheap stuff”. I also included things like wet bags, diaper cream, and those extras you may need to buy for baby #2. Originally the document was created in Excel however I have no idea how to convert that into this post so I cut it up and made pictures! Click on the picture if you can’t read it and please ASK ME if you want clarification.



The details of how I based my "store", "cheap", and "nice" diaper bands


I hope this week has brought a new light to cloth diapers and if anything you’re more educated and curious than ever before. I’m not Mrs. Cloth however I have done lots of research and hands on experience and would be more than happy to answer your questions about cloth diapering.

I’ve had so much fun trying out all the products given away this week and a BIG thanks to all the Companies involved!

Remember Wednesday July 27th I’ll announce the winners!

Cloth Diaper Week Day #6 Giveaway

Osocozy all in one diapers mix old school with new school methods.

The inside is completely lined with weave fabric; the same material your old school prefold is made out of. The lining is available in unbleached (birdseye weave) or bleached (gauze weave). Its layered extra thick in the spots that get the wettest but there is also lining in every corner of the inside of the diaper making it super absorbent.

 My weariness with Aplix fasteners started when only after 6 months the tabs in my Bum Genius diapers started weakening. They started to curl up and lose their stickiness; eventually I had to purchase refresher kits and change them all out. However the Osocozy Aplix is sewn down on all four sides directly on the tabs which keep this error from happening. Both tabs stick to one large piece of Aplix or they can be overlapped for smaller babies. Moses is too big to secure with the tabs overlapping however the tabs touch each other when secured meaning there is still room to grow. They come in two sizes: small (6-18 lbs) and large (18-35lbs).

My cons for this diaper are minimal but worth stating. The drying times on theses diapers is much longer than I’m used to. We hang our diapers in the laundry room before bed and in the morning these are the only ones still wet. I’m sure if you sun dried them they would dry much faster but don’t expect for a fast turnaround between washes. If you needed to they can be placed in the dryer to finish the process. The other con is the color options are minimal; white, light green, and aqua.

Osocozy has graciously offered a Busyland reader not one but TWO all in one diapers!

To enter: leave a comment on this post telling me If you had your own cloth company what would it’s name be – if it needs explaining tell us why!  Make sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you're the winner!

Extra entry: follow the blog on Twitter (@BusylandB) OR subscribe via Reader/ email so you won't miss any of the fun this week. Leave 1 additional comment telling me which of the extras you did.

Extra entry #2: Tweet OR update your Facebook status letting your friends know about Cloth Diaper Week. Make sure you include the website link! Come back and leave a comment telling me which one you did and make sure to include your Facebook or Twitter name. 

Cloth Diaper Week Day #5 Review

Mother- ease sent over a Wizard Uuo diaper for us to review. The first thing I must say is I don’t think Moses has ever even noticed his diapers until this one arrived in the mail. Imagine his surprised to see a diaper covered with under the sea fabric! Generally I’m not a print fan however I’ve never even thought of the joy it would bring a toddler to see fun animals on his underpants.

The Uuo diaper is an all in two diaper that also has room for an insert. Confused? Let me explain. There is a sewn in liner that works great for daytime use and then for nighttime (or a heavy wetter) you can place a big insert under the sewn in lining for extra absorbency.

I love that the sewn in insert is slim (giving the diaper a minimal bulk) but still does it’s job. I also love that the extra liner slips out in the wash and there is no need to dig in a pocket for it.

My biggest con about the diaper is it feels ....cheaply made…BUT with that being said I need to defend myself and say I haven’t had one issue with their performance. I am under no contract with this review and can write whatever opinion I want but I felt the need to share both of those things. As you can see below what I’m talking about. They are great diapers and maybe I'm just not used to a "shell" so don’t let that effect your decision...look at the pictures and judge for yourself.

 Moses is 32 lbs and on the last size setting so they are true to fit. Head over to their website and check out the Uuo system for yourself!

Cloth Diaper Week Day #5 Giveaway

If you missed Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday’s Cloth Diaper Week's giveaways then make sure you enter today! I’ll be announcing the winners to all the giveaways next Wednesday.


This morning’s spotlight is on Wahmies Wet Bag. I was quiet surprised when I open the package and saw a camo printed wet bag! All the patterns we have are unisex or somewhat girly so I was instantly thankful that had fabric options that yell “BOY!”


Again, sorry for the terrible pictures...I didn't have the good camera so you'll have to browse their site for a better look!



Favorite feature (again) on this bag is the hanging hook! You really just can’t beat the convenience it brings to hooking it to an overnight or school backpack.

I also like the size of it for a “day” wet bag because it holds 6-8 diapers. To avoid toting around smelly bags I’ll alternate wet bags every other day then wash them both at the end of day 2.

It’s also double layered to insure there will be no ammonia smell floating around outside the bag! My only con is after a few weeks of having the bag it seems like some of the seams are pulling loose. I don’t know if it’s because we use and wash it every other day or if it’s poorly sewn but I’m afraid of what will happen a couple months down the road. Please let me know if any else has seen this seam separation.

To enter: leave a comment on this post telling me what preconceived notion did you (or do you currently) have about using cloth diapers. Make sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you're the winner!

Extra entry: follow the blog on Twitter (@BusylandB) OR subscribe via Reader/ email so you won't miss any of the fun this week. Leave 1 additional comment telling me which of the extras you did.


Extra entry #2: Tweet OR update your Facebook status letting your friends know about Cloth Diaper Week. Make sure you include the website link! Come back and leave a comment telling me which one you did and make sure to include your Facebook or Twitter name.

www.facebook.com/wahmies

Wahmies has been kind enough to offer one of the readers their very own Wet Bag!

Cloth Diaper Week Day #4 Review

Make sure to enter this morning’s giveaway HERE. And if you’re new to the blog today start at the beginning of Cloth Diaper Week HERE to enter all the giveaways so far!



This afternoon I’m reviewing the lovely Loveybum Wet Bag. Unfortunately I don’t see our print offered online anymore so I couldn’t tell you the name of it but know it’s as more beautiful in person than it is in these pictures!

The key phase to this wet bag is well made. You can tell by the way it looks, feels, and functions that someone put time into the design. The waterproof PUL inner lining and cotton outer fabric are both thick so don’t be afraid of smell of leakage.


My favorite feature is the large colored zipper at the top with a big fat zipper end so there is no need to fish around for a 1/8 inch hunk of metal to pull the bag open. Another cool feature Loveybum offers is the squared sewn bottom; that way it can somehow support itself standing up when diapers are inside.

This month I have been spoiled with wet bags containing hooks or handles so that’s one big con to me that it doesn’t have either. Another con is the bang for your buck; at $19 each for a 12" wide x 14" tall x 5" deep sized bag it seems a little small. However I’ve learned that buying cheap poor quality items (especially those that hold smelly diapers) may not be the areas that you should skimp in. Just like the itti bitti diaper on Monday, you’re getting what you pay for, and Loveybum is a quality item.

http://www.loveybums.com/index.php

Cloth Diaper Week Day #4 Giveaway

Today’s featured diaper is more for the older babies and toddlers out there. Willow Pad's Sprout Change training pants is a duo diaper acting as an All-In-One diaper and pull-down training pants for those transitioning over to using the potty. Per Moses’ favorite color we received the Cherry trainer for review.

They are designed to fit children 20-50 pounds (2T-5T) and that is AMAZING feature in my opinion. Sizing is a huge issue when babies grow past the 30 pound mark and finding something that actually needs to be adjusted tighter than its large setting is wonderful. I also love their elastic adjustment system; unlike Fuzzybunz whose elastic sticks out on the inside of the diaper Sprouts are hidden inside. Pictured below you can see the two parallel snaps which secure the diaper and the snap towards the back which incases the hidden adjustment system. I also like that you can pull both strings of elastic (for legs and waist) in one area making contour fit a breeze!

For those who are not ready to potty train this diaper is a great quality all-in-one. Additional padding all over the inside keeps overnight leaks from occurring and the thick insert sewn in the center keeps everything in one place.

There is no snaps on the outside for a contour closure which could potentially be an issue for sizing for smaller babies (20 lbs range). However like I mentioned before there in leg and waist elastic inside that can be adjusted pretty small. Overall I would advise this diaper for young toddlers and beginning potty trainers.

Everyone’s baby will eventually be making this transition and Sprout wants to help make them feel independent so their giving away an AIO/Trainer for one of the readers!

To enter: leave a comment on this post telling me a funny potty training/ diaper/ baby bathroom story! Make sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you're the winner!

Extra entry: follow the blog on Twitter (@BusylandB) OR subscribe via Reader/ email so you won't miss any of the fun this week. Leave 1 additional comment telling me which of the extras you did.

Extra entry #2: Tweet OR update your Facebook status letting your friends know about Cloth Diaper Week. Make sure you include the website link! Come back and leave a comment telling me which one you did and make sure to include your Facebook or Twitter name.

Cloth Diaper Week Day #3 Review

Don’t forget to enter this morning’s giveaway here.
I don’t normally see Smarti Pants diapers on any Top 10 list or retail store that’s why I’m calling them a hidden gem. They compare very similar to a Fuzzi Bunz one size diaper with adjustable snaps on the outer shell and a fun array of 13 colors to choose from.

My favorite feature is their slip out liner; when you’re tossing it into the wash no need to reach around for a soiled liner because it’s comes out by itself in the cycle! There is a front and backside slit for stuffing insert into the pocket then it just magically floats out as the cycle runs.

The insert is very thick causing no need for an additional liner at bedtime.

My only cons about the diaper itself is there is no adjustable leg elastic and since my “baby” is 30 pounds I’m not sure how the leg leakage would be for a small infant.

At $13.46 a piece they are a great economical choice if you want a one size pocket diaper.

www.smartipants.com
http://www.facebook.com/smartipantsdiapers 

Cloth Diaper Week Day #3 Giveaway

If you are just joining us today it's Cloth Diaper Week! It kicked off Sunday and our first giveaway was yesterday!

Bummis was kind enough to send us their medium Fabulous Wet Bag for review. My #1 favorite thing about this bag is its durability. I was a little concerned bag is only 1 layer thick (opposed to our original wetbag that has 1 waterproof lining and 1 fabric lining) but surprisingly it’s holding up very well. I have not conducted a smell test to see if it emits more of an odor than others but from what I can tell they all seem to smell the same.

Another favorite feature of mine in the hanging hook located on the corner of the bag that snaps open. I’ve been hooking it onto the handle of Moses’ backpack making it a extremely convenient wetbag.

(if you notice in the picture you can see the hook it made out of durable material as well)

One reader will get to win their very own Fabulous Wet Bag!

To enter: leave a comment on this post telling me how you store your dirty diapers between washes! Make sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you're the winner!

Extra entry: follow the blog on Twitter (@BusylandB) OR subscribe via Reader/ email so you won't miss any of the fun this week. Leave 1 additional comment telling me which of the extras you did.

Extra entry #2: Tweet OR update your Facebook status letting your friends know about Cloth Diaper Week. Make sure you include the website link! Come back and leave a comment telling me which one you did and make sure to include your Facebook or Twitter name.

Come back over later today so see this afternoon's post! Yes, two post in one day!

Cloth Diaper Week Day 2

When I first spotted itti bitti diapers online they were love at first sight; an Australian based company offering something I’ve never seen in the US diaper market. Versatility is the key to making these diapers so stinkin’ neat! The bitti tutto line is a one size diaper accommodating newborns to potty training (8 to 44lbs); that’s right, 44 pounds! They offer 18 standard colors and seasonal prints for their soft minky outside and each diaper comes with 3 different inserts to make this diaper fit any age.

When I first received the diaper all the inserts were a bit intimidating; colored snaps and different shaped inserts were not something I was used to. After reading the instructions and playing around with the options it all started to make sense. They even go as far as having two different ways to snap in the largest insert for girls or boys to accommodate what areas of the diaper gets the wettest.

For daytime use I snap the mini soaker to the largest soaker and snap into the diaper with the bulk being in the front. For night times I add the extra (medium sized) soaker and he has never leaked out.

When I first examined I diaper I was concerned with its size because everything seemed smaller then I was used to. However their patented “poo fence” has proven to do its job wonderfully holding everything in.

In my opinion there are a few downsides to these diapers. First is the way they “puff” out in the hiney area. Davy jokes saying he looks like J- LO because even though the diaper is fitted perfectly the outer material is sewn on with extra bunching to make a cute fluffy backside. If Moses was a girl this would be understandable but it doesn’t give a sleek like others do. Once he is dressed you do not notice this “puff” but it may make a difference for small babies.

The other is the cost; at $26.95 a piece it may be hard to buy a dozen or two up from but with all the little details I understand their expense. In my eyes they are the crème de la crème of diapers, the luxury of cloth and everyone should have at least one!

Itti Bitti has been kind enough to offer one of the readers their very own bitti tutto diaper!

To enter: leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite bitti tutto color! Make sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you're the winner!

Extra entry: follow the blog on Twitter (@BusylandB) OR subscribe via Reader/ email so you won't miss any of the fun this week. Leave 1 additional comment telling me which of the extras you did.

Extra entry #2: Tweet OR update your Facebook status letting your friends know about Cloth Diaper Week. Make sure you include the website link! Come back and leave a comment telling me which one you did and make sure to include your Facebook or Twitter name.

Something else I want to mention about the diapers is the company themselves. Through the review process I have had nothing but wonderful interactions with their staff and they really go above and beyond on their customer service. They also just released a series of You Tube videos to help their customers make the best of the itti bitti diapers; with tutorials on snapping inserts, sizing, and answering all those intimidating questions you may have.

http://www.eco-distributionusa.com/ 
Facebook.com/ittibittius
Twitter.com/ittibittius
www.ittibitti.us

Giveaway open to US residents only; you must be at least 18 to enter.

Cloth Diaper Week Day 1

I'm excited to be writing the first post in this Cloth Diaper Week series! I planned to post this earlier today but  I had to play out a bounce house birthday party for most of the afternoon  life got in the way.
I have been wanting to do and say more about cloth diapers ever since our conversion last year but didn't know how to make an impact with my words. After connecting with some wonderful companies I came to the conclusion that the best way to get anyone to listen is to give away free stuff! 

I think one of the biggest reasons people don't cloth diaper is because they are stuck on the "Old School" pins and prefolds way; they don't realize how easy is can be and are afraid to try.

Our personal journey started last year when I first caught wind of cloth diapering the "New School" way thanks to the internets. I mentioned it a little bit here and then wrote about our conversion here . After I narrowed it down to few brands that interest me I spent time reading other's options, blog reviews, complaints, FAQ's then eventually decided on a brand. Our biggest reason for cloth diapering ("CD") was economically based; I went so far as to make a money spreadsheet laying out cloth vs. disposables (I'll share this later on in the week) and was shocked at the savings. Our other reasoning was environmentally based and I simply liked the feeling I got when I put them on Moses. I liked that I was in control of what materials were covering his bum and was able to custom fit them for bedtime. Again, that's the condensed version and you can read more on that here.

This week I hope you have a chance to read about new companies, new styles, and a new way to cloth diaper. Like I mentioned on Friday each day will bring a new post or two and a new giveaway.

See you tomorrow!

Grab your backpack, let's go!

I survived. It was brutal, unpleasant, sometimes over and over; it occurred so many times back to back I didn’t know if I could take it again. If I had to watch another Dora the Explorer episode one more time I think my head would have shot off my body screaming Spanish words. Oh, what about Moses being super sick? Eh, he’s okay. But Dora, oh Dora how I loath thee. Since we cut off our cable to save money and all we’ve been gifted several children’s DVD’s for Moses’ enjoyment. We have Bob the Builder, Thomas the Train, a few old school Sesame Streets and Dora. We have a 1 hours 45 minuet musical + episodes and then a 48 minuet long combined episode DVD; I’m not kidding when I say we watched them on repeat for 4 days straight. It’s something about the poor quality graphics, the loudness of her voice, the diction of her words and oh God the repetitiveness that drives me insane. Really, why does the map need to repeat the three places they need to go so many times? WE GET IT. Thankfully Lion King saved us a few times when even Moses got tired of Dora. I witnessed Moses’ first experience of sadness for a movie. During the part where Simba’s dad gets trampled by the stampede and Simba goes over to his dad father and weeps Moses kept saying “oh no Simba’s daddy” “wake up daddy, wake up”. It broke my heart and in that very moment I wished I could place him in a large bubble and never let him experience real death in his life.

Anyways back to my barfing baby, he’s all better now. He bounced between vomiting to fevers to diarrhea to constantly not wanting to eat. We pretty much camped out on the living room couch converted hospital bed complete with towels lining every inch and barf buckets in arms reach. Yesterday he finally had an appetite and slowly worked back to eating more than a few crackers. I don’t want to get too graphic but lets just say this is the first time since we’ve converted to cloth diapers that I wish we had disposables; a leaking buttock of a two year old is not pretty no matter if I’m his mother or not!

It feels good to be back to the daily grind however I’m feeling extremely disoriented with being in an office chair with a To Do list as long as my note pad for Moses’ party this weekend. Happy Monday and Happy Friday from me to you!

Bzzzzz.

I’m too busy to blog right now. But if I weren’t so busy I would tell you:

• I flip between mother and wife to college student raising my hand and calling my teacher Mr. because he “demands that respect”.
• I secretly but not so secretly got great news from work today that makes this itty bitty family very happy.
• Hard core budgeting Dave Ramsey style starts October 1st. I went to Starbucks this morning knowing Carmel Macchiatos would come sparse in 8 days.
• I started using dish washing gloves to transfer the diapers from their wet bag into the washing machine after a little speck of leftover dinner got smeared on my finger. No thank you!
• In a text message my Mom abbreviated Praise the Lord as “p t Lord” and I knew exactly what she was meant.
• I tried out my hand in couponing this week and saved a whopping $60 at Publix. I am now convinced taking time browsing the internet, clipping and organizing is worth it! That was just one day of intense planning, I can’t wait to see what happens after I “build my stack” for a couple weeks.
• I had a coming to Jesus with my emotions after going through tubs of old baby clothes and seeing how much Mo’s changed in the last year. I’d be lying to say I didn’t hold the onsies close to my heart and burst inside. I also did a small “cha ching” motion with my arm as I realized we would be set if our next baby was a boy born in the same season as Mo.
• But I’m too busy to blog, so that is all!

rush and relief.

Yesterday I went home, kissed my boys, made a Mexican dinner and bought a car! Confused? Let me Tarantino it:

• Almost two months ago our car started acting up and we found out it wasn’t safe anymore.
• We got approved for a loan and started looking for a newer SUV that would be our family car/ my primary car.
• A couple weeks ago we decided we wanted to save more (borrow less) and would just find a older/cheap car to “flip” within the year when we were ready to upgrade.
• Saturday morning (7:30 am to be exact because being outside at any other time of day in Florida is just too.dang.hot!) on our neighborhood walk I spotted a car for sale two houses down.
• Monday afternoon I called to inquire about the car. Good miles, good interior, and good price so we set up a time to walk over and check it out.
• Thankfully my dad has his dealer’s license and does this “flipping” business a lot. He was generous enough to come over and look at everything that was important (you know all that mammer jammer under the hood). Moses and I went back to the house to finish dinner and within the hour hubby walked in the door to tell me it was ours. Not only ours but ours for an even better price advertised!
• It is such a weight lifted off our shoulders; we now have a reliable car we can drive for months until we find the SUV we want.

Update on cloth diapering: it’s going great! They arrived Friday afternoon and I immediately prewashed and dried them so they would be ready Saturday morning. Mo has worn them for three and a half full days with no problems. The first few nights I didn’t “double stuff” the diaper with two liners because I wanted to see if one could do the trick overnight but he peed out in the morning. At least two nights a week he peed out in disposables and I assume it’s because of his cup of milk before bed. Anyways I added an extra liner last night and this morning yielding much better results. Thankfully each diaper came with a regular insert (that vertically lines the entire diaper) and a newborn insert (a smaller version when the diaper is snapped down to its smallest size) so double stuffing doesn’t mess up my wash cycle. We set up a line on the back deck for drying and I’m learning new tricks how to increase drying time every wash cycle. In the initial Cotton Babies purchase I got a hanging Planet Wise wet/dry bag for daycare (large enough for an entire day of clean and dirty diapers) and it was exactly what I was looking for so I purchased the smaller wet bag for running errands. Doing an extra load of laundry every other night is not an annoyance so far and the actual work that goes into the entire process is minimal.

 

[eek!]

We are taking the leap into cloth diapering! Ah! Just typing it out brings a flood of emotions. Thanks to the internet a few months ago I started seeing more and more articles about cloth diapering; after researching my eyes where open to a whole new world. I just assumed they were for earthy crunchy moms who occasionally poked their baby’s thighs with huge safety pins while wrestling them to the ground getting a white napkin around their butt. I posted briefly on some of the information I’d obtained but never would have thought we would have been using them this year. Recently a conversation about diapers sparked my research further and ultimately made our decision to cloth diaper Moses. I’m reluctant to even post this because I don’t want our intentions to be diluted with opinions. Not only are we saving a nice chunk of money but they are also great for the environment. I’m not an environmentalist by any means of the word but I love being able to drive down north Florida’s canopy roads or have siesta fiestas in grassy fields and if doing my part to not cause excess waste can intern preserve the land for Moses to enjoy then I’m going to do it. Davy was no where near convinced until I did extensive research on our particular situation and found between Moses and our second baby we would be saving close to $1700. Our initial purchase consist of a wet/dry bag for daycare and the house, extra overnight liners, natural laundry soap and a 12 pack of BumGenius 4.0s. All from CottonBabies.com

The cost of all of this is almost half the price it would cost us to disposable diaper Moses until he is potty trained. The money saving eventually won Davy over and I hope the additional washing is going to be worth it in the end. I have been doing further research almost daily about all the do’s and don’ts, the in’s and out’s and not just patiently waiting for them to arrive in the mail and put them on Moses. I’m excited but nervous and anxious and hopeful. I’m hesitant to even post this in fear of failure; we are partaking on a long journey and the first leap is the scariest! I promise not to blab to everyone who doesn’t care about poop and pee and cleaning and washing but I plan to update every so often to see where the venture has taken us.

If you want to know more about BumGenius or cloth diapers in general check out CottonBabies.com. They are the creators of BumGenius and other great brands but also have a wealth of information on their site.