Cloth Wipes & Snack Bag from Boutique Little People (via Eco Fab Mama)

Those of you following this blog know that I like to feature Canadian made products and especially those made by small businesses or WAHMs.  Eoc Fab Mama is a lovely online store that brings quality WAHM-made products together and makes them available for sale to lucky customers like us.  They are "dedicated to eco-friendly/family friendly products" and so they sell a lot of items related to cloth diapering, cloth alternatives to disposable items, and handmade soaps/cleaners.

 I've recently had the opportunity to discover and appreciate the generously sized 2 layer flannel wipes lovingly made by Boutique Little People (http://www.ecofabmama.com/catalog/m-boutique-little-people-6-1.html) and available for purchase from Eco Fab Mama (http://www.ecofabmama.com/catalog/baby-wipes-36-1.html). I received a set of 5 wipes, in adorable girly prints, that have stood up well to multiple uses & launderings. As I mentioned, they are a good size (8"x8") and are made of a quality thick flannel that does a fantastic job of cleaning up messes and keeping your hands clean. The wipes are well made, the layers of flannel are equal sized and the colour co-ordinated wide serged edges are properly stitched and finished.  Some other suggested uses for these wipes from the Eco Fab Mama website are:

• Baby Wipes
• Cloth Tissues
• Wash Cloths
• Dish Cloths
• Un-paper Towels
• Napkins

I will often take a clean cloth wipe or two, wet it at home, and put it in a small wetbag to take along in case of hands/faces needing wiping while out and about (such as when I think that a chocolate coated granola bar is a suitable car back-seat snack for a 4 year old...)  Beats having to pull out the Wet Ones with their smelly scents and bitter residue they leave on your fingers!
 

In the envelope I received from Eco Fab Mama, I also found a special treat in the form of a Boutique Little People fold & go sandwich bag (http://www.ecofabmama.com/catalog/sandwich-bags-and-wraps/boutique-little-people-purple-stripes-fold-n-go-sandwich-bag-258.html).  Made of 100% cotton fabric, and available in a bunch of cute patterns, it is a simple solution to the problem of how to package a snack for on-the-go consumption without being left with a bunch of trash when the snack is eaten. While it does not have a waterproof liner or a fastened closure (it folds over, much like a simple sandwich bag does), it certainly does the trick when it comes to holding a bunch of freshly rinsed grapes, a simple sandwich, or some cheese slices & crackers.  I really liked the other suggested uses for these reusable bags on Eco Fab Mama's website:

• Snack Bag
• Toy Pouch
• Tooth Fairy pouch
• Gadget case
• Tub toy holder
• CD Sleeve
• Pen/crayon holder
• Craft holder
• Gift bag
• Halloween Treats
• Wet Bag
• Party Favors

The flannel wipes, snack bags, and many other quality WAHM-made products (such as wool dryer balls, soap, cloth wipes solution, laundry supplies, hats, gloves, and much more) can be browsed and ordered from http://www.ecofabmama.com/.  They ship to Canada and the US, and offer free shipping for orders over $125.

*Disclaimer:  Geekmommy Reviews was given free of charge the product(s) to review in exchange for featuring this product on http://www.geekmommyreviews.com.  Any opinions or statements given above come only from Geekmommy Reviews and were not influenced in any way by the product vendor.

Handy Mommy - Washing Machine Troubles

As far as appliances go, is there anything more important to a cloth diapering mommy than her washing machine?  I mean, if the dryer goes, you can always hang things up on a clothesline/over the shower rod.  And if the stove stops working, well that's just an excuse to get takeout or submit yourself to the madness of taking two young children to a restaurant.  But if the washing machine goes on the fritz, well, that's a problem.  And that's exactly what happened in my house a couple of weeks ago.  I dropped in a load of towels & bedsheets, and as soon as the washer had filled up and started agitating, it was making a funny noise.  You know the kind of noise that's too loud to ignore... and when you hear it, you know it's bad news.

So I do what anyone in my position would do, I run over and check to see how bad things are. Did the laundry room flood?  Is there smoke coming out of the back of the machine?  In both cases, the answer was no (thank goodness!).  But when I lifted the lid, the agitator wasn't moving.  Well, the motor was turning and I could hear it was trying to move, but it was just sort of bumping back and forth about 1/4" in each direction.  And most of that I think was because of the clothes mashing against it.  (Why yes, I do tend to overfill my top-load washer...)

New ones installed, grubby worn
down ones shown on the right.

After the initial panic (it's diaper wash day!  It's Sunday!  I did NOT budget to have to buy a new washing machine this year!) I decided to call my dad.  After all, he had fixed his fair share of washing machines in his life, I can still remember helping him take some of them apart in his workshop.  There was no answer  so I left a message, then took matters into my own hands.  You know the saying, if it ain't broke, don't fix it?  Well, turns out the opposite is usually also true.  If it's already broken, what's the harm in trying to fix it?  Worst case, it'll still be broken when you're done.  (Obviously this does not apply when the item in question is still under warranty.)  So I find a YouTube clip on how to take apart a washing machine and I go to town.  Get the metal cover off, remove the control board, look at the guts.  Nothing is revealed, I don't know if I was maybe expecting the broken part to be waving a little flag, or what.  But it seemed that I'd have to dig deeper.  I ended up finding a handy website that gave some troubleshooting tips.  Agitator not moving?  Yep, that's us!  Turns out the likely culprits were four tiny bits of plastic called clutch dogs (or agitator dogs). 

Their job is to let the top half of the agitator spin freely in one direction, and to interlock with a gear wheel to prevent it from spinning in the other direction.  The effect is that the bottom half of the agitator moves your laundry around and the top half pushes the top laundry down into the water, effectively making sure everything is moving and getting as clean as possible.

After I followed the video showing how to disassemble the agitator, then coming to grips with the fact that I did not own a proper length ratchet extension...I managed to hack a solution with a socket screwdriver and a pair of adjustable pliers.  I then pulled the two agitator halves apart, and could see these little plastic pieces were completely worn down.  I dare say they did hold up quite well considering the 9 years of abuse they had suffered in my frequently overloaded washing machine!  Now that I knew what the problem was (and more importantly, that using the machine would not likely result in water leakage), I reassembled everything and threw in a load of diapers.  They weren't going to get AS clean as they might in a properly working washer, but at least I wasn't going to have to buy a pack of disposables to tide me over.  The next day I packed the kids in the car and headed to the local Sears parts centre (I did call ahead to make sure they had the part) and $30 later (I picked up new inlet hoses as well, since apparently you're supposed to replace those suckers every 5 years...) I had everything I needed in hand.  A few more minutes at home taking the agitator apart again, replacing the worn out dogs with fresh ones, and re-assembling everything, Handy Mommy was ready to do another couple of loads of laundry.  And that made me happy, because no matter how much I dislike always having a mountain of laundry to fold, it would be worse to have that mountain of laundry on the dirty pile!

Today in History App

Do you enjoy quick tidbits of information?  Does history interest you?  Then you might like the app Today in History.  Available in the iTunes app store for $1.99 (or you can get the ad-supported version for free), it lets you look up all sorts of historical information just like the app name suggests, things that happened Today in History.  Starting with the most recent events, it lists significant events that occurred all around the world on the given date, and it goes backward in time the further down you scroll.  One date I looked at dated back to 1026AD!!

The app also has categories for Births, Deaths, and Holidays so you can see what famous/important people were born or died on this day in history, and if it is a holiday anywhere in the world.  You can preview the sort of information that the app displays by visiting the website, www.todayhistory.net.  In addition to just displaying the brief information, you can also click on an event and view more details, or click on a related link and visit the Wikipedia entry.  This can lead to all sorts of interesting articles to let you dig deeper into the historical event or related places or people.

Interestingly, the app also has some built in social aspects as well, where you can add historical events to your favourites list, or you can comment on them.  You can also send any event to Facebook, Twitter, or to a friend via email or text message.  You can even submit your own events for consideration in the app - I haven't tried that yet (somehow I don't think that anyone else out there would be too interested in reading about "Got my winter tires on today").

You could however use the Private event option for creating events that only you want to keep track of, which I thought would be neat for tracking a baby's milestones, especially ones that you would almost certainly forget when they are older, like when they learned to sit unassisted, or exactly when they finally sprouted that first tooth.

If you think you might like it I would go for the free version to try it out, and once you know if you enjoy having all that historical information at your fingertips, then go for it and pick up the full version for $1.99 here in the app store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/today-in-history/id312028507?mt=8  You'll never be without something interesting to say with such an interesting reference at your fingertips.

*Disclaimer:  Geekmommy Reviews was given free of charge the product(s) to review in exchange for featuring this product on http://www.geekmommyreviews.com.  Any opinions or statements given above come only from Geekmommy Reviews and were not influenced in any way by the product vendor.

Scribblenauts Remix App

Every now and then I stumble across something that makes me shake my head in amazement and wonder, and say "I wish I'd thought of that".  A new (at least new to me) game in the iTunes App Store called Scribblenauts Remix is a game like that. 

It has a unique gameplay that appeals to the problem solver in all of us, and also caters to the silly factor that takes over most interactions with a preschooler.  The premise of the game is that you have to help the main character, Maxwell, collect the star in each level.  He is faced with various problems to solve in order to earn/access the star.  To solve problems, you think of what thing(s) he need(s) to solve his problem, then give it to him by typing in a noun (and any number of adjectives).

For example [Spoiler Alert] there is a level where you need to push a button to open a gate.  But the button is in an area that Maxwell can't walk to.  So, you can choose to fly him up there.  Make him a Pegasus, he will ride it.  P-E-G-A-S-U-S.  Or, you can give him a jetpack.  Or you can create a H-U-G-E B-A-L-D E-A-G-L-E, and he will be able to climb on his back and fly up.  You can use adjectives such as "tiny", "friendly", "blue", "gigantic", "scary" and so forth to enhance the objects you create.  I cannot imagine how much effort must have gone into mapping just about every noun imaginable to a concrete in-game representation of the noun, but the effort is worth it because half the fun in the game is to create something outrageous and see what appears.

As an adult, I enjoy playing this game because it helps boost my creativity, and it's tons of fun.  My son (who is not quite old enough to spell most words) likes to play the game together with me, as I read him the problem, he brainstorms solutions, and I type them in.  He has even played it by himself by randomly typing on the keyboard and then picking from the "Did you mean..." suggestions that pop up when the characters don't represent a real word.

Apparently this game is not entirely new, however it's my first time playing it and I have to admit, I was blown away.

If you haven't played this before and think it sounds like fun, it's only $1.99 on the iTunes app store (for the iPad/iPhone) and will provide hours of entertainment, even after you finish the story mode, because you can always think of new creative ways to solve the problems Maxwell faces.

Check out more on this app here: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/scribblenauts-remix/id444844790?mt=8

Pipestone Soaps

Goats Milk - Lavender

I stumbled across Pipestone Soaps on Facebook, of all places, while I was browsing around for Canadian-made products I could feature on this blog.  Made in Alberta, these soaps are clearly made by someone who enjoys their work.  If you follow them on Facebook you will see new "flavours" every couple of days, such as Vanilla Mint, Dragon Tree, Sweet Orange Chili Pepper, Citrus Lavender, Maple Walnut Fudge, Toffee Apple Crunch (are you drooling yet?).  I ordered 5 or 6 bars (was able to justify this by allocating most as gifts...) and when my package arrived I sure was surprised and thrilled to find the bars I ordered, all individually wrapped with care in tissue paper, along with a bunch of samples, some solid perfume sticks, and even some candy treats (which were a big hit with the husband).  Apparently there are different samples and/or treats in all her packages, which is great because you get to try out new soap scents/types in small doses, to help you decide what you might want in your next order.  You can also see the eco-friendly packaging, as my soaps were shipped in a sturdy, repurposed Raysbestos Brake Pads box. 

After I opened the package...here are all the little treats!

Don't let the packaging fool you though, the master chef at Pipestone Soaps certainly knows her stuff.  The soaps are a generous 4.5oz (or more) and will last a long time (particularly if they are kept dry between uses, such as in a soap dish that allows the water from the bar to drain off).  They are made from scratch with "Sustainable Premium Raw Ingredients such as Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Castor Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, Mango Butter, Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter..." and soaps are available in all-natural, or as I mentioned above, many wonderful scents and combinations.  The bars are about an inch thick, and slightly larger than my palm, and the soap is marvelously dense and lathers up smoothly and quickly.  It rinses clean and leaves just the lightest scent on your hands.  In this season of colds, colds, and more colds, I am wiping three noses on a regular basis, and as you can imagine, washing my hands ALL THE TIME.  I find the Pipestone Soaps do not dry out my hands like some of the more common antibacterial pump soaps do, and it's nice to know that they are not full of all kinds of unpronounceable ingredients.

Goats Milk - Toasted Marshmallow

I have been using a sample of Berry Breeze in the shower for a few weeks now, and although it sits alongside the manly bar of Zest, I am noticing that even my husband seems to prefer using the Pipestone Soaps bar (as the Zest is just not getting any smaller...).  I also have a sample of the Nutcracker in my kitchen, and a full size "Monkey Farts" in the kids bathroom.  This is a really cute "kids" soap, it's got a flower shape in the middle and a creamy light colored soap around it.  The smell is fresh, clean, and kid-friendly, and I feel great about even washing my 7 month old baby with it.  If I had to make one suggestion it would be that this soap be cut smaller to better suit little kid hands...my 4 year old has a hard time picking up the big 4.5oz bar and it often gets dropped into the bottom of the sink (where I quickly snatch it out and put it back on the soap dish, no one wants a drowned soap!)

Toddler-size your soap!

*UPDATE* It turns out that Pipestone Soaps has a suggestion/fix for this - since these soaps are homemade they can be cut at home (unlike storebought soaps which tend to flake & crack...).  So if you would like to make guest size soaps, toddler size soaps, or just cut your bars smaller (so you can switch them up more often) all you need is a cutting board and a sharp knife!  Like so: 

One thing I should mention is that she also makes Goats Milk soaps, they are a bit pricier ($1 extra per bar) but they are supposed to be incredible and moisturizing for your skin.  I haven't had a chance to try my Goats Milk bar yet but I hope to break it out soon!

If you would like to find out more about Pipestone Soaps, check them out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PipestoneSoaps (but beware, seeing pictures in your feed of their gorgeous soaps may make you want to buy all kinds of them...)  Their prices are $5.50 for a regular bar, $6.50 for a Goats Milk bar, plus shipping of course, unless you are local.  If you stay tuned to their Facebook page you might even get lucky and catch a sale or 1/2 price shipping event...

Saving Money: Clothing & Toy Swaps

Shopping is fun, isn't it?  Having endless stores full of racks of stuff to choose from, trying on clothes and finding all sorts of things you like...  but then comes the serious business of narrowing down your "yes" pile to a selection that fits in your budget.  And then the paying for it all, all the while a little voice in the back of your head is reminding you of the bag of things you bought last month, which still sits in your closet, its contents unworn and forgotten in the excitement of an afternoon out at the mall (without the kids, if you're really lucky).  Unfortunately, it always comes back to bite you in the behind - first there are the crowded dresser drawers and closet shelves/rods to contend with, then the realization that while your latest find may be lovely, you do already have almost-identical tops in your closet, and last but not least, the larger-than-life Visa bill that always arrives right after you learn that your car needs repair or some other financial slap in the face comes along.

There's a better way, maybe not for all your shopping needs, but certainly to satisfy the urge to have something "new" to wear instead of the same old same old.  Enter the clothing swap.  Having hosted a few of these myself, I thought I'd share some of my ideas and tips to help you perhaps organize or even host your own.  The basic idea is that you and a group of girlfriends go through your respective closets and sort out anything that's currently too big/too small/unloved by you, and put it aside.  Everyone brings their set-aside piles to the swap, and everyone gets to shop from the selection.  At the end of the event, you get rid of some of the closet clutter that was taking up space in your home, and you get to have some nice new-to-you clothes for the budget-friendly price of FREE (or almost free, if you opt for a sale or auction style swap)

Now there are some considerations, and rules you may want to put in place to make it an enjoyable experience for everyone.  First of all, think about the size ranges for the guests - you don't want to have a bunch of people who have all recently lost weight and are looking to trade in their size 14s for size 8s (unless you also have a bunch of people that have put on a few pounds and are looking to get rid of their too-small size 8's and upgrade to a more comfortably fitting size 12).

You don't need much in the way of supplies, though it helps to have a couple of full length mirrors, and a room or two with doors that guests can use as a fitting room.  There should be enough space for everyone's clothes to be sorted out by size (large storage bins are helpful for this).  If you are sorting clothes by size, make sure to have signs with the size written on it so that people will know where to put the clothes they bring.

You'll need to decide if you want to donate un-swapped clothes to charity or send them back home with the donors (and be able to identify them in case of the latter).  You can opt to do a free swap, where everyone can take as much as they want (assuming they did contribute something of their own to swap), a yard-sale style swap (with a set cost per item/style to keep it simple, money going to charity or the seller) or you can auction off items (after allowing some time for people to browse & try on items), with the money either being taken by the item owners, split by the guests or given to a charity.  Auction style swaps are especially good when there are popular items wanted by more than one person.

When inviting people, be sure to specify if you want to include/exclude outerwear, footwear, sleepwear, or other categories of clothing from the swap.  A successful swap doesn't have to take very long, with 3-5 people you can be in and out within an hour, and that includes unpacking & packing your clothes!

Now I know I've focused on the logistics of adult clothing swaps, however you can easily adapt these ideas to a baby/kids clothing swap, or even a toy swap (it is a great way to clean out the playroom and get rid of the deadwood taking up space!)

If you've attended or hosted a clothing swap in the past, what did you like about it?  Do you have any other suggestions for organizers to try?  Share your wisdom in the comments below!

The Little Lasso

There's a fine line between a baby dropping a toy ("Oops!"), and a baby tossing it on the floor just because it's a fun game for her to throw it and you to pick it up.  Fun for baby, maybe not so much fun for you.  Especially if we're talking about a busy (germy!) restaurant floor... or a sidewalk... or the backseat of your car.  There are many different styles of tethers and toy leashes out there, and I can't speak for all of them, but I can share with you the great features of "the little lasso", a made-in-USA tether that can hold a sippy cup just as well as a tag blanket, and whose website encourages you to "stop playing fetch".  With a "C" shaped plastic oval loop on one end (firmly attached so it can be moved a bit but not removed, at least not by baby) and a "noose" on the other end that adjusts to hold just about anything you want to keep off the floor.  The little lasso has a sturdy elastic encased in a gathered tube of machine washable fabric, and has three large plastic beads threaded on it to allow the size of the tether noose to be adjusted.

An adult can easily insert a toy into the noose and then tighten the bead/elastic of the tether to ensure a good tight fit.  The other end of the tether (the plastic clip end) then can attach to baby's highchair or stroller (or wherever else you need it).  Being about a foot long from clip to toy, it will keep things from hitting the floor when dropped, preventing unnecessary spills and broken items, as well as saving your back (and perhaps also some of your sanity as well).  Simply give the tether a tug to retrieve the dropped item, and you and baby can get on with your day.  Eventually, baby will probably learn how to retrieve the item herself, although it's anyone's guess if (s)he will ever be satisfied without your intervention for each "oops"...

I find the little lasso most helpful at dinnertime, whether at home or away - to keep a few toys attached to baby's high chair while I hustle to get supper on the table (or on special occasions, while I sip wine and look forward to the wait staff bringing my plate from the restaurant kitchen...)  My little one also seems amused with its elastic properties - Daddy holds onto the clip, baby holds onto the toy.  Tug of war ensues...eventually baby lets go of the toy and BOING-G-G-G off it goes - laughs all around.  Plus the toy is still on the tether so no one has to go chase it down.

If you think something like this can help you to save time, energy, and stop the endless cycle of pickup/wipe off/give to baby/drop/pickup, have a look over at http://www.thelittlelasso.com/, check out all of their lovely designer fabric patterns, and maybe pick up a few for yourself or for the next baby shower you get invited to.  You won't regret it!

Pampersack: A Baby Sleeping Bag

It's no secret that moms crave sleep.  Also, chocolate...  but definitely sleep.  Once your baby gets to an age where they are (finally!) sleeping more consistently, and you can count on having to nurse them to sleep but that they are not NEEDING to feed every hour or two thereafter anymore, all of a sudden you get to enjoy your nights again.  Or at least, you get to make it through most mornings without needing a fourth cup of coffee to keep you awake.  But then, as luck would have it, things change again.  Baby is growing too big to be swaddled, or just doesn't like it anymore.  Winter is coming and it's crazy expensive to keep the house warm enough for baby to sleep in a diaper and pajamas and nothing else.  Even those adorable, super-soft thick fleece sleepers can only keep so much warmth in.  Blankets, if you are using them, end up kicked off, rolled to the side, or pulled up over baby's head far too often, meaning baby gets cold, baby cries, and you mamas get to roll out of your bed and stumble to the crib to re-tuck baby when actually you should both be sleeping.

Now imagine if you could just take baby's blanket, fit it around her body just right, and zip/snap/pin it on so that it won't be kicked off or pulled overhead.  That's the idea behind baby sleeping bags.  I have a number of different brands and styles, which I intend to review in good time.  But I have to say, my favourite in terms of price vs function is the Pampersack from http://www.babyinabag.com.  I have two of the Stargaze winter models, which I purchased new for around $35 each when my son was little.  I got the big size, 22 months - 3T, and it has a tremendous feature that makes me able to use them RIGHT NOW as my little girl is just 6 months - armpit snaps.  Yes, the arm holes are generously sized, but they have one set of snaps on each side, so that you can make them smaller (thus pretty much ensuring that they stay right where they should when a younger baby is in the sleeping bag).  The bags zipper just off centre, from top to bottom, and are incredibly roomy on the bottom for babies that like to kick their legs and not feel restricted.  There is also a snap at the top of the zipper to keep the fabric flat and keep the plastic zipper part from rubbing against baby's face (though with the armpit snaps done up, this is unlikely as the zipper beginning is mid-chest, not under baby's chin).  100% cotton on the outside, 100% cotton jersey on the inside, plush filling, and sweet embroidery makes this model adorable AND super comfy.

The winter weight Pampersack is really, really nice and warm.  It's also fairly bulky, not around baby's face & arms, but the bottom half where the legs go - so if you are trying to juggle baby onto a nursing pillow, it does add a bit of bulk on the end.  I think this is totally worth it because the size of the sleeping bag ensures it will fit for a good long time, and also because the warmth factor means I can keep the thermostat at 65 degrees without having to feel like a jerk.

I wouldn't recommend this sleeping bag for the heat of summer, but it does well in Fall, Winter, and Spring, as you can vary what baby wears underneath in terms of long sleeves/short sleeves, and pants vs no pants, to accomodate various temperatures.  It is super affordable compared to other brands that also offer the heavy winter weight sleeping bags, the shipping is very reasonable ($4.95 per order, not per bag), and if you sign up on their email list you will get valuable (worth waiting for!) coupon codes emailed to you periodically.  The company also makes summer weight, minky, organic, and silk sleeping bags, which I'm sure are lovely, but I have not had the opportunity to try them and so I can't comment.

To find out more, or to buy your Pampersack, visit http://www.babyinabag.com.

Mommy Necklaces

Internet!  It's been a while!  Sorry for the delay in recent posts... we've had the back-to-(pre)school sniffles and sickness around here the last few weeks and are finally starting to feel rested and healthy again...so back to the post!

Since I am once again tethered at the breast to a baby (or at least that's what it feels like most days, especially since she (still!) refuses to take a bottle), I spend a fair bit of time nursing.  One of my favorite things is to look down at her while she is eating, and see her reach her hand up towards me, the sparkle in her eye ... and then things take a turn for the worse - she either pulls my hair, or digs her razor sharp fingernails into my chin, or grabs hold of the neckline of whatever shirt I'm wearing and pulls it just as hard as she can (which is remarkably hard, considering she is just a baby!).  If this has happened to you, you know you now have the joy of wearing a shirt that has a neckline all warped and stretched out, so it looks like you pulled a beach ball through the neckline before you got dressed in the morning.

The trick is to give the baby something appropriate to grasp and pull on, such as a Mommy Necklace.  No, I'm not suggesting you let baby make a plaything out of your finest pearls...there is actually jewellery designed exactly for this purpose.  Made of high quality, lab-tested acrylic beads, Mommy Necklaces are not only made to last, but they are really pretty!  I personally have the Aurora Dangling Donut and the 34" "Simply Snazzy" design, both of which I got on Baby Half Off (have I mentioned how much I love that site?). 

The Aurora is my favourite thanks to the jewel tone bead colours, the fun donut feature that baby loves to play with, and the perfect length (for me).  The Simply Snazzy is also really pretty but I find the rings over the beads to be kind of noisy when they move around, plus the 34" length is just a bit much for me, and tends to lay on top of baby's face while she's feeding, which is distracting to her and me.  Both necklaces come with a fantastic break-away closure made of a black rubbery plastic material, the ends snap together and will pull apart if there is too much pressure (ie, baby gives a super hard yank, the necklace will unclasp, instead of digging into your neck).  I have not had baby pull hard enough on it yet to make it come undone, so I don't think you need to worry about having it come undone unintentionally.

The necklaces are attractive and stylish enough to wear with your normal day to day clothes, so you can wear them long after you finish nursing your little one.  They come in so many different styles and colour combinations that there is surely a perfect Mommy Necklace for everyone.   Have a look at www.mommynecklaces.com to see some of the styles available.

Bummas "The Wild Ones" Cloth Wipes Review & GIVEAWAY!

There has been an evolution of wipes in our household.  When my son was born, we used disposable diapers, and disposable wipes.  Once he grew big enough to fit into the Kushies AIOs we had at the time, we switched to cloth diapers, and homemade disposable wipes (paper towel & homemade mix of distilled water, lotion, and baby wash).  We soon got tired of the inevitable crisis whenever we ran out of homemade wipes, because the middle of a baby poop emergency is totally not the time to start making a new batch of wipes.  Plus, with the money we were saving on diapers, I figured that having to buy wipes every now and then was not the end of the world.  So we went back to disposable wipes.  It drove me bananas every time I opened the washing machine and found little specks of disposable wipes all over the diapers in the wash.  I mean, it's so easy and second nature to roll up the dirty diaper, stuffing the wipes inside.  Plus, the garbage can got kind of nasty where it was full of used wipes that were not contained by disposable diapers.  I thought there had to be a better way, but honestly it never occurred to me that CLOTH WIPES were the answer.

Thankfully this time around, I had the brilliant realization that cloth wipes were a much more reasonable solution.  You have to wash the diapers anyways, and instinctively, you put the dirty wipes in the diapers, so why not cloth wipes?  They go in with the regular diaper loads of laundry, and don't require any special treatment.  There are several options for when you use them - the easiest is to run them under the tap when you need them.  For the upcoming winter, I have opted to dampen them in advance and store in a wipes warmer.  Others use a wipes solution in a spray bottle and spray it on baby or wipe at change time.  The wipes I have been using are basic handmade squares of double layered flannel serged together.  I made them from a stack of old receiving blankets I had kicking around in the baby-stuff-I-saved-for-our-second bin.

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to receive a package of Bummas in the mail to test out for this blog.  They have been #1 in my rotation since I got them.  Made of a single layer of cotton velour fabric, they are velvety soft on one side, and terry-cloth textured on the other side.  This makes them perfect to clean up big messes and small ones.  I was surprised at the size of them, 5" x 7", which I thought would be too small to do the job well.  However, they seem to be just right.  They basically cover my palm & fingers, so I can use them terry side out for bigger messes, and do a final cleanup by folding in half and using the soft velour side to get any remaining mess.  I wet them before use, and wring them out, so they are damp but not dripping wet.  So, I don't have any issues with moisture on baby's bum before applying her diaper.  However, Bummas wipes are also excellent for drying off baby's bum if you had to use wetter wipes to get things clean.  I agree with one of the cute sayings on their eco-friendly minimal packaging that states: "After the wipe and before the dipe, use a soft kiss of cloth to dry bums off."  I also got a kick out of some of the other rhymes on there, such as "Avert the squirt", since, according to their website, one Bummas wipe can absorb an entire pee - this would have been great when my boy was in diapers...

The wipes have held up very well, going through my usual diaper laundry routine of soak/wash/rinse/rinse and line dry (or occasionally in the dryer) without any ill effects.  They have not shrunk or frayed AT ALL, which I'm impressed with because I am ALWAYS re-edging my homemade wipes because the corner where the serged edges meet is always fraying on those.  Bummas wipes are also great to use as facecloths, cleaning up after mealtime, or wiping a runny nose.  They also say on their packaging that they could be used as burp cloths, but I don't think that would work well for my little one because when she spits up, it tends to be an epic affair that goes from my shoulder to my elbow (and often ends up splatting on my hips, thighs, or calves, depending on how I'm standing or sitting).  So for now, I'll stick to burping with a receiving blanket.  If your little one doesn't spit up much though, using a Bummas for a burp cloth would definitely cut down on the bulk of cloth you would need to carry around with you in your diaper bag.

Bummas wipes come in 4 adorable colour combinations - the fabric is white cotton-woven terry velour, and the serged edges are done using bright beautiful colours.  They used to have different colour fabrics and different coloured edges but it seems they are phasing this out on their site.  They now have a "The Boys" set which is edged in shades of blue and green, a "The Girls" set that is edged in shades of pink and purple, a "The Calm Ones" set edged in shades of orange, brown, and green, and finally the "The Wild Ones" edged in ten different random shades of every colour under the rainbow.  They are sold in sets of 10, and each set sells for $16.99.  They ship worldwide, and accept paypal, so if you're reading this, you can buy them!  Check out www.bummas.com for more pictures and information on their wipes.

Great news!  Bummas has agreed to sponsor a giveaway right here on Geekmommy Reviews, with the prize being your very own 10 pack of Bummas wipes!  To enter, you must visit the Bummas page on Facebook and "Like" them, then comment back here that you did so.  Be sure to include your name on Facebook and your email address in your comment so that I can contact you when you win!

You can earn up to 3 extra entries by:

1. Liking "Geekmommy Reviews" on Facebook and telling me you did this in the comments (be sure to let me know your name on Facebook)
2. Following @geekmommyreview on Twitter and tweeting about this giveaway (be sure to link to the tweet in the comments)
3. Following this blog on Google Friend Connect and telling me you did this in the comments

Winner will be drawn on Friday October 7th, 2011 using Random.org.  Your odds of winning obviously depend on number of entries received.

*Disclaimer:  Geekmommy Reviews was given free of charge the product(s) to review in exchange for featuring this product on http://www.geekmommyreviews.com.  Any opinions or statements given above come only from Geekmommy Reviews and were not influenced in any way by the product vendor.

Infantino EcoSash Wrap & Tie Carrier

After my review of the Moby Wrap, it should come as no surprise to you that I enjoy babywearing.  Or, should I say, I enjoy the freedom it gives me.  Freedom from having a heavy carseat tugging at my arm sockets.  Freedom from having to balance a baby on one hip while reaching for a cup of coffee with my free arm (and then attempting to drink said coffee without baby splashing it all over both of us with her endlessly waving arms).  Freedom to shop at Costco without having to leave the baby in her carseat on the "Carts" side of the checkout.

I have heard many great things about the Ergo baby carrier, and had the opportunity to take it for a test drive with my little girl last month as my sister let me try hers out.  This isn't an Ergo review (since I don't own one, I am not going to consider myself qualified to review it) but there were a handful of thoughts that came to mind when I used it.  First of all, I really liked the support around the waist/hips.  And the fabric was really nice and soft (she has the ERGObaby Black Sport Carrier).  So I got my daughter adjusted in the front carry, I had the padded shoulder straps over my shoulders, and then - I had to get my sister to close the buckle.  I don't know about you, but I don't always run around with an assistant.  Unless you could count my 4 year old, which I don't, because if I'd asked him to close a buckle on the Ergo he'd probably answer by saying something like "rawrrrr, I'm pretending to be a spike-o-saurus" and headbutting my hip.  And I'd be left trying to safely buckle in a squirmy baby in a parking lot by taking both hands off her and reaching over my head and ... ouch.  My neck and back hurt just thinking about it.

I love the Moby Wrap because it's so simple.  One knot, and you're done.  I just wanted something like that, only with a little less fabric to deal with.  So I went to a local store that carried a number of babywearing options, and tried out several different styles of carriers.  I tried the BabyHawk Mei Tai (loved it, but they only had one in stock and I didn't like the fabric), another very soft similar style carrier, the brand of which I cannot recall right now (loved how small it folded up, it would literally fit into my coat pocket, but did not like that the straps had no padding), and finally the Infantino EcoSash Wrap & Tie Carrier.  It was packaged up in its own carrying/laundering bag made of a black mesh, so I did have to dismantle the packaging to try it on.  Thankfully the store owner was OK with this.

I love how there are no buckles to fuss with, but the carrier still feels somewhat structured.  It has a reversible front fabric panel (goes from modern abstract vines to plain black, in case I have to make my husband wear it somewhere) and two loops into which to thread the shoulder straps to facilitate an easy back carry (or to make the front carry a bit more secure by ensuring the straps coming from behind you stay in place around the height of baby's torso.  The EcoSash actually has the wearing instructions printed on satiny soft panels so that you don't always need the book in front of you (when you are starting out, use the book.  Once you are adept at wearing it, you won't really need the instructions in either place.  You double-knot the shorter straps around your waist, then hold baby in front of you, lift the front part, long straps go over shoulders, criss-cross behind you, feed through the front loops on left & right, then double-knot in the front.  The shoulder straps are padded and so are quite comfortable even after a few hours of wearing with an 18lb baby in it (I haven't worn it for longer than that, so I can't comment what it would be like to wear all day).  I do wish that the waist straps were either padded or stiffened in some way, because even though they are nice and wide, they do just sort of bunch together after being knotted around my squishy middle section (AKA waist).

The carrier is also baby approved, she is warm and comfortable in it, and apparently sucking/chewing on the shoulder straps is a fun and tasty way to pass the time.  She also loves being able to look right up at me, and to look around at everything going on, especially when we are out shopping.  I love that when she is in the baby carrier, random strangers are less likely to touch her than when she's in her carseat (although, random strangers' children are not shy at all about holding her hands, which dangle out of the sides of the carrier most of the time...).

I have not yet laundered my carrier, and since it is a deep black colour, I will likely wash it on its own the first time, maybe with an old cloth tossed in to see if it stains other clothes.  It does come with its own mesh bag for laundering, so that is a nice feature.  I can just imagine what fun it would be to have to untangle all 4 straps from my old school top loader's agitator...*shudder*.  If I find any major issues after laundering I will be sure to update here.

**Updated**, so I laundered the Infantino EcoSash Wrap & Tie Carrier a couple of days ago, in the mesh bag that comes with it.  It washed just fine, and did not stain my other clothes (granted, I washed it with all my "dark" delicates,  I wouldn't throw it in with anything white or light coloured).  I must not have tied the mesh bag tightly enough, because the straps did work their way out of the top opening and snaked around my top loader, though they did not actually get tangled with anything.  I had to hang it up to dry, and we've been having awful wet weather here, so it's day two of indoor hanging to dry, and it's still a bit damp.  It says explicitly not to put it in the dryer though, so I will just try and be patient while it dries (and use my Moby wrap in the meantime).

If you want to learn more about the Infantino EcoSash Wrap & Tie Carrier, check out the product page on Infantino's website.  You can also read more here on Step2's website.  It sells for anywhere between $60 and $80 depending on where you shop.

Handy Mommy - Restringing a Patio Umbrella

I suppose by now, if you've been a regular reader, you probably know I'm a bit on the cheap side.  My husband will tell you I've relented a bit since the days when we were pinching pennies to pay off our (small) wedding and related expenses - I no longer call him to question that $3.65 debit charge five minutes after it shows up on the online banking page...  However, I don't like spending money when I don't have to (that frees up the cash for fun impulse purchases, right?).

2 weeks ago, our patio umbrella gave up the ghost.  The timing was impeccable, I went to crank it open just hours before a neighbourhood BBQ/party at our house.  And it didn't go.  The crank spun but the umbrella canopy went nowhere.  I actually missed getting bonked in the head with the arms.  But mostly my mind was racing along thinking "WTF, umbrella, of ALL the days to die, why today when I have SO much other stuff to prepare before the invasion of friends & family???"

So I did what any self respecting handy mommy would do - I took the damn thing apart.  I patched it together with some nylon string, and put it back together.  Except I might have messed it up a bit... it was open, but it wouldn't close.  Oops.  But good enough for party day.  (Ironically, the party ended up on my back patio area and didn't venture onto the deck AT ALL.  The umbrella was totally unused.)

A few days later after seeing the poor thing open most of the way and beaten up by the wind, I took pity and decided to try again.  I did manage to fix it completely, and thought I'd share here how that went*, because when *I* ran to Google to help me solve this problem, yeah, there wasn't a whole lot out there.

Number one is that you'll want to take a look at the string you can see up near the top of the umbrella.  Now you'll want to go out and buy that exact string, or the closest thing you can find to it.  Diameter is the most important thing (so it fits into the pulleys and doesn't jam up the crank wind up mechanism).  Also important is that the rope be NOT STRETCHY.  Mine is kind of stretchy.  So I end up with free-wheeling crank mechanism for a moment after it's cranked open all the way.  That shit hurts when it hits your hand!

Step two is to take things apart.  I suspect that every umbrella is a bit different so for purposes of this blog post, you should know that ours is one that stands in the middle of the table, and has a single adjustable hinge about 3/4 of the way up.  It has a manual crank that you wind clockwise to open, counter-clockwise to close (although after having taken it apart, I realize that the direction you turn it is irrelevant - one way will open it, the other will close it).  A few tips on dissembly:

The plastic rings on top & bottom come off, then the two
halves come apart neatly.

• The crank area is a good spot to start.  It will either be held together with a couple of screws or it will have a plastic cover on it.  Mine had a 2 piece plastic cover that was held on with plastic rings on either end.  Use a small flat screwdriver to pry the plastic rings up and off the cover, then pull apart the two cover halves.
  
• Take apart the crank itself.  In my case this meant to take off the nut, 2 washers, spring, and contoured spacer (and not in that order, either).  Lay the pieces somewhere safe (ie, where your four year old won't grab them and ask "what's this for?") so that you don't forget the order they belong in.  This part is important later for when you put things back together...
  
• When you pull out the crank it might not be super easy, because there's some string there that will get in your way.  This is the string you're replacing, so don't fret if it rips on the way out.  It's only going in the trash anyhow.
  
• Take apart the hinge - mine used a 6 sided allen key (if you have any little handyman tool set it should contain a variety of these - find the right size by trial and error) to remove the screw that holds the hinge together.  Be careful, as the umbrella stem will come apart after you do this step.

Now for the re-stringing.  You'll want a nice long piece of rope.  Don't cut it til the very last step.  Otherwise you may very well end up with my original issue of an umbrella that won't close.  Untie the old rope at the top of the umbrella.  Tie the new rope to the old rope and pull the old rope through the stem to thread it.  You may need some special finagling to thread the stem from hinge to crank (I used a thin piece of nylon string to pull the larger rope through, and a pair of needlenose pliers to extract the end of it).  Pull it back and forth a couple times to make sure it runs smoothly over the pulley at the top.

Put the hinge back together.  At this point you may notice you threaded the rope down the wrong side of the bottom half of the stem.  Whoops.  If that's the case (50/50 chance, right?) re-thread that part.  Otherwise your rope will get tangled in the hinge and best case, it won't work right.  Worst case?  The rope may fray & rip at the hinge, smacking you or someone else in the head with an umbrella arm next time you're all enjoying mojitos and BBQ.

Knot that I don't remember the name of...

Now for the knots.  Big shoutout to my dad for the sailing lessons he paid for and encouraged me to take when I was a teen.  If you didn't have the chance to do this, go online and search for how to tie knots.  Find one that won't slip.  If I'd paid more attention in class I could tell you the name of it but instead I'll show you a picture of my finished product.  Then *close the umbrella* and cut the rope so there are 4-6 inches sticking out of the hole where the crank goes.  That closing part is important because without it, your umbrella will open, but not close when it's done.  Open it again and thread and tie the freshly cut end of the rope to the crank shaft.  You may want to slightly melt the cut end with a match (but for goodness sake, don't set things on fire.  Easy does it.)  Make the knot small but sturdy (two half hitches is what I went with, hope that holds up).  Small is key because you'll have to fiddle with the rope, knot(s) and crank to get them all to go through the tiny hole in the umbrella stem.

I have no advice for pushing all that stuff back into the umbrella stem, just take a few deep breaths, and don't give up.  Also maybe make sure the kids aren't within earshot because you WILL be cursing before you succeed.  Once you finally succeed, pat yourself on the back and reassemble the crank with the spacer, washers, spring (in the order you took them off!).  Put the cover together and then test it out.

If you've done everything right, you now have a fully functional patio umbrella again (for the low low cost of a bit of rope), plus you can totally brag to your friends about having done this all. by. yourself.  Or, I suppose, you can send this post to your husband and have HIM do the work, but where's the fun glory in that?  Also, if everything fails and your umbrella still doesn't work by the time you're done, you can probably repurpose the rope for something else, and get yourself a new patio umbrella.  It's not like that wasn't an option right from the start.

* I am in NO way taking responsibility for any mishaps you encounter while attempting to follow my instructions.  I am not an expert on umbrella repair, and if you don't feel comfortable taking on this task, then don't!

The Laundry Tarts

What's powdery, white, made in Canada, smells delicious, and got the funky smell right out of my daughter's cloth diapers?   It's a magnificent new all-natural laundry detergent from The Laundry Tarts.  With delicious flavours scents such as Key Lime Pie, Black Forest Cake, and Oatmeal Almond, it's hard to believe you're not supposed to just spoon this stuff into a bowl for dessert.  I received two sample bags of The Laundry Tarts detergent from Monkey Doodlez, one Key Lime Pie, one Pina Colada (thank you!).  The first thing I noticed when I opened the shipping envelope was the lovely scent wafting up to meet my nose.  I'm not talking about anything strong or overpowering, rather, it was more of a subtle scent, clean and fresh, but not artificial or perfumey.  That's probably because the entire bag of laundry detergent contains only natural ingredients - there is nothing artificial about it.  The entire product line of detergent, stain remover, and shaker is (to quote their website) "hypoallergenic, 100% vegan and free of phosphates, EDTA, pthalates, parabens, SLS, SLES, nitrates, sulphites and chlorine".  Try saying that five times fast!  The ingredient list is shorter than you could even imagine, consisting mainly of baking soda, soda wash, powdered hydrogen peroxide, and sea salt.  Throw in some rosemary extract, saponified canola & coconut oils, and essential oils (for fragrance), and you've got yourself a bag of detergent.  It's safe for your clothes, your skin, and the environment.

I was at first skeptical about using this detergent with my daughter's cloth diapers.  As you can read in previous posts, I launder her pocket diapers & liners every 3 days, using EcoNuts, cold soak, hot wash, and double cold rinse, then I hang them to dry.  They have always come out clean, but often they smell a little funky.  On occasion, I can chalk this up to FORGETTING to toss in the bag of EcoNuts after the soak cycle (shame on me!), other times I have blamed my timing - I tend to do the soak/wash/rinse before bed, and the 2nd rinse the next morning, before hanging them out.  I figured that leaving them in the washer overnight is what caused them to sometimes pick up a funky smell.  However, it seems I might be wrong about that - after checking on The Laundry Tarts' website to make certain the detergent is safe for cloth diapers (it totally is), I followed the same process (using 3 tablespoons for my old school top loading washer) and found that the entire load of diapers smelled really fresh and clean the next morning when I was hanging them out.  Note that they did NOT smell of fragrance, artificial perfumes, or funk.  They just smelled clean.  After hanging them out to dry, I took them in and thought they looked even whiter than usual, and they were SO FREAKING SOFT - perhaps the sea salt in the detergent helped with that?  I continued to use the diapers on my daughter and there were no unusual effects, rashes, etc, that sometimes happen when switching detergents.  I'm sure she'll be thrilled when she grows up that I used her as a diaper detergent guinea pig.

I also tried using the detergent with a load of dark laundry, to make sure it rinsed clean (it did, even with a very full load of laundry, a cold wash cycle, and only a single rinse).  It even worked on my delicates and hand-wash items.  Which I wash in my machine on the delicate cycle, because honestly, is a mom supposed to have time to hand wash anything??  After washing a load of towels & facecloths with The Laundry Tarts detergent, I did one of those goofy comparisons like they used to do in fabric softener commercials... I stacked up 5 baby facecloths that were previously laundered (probably with EcoNuts), and 5 that were laundered using The Laundry Tarts, and sure enough, the stack laundered with The Laundry Tarts was taller.  I probably should have taken a photo (oops) but didn't think of it.  You'll just have to take my word for it.

Now taller stacks of facecloths are not usually a reason for me to choose one detergent over another.  But I have to say that the ability of The Laundry Tarts to brighten my diaper laundry, rinse out clean, and leave them smelling fresh instead of funky, is enough to make me want to buy a big ol' bag of this stuff. I will probably re-purpose an old measuring cup to work as a scoop for the detergent, because as of right now, it does not come with its own measuring scoop.  They recommend using 2-4 tbsp per load (half that for HE machines) so you do need to be able to get the right amount out of the bag and into your machine.  I just used one of my kitchen tablespoons for testing the samples, but when it becomes a permanent fixture in my laundry room, I would want a dedicated scoop.

If you love the fact that The Laundry Tarts detergent is all-natural, made in Canada, and (most importantly) great at getting your laundry clean, then you should also know that they have generously offered a discount code for15% off all Laundry Tarts products (detergent, samples, stain sticks and shaker bon bons) at www.monkeydoodlez.com and participating retailers.  To take advantage of this offer be sure to enter the code "geekmommy15" (without the quotes) when you are going through the checkout process.  Note that they've indicated that their shipping quotes are not working quite right on the Monkey Doodlez site, so please disregard the shipping quotes from the site and they will provide you with a correct total in an invoice prior to processing payment.  This discount expires in 7 days (so by September 20th!) so hurry if you are interested!  I know I'll be ordering some!

*Disclaimer:  Geekmommy Reviews was given free of charge two small samples of the product(s) to review in exchange for featuring this product on http://www.geekmommyreviews.com.  Any opinions or statements given above come only from Geekmommy Reviews and were not influenced in any way by the product vendor.

1Password

A mom, at any given moment, has what feels like a million different things to remember.  Things like where her keys are, what she promised to bring to Saturday's potluck dinner party, her son's favourite cartoon character, the fact that she needs to pick up a kitchen timer and potting soil next time she's out shopping, and of course,  all fifteen thousand passwords to every single website she has ever signed up for.

There's not much I can do for you if you don't have a place by the front door for your keys or a shopping list where to note down things you have to buy (may I suggest Grocery IQ?)  However, I think I can help with that last one.  1Password is a secure way to manage your passwords & online identities, as well as to keep track of other important, sensitive pieces of data.  With a tagline of "Have you ever forgotten a password?" it's easy to see how this piece of software can be useful in anyone's life, including a busy mom with more important things on her mind than what her log on credentials are to the local recreation centre's online registration system.

With versions for Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, and Android, plus web browser integration, you will honestly never have to look far for your passwords.  Now there are some other ways to go about password management.  The easiest of course being to use the same password everywhere.  Oh, except that's actually a really, really dumb idea.  Not every place is as security conscious as your online banking might be, and giving away your email/password combination at just one site that becomes compromised (or has questionable security/privacy to begin with) can result in your identity at many other sites being compromised by someone trying your email/password combination there.  Plus, different websites have different password requirements, so maybe one will be OK with your easy to remember "qwerty" or "abc123" but others will need you to have 2 letters, 2 numbers, and 5 interspersed asterisks or tildes (~).  Not to mention, that your usernames may also be different from one site to another.  Gosh, it's making my head hurt just thinking about it.

With 1Password, as the name suggests, you only need to remember ONE password.  Make it a multi-word password instead of a gibberish series of letters, numbers, and symbols, and it becomes even easier to recall.  This one password unlocks the 1Password tool - on your computer or on your phone, and you can then easily log in, either by copying the credentials for a form you are already on in your browser, or by clicking a link inside 1Password which automatically launches the browser and logs you in to where you want to go.  The password data file is secure & encrypted, and you can opt to store it in the cloud (so it's available to you everywhere), or in your Dropbox account (there are many other options as well such as a password-protected PDF, or a file to put on your own USB stick).  I personally use the Dropbox syncing service, and my husband and I share the password data file, so yeah, he can access the password to read my email, but if I get hit by a bus tomorrow, he can also pay the electric bill.  (That works for us.  Your situation may vary.)

One of my favourite features of 1Password is the ability to generate passwords - so I don't have to keep thinking up unique, clever passwords - I can just have the app generate them and it stores them for me.  It has made me feel much better about my online life, being able to have a unique and secure password for each site I have an account on, and to be able to manage all of these from one simple and accessible place.  Another great feature is the browser integration - I don't even have to open 1Password to use my passwords - I just click the integrated button, enter my master password (I can set the timeout period so I don't have to enter it All.The.Time), and bam, it fills in my credentials for whatever site I'm on.

You can read more about 1Password or download your free trial over at https://agilebits.com/1Password.  1Password costs $39.99 for Mac or Windows, and $14.99 for iPhone/iPad.  For some reason, it appears to be free for Android (lucky you guys!).

Cloth By Tel - OS Pocket Diapers Review & GIVEAWAY

For a quick rundown of my cloth diapering past, check out the first post in this series here.  As you know by now, I've chosen to go with OS Pocket diapers with snap closures.  That's OS for One Size (fits 7lb to 35lb, supposedly, using a series of snaps to adjust the length/rise of the diaper) and Pocket meaning they have a pocket between the outer layer and the inner layer, into which the absorbent liner(s) is placed.  The snap closures allow the diaper to be fastened over and over, securely each time (as opposed to a hook & loop closure which can get less "sticky" as time goes by and threads/lint clog up the hooks).

Smallest rise setting

I purchased a number of generic brand OS Pocket diapers from a local retailer, Cloth By Tel, and have happily been using them for over 5 months now.  They come in regular (smooth fabric) or Minkee (soft/fuzzy) outside layers, in solid colours or various patterns.  I think the Minkee cow and zebra prints are just the sweetest!  The inside liner fabric is a fluffy fleece that helps wick away moisture from baby's delicate skin, and presumably the fluffy factor also helps remove solids from the diaper (we're still 100% on breastmilk here so have not had to deal with "real" poo yet).  The diapers have a generous sized opening in the back for stuffing the liner(s) in, and a fleece flap that folds over the liner to keep the microfiber off baby's skin.  Each diaper purchased includes a single liner, and Cloth By Tel also sells extra liners if you want some for overnights.

Spotless, after 5 months of use.  Elastics all in great shape

Thus far, the diapers have held up well to being used in regular rotation, washing every three days, and line drying the pockets.  I do occasionally throw the liners in the dryer, especially on rainy days, and they don't seem to be any worse for the wear.  The construction seems to be pretty uniform, the tabs each have two snaps, the front of the diapers have 10 snaps in a row so you can really customize the fit, and the rise adjustment has three levels for different size babies.  My baby girl started wearing these as soon as her umbilical cord stump fell off, around 8-9lbs.  She is now a robust 17lb 15oz at 5 months old, and so I've got the diapers at the largest rise setting already.  I am curious to see how the diapers will continue to fit as she gets older, but I do remember with my son that as his shape changed over the months, I had to adjust his diapers differently to get a good fit, so I imagine these will be similar.

10 snaps across the top of the diaper

There are sturdy elastics sewn in at the back of the diaper (to keep runny messes in), as well as in the leg openings (ditto).  They are very stretchy and as they are sewn inside the diaper, no elastic marks are left on my baby's legs.  I was concerned that the thick fleece inside would be too warm in the summertime, but it did not seem to be bothersome to my daughter at all, and she did not seem too warm in her diaper as compared to the rest of her body.  We have had very few diaper rashes, sometimes just a touch of redness, which went away after a bit of "air time".  On the odd occasion that we've wanted to use diaper cream, we stuck with Skinfix, and made sure to use a diaper liner (as is recommended for all balms with cloth diapers).  We have not had to do anything special with the diaper cleaning process, the initial prep wash was super easy with just a squirt of dish detergent and a double rinse.  Even after 5 months of continuous use, they are all still stain free and smell fresh and clean with our current routine:
-dry pail with pail liner for 3 days max
-cold 20 minute soak
-hot 10 minute wash with EcoNuts laundry soap
-2x cold rinse
-line dry/sun when possible, else line dry covers indoors and machine dry liners

Largest rise setting

I've talked enough about the diapers, but I do definitely need to mention Cloth By Tel's fantastic prices and deals - the diapers run from $8 for the regular/print/Minkee ones, to $10 for ones with bamboo inserts.  She also sells leg warmers, swim diapers, wet bags, wipes, bio-liners, and extra liners/soakers.  Cloth By Tel is on Facebook, and frequently has great sales/package deals to help you get the best bang for your cloth diapering buck.  Shipping charges are very reasonable, and she ships the diapers quickly, so you get them without much of a wait.  Go check out her selection over at http://www.clothbytel.com!

Cloth By Tel has generously sponsored a giveaway of ONE regular in-stock OS Pocket Diaper to one of my lucky readers (*Canada and US only for this giveaway*).  This contest will be open until Friday, September 23rd.  To enter, please visit http://www.clothbytel.com and leave a comment below saying which product is your favourite.

Plus earn up to 4 extra entries by:

1. Liking "Geekmommy Reviews" on Facebook and telling me you did this in the comments (be sure to let me know your name on Facebook)
2. Liking "Cloth By Tel" on Facebook and telling me you did this in the comments (be sure to let me know your name on Facebook)
3. Following @geekmommyreview AND @clothbytel on Twitter and tweeting about this giveaway (be sure to link to the tweet in the comments)
4. Following this blog on Google Friend Connect and telling me you did this in the comments

Winner will be drawn on Friday September 23rd, 2011 using Random.org.  Your odds of winning obviously depend on number of entries received.

Cloth Diapering - It's All About Choices

As I might have already mentioned, I cloth diaper my baby.  I do it mostly because I'm cheap, and I just can't imagine spending money every week on diapers to throw away.  Of course, it doesn't hurt that it saves a ton of waste from polluting our landfills, and that cloth diapers come in so many adorable prints and colours!  Plus, with all the easy to use cloth diaper styles that exist nowadays, it's no problem at all to get other caregivers on board.

When my son was a baby, cloth diapering wasn't really a "thing", I didn't know anyone else that was doing it (at least not til after I started), and I didn't do it all the time.  I bought disposables to use for naptimes, overnights, shopping trips, family visits, and so on.  We used a mix of Kushies AIO cloth diapers (all-in-ones), Kushies fitted diapers plus waterproof covers, and other generic brand fitteds that required covers.  I didn't dislike the process, but there were definitely things that bothered me, such as:

1) The Kushies AIO's I used took FOREVER to dry (even in the dryer, I had to run them through two cycles to get them dry)

2) After many cycles in the dryer, the Kushies AIO's started to leak, it seems the heat from the dryer cracked the waterproof exterior fabric

3) The hook & loop closures got gummed up with fuzzies and threads in the wash/dry cycle and were less & less sticky as time went by

4) Although you are supposed to be able to reuse the waterproof covers several times before having to wash them, I found they got smelly and had to wash them more often than not, so I needed more of them

5)  Being oblivious to the concept of a diaper sprayer, I was at a loss as to what to do with the poo... I ended up using popsicle sticks to scrape it into the toilet, which was effective but then at the end of the day I'm stuck holding some sh*t on a stick (pardon my french)...

Despite all of this, I was really happy to have made the decision to cloth diaper my son.  So, this time around when we found out we were expecting a new baby, I was excited to check out the new options in cloth diapering.  The local industry had certainly come a long way since the last time I was buying diapers - there were multiple cloth diaper stores within driving distance from my house.  I sold all of my old Kushies and paraphernalia, and decided to start fresh.

This time, I educated myself about my options.  I got a larger diaper pail so I could do diaper laundry every 3 days.  I got 2 Planet Wise pail liners so I wouldn't have to rinse the pail.  I invested in 37 one size pocket diapers (OS pockets) of various brands, and a number of extra liners for overnights.  I bought and hooked up a BumGenius diaper sprayer, and got a number of rolls of diaper liners to use on days where some bum balm/cream is required.  I bought a number of wetbags to allow cloth diapering on the go, and I made my own diaper wipes out of some old receiving blankets I had retired.

I'm proud to say that my daughter has been in cloth diapers since her umbilical cord fell off, and I haven't once missed disposables or regretted my decision to go 100% cloth.  I'm so pleased with how cloth diapering is going this time around that I am going to start a series of reviews on my blog in the month of September so I can share some of my favourite items & lessons learned with all of you.  There will even be some great giveaways, so be sure to enter for your chance to win!

Pampered Damsel Bar Soaps

A lovely layered bar of soap
from Pampered Damsel

It seems these days, one thing after another that we thought was good for us, turns out to be bad for us.  Take soap for example.  Soap used to be a pretty standard, simple thing.  Pure.  Clean.  Now, it's often a cocktail of chemicals, marketed to us as "ANTIBACTERIAL", and containing among other things, Triclosan, which has been implicated in various health concerns (note: this isn't a medical blog and so my statement is based on data found on the internet, and I realize that this may not be a guarantee that triclosan is bad for you).  However, being of the philosophy that we should keep our bodies free of as many unnecessary chemicals as possible (within reason), I am moving away from antibacterial soaps containing triclosan and moving towards bar and liquid soaps that do not contain this antibacterial agent.

One example of a simple and beautiful triclosan free soap is the lovely handmade Pampered Damsel bar soaps, created right here in Canada - in Moncton, New Brunswick.  The soap is not detergent based, but rather it is "real" soap.  It is gentle on your skin, comes in delicious colourful scents, and lasts a long time without getting gooey or cracking like some other bar soaps can do.  Imagine how lovely a bar of "Apple Cinnamon" or "Almond Biscotti" would be on a cool November night?  Or how the fresh and clean scent of "Cucumber White Rose" would make your kitchen a nicer place to be?  Personally, I would love to try the "One Hot Tamale" scent, and maybe get a bar of "How YOU Doin'?" for the man in the house to use.

I received a bar from my sister some time back and it's taken up residence in my master bathroom where I look forward to using it each time I wash my hands.  The delicate (but not wimpy) scent has not faded as I've been using the bar, and it lathers up beautifully and leaves my hands so soft.

You can read more about Pampered Damsel at http://www.pampereddamsel.com.

A stunningly gorgeous selection of Pampered Damsel soaps

The soaps are a splurge-worthy $6 per bar, or buy 5 bars for $25.  They are perhaps 7 or 8 cm wide, 5 or 6 cm tall and 3 or 4 cm thick (I did not measure mine before I started using it so no guarantees on those measurements) but as I already mentioned in my review, they last a lo-o-o-ong time so don't think that it will have a short lifespan just because it's not huge.  The manufacturer has offered all of my lovely readers a 25% discount off the cost of shipping the soap to you if you aren't able to pick it up in person at the Dieppe Farmer's Market, if you just mention you saw this on Geekmommy Reviews to her in your order request.  Offer ends on November 30th, 2011 so you can take advantage of the shipping cost reduction in time to pick some of these soaps up as gifts for your friends & family.

Leading Lady - Nursing Bras and More - GIVEAWAY

Last week, I received a wonderful package in the mail. I had been anticipating a nursing bra from Leading Lady to review on this blog, and imagine my delight when in the box were TWO lovely nursing bras, exactly the ones I had hoped to be able to review for you all.

Leading Lady is more than just a retailer of nursing and full-figure bras, they also support nursing moms via their website.  They have a dedicated section of their website called Amy's Corner where user submitted questions are answered by a lactation consultant.  Their helpful articles there include tips on breastfeeding in the heat of summer, breastfeeding your baby when you are sick, and making holidays less stressful so you can spend more time with baby.

They also make and sell some great and affordable nursing bras, such as the "Baby Sees It" molded seamless underwire, and the lovely molded seamless lace edged underwire, both of which I will review here.  Each of these two bras is well made, the stitching is tight and secure, and the bands are wide enough for a triple hook closure (there are also FOUR! different closure settings so I could really customize the fit).  They both look brand new even after being worn, spit up on, and washed.  The cups are molded so even when nursing, I can maintain a sleek silhouette under summer's light tees and tanks*.  The inside slings are secure and so I felt supported even when baby was nursing, and the fact it didn't shift around also made it easy to pull up the molded cup and fasten the clasp with one hand while balancing a sleepy baby with the other hand.  The openings are generously sized, and do not leave any unsightly bulges at all.  When I chose the size bra to order, I followed the website's fit guide, which suggested a 36C.  I am currently wearing a 36D and 34D in other brands, so I took a chance, and ordered a 34D despite the size chart's recommendation.  Both bras fit me very well, however, the band on the Baby Sees It bra is less stretchy than the lace edged one, and so I have to wear it on the very last closure setting.  If you are uncertain which band size to order, for this style I would suggest rounding up, since it has four settings for the closure, you should get a good fit that way.  The lace edged one fits like it was made for me, since the band is a bit stretchier, and so I use one of the middle 2 sets of hooks to close it.

* Both bras also received the husband-thinks-they're-sexy stamp of approval.

The Baby Sees It bra has a couple of really neat special features: the sling fabric is printed with a bold high-contrast pattern to draw baby's attention to it while feeding, and the straps are wider and padded for comfort.  I found that when nursing with a button front shirt, the printed sling "Baby Sees It" feature really did draw my baby's hands and eyes to it (and kept her from pulling my hair, yay!).  The effect was a little less noticeable when nursing in a shirt lifted up for baby's access, because the tucked up shirt covered part of the sling.  I was concerned that the print might be distracting or keep baby from falling asleep at the breast but I didn't have to worry (I guess the sleep-inducing powers of breastmilk are hard to beat).  The wide padded straps really added to the comfort of this bra, my only other molded bra up til now has ridiculously tiny straps that dig in within the first hour of wearing it.  Now that I have these two lovely bras in my collection, that old one is going into the bin.

I was unsure about how comfortable a lace edged underwire bra could be, since lace can be a scratchy material, but the lace used in this bra is the softest I've ever felt, it looks very elegant and feels so soft against my skin.  The straps are not padded like the Baby Sees It, but they are still generously wide, and have the convenient feature of adjusting in length at the FRONT.  Most bras have the strap length adjustment in the back, but this bra has it on the front of the strap so you can actually get the correct length without having to either contort your arms behind you or take it off to do the adjustment free-hand while you are not wearing it.

Leading Lady has been kind enough to offer to ONE of my readers a $10 discount off your order with free shipping on the entire order.  They do only ship to the US at this time, so this giveaway would make sense for my US readers or those with a US shipping address.  To enter, please visit their website (http://www.leadinglady.com/) and leave a comment here saying what you'd like to order using the $10 discount.

Their bra prices are already very reasonable, so having an extra $10 off plus free shipping would be a great deal!  They also are running a great deal on their website right now (til August 31st 2011) with 20% off your order and free shipping if you buy over $75.

Plus earn up to 3 extra entries by:

1. Liking "Geekmommy Reviews" on Facebook and telling me you did this in the comments (be sure to let me know your name on Facebook)
2. Following @geekmommyreview on Twitter and tweeting about this giveaway (be sure to link to the tweet in the comments)
3. Following this blog on Google Friend Connect and telling me you did this in the comments

Winner will be drawn on Friday September 16th, 2011 using Random.org.  Your odds of winning obviously depend on number of entries received.

*Disclaimer:  Geekmommy Reviews was given free of charge the product(s) to review in exchange for featuring this product on http://www.geekmommyreviews.com.  Any opinions or statements given above come only from Geekmommy Reviews and were not influenced in any way by the product vendor.