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.

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.

BabyLegs Leg Warmers

When I first heard of BabyLegs, I thought they were adorable, but couldn't really think of a use for them - my little guy wore cloth diapers but in our climate, if it was ever warm enough for him to run around in just a diaper, it was almost definitely too warm for leg warmers.  I bought some anyways though, and have been very happy with my purchase.  When my son was younger, he would sometimes wear a onesie and BabyLegs around the house, and it did simplify diaper changes.  We did not like them for potty training though, because it seemed that every time an accident happened, the BabyLegs would inevitably get soaked, and it's bad enough to have to pull off wet socks, let alone wet leg warmers.  Maybe if we were potty training with pull-ups it would have been better but we went straight to underwear when he was ready (and it worked, so no complaints).

I think though, now that he's four, and has his own special version of "fashion sense", BabyLegs get even more use in our home.  Either he wears them under (or sometimes over!) his pants in the cooler weather, or he puts them on his arms as "arm warmers", especially when he is wearing a t-shirt on a cooler day.  He even will wear them under his pyjamas to stay extra warm if he's feeling chilly at bedtime.

They have been washed and dried along with all our other laundry and still look great, there is no pilling, fading, or snagging of the material, and they have held their elasticity very well.  I have bought a few pairs for my daughter too, and I expect that they will be just as well loved as she grows up.  They come in tons of different colours, patterns, and prints, and in newborn (0-3M) and regular sizes, so you are sure to find something you love.  Check out the selection and be sure to view some of the cute customer photos over on their website at http://www.babylegs.com.

Does your little one have a favourite pair of BabyLegs?  My little guy's favourites are a pair of blue/green striped ones that have little giraffe's on the bottom.

Review: Goo Goo Baby Perfect Pocket Bibs

I bought my first Goo Goo Baby Perfect Pocket Bib at a local boutique kids store (read: everything is expensive there).  It didn't come cheap - $24.95 plus tax for ONE bib.  But with all the use it has gotten, I am grateful every time I reach for it that I didn't cheap out and leave it there.  My son is 4 now, so it doesn't get a lot of use, but we do still pull it out whenever soup is on the menu, or anything served with syrup.  I bought a more girly one to use for my daughter when she is old enough to need a bib, and we'll make sure that when my son is finished with his, we'll find a good new home for it.

What's so special about these bibs, you may ask?  Well for starters, they are made of really REALLY cool fabric prints.  My son's bib, for example, is a fabric print called "DIG IT" and is a bold orange, red, yellow, green and blue construction gear print on white backing.  Then, the fabric comes laminated on the front side, so it can be easily wiped clean.  It's a really generous size, and has cleverly placed snaps so that you can fold the bottom bit up into a pocket, then the corners of the pocket fold behind the bib to make the pocket open up a bit so it catches any falling food.  According to their website, the pocket will catch up to 1/2 cup of liquid food (that's a lot of syrup!)   The neck snaps are adjustable to 3 different sizes, and it has fit my son for several years now without any problems.  I love that they don't have Velcro closures, as kids do learn to pull those off.  My son will actually ask for this bib when he's eating something messy, which has got to be saying something good about the bib!

You can have a look at the bib (and available patterns) here on Goo-Goo Baby's website.   They also have a Retail Store Locator page here, but beware, the city search is case sensitive, so while there are several stores in Halifax, typing in HALIFAX will get you nothing.  I got my daughter's bib at a local online boutique called My L'il Package (http://www.mylilpackage.com/store/scripts/default.asp) - I'm just mentioning that because they don't seem to be listed in the store locator (probably because they are an online shop, not a brick & mortar store).