Of course for this exciting Baby Birthday Bash event I want everyone to get their Fluffy-Fix, so I am adding yet another cloth diaper to my HUGE prize package! (Which is currently worth around $500, by the way!) You'll have to stop back by on the 17th to see what else is in store for you all. Trust me, you're NOT going to want to miss this! One of my favorite things about having babies is being able to diaper them in adorable cloth diapers! There are so many different brands, and about a zillion different colors, fabrics and prints available to choose from! I am actually guilty of basing my babies' entire outfits around which diapers they happen to be wearing at the time. Perhaps that sounds a little bit OCD, but I love being able to coordinate, right down to their cute little bums! I have been cloth-diapering for over a year now, and while it was a little bit intimidating at first, due to all the cloth-diapering lingo I had to learn, I have found cloth to be just as convenient to use as disposable diapers. Long gone are the days of huge safety pins, gigantic prefolds, and squeaky plastic pants! Of course you CAN still use prefolds and covers, but they've come leaps and bounds since Grandma used them! Modern cloth diapers look and act much like their disposable counterparts, but with some major benefits for baby as well as the environment. Why choose cloth when disposables are so easy? I mean, a disposable diaper doesn't need to be washed or reused, and can just be tossed in the trash, right? Yes...But, if you take into consideration the fact that it can take centuries for a disposable diaper to biodegrade, just imagine how much stinky waste is going into our Earth's already overflowing landfills! If you look at how many babies there are in the world at any given moment, these diapers truly do add up, putting our planet at risk. Plus, disposable diapers contain tons of chemicals, fragrances and dyes that end up where? In our soil and even in our water supplies. Doesn't sound too appealing, does it? Another great reason to consider cloth-diapering is because it's better for baby, too! Babies have very delicate skin, and the chemicals in disposable diapers can be rather irritating and even cause bad rashes. With cloth diapers, this is not an issue, as they do not contain these substances. Babies in cloth actually get less rashes overall than babies in disposables! Also, cloth diapers tend to be more comfortable for baby. Disposables are made of scratchy paper. That can't feel too good against the skin! Cloth diapers are made of soft fabrics which feel nice and comfy against baby's skin. Yes, you do need to wash cloth, but once you've got a good routine down, it really isn't so bad. What's another few loads of laundry every week when you save so much money from not having to buy diapers anymore? Yes, cloth saves a ton of money over the diapering career of your baby! Potentially THOUSANDS of dollars, to be exact! So obviously, there aren't too many reasons not to give cloth a try! One great place to find a wide variety of cloth diapers and accessories is Sweetbottoms Baby. Sweetbottoms is an awesome boutique that carries tons of cloth, as well as baby gear, toys, clothing, and gifts for the whole family! They have 2 locations in North Carolina, as well as an online boutique for those of us not fortunate enough to be local! They also offer some great perks to their valued customers, like free diaper fastener repairs, special discounts for their Facebook friends, free samples, free shipping on packages under 4lbs, and even newborn trial-packages!(Just to name a few.) Add to that amazing customer service and a staff that has expertise in natural parenting, and you've got one amazing company! They even love supporting WAHM's and offer a nice selection of handmade products made by moms! The staff is incredibly friendly and is dedicated to providing only the best customer service. Beth, the owner of Sweetbottoms, has been an absolute pleasure to work with, by the way! The nice folks at Sweetbottoms Baby sent me a gorgeous Swaddlebees One Size Simplex All In One for my review in the very modern yet elegant Tweets print. I love the gender neutral options that Swaddlebees offers, especially their prints! With a boy and a girl in cloth, it's hard to find printed diaper options that aren't too gender specific in appearance. I have tried a Swaddlebees Econappi before, and absolutely fell in love with it, so I was very eager to test the OS Simplex AIO on my little monkeys! The Swaddlebees OS Simplex AIO is very different than any diaper I have tried before. Like most OS diapers, the OS Simplex AIO will fit babies between about 10-35lbs and can be snapped down to customize the rise of the diaper. This diaper features all-in-one diaper design that combines the convenience of an all-in-one diaper while providing the absorbency adjustability of a pocket diaper. It is made with a waterproof outer layer and 10 layers of 100% cotton birdseye fabric in the wet zone. The diaper has pocket openings on both ends that allows you to increase the diaper's absorbency by adding extra inserts. This also enables any extra stuffed-in doubler or insert to agitate itself out in the wash. Half of the soaker pad is attached, while the other half also comes out through one of the pocket openings during the washing cycle. The unique thing about this diaper is that it has an attached stay-dry microfleece layer on the soaker pad that will keep your baby's bottom dry. To use this feature, simply pull out the other half of the attached soaker pad and lay it over the body of the diaper. If you prefer all natural fabrics touching your baby's skin, simply keep the unattached portion of the soaker pad tucked inside the pocket. Take a look at how neat this diaper is: After familiarizing myself with the OS Simplex AIO's unique design, I tested the diaper on both of my toddlers during the day as well as at night. Here's what I experienced. TEST BABY 1: Sophia, 2 years old 28lbs I started off with normal daytime use with my daughter, Sophie. I wish I could have gotten better photos of her in the diaper, but this girl DOES NOT SIT STILL...Not even for a moment, most of the time! Yep, I have a little whirlwind of terror...oops, surprises...on my hands here! To get an idea of how this diaper fit on her, please reference the photo at the very beginning of this post. Since my Sophie-Monster is so incredibly active, I was curious to see how the Simplex would do during the day as she jumps, runs, climbs, terrorizes her baby brother, and tears my house apart. (Anyone have a cleaning lady I can borrow? I promise to return her mostly unharmed!) I have noticed that since Sophie is always on the go, some diapers end up giving her "wedgies", which has caused leakage problems in the past. Luckily, this isn't a regular occurrence, and we usually catch it and re-adjust before there are any issues. The Swaddlebees OS Simplex AIO fit Sophie perfectly. There wasn't much of a gap between her petite little waist and the diaper itself, and the leg openings were nice and snug as well. Since Sophie weighs about 28lbs, I didn't have to adjust the rise any, and kept it on the largest setting. I was a little bit leery about trying this diaper without any additional inserts since it's not very thick, but since it is an AIO, I decided to see how it held up. I chose to leave the soaker outside of the pocket and against her body, just to see how she liked it. She's used to having standard pocket diapers, and I wanted to see if there was a noticeable difference or if she tugged at her diaper to show discomfort. She honestly didn't seem to mind the change at all, which was surprising. Usually, Sophie is very particular! Were there leaks? Nope! I am actually very impressed that such a trim-fitting AIO was able to contain messes all on its own. Sophie wore this diaper for about an hour and a half to two hours, and the diaper did not leak, much to my surprise! She also didn't get a "wedgie" while climbing all over the place. Score! At night, I wasn't so brave. Sophie is a very heavy wetter, especially at night. Once she falls asleep, the floodgates open. Literally. So I opted to add one of my own bamboo inserts to the diaper for overnight use. I really love that while the Simplex is an AIO, there is a pocket to stuff should you choose to. Talk about versatile! I also chose to stuff the attached insert into the pocket as well, rather than having it against her skin like I did during the day. When Sophie woke up the next morning, she had indeed wet like crazy. However, her skin remained pretty dry, and the outside of the diaper was dry as well. Success! TEST BABY 2: Xander, 1 year old 20lbs Next, I tested the Swaddlebees OS Simplex AIO on Xander, AKA the "Poop-Monster". We call him this because not only does he poop more than any kid I've ever seen, he has the absolute nastiest, stinkiest poo ever! This may sound like entirely too much information to be sharing, but it matters. Really, it does. When Xander dirties his diapers, sometimes his poo creeps up his back and escapes the safe confines of the diaper. Sometimes it even comes out onto his thighs through the leg-openings! This is really gross, and results in immediate baths and laundry. This doesn't happen all of the time, thank goodness, but it happens at least once or twice every week. (Again, where's that cleaning lady?!) I began testing this diaper on my little man for normal daytime use. Xander is also pretty active, but is nothing like his sister...yet! He just started walking, so I am sure it won't be long! I was able to get a great fit on him as well, and snapped the diaper down one snap to the medium setting. Xander weighs just about 20lbs, and this was the perfect rise setting for him. Again, I opted to leave the attached soaker against his skin, just to see how he reacted. He didn't seem to notice, either! Xander, being the boy that he is, tends to wet at the front of the diaper rather than the back like Sophie does. I let him do his thing for about 2 hours with no added soakers, and then I went to change him. Again, there were no leaks. This is awesome, since sometimes, a diaper that works well for Sophie won't work as well for him or vice-versa, due to the wetting difference between genders. This diaper, although very trim, did a great job during the day on both of my toddlers. At night, I again opted to add an additional insert, this time microfiber, and I also stuffed the attached soaker into the pocket. Xander doesn't wet as heavily as Sophie at night, so I had no worries about urine leaks. My worries were about the poop. After all, we don't call him the Poop-Monster for nothing! Xander almost always, without fail, poops in his sleep. On days that this doesn't happen, I feel like I won the lottery! He of course pooped overnight, and I had the wonderful task of seeing how well the diaper rinsed clean using my sprayer. While the mess was massive, it did stay inside of the diaper. (Whew!) I then took the soiled diaper and began spraying the poopy goo off of it, and was surprised to see how easily it came off of the inside of the diaper. It rinsed away with very minimal effort, and I didn't have to scrape it like I do some of my other diapers. Overall, I am loving the Swaddlebees OS Simplex AIO. This is a fantastic diaper for both day and night time use, and works equally well with boys as well as girls. It's also trim-fitting, and I love that the inserts agitate out on their own in the washer. The less mess I have to physically touch, the better! I will definitely be buying a few more of these diapers from Sweetbottoms. They make a great addition to any stash! BUY IT: You can get your own Swaddlebees One Size Simplex All In One diaper, and many other great finds, from the awesome folks at Sweetbottoms Baby Boutique! You can also connect with them on Facebook and on twitter to stay on top of their latest products and promotions! For even more natural parenting tips and tricks, head over to the Sweetbottoms blog! WIN IT! But Not Yet..... The awesome folks over at Sweetbottoms Baby Boutique will be giving one very lucky reader a $25 Gift Certificate to their online shop during my upcoming Baby Birthday Bash event! This means you can try anything you'd like! How cool is that?! So come back on the 17th for your chance to win my HUGE (and I do mean HUGE) prize package! ***Disclosure: I received complimentary sample to facilitate my review. No other compensation was provided, and all opinions are 100% honest and have not been influenced in any way.***
3 Comments
Beth
2/15/2012 06:56:40 am
I love that print!! We have one and we love that there is no unstuffing! One of our favorites!
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Regan S
2/15/2012 07:26:55 am
I have this print in the Basix and LOVE it! I love my Simplex (in Swirls) too. I'm a huge Blueberry and Swaddlebees fangirl :)
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4/21/2013 05:38:03 pm
i love that your designe dresses so nice designe
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I'm Brandy, a happily married, proud Mom of 3 amazing kids. If you're interested in building a working relationship, please feel free to e-mail me at: NewlyCrunchyMamaOf3@gmail.com Links We Love :Archives
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