Blueberry Newborn Simplex Review

Blueberry.

The name is talked about like some long awaited high tech gadget that is hitting the market after years of anticipation.  Just like those gadgets, Blueberry diapers are expensive.  As in $19-$28 each expensive.  

*Choke*

Imagine a whole stash of that!  Might want to get insurance on those poop holders since somebody might take those along with any other valuables.  I was really shocked at the price and I honestly keep asking myself if they can possibly be worth that.

They get nothing, but rave reviews online so I just went to peek at their diaper offerings to see if I like anything.  I ended up falling prey to their super adorable girly prints and purchased a Newborn Simplex to try out.  I ordered it from Sweet Bottoms Baby and it arrived two days later.  I fortunately had a diaper load ready to wash so I got to try it out the very next day.

They really are super adorable and the silky outside feels softer than any other diaper I own.  The snaps coordinate with the diaper and snap readily with a quality pop.  They are rather difficult to unsnap at first, but I am sure they will wear in after a few changes.  Despite that when unsnapping the diaper it does not feel like you will be tearing a hole in the diaper every time you pull them apart.

The leg elastic is a rolled elastic which means they do not have the stitched which holds the elastic in place.  It is suppose to be gentler on the sensitive baby skin, but it does mean that you must make sure that only the PUL is showing when you fasten the diaper.

The interior of the diaper is made of 11 layers of birdseye cotton which makes this one of the only AIO newborn diapers that does not have any synthetic materials against the babies skin.  This fact along with the made in the USA label tells you why this product is so expensive.  The diaper has a "tongue" that will agitate out in the wash that will need to be tucked back into the pocket before use.  So the questions remains..was it worth the $18.95 price tag?

Our Experience
I've had this diaper for a little over a week and it has not leaked. It held up to its promise of keeping the red marks on her legs to a minimum.  This is a wonderful daytime diaper option if you can afford it, but this diaper does not hold up to nightime baby pee.  I tried it out and her outfit and bed were soaked.

Homegirl is about 11 pounds right now and she will probably wear this diaper for another two months I would guess unless she plans on doing some serious growing in the next few weeks.

Care
Washing this diaper was super easy, but it did take a bit longer and the microfiber AIO diapers to dry.  This isn't a huge deal though, but it should be taken into considerations since you don't want the diaper to mildew because it was put up without drying all the way.  I was also a bit surprised to find that the "tongue" insert only agitated out in the wash about half the time.  It did not, however, affect the cleanliness of the diaper.  I do have an HE washer so that could be part of the difference.
 
Affordability
Blueberry unfortunately is rarely on sale and doesn't promote seconds.  I have seen a few seconds released along with an exclusive print, but of course those are limited and sell out very quickly.  If you do want to find a sale check out Earth Day sales and Black Friday deals and other than that you may just have to pay full price or watch for coupon codes, but double check because most stores exclude Blueberry from their promotions.

 Do you want to see your little one in a Blueberry diaper? Which one?

Boingo vs Snappi

I am a barefoot queen.  Ever since I was little I have hated to wear shoes and I got without as often as possible much to my husband's chagrin.  It has never caused me any problem except for the lone event when I was seven years old.

My mother cloth diapered.  Which in and of itself was not a problem except for the fact that she also used diaper pins.  For those of you who don't know what a diaper pins is, think giant safety pin.  One day I was running around with my usual exuberance and I stepped rather hard on one and managed to get it stuck rather deeply into my poor heel.  The following removal and series of Dr's visits does not make the list of favorite childhood moments

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Needles to say when I decided to cloth diaper it was very important to me to make sure that all the items I used were safe.  So I researched and while some people prefer to use the old fashioned diaper pin, there are two companies that have come up with a system that is safe for all unsuspecting feet.  

Meet the Boingo and Snappi!

Boingo

Boingo was created by a mother of seven children who clothes diapered her kids with prefolds and pins for 18 years.  She started designing the perfect diaper pin replacement and from her sketches and test the Boingo was revealed!

Boingo consists of two silicone fasteners that have small plastic "teeth" on the back that grip the fabric on a prefold, flat, or fitted.  The manufacturer states that you use one for smaller babies (one side on each wing) and two for larger babies.  If they get dirty you can simply wash and use again.  

Boingo comes in a wide variety of colors and is available through most online cloth diaper stores.  Cost wise they are $7.50 per set although you might be able to find them on sale or use a coupon code since most diaper shops do not exclude fasteners from their discount codes.

While I love the idea behind the Boingo I would say that for newborn it really does not work.  The decorative star ends are super cute, but we're so big that they kept digging into her belly when she curled up.  I also found that prefolds are not wide enough for one Boingo to work so for us we had to use one on each side.  I think they would work well on a toddler as there is enough hip space to make the digging issue a moot point.  I am putting the Boingo up for now, but I will pull it out in a few months and update you guys then.

Snappi

The Snappi was invented by one frustrated dad in South Africa.  Tired of poking his fingers with pins, he came up with the Snappi in 1987 and soon brought them to a fair trade show where he sold 4,000 in just a few days.

The manufacturer is vague about the exact materials used in the Snappi, but claims that all the products are FDA approved and does not contain any BPA products, latex, silicone, or modifying polymers.  In other words, they are made of a stretchy non toxic, but unknown material.  The Snappi has three arms that have teeth on the underside of each end that grip the fabric ensuring a snug grip on any prefold, fitted, or flat.

The Snappi comes in two sizes.  Size 1 for birth to 16 months and size 2 for babies beyond that and offers an extra 4 inches in stretch and will fit a waist up to 30 inches.  The Snappi is available  in almost every cloth diaper store for between $4 an d $5.50 each.

I have found that the Snappi makes diaper changes super easy and I have not had any problems.  It was a bit stiff at first, but with use it has become stretcher and easier to fasten on Homegirl.  I do rinse it off every few days to avoid urine build up.  Other than that...BUY IT!

Have any of you found a diaper fastener that you love?

Thirsties Newborn AIO Cloth Diaper Review

Thirsties Newborn AIO came out in early 2015 and was the first Newborn AIO that Thirsties offered. It comes in 14 different colors and retails for $15.50 on the Thirsties website.

The diaper is constructed from a waterproof PUL exterior and lined with microfleece.  For added wettness absorbtion, there is a single layer of microterry sandwiched between the waterproof and microfleece layer.  The insert is made of four layers of microterry and topped with microfleece to wick moisture away from the baby.  The insert is attached only at the back of the diaper to decrease drying time.  The diaper has an umbilical cord snap as well as 2 different rise settings to ensure a snug fit on babies weighing between 5 and 14 pounds.

Newborn Results 

We started using this diaper when Homegirl was just a few hours old.  It was the very first cloth diaper that she wore.  It fit exceedingly well and did not rub her umbilical cord at all. She was on the smallest rise setting for the first month and the elastic around the legs was snug and we did not have any compression leaks.  All said.  It was a great first diaper!

5 week Results 

Right now Homegirl is five weeks old and 11 pounds and just moved the the largest rise setting and still has three snaps to go on the wings.  I do think that she will be able to wear this diaper for at least another month. We have not had any leaks or poosplosions aside from one compression leak that I am pretty sure was my fault since I was wearing her in a carrier and hadn't changed her in 2 hours.

Affordability 

Thirsties regularly offer sales through their retailers so it is fairly easy to find them for less than the regular price.  I was able to get mine for about $11 each from Sweet Bottoms Baby during their earth day sale.  Also watch the Thirsties outlet for seconds for some super savings!

Price Comparison
Right now the best price I could find online is at Kelly's Closet for $12.60 a diaper, but you have to purchase a set of six using the coupon code that will be emailed to you once you sign up for their newsletter.

If you find a better price let me know and I'll update the post!

Best Bottoms Cloth Diaper Review

When Homeboy was about a four months old he started out wetting his Fuzzibunz diapers. I was really disappointed and I spent months trying to find a solution.  The solution for us came in the form of a new diaper set.  Best Bottoms by Nicki's Diapers.

                                             Homegirl wearing her Best Bottoms diaper at 4.5 weeks

One of our must have criteria for cloth diapers is they have to be dad friendly.  My husband has huge man hands and stuffing pockets was near impossible for him so if I hadn't stuffed the diapers yet, my husband would just do a disposable which isn't really what we wanted.  We also needed to be able to easily add doublers without adding too much bulk.  At a whopping 26 pounds at 12 months, we couldn't continue to bulk out his little rear as it would have been near impossible to find clothes to fit his giant rear and short legs.

When I first saw the Best Bottoms diaper I knew it could be a solution to our problems.  It was dad friendly, had doubling options, and offered hemp inserts (Natural fibers offer super absorbency and trimness to diapers).

I ended up purchasing four covers and 10 inserts to begin with.  I loved them!  My super wetter could go with just the microfiber insert for about two hours without leaking.  If I used the hemp insert I could make it through nap time without the telltale damp spots on his pants.

I sold my Fuzzibunz and bought a complete set of Best Bottoms and used them until we potty trained at 20 months!

When I got pregnant with Homegirl I knew that I would be using Best Bottoms with her.  I didn't know how quickly she would fit them though since the ONE reservation I had about using the diaper on a newborn is that they don't have an umbilical cord snap down.  So I ended up deciding to use them once her cord fell off.  Since Homeboy was 8.5 pounds at birth I decided to skip the small inserts and start with the medium (11 pounds and up).

                                                         Medium and Large Microfiber Insert

Homegirl first fit into her medium at 3.5 weeks old.  It was a little bit bulky, but it worked fine.  Only drawback was she was still having the explosive newborn poop which meant quite a few cover changes.  We didn't have any leaks though, thanks to the double gussets.

By 4.5 weeks they are quickly becoming our favorite cloth diaper.  They fit snugly around her thighs, the fit around her waist is perfect, daddy lives them, and they have some amazing girly covers!

She is currently on the smallest rise setting.  The diaper has a total of three rise option which means the diaper can fit a child ranging anywhere from 8 to 35 pounds.  Just look at the difference in size.  The diaper on the left is on the smallest rise with a medium inset and the diaper on the right is on the largest rise setting with a large inset. 

  Best Bottoms Diaper in Cookie Monster on the smallest setting on the left and Strawberry Shortcake on the largest setting with a large mibrofiber insert on the right

I love that the diaper has two snaps on the waist.  I find that diapers that have just a single snap the waistband sags and often causes gaps around the leg.

                                        Two snaps on each diaper wing keep the legs snug and secure

Double gussets should be a must on all newborn diapers.  Gussets are essentially two bands of elastic, one slightly smaller than the other, that keep poop where it should be.  Inside the diaper and not on my lap.

                                        Double gussets on each leg keep the poop inside the diaper!

Best Bottoms offers a wide variety of super cute prints and solids.  Names such as Cookie Monster and Strawberry Shortcake really tell you how super cute this collection really is!

Check it out at Sweet Bottoms Baby where Best Bottoms are on sale right now!

Tell me.  Do you love Best Bottoms?  Why?

Newborn Cloth Diaper Review

Cloth diapering a newborn is a tough sell for most people.  The expense of purchasing 25 to 40 diapers and the thought of adding laundry to the sleep deprived newborn phase deters many parents from starting out in cloth.

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We started cloth diapering our first at 3 weeks once he had grown a bit and could fit on the one size diapers we had purchased.  This time I decided to cloth diaper from the moment we got home which was a few hours after baby #2 had been born.  Newborn cloth diaper options range from the classic prefolds and cover option to super cute AIO (all in one) diapers.  After much reading, I decided to try a combination of brands and diaper types and this is what my stash ended up looking like:

                                 Blueberry Mini Coverall over a Diaper Rite Bamboo Prefold and Snappi

                                               Thirsties Size 1 cover with a Diaper Rite Bamboo Prefold and Snappi

                                                                                 Thirsties Newborn All In One

3 Thirsties Newborn AIOs (fits babies 5-14 pounds)
21 homemade bamboo/hemp AIOs
12 Newborn Diaper Rite Bamboo prefolds (fits babies 6-12 pounds)
1 Blueberry Mini Cover (fits babies 6-18 pounds)
3 Size 1 Thirsties Covers
2 Snappis
1 Boingo
1 package of Bambo Nature Size 1 Diapers

My opinion after 3 weeks of cloth diapering a newborn?  Cloth diapering a newborn was not that difficult.  Hubby declared he wasn't using the Prefolds, but he was fine using the AIO diapers even with his big man hands.  Baby is 3 weeks old now and we still have a few of our disposable diapers left.  I do think I had too many changes and could have made do with far fewer diapers especially since I ended up using disposable at night. 

My favorite combination had been the Blueberry cover with a Diaper Rite bamboo prefold. 

Why do I love it?

Extra snap for custom fit
Blueberry has the extra snap which allows you to get a snugger fit around the leg which makes it virtually poo-spolsion proof

Easier Laundry
Having the cover separate from the absorbent layer makes drying easier since I can pull all the covers out before I stick everything in the dryer.  No more worrying about damaging the PUL with the dryer heat!

Super Soft
Bamboo makes the prefolds super soft which is perfect for a newborn.  Prefolds will continue to get fluffier and softer with each wash

Snappy Snappi's
Having an easy way to fasten the prefold makes this combination doable.  If I had to use the old fashioned diaper pins I would be steering well clear of prefolds, but Snappi's can be fastened very quickly and aren't a possible hazard if they are stepped and can't accidentally stick the baby when the diaper is put on

So far I have not had a single leak with this combination!

So if I could redo my newborn stash, what would I have purchased knowing what I do now?

Here is what I would have done:

5 Thirsties Newborn AIOs ($14.75 each I purchased mine on sale for $11.45)
18 Bamboo Prefolds ($13.95 per pack of 6)
4 Size One Blueberry Covers ($15.95 each)
2 Snappis ($6.75 for a pack of 2)
1 package Bambo Nature Diapers

Total Cost $181.95

The cost might seem a bit high but remember that the covers will fit the baby until they weigh 18 pounds so you will be getting months of use and the prefolds can be folded us and laid flat the the diaper as an insert once they can no longer be Snappi'd on the baby.  The only things on the list that are strictly newborn are the disposable diapers and the AIO diapers.  Also remember that the resale value of newborn diapers is over 50-90% of the new value so you will be able to recoup a lot of your cost once you are through.

AIO thoughts

I found that the homemade AIO diapers, while I had used top quality fabric, were prone to leaking and therefore I didn't use them as much once Homegirl was a bit bigger.  The Thirsties AIO diapers were perfect for the times when Daddy was changing her diaper or for when we went out. They were fairly absorbent, but I did find they leaked on occasion.  I would buy them again in a heartbeat since putting on a prefold when you don't have much experience is a bit more daunting when you are in a public restroom which a screeching newborn.

The AIO Thirsties did give a fairly snug fit around the legs so for skinny legged newborns this is perfect  Homegirl is now 5 weeks old and still fitting in the diapers at 11 pounds.  I would expect that she will probably get another month of use out of these diapers.

Covers and Prefolds
I ended up using on average 2 covers each day along with about 6 prefolds.  In the beginning I used a lot more covers while I was figuring out how to put on the prefold correctly.  Once I figured out my technique, I now actually prefer a prefold over an AIO.  Stay tuned for my Prefold tutorial!

Fasteners: Boingo vs Snappi
Snappis are just the perfect size for newborns.  I found that the Boingo was way too big and dug into the belly when she curled up.  I do thing it is a great option for older babies and I will be trying it again once she gets a bit bigger.

Night Time Cloth Diapering
I ended up choosing to disposable diaper at night since she, unlike her brother, sleeps the entire night with only three or four dream feeds.  Getting her woken up with multiple diaper changes was not in our best interest.  Next time I may invest in a Sustainable Baby Overnight Fitted diaper, but we will see how she does with the one I have once she grows into it in a few weeks. 

Bambo Nature
I have loved using the Bambo Nature diapers.  They are super wide for some reason, but they fit her quite well from birth (7 lbs 10oz) and so far we have had no leaks.  My only complaint is that they lack an umbilical cord notch, but that isn't must for me since I just folded down the top until her cord fell off a week later.

So if you are thinking about cloth diapering a newborn I would say to go for it!  It is fun to diaper such a tiny tush and it can be more economical than you think since newborn diapers hold their value quite well!

Feed Your Stash for Free!

Part of the difficulty of cloth diapering is the cost.  Cloth diapering does save money in the long run, but the initial cost of getting a stash can run between $150 (prefolds and covers) and $500 (25 All in Ones @ $20 each) depending on the type of cloth diapers you are purchasing.  I have found a way though the you can either add to your stash or start a stash for FREE!

Sounds too good to be true right?

Well here is this month's free fluff! I got 4 medium Best Bottoms inserts, 1 Sustainable Baby Overnight Bamboo Fitted, and 2 Nickis Diaper Covers.  Pretty cool right?

Now that I have your attention, let me show you how YOU can fed your stash for FREE!

Giveaways
There are hundreds of blog contest running every week and some of them have giveaways for cloth diapers.  Many exclusive prints or new versions of cloth diapers can be won this way.  There are typically many entrants, but I have been successful winning a few diapers and accessories this way.  When I have nothing else to do or am lying in bed nursing a baby I enter a few of these contests a week.  Some blogs that list weekly cloth diaper giveaways are:

Change-diapers
Cloth Diaper News

Now if you happen to be part of BabyCenter, they typically have a gift card giveaway every month for each of their birth boards.  I recently won an $25 gift card for just commenting on a post.

There are also a few cloth diaper stores that run weekly or monthly cloth diaper giveaways such as:

Thirsties Diapering Blog
Diaper Junction Blog
Sweet Bottoms Baby Blog
Nickis Diaper Blog

Reviews
Occasionally mom review websites will give away coupon codes for free products in exchange for a review of the product.  I just recently discovered Real Mom's Review Club and I am super excited to see if I can snag a free bamboo cloth diaper when they come out in July!

Real Moms Review Club

Craigslist
This is one I hesitated to mention, but I have seen several mom's giving away their stashes on Craigslist.  You can score some diapers this way, but always remember to be safe when meeting sellers. 

Grocery Apps
This is my favorite way to get cloth diapers by far!  So in essence there are some companies that offer cash back in the form of a gift card, check, or PayPal deposit if you purchase select items at the grocery store and then take a picture of your receipt and submit it via the app.  Each week I earn a few dollars using the following three apps that I have downloaded on my phone.  I don't change my grocery list at all unless I can score a free item using a coupon code. 

Ibotta offers the most opportunity for rebates of all three of these apps.  They offer rebates by grocery store and there are always several generic offers for items such as milk, pasta, orange juice, and fruit.  You can also score big by inviting friends ($5 for each friend after they redeem their first offer) and team goals that can get you money as your team reaches certain  rebate offers.

Ibotta

Checkout 51 offers at least one generic rebate each week and rebates are issued via check once your balance reaches at least $20.

Checkout 51

Shopmium offers rebates on higher end and organic products via a PayPal deposit each time a qualifying purchase and receipt are submitted.  They also offer a $2 referral bonus for each person that signs up using your referral code and the friend gets a free chocolate bar!  Join my team using the following referral code: YAMMGFTL

Shopmium

So have any of you guys found a system for feeding your stash and not draining your bank account?  If so comment below and tell me about it!

About Me

Hi!  My name is Christina and I am a stay at home mama of two precious kids.  My oldest is a toddler and my newest baby is just a few weeks old.  My husband and I have been married for 5 years and we love spending time with our kids and eating good food (who doesn't right?).

When we found out we were expecting our first we were so excited as we began to research about what types of products we would be using with our new addition.  As we researched, we began to be more and more concerned about what products are used in most commercial diapers.  After much thought, we decided to take the plunge and we ordered 20 Fuzzibunz Elite cloth diapers.  We decided to cloth diaper during the day and disposable diaper at night using an organic diaper.

We chose to use Huggies Pure and Natural diapers since they use organic cotton.  You crunchy moms are probably laughing now since you guys know that the diapers actually only use organic on THE OUTSIDE of the diaper.  The inside is actually just like a regular Huggies.  I didn't figure that out for MONTHS.  We were trying though and eventually we switched to Touch of Cloth by 7th Generation which we still use at night since we aren't quite night trained yet.  As we got towards the end of our cloth diapering with our toddler he started to outgrow our one size diapers so we started to try other systems with more absorbency.

Now that we have a new baby we are trying new products to see what works!  So far we are loving our prefold and cover routine with a few newborn all in ones.  As we grow into one size diapers, I am super excited to try out our bamboo AI2!

I hope to share with you our journey to finding products that work for our lifestyle and are natural and safe for our little ones!

One day I dream of opening my own cloth diaper store that shows real pictures of babies of different sizes and ages in each of the products I carry.  It is so difficult to purchase cloth diapers without being able to see them on real babies!