Sprout Change diaper review

 My obsession with cloth diapers is my excuse to try every cool diaper out there. I have been leaning towards diaper covers lately because it seems my pre-folds are less likely to hold on to poop stink or stains than my pockets. I also love covers because I can use them until they get poopy, therefore taking up less space in my wet bags than my big pocket diapers.
So when I saw a post on Kelly Wel's website about the Sprout Change Diaper, I knew I wanted to try one(even though the reviewer ended up screwing up her diaper before using it.... it made me more careful about adjusting it).

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 I love that the Sprout Change diaper is reversible. Now that we are hitting 90 degrees in the sunshine state I tend to put Liam in just tee shirts and a diaper so I like to get matchy.  Even though I have a micro fiber insert and a prefold in this diaper, I feel like it is trimmer than some of my diapers with just one insert.

 One of the unique things about this diaper is how it adjusts. See the third snap on the left?(Ignore the fuzzy picture, I am still getting the hang of my new camera), it opens up and allows you to adjust the waist and leg opening. This is great for a chunky legged baby like mine. Liam is pear shaped so keeping the waist tight enough without the legs getting cut into can be tough. This adjustment eliminates this issue.

So far we have not seen any leaks. This diaper fits so well I dont see that happening any time soon either.
One of the things I have learned from my cloth diapering experience is  don't commit to one type of diaper until you have tried a few different types of diaper. While I still like my pockets, I wish I had branched out in the beginning. I am having issues with my pockets and poop stink. I have stripped, RLR'd, sunned and soaked but I still have this faint poop-fresh-out-of-the-dryer smell that is driving me crazy. For now we are sticking with our pre-folds and cover until I can figure out what the deal is. Anyone have any suggestions??

ERGO Sport vs. Beco Gemini

As the weather warms up here in the sunshine state I am starting to regret the purchase of my black ERGO carrier. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my Ergo, it is a back saver, especially when we hit the amusement parks, which is most weekends. But I needed something a little lighter in color.

I told Jodi I was thinking of looking into a lighter carrier and Jodi, being an avid online shopper like myself, went to work and sent me a link to a video Heather at HomeMadeMom made comparing her Beco Butterfly and Ergo

That made me look into the Beco brand a little more and I found myself drawn to the Gemini style, and the pattern Lucas. It is light and I loved that I could place Liam front facing every once in a while.

First, let me recap my ERGO Sport. It is different from a Baby Bjorn because of the waist belt that helps distribute the baby's weight onto your hips, not just your upper back. It also supports the baby's hips and back by positioning them in a sitting posture, legs supported. The hood on the ERGO is great for naptime on the go, a favorite pastime of Liam when he is in the carrier. Both the ERGO and the Beco Gemini can be worn front(facing chest), back and on the hip, although I prefer wearing Liam on my front since he is too little for back and the hip carry seems complicated on both carriers and not good for your posture. There is a 'vent' on the carrier that is supposed to keep the baby cool, I use it to hook my sunglasses into when I am not wearing them! The fabric is thinner than other carriers I have tried, including the Beco but the black color heats up quickly. The Sport version of the ERGO does not come in organic fabric, but ERGO does offer organic options.

On to the Beco. To me, once I had the carrier adjusted properly I felt like the weight was distributed the same as the ERGO and it seemed like Liam was even better supported because his bottom was not sagging a low as in the ERGO. I did notice right away that the part of the carrier that is on Liam's back is padded, thickly. This seems to be where the extra support for Liam is coming from. You can see in the ERGO pictures that there is a strap across his back that makes him arch his back out and this does not happen in the Beco Gemini. The shoulder straps as padded just as thickly as the ERGO although the padded waist support does not extend as far as the ERGO. I thought this would make the carrier dig into my own extra padding(aka stubborn baby weight) but it felt fine even though you could see the extra bulge. The fabric on the Gemini is organic, which means I don't feel that bad when he starts to chew on it.
The Gemini has a snap system that allows you to narrow the seat base and face your child out to see the world. Although it clearly states that it is better to have your baby facing in so they do not get overwhelmed and lose contact with mom or dad. I used this feature while in a long line. He napped for 30 minutes and when he woke up I let him face out to get a different view and cool off(he is a space heater when sleeping on my chest). It was nice but I was happy to turn him back around after 20 minutes. Because you can face the baby out, you have a neck support flap that  you can raise or lower, depending on how your baby is facing. This is great but I really miss the hood that is on the ERGO and also comes on the Beco Butterfly II.  Although Jodi and I figured out a quick fix and I plan on sewing up a little sleeping hood of my own to attach to the hooks for the neck support flap.

Here you can see two carriers on top of each other. The Beco has a curve to the waist strap but I can't feel the difference when it is on. The body of the carrier on the ERGO is wider but the Beco is more substantial.The ERGO holds up to 45 pounds and the Beco states 35 pounds. I'm not as concerned about the weight difference since I have a 40 pound 3 year old and there is no way I would consider carrying him on my back in this carrier.

I still cant decide on which one I like more, they both have great features. I will hang on to both for a little while comparing them in real life and let you know which one works best for us!

Using my Babycook

Time for a review of on of my favorite Christmas gifts, the Bebea Babycook!
Liam has not been gaining as much weight as my doctor would like so I decided to add a little bit of food to his routine. I was hoping to wait a little longer before feeding him solids but getting my Beaba Babycook made starting baby food now an exciting adventure!
I fed Kayden commercially available baby food(primarily Earths Best), and while he obviously thrived, I wanted to be in more control of what went into his little body. Making baby food myself just seemed so much a of pain that I never did it(like cloth diapers... seeing a pattern?).
So when I decided I would make my own baby food this time around I did some research. The best site I found is Wholesome Babyfood,  which helped me decide we would forgo rice cereal and start with avocado. It is a super food with all sorts of good fats for their developing brain. I also knew I wanted to do carrots, peas, bananas and squash as first foods.
I have a huge freezer supply of breast milk so I assumed I would add that into my processed food to thin it out. What I found, however, is that you are not supposed to freeze breast milk in the food itself but that formula was safe to freeze in baby food. Luckily I have an emergency can of formula that is about to go bad(they are only supposed to be open for  one month) so I decided I would thin the food with formula instead.
The avocado was very easy to prepare. Roll it around your counter top to loosen it from the skin, cut it in half, remove the core(seed??) from the middle and scoop out the flesh. When Liam gets a little older and can tolerate thicker mix, I can just mash it with a fork, but since this mix needed to be thin and smooth I opted to process it. Avocado does not need cooking so I threw all of the meat from one avocado and 4 ounces of formula to the bowl of my Babycook and blended it till smooth. This got me about 7 ounces of food.

I put it in my baby food containers and froze what I would not use that day.

Liam was a little unsure of this new texture in his mouth. The next 5 minutes we played a game of him pushing the food out with his tongue and me putting it back in on the spoon. But soon he got the hang of it and gobbled down 1/2 an ounce! Unsure of how his tummy would do with this new food I held back on giving him more.

But it sure was a hit! He at over an ounce the next day and would have had more if I had let him! I also made carrots and bananas at the same time and ended up with 12 jars of baby food stocked in my freezer, with only 20 minutes of prep time.
I also decided to make Kayden and I smoothies.

That was a hit as well! Now Kayden asks for smoothies almost every day, which for a kid who doesnt eat fruit on a regular basis, is a miracle!
I am so excited to try more mixes and start getting creative with what Liam eats! I am a firm believer in "Under 1 is just for fun" and so fun is what we are having!


Edited to add my smoothie recipe:
2 cups of frozen strawberries(partially thawed either in the steamer basket or in the microwave)
2 bananas broken into 2 inch bits
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 cup of water or more depending on how liquid-y you like your smoothies
You can blend all of this together for a lo-cal smoothie or add yogurt or orange juice in place of the water :)

I also have been known to sneak some steamed carrots or celery to my smoothies to up Kaydens veggie count!

Lemongrass Spa Baby Products

We are all familiar with the Johnson and Johnson baby wash and lotion smell. It is the quintessential smell for new babies. Have you ever looked at the ingredient list though? There are so many chemicals and fragrances in there. I have always wondered why we put all of those chemicals on a new babies soft, perfect skin.
A few weeks after Liam was born I received an awesome gift from my cousin's wife, Amber. It was Lemongrass Spa's baby care line!

First,  baby wash smells amazing! Liam smells so yummy after his bath! And the best thing is Lemongrass Spa is committed to being an eco-friendly and all natural. None of their products contain sodium laureth sulfate, lead, parabens, alcohol, petroleum-based ingredients or phthalates and have not undergone animal testing. Thier packaging labels are made from recycled corn starch and the containers and boxes are recyclable and reusable. Even the catalogs are printed on recycled paper.
The baby wash is non drying and I use it for handwashing though out the day to save my hands! I have even added a small amount to a spray bottle of water to act as my diaper wipes solution. It is great in the morning to get the overnight pee smell to go away. It has organic coconut, olive oil and jojoba oil with lavender and vanilla essential oils. 
The lotion also has the lavender and vanilla oil as well as sweet almond oil and aloe vera gel. Because I am constantly washing my hands I need a lotion that I can apply multiple times a day. This lotion is perfect because it is light but does it's job! It totally has saved my hands in this dry, cold spell that has hit Florida over the last month. Oh, and it works great on Liam too, haha! He has super dry skin so I am constantly slathering the lotion all over him! 
Amber also sent me Healing Elements Baby Bottoms Up for diaper rashes and super dry areas. Luckily Liam has not had diaper rash yet so we have not put it to the test but if it is anything like the body wash and lotion, I am sure I will love it!
Another great thing about these products? They last forever! I find myself not needing to use as much product(probably because it is not watered down like most lotions and soaps) so it really lasts a long time. 
So check out Amber's site for Lemongrass Spa and be sure to email her if you have any questions!

** Until the end of January, Amber is offering 10% off all Lemongrass Spa products to our blog readers. Email her from her contact page with your order so she can add the discount. **

Review of Eureka Envirosteamer

I HATE mopping my floors. Dishes and mopping are my least favorite, wait until the very last possible second, chores. When my hubby asked for suggestions for Christmas presents I tried to think of something that would make my daily life easier. Since hiring a maid to come and do my dishes was out of my budget, I looked into steam mops. I have always hated the stickyness of regular mopping and I knew soon we would have a little person crawling all over the place, licking everything in sight. I hate using chemicals anyway so I knew a steam mop was the way to go.
Amazon is always the first place I look for new items since the reviews are usually spot on. Thankfully there is someone who has tried every kind of floor steamer and was kind enough to post their feedback on Amazon.
After reading all of the feedback, I knew the Eureka Envirosteamer was the way to go.

The selling point for me was where the water was located. Instead of being in the handle like most, the Envirosteamer's water tank is on the floor. This makes mopping much easier because the weight of the water works for you and not against you.

I also like how small it is. I am 5'2 and most floor cleaning appliances are almost as tall as I am! But the handle telescopes so this is easily adjustable to fit everyone!

The mop is very easy to get set up and takes just a few minutes to heat up. It heats up to 220 degrees, which is the second highest heat of the floor mops reviewed. This means it is actually sanitizing. Just make sure you move slowly so it has a chance to really heat up the surface and kill the germs.
It does really well at cleaning up all sorts of sticky stains. It even removed some brow wax I had dropped on my bathroom floor! The cleaning pad is easy to clean and I just throw it in the wash with my cloth diapers. The steam last for 15 minutes or so but I have never had it run out on me.
The only downside is that it can't clean grout. Infact, no floor mop will clean grout but now that my tile is so clean I want my grout to be clean too!
I have a McCulloch steam cleaner that I could use on grout but it leaves so much water on the floor and requires the use of protective ear buds to operate(it is that loud) so I only use it on heavy duty jobs.
The Envirosteamers are around $60 on Amazon and to me that is worth the price. A person could easily spend that on a Swiffer wet jet or other mop system in a year. This way you are using a product that doesnt use chemicals or create waste. 

Bum Genius 4.0 Review

I've had a hard time figuring out how I want to review the BumGenius 4.0 diaper. It works. It holds a good amount of pee and comes clean easily. I like that you get two inserts with it and Liam's bum seems pretty dry to the touch even when the diaper has been on for a few hours. I have the hook and loop tabs and they stay put when I wash them.


A few things I don't like. The outer and inner are not as soft as my other diapers.They are not as easy to stuff as the FuzziBunz or Rumparooz and the little pocket at the top of the back of the diaper that is supposed to keep the insert from coming out always ends up sticking out of the diaper.

Bottom line: it works but is not my favorite.

Fuzzi Bunz Review

This week I was super excited to try out Fuzzi Bunz and Bum Genius 4.0 diapers that I ordered last week. They are so well known in the cloth diaper industry I figured they must be pretty awesome!

I ordered a small for Liam since he is 13lbs. This was my first pocket diaper that was not one size. It also only came with only one microfiber insert, as opposed to 2 like the Rumparooz and Bum Genius but the insert seemed a little thicker.

After washing my diapers a few times to prep them they were ready to go! The Fuzzi Bunz were very easy to stuff and since they are sized diapers, they are noticeably thinner than one size pocket diapers.

The first time Liam wore them, he had a blowout.  Since I could smell it, I knew it was going to be bad so I changed him right away. I was bummed to see a little leakage on the legs that actually got on the outside of the diaper. None of my other diapers have done this yet and in the Rumparooz the poop never made it past the gussets. I guess that is why they call it the poop scoop.

Yesterday I put him in them and again he had a big poop! These things make my kid poop!

But this time the poop didn't come out, but it sure did come close. Until I know how much these babies can hold I am going to use them at home, just incase we have a real accident. Infact, he is wearing them right now, sitting right next to me, and so far so good!

Until I figure out the leaking I wont order more but I really to like how thin these diapers are!

gDiaper Review

I've had gDiapers since my older son was 18 months old. Back then I tried the flushable inserts and ended up doing it only a handful of times. The gDiaper is a cloth outer with a snap in plastic liner that holds either the flushable or cloth insert. When you are using the flushable insert you have to take it out of the liner and tear it down one side to separate the filling and the paper liner. If you have a poopy diaper, it takes 2 flushes and a swishing stick. Kinda yucky compared to tossing it in the wash or just rinsing the poop off in the toilet.

I pulled my stash of 4 old gDiapers out of the closet after I ordered my Rumparooz. I took a prefold and put it in the plastic liner and it worked like a charm! I have a ton of Gerber prefolds I was using as burp cloths and spit up rags that have a new purpose!

Liam is at the bottom range of weight guidlines for the medium so they look a little big on him at the moment.

The g typically goes in the back but it is a HUGE pain to try and fasten the velcro that way so I like my g in the front. Works fine for me and since I started doing it I noticed chatter about others doing it on the gDiaper Facebook page.
I do have a few complaints. Even though the gDiapers have a laundry tab for the velcro, they never stay put and the tabs come out of the dryer curly. This gives them a greater chance of catching on something and getting pulled off. I also notice a slightly clammy feel to the diaper if it is even a little wet. This may be due to the prefolds I have been using, but at a cost of $29.99 for a pack of 6 inserts, I am not willing to buy the gCloth.
What I love is I can keep the shell on most of the day and just change out the prefold or the plastic liner if it gets soiled. If we are going to be gone all day, I put a gDiaper on and just throw a few prefolds and an extra liner into my bag. The prefolds take up less space in my wet bag too, which I love. I also love that I can get these at Babies R Us, which is great, especially if I have a coupon.

The gDiapers represent almost half of my stash at this point but I think I will keep the 6 I have and the next time I buy diapers I will branch out and get a few of the Kawaiis Jodi loves so much or some BumGenuis!

Rumparooz Review

The day before black friday, also known as Thanksgiving, my sister told me about a sale that Kanga Care was having on their Rumparooz diapers. I knew immediately this would be my only chance to start cloth diapering and get a discount on diapers at the same time. I did some research and sent a text to Jodi to tell her what I had in mind. I believe she told me I was crazy :)
I got up at midnight and placed my first order for some solid color APLIX diapers, a wet bag and a few of their seconds diapers with snaps. I was so excited I made 3 total orders over the holiday weekend!
Rumparooz are a pocket diaper that is one size, fitted with snaps to size the diaper. They come with two of the 6r soakers, a newborn size and a one size insert. There are six settings for the inserts, which I love because I know they will grow with my baby. Infact, since my 3 year old is day potty trained but still has some wet nights, I use one on him every night! He is over the weight range by ALOT(42lbs) but the snaps still fit him with the boy doubler insert and it hasn't leaked yet!

I have heard that the APLIX closure does not last as long as the snaps but makes easier for dads or babysitters to change the baby. The inner and outer fabric are so soft! I have washed my diapers a ton since I got them and they look brand new! I also have had zero issue with the APLIX sticking to anything other than what it is supposed to. It never curls and never comes off on its own like the gDiapers do.

The big difference to me is the leg gussets. They keep the poop in the middle and create a tighter seal on the leg to combat leaks. 

Laundry is a breeze. Take the insert out and fold down the laundry tabs and throw them in together. The pocket is a nice size and I have no problem stuffing the diapers, but I have small hands. I also have never had an insert work its way out.

The boy doubler position. This uses both of the 6r inserts that come with the diaper. Mine are microfiber but they also offer hemp inserts.
Other than the price($23.50 for the solids and $25.50 for the prints), I have no complaints about the Rumparooz. They have been a great introduction to cloth and they will always be a large part of my stash! Liam seems more comfortable in them for a longer period of time. I have to constantly check him to see if he is wet because he won't tell me, he is so comfortable!
 The KangaCare website offers a rewards system that gives you a KangaCare gift certificate for a certain amount of money spent. I see that as a great plus for dedicated customers. You can earn extra reward points for following them on Facebook, Twitter and on their blog.  You also get points for reffering people to their website. If you order from them, make sure to mention Brie Williams! :)

Compared to the gDiapers, the Rumparooz are more trim through the leg and seem to be less bulky, although I am sure that is because I am using a prefold in the gDiaper and not their cloth insert.

Review of HappyBites Veggie Tots

Until my toddler turned 18 months he ate everything and anything I put in front of him. Then he woke up one morning and all he wanted was muffins for breakfast, PB&J for lunch and chicken nuggets for dinner. My good eater was GONE! Since then I have been trying as many new things as I can on him. Success lies in changing the routine only a little at a time. I saw these Veggie Tots at Whole Foods and figured they looked enough like chicken nuggets that I might be able to fool him....

so what if they look more like tater tots than chicken nuggets???

The directions said to cook them in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes but mine took 15 minutes. For some reason when I pulled them out after 10, they were still cold in the middle.

They tasted pretty good to me, definitely a lot of potato but I saw black beans, spinach and corn in mine too. It could use a little more garlic but I thought they might win him over...
Unfortunately for me, he didn't take the bait. He ate all of his strawberries and left all but one tot on his plate. In Kayden's words, "that was a good try".