Rock-a-bums Cloth Diapers (and Giveaway)

Rock-a-bums diapers sent me one of their 5-in-1 diapers to review a while back, and I have had trouble writing the review because I keep wanting to say more about it. Honestly, I can't say enough how much I love this diaper! I started testing it on my youngest at 2 weeks old, but these pictures are of her a couple days shy of 2 months old. Needless to say, it fit fantastic RIGHT AWAY. As soon as her cord stump fell off, it was on her. I was in love!

The rise snaps took it small enough to fit a 2 week old, but they accomodate Bobble, too! The diaper fits both of my children well, and that's a rather large weight difference! (from first test, it was about a 25lb weight difference)

The diaper has a super soft inside (insert is topped with bamboo charcoal), and the outer material, while waterproof, still has a lovely stretchy quality to it. This helps me ensure I get a snug fit, but I know it's never too tight. The diaper I was sent had snaps, and the crossover snaps helped the diaper fit Squiggle perfectly.

front view on Bobble

Front view (using a cross-over snap)

Rear View on Bobble

Rear view (literally!)

I preferred to use the diaper as a pocket diaper, but that doesn't mean you can't use it any of the other ways they market! Check out their nifty 5-in-1 features here!

Partially-stuffed with insert snapped on

I tested this diaper a million different times and left it on longer (when just wet) to see how baby fared and how long it would take to get a leak. Since Squiggle sleeps fairly long stretches (3-4 hours for naps since a couple weeks old!), I have left it on for a nap, too. It has stood up to her gigantic EBF poos, multiple pees, and even a nap with... *drum roll* ZERO leaks. I've never had this diaper leak on me. Not on my new one, not on Bobble. I'm very impressed with it!

Side view (with Bobble copying her)

Rock-a-bums come in only 3 colours: Red, Black, and White. I love the simplicity of their colour options, as they really are all you need to match with any outfit for either gender! Everyone needs a "little black diaper"! Rock-a-bums also make matching wetbags.

So, I'm sure you want to know what the cons to this diaper are. Truth be told, there really aren't any. The diaper is super soft, works beautifully, has enough stretch to really accommodate any baby's body type, and are available in classic colours you can't go wrong with. If I could, I would love to have a stash featuring mostly Rock-a-bums and a couple of random diapers as opposed to the other way around. These really are fantastic diapers, and I am confident that, with the way they are designed, they will fit baby regardless of build.

Yes, this diaper fits BOTH of them!

If you want to buy a Rock-a-bums cloth diaper (regardless of how you want to use it!), head on over to Rock-a-bums store http://www.rockabums.com/shop/  and you can get one of these awesome diapers for $16.95.

Because Rock-a-bums rock so much, one lucky reader will win a Black Rock-a-bums diaper and wetbag!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: The product(s) mentioned above was sent to me by the company in exchange for a review. This did not influence my opinion of the product in any way. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own.  

Seabands Review (and giveaway!)

I was given the opportunity to review Seabands, though I had already had my baby and finished with my pregnancy nausea. Rather than wait and see if it helps if I happen to be sick (since I don't get motion sickness), I decided to gift them to a friend and let her review them. Below is her review:

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    I just found out that I am expecting my 5th baby and the all-day nausea is absolutely awful! I’ve been sick with each of my pregnancies and this one is no different. Unfortunately, with my husband’s work schedule, I couldn’t make it in to see the Dr. right away to get my Zofran prescription. So, Christine was nice enough to let me review some Seabands and Seabands brand Ginger gum for her :)

    

At first, the Seabands did seem to take the edge off the nausea. I could definitely tell a difference in how I felt when I wasn’t wearing them. The nausea wasn’t as intense when I had them on. However, as the weeks went on and my nausea increased, they did stop being as effective for me. I would say, that if you only get mild nausea during pregnancy, that the Seabands would for sure be a good option for treatment. Especially if you are interested in staying away from any medications. I will say that it can be somewhat tricky to position the “bead” exactly in the right spot, and it can easily slip out of place while you’re doing housework or lugging around a 1 year old. Overall, I was glad to have the Seabands early on in my pregnancy.

   

I also tried out the Seabands brand Ginger gum. While I was not thrilled with the flavor (or lack thereof after about 2 minutes of chewing), I did find the gum to be super useful. There were several times where I really thought I was about to toss my cookies right in the middle of a Walmart aisle and this gum saved me from that! The strong and somewhat spicy ginger taste, when I first popped the piece of gum in my mouth, was enough to calm my stomach so that I didn’t embarrass myself in front of all the other shoppers. Of course, it didn’t last nearly long enough. The flavor wears off really fast and then left me with a bitter aftertaste that didn’t do anything for my nausea. The gum did serve it’s purpose though, and I was thankful to have it!

   

Thank you Christine (and Seabands), for letting me try out these great products! 

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I did use Seabands during my pregnancy and they helped me a lot with my nausea, too. Seeing as how it had been months since I needed them, I opted to let someone who used them currently review them since all I really remembered was they were useful and easy to keep with you if you didn't need them all the time (fit easily in a pocket). I've never tried the ginger gum, but you can purchase it  (along with Seabands) online or in select stores (like CVS).

You can also enter to win your own below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: The product mentioned above was sent by the company in exchange for a review. This did not influence the opinion of the product in any way. Your opinions may differ. 

Moby Wrap (review)

Moby Wrap was one of the wonderful sponsors for the (Un)Babyshower event a few months back. They sent me a lovely Moby Wrap (Moderns) in Pacific for our anticipated little bundle of joy. I absolutely love the colour (who wouldn't love that contrast stitch?!), and it's something I know my husband would wear (if I could convince him to learn how to wrap!).

When I was first told about the Moby Wrap, Bobble was a wee little thing. He was a month or so old, but I was hesitant. Honestly, the steps to go through with this gigantic piece of material bigger than me was intimidating. I saw one in a store a few months later and looked at the back where it showed a few instructions. I set it back down, again, due to intimidation.

It wasn't until Bobble was nearing 12 months old that I tried out a Moby Wrap in person. I was on a parenting page and saw a link to a YouTube video of a dad putting his new little one on in a Moby Wrap.... it shows you HOW to put it on, and I realized it looked really simple when he did it. Yep, all thanks to a video of a babywearing dad. There is a store nearby that sold them, and I had stopped in for something else... but I inquired since they had different carriers out to try. I was assisted in putting on the Moby Wrap and helped to put Bobble in. I was astounded at how easy it was on my back! Unfortunately, I really missed out on wearing him in those early months.

Super easy on the back due to nice distribution of weight!

When my little girl came along, I was excited to wear her in the Moby. Bobble has long since been too heavy to really wear in the Moby (plus he is too wiggly and mobile.... he's best in a soft structured carrier now), so I was very out of practice using the Moby. I opened the instructions up and was quickly putting on the wrap and wearing my little girl.

At first I thought that she simply hated being worn. She started fussing, then crying, then bawling. I asked hubby to take a picture for this review, hoping she would stop crying for the picture... but when I walked away from him (after handing him the camera), I brought my hands in to rest on her to comfort her and noticed I had her foot bent with the material. I felt horrible! I moved the material to free her foot (so it was actually sticking out), and she instantly calmed. A few minutes later, she was asleep. She LOVED the carrier!

This picture was how she was worn when she was very upset... note that you can't see her feet! (Please don't mind the hair clip that I totally forgot was in my hair and my husband conveniently didn't mention!)

She calmed so quickly, actually, that we got Bobble ready for a walk and took a little walk as a family for the first time in a while. (We don't have a stroller because I want either the option for both children to ride in it or not have one... so we don't have one.)

Instant sleep as soon as I let her feet hang out!

I've used the Moby Wrap a lot since first getting it, and she loves it every time. I love that it's actually easy to put on (despite my initial concerns), and I love how secure she feels in it. The only thing I dislike is that it touches the (dirty!) ground when I put it on if I'm out and about.... so sometimes I'll just put it on in the house and wear it (sans baby) to where we are going, and then slip her in when we arrive.

You can see how her face isn't pressed into me, not blocking air passage to her nose or mouth.

For anyone looking for a great way to wear baby in those early days/weeks/months, I highly recommend the Moby Wrap! I now have two wraps so we can keep one in the car and one in the basement (I live in an area where tornadoes are a concern... what better way to keep baby safe than to just have her against me?). If I had another one, I would keep it in hubby's car so I was never potentially without one!

You can purchase a Moby Wrap (classic or modern) on their website for $47.95. You can also get a UV wrap, organic wrap, design wrap, or MLB edition wrap on their site for a bit more. If you would rather buy one in person, you can use their Store Locator to find a retail store near you that sells the Moby Wrap.

Mama's view! :)

To stay up to date on the most recent news from Moby Wrap, check out their FaceBook page, follow them on Twitter, follow them on Pinterest, or sign up for their email newsletter!

They work great as baby grows, too... below are pictures a couple days shy of 3 months old.

Disclosure: The product mentioned above was sent to me by the company in exchange for a review. This did not influence my opinion of the product in any way. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own.