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Monday, April 29, 2013

Earth's Best Jar & Pouch Giveaway!

Love Earth's Best products? Well, here's your chance to win 3 jars and 3 pouches of their delicious, nutritious food! Not sure if you like jars or pouches better? Here's your chance to find out!


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Earth's Best Foods: Jars vs. Pouches

Lately, baby purees in pouches have become quite the thing. You see pouches of all sorts everywhere. Earth's Best, however, offers their delicious, organic foods in both glass jars and pouches. Both have their ups and downs, and many people have their reasons for liking one over the other. Personally, I prefer squeeze pouches because Bobble is at the point where I can just hand him one (opened) and he drinks them.

We did Baby-led weaning with Bobble, so we never really had a need for purees unless we were traveling, so we pretty much only wanted the squeeze pouches. I have found, especially over the last winter, that the jarred fruits that Earth's Best have are fantastic for adding to greek yogurt for a healthy snack for my munchkin. Especially when fresh fruits are way too pricy to purchase like in December in colder states!

I did have a mind blank the first time I attempted to mix the yogurt with fruit (I believe I mixed it with the Earth's Best Apples & Blueberries) and I mixed the entire jar with an entire greek yogurt individual sized container. There's a reason that they have fruit "on the bottom" and not half and half. Just saying. Not my proudest moment!

A benefit to using the glass jars over the squeeze pouches is they can be reused for multiple things. Crafts and storage, especially! If you have a crafty person in your house (maybe they have lots of beads?), they can definitely put these empty jars to use!

Earth's Best has great options for your child for whatever your preference is for feeding, and whatever stage they are at. They have over 90 jar varieties and 35 pouches! Check out their First Foods, Second Foods, or Third Foods for jar options, or click here to check out their puree pouches in any of the above mentioned stages. Don't forget to check out their toddler food and kid food, too! (By the way, the toddler/kid food is totally delicious and not limited to just them eating it! I eat the oatmeal all the time!)

What sort of food do you prefer to feed your little one? Do you like jars or pouches better? Maybe you utilize both depending on the occasion? I'd like to hear about it!

Enter for your chance to win a pack of 3 pouches & 3 jars from Earth's Best and see what you like best! 

Mother Knows Breast Giveaway Event

Do you breastfeed, plan on breastfeeding, or know someone who is breastfeeding/planning on breastfeeding? If so, this giveaway is for you!

Welcome to the Mother Knows Breast Giveaway Hosted by Teen Toddler Newborn, We're Parents?!?, Princess Among Superheroes, Saving 4 Five & Mommy's Craft Obsession!

This giveaway is for a gigantic package of supplies for any nursing or pumping mom or one who plans to be!
Check out our amazing sponsors and make sure to read the Sponsor Spotlight Reviews (you get bonus points on the Rafflecopter for commenting on them)
Here are the prizes:
  • Simple Wishes is providing a Hands Free Pumping Bra ($39) to our lucky winner! Check out the product review, with video HERE.
  • Undercover Mama is providing a nursing tank in the winners choice of color and size (with exceptions) ($29) You can read the product review for that HERE.
  • The Naked Nursing Tank is very generous! They are giving our lucky winner two (2) Luxury Bamboo Tanks and one(1) Classic Cotton Tank valued at $110! See the review, with video HERE.
  • Milkin' Cookies is giving our winner a 2 week supply of lactation cookies ($22) in the winners choice of flavor! See the review and some tips on boosting your milk supply HERE.
  • Milk Diapers is providing an 8 or 10 pack of pads (not including XL moisture guard) for our winner ($12) See what our reviewer thought HERE.
  • Annee Matthew Maternity/Nursing Apparel is giving our winner a nursing shirt ($40). All of their tops are maternity AND nursing tops! See the review HERE.
  • One Creative Mama Breastfeeding Advocacy Apparel for babies is offering the winner a choice of onsie, shirt or romper in any design and color available! ($13-$19) See our cute review HERE.
  • My Feeding Friend is giving our lucky winner their choice of Feeding Friend nursing pillow. ($40) See the review HERE.
  • Itzbeen Pocket Nanny is going to go to our lucky winner! Keep track of everything your baby does including which side they nursed on last! ($25) Check out the review HERE.
  • Miny Moe is providing a Nursing Pad Sampler to our winner. This will contain both reusable and disposable nursing pads ($40) Check out the review HERE.
  • The Dairy Fairy Nursing and Pumping Bra ($68) is giving our winner this amazing bra that does double duty! (I even nursed on one side while pumping on the other, at the same time!) Check out the review HERE.
  • Nuby is giving our winner a set of Milk Storage Containers ($15) There is no review for this item, they were just feeling generous :)
I hope you are as excited as I am for all of the items in this package!! It ends May 20th so get all the daily entries you can! Good Luck!
Use the rafflecopter form below to enter. This giveaway is open US and Canada. However if the winner is in Canada some of the prizes are not able to ship, therefore an alternate US winner will be chosen to receive the REMAINING items.

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Disclosure: Thoughts of Fluff is not responsible for the shipment of any prizes.

Friday, April 26, 2013

BumGenius Freetime Diaper Review from Thanks Mama!

My Bobble has all sorts of diapers, but when I was given the opportunity to review a BumGenius Freetime in Dazzle from Thanks Mama, I jumped on it! I only had one Freetime before that, and I didn't own anything in Dazzle. I was sent the awesome Dazzle colour in aplix (since I like to use my AIOs for child care) due to ease-of-use).

A bit of info about Thanksmama.com before I get into the review! Thanks Mama is a family owned & operated natural baby store that offers a huge selection of cloth diapering products, potty training pants, swim diapers, natural baby care products, baby carriers, bibs, toys, nursery furniture and bedding, strollers and much more. If you're looking for innovative products that are good for the baby and also good for the environment, check them out! Thanks Mama understands that many families are on a budget, so they offer the lowest prices, free shipping on orders over $60 (within the USA), 90 day easy returns, and The Buy Safe Guarantee and Price Guarantee. Don't live in the USA? That's okay... Thanks Mama ships worldwide!

You can follow Thanks Mama on Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Pinterest or Google +. They host weekly Giveaways, Contests, Sweepstakes, Twitter Parties, talk about modern family fun and challenges, natural parenting and green living.


One thing I like about the Freetime is the way it is designed. It's a bit different than some of the other AIOs in that the absorbent parts are not sewn all the way down, but rather only on one end. This allows for them to open up while washing and dry quicker.


If you didn't understand what I meant about them being sewn down only on one end, take a gander at this! Here is the Freetime all opened up!


Here's a close up of the seam along the front of side of the diaper while the diaper is still open (like in the above picture). 


Here's my sleepy little Bobble getting ready to test out the absorbancy of the Freetime just before his nap! 


I really like the fit of this diaper, especially along the legs. It doesn't leave room for potential leaking. I tried to get a decent picture of the fit near the legs, but Bobble, being his typical active self, didn't want to hold still! On the bright side, I got to find out how great the fit was with a very active toddler! No leaks!




As you can see, I did get a semi-decent shot eventually... but I had to hold his leg still to get it! The diaper is fairly trim compared to my BumGenius 4.0 diapers (which I double-stuff), and I don't have to worry about inserts causing it to potentially bulk a bit around the leg openings. There aren't any double-gussets with this diaper (and I LOVE double gussets!), but it held up to poop really well, too. The only thing I disliked about this diaper (in regards to poop) was that sometimes poop would get on the side of one of the "inserts" and that's hard to spray off! Well, it's hard to spray poop off of the edge of anything.... I'd much rather have a flat surface to clean than on the edge! Still, this diaper held up nicely and did a great job!



Rear-view:


I mentioned earlier I use a Freetime for child care (also aplix) because they are so easy to use. This is definitely a winner for grandparents, babysitters, or even daycares! Nothing more to do than just put on baby (well, assuming you leave the rise snaps snapped to how they fit your little one best!). If you need some more absorbancy, you can always place a doubler or insert below the sewn-on layers before you fold them over. Easy as pie!

Thanksmama.com is dedicated to bringing the best cloth diapers, training pants and swim diapers on the market at the best value. They have many cloth diaper packages that have volume discounts built in, many come with complementary products and make shopping for cloth diapers in bulk easy. Cloth diapers for parents that are new to cloth are also available; they are great for trying different types and brands of cloth diapers. Thanks Mama has knowledgeable customer service that would be happy to help
with any questions or concerns.

If you want to be up to date on everything cloth diapers, know about current promotions, want to read and participate in discussions about natural parenting, modern family fun and challenges, green living;
not to mention participate in weekly Giveaways, Sweepstakes, Twitter Parties and Contests, follow Thanks Mama on Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Pinterest or Google +.

If you want to purchase a BumGenius Freetime Diaper, head on over to Thanks Mama's store and pick one up in the colour and closure of your choice for only $19.95!

Disclosure: The product mentioned above was provided to me by ThanksMama.com for 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.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Thirsties Duo Wrap & Fab Fitted Review

Recently I had the opportunity to try out a Thirsties Duo Fab Fitted diaper (in orchid) and a Thirsties Duo Wrap Cover (in Scottish Rose). I picked the colours thinking of Squiggle, but I got size 2 so I could do a review now instead of later. Bobble doesn't care what colours are on his bum, and neither do I! He looked good in pink, anyway! To help you get an idea of size/fit versus weight, Bobble is 30 lbs.


I was really excited to try out the Thirsties Fab Fitted diaper, as I had heard fitted diapers work wonders for night time usage... especially for heavy wetters! Bobble is a heavy wetter, and we are starting to encounter absorbancy issues or him waking up and asking for a new diaper at 3am. Either way, not fun. I had used a Thirsties Duo Wrap Cover before (and loved it!), so this whole experience was only a little bit new to me.


I decided to delve right in to the testing of this diaper and prepped it as soon as humanly possible. I was first surprised by how similar the fitted was to the Thirsties Duo AIO. I fell in love with the Duo AIO after my first use of it, so seeing how this was essentially the same thing (minus the PUL), I knew I was going to love it! Now to just test the limits of the diaper on absorption!



The Fab Fitted does not have double gussets (and you all know my love of double gussets!), but the seam for the absorbent liner is about a centimeter in from the leg gusset, meaning the diaper isn't holding the moisture in the main part of the liner/insert all the way up to the leg opening. This was nice to see, as this creates a groove that clearly helps hold in both moisture and messes. The top part of the insert/liner is super, SUPER soft, and the bottom layers are microfiber.


The liner/insert part of the Fab Fitted is sewn along the length of the diaper, not on the ends. While some diapers have them sewn on the end (or 2 sewn on both ends) to help with drying time, this looks more like a "regular" cloth diaper as far as my husband is concerned. (Read: it has nothing to fold, so he doesn't have to think while putting it on Bobble!) What I love about the way it is sewn is that it is left open on both ends. Not only can you stuff the diaper with a doubler or insert if you need to, but you can flip the entire thing inside out to help it finish drying!



As far as poop messes go, this is easier to spray out (obviously I'm spoiled enough to have a diaper sprayer!) than the diapers that have the inserts/liners sewn on either end, because the ones sewn on either end seem to end up with poop stuck to the side of them and it's really hard to spray off an edge of thin material!




You also have the adjustable rise snaps to help customize the fit to your little one. Bobble, being the shorty that he is, almost always has his diapers snapped down one rise level.


I got both the cover and the fitted in aplix closures so I could use them for child care and ease of night time use. Aplix is my closure of choice for night time, though during the day it is too tempting and Bobble simply must undo them! If you think that's why snaps are superior to aplix... well, he undoes his snap diapers too. He started undoing both at around the same time! Just some food for thought!


The Duo Wrap completes the awesomeness of the combo with not only the adorable print and great fit, but double gussets! I love double gussets! Any mess that might happen to find its way out of the Fab Fitted (good luck, but I suppose it could happen!) will be halted by the gussets on the wrap!


The interior of the cover has a flap of material in the front a couple inches long, so if you liked tri-folding flats or prefolds, you could tuck it in in the front. I was very surprised with the fit of the cover over the fitted vs. the fitted alone. As you can see from my pictures, Bobble actually had the closure tabs overlapping on the fitted, so I figured the same would happen with the cover. It didn't, but that makes sense since there is more underneath the cover than the fitted. Both diapers fit great, and both diapers looked ridiculously cute on Bobble!

* Thirsties Inc. does not recommend to tuck prefolds or inserts into the flap on the Duo Wrap, as the wet diaper will cause wicking from the stitching on the Aplix



So, how did they stand up to the test(s)? They passed with flying colours! I got them dry just in time for a nap for Bobble (which I always use a night time diaper for since he likes to stomach sleep and side sleep, thus causing more leaks than normal), so they went on to test out! When he woke up, the only thing wet was the inside of the diaper! I was concerned about how fitteds would work with Bobble since he is so sensitive to moisture. Most of the time he breaks out if he is in a flat or prefold without a liner, and I didn't use a liner with this. He had no rash when I took this off. Yay! I figured it would not cause him to break out since it is so similar to the Duo AIOs and he doesn't break out with those, but I was still a bit nervous since it was a fitted. That was probably my biggest hesitation on trying fitteds was assuming my poor munchkin would be broken out with rashes all the time.

Double Gussets!!


The next test was a night time test... and one in which we did NOT change him during the night. I knew the diaper would be fully saturated by morning, but if he isn't crying to be changed (or simply asking), I'm not waking him! I work full-time, remember! I asked my husband how the diaper stood up to the test when I got home (since hubby is the one who does the morning changes on work days), and he said there were no leaks. He did say there were red marks around the legs from the cover, but since there weren't the other times we've used it, we figured that was because I made it too tight in anticipation of a night time pee-fest and trying to hold it all in. Oops. Perhaps I should have a bit more faith in the diapers next time, eh?
 

So, the next time we did a night test, I tried to be more mindful of the cover. Bobble didn't have any marks on his legs (though the fit was quite snug still), but he did leak. The following time I tried with a hemp insert too, but he leaked. I then tried with a fab doubler. He leaked. In all fairness, he only leaks on nights where he decides to drink more throughout the night. If you think I mean a couple sips, you're wrong! He leaks on the nights he drinks 30 ounces of liquid from the time he goes to bed (with milk) until the time he wakes up. Let's face it: no diaper is going to hold 30 ounces. It just isn't. On a normal night, however, of only one bottle, sometimes another half to whole bottle, he wakes up without having leaked. These diapers definitely can do the job!



These diapers really impressed me. I had no idea they would work so well together, let alone for helping solve our night time leakage issues with Bobble (*again, assuming he doesn't consume ridiculous amounts of liquid)! Now if only these diapers would help us get him to stop taking milk in the middle of the night too... that would solve the problem of the rest of the time when they DO leak! If you're potty training, you can use the Fab Fitted without a cover so you can feel the dampness of the diaper if they go. It's not going to just pour out instantly, but you do want to keep an eye on them if you don't use a cover!


Of course, if you have more than one fitted, you can just wipe the cover dry and use the same cover for the next change, too. I really need to get a hold of some more fitteds!

 As if the performance of these diapers wasn't enough,  Thirsties are made in the USA and use only the best USA-sourced components for their products. To learn more about how Thirsties operates, check out their About Us section of their web page!

The Thirsties Fab Fitted Diapers retail for $17.00, and the Duo Wrap Covers retail for $12.75-13.75 (depending on print/colour). If you're having night time issues or have a heavy wetter, definitely check these out! Be sure to check out all of Thirsties great products at http://www.thirstiesbaby.com/!

Follow Thirsties on FaceBook to keep up with new happenings and to enter giveaways, too!

Disclosure: The product mentioned above was provided to me by Thirsties Inc. for 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.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Zumu Bike Trailer/Jogging stroller Giveaway!

Are you ready to get out and enjoy the weather this spring and summer? 
Well then, you've come to the right place!


Welcome to the Zumu 3-in-1 Bicycle Trailer/Jogger/Stroller Giveaway (ARV $200)!

Hosted by Thrifty Nifty Mommy and Co-hosted by Viva Veltoro!

April 12-28th
Enter daily using the Rafflecopter form below!

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