gDiaper Review and a COUPON!

Hello Sweet Friends!

I know. It's been too long, and I'm sure that it will be just a little bit longer until you hear from Emily and I about the Bean and the Bird. Know that they are well, beautiful, and growing so fast. It's that speed (and their mobility) that keeps us on our toes and away from here, but know that we think of our readers, and can't wait to finally update you on their lives.

BUT, in the meantime, our friend Amanda has been kind enough to write up this little review of gDiapers, and has a coupon code here for a HUGE discount off of a starter bundle. Read on, fair friends... Cute pictures of baby N are included!
~*~*~*~

Our favorite brand of cloth diapers is gDiapers.

gDiapers are a hybrid system that uses a cloth gPant, a waterproof pouch created with gBreathe technology, and either cloth or disposable/flushable inserts.

The pants are just made out of cotton and spandex, and are all aplix.  

They come in 5 different sizes:

Newborn 6-10lbs

Small 8-14 lbs

Medium 13-28 lbs

Large 26-36 lbs

X-Large 34lbs +

The newborn ones have a waterproof liner, and do not use the pouches.  The cute designs are only available in small, medium, and large.  The pouches are waterproof, but feature gBreathe technology, which means they let moisture breathe from the pant to keep baby rash-free. 

gCloth inserts are made of two layers of hemp/cotton to absorb liquid, and two layers of microfleece to wick the moisture away from baby’s skin.  The disposable inserts can be torn open, swished in the toilet, and flushed, thrown away, or composted (wet inserts only).  They are SUPER absorbent and great for night time and travel.  Both types of inserts have two sizes.  The first size fits newborn and small gDiapers, and the second size fits medium, large and X-large.  The pouches are sized in the same way; Newborn-small and Medium-XL.

My daughter in one of her first gDiapers

My husband and I agree that our favorite feature of gdiapers is being able to re-use them and not having to change the entire diaper at every change.  If the diaper is just wet, you just change the insert  and throw it in your pail; if you want to, since the breathable pouch will be damp, you can let it out to dry until the next change and snap in a new one, or else you can just leave that pouch in the diaper.  Stick in a new insert and you’re good to go!  In the case of a soiled diaper, it’s likely that some poop will make its way onto the pouch, in which case you’ll need to wash it.  If you are short on pouches, you can hand wash it and let it dry and by the next change it should be dry.  However, diapers.com often has gdiapers supplies on sale, so I bought two extra boxes of pouches, plus each pant comes with one, so we have plenty to wait until laundry day. 

My daughter is 7 months old and is a super heavy wetter.  In her 7 months, the only diaper we have used that is capable of keeping her dry during the night is a gDiaper with disposable insert.  We used kawaii goodnight heavy wetters and even added hemp doublers with both microfiber inserts, but about 6 hours in she leaks and her clothes and bed get wet.  The other night, she wore a disposable gDiaper  and slept straight through the night for almost 12 hours and didn’t leak a bit!  No signs of rash either.  Speaking of rash—the only rash/skin problem we have had with Gs is that she sometimes gets some redness or dry skin where the edge of the pouch meets her skin; this is easily remedied with some CJ’s BUTTer or coconut oil. 

gSweet. One of my favorite g's!

Last, I will give you a rundown of our laundry setup.  We have a step-on trash can with a large PlanetWise pail liner in it.  In the front, we hang a zip-up lingerie bag.  When pouches are ready for the laundry, we stick them in the lingerie bag.  Inserts and our other cloth diapers (we use a few pockets and AIOs, mostly because mama is addicted to cute patterns!) go into the pail liner.  When it’s laundry day, I just zip up the lingerie bag and throw it into the pail liner, then turn the whole liner inside out into the washer.  Since the pouches shouldn’t be washed in hot water, I do a full cold cycle with Rockin Green detergent, then take out my pail liner, pouches, and any wet bags.  I air dry them while I complete a hot cycle without detergent on all of the cloth (and any PUL pockets), and then dry all of that. 

Note the genius use of lingerie bag! Such a smart, girl!
- jackie

gDiapers is currently doing a 12 days of Christmas promotion!  They are having a different sale every day, which began Decemnber 4^th. 

More important is the New Friend Bundle!!!  Until December 31^st, you can use my coupon code to get three gPants (pouches included) and two packs of disposable inserts for 40% off!  With my coupon code, it will cost you $49.99, and this bundle has a value of $86.45! 

To order, follow this link:

http://www.gdiapers.com/shop/sales-and-deals/new-friend-bundle

Then select your colors, sizes, and add to your cart!  Then at checkout, enter this code:

new6207Hart

to receive the 40% discount!!

gDiapers is also currently running a 12 days of G sale, and every day a different item is on sale.  To check that out, go to

http://www.gdiapers.com/shop/sales-and-deals

One day, they had $4 off all legwarmers, and another day, $7 off this beauty, the gJingle:

Sorry, I just can't with this topless girl.
SUCH A CUTIE!!!!!
- jackie

Happy Shopping!!

Amanda

~*~*~*~

And a very Merry Holiday to all of you, from all of us!

Fluff Fairy or Why I'm glad I have friends with baby girls.

Hi all! I am sorry for our lengthy silence. It's a whirlwind life with these beautiful little messes!

Emily and I aren't the only ones that had some beautiful baby girls in the last 6 months. Not by far! And we're definitely not the only ones obsessed with our cloth diapers. It's no secret that I'm obsessed with another subscription box (review to come tomorrow!), but this time, we've brought in a pinch hitter.

Enter ASH, the little sister of one of my dearest friends, who I have known since she was knee high - like 6 years old! - now she's a mama too, to the beautiful N! And she's got a fluff addiction to rival ours. And she's signed up for another surprise box for cloth - this time from Kelly's Closet.

The Fluff Fairy is here, babes, and it's pretty darn good. Note that the caption comments are mine... I couldn't resist!!

Take it away ASH!
~*~

The Fluff Fairy is a monthly cloth diaper package available from kellyscloset.com.  It is not a subscription box; each month you have to visit their site and purchase it.  You can choose girl, boy, or unisex, and you can also note what type of closure you prefer, though depending on the diaper included in that month’s box, your preference may not be an option.  The box will include a name brand diaper and 1-3 cloth diapering accessories.  It cost $26.99 in July (shipping included), but the price will vary monthly.  In July, the packages sold out with 2 or 3 days; they were available for order around the 9th, and I received my package on the 25th.  

The package came in a grey plastic mailer, and inside was a pretty turquoise tissue package 

with a little fluff fairy sticker on it.

So cute!

The diaper I received was a Softbums Omni, which is made in the USA!!  The Omni is a one size pocket diaper that has a “Slide2size system” to give your baby’s bum a custom fit.  There is an elastic drawstring on either side, and a small pocket in the front of the diaper allows access to them; you simply pull the strings and use the plastic toggle to set your size.  This allows the diaper to fit babies from 6-35 lbs with legs from 4-14” in diameter without snapdown.  It is a Velcro closure, and their website states it is an “industrial strength” Velcro that won’t wear out like other velcros.  It included a large “dry touch pad”, which is an insert with four layers of microfiber topped with microfleece to wick away moisture, and the pad snaps into place to 

prevent it from shifting.

While velcro isn't my bag, I've been wanting to check out SoftBums...
Cue jealousy.

I was a little disappointed that despite choosing a package for a girl, I received a dark brown diaper.  The color is growing on me though, perhaps because I really like the diaper (or maybe because I found out the name of the color is chocolate…).  It is lined with super soft microfleece, and I have used it 2 nights so far without any leaks.  It is also very trim, and other than our gDiapers, gives my little girl the tiniest tush of any other cloth diaper we own.  The value of the diaper and insert is $26.90.  

Here's where we check out the inner.
Looks nice and cushy!
Nice use of laundry tabs. Not something I'm good at.

Here's a close on that adjustable back elastic.

And that super cushy, snap in insert!
very nice!!

Also included in the package was a very cute and very soft cloth wipe!  This is made by Softbums as well, but is not yet available for purchase.  We got this cute tea party pattern; the unisex and male packages got a rocket ship and star pattern.  I can’t wait until these are 

available for purchase because I will definitely buy a few more!

Turquoise teapots!?
Sorry, have we met? I want this!
My jealousy muscle is really hurting.

Why can't I turn this?!
Ugh. Sorry ASH.
Everyone, please just tilt to the right, observe, and carry on.

Inside the package was a plastic pouch that included some glitter, a coupon code for double points on your next purchase, and two more items….

A packet of RLR laundry treatment (value $2.25) which is good for stripping diapers and getting rid of ammonia smell or dingy colors.  If you have an HE washer, you can get two loads out of one packet; with a top loader, you use a full packet per load.

I can't turn this one either.
But I'm feeling jealous again.
Those mom jeans on the package are super hawt.

The last item was a sample size jar of CJ’s BUTTer (think jar of lip balm size).  The value is $1.50.  Mine was love spell scent (smells just like Victoria’s Secret’s Love Spell).  CJ’s butter can be used for diaper rash, eczema, abrasions, and dry skin.  The sample size is perfect to keep in your purse or diaper bag, and they have tons of amazing scents, including some made just from essential oils that lack artificial fragrances, and an unscented version.

I'm not jealous!! I already have this!
HA!

All in all, I was happy with the Fluff Fairy package.  Again, I wasn’t pleased with the color of our diaper at first, but the rest of the package and the quality of the diaper made up for it.  It’s also nice that the package is not a monthly subscription, so you can purchase just a few per year if you like!  Based on Kelly’s Closet prices, the package was worth $30.65, which is $3.66 more than I paid, plus you get free shipping.  

Every month, they will release hints about what may be in that month’s package.  You can’t use any coupons or promotions on the package, but you do received Diaper Dollar points for the 

purchase.  You also cannot exchange or return the package.

~*~

Thank you, ASH! And thank you for successfully making me jealous of the newest diaper in your stash. I hope that you get August's box so you can share it with us!!!

OH! Before I forget... we can't get through a post like this without an adorable baby picture.

Everyone... Meet N! N, this is everyone! Don't be nervous, they're really very nice.

Hello Everyone! Who wants a hug?

I do, I do!

Stay tuned for more fluffy goodness, my dears. It's coming soon!

Tweet!! It's Cotton Bootylicious - June Edition!

Let's everyone hold in our excitement... the June Cotton Booty box has arrived! This time in an envelope because they went over the weight limit for the box. Oh shucks. That's a shame.

Here's this months shakedown!
Looks promising....

This month brings us two things that I'm really excited about, and a wet bag... but I think you can never have enough wet bags, so I'm pretty excited all around.

First things first, let's talk dipes.

THIS IS MY FAVORITE DIAPER PATTERN WE HAVE EVER HAD!

This is the Bumkins Stuff-it pocket diaper with one minky insert and one PUL backed waterproof insert in the WORLDS BEST PRINT - Tweet! Seriously, this is IT for the Little Bird. I haven't used a Bumkins pocket before so this is definitely something new for me, which is the biggest perk of this service, and really the reason that I've signed up for this subscription box. I have a few Bumkins covers that I use with prefolds, so I am aware of the quality that the company turns out, but I have to say, I find the covers heavy (as compared to flip covers that we use most often), and I don't find this pocket diaper heavy at all. A big plus!

The fit on Little Bird is actually really great. She's pretty skinny, and I like a lot of options for a snug fit (velcro/aplix is not for me - somehow I always miss the laundry tabs and things get stuck together/ruined/disasterfied), so the Bumkins snaps really get her a snug fit around the legs. We started with just the minky insert, which is just fine for day and play, and I have her on the smallest rise and snapped to the center. There's still a little gap in the front, but any further and there would be red marks on her belly. 

I tried stuffing with both inserts, which I would for a long nap or overnight, but that was a little too bulky between her legs for playtime. 

Here's a gratuitous cute picture before we continue...

ahhhh, that's better.

This diaper retails for $15.95 and is a one size, fitting 7-32 pounds! yowza.

Next we have a Bumkins wet bag in Yellow Fish.
I love me some Dr. Seuss (who happens to share a birthday with my husband), but I'm not super crazy about this print. I have two other Bumkins wet bags in this same size that I got from Zulily before Little Bird was even born, and a Cat in the Hat bag with two pockets that I use more often. I do love how many diapers fit into this size bag - while I was out of town with Little Bird, I could fit 2 entire days worth of diapers in a bag this size, which was at least 8 stay dry Flip inserts, 2-3 Flip covers, 4 pocket diapers, 4 microfiber inserts, and at least 4 charcoal bamboo inserts. I think that's pretty impressive, no? I roll them pretty tight, but it's definitely a bag that can hold a hefty load!

This guy retails for $10.95.
(So, we've already exceeded our retail price for the box! I repeat... Great Deal!)

onto the sample of the month...

This is the part of the box that I'm pretty intrigued about.
It's no secret that I have had some major breastfeeding struggles and supply problems. In fact, there are days when I pump that I only get a quarter of an ounce per session. I know. It's pathetic. And disheartening. And makes me feel like a failure. So, of course, I do everything I can to boost supply. Fenugreek, Blessed Thistle, pumping like a lunatic, oatmeal, so much water I feel like I might drown.

I am always willing to try something to help my supply. This product from Need (which is owned by the cute Tia and Tamara Mowry! Check it out here!) seems to contain all of the hot button herbs that everyone recommends without having to choke down tea that tastes like feet. (No offense to Mothers Milk tea, but I can't even handle the smell. It tastes like I steeped B's socks in hot water and then added honey).

I just tried this, and it has its good and bad points. I like that it's just a little shot (and one Weight Watchers point, if anyone is counting), goes down pretty quickly and doesn't taste like the lactation teas. However, it does taste a little reminiscent of the glucose drink that they give you for the sugar test while you're pregnant, or like a 5-hour energy drink. I needed a water chaser and a little finger-full of peanut butter after I was done. I don't think I'm going to see a result from one sample, since they advise two bottles per day to see a result, but if I do see an increase, I'll be sure to let you know.

Pssstttt, Tia and Tamara! If you want to send me a weeks supply, I'd be more than happy to report my results for the studio audience. If it works, I'll sing your praises from every rooftop!

And, just because we all like it so much, here's a few snaps of the Little Bird, looking so so so cute in this "tweet" pattern!

Who says Birds and Kitties don't get along?
Behold the Little Bird and Sookie, snuggling on the blanket.
[no babies or kitties were harmed in the making of this photo... in fact, there were copious kisses]

Until next month, my dears.

Cotton Bootylicious

For the last 10 days, the Little Bird and I have been vacationing in the central air conditioned world of Nan's house in Pennsylvania. It was wonderful, but I knew that there was something waiting for me at home. Something fantastical and magical...

Yes, my first Cotton Booty box arrived!!!!

And I had to wait an entire week to open it. Life isn't fair.

But here it is, friends, in all it's beauty and glory!!

Just inside the box!
The anticipation!!

Here they give you a little shakedown of what's in your box.
I saw BumGenius and about died.
And Babylegs?!
Is this a dream?

Okay, I can't relegate this comment to a caption. The first thing when you open the box is an absolutely adorable BumGenius Freetime all in one in Albert - which retails on Amazon anywhere between $28.95 and $32.95 (Cotton Booty's mothership, Milk and Honey Kids, doesn't have diapers on their website that I can find, so I couldn't tell you what they retail for in their store, but it's likely in that price range). The cost of the Cotton Booty box for one month is $24.99. 

You picking up what I'm putting down here? AMAZING DEAL!

I got the "leftovers" of the May box, which was their first (and very impressive) offering, so I was able to request the 'boy' box diaper (The 'girl' box had a Lovelace freetime, which I already have, and was sold out, and the gender neutral offering was a freetime in Clementine, which is gorgeous, just not my favorite - we don't look great in orange in this house) and...

The 'girl' print BabyLegs! Which are so so so cute! 97% of the clothes that Little Bird has been given are pink - which will be hilarious if we ever have a boy, because you bet your right arm that I'll put him in her hand-me-downs - so pink legwarmers are perfect for us. Also, I may have a little obsession with BabyLegs. Ask Emily. She'll confirm.

There is also a small sample of CJ's Butt Butter, which I'm really looking forward to trying. Every lotion we've tried, except for coconut oil, gives Bird a rash on her back... this is supposed to be very gentle and wonderful, so I'm excited. 

And just because I'm a huge fan of the Little Bird, here she is, modeling Albert!

and here's a bonus of the booty, with a little cameo from our blanket magnet Conrad...

Yes, that is a tuft of cat hair by Conrad's ear.
Please don't judge me.
I do my best, but my cat just MOLTS.

That's all for now, dear ones. Visit Cotton Booty on facebook and let them know the Bean and the Bird sent you! I can't wait for the June box! Don't worry... we will share!