Caleb’s Crossing–BlogHer Book Club

"I forgot he was a half-naked, sassafras-scented heathen anointed with raccoon grease. He was, quite simply, my best friend."

I am super excited to say I was able to review Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks for BlogHer Book Club. The book is out May 3rd, so it was cool to get an advanced copy! I can’t give you the full scoop unless you head over HERE to the new BlogHer Book Club page, so please check out my review and others’ thoughts, too!! Next up, I’m reading Girl In Translation by Jean Kwok. Details soon!

Cloth Diaper Giveaway!

I’ve written a few times about the pocket cloth diapers I’ve tried.  Some I’ve been unhappy with, others I love.  I want to offer YOU the chance to try out a Sweet Doll Baby one-size pocket diaper without the commitment to spend money on a whole set! I just ordered myself a few more, but I’m setting one aside for a winner!  You can choose from 3 colors:

Purple, Red, or Yellow

Not too sure about these? You can read my reviews of these diapers and others like them here:

My Unsolicited Review of Coolababy and Rainbow BB diapers
Coolababy and Rainbow BB Update
Babyland Diaper Review
Review & Compare: Fuzzi Bunz, Coolababy, Rainbow BB, Sweet Doll Baby, Babyland
Cloth Diaper Updates – Babyland, Coolababy, Sweet Doll Baby, Rainbow BB

I just thought I’d give you a chance to try one out one me!  Here’s how you can enter to win…

First Entry:

Leave a comment on this post about why you like cloth diapers, or would like to try them. (And your choice of the three colors if you win!)

Additional Entries:

Follow this blog and leave one comment letting me know!

Blog about this contest and leave one comment here with your permalink!

Follow me @Fraase on Twitter and tweet about this contest! (for example, like this: Win a one-size pocket diaper from @Fraase  http://bit.ly/cEn5iy #clothdiapers) Leave a link in the comment section to your tweet!!

Grab my brand new Fraase Family blog button (its over there on the right –>) and display it on your blog.  Come back here and let me know (be sure to include your url!)

Comment (new comments only!) on another post on this site for up to THREE additional entries.  Tell me in the comments to this post where you went!

Please make sure your email address is attached to your entry.  Open to United States and Canadian residents.  Contest ends July 25, 2010 at 11:59 PM, CST.  Winner will be contacted and has 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.  This giveaway is not sponsored by anyone but myself, the prize was purchased with my own money.  Good luck!!

Could You Use $200? – Yeah, I thought so…

Guess what!?  I’m running a contest sponsored by BlogHer and Flip Video giving YOU a chance to win $200 (that perhaps you could use to get yourself a new Flip SlideHD!! *swoon* )  Just head on over to my ad-free review page “All That Other Stuff…” and share a time YOU wish you had a video camera.  Easy, right?  This is my first big contest, so all the help would be appreciated!!!!

Cloth Diaper Updates – Babyland, Coolababy, Sweet Doll Baby, Rainbow BB

I have written several reviews now on various non-name brand one size pocket cloth diapers.  A few readers have asked for updates on how they’re holding up.  Armed with pictures I’m now ready!!!

The reviews I have done before are on Babyland, Coolababy, Sweet Doll Baby, Rainbow BB and Fuzzi Bunz.  You can click on any of these to see the original reviews.   I have had the Coolababy and Rainbow BB for almost a year now, and the Fuzzi Bunz just under that.  The newest in my stash (still several months old) are the Babyland and Sweet Doll Baby.  To be truly honest, I think the Rainbow BB diapers are the only ones I wouldn’t purchase again.  Almost all of my 12 diapers have needed replacement elastic in the back or legs (click here for tutorial).  Although the rest of the diaper has held up well, and they are all still in my rotation, I didn’t like having to pull them out of rotation to repair them!  All the other diapers have held up very well and I really don’t have any complaints. 

Outer Fabric PUL (polyurethane laminate)

These are shots of the diapers new (left) November 2009 shortly after I purchased the Babyland and Sweet Doll Baby diapers.  The second shot is the same diapers April 2010.  As you can see, the only real wear is on some of the faded tags.  I have not experienced any de-lamination (when the plastic waterproof laminate separates from the fabric).  One or two of the diapers have stains on the front where baby dropped food on them.  My bad!  That is totally avoidable!  Except for the elastic issues with Rainbow BB I have been quite happy with all of these.

I bought a set of Babyland diapers that had prints on the PUL.  The fabric, rather than being standard polyester material, is more of a flannel.  I love the feel and look of these.  Unfortunately, the fabric has pills all over it now and I dare not do anything about that for fear of damaging the PUL.  They also wick (pull moisture out to the surrounding fabrics) easier, so I don’t use these for nap time or overnight because baby will wind up soaked.  I still love the look, and I use them often during the day.  They are just not as versatile as the rest of the stash!!

Inside Fleece

These are the fall pictures (left) and spring pictures (right) of  Rainbow BB, Sweet Doll Baby, and Babyland.  As you can see, no matter the brand, the fleece pills just a bit.  I find they are still soft and work effectively.  This is just the natural wear of the fleece lining.  The bonus to fleece?  It is extremely difficult to stain.  I still have NO diapers with stains.  Two hints on keeping them stain free:  rinse as soon as you can (I’ve let them go a day before with no problems), and I use a flushable (I don’t flush them!) liner to catch the solids.  The liner doesn’t always catch everything, but it sure does help clean up.  I feel a lot better about throwing away a small liner than a whole disposable diaper.

 

Yes, even the name brand Fuzzi Bunz diaper’s fleece shows some wear, so I think the look of the other diapers is very acceptable. 

Fit and Adjustability

The first shot is my guy at 11 months in a Rainbow BB.  Aside from occasional wing droop (the part below the tabs hanging out) They fit very well.  Even when he was younger they fit well.  I don’t however feel that the Rainbow BB will fit a newborn, even though they advertise the adjustable rise in their Ebay listing.  The next two shots are of my now-18-month-old guy in a Babyland.  As you can see, there is still plenty of room for growth, and he is average to stocky build.  I do believe the Babyland would fit a large newborn with the adjustable rise and the overlap tabs that the Rainbow BB doesn’t offer.  The Sweet Doll Baby has these as well.

Those stinky inserts….

Okay.  Yes, the microfiber inserts, because of their extreme ability to absorb, can get stinky!!  I have found a good working solution to this problem.  Typically I wash the outer diaper and all the inserts together with my Crunchy Clean diaper soap on Warm/Cold (and often a cup of white vinegar).  I usually throw in a bath towel or something to help keep the load balanced and turn on the “second rinse” feature.  Every third or fourth load I separate the outers from inserts.  I wash the inserts all alone in HOT and include bleach and vinegar, with a cold double rinse.  If you can, stop the wash while the bleach is in the water and let them soak for a while before continuing the cycle.  I line dry as often as I can, but since the baby doesn’t seem to appreciate frozen diapers, I can’t line dry in the winter.  I tumble dry at the lowest heat setting.  Hanging your diapers out side in the sun as often as possible is a much better alternative and a natural stain and stink remover!

All in all I’m happy with my stash.  I am still using the diapers I purchased and I feel they have a lot of life left in them.  If we have any more babies, I feel confident they will still be useful again!  Actually I’m kind of a nerd when it comes to my cloth diapers.  I take a lot of pictures!

I hope this update has helped.  Feel free to link to this or any of my other reviews, or to ask questions!!

Review & Compare: Fuzzi Bunz, Coolababy, Rainbow BB, Sweet Doll Baby, Babyland

I want to start out by saying that this is an unsolicited review. I purchased these diapers with my own money and am not being compensated in any way.

Are you shopping around for inexpensive pocket cloth diapers? Scouring eBay? Need reviews? Stop here and read on!!

When I started my diaper hunt, I knew I wanted to use the pocket diapers. They seemed easy to use and quick to launder. I started hunting around for good deals online, eventually ending up on eBay. There I found many different pocket diapers from all sorts of bulk sellers. What I couldn’t find was much input on what actual users thought.

So today I’m writing this for you…

I have already written about the Coolababy and Rainbow BB in a review HERE, as well as the Babyland diapers HERE. Armed with several new samples, I am going to compare them all. The diapers include: Fuzzi Bunz, Coolababy, Rainbow BB, Sweet Doll Baby, and Babyland.

Materials and Look:

All of the diapers are made from an outer shell of PUL (polyurethane laminate), plastic snaps, and fleece lining. The inserts are microfleece and extremely absorbant.

Fuzzi Bunz: very sturdy outter PUL that comes in several nice colors as well as cute patterns. The buttons snap tightly and seem like they’ll last. The inner fleece is thick and plushy. They are sometimes sold with 1 insert.

Coolababy, Rainbow BB, Sweet Doll Baby: These all have similar PUL, snaps and fleece lining. They don’t seem to have quite as sturdy PUL as the Fuzzi Bunz, although I think the Coolababy is probably the best PUL of the eBay diapers. These also come in many fun colors, but not patterns. 1-2 inserts are usually included. For whatever reason, the PUL of the Rainbow BB is more sticky on the inside of the pocket. This doesn’t change the functionality, but makes the inserts a little bit more difficult to slide in. The only real problem I had was with poor elastic in the Rainbow BB diapers. If you are handy with a needle and thread, this is an easy fix that I explain HERE.

Babyland: These snaps were just as good as the other brands. The PUL seems a bit more stretchy and came in several colors and also a couple patterns. The SpongeBob PUL is actually flannel-feeling, very soft and comfy. Babyland’s fleece was also very plushy and would rival the Fuzzi Bunz material. 1-2 inserts are usually included.

Fit and Wear

Fuzzi Bunz: These are not one-size diapers, the one I have is a Medium. The 2 rows of snaps are staggered and the off-set tabs make the fit easy to adjust. The tabs meet in the middle, but do not overlap. With the staggered snaps it was easy to adjust the leg as well to provide the best fit for a thin or chunky baby thigh.

Coolababy: These diapers are sold as “one size” to fit 6lbs up to 29lbs. They have snaps down the front to adjust the rise. Even with the rise adjustments, I have a hard time believing that they’d fit a newborn. For a chunkier baby they are perfect. The buttons are in even rows and do not overlap at the middle. This makes the fit for the legs and waist a little limited, but fine on older babies.

Rainbow BB: These diapers are sold as “one size” to fit 7lbs up to 30lbs. They have snaps down the front to adjust the rise. Even with the rise adjustments, I have a hard time believing that they’d fit a newborn. For a chunkier baby they are perfect. The buttons are in even rows and do not overlap at the middle, but they do have a middle snap that Coolababy does not. I also noticed that the crotch area is a bit wider than the others. Nice for extra inserts, potentially a problem for early walkers as the diapers can be a big bulky between the legs. Still a better fit for older babies.

Sweet Doll Baby and Babyland: These two are so very similar that I am lumping them together. Both are one size sold for babies 7lbs to 29lbs. The snaps are in straight rows across the top and down the front for rise. Unlike the other “one-size” brands, I actually believe these would fit a newborn. The tabs have an extra set of buttons that allow them to overlap to fit a skinny baby, and the legs are more snug.

The eBay diapers all seem to suffer from “wing droop” at times. I don’t have this problem with the Fuzzi Bunz.

They are all, as expected, bulkier than disposable diapers, but not enough to keep pants from fitting (snugly). I have gone up a size on some pants for a beter fit and I'm also a huge fan of leg warmers for around the house. (Makes diaper changes and crawling easier!)

This picture shows the two patterns I found as well as the rise difference from the newborn snaps to the full size. Below, you can see how very similar SDB and Babylands are.

The pockets of the Rainbow BB, Sweet Doll Baby and Babyland Diapers are all similar and include and extra top flap to fully enclose the inserts. As I mentioned, the Rainbow BB’s PUL is a bit more difficult to slide the inserts across.

The Fuzzi Bunz and Coolababy diapers have regular pockets, with no additional flap at the top, this can lead to the inserts sticking up in back, but I’ve had no problems with that.

Function

I have had very good results with all of these diapers. They hold a lot, stay fairly dry through naps and overnight, and do their job. I have had a few “blowouts” around the legs usually. I think a disposable in those situations would have had the same problem. I usually use 2 inserts during the day and 3 for sleep times. Very rarely do they wick on to the clothing. I am not a change-every-90-minutes cloth diaper-er so I expect them to hold a few hours worth of…. well, whatever. They do.

I launder everything in Crunchy Clean Diaper Soap (and it smells soooo gooood!!) and occasionally use 1 cup of white vinegar and a shake of baking soda. Because the microfiber inserts are SO absorbent, they can get stinky after a while. The best solution I’ve come up with is to separate the inserts from the rest of the diaper shells and wash them alone. Soak them in hot water with 1c of bleach and your usual detergent in a full washer (just stop the cycle after the washer fills), then wash and dry them as usual. I always use a second rinse with my diapers and dry them outside whenever possible, or in the lowest setting in the dryer.

NONE of these diapers are stained. The fleece is really stain resistant and all of my diapers look great, even after a summer and fall of use. I did buy flushable liners that catch the solids (usually) and they do help with changing and clean up (and husband participation!).

Good: The eBay diapers are at a good price, they are made of nice material and function well. The Fuzzi Bunz are the only ones made in the USA and are of quality material. Both have inserts that are super absorbent.

Not So Good: The eBay diapers are NOT made in the USA, the Rainbow BB elastic was substandard in several diapers. You will need to strip the microfleece inserts more often to keep away the stinkies. The Fuzzi Bunz are about twice the price of the eBay diapers.

I would definitely recommend these diapers if you are looking for an inexpensive alternative to the name brands that are out there. Please feel free to ask me about anything I haven’t covered, and leave your comments! I’d love to hear what you think!!!

Buy Them: You can get Coolababy, Rainbow BB, Sweet Doll Baby, and Babyland Diapers online through eBay. These may also be available in bulk from their respective companies. Do some hunting, you should be able to snag these diapers with TWO inserts for about $8 including shipping.

Fuzzi Bunz are available through several retailers online, you can search for them at the main site FuzziBunz.com.

Please do not copy this review without proper credit. Feel free to link this review back to this page!

Babyland Diaper Review

I want to start out by saying that this is an unsolicited review.  I purchased these diapers with my own money and am not being compensated in any way.

My little guy is getting bigger, so some of the cloth diapers I had in our stash are getting a little too short.  I headed back to e-bay to seek out my next purchase.  I was really pleased with the Rainbow BB cloth diapers I got earlier this summer, so I thought I’d look for the same or similar products.  There are so many off brands out there at such low prices I always wonder what quality I’m getting.  A few months back I purchased a Fuzzi Bunz second that I have really love.  Mostly, I wanted it to compare to the ones I bought on e-bay since they are similar styles.  While searching for the next great deal, I came across Babyland diapers.  I mentioned them before, but I think I may have misspoke.  The older photos in the Babyland listings made the diapers look cheap, but the newer updated photos really changed my mind.  I ordered a set of 8 pocket diapers…mostly because of the cute prints.  Here’s what I got:

Diaper Style: Pocket.  I wanted to compare them to my Rainbow BB diapers.  They are very similar in style. Fleece inners with a pocket for inserts.  The elastic that I had problems with in the Rainbow BB appears to be better quality in the Babyland diaper, but time will tell!! The PUL of the new diaper is nice quality and the print fabric feels very soft, almost like flannel.  I think it will wear very comfortably!!

The Interior: The Babyland fleece insides are plushy and soft and would rival a Fuzzi Bunz any day!! I was really surprised and happy with the quality of the interior lining!!  From the picture, there’s a huge difference between the Rainbow BB and Babyland fleece, but keep in mind we’ve used the Rainbow BB all summer.  That being said, I think the Babyland fleece is nicer than the other was to start!  I still don’t have any stains in the diapers I have.

The pockets for both are very similar and I’ve been very happy with the Rainbow BB through out the summer.  I’ve had almost no “blow-outs” and the absorbency of the inserts are fantastic.  I usually double the inserts, and add a third for nap time.  Yes, unlike some hard-core cloth diaper-ers, I do not have the time to change my kiddo every 90 minutes!!!  The inserts do the trick and my guy has had no diaper rash that was cloth diaper-related (only diet related!).

Fit: These will easily fit my 14-month-old in rise and waist.  Like the Rainbow BB diapers, the Babyland diapers offer rise adjustments with two sets of snaps down the front.  UNLIKE the Rainbow BB diapers, I actually believe these would fit a average/large newborn!  The elastic is more snug in both the leg and waist, BUT the selling point is that the front snaps have the ability to overlap for a good fit at the waist.

Look: These particular diapers were also sold in two prints, so I got ONE of the other just to see how they looked.  Both are soft and comfy, not to mention cute! At the time there were only these two prints available, but I think right after I purchased, they started offering more! Figures!  Babyland diapers are also available in a standard fare of solid colors as well, and at a slightly lower price than the prints.

To Review:

Good: Price first and foremost, fit, adjustable snaps, fabric, PUL, insert absorbency

Not So Good: to get a good price they only came with one insert, you definitely need more inserts than one, possibly the elastic (we’ll see, I’ve had problems with other brands, but its and easy fix)

I would definitely recommend these diapers if you are looking for an inexpensive alternative to the name brands that are out there.  Please feel free to ask me about anything I haven’t covered, and leave your comments! I’d love to hear what you think!!!

Coolababy and Rainbow BB Update

I wrote a review earlier about the Coolababy and Rainbow BB cloth diapers earlier, you can read that HERE.  I’ve been using them all summer as well as a set of Blue Penguin’s SposoEasy all cotton cloth diapers.  I just wanted to give a little update now that I’ve had a really good chance to try them. 

First of all the fit:

Coolababy diaper –>          Rainbow BB Diaper –>

They both fit fairly well. I really don’t think they’d fit a newborn at all.  Both tend to suffer “wing droop” after they’ve been on too long.  But I’ve found that most of the cloth diapers my guy wears look that way, especially now that he’s on the move.  I still don’t find that to be a big deal and it doesn’t affect the absorbency.

The Stains:

They are still completely stain free!  I DO use a flushable liner to catch the solids, but many times it doesn’t catch everything.  I rinse them ASAP and they are washed when I have time.  If I am doing a load of diapers soon, I may not even rinse them (just remove the big stuff!).  The fleece doesn’t stain easily and my inserts are still VERY absorbent.  I even end up wringing out the inserts before I hang them on the line.  Yes, hanging them on the line can contribute to less stains. 

Drying and odor:

The Coolababy AND the Rainbow BB diapers are awesome as far as odor goes.  It’s important to treat them well to begin with, but cloth diapers can get stinky sometimes.  My SposoEasy diapers seem to retain odor much faster.  The Coolababy and Rainbow BB shells retain almost no odor and they dry quickly on the line or on lowest heat in the dryer.  The inserts keep some odor, but occasional washing in hot with a double rinse (I double rinse all the time anyway) with a little vinegar and baking soda really does the trick.  I also HIGHLY recommend Crunchy Clean Diaper Soap or Rockin Green Diaper Soap because they smell AWESOME and they are specifically made for cloth diapers.

Waterproof-ness:

The PUL (polyurethane laminate) that is the outer shell is still holding up well.  I haven’t noticed any wear at all.  They do wick a little, but its usually when I haven’t changed him for a long time and they’re really wet ;)

ONE PROBLEM:

As you can see, some of my Rainbow BB’s has bad elastic.  I haven’t had this problem with my Coolababy, but I just have the one, and I have 12 Rainbow BB.  My guess was that it was one of two problems: 1) the elastic was sewn poorly and let go at one end, or 2) it is just bad elastic as gave out.  I decided that since I only paid about $6.50 apiece for these that they were worth repairing.  Here’s what I did:

I used a seam ripper and opened from the inside the elastic pockets, only at each end, and pulled the old stuff out.  You can see it was not bad sewing but bad elastic.  I pinned one end of my new elastic with a safety pin and guided it into the pocket then stitched at each end.  It didn’t take me very long.

                                

If you are handy with a needle and thread or know someone who is, I still say these diapers are well worth the money.  Overall I’ve still been very happy with them and they are holding up well.

Hope this helps.  I’d love to hear what you all think.  Please feel free to link these reviews!

My Unsolicited Review of Coolababy and Rainbow BB diapers

~~~~~~~ UPDATE ~~~~~~~

I've had these diapers for several months now. After you read my original review below, please CLICK HERE to read an update! Thanks for stopping by!

~~~~~~Original Post ~~~~~~~

I have been an E-bay addict lately as I tried to scout out some new yet inexpensive cloth all-in-one diapers. I have some very nice SposoEasy dipes I purchased from a friend, but I wanted to add to my stash. I kept seeing tons of these made-in-China sets of diapers sold in lots from 4 to 24. They end up being around $6.50 to $7.50 each, depending on the shipping and if they include extra inserts.

The Coolababy cloth pocket diaper I purchased came in several cute colors. I looked for one that included a second insert for the pocket. It came in a reasonable amount of time, being that it came from China. When you look at the description on E-bay, you have to weed through the poorly translated English. I actually sort of enjoyed this part. For example:

• according to the size of your baby's urine choose thick or thin diapers, going out at night or optional Thick, thin normally used.

3. Lining is a strong water permeability, when the baby urinating, urine will soon be absorbed through the lining to all the diapers inserts.

I would hope when my baby is going out for a night on the town he remembers to use the optional Thick diaper. There is also a fairly straight forward set of washing instructions on the listing, which is good because they don’t come with any additional instructions in the packaging and a cryptic half-Chinese character tag sewn in.

The Rainbow BB cloth pocket diapers are so very similar that I believe they may be made at the same manufacturer for two different wholesalers. Actually the listing for the Rainbow BB diapers call them Coolababy in the text! They both come in similar colors (Rainbow BB more pastels, Coolababy more basic colors), they both have a very similar design with a few variables, and they both have identical inserts. They also have some fun translations on their listing:

Afterall, the like these of the with cloth, it'the s not saving money of the only about ….. It'the s not environment of the saving our of the only about ……and it'the s not saving our of the only about health. It'the s also every minute of the and loving of the duper CUTE of the looking super of the about baby of it!

Duper CUTE of the looking super!!! Exactly what I was looking for!!

Here’s the specifics….

You can see the slight difference in color. The Rainbow BB PUL material on the outer cover seems to be just slightly better quality. Also, Rainbow BB has an extra row of snaps across the top and the elastic legs are slightly more snug. The Coolababy diaper is a good fit on my chunky baby, but I think would not be as snug on a thinner child (read: leaky?). Both snaps are durable, the Rainbow BB snaps seemed a bit better, but it is slightly newer so maybe just less worn. I played with the adjustable rise, but I have a hard time believing a 7 pound baby would fit either of these. Both have a very nice microfleece inner layer and extremely absorbent inserts. We used these overnight with no leaks, and no blowout in the morning (so far!)

The Coolababy diaper has microfleece right up the top, while Rainbow BB has PUL turned. Either one seems fine. I think I like the Rainbow BB pocket a bit better with the extra flap inside. The Coolababy pocket is slightly more wide, so easier to stuff, but the pocket is open at the end so if the microfleece shifts too much you may end up with PUL right against baby’s skin. Both wash well and dry fast either on the line or on medium heat in the dryer. After some long term use, I’ll probably post again as to the wear and tear and how they’re holding up.

Overall, for the price, they seem like they will be decent diapers. I think I like the Rainbow BB slightly better than the Coolababy. Some tips for hunting on E-bay: These are usually a buy-it-now item. Look for listings for free shipping, or remember to factor shipping into the cost of the diaper. You really should be able to snag these for less than $8 each with second inserts included! I would not at all recommend the Babyland Diapers as the inner lining looks like terribly cheap polyester. I was totally wrong about Babyland Diapers, you can read my review for them HERE!

There wasn’t much info about these so I wanted to post my experiences. If anyone ever tries SunBaby, SweetDollBaby or any of the other similar products, I’d love to hear what you thought.