CLOSED-Bum Covered Diapers Build-Your-Own-Fitted Review and Giveaway-CLOSED

Recently, Bum Covered Diapers had a sweet coupon code for $5 off any order that included a diaper. Because I'm a cheapskate, I used that $5 to buy a Build-Your-Own Fitted Diaper that was on sale for only $5. I paid $1.99 for shipping and not a cent for the diaper.  It was a sweet deal and I was happy.

When I got the diaper, I was very pleased.  It was thick, well made, soft, and pretty. I was worried at first that it had velcro closures as the only option, since Bunny loves to undo her velcro, but the closures are so sturdy that even I have a tough time getting them open--which is a very good thing!

So, I contacted Melissa at Bum Covered Diapers and asked if she'd be willing to give one of these sweet little, customizable diapers away to one of my readers, and she gladly agreed. 

Here is what she says about these particular diapers:

"These fitted diapers are made exactly the way you want them! You choose the flannel print for the outside. We put two layers of flannel and a heavy soaker pad on the inside. We can create a custom diaper especially for your little one. You choose outside print, the soaker material, and the inside fabric! (The colors and designs pictured give you an idea of the fabric we have, but we can get almost any color or design you request...your choices are in no way limited to what you see here!)

"These diapers will require a waterproof cover. Plastic pants will do, or PUL covers like Thirsties, or Bummis Wraps will work fine. We do not have covers available at this time but hope to carry Thirsties covers in the very near future!

"Because we are using new patterns to sew these diapers, we're offering them at a LOW price. In return, we hope that you would give us your feedback on the style, fit, absorbency, etc.

"Please allow at least 1 week for us to sew and ship your custom diaper orders. Larger orders may take longer to complete."

Now, let me tell you what I love about them. 

FIT
My daughter seems to be between sizes right now.  She weighs in at just under 21 lbs so to be safe, I ordered a size Large, which should fit babies who weigh between 21 and 26 lbs.  The diaper is slightly large on her--which I should have anticipated, and the leg fit is a bit roomy.  The waist, however fits great.  
 The diaper also seems to be the tiniest bit bulky on her because I ordered the large size.  Based on the cut of the diaper, however, I feel that if I had ordered a medium, the diaper would fit her just fine, and wouldn't be bulky at all. 

ABSORBENCY
The amount and type of absorbency in this diaper is all up to you.  You can choose from among three different types of absorbent fabrics--flannel, microfiber, or terrycloth.  I chose flannel because it was the cheapest option and I'm cheap.  But it's also an extremely absorbent option.  My daughter, who is a frequent wetter, not a heavy one, will pee a couple of times before I notice that she's wet because it just absorbs so much.  As it is washed, flannel gets a little stiff which makes it more absorbent but it's still gentle and soft against your baby's skin. 

PRICE
For me, the price was right.  Even if I hadn't had a coupon, the sale price of $5 was a reasonable price for a diaper, and it came with a microfleece, stay-dry insert as well.  At a new regular starting price of only $6, the diaper is still an amazing steal!  Choosing to add different fabrics will increase your price by small increments.  But still, if you buy a 3XL diaper with the most expensive materials that BCD offers, your diaper will still only be $10.  That is a very good! Since this price is introductory, it won't stay this low for long, so if you want to snatch them while they're inexpensive, I'd suggest stocking up on these diapers very soon!

QUALITY
Since I'm a diaper sewer myself, I know what to look for when it comes to diaper quality.  The pictures on the BCD website don't do this diaper justice. It is beautiful and very well made and I'm extremely pleased with the quality.  

CLOSURES
The diapers come with hook and loop closures.  I wasn't too excited about that prospect at first since my daughter is an expert at taking these off so I was planning on removing them and adding my own snaps, but the closures on this fitted diaper are surprisingly strong and not only does my daughter have difficulty opening them, but I am happy to discover that I do as well. My only complaint about the closures is that the laundry tabs aren't as strong as the applix on the front of the diaper and the tabs seem to come apart in the wash and catch on my other diapers. 

WASHING
I wash this diaper the same as I wash all of my other diapers--a cold rinse, followed by a hot wash, and another cold rinse.  I dry it in the machine twice until it's completely dry and ready for use.  I don't line dry any fitted diapers or AIOs because it takes too long so I can't attest to the exact amount of time that would require. I think it's easy to wash and very durable. 

CHOICES
Besides the different choices in materials, you also have a couple of great choices of prints and colors! I really liked my choice of fashion flower because the print is bold and bright.  My friend bought one of these fitteds in a soft yellow color which is also very nice.

All in all, I'm very pleased with this diaper.  It's soft, pretty, quality, and very absorbent.  It's definitely a diaper I would buy again if I needed more diapers :-D

So, at such a good price and with such great quality, I'm sure you want to go out and get some of your own! And while you're at it, you can try to win one here too :-D  Melissa is generously offering one of these build-your-own-fitteds to any of my readers from the United States or Canada.  What do you need to do to win?

MANDATORY ENTRY (Please include your email in every comment):
1. Go to bumcovereddiapers.com and look at the Make-Your-Own-Fitted-Diapers.  Then come back and tell me which print you would like to have.

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:
2.  Like Bum Covered Diapers on Facebook. (1 entry)
3. Like Cloth Diaper Mommy on Facebook.  (1 entry)
4. Follow Bum Covered Diapers' blog.(1 entry)  
5. Follow my blog. (1 entry)
6. Subscribe to Bum Covered Diapers newsletter.  (1 entry)
7. Blog about this giveaway and link the post in your comment.  (3 entries)
8. Announce the giveaway on Twitter and link the post in your comment (1 entry per day).
9. Follow me on Twitter @Clothdiapermomm (1 entry)
10.  Buy any product from Bumcovereddiapers.com and include your order number in your comment. (5 entries)


This giveaway is open until Wednesday, March 23 at midnight EST.

Fitted Diaper for $5 or free.

Bum Covered Diapers has a great new deal going on fitted diapers.  They're offering a starting prices of $5 for one of their "build-your-own" fitted diapers.  They don't have too much selection on different materials, but enough to make it worthwhile considering the price, and they do have a good amount of different prints available.   I have a feeling that the price will eventually go up, though, since they mentioned that they're still in the process of perfecting their patterns which is the reason for the low, low price.  

I managed to buy one of their diapers today for only the cost of shipping and would have posted how to do so here, but it expired at noon today and I couldn't get to a computer by then. :-( I'm so sorry!

However, you still may be able to try one of these diapers for free.  Check out the details here. 

$10 Gift Certificate to www.monkeybunz.com CLOSED

I was so excited to discover that I'd won a Bumkins Diaper Cover from Monkey Bunz.com awhile back, and even more excited when I discovered that they were going to sponsor  a giveaway from my blog!

Yes, folks, it's time for another giveaway! Who doesn't love giveaways???

First things first.  Monkeybunz.com is an online retailer that specializes in cloth diapers and cloth diaper accessories and they offer some of your favorite cloth diaper styles and brands.   It was started by Rhonda,  a stay-at-home-mom who needed to return to work but preferred her at-home lifestyle with her kids.  She says, "After a lot of soul searching, and business research, Monkeybunz.com was born.  Now we have a business that both eco-friendly and family-friendly.  Best of all, it's budget-friendly for our customers."

One of my favorite things about Monkeybunz.com is that it offers Free Shipping within the contiguous USA.  Have I mentioned how much I love retailers who offer Free Shipping?    So go ahead, add Monkeybunz.com to your list of favorite retailers when you're searching for the next perfect cloth diaper.  

With so many good things to say about this store, I'm so pleased to do this giveaway!

Monkey Bunz has generously offered one $10 gift certificate to their store. I will extend this giveaway for 2 weeks, as I normally do for my giveaways.
TO WIN:

Mandatory Entry: To be eligible for this giveaway, you must be a follower of my blog, and you must answer the following question:
Which accessory would you buy from Monkeybunz.com and why?

Additional Entries:
(please put your email in each comment.  It can be in a "____ at _____ dot com" format if you prefer)

* 5 entries: blog/facebook/twitter about this post and comment here with the url address and your email.

* 1 entry: Tell me what cloth diaper Monkey Bunz offers that you would like to try.

* 1 entry: Add my button to your blog

*1 entry: Follow Monkey Bunz on facebook

*1 entry: Check out the Monkey Bunz blog and tell me one thing you discovered there.

*1 entry: Follow Monkeybunz on Twitter (Twitter page is Monkeybunzstore)

*3 entries: submit an order at Monkeybunz.com during the duration of this giveaway and leave your order number in your comments.  

Good luck! You will have from today, Saturday, May 8th until Wednesday, May 26th to enter this giveaway.

Fuzzi Bunz Wonder Wipes WInner

This is so SO late and I'm so SO sorry! Life just caught up with me and with my back out for two weeks time left me behind for awhile!

In any case, early in the morning on April 16th, I went to random.org and discovered that ISHA had won my giveaway.  I promptly sent her an email and then...silly me... forgot to post the winner here!

After TWO people emailed me to remind me to do so I've finally remembered!!!

So, belated congratulations are due to Isha for winning some amazing cloth baby wipes from Wee Little Changes.

Again, I'm so sorry this took me so long.  It's really been one (well two) of those weeks. 

$15 giveaway from RG Natural Babies--TWO WINNERS!!! (CLOSED)

(only 6 people have entered so far! Your chances to win are still GREAT!)

RG Natural Babies is celebrating their TWO YEAR anniversary this month! To help celebrate, Michelle, the owner of this great store, has decided to give away TWO $15 gift certificates!  That's one gift certificate for each year they've been open.  How generous is that???  In addition you can find lots of other sales and giveaways on the website's home page. So exciting!

I was delighted when I found RG Natural Babies on Diaperpin.com a couple of months ago and discovered that they offer Free Shipping on the things I buy the most. Their selection and service is great so I'm really happy to be able to share them with you through this giveaway.

I wanted to do things a little differently for this giveaway because sometimes I get a little tired of doing the same thing to try to win freebies at other people's giveaways and I wonder if people feel the same way about mine.  So, instead of the normal barrage of comments, you will enter ONE comment.  One LARGE comment because you will be doing a scavenger hunt type quiz!

I've grabbed a couple of thumbnails of some of the items that Michelle sells over at her website, and cropped them.  Your job is to try to figure out what each item is by searching through her website.  In addition, I will be asking you some questions reguarding her website that you will also answer.

Details:

* You must be a follower of my blog to be eligible.

* You should identify each picture as completely as possible.

* You should answer each question as completely as possible.
*Your entry will count two times if you order from RG Natural Babies during this giveaway and include the order number in your quiz, or in a separate comment. It will count three times (in other words, be entered three times) if you spread the word via facebook, twitter, or your blog and include the URL. There is no need to do an extra comment for each of these, but you may if you need to.

*  The winners will be chosen as follows:
1 Gift Certificate goes to the first person to get all the answers correct, and who answers the questions the most completely
1 Gift Certificate goes to a winner picked at random from the rest of the "quizzes" that were answered correctly.

* This contest will run from today until April 30th.

RG NATURAL BABIES PHOTO HUNT

First, the pictures:

In your comments, please identify each picture by its number.

1.  

2.  

3.  

4.  

5.  

6.  

7.  

8.  

9.

10.

11.  

12.  

13.

Now, for some questions:

14. What does RG stand for? 

15. On which items does RG Natural Babies offer free shipping?

16. What do you feel is the best deal that Michelle has at RG Natural Babies (no one right answer :-D)

17. What's Michelle's husband's name?

 18. What local newspaper featured RG Natural Babies? 

19. What is RG Natural Babies' stance on price matching?

20. What cloth diaper do you wish RG Natural Babies would sell that it currently does not offer? 

And there it is, ladies and gentleman! Good luck, and make sure to support Michelle over at RG Natural Babies! 

FuzziBunz Organic Cotton Wonder Wipes review and giveaway from Wee Little Changes

Wee Little Changes is an adorable store located in North Carolina that offers such baby necessities as cloth diapers, burp cloths, bottles, crib sheets, and toys.  April, the owner of Wee Little Changes (and stay at home mom) strives to offer quality items in her store.  Also, she offers many natural and organic products such as Fuzzi Bunz Organic Cotton Wipes--which is what she sent me.

As far as her story goes, April has this to say:

 "My family and I own and operate Wee Little Changes out of Wilmington, North Carolina.  Being a SAHM has been so rewarding and I will be forever grateful for the time I have gotten to spend with my children. 

The most important thing my family has taught me is how to just live simply and enjoy the little things in life.  I think this quote captures it perfectly, “If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live.”  -Lyn Yutang.  I hope when my children are grown, that they will be able to find joy in the little things life has to offer.  A parent’s job never feels complete, but with each new day comes with it an opportunity to learn, grow and love more than the day before.

Wee Little Changes is dedicated to provide quality (and cute!) products that are good for your baby, the environment and your purse.  I have done countless hours of research on all of our products, and each one has been tested by my family and found to be a winner.  Please let me know if I can assist you in any way or if you have questions or comments.  Thank you for the opportunity to help you and your family in some 'wee little way'."

Besides the fact that she offers a great selection of baby needs, I absolutely love that April offers FREE SHIPPING on her items.  It's the most frustrating thing to me when I go to buy some diapers or accessories that are on sale from a diaper retailer only to see another $5-$10 and sometimes more get added to my total.  In my opinion it makes all my effort to find a great deal for naught.  So, I always look for the things I need from shops that offer FREE SHIPPING.

I loved working with April.  She was very helpful, and patient with me and had great communication.  I will definitely buy from her in the future.  She's great with customer service and very encouraging as well.

She sent me some of her Fuzzi Bunz Wonder Wipes to review.

 They are one layer of soft, knit cotton, surged on the edges.  They are thin and soft to the touch, and have a natural beige color because they are organic and unbleached.

When I first saw them, I wasn't sure what to think.  I use my homemade, two layer flannel baby wipes and I've gotten used to them.  These are nothing like those wipes.  So I washed them, and then proceeded to put them in with my flannel wipes next to my spray bottle.

 When I went to use them with the spray bottle, the water reacted differently than it does with the flannel.  I didn't need nearly as much water as the bottle was spraying and it got everywhere.  Flannel is quite absorbent, and the thin layer of cotton was not.  So I decided to store them wet--which is a new thing for me... and I fell in love.

 Using these baby wipes is like using disposable wipes, only better.  Because they are thin, they form around your hands easily as you wipe allowing you to get in all the crevices to clean your baby's diaper area thoroughly.  They store well wet, and can be stored dry and used with a spray bottle as well, with practice.  They just need less water than your more absorbent wipes.

I put the wipes in my little plastic "Huggies" travel case--you know the one--you've seen it in most moms' diaper bags.  They fit quite well in there--all ten of them--and made for great travel wipes.

I decided to replace my stash of diaper bag flannel wipes with these ones, but then I liked them so much that I robbed my diaper bag to use them while at home.  So now, I'm to the point where I can't decide whether they'll travel with me or not.  They just go with me everywhere I go and I use them first.

If you're new to using cloth wipes, or even if you're an old pro at them, I think you should try these little guys.  All natural so they're the best material imaginable against your baby's skin, and amazingly easy so that diaper changing sessions go much more smoothly.  I highly recommend them to anyone who has chosen to cloth diaper.

And if you don't cloth diaper, I recommend them to you as well.  They make for great on-the-go washcloths for when you're feeding your baby pureed veggies and messy oatmeal, and for those "oops" moments when drool, spit up, or both find their way in places where they don't belong.  At my bible study the other night, I also discovered that these are great teethers.  I pulled one out and let my daughter chew and suck on it to her hearts content--watching her carefully of course, and having rinsed all my wipe solution away with some tap water.  Bunny's swollen gums couldn't get enough of the Fuzzi Bunz organic Wonder Wipes!

If you want some of these wipes for yourself, you can head on over to Wee Little Changes, and buy some--they're currently ON SALE for only $11.99, down from $21.  Sweet deal!

You can also try to win some here, since April has graciously offered a set to give away!

How?

Leave the following comments, making sure to include YOUR EMAIL on EACH ONE.

Mandatory entry:
 Follow my blog, then tell me one interesting thing about April's website at Wee Little Changes.


Additional entries: 
10 entries: buy something from Wee Little Changes and comment here (10 times) leaving your order number in at least one comment so I can verify your order.


5 entries: blog about it, and leave me the URL to the post.

2 entries: Follow April's blog.

1 entry: Become a facebook fan of Wee Little Changes

1 entry: Tweet about it and leave the URL to the tweet here.  

1 entry: Add the "Makin it" button to your blog

This contest will run from April 1st until April 15th because, well, it's tax day and I'd like to make that day delightful for someone out there!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!!!

Don't forget to enter to win a RED One Size Fuzzi Bunz pocket diaper from The Diaper Wagon! It's one of the best quality cloth diapers on the market today so you really don't want to miss this one.

Check it out HERE for the details

Waldorf Inspired Doll Givaway.

Saskia, one of my favorite bloggers is giving away some of her adorable little dolls!  Check it out at the Nifty Nappy Blog.  They're so SO cute!!!

Don't you just want one for your little precious to hold onto? I know I do so I already entered!!!

Fuzzi Bunz Review and Giveaway from The Diaper Wagon (Closed)

I was so delighted when I found The Diaper Wagon on one of my favorite websites--Diaperpin.com.  I was interested in buying from this website because they offer FREE SHIPPING on all US orders all the time no matter the size of the order.  For this reason, her website was automatically added to my sidebar with all the other cloth diaper/baby retailers who offer free shipping.  I was even more delighted when Anne, the founder of The Diaper Wagon, decided to give me a One Size Fuzzi Bunz diaper to review and giveaway. 

First things first, you need to know a little bit more about this wonderful retailer.

Anne used to be a career woman in the business field until she had her first child and decided to become a stay-at-home-mom.  As her worldview shifted to focus on her precious little family, she became much more conscious about the products she used and how they affected her family and the environment.  From this concern, The Diaper Wagon was born.  She emphasizes that that her focus is not on the quantity of different products her store has, but the quality of the products she offers.   Most of her products are tried, tested, and approved of by her own family.  In addition, she tries to keep the shop stashed with products from work-at-home-moms.  Also, the majority of her products are proudly made in the USA. 

Anne's mission is "To assist families in their commitment to a more natural way of life by promoting and providing eco-friendly products which are primarily manufactured in the U.S.A. by Work-At-Home-Moms (WAHM’s) and small, independently-owned businesses." and she hopes that The Diaper Wagon will be "will be the most trusted, independently-owned provider of information, products and services in the eco-friendly and natural living retail marketplace. "


Now for the Review and Giveaway you're all anxiously waiting for.
 The Fuzzi Bunz One Size Pocket diaper is currently my absolute favorite diaper to put on my little Bunny!

Instructions: The instructions are written clearly with pictures on the packaging of the diaper.  In addition, you can find instructions on how to use, wash, and adjust your Fuzzi Bunz diaper on the Fuzzi Bunz website . Also, you can find a sizing guide on the Fuzzi Bunz website, or on Diaper Wagon's page.  

 Ease of Use: When you first use this diaper, it will seem more difficult than many of the diapers that you have because of the set-up process with the internal adjustments.  It may take a couple of tries to find the correct inner elastic adjustments for your little Precious.  However, once those adjustments are made, you don't have to touch them again until your baby has another growth spurt, and for this reason I'd say that the diaper is tolerably easy to use.  Because Fuzzi Bunz strives to be durable (using snaps) and have a great fit, there are lots of snaps for you to navigate when putting this diaper on your baby.  It can seem complicated at first, but with practice, it is pretty easy.  However, I wouldn't give this diaper to a babysitter or cloth diaper novice unless they are comfortable with your cloth diapering routine already.
One Size Adjustments:  This diaper does not use rise snaps as most One-Size diapers do.  It uses internal adjustments with button-hole elastics.  Check it out:

The diaper will come to you set on the 2nd button hole (there are four on each side, I believe)

Adjust each side of the legs and waist to the buttonhole that suits your child.  I used the size chart for reference, but then tried the diaper on Bunny and adjusted it accordingly.

Then, you just have to tuck the end of the elastic into the flap and you're done!


Fit--Amazing!  With three snaps on each closure tab, in addition to internal elastic adjustments in both legs and back, you can truly customize this diaper to fit your baby's body type exactly and prevent leaks.  My daughter has skinny little thighs and a skinny waist, but needs a higher rise in a diaper, so this is perfect for us! No more leaking through leg holes more suitable for chubby baby legs!  Finally, this is a diaper that can fit many baby body types!!! In fact, I don't know that this diaper has ever leaked for us in the 4 or 5 months we've been using it (we have three of them--I'd like to own MUCH more!) 

Closure--Durable snaps, a set of three on each closure tab.

Insert--  The diaper comes with two, a small and regular size.  They are both rectangular with four layers of thick microfiber for absorbency.  The width is thin, however, so it's not bulky between your baby's legs.
Pocket-- Fuzzi Bunz is the original pocket diaper.  In fact, they own the patent on pockets!  The pocket is in the back of the diaper.  There is no flap over the pocket so that you can easily take the insert out of the diaper without having to touch it.  

Nighttime--absolutely.  The fit and the layers of microfiber make this diaper ideal for us when it comes to diapering at night.  
Daytime--yep!  The lack of bulk between the legs makes this perfect for playtime.

Poop Bombs--contains them nicely--even if she's on her back or side!
Wash-- Washing instructions are pretty much the same as other diapers. Separate the insert from the diaper, knock solids into the toilet, rinse in cold water, wash (with detergent) in hot water, rinse on cold, tumble dry or hang dry, and no fabric softeners. Pretty simple.

 Materials  Very, durable 2 mil PUL, soft fleece that doesn't pill very much at all despite many washings, a thick microfiber insert, snaps, and easily replaceable, button-hole elastics.

Price  $18.95, and if you add shipping at The Diaper Wagon that will come to a total of... $18.95!

What I would change  I can't think of anything I would change about this diaper.  The things that make it slightly more difficult to use than other diapers are the very things that make this diaper durable and have such a great fit.  

Anne at The Diaper Wagon was gracious enough to offer a Red, One Size Fuzzi Bunz Diaper to one of the "Makin' It" readers.  Sweet, huh???

How do you enter to get one?  Just do a few things for us.

(Please make sure you leave your email in each comment you leave)

Mandatory Entry: First, follow my blog and then go over to The Diaper Wagon and tell me one thing that Anne sells that you hadn't heard of before or that you've never tried before.   

Additional Entries: 

* 2 entries: Follow Anne's blog. Her store and her blog are relatively new and she needs some cyberspace love!!!

* 5 entries: blog about this giveaway and leave the url to your post in your comment. Please leave five separate comments letting me know you did so.

* 1 entry: Tweet about this giveaway and leave the url to your tweet in your comment. 

*1 entry: add my "Makin It" button to your blog

* 10 entries: buy something from The Diaper Wagon and include your order # in the comment.  Please leave 10 separate comments letting me know you did so

This Giveaway will run for two weeks, from today, March 18th, until Thursday, April 1st--and don't worry, this doesn't mean it's an April Fools joke!    Good luck!