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Baby Babu Review and Giveaway!

June 26, 2012 By Jeniffer

Baby Babu is a fairly new cloth diaper company based in Florida. Their website states that owners Hope and Joe Chanda, the parents of twin boys, strive, “to provide high quality, sustainable and affordable diapering solutions and related products to parents worldwide.”

Not only are their diapers affordable, they also come in a variety of cute prints, colors, and even embroidered designs! But their store doesn’t stop with diapers. They offer baby wipes, diaper covers, diaper pins, and even wet bags.

Baby Babu sent both of us a diaper to review, along with an extra insert for nighttime diapering.

Jeniffer’s Thoughts:

Originally, I had asked for the Fly Away Butterfly patterned diaper, and Melissa asked for the This Guy’s Bananas! diaper. Baby Babu sent her the Slow Down! diaper instead. When we pointed out the mistake, they sent Melissa her original diaper choice and let her have the mistake diaper. She gave it to me since I’ll have two girls in diapers soon…and she has her one boy. Both diapers are absolutely adorable, and I have received compliments on both of them many times.

The diapers come with a snap-in insert that agitates itself out in the washer. While I tend to just unsnap them, I did leave them in the diapers a couple of times to test this out. They stayed attached through the entire wash cycles as well as while in the dryer, and even in my cold water washer, they were clean!

The diapers also come with an internal gusset, designed to keep yucky poops in. We have had a few of them here lately with teething, and none of her poops have exploded out of her diaper. However, it will be interesting to see how exclusively breastfed poop stands up to the gusset this fall. While I’ve never had a problem with any diapers or covers leaking EBF poop, I have had a few close calls with other diapers. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Baby Babu diapers are one-size diapers, but they fit smaller on Abby than I like. With most of her other diapers, she’s still on the second or third waist snap setting and the medium rise setting, but not so with Baby Babu. She is on the last rise setting and has one more snap setting on the waist to go. She has a little wiggle room, but not very much. Since she’s in the 50th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height, I’d venture to guess that Baby Babu diapers would fit for longer on small babies.

My overall opinion of Baby Babu diapers is that they are a good diaper if you are looking for a quick, cheaper way to build your stash. While they aren’t my favorites, they do work pretty well overall. My daughter has worn them to town several times without issues as well as overnight without leaks. I personally wouldn’t want to build my stash out of them, but they are good diapers.

Melissa’s Thoughts:

I am absolutely in love with the Baby Babu embroidery designs for their diapers! When I saw This Guy’s Bananas! on their website, I might have gone a bit…. bananas As you all might have picked up on by now, I have a thing for monkeys for Nehemiah. It started before he was born, and then when he got here at 10 lbs, 6 oz, with crazy dark hair and chubby cheeks, the nickname “Chunky Monkey” was to perfect to pass up!

Every time he wears this diaper, I smile. I will confess that I try to save it for times when I know we are going out of the house and I can pair it with just a t-shirt and show it off!

I had to hold my wiggly monkey down to get this shot, silly boy! But see how cute that winking monkey is?

Thankfully, this diaper also fits Nehemiah really well. Diaper fit can be such a funny thing. I was shocked to see how little room Abby has left, since Nehemiah’s diapers typically fit much smaller than hers do. He is still on the middle rise setting, and has a few snaps left in the waist on each side as well.

In addition to the adorable applique and good fit, Baby Babu has several other nice features. I really like the internal gussets and the hip snaps, shown below. Jeniffer mentioned the fact that the soakers can snap-in. I don’t ever use them that way, but I do like that Baby Babu is a sleeve-style diaper, so the inserts will agitate out in the wash on their own.

Our Baby Babu diaper does hold up fairly well for daytime use for Nehemiah, but it hasn’t worked well for us overnight, even with the additional soaker. We’ve also had more staining issues with this diaper than I do with most of my other stay-dry pockets, and I think it may have something to do with the lining.

Overall, I think these diapers are cute, work well, and can be a great way to economically add some adorable designs to your stash!

Buy It:

You can purchase a Baby Babu diaper in a variety of prints, colors, and embroidered designs for just $11.99 on the Baby Babu website. Right now you can also use code BABU10 for 10% off your purchase! While you are there, be sure to check out their All-in-Ones, covers, and other products!

Win It:

One of our readers will win a Baby Babu pocket diaper, in the winner’s choice of girl, boy, or gender neutral. To enter, just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. While blog posts are welcome, they do not count towards entries.

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Earth Mama Angel Baby Earth Mama Body Butter and Organic Peaceful Mama Tea Review and Giveaway

May 15, 2012 By Jeniffer

If you keep up with us on Twitter, you know that I’m a huge fan of Earth Mama Angel Baby. From their Head-to-Toe washes to their teas and even their lotions, everything that I’ve tried so far has been love at first use! Yes…every. thing. (By the way, their body washes are the only ones, including “hypoallergenic” formulas, I’ve tried that will keep my daughter eczema-free. Seriously. They rock.)

Here’s Mama’s Promise from the Earth Mama Angel Baby site:

Safe, organic products that work. Naturally.

Earth Mama Angel Baby’s safe, zero toxin herbal products support mamas and babies through the entire miraculous birth process, offering nature’s perfect solutions to perfectly natural pregnancy discomforts.

Combining generations of women’s wisdom and traditional plant medicine with the safety and assurances of contemporary evidence based research, Mama created the only complete line of zero toxin, hospital recommended organic and natural herbal products and USDA Certified 100% Organic teas specifically formulated to support women throughout the common discomforts of childbirth, from pregnancy through labor, postpartum recovery, breastfeeding, baby care and even the loss of a baby. All of Earth Mama Angel Baby® products are made with only pure, natural worry-free ingredients. And every Earth Mama Angel Baby product rates a zero for toxins on the respected Skin Deep database; the best rating a product can receive.

Cruelty-free, certified vegan, kosher, and 100% free from toxic ingredients — that means no Quaternium-15, 1,4-Dioxane, formaldehyde, phthalates, petrochemicals, parabens, SLS, artificial preservatives, artificial fragrances or dyes. Pure natural products for pure, natural mamas and babies. Zero Toxins. Hospital Recommended. Safe for Pregnancy, Ideal for the Whole Family.

Mama’s promise is to offer only safe, pure, natural products that work. If it doesn’t measure up to Mama’s standards, it doesn’t leave the building. Promise.

I was beyond excited to receive their Earth Mama Body Butter and Peaceful Mama Tea for review because I knew before I even received the package that I would be receiving quality products that far surpass those found in the stores around here.

I've had the Body Butter for almost a month, and I've really only used that much! So worth the price!

I first looked at the Earth Mama Body Butter. After all, I couldn’t very well boil some tea at the post office!

Earth Mama® Body Butter Contains Organic Ingredients and is certified to the NSF/ANSI 305 Standard. Earth Mama Body Butter combines organic Borage oil and Neroli pure essential oil with rich Shea butter in a safe-for-pregnancy blend that won’t aggravate morning sickness. It’s vegan, cruelty-free, zero toxin and it’s the purest, most luxurious lotion for pregnancy stretch marks you’ll find.

You’ll love it for moisturizing and encouraging your skin’s natural elasticity as your beautiful belly grows, but you’ll appreciate it long after the birth of your angel baby! For expectant bellies, breasts and WAY beyond.

The first thing that I noticed about the Body Butter was how easy it is to open! After having to twist lotion tops for what feels like forever sometimes, I was amazed at how easily the Body Butter top opened. Just one little half-twist and it’s ready to use!

Of course I tried some on my hands right away. The scent is nice and light with a hint of ginger, which is a miracle worker at calming queasy tummies. While the lotion is thinner than most, it moisturizes well and absorbs quickly. When I say that it moisturizes well, I mean that the day I put it on, I had a slight itchy spot on my stomach. Since that day, I haven’t had any, even when I don’t apply the lotion for a day. If I feel itchy anywhere on my body, I put some there and know that I won’t deal with it for at least several days if ever again. I’m one of those women who will get stretch marks no matter what, but at least the ones I do have don’t itch!

My favorite of the two is the Organic Peaceful Mama Tea. Mostly because I know that if I drink a cup while stressed or upset, I’ll mellow out, calm down, and will be able to think again.

Formulated with tension easing Lemon Balm, calcium rich Oat Straw, calming Chamomile, and a whiff of Red Raspberry Leaf and Orange Peel to ensure you a comforting cuppa! Enjoy a relaxing cup of Peaceful Mama Tea before bedtime. Then settle down, be at peace and marvel that you are growing your beautiful angel baby, naturally.

All Earth Mama Angel Baby teas are naturally caffeine free, in biodegradable, easy to brew tea bags with compostable overwrap, and the 100% recycled and recyclable cartons were produced using wind energy. Steep, sip and enjoy!

Early on when I was still breastfeeding Abby, I would drink a cup if nursing was wearing me out. I’d be able to reassess the situation and connect better with Abby after a cup, and I think that having the tea helped me to nurse her for as long as I did. Since she is starting to own her toddlerhood, I’m very thankful for a nice, calming cup of tea at the end of the day!

One note of interest: if you boil the water and then steep the tea, it will be much stronger than if you just use microwaved water. When I boil the tea, I have a hard time staying awake for much longer. In fact, I’ve fallen asleep within 30 minutes of drinking a cup…without planning on going to bed! If I just warm the water, I calm down but can keep going. I’ve also steeped the bags twice with the only difference being the strength of the tea.

Bottom line? I highly recommend both products not only to pregnant mamas but to any mama! I have a feeling that I’ll be using both long after this pregnancy, and you definitely don’t have to be pregnant to enjoy either. The Body Butter is great for newly-shaved legs, and I think every mama could use some Peaceful Mama Tea at times. So go ahead and enter the giveaway below for both!

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Buns Up Baby Review and Giveaway

March 13, 2012 By Jeniffer

Today we want to introduce you to Amber, and her company, Buns Up Baby. Buns Up Baby is a Canadian based business that ships products all over North America. When Amber was expecting her first child, she started researching cloth diapering options. Her search for an economical, well-designed diaper led to the birth of Buns Up Baby one-size, snap closure, pocket diapers. These diapers are designed to fit from birth to potty-training, and are intentionally made a bit larger than many other brands on the market to accommodate older/larger children. Buns Up Baby diapers are also significantly more affordable than many other diapers out there.

In addition to the original Buns Up Baby One-Size pocket diapers, available in minkee or silkee outers, Buns Up Baby also sells the new Buns Up Baby 2.0 pocket diaper, as well as inserts, wet bags, and pail liners.

Amber says, “I hope to help people become less intimidated by cloth diapering, and see that it isn’t complicated or time consuming. I am so excited to share with you my experience and enthusiasm for ecofriendly & mom-friendly cloth diapering.”

Melissa’s Thoughts:

One of the first things that jumped out at me about Buns Up Baby pockets were the claim that they were larger than other pocket diapers. As I’ve mentioned before, my 3.5 year old is still not potty trained (although we are working on that this week – wish us luck!). At 35 lbs, he is on the smaller side for his age, but we still have many diapers that are getting uncomfortably snug. If he had a stockier build, I’m sure we would be having a real problem finding diapers that fit at all.

Front view of the Buns Up Baby Milky Way diaper on my 3.5 year old.

Buns Up Baby lives up to their claim. These diapers have a nice, generous cut, with plenty of room for older preschoolers who still need diapers.

Back view on my 3.5 year old

Buns Up Baby diapers come in either minkee or silky outers, and you can choose either a fleece or suedecloth inner. I chose the Milky Way diaper, listed here. It’s an adorable cow print, and my first minkee. I am in love!

Nehemiah's a cow. His shirt says, "Moo!" I'm a farmer! Hey, we needed a last minute costume

A side note: Not only are these diapers great, but Amber is a really sweet person! I was having a mini-meltdown on Twitter the other night because I needed last minute costume ideas, and she took the time to encourage me, give me some ideas, and generally talk me back down off my crazy place

Ok, back to the diaper. I don’t know about you, but when I see a diaper with an unusually low price tag, I worry about quality. However, after looking this diaper over carefully and using it steadily for several weeks now, I’ve seen no red flags. The elastic is good, the snaps are strong, and it’s one of my favorite diapers! The included microfiber insert is a fair amount thinner than most of my other diapers, and doesn’t stand up very well to my heavy wetters. But I’ve stuffed the pocket with tri-folded flats, or other inserts, and the diaper has worked great. Buns Up Baby Diapers retail for less than many covers on the market, so I still feel like these are well worth the money! The new Buns Up Baby 2.0 comes with a multi-layer bamboo insert, which I feel likely would solve this issue completely.

In addition to the super-soft minkee outer, I love the suedecloth inner of this diaper. Not only is it soft and trim, but it is easy to clean, and doesn’t stain easily – my boys have put that to the test!

Inner of the diaper

I can’t attest to the fit othese diapers on a tiny baby, but I did compare the Buns Up Baby on its smallest setting to an x-small Thirsties cover, and it looks like they are a similar size. With the hip snaps and crossover snaps feature of the Buns Up Baby, I could see these working on newborns.

Photo comparison

I love my Buns Up Baby diaper, and I think these are great for those wanting to economically bulk up their stash, get started on a budget, or who need a diaper that will fit larger munchkins.

Jeniffer’s Thoughts:

When I first saw the diaper that I had picked, I was hooked! I love looking at the adorable print (Mint Chocolate Chip). I also appreciate that it’s a gender neutral pattern that’s still pretty enough to put under Abby’s dresses. The diaper that I picked is a Silky Pattern Buns with a fleece lining, and as Melissa mentioned, there’s lots of room for Abby to grow into it!

Buns Up Baby Diaper on Smallest Setting

I really like the fit on Abby. While she does have chunky legs (that are slimming down now that she’s walking some), she has a smaller waist and no booty. It can be fun finding diapers that fit well, especially ones that still have some room for her to grow into. In her Buns Up Baby, she is on the smallest rise setting and has 2 snaps left on the waist. (Of course, there are only 4 settings for the bottom snap, so she has plenty of room left!)

Buns Up Baby Diaper on Largest Setting

The diaper works fine for us during the day, and I have a feeling that it would work fine at night, too. However, Abby is starting to hold her pee more, so using this diaper at night would require either an immediate change in the morning or a hemp doubler. If you have a heavy wetter, you may want to use a more absorbent insert than the microfiber one that is provided.

The fleece on the inside of the diaper is very soft, and so far it has kept that softness. However, the fleece is already very pilly even though I have used the same washing and drying routine on it that I have on my other diapers (including the ones with fleece lining). It looks as though I have used this diaper for months instead of weeks. This is purely cosmetic and doesn’t affect the function of the diaper at all. I haven’t had any staining on this diaper so far, and any that do come up easily come out with some sunning.

Inside of Buns Up Baby: you can see the pilly fleece

I do have one big complaint. The snaps. I’m apparently not a fan of 3-snap diapers! Changing my wriggly toddler can be a challenge at times, and having 3 snaps on each wing doesn’t help. While I do like the fit around the waist, the snaps do bug me. A lot. Of course, this is just a personal preference and will not keep me from using this diaper in the future.

Buns Up Baby: Awesome fit on Abby's buns!!

Overall, I do like this diaper, but it isn’t my favorite. I love the print and the fit, but not the snaps. I also don’t think it would work well for someone who isn’t used to using cloth diapers, like a babysitter or grandparent, simply because snapping it can be confusing. However, if the snaps don’t bother you and you’re looking for a more economical diaper, then this one can be a great one to build your stash with!

Buy:

You can buy Buns Up Baby Minkee Buns or Silky Pattern Buns diapers on their website for C$9.99 (roughly $10.10 US dollars). You can also buy their new Buns Up 2.0 diapers for C$16.95 ($17.11 US dollars).

Win:

One of our readers will win a Bun Up Baby One-Size diaper in their choice of style and print/color! (This excludes the new Buns Up 2.0 diaper.) (ARV CAD $9.99).

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