Bootyful Baby Boutique & PNP Baby Giveaway Winners!!!

Now, we all love fluff! But even I was surprised at the turn out for these awesome giveaways!!

Of course, there can only be one winner for each giveaway. So.......

The winner of the Bootyful Baby Boutique AI2 diaper is Megan.Ogren!!!!!!!!!


And the winner of the Primm N Proper Fitted Diaper is christihines!!!!!!

Thanks everyone for entering!! Winners, watch for an email from me later today.


~Tara

Bootyful Baby Boutique Review & Giveaway

When we first started using cloth, snaps scared me and side snaps terrified me! Oh, I have to laugh at that cloth newbie. If she only knew how fabulous side snapping diapers were before little man figured out how to take his velcro diapers off...during his naptime...while they were filled with poop.

Here's the fantastic thing about side snapping diapers - they are much harder for a toddler to get off than velcro, or even front snapping diapers. So, I jumped at the change to review a Bootyful Baby Boutique All in Two diaper. 

Since this is an AI2 diaper, you can just change the insert if the diaper cover is not soiled. The insert in generously sized so the chances of the cover getting soiled are minimal. Just snap another insert into the cover, and you're ready to go. This would also make a great cover for fitteds or prefolds.

The insert is made of a hemp/cotton blend topped with microfleece which makes it very absorbent, but it can still keep little man dry whether he's wearing it while we're out and about during the day or if he wears it for 8 hours straight at night.

Like I said before, the great thing about side snaps is that they are much harder for a toddler to undo, but an added benefit is that side snapping diapers just seem to be trimmer than other diapers. Plus, I think the side snaps of the Bootyful Baby Boutique AI2 would make it a great diaper for potty learning.

The picture above shows how trim this diaper is - not much junk in the trunk here!

The Bootyful Baby Boutique AI2 is one fabulous diaper, from the easy side snaps to the super soft insert, this is a diaper that won't let you down.

To buy your own, visit Bootyful Baby Boutique, where you can find a whole variety of products, including fitteds, prefolds, diaper covers, and more!

To win a custom Bootyful Baby Boutique AI2, just fill out the form below! It couldn't be any easier!!


Giveaway ends Saturday, Jan 22 at 9pm CST and winner will be announced on Monday, Jan 24.

Primm N Proper Baby Review & Giveaway

Since I've found the fitted love, I can't get enough of them. The problem is that a lot of the fitteds we have are fairly bulky, so most of them are only used as nighttime diapers. You can just imagine how excited I was when I got this Trim Fit Fitted Diaper from Primm N Proper Baby. Absorbant, trim, and cute all rolled into one diaper! 

The outer print is cotton knit; the hidden layer is made with bamboo fleece and the inner layer is cotton velour. This is one of those diapers that you can't help but rub when it comes out of the dryer. It is so soft!

The soaker is also made with bamboo fleece and cotton velour and it happens to be my favorite feature of the diaper. It's 24" long so you can fold the soaker to customize the absorbency. So, depending on how you fold it, you still get 6-9 absorbant layers while getting a soaker that dries fast.

Another great feature of the diaper is that it is one size and I could definitely see a newborn rockin' this diaper. Of course, it will be bulkier on a newborn than a toddler, but it is still much trimmer than other newborn diapers I've seen.

You can add snaps to the diaper at checkout, but I actually prefer leaving them snapless and using snappis instead. I feel like the snappis help keep the diaper trim by providing the best fit around the waist.

We used our Primm N Proper fitted both at night and during the day. We never had any issues with leaking and this is one of the few fitteds that little man can wear under his jeans during the day. Just to test out the absorbancy, I did let him run around without a cover. After about 2 hours, this diaper was just slightly damp on the outside.

All in all, this is a great diaper with a great fit and I would definitely recommend this to anyone!

Want to buy your own? Go visit the Primm N Proper store to get your own Trim Fit Fitted Diaper. While you're there, make sure to check out all the other fabulous products Meaghan makes!

Want to win one?
Just fill out this super easy entry form for your chance to win an instock or custom fitted diaper valued up to $21!


Giveaway will be open until Saturday at 9pm CST. Winner will be announced on Monday, 1/24.

What's the Deal with Wool?

If you’ve done a little bit of research on cloth diapers, you’ve probably heard of wool soakers/covers. While the soaker name is somewhat misleading, wool makes a fantastic diaper cover. It is a natural fiber that is breathable and can both repel and absorb water at the same time.

Confused yet??? How about a little science lesson:

The microscopic makeup of wool already gives it a tendency to repel water. When you add Lanolin (an oil secreted by sheep) to the mix, wool becomes a water repelling machine. Once you get past the water repellent layer, wool is extremely porous and is able to absorb up to 30% of its weight! Wool is also breathable, making it a wonderful diaper cover for babies prone to heat rash.

Many people are intimidated by wool because they feel it’s hard to care for. You can’t wash wool covers with your normal diaper laundry and you need to lanolize them every now and then to keep them water resistant and prevent leaks. The natural properties of wool also make it resistant to dirt and give the wool an ability to absorb and neutralize odors. Because of this, you can go longer between washings than you normally would with PUL diaper covers. Depending on the amount of use, many people go a couple weeks to a month between washings.

You can find wool washes through many cloth diaper stores, but you can easily wash and lanolize your wool with products found at most discount stores. At our house, we’ve used Crow Mountain Crafts lanolin wool wash and we’ve also used the store brand version of Aveeno baby wash and Lanolin for nursing mothers. If you are using a wool wash, follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer.

To wash and lanolize your wool using baby wash and lanolin:

1.  Rinse your cover under cool water and gently squeeze out any excess moisture.
2.  Mix about 1 tsp baby wash and ¼” strip of lanolin to 1 gallon of lukewarm water wither in a bucket or a sink. (FYI – I rarely measure everything exactly. Think of this as a guideline.)
3. Press your cover into the water and let soak for 20-30 minutes.
4. Rinse cover under cool water again and gently squeeze out any excess moisture.   
5. Lay your cover flat to dry.

If your cover still seems to be losing its water resistance, you can still follow the steps above, but add ½” strip of lanolin instead of the ¼”. To make the lanolin easier to dissolve, I mix it in a small amount of hot water before adding it to the sink.

There are many different makers of wool covers and I suggest searching Etsy, Hyena Cart, and Google to find the best prices and styles you prefer. You can also make your own soakers using old sweaters purchased from thrift stores. Besides soakers, you can find wool longies, shorties, and skirties. As with anything else cloth diaper related, you just need to find what works best for you.

Baby Frills Review & Discount

Erin over at Baby Frills is one talented mama! I'm blown away every time I check out her store with those adorable baby leg warmers, bows, clothing, and wee wee crowns! I'm buying some of those Baby Frills wee wee crowns to give to the next person that has a boy - those are fantastic!

Anyway, Erin, being the wonderful gal that she is, offered up a super cute shirt and pants set from Baby Frills for a review.

If you've followed me for awhile, you know that I LOVE anything owls, so this shirt was perfect for me, umm...little man. C'mon, you know we get those cute kid clothes for us! ;)

The shirt is an 18 month size and fits little man perfectly. The owls  are sewn on beautifully. This shirt has become a favorite at our house, so it's been washed again and again...and again, and not one thread is out of place.

He was getting sick of the camera...

The pants are fleece, which I love using as a diaper cover. What makes these so much better than regular fleece longies is that they have elastic in the waist. This makes for a really nice fit over cloth diapers. We used these pants during the day and at night over all sorts of cloth - AIOs, pockets, fitteds, prefolds - and they performed great each time. We never had any leak issues and they are comfy, but look nice enough for little man to wear them when we leave the house without him looking like he's still in his pajamas.

All in all, I love this outfit from Baby Frills. The shirt and pants fit great, but there's also some room to grow. Plus, I get the boutique look, without the boutique prices - shirts start at just $6.95! I would definitely buy another outfit for my son or as a gift.

Remember when I said Erin is wonderful? She decided to give all of our fans this coupon to buy one item, get one item half off! Just enter I Heart Fluff in the notes when you check out at Baby Frills' Etsy store or email Erin for a custom order.

Not that I need to give you any ideas on what to buy, but you should really check out her Valentine Collection. Just look at this leg warmers and bow set:

Well, I better get going. I have some shopping to do...

Giveaway Winners!!!

 Oh my goodness! January 2011 has brought so many things to I Heart Fluff!
~My 1 year anniversary of using cloth diapers 100% of the time.
~The 6 month anniversary of I Heart Fluff.
~A new I Heart Fluff FB admin and contributor, Tracie.
~We passed the 3,000 fans mark!!

Of course, we had to celebrate with some giveaways!! Thank you to everyone that participated!

Here's what you've been waiting for...the winners...

Rockin' Green Cloth Diaper Detergent - Beth Warren

Rockin' Green Funk Rock - Jennifer Atchison

Nattie's Nappies Custom Diaper - Cloth Diapering-mama

Utility Bag from Crystal Myers' Thirty One Gifts - tvpg

Baby Legs from Modified Momma Reviews - Cyndy Hughes

Fabulous Family Reviews Wet Bag - Libby Bloom Hunt

Comfy Cozy Diapers $15 GC - April Adams Naiman

Scarborough Lane Melts - Nan Bixby

American Country Designs Wet Bag - Sandra Van Scyoc Dupal

A Lovely Start Wipes Bag - Renee Wapniewski

Pink Lemonade Panty Liners - Kasey Kirby Goodnough

Livin' Sew Green Sandwich Wrap - RileyRoy AllieWiley

Amazon Gift Card from Cheap Mama Chick - Jenny Scarborough

Baby Frills Coupon - Allison Stone McGrady

FluffaLumps Jingle Ball - Heddy Bee

FluffaLumps Air Freshener - April Terry Nantz

FluffaLumps Dryer Ball - Lynn Spence Schoepfle

Lilah Moo Gift Certificate - summer buncik noble

Bumbledoo Diaper - Amanda Olson

Rock Easy Diaper Company Gift Certificate - Misty Hernandez

BabyBug Creations Crayon Roll - Lauren Spencer Brown

BabyBug Creations Gift Certificate - Brandi Gilvaja

With all of the giveaways, we had over 2700 entries!!

Congrats to all of the winners!! Be on the lookout from an email from Tracie. You can also reach her at tracieg@iheartfluff.com.

We also wanted to give something back to all of our wonderful sponsors, so they are all getting one free month of advertising on the blog and one lucky business will get a free year worth of ad space!!!

The winner of the free year of advertising on I Heart Fluff is....Nattie's Nappies!!!




~Tara

The Dreaded Yeast Monster

Rashes were the main reason we switched from disposables to cloth diapers. While they weren't as bad, even in cloth diapers we still dealt with teething rashes and heat rashes. So, I felt I was pretty experienced in how to effectively manage diaper rashes...until the yeast rash. 

I had noticed little man's bottom turning red in a couple spots, so the hubs and I would apply some CD friendly creams and go about our merry little ways. But, it didn't go away. In fact, it started to look a little bit worse after a day or two. The thought that it might be a yeast rash hadn't even crossed my mind, so we started putting some cornstarch based powder on little man at each diaper change. BIG mistake! 

Cornstarch actually feeds yeast infections and can make the whole situation worse. I knew that, but like I said earlier, it had never once crossed my mind that it could be yeast, until the next morning. Little man had a small blister-like sore on his bottom. Luckily, we were already going to the doctor that morning for his 18 month check up. She confirmed that it was yeast and gave us a prescription cream.

When we got home, I did some quick online research about yeast rashes and cloth diapers. I wanted to know how to get rid of the yeast and keep it away. While there were many different methods, the three most common treatments for yeast were bleach, tea tree oil (TTO), and vinegar.

While little man wore cloth diapers with disposable liners for a week, I began disinfecting the (already clean) diapers, pail liners, wet bags, and wipes with the following routine:

• Cold rinse with 10-15 drops of TTO
• Hot wash with 1/4 cup bleach
• Cold rinse with 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• One more hot wash/cold rinse cycle without any additives
• Dry on high setting (if it was nice outside, I would've sunned the diapers)

Yeah, I realize that might have been a bit of an overkill, but I read about some people having continuous yeast issues after just using one or two of those methods. I figured this wasn't a time to experiment so I combined all three methods.

Before I go any further, I want to remind you that I'm no chemist and what works for me, might not work for you and vice verse. Now...back to the article.

Here's the deal with vinegar - I have heard so many conflicting stories about whether or not to use vinegar with cloth diapers. After tons of research, I've found that white vinegar may be the vinegar that causes the problems. Did you know it can actually contribute to yeast? Apple cider vinegar is the only type I have found that is almost universally recommended to kill yeast. I've continued using it by adding 1/4 to 1/2 cup to the rinse cycle for all of our clothes, including the diapers.

While I obviously can't tell you if it was the combination of everything I did or just one of those components that helped combat the yeast, we haven't seen that dreaded monster around for almost a month. So, something must have worked!


Here are some other ideas for dealing with yeast from some I Heart Fluff fans:

• Let your little one be diaper free as much as possible.
• Soaks in warm water and Epsom salt.
• One fan developed her own Healing Butter that can be found at Snuggli Bebe.
• Empty an Acidophilus capsule into your child's milk or directly on the rash.
• Another fan made a cream using mango butter and TTO and applied it to the rash.
• CJ's BUTTer for yeast is what worked for other fans. 

If you suspect your child has a yeast infection, please visit with your doctor before trying any of the above methods. Often, you will need to use a prescribed cream as well as disinfecting your diapers.