If you are getting this in your RSS feed, it is because you are still following my OLD address. This is my desperate attempt to lure you over to the new site. I would hate to lose you!!
So when my site switched hosts, I lost all of my Google Friend followers. I miss you guys! Followers have immediate access to survey announcements, reviews, and posts–so having several followers benefits everyone here because it makes sure that all of you have access to the latest PTS news AND you know right away when there is a survey that you can respond to.
Therefore, Michelle at Green Diaper Demos is hosting ANOTHER giveaway here (she is amazing, right? I am telling you, she is one of my favorite people in the Cloth Diapering business, and I am not saying that because she is hosting giveaways).
On November 30, I will select a Google Friend Follower at random to win a Softbums Snaps diaper.
There is also a referral form here. You just fill out the form if you were referred by someone and I will select one lucky referrer to get a Softbums Snaps diaper as well! So all of you better pass this on to your friends so that you can up the odds of winning a diaper!
Please switch feeds! Here is where you go to check out the new site: www.paddedtushstats.com
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Switch RSS Feeds!
This is just a friendly reminder that I have changed websites and you will need to go to my site to update your RSS feed. I would love to keep you around. Also, because of the switch, I lost all of my Google Friends. There were over 400 of you wonderful people...could you please go to the new site and add me?
Thanks!
www.paddedtushstats.com
Thanks!
www.paddedtushstats.com
Friday, October 14, 2011
Please help me out
Hey you guys, so if you are reading this, you are linked to the old RSS feed for Padded Tush Stats. I am writing because I switched blogs so you will need to subscribe to the new feed over at www.paddedtushstats.com
But I am mostly writing to see if you can do me a huge favor. In my transfer, I lost all of my Google Friend followers. This number is crucial for me to get diapers from companies to review, so could you please take a second and "Follow" me? Thanks!
Come on over to www.paddedtushstats.com and check out the new digs! I hope you like it!
~Tara
But I am mostly writing to see if you can do me a huge favor. In my transfer, I lost all of my Google Friend followers. This number is crucial for me to get diapers from companies to review, so could you please take a second and "Follow" me? Thanks!
Come on over to www.paddedtushstats.com and check out the new digs! I hope you like it!
~Tara
Saturday, October 8, 2011
We've moved!
Padded Tush Stats has moved to www.paddedtushstats.com
Please edit your RSS feeds and links and follow me over there.
Oh, and come check out the new site! (it's still a little under construction, but I'd love a visit from you!)
Please edit your RSS feeds and links and follow me over there.
Oh, and come check out the new site! (it's still a little under construction, but I'd love a visit from you!)
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
CJ's BUTTer Giveaway!
The owners of CJ's BUTTer have gladly agreed to host a giveaway on our website in celebration of the new article comparing Bath and Body Works scents with CJ's BUTTer scents.
Winner will receive a tub of the BUTTer in any of the fragrances discussed in the article discussed above.
Giveaway ends 10/25/11 at 11:59 PST. Winner selected via random.org.
No entries submitted after the time indicated will be considered.
Winner will have 48 hours to respond.
Good luck!
Please fill out the form below to enter. Thanks CJ's for the giveaway!
Winner will receive a tub of the BUTTer in any of the fragrances discussed in the article discussed above.
Giveaway ends 10/25/11 at 11:59 PST. Winner selected via random.org.
No entries submitted after the time indicated will be considered.
Winner will have 48 hours to respond.
Good luck!
Please fill out the form below to enter. Thanks CJ's for the giveaway!
Monday, October 3, 2011
Bath and Body Works Meets Butt–Comparing CJ’s scents to Bath and Body Works Scents
Little known fact about our household: we are a Bath and Body Works house. My husband and I worked there for several years off and on and when we married, we discovered that we breed Bath and Body Works products. Plus we are pretty much monthly regulars in our BBW store (yup, we are cool like that, we call it B-B-dub). Someone can walk past us and if they are wearing BBW, we catch the whiff like Edward Cullen within 30 yards of Bella and we can say what they are wearing. Our noses remember scents from years back, the ones they NEVER should have gotten rid of (ah-hem, Bergamot Coriander, White Tea and Ginger, Water Blossom Ivy, Green Clover & Aloe—by the way, did you hear Cucumber Melon is now bye-bye?). So when I am buying products online, I want to know how they measure up to the BBW. I thought it might help to compare the different CJ BUTTer scents with that of BBW scents. Since most of us have access of the local BBW, we can get a sense of how CJ scents might be before we buy them.
Image courtesy of www.cjsuniqueboutique.com
Before I get into the sniffing action, let’s first talk about WHAT CJ’s is and why it is great to use:
* It is a cream you put on diaper rash. Cloth diaper creams like Desitin, A&D, and even Vaseline are bad news for diapers. You will get some serious repelling if you use that stuff. CJ’s dissolves in water, so it is perfect to use.
* It is all natural.
* It is made from shea butter, olive oil, coconut oil, lanolin, beeswax, cocoa butter, Vitamin E and colloidal oatmeal. The BUTTer PLUS formula (which you can use for yeast infections) does not have the lanolin and oatmeal, but instead sesame and neem oils.
* It comes in a little tub (like what vaseline comes in), or you can get it in a tube, a stick (kind of like deodorant). There is also a yeast formula that you can spray on so you aren't touching the yeast (this stuff is great if you have a little one with a painful rash as well, simply because you don’t have to touch the rash. I know my little one would jump through the roof as I put on the cream sometimes by hand, so the spray is very helpful!).
Other Uses for it:
* Put it on very dry skin
* Put it on skin after a sunburn to help relieve pain
* Baby massages
* Leave-in conditioner
* Hang nails
My Review: I bought this stuff to help fight my daughter’s rash. She was plagued with a terrible rash the first year of her life. This was always helpful to get her soothed. The only problem was….I got repelling. Like BIG time. I contacted the company, and at that time they said they hadn’t heard of this issue (there has since then been posted a comment on the site about how natural detergents may impact it --see footnote at end of this post). I whined on online forums, and people thought I was crazy, it HAD to be due to something else. A new detergent? Dryer sheets? But I knew the repelling happened the moment I started CJ’s. And every time I used it, I got repelling. FINALLY I figured out the secret: WATER. If your machine doesn’t spit enough water on your diapers (yes, I said spit, because my machine spits instead of sprays…weaksauce), CJ’s won’t work. And, may I argue, you NEED water to clean your diapers. I found out my diapers were not getting cleaned enough because my machine is EVIL—so whether or not I was using CJ’s, I really SHOULD have been using more water. Now I do a rinse, whitest whites wash setting (that includes an extra rinse). Ever since then I have had NO repelling and I can use CJ’s to my heart’s content. So maybe there is another one of you out there who is having repelling, and to you I say, “You aren’t alone. You aren’t crazy. You need more water.”
But this stuff is great. Once I discovered the water secret, I bought a bunch on my own. If I saw redness on either of my babies’ bums, I would put this on and most likely the rash was gone by the next diaper change. And it makes their bums smell MUCH better. I started digging on the scents and so I contacted CJ’s with this Bath and Body Works Idea and they sent me a loot to sniff through with my “trained nose.” They also sent me their Vegan Formula. I think the performance of this is very similar to the regular stuff, it just looks a little like craft paste in the jar. But once it hits the bum of my babies, it melts in a bit and starts to glide on like the regular CJ’s.
So my overall verdict is that this product is GREAT. I like that it smells good enough to be able to have multiple uses, so if it doesn’t work on rashes, you can use it for cracked heels, stretch marks, or whatever (I’d argue it would make a great smelling replacement to WD-40!).
So here’s what I did. I BLINDLY smelled these. I didn’t read the labels and I didn’t look at the list of fragrance titles before sniffing. I just sniffed away. All right, let’s get on to our sniffing…I have them categorized by scent type and the ones with asterisks (**) are my top picks for the categories. Don’t you wish we had scratch and sniff computer screens?
Sweet Fragrances
Sweet Memories - This kind of reminds me of kid perfume. It is very sweet, a little fruity. I would compare this to Sweet Pea, Cucumber Melon, and even a more perfume-like scent such as Black Amethyst. Definitely brace yourself for it being sweet.
Oatmeal, Milk, and Honey: This is a very sweet smell, but with a hint of spice in the background. it kind of reminds me of the smell of a vanilla frosting with a hint of lemon in it. It definitely is a great mix of clean and sweet. It has the sweetness of Warm vanilla sugar, but there is definitely a bigger dose of honey sweet, and there is a little acidity in the smell as well—a clean, refreshing acidity.
Cucumber Melon – this smells exactly like the BBW Cucumber Melon. It has the refreshing smell of cucumber, with the sweetness of the melon.
Monkey Farts - This one is sweet sweet sweet. If you like sun ripened raspberry, cucumber melon, or anything sweet, this is the way to go. It smells a lot like melon to me and very ripe banana. It reminds me a lot of tropical lip balms. If you like coconut lime verbena (coconut dream) or mango mandarin, this is the way to go.
** Blueberry Crumble – This smells hands down like Sun Ripened Raspberry, but with a little more blueberry scent to it. So delicious. It totally reminds me of freshly baked blueberry muffins
Pixie Pie - Ha ha ha, I smelled this and said, “What the crap!” This is STRONG and hard to pinpoint. My wild guess was coconut, but then I just HAD to cheat and look….and “My Pixie Pie” doesn’t help me too much in my cheating endeavors! It is really sweet. I just think of shaved coconut…I don’t know why. It definitely has a little soft lemon to it. But this is the most potent smelling one. So if you like coconut lime verbena, or your kid tends to stink (no offense!), maybe this is the way to go. (Post edit: The company clarified the ingredients…I wasn’t too far off! “It's mostly toasted almond, cherry blossom, vanilla, coconut and a few other secrets.”)
Mango Sugar Mint – Every time I put this on the little one, my husband says, “Ooh that smells good!” It isn’t an exact replica of Mango Mandarin, it is a lot more sugary, but also very refreshing with that touch of mint to it. It is a nice sweet, fruity, light scent.
Perfume Fragrances
Lullaby Baby - This is a very soft, perfume like fragrance. If my freshly bathed baby fell into a tub of my Mom’s perfume, this is the combo you would get. Tiere Flower, Cherry Blossom, Japanese Cherry Blossom, Moonlight Path
Madagascar - This totally reminds me of Tiere flower, which was a very perfumy scent from their Islands of Tahiti collection. It also smells like Black Amethyst. It is definitely a perfumy scent.
** Honeyed Patchouli - One word: WOW. This one is so beautiful. Perfectly sweet, perfectly clean. I’d wanna smell like this on my wedding day. I feel like it is the perfect balance of everything. If you like PINK Pretty and Pure or Sweet Wonderland, this is a great one.
Sensuality - This smells just like a jasmine plant. Just like it! If you like Night Blooming Jasmine, White Gardenia, Jasmine Vanilla, you may like this!
Love Spell – OK, I am not crossing enemy lines by saying this, because BB-dub and Victoria’s Secret are the same company, but this smells JUST like the Victoria’s Secret “Love Spell” (and yes, I knew that before checking the label). The scents are identical. But, I need to give you a BBW comparison, so I would have to say if you like Orange Ginger or White Tea and Ginger, this is a good one (ha, I just noticed I said Ginger for both scents, I wonder if there is even ginger in this!). It is both sweet and perfume-like.
Sweet Bay Rose – This stumped me so much that I finally had to pass it on to the hubby (don’t worry, his nose is well-trained, probably better than mine). He thought it smelled like baby. When we both looked at the label, he went, “aaaah, it does kind of smell like rose.” I’d say if you like the old Sandalwood Rose, this is a good call. Japanese Cherry Blossom, Moonlight Path, or P.S. I Love You would all be good cousins to this.
Refreshing
Lemon, Sage, and Ginger - This one is VERY lemony. It kind of reminds me of cleaner. If you like Kitchen Lemon, you’d like this
Caribbean Therapy - This one smells a lot like a Vicks Vapor rub, but without the vapors. It has a clean, mediciny scent with a strong mint undertone. Eucalyptus Spearmint
Tea Tree Essential oil – This smells exactly like the tea tree essential oil. Exactly. (and yes, BBW once carried a whole line of essential oils!). If you like clean, medicine like scents, this is the way to go. Plus you benefit from the anti-microbial powers of tea tree oil. If you like Eucalyptus Spearmint, you may like this one.
Coconut Lime Dream - This one about knocked me over at first sniff. Very strong, but very good. It smells JUST LIKE coconut. If you like coconut lime verbena, this is the way to go.
Intrigue - This one is very lemony as well, but it also has a little freshness like the old Green Tea and Cucumber. In addition to that, there is a little grassy scent to it, kind of the like the Water Blossom Ivy. If you like Aqua Blossom, this might be a good one for you.
Warm Vanilla Cake - I initially thought this was unscented. It is a very very very soft scent. More clean than anything else, with a very subtle touch of sweet. I would put this in the Warm Vanilla Sugar category. The company told me that for some reason this scent sets weird in the container sometimes, so they recommend heating it up and stirring it again and it should be fine.
**Cherry Blossom - Oh frickin’ YUM. This one smells great. Another well-balanced fragrance. A little freshness, a little perfume. I don’t get any fruit in this one. Eucalyptus Spearmint is definitely it’s closest relative. A distant cousin could be juniper breeze. (POST SCENT NOTE: Ha! I guess Cherry Blossom might be a good call! I didn’t get that same experience, it smelled far more fresh than Cherry Blossom)
Bergamot Coriander – this is very citrusy. It smells a lot like grapefruit and orange. If you like Grapefruit Peppermint or Orange Ginger, you would like this one (don’t go into this thinking it smells like the GREATEST BBW fragrance ever, Bergamot Coriander. Sadly, it doesn’t, but it still smells good.)
Woodsy
Indiginous - This is a VERY grassy scent. A little bit like Fireside, but with a more grassy scent. If you like Twilight Wood, you may like this one.
Frankincense and Myrrh - This smells like hippie (no offense if you are one!). Not the unshaved armpits, no-deodorant kind (again, no offense!), but this is the GOOD smell that emanates from a Whole Earth Festival. It smells JUST like the smoke of burning incense. If you like the Wheat Bran Patchouli shampoo (I think that is discontinued), you’d DEFINITELY like this. I am not sure that BBW has a modern-day comparison! Maybe Jasmine Vanilla?
**Sea Spice – This smells manly. Manly cologne, but it also has a refreshing smell to it. Could be a cousin to the BBW Noir fragrance.
Unscented – ha, this one really is. I had to check the container, I thought maybe I did so much smelling I burned off my nosehairs and lost scent. But alas, they are still in tact. This smells like….nothing.
Where can you buy these?
* There is a great thread at Diaper Swappers about places where you can get get free shipping.
* I also like Sew Crafty Baby. Shipping is free and there is almost always some kind of discount on the Facebook page. The link here is an affiliate link so if you purchase using that link I thank you in advance!
* I also have an affiliate link at Kelly’s closet, where they often have free diaper deals.
* Another affiliate: one of my sponsors, Green Diaper Demos, carrier CJ’s. I love the customer service of this company. Absolutely amazing.
Do you have any interesting uses for CJ’s? Share them in the comments below.
What about a favorite scent? Do tell!
Footnote: Here is what CJ’s had to say about possible repelling issues, “In our experience, anyone who has had repelling with cloth diapers, possibly due to CJ’s, has been using it in conjunction with a natural -baking soda based- detergent. While very few users of natural detergents (or any users at all for that matter!) experience problems, we recommend that if using CJ’s in conjunction with a baking soda based detergent and especially diapers made with synthetic materials, adding either a capful of bleach every so often to your wash routine, or adding an additional surfectant such as Dawn or Simple Green, combined with HOT water, will reduce the chance of any kind of repelling issues.”
DISCLAIMER: Not all descriptions or comparisons here may be 100% accurate. Remember that my nose has been tainted by 2 years of poopy diaper changes.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Giveaway winners!
My apologies for the delay in posting the winners of the giveaways. Now that daughter is home and better, I can get back to tackling PTS work.
Congratulations Debbie M, winner of the Best Bottom Diaper.
Debbie, you have 48 hours to claim your prize.
Thanks again to Best Bottom Diapers for sponsoring the giveaway.
Congrats Libby H, winner of the Softbums Omni!
Libby, you have 48 hours to claim your prize.
Congratulations Debbie M, winner of the Best Bottom Diaper.
Debbie, you have 48 hours to claim your prize.
Thanks again to Best Bottom Diapers for sponsoring the giveaway.
Congrats Libby H, winner of the Softbums Omni!
Libby, you have 48 hours to claim your prize.
Special thanks to Softbums for sponsoring this giveaway.
Congratulaions Michelle B, winner of the Little Boppers keychain. Michelle, you have 48 hours to claim your prize. Thank you Little Boppers for sponsoring this giveaway!
(I am sorry the image is not available. I have tried a bunch of times and for some reason it won't come up!)
Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaways and thank you for your continued support of Padded Tush Stats.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Fuzzibunz OR Rumparooz giveaway for one lucky winner AND 50% off the book Cloth Diapers for ALL PTS readers!
In celebration of the Padded Tush Stats detailed video and written review of Cloth Diapers: A Hip Mom’s Guide to Cloth Diapering, Kelly Wels has agreed to sponsor an awesome giveaway for your pick of either a Fuzzibunz One Size or Rumparooz One Size diaper, as well as a Hip Mom Tattoo that says, “I’m a Hip Mom and Love Cloth Diapering.” (If you win, you get to pick whether you want the Fuzzibunz or the Rumparooz—and if you want to compare the two you can check out the PTS table here that matches diapers up against one another!).
ALSO, Padded Tush Stats readers get an awesome discount on the book from now through 9/30. You can click here to get the book HALF off! Just use the code TUSH at checkout!!!! HALF OFF people! Stock up to have a nice stash of gifts!
Giveaway ends 10/15/2011 at 11:59pm PST. Winners are picked via random.org
Any entries submitted after that date will not be considered in the drawing.
Winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to claim the prize.
Please fill out the entry form for your chance to WIN. Thanks Kelly Wels!
AND while you are waiting to find out whether or not you have won, check out the book review of Kelly’s new book HERE.
ALSO, Padded Tush Stats readers get an awesome discount on the book from now through 9/30. You can click here to get the book HALF off! Just use the code TUSH at checkout!!!! HALF OFF people! Stock up to have a nice stash of gifts!
Giveaway ends 10/15/2011 at 11:59pm PST. Winners are picked via random.org
Any entries submitted after that date will not be considered in the drawing.
Winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to claim the prize.
Please fill out the entry form for your chance to WIN. Thanks Kelly Wels!
AND while you are waiting to find out whether or not you have won, check out the book review of Kelly’s new book HERE.
Book Review: “Changing Diapers: The Hip Mom’s Guide to Modern Cloth Diapering”
One of the biggest issues I have struggled with is how to introduce a Mom to cloth diapering. I strongly believe that MOST people out there would end up cloth diapering if they were educated on it or at least gave it a try. I have tried to come up with a perfect Baby Shower gift to introduce cloth diapering, but worry it may appear too pushy to just force a cloth diaper on someone. Plus, if you are wanting them to really try it, you’d need to buy a diaper, wet bag, and a few other things to really have them give it an honest shot. That’s why I think Kelly Wels’ book, Changing Diapers: The Hip Mom’s Guide to Modern Cloth Diapering is a neat idea on what to give a new Mom.
In this post I am going to give you my take on different aspects of this book. But first, a video review (what I talk about in the video review is different from what I write about below, so I suggest looking at both):
Attitude
“There isn’t a cloth diaper police. You will find whatever diapering system suits you and your baby (whether cloth or disposable) by experiencing diapering firsthand.” (p.9)
I’ll be honest, baby books have been banned from my house. I got tired of feeling like I needed to be on ONE side of some mothering debate. No matter what book I read, I felt like motherhood was polarized—baby wear or baby bucket, babywise or on demand, homemade food or jarred, cry it out or soothe to sleep, cloth diapers or disposables. This book didn’t have that attitude. Wels gave an open tone, making it clear that there are parents out there who might just find that disposable works better. I felt like she spoke kindly and unforceful about it (often I find that cloth diapering advocates can sound like they are preaching a religion. I’ll confess, I may have been that way in the past myself!).
History and Statistics
“The Real Diaper Association reports that an estimated 5 to 10 percent of babies in the US wear cloth diapers at least part-time.” (p. 12)
Wels brings her experience in the cloth diapering industry to give a great historical account, complete with my LOVE….STATS! It was neat to have a background. I think I would rather the section be a little bit farther towards the back of the book. If anyone else is like me, they only give the first third of a book a good, close read, so it would be neat to have a simple guide to cloth diapering in the very beginning. But, nevertheless, this information is so interesting!
Honesty
“Cloth diapers can cost about 6 cents per diaper change, depending on which type of cloth diaper you choose. Disposables, by comparison, cost 36 cents per diaper change according to www.diaperdecisions.com (p. 28).
When I started cloth diapering, I found that it cost quite a bit more than what many of the cloth diapering websites had estimated. I was impressed to see what I feel to be a close-to-honest estimate of what a cloth diaper may cost (don’t get me wrong, you can cut corners by using Swagbucks or flats). I also felt like she was up-front and honest about the leak issues associated with cloth diapers. When I researched cloth, I was under the impression (from numerous sites) that my days of leaks would be over when I cloth diapered, but they had only just begun. Wels outlines what causes the leaks, and also provides some helpful tips on how to fix them (which I wish I would have known back then!).
What causes you to hesitate
“If buying single-use items were truly better for the environment, why do we wash our clothes or dishes after each use? Isn’t it cheaper to just manufacture these products over and over again?” (p. 32)
Wels definitely covers different questions people have had about cloth diapering, including the popular, “Is cloth diapering really helping the environment?” And I think the quote above is a great rebuttal to that. She also covers the convincing the husband topic which, as you guys know, was the toughest part for me.
Lingo-Free Basics
“Today’s cloth diapering world is filled with a maze of terms that can be quite confusing and even downright frightening to a new mom who simply wants to know how to cloth diaper her baby.” (p. 48)
Amen sista! I could not understand the terms at all when I was learning about diapers. I felt like every cloth diaper definition included some random lingo I didn’t get. For example, what exactly is an INSERT? How does that differ from a DOUBLER? Is the insert in addition to what is already in the diaper? Wels clearly outlines these definitions in a lingo-free zone. She has a great section that describes (with illustrations!) what the different terms mean. I also like that on pages 84-86 she outlines exactly what you would need. She also has tips on different issues such as traveling with cloth diapers, cloth diapering twins. I love the simplicity of her advice, and I only take issue with the fact that she says to use “1/4 cup of detergent.” That may be true, but I think it would be nice to clearly indicate that the amount of detergent may need to be a serious tweaking process, especially if someone has hard water, an HE machine, etc. She does indicate that cloth diapering is a process that may need some patience as you work things out, but I would have loved to see that specifically in reference to washing diapers.
Other Parents
“’I like that my kids’ poop won’t be preserved for 500 years in a landfill. That’s not a legacy I think they would like!’ – V.C., Plattsburg, NY (p. 69)
The book is filled with quotations from other parents about their experiences cloth diapering. Like this one above, that totally made me giggle! You know me, I like to hear the voices of MULTIPLE people when making a decision (which is why my reviews are based on how the diaper worked on several babies, not just one). So I love that 25% of the book (ha, you know I had to drop a stat!) consists of quotes from other people about their experiences. I sometimes wished they were a little shorter or important statements were put in bold, simply because I normally like to read Parenting books with a skim (don’t worry, I didn’t skim this one since I am reviewing it for you!).
Cloth Diaper Resources
“Just be careful not to let overzealous review sites taint your decision. Rather, look at the websites of each brand, talk to trusted sources you know, and test drive a diaper for a day and see what you think.” (p.87-88)
I like how she lists some cloth diaper resources. This was written before the release of Padded Tush Stats, so it is my hope that I would make the list as a valuable resource. But I do feel like it is appropriate and necessary for me to briefly give you my little schpeal on why I think I might be a helpful, unbiased resource for people who want to cloth diaper. My reviews are based on the voices of many, not solely my own. And when I present a review, I do not hold voices back. If someone doesn’t like a diaper, the stats don’t lie. I am also honest when I perform my own reviews (you can see through most of my reviews where in one category or another I will give a low score of a “1”). I also have the attitude that every cloth diaper works well for at least some baby, so it is my aim to help pinpoint WHICH of those babies would work best with that diaper. So I hope my positive tone may not come across as “overzealous", but instead as a fun matchmaker who seeks to pair up a baby with the diaper that will work best for him/her. I also don’t want people looking into cloth diapers to see my site and all my stats and be overwhelmed. I have a “New to Cloth Diapering” page with definitions, as well as some recommendations that I have based on my experience trying MANY different diapers, and on the overall consensus of my survey respondents. I want people to know they can come to my site and at a quick glance, check out my MASTER table to compare how different diapers work with different baby types (chunky, rash prone, heavy wetter, etc). Whew! What a tangent, but I just HAD to get that off my chest. But I LOVE that Kelly shows a wide variety of cloth diaper websites, so that you can look at different places to make an informed decision. She also gives a brief overview of cloth diapers. I would love to see more WAHM companies on the list, but totally understand that she can’t include everyone.
So there ya have it, there’s my review. I am so excited to see a comprehensive cloth diapering book out there that talks to people who don’t know all of the lingo of cloth diapering. I am definitely excited to pass this on as a great baby shower gift. I was still struggling with the fact that this is may be forcing cloth diapers too much, plus I don’t want someone who has already decided not to do cloth to feel like my gift is a waste! That is why I plan on also enclosing an Amazon gift card with this message:
"I hope you will enjoy this book as a neat guide to cloth diapering. I have enclosed a gift card to Amazon, which carries a large selection of cloth diapers. But if you choose not to cloth diaper, you can also buy disposable diapers, baby clothes, or even massage oil so your loved one can rub those tired feet! I’d also be happy to answer any questions you may have. Best wishes and hugs!"
I was provided a copy of this book by Kelly Wels, but all opinions in this post are honest.
In this post I am going to give you my take on different aspects of this book. But first, a video review (what I talk about in the video review is different from what I write about below, so I suggest looking at both):
Video Review
Attitude
“There isn’t a cloth diaper police. You will find whatever diapering system suits you and your baby (whether cloth or disposable) by experiencing diapering firsthand.” (p.9)
I’ll be honest, baby books have been banned from my house. I got tired of feeling like I needed to be on ONE side of some mothering debate. No matter what book I read, I felt like motherhood was polarized—baby wear or baby bucket, babywise or on demand, homemade food or jarred, cry it out or soothe to sleep, cloth diapers or disposables. This book didn’t have that attitude. Wels gave an open tone, making it clear that there are parents out there who might just find that disposable works better. I felt like she spoke kindly and unforceful about it (often I find that cloth diapering advocates can sound like they are preaching a religion. I’ll confess, I may have been that way in the past myself!).
History and Statistics
“The Real Diaper Association reports that an estimated 5 to 10 percent of babies in the US wear cloth diapers at least part-time.” (p. 12)
Wels brings her experience in the cloth diapering industry to give a great historical account, complete with my LOVE….STATS! It was neat to have a background. I think I would rather the section be a little bit farther towards the back of the book. If anyone else is like me, they only give the first third of a book a good, close read, so it would be neat to have a simple guide to cloth diapering in the very beginning. But, nevertheless, this information is so interesting!
Honesty
“Cloth diapers can cost about 6 cents per diaper change, depending on which type of cloth diaper you choose. Disposables, by comparison, cost 36 cents per diaper change according to www.diaperdecisions.com (p. 28).
When I started cloth diapering, I found that it cost quite a bit more than what many of the cloth diapering websites had estimated. I was impressed to see what I feel to be a close-to-honest estimate of what a cloth diaper may cost (don’t get me wrong, you can cut corners by using Swagbucks or flats). I also felt like she was up-front and honest about the leak issues associated with cloth diapers. When I researched cloth, I was under the impression (from numerous sites) that my days of leaks would be over when I cloth diapered, but they had only just begun. Wels outlines what causes the leaks, and also provides some helpful tips on how to fix them (which I wish I would have known back then!).
What causes you to hesitate
“If buying single-use items were truly better for the environment, why do we wash our clothes or dishes after each use? Isn’t it cheaper to just manufacture these products over and over again?” (p. 32)
Wels definitely covers different questions people have had about cloth diapering, including the popular, “Is cloth diapering really helping the environment?” And I think the quote above is a great rebuttal to that. She also covers the convincing the husband topic which, as you guys know, was the toughest part for me.
Lingo-Free Basics
“Today’s cloth diapering world is filled with a maze of terms that can be quite confusing and even downright frightening to a new mom who simply wants to know how to cloth diaper her baby.” (p. 48)
Amen sista! I could not understand the terms at all when I was learning about diapers. I felt like every cloth diaper definition included some random lingo I didn’t get. For example, what exactly is an INSERT? How does that differ from a DOUBLER? Is the insert in addition to what is already in the diaper? Wels clearly outlines these definitions in a lingo-free zone. She has a great section that describes (with illustrations!) what the different terms mean. I also like that on pages 84-86 she outlines exactly what you would need. She also has tips on different issues such as traveling with cloth diapers, cloth diapering twins. I love the simplicity of her advice, and I only take issue with the fact that she says to use “1/4 cup of detergent.” That may be true, but I think it would be nice to clearly indicate that the amount of detergent may need to be a serious tweaking process, especially if someone has hard water, an HE machine, etc. She does indicate that cloth diapering is a process that may need some patience as you work things out, but I would have loved to see that specifically in reference to washing diapers.
Other Parents
“’I like that my kids’ poop won’t be preserved for 500 years in a landfill. That’s not a legacy I think they would like!’ – V.C., Plattsburg, NY (p. 69)
The book is filled with quotations from other parents about their experiences cloth diapering. Like this one above, that totally made me giggle! You know me, I like to hear the voices of MULTIPLE people when making a decision (which is why my reviews are based on how the diaper worked on several babies, not just one). So I love that 25% of the book (ha, you know I had to drop a stat!) consists of quotes from other people about their experiences. I sometimes wished they were a little shorter or important statements were put in bold, simply because I normally like to read Parenting books with a skim (don’t worry, I didn’t skim this one since I am reviewing it for you!).
Cloth Diaper Resources
“Just be careful not to let overzealous review sites taint your decision. Rather, look at the websites of each brand, talk to trusted sources you know, and test drive a diaper for a day and see what you think.” (p.87-88)
I like how she lists some cloth diaper resources. This was written before the release of Padded Tush Stats, so it is my hope that I would make the list as a valuable resource. But I do feel like it is appropriate and necessary for me to briefly give you my little schpeal on why I think I might be a helpful, unbiased resource for people who want to cloth diaper. My reviews are based on the voices of many, not solely my own. And when I present a review, I do not hold voices back. If someone doesn’t like a diaper, the stats don’t lie. I am also honest when I perform my own reviews (you can see through most of my reviews where in one category or another I will give a low score of a “1”). I also have the attitude that every cloth diaper works well for at least some baby, so it is my aim to help pinpoint WHICH of those babies would work best with that diaper. So I hope my positive tone may not come across as “overzealous", but instead as a fun matchmaker who seeks to pair up a baby with the diaper that will work best for him/her. I also don’t want people looking into cloth diapers to see my site and all my stats and be overwhelmed. I have a “New to Cloth Diapering” page with definitions, as well as some recommendations that I have based on my experience trying MANY different diapers, and on the overall consensus of my survey respondents. I want people to know they can come to my site and at a quick glance, check out my MASTER table to compare how different diapers work with different baby types (chunky, rash prone, heavy wetter, etc). Whew! What a tangent, but I just HAD to get that off my chest. But I LOVE that Kelly shows a wide variety of cloth diaper websites, so that you can look at different places to make an informed decision. She also gives a brief overview of cloth diapers. I would love to see more WAHM companies on the list, but totally understand that she can’t include everyone.
So there ya have it, there’s my review. I am so excited to see a comprehensive cloth diapering book out there that talks to people who don’t know all of the lingo of cloth diapering. I am definitely excited to pass this on as a great baby shower gift. I was still struggling with the fact that this is may be forcing cloth diapers too much, plus I don’t want someone who has already decided not to do cloth to feel like my gift is a waste! That is why I plan on also enclosing an Amazon gift card with this message:
"I hope you will enjoy this book as a neat guide to cloth diapering. I have enclosed a gift card to Amazon, which carries a large selection of cloth diapers. But if you choose not to cloth diaper, you can also buy disposable diapers, baby clothes, or even massage oil so your loved one can rub those tired feet! I’d also be happy to answer any questions you may have. Best wishes and hugs!"
I was provided a copy of this book by Kelly Wels, but all opinions in this post are honest.
Monday, September 12, 2011
A good Mom pulls over to fill ‘er up—why running on empty isn’t good for us or our kids
Several years ago, while my husband and I were driving to a conference of mine in Santa Barbara, we noticed that we were getting close to needing to fill up on gas. We checked each exit sign for several miles, trying to see if a gas station was available. Unfortunately, we found nothing. We came to where our road ended and we could go right or left. In each direction, we could see nothing but darkness. We turned right and headed towards Santa Barbara. We could see the glow of cities over hills ahead of us, but as we came over each hill in hopes of seeing a valley of a city, we found nothing. It was scary. By this point, our gas light had come on and we had already driven thirty miles with it. It was late at night, since we left after work, and we didn’t know what to do. I remember my husband trying hard not to accelerate too much as we made the long drive in search of a gas station.
After going far past the point of what our car should have done, we finally found one.
I have thought about this experience a lot of times, especially since I have become a mother. I realize that I have suddenly started to test my body’s ability to run on empty. I have been pretty notorious for running on empty for most of my life. I have heard the same “You are doing too much” lectures for at least thirteen years. And, while I do stress about the workload, I somehow scrape by. But now that I am a Mom, I am finding that the dark and lonely road of running on empty simply isn’t fair to my children.
Just this last week I finally reached my max. Since my youngest was teething, I was getting very little sleep since he was waking up every 1-2 hours. My husband definitely helped, but with this fussy bugger (my son, not my husband!), it took the two of us to help console him. When I had just one kid, this would have been fine, I could just spend the day napping when they nap (I say this, but never did it). But with two, I have to be up at 7:30 when the oldest is up and I can pretty much BET their naps won’t overlap (and don’t even try to convince me that I can “train” their naps to coincide…I’ve tried!). So this week was definitely torture. Each day began with the struggle for me to get out of bed. I finally reached my breaking point on Thursday when I literally COULD NOT get myself out of bed. I was exhausted. I could hear both children awake, but as hard as I could try, I couldn’t get up (obviously I eventually did). That scared the begeebers out of me and I contacted my Mom and had her help watch the kids while I went to Kaiser to see if there was something wrong with me. Of course their answer was to slow down.
So my Mom and sister in law graciously volunteered to take the kids Friday night so that I could sleep. It was so great for the kids. They both loved spending time with their cousins, and hubby and I enjoyed a nice, quiet evening at home (I kind of laugh at the fact that we still closed baby gates after us). I slept for a whopping twelve hours—obviously I needed the rest.
The whole weekend was absolutely wonderful. I couldn’t believe how just one night of sleep could help refresh me. It was just the gas stop I needed in order to fill back up. I have started to realize that this “running on empty” attitude I have had in life isn’t acceptable as a mother. I am just now starting to realize that a good Mom pulls over and fills ‘er up before things get scary. I definitely have too many things going on right now, but given where we are at in life, I know I can’t drop anything. I need my jobs, and I obviously need (and want!) my kids. I have a LONG journey ahead of me and there are many miles I have to travel until I know I can feel relaxed (or at least a little less stressed), but I am so grateful that I have people to help fill me up and I am so grateful that this week taught me that it’s OK to take the help.
Good moms don’t run on some super mobiles that don’t require gas, all good Moms need to pull over and fill up.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Friday, September 2, 2011
Coming soon to Padded Tush Stats.....Baby Carrier Reviews!
I have had a lot of requests from people to do statistical reviews of baby carriers based on the builds of baby wearers. I know I am petite and went through fifteen (YES, FIFTEEN) different carriers before I found one that fit my frame well. So these new surveys will help all of us out in picking out baby carriers that work for our body types. I hope you will take a chance to fill out surveys on carriers you have tried (as I post them) and I will post the stats as soon as I get enough. Don't forget that completion of surveys here give you extra entries in any current and future giveaways.
So in the next few days you will see a few of these baby carrier surveys posted. I am so excited about this, I hope you are too!!!
So in the next few days you will see a few of these baby carrier surveys posted. I am so excited about this, I hope you are too!!!
Dinkledooz Winner!
Congratulations Michelle B, winner of the Dinkledooz One Size Pocket Diaper giveaway!
You have 48 hours to claim your prize (I will email you as well). Email me at paddedtushstats@gmail.com
Congrats!
Thanks to everyone who entered. Also, check out the THREE more giveaways I just posted.
Thanks Dinkledooz for the giveaway!
You have 48 hours to claim your prize (I will email you as well). Email me at paddedtushstats@gmail.com
Congrats!
Thanks to everyone who entered. Also, check out the THREE more giveaways I just posted.
Thanks Dinkledooz for the giveaway!
Softbums Omni Giveaway ends 9/15
Well, in the midst of coming out with some pretty cute prints, Softbums has offered to host a giveaway here at PTS!
Winner of the giveaway will receive a Softbums Omni diaper
Giveaway ends 9/15/11 at 11:59pm PST.
Winner selected via random.org and will have 48 hours to claim the prize.
Good luck! And don't forget you get extra entries by filling out surveys here at Padded Tush Stats!
Winner of the giveaway will receive a Softbums Omni diaper
Giveaway ends 9/15/11 at 11:59pm PST.
Winner selected via random.org and will have 48 hours to claim the prize.
Good luck! And don't forget you get extra entries by filling out surveys here at Padded Tush Stats!
Little Boppers Cloth Diaper Keychain Giveaway
Are you kidding me? How stinking cute! Little Boppers has graciously offered to host a giveaway here at PTS for a CUTE Cloth Diaper Keychain.
Please fill out the form below to enter.
Giveaway ends on 9/15/11 at 11:59PST.
Winner selected via random.org and will have 48 hours to claim their prize.
Good luck!
Please fill out the form below to enter.
Giveaway ends on 9/15/11 at 11:59PST.
Winner selected via random.org and will have 48 hours to claim their prize.
Good luck!
Best Bottom One Size AI2 Diaper Giveaway
The makers of the Best Bottom Diapers have graciously offered to host a pretty SWEET giveaway here at PTS for a Best Bottom Shell and THREE (yup, THREE) inserts.
Giveaway ends 9/2/11 at 11:59pm PST.
Winner is selected via random.org and has 48 hours to respond. This is open to US AND Canadian residents.
If you are interested, please fill out the form below. Good luck!
Giveaway ends 9/2/11 at 11:59pm PST.
Winner is selected via random.org and has 48 hours to respond. This is open to US AND Canadian residents.
If you are interested, please fill out the form below. Good luck!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
One Size Diaper Project–6 to 6 1/2 Months–16 pounds 14 ounces
The One Size Diaper Project is where I take biweekly photos of my little guy in one size diapers. Hopefully this can help you see (and read about) how a baby grows into different one size diapers.
When I started the One Size Diaper project, I knew this day was coming…the day of CRAWLING. I knew diaper changes would be tough…and boy are they! But I figure that would make my reviews of this stuff all the more helpful, since I will know how diapers work on wiggly babies! Pretty soon the pictures for this project will just be blurred images of a fleeing baby!
So anyway, here is the little guy in diapers. He is now 16 pounds, 14 ounces. At the doctor’s office he was ranked “Average” size on those lovely charts (remember when my little guy was plummeting in weight? I am SO happy to see him Average now!).
This is my current obsession. This is the Sprout Change diaper and I love it. I think the inserts are awesome and I like the fit across the tummy. This was a surprise to me, since I am not a huge fan of the side snapping diapers, but with how the snaps are on these, I love them. I do wish they were easier to change sizing on so that I can have both kids wearing them (they are kind of like Fuzzibunz with the whole button elastic thing).
Best Bottom Diapers – still obsessed with these. I love that the Softbums inserts snap into them as well. This is my favorite diaper for the diaper bag because (1) I can put in a one size Softbums insert so it can fit both kids, (2) I can wipe the inside down much better (I normally don’t take AI2s in public because the covers aren’t as wipeable and therefore hold stink), (3) it is easy to adjust the size between kids, and (4) it takes up less space.
Softbums Omni – still, another obsession (I’m telling you guys, AI2s are the way to go when you have two kids because it takes up less space in the laundry…meaning you do less laundry!)
Dinkledooz One Size Pocket (he is in all pockets at night. Snaps for when I put him down, velcro diapers for the middle of the night because Zombie Mom will inevitably snap a chunky thigh..it hasn’t happened yet, but I don’t want to take any chances, I know my limits).
Sunbaby One Size Pocket
Bumgenius Elemental
Itti Bitti Tutto One Size Snap in One (I find this diaper to be kinda bulky, especially in the bum)
Wahmies One Size Pocket (this has worked well on the little guy, but unfortunately I can’t get it to fit on my older one)
Bottom Bumpers Side Snapping AIO – this is looking a little less bulky than before, don’t you think? I am enjoying it on my toddler who is potty training.
Bumgenius 4.0
Go Green One Size Pocket Diaper – this one is doing great on fit. I just find that the double gussets are GREAT for trapping poop, but tough to clean.
Tiny Tush One Size
AMP
Daughter insisted that “BABY” make a special appearance. Here she is working an XS Bumgenius AIO
Green Child Creations – this one I have had for a few months, but have never been able to get the pins through it! I finally had success with a soap bar, but it is still tough to get a good fit around the legs.
Wild Mountain Mommies One Size Pocket Diaper. Still having trouble getting the Zorb prepped (it’s been over 10 washes and still not absorbent enough! Bummer!)
Gro Via AIO. This is working pretty solidly, but again, I prefer this side snapping on my potty training little one.
When I started the One Size Diaper project, I knew this day was coming…the day of CRAWLING. I knew diaper changes would be tough…and boy are they! But I figure that would make my reviews of this stuff all the more helpful, since I will know how diapers work on wiggly babies! Pretty soon the pictures for this project will just be blurred images of a fleeing baby!
So anyway, here is the little guy in diapers. He is now 16 pounds, 14 ounces. At the doctor’s office he was ranked “Average” size on those lovely charts (remember when my little guy was plummeting in weight? I am SO happy to see him Average now!).
This is my current obsession. This is the Sprout Change diaper and I love it. I think the inserts are awesome and I like the fit across the tummy. This was a surprise to me, since I am not a huge fan of the side snapping diapers, but with how the snaps are on these, I love them. I do wish they were easier to change sizing on so that I can have both kids wearing them (they are kind of like Fuzzibunz with the whole button elastic thing).
Best Bottom Diapers – still obsessed with these. I love that the Softbums inserts snap into them as well. This is my favorite diaper for the diaper bag because (1) I can put in a one size Softbums insert so it can fit both kids, (2) I can wipe the inside down much better (I normally don’t take AI2s in public because the covers aren’t as wipeable and therefore hold stink), (3) it is easy to adjust the size between kids, and (4) it takes up less space.
Softbums Omni – still, another obsession (I’m telling you guys, AI2s are the way to go when you have two kids because it takes up less space in the laundry…meaning you do less laundry!)
Dinkledooz One Size Pocket (he is in all pockets at night. Snaps for when I put him down, velcro diapers for the middle of the night because Zombie Mom will inevitably snap a chunky thigh..it hasn’t happened yet, but I don’t want to take any chances, I know my limits).
Sunbaby One Size Pocket
Bumgenius Elemental
Itti Bitti Tutto One Size Snap in One (I find this diaper to be kinda bulky, especially in the bum)
Wahmies One Size Pocket (this has worked well on the little guy, but unfortunately I can’t get it to fit on my older one)
Bottom Bumpers Side Snapping AIO – this is looking a little less bulky than before, don’t you think? I am enjoying it on my toddler who is potty training.
Bumgenius 4.0
Go Green One Size Pocket Diaper – this one is doing great on fit. I just find that the double gussets are GREAT for trapping poop, but tough to clean.
Tiny Tush One Size
AMP
Daughter insisted that “BABY” make a special appearance. Here she is working an XS Bumgenius AIO
Green Child Creations – this one I have had for a few months, but have never been able to get the pins through it! I finally had success with a soap bar, but it is still tough to get a good fit around the legs.
Wild Mountain Mommies One Size Pocket Diaper. Still having trouble getting the Zorb prepped (it’s been over 10 washes and still not absorbent enough! Bummer!)
Gro Via AIO. This is working pretty solidly, but again, I prefer this side snapping on my potty training little one.
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