Snappy Nappy Review

We received a Snappy Nappy to test out by Tiny Hiney…

We have used this nappy for a year and a half and its a definite in my books especially for new comers to cloth nappies. Let me tell you why:

• It's considered an All in Two system which means the inserts can come apart from the cover. This is great for new comers to cloth as it's easy to use. The inserts just snap in and its ready to go once the size in the front has been adjusted to fit your babe.
• If the insert gets soiled and the cover is fine, you just clip the dirty one out, throw in your nappy pail and add new insert, tada! Easy as 1 2 3!
• As the inserts are seperate they can be tumble dried seperately so no risk of affecting the PUL cover which is great for winter rainfall areas like ours.
• It's a good option if your baby goes to daycare or has a nanny during the day because of the ease of use and it's daddy proof!
• Takes up less space in the nappy bag as you pack one cover and a few extra inserts.

1 day time large insert at 14 kgs and 27 months.

No gaps around the leg and snug fit with 1 insert

With one insert

• We use 1 insert during the day and it was sufficient for 2 hours for Sweetpea. At night we added the night booster which clips in first to the cover and then has snaps on so that the day cover (which has microfleece on top to keep baby feeling dry), is clipped onto that. It doesn't move around inside the cover/shell because of the interior snaps on the cover.

• I prefer not to have Sweetpea's skin exposed to the PUL for long periods of time so although we used this nappy for night time with great success I eventually was using the inserts in different nappy options for night time ( like inside a fitted for an extra boost) and then used it during the day with either the day insert or the cover with another nappy = Versatile nappy

2 large size inserts.

2 inserts day time and night time inserts snapped in cover.

2 large size inserts clipped in this cover. 14 kgs and 27 months.

2 inserts side view. Even with double stuffing it isn't creating gaps at the leg that could cause leaking.

2 inserts, I think it is still pretty trim considering it is used as a night time option. 

All rise settings unsnapped and on the last 2 snap settings on the  waist tabs.  This was  around 14 kgs and at 27 months. she is already day time potty trained and only using a nappy at night time.

Colour options

• The covers come in 4 colour options and have double gussets on the inside which is great for exclusively breastfed babies and their runny poop!
• This cover is undergoing some changes so a version 2 will be out soon.
• This is a really reasonably priced option and for what you get it's worth it.
• The cover has 4 size settings on the rise and the stomach tabs have cross over snaps so should fit a wider range of sizes.
• Inserts come in 3 sizes too.
• Inserts can be used in Best Bottom and Butons covers and vice versa.
• It is a durable option and could last a few children. Our sets were used daily and have now been passed onto another little one and it's still in good condition.
• I did find that the microfleece topped insert (day insert) tended to stain easier than some of my other inserts but it always responded well to a few hours in the sun.

Small - yellow, Medium - teal, Large - purple

You can find them and many other cloth related products over at:

TINY HINEY

Beautiful Earth Body Products Review!

So we received a few products from Beautiful Earth to review. It's not our first time testing out their products and was super excited to try them again as we really enjoyed them the previous time.

We were sent the following:

We have used a lot of different natural products over the last 7 years in our attempt to be "greener" and chemical free. This hair and body wash from Beautiful Earth is one of my favourites.

• The smell of mandarin, lavender and calendula is so refreshing and I love that it lingers on their skin till the next morning
• It has just enough foam which obviously the children love but as a natural mamma I know the more the foam the more I don't want it on their skin! This product has a slight bit of foam which is great if you are planning on adding a natural product to a new mom's shower gift who isn't aware of the chemicals added to conventional baby bath care products.
• Miss Sunshine has very sensitive skin and this bodywash didn't irritate her skin at all.

                                     

• This bum cream is fantastic… for your mamma heels! Yip I just said that! We went away for a family break with friends and my heels got so bad from walking around the pools barefoot. This cream was all I had that was thick enough to make a difference and it worked like a charm.
• It's cloth diaper safe too
• The scent is amazing and because it's base is shea butter Ive actually used it on Sweetpea as a moisturizer after bath time and I love the smell of lavender as I lay next to her.

• Gentle enough for sensitive skin
• Doesn't have a very strong scent so great for young babies who would be stimulated with a very strong smell
• Our whole family used this bar and it lasted a family of 6 a month. Not bad for a natural soap.

• Goes on easily so this is great for my oldest 2 children who cream themselves as it goes on quick with no mess
• I love that it comes in a pump bottle and not a tub as it's easier for a mommy with a squirmy baby and for my kiddo's to use on their own, 1 pump tummy, 2 pumps legs, you get my drift?

• I've left my fav for last though! This chest rub has been great for me in a few ways.
• Miss Sunshine is sensory sensitive so strong smells really affect her. Luckily she isn't a sickly child but after our much needed family get away she came back under the weather and a tad chesty. She wouldn't want me to put any of the other natural chest ease rubs on her because of the strong scents but she was fine with this one. And it worked! She definitely slept easier after applying on her chest, back and feet.
• Again I love that it comes in a pump bottle. It was so easy for me to lock the pumps and pack in our vanity case to take with on our trip.
• This makes a great gift for a new mom as they often get the bubblies and bum creams but this gets forgotten and is always needed in the middle of the night.

This company prides itself on being the only company in South Africa that's products are certified Natural and they should be proud. Their products are of great quality and service is amazing. They have a larger range for the whole family.

Skin care range looks amazing!

Family Body Care range

Home and outdoor range

Their pricing is so reasonable and they have an extensive range which is really worth looking at. They offer trial sized box sets to buy for each range so you can test it out first or give as a gift.

Beautiful Earth

Mum 2 Mum change mat review!

We were sent this gorgeous Mum 2 Mum change/play mat from the South African distributors called Wonder Baby!

We had previously purchased some of their bibs at a baby show and I just loved how absorbent they were, good quality cotton and the clever snap placement that made it easy to use from newborn right through toddler hood. What I noticed about it being velour toweling was that it didn't seem to stain and well as a mamma of 4 I always replaced most of their bibs after each chid as you know how stained they become, so this was an extra bonus.

  

Their facecloths look awesome and a great size to use as cloth wipes I think, plus the COLOURS, oh my!

What we like about the Mum 2 Mum change/playmat:

• It's a generous ( 74cm x 74cm) size so makes for easy changing, especially at public restrooms etc. No more thumbling around to make sure your baby doesn't touch the public baby changemat surface!
• It's made of the same cotton velour toweling as the bibs I mentioned earlier. So easy to clean and no staining.
• It has a nylon backing so dries quickly but prevents leaks to the surface below so great if baby makes a wee while changing on a friends bed or carpet while you out visiting.
• Fits easily in the bag to take along with you.
• I found that before Sweetpea was walking I used it a lot as a play surface for her.

To your right is the changemat, my mini first aid kit, 3 nappies, Faye & Lou Cozio and then under this there is still a spare prefold and cover just incase and a spare set of clothes.

Plus Little Man thinks this cape gives him super powers!

WEBSITE

Mum 2 Mum FACEBOOK

What's in my vanity?

So this is our bathroom vanity. Not only is it one of my favourite things in our home because who says a repurposed desk can't be used in a bathroom right?! It also holds one of my little secrets…

Within this vanity, inside one of the drawers is my heart bag that now holds my new "crush". You see Sweetpea has day trained (a whole other post) so she isn't using much cloth nappies now but a mamma still has to have something with prints and pretty ofcourse! And mine come in the form of…

You guessed it! I'm "that crunchy"! Mama Cloth! So along my fluff journey over the last 6 years with cloth nappies, I often stumbled across sites selling Mama Cloth (cloth sanitary pads). When Little Man was a few months old I dabbled in it a while and even made my own and loved it. So another 3 years down the line and there are so many more options available in South Africa that I am so excited to try.


Over the next couple of months I will be reviewing a few different brands. First up will be the Charlie Banana brand from Tiny Hiney and a WAHM brand called TomFips.

So why use mama cloth?

• It's healthier for you and your daughters (which I now have to think about as Princess is turning 9 this month, eeeeck!)
• Has no chemicals, gels that are being absorbed by your body.
• Some have noticed the decline in level of pain and cramping compared to using disposables.
• Cheaper to use. 
• Better for the earth. Doing some research I found out that an average woman uses about 10 000 sanitary pads/tampons in her lifetime! Yikes!
• What's worse is that 98%, yip people, 98% gets flushed directly down the toilet! So when using MC nothing is getting flushed down the loo or being thrown out.

 In the next couple of months we will be covering:

1. How to wash them by hand or washing machine (really not as gross as it sounds!)
2. How to store them while in use
3. Night time options
4. Day time options
5. Liners
6. Storing/using them while out

If you have any questions you would like answered in the posts to come please leave a comment or send me a message via my FACEBOOK page.

Eco nappy solutions trainers!

This is my Little Man... We had our two precious girls before he came so understandably, we didn't know much about boys! We kept hearing "they take longer than girls to do EVERYTHING!". We weren't really bothered because we believe they each do everything on their own time. So imagine our surprise when he walked before our girls did and was running around at his first birthday! 

Then came potty training... I didn't like this part so much with my girls so was super excited when Little Man trained in 2 days! We hoping Sweetpea will finalize her EC journey this spring too but for now I've decided to show you what we've been using in the meantime and what I used for the 2 days with Little Man.

Little man was sent these cutie frog trainers by ECO NAPPY SOLUTIONS when he trained. 

2 years and 3 months and 14kg.

What we like about these trainers:

• They are thinner than most trainers available so seem more like regular underwear which is less confusing for the toddler.
• I liked that it didn't have this thick absorbent part in the crotch area so Little Man could tell when he had a nappy on versus his trainer.
• This trainer needs to be changed immediately after it's wet so they start to associate wetness with these undies and is also helpful for parents to time potty oppurtunities.
• The elastic around the leg and thigh is very comfy and never left a mark on Little Man like some others did.
• The outer is made of 100% cotton, inner linning 85% cotton 15% polyester and the centre panel and bum area has a TPU waterproof section.
• They come in 6 sizes so really easy to find the perfect fit for your toddler or baby.

Still able to do all the stretching and climbing most boys do!

Elimination Communication (EC) and Eco Nappy Solutions Trainers.

6 months wearing a size small trainer.

We used a smaller size for Sweetpea in the summer that really helped me learn her EC cues. By having the trainer on while she sat on my lap or on a mat while we played we were able to notice her body language just before she would wet them. Of course you can use a regular thin flat that's Snappied on to do that but these trainers are so much cuter. I had a few friends who thought they were so adorable they bought them to go over their babies nappies and to match their little dresses or tops!

An edible print for the girls...

And one for the boys

Check out their page for more prints and prices. They also have Bamboo Pull Up nappies that are great to introduce when your child is getting used to pulling his or her underwear up and down.

LOVE this print!!

ECO NAPPY SOLUTIONS
FACEBOOK

Fuzzibunz Elite

So anybody scouring the net for nappy reviews is sure to find the name FUZZIBUNZ come up more than the average nappy. Well good news is that this brand has hit South African shores and I for one am really tickled grape (you'll see just now why it's not pink!) that Sweetpea and I got to give this baby a test drive!

Introducing the Fuzzibunz Elite... in Grape

Ok so what do you get when purchasing your Fuzzibunz Elite from Earth Sisters:

1. The Pocket Nappy in a range of colour choices
2. Med/Large Microfibre Insert
3. Small Microfibre Insert for Newborns
4. This nappy comes with a Lifetime Limited Warranty that covers the snaps for 3 years (birth to potty) and any defects in material and workmanship for 1 year.
5. Comes with an added elastic incase yours perishes over time.

One of my favourite features is the generous pocket size so that even a daddy could stuff these pockets!

It has a lovely fit around the waist and legs and I would imagine no EBF newborn poop would escape out the back of these!

Still plenty of space left to grow in this nappy at 18 months...

What we enjoy about the Fuzzibunz Elite:

• I love the fit of this nappy and am really keen to try it on a newborn for size, it ranges from 3kg to 16kg.
• We haven't had a leak yet but now at 18 months I am adding an extra insert to the 2 that came with the nappy.
• The elastics on the inside are easy to adjust. I would suggest though that if you have more than 1 child in cloth to have different ones allocated for each child as it could become a pain to adjust the elastic every time you change a nappy.
• I love the structure and size of this nappy. It doesn't run on the large size but Sweetpea at 18 months still has plenty wear of this nappy.

The elastics can be replaced should they perish with the spare sent and without needing to sew them on. The button holes are generous enough that you don't struggle to use them but keep the nappy at the desired size without popping out.

• This is one of my favourites to wear out and add a matching T because it is just sooooo cute so imagine my shock and horror when at a friends house she got it butt and all in a pile of lovely red farm sand!!! Oh the sinking feeling only a cloth diaper addict would understand! Surprisingly though it NEVER stained and has had a few encounters of the disastrous kind, like spaghetti sauce and coconut oil bum cream on the outer PUL and no stains! 
• The fit is so great that I've actually used it as a swim nappy before too without the inserts in. 

My next purchase...

Fuzzibunz Elite in  Blue Lagoon

We received our Fuzzibunz Elite from

You can find them here:

Earth Sisters