Thursday, March 17, 2011

Store Credit for Reviews!!

You asked for it! Product Reviews are a major source of information for those considering different products. Let's ramp up the reviews at mamisandpapis.com !!

Leave your reviews, then enter your reviews on the form below! Use the form below for each review - if you leave 3 reviews, use the form below 3 times to give yourself proper credit - no limit!! There will be multiple winners for store credit each week, selected by random.org. AND...once entered, your entry remains valid until it wins you store credit!! So the more reviews you leave and the earlier, the higher your chance of winning!!

Make sure you've created an account so it can be credited if you win! The name in the form should be the name on the account :)

Friday, March 4, 2011

A few visual comparisons

More info coming soon, but I wanted to put up a few visual comparisons on some newborn diapers and trainers for those wondering about sizing while I'm working on full blog posts!

Left to right: bumgenius 4.0 one size, all the way snapped down, containing newborn insert only; bumgenius x-tra small; Rumparooz lil joey, micro-preemie disposable diaper (to fit 3-4 pound range)


Top row L to R: size 1.5 to 3 years, 20-33 pounds cotton trainers (like gerber); imse vimse super-large size; minkee blueberry size large (out of production, used for size reference)
Bottom row L to R: blueberry size small, charlie banana one size trainers, blueberry size medium


In the picture, it doesn't look like there is too much size difference, but the blueberry size small are definitely the smallest, with the charlie banana fitting right in between the blueberry size small and size medium.  All of the trainers except the size large blueberry pink leopard print are fitting right now, and our little trainer is right at 27 pounds and pushing 35 inches tall. The short story is, I am loving all of these except the fluffy pink leopard right now - for the "catch small accidents, not totally waterproof trainers", can't go wrong with blueberry, charlie banana (note only one size that runs small), or imse vimse trainers!

Hope this helps a little for the short term!
~Prima~

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

MASSIVE 20-PRIZE-RETRO-THANK-YOU GIVEAWAY!!! WINNERS!!

WINNERS UPDATED BELOW IN RED!!!! 
INSTRUCTIONS TO CLAIM:
Email mami@mamisandpapis.com with "giveaway winner" in the subject line with the name of your prize and your address. Prizes will be mailed as soon as possible but may take up to a few weeks depending on the busy-ness of the business :) Thank you for your understanding and congrats!! 
We want to thank YOU, our customer FAMILY, for all your support! You've helped us grow, and we've always taken a portion to turn around and give back to you! Instead of doing a giveaway where orders during a certain time are randomly entered for prizes, we're switching it up, doing it retro-style, and all as one big shebang! 
ANY and ALL orders placed from day one of our business through the end of this giveaway (Wednesday March 2nd at midnight CST) qualify! We've made the order form easy peasy, but to give yourself proper credit, enter EACH order as a SEPARATE entry. Any order type (online or storefront) is eligible, just make sure we can verify. For orders placed at mamisandpapis.com, please include your invoice number. For purchases from A Nurturing Moment or purchases from Mayfield or San Antonio, please include the date of purchase.
There will be TWENTY (20) separate prizes!! Prints/color choices may vary, and are selected at Mami's and Papi's discretion :) ALL entries must be logged on the form below. Please do not enter entries as comments to this post or anywhere else if you'd like them to count!!
PRIZES!!!!!
(Prints/colors may vary from those shown)
1.) Inspired by Finn 11-12 inch boys diversity amber necklace
MONICA BARRIENTES
2.) Lulu's full size bag of laundry detergent
JESSICA RABBIT
 
3.) 2 Rumparooz doll diapers
MANDY HUBER
 
4.) 2 No Slippy Hair Clippys
PAULA CRAIG
 
5.) Boba Baby Carrier
SYLVIA MCCUE
 
6.) Grovia AIO Diaper 
HEIRESS LULU

7.) Thirsties Duo Diaper
DAVID PAREDES
 
8.) CJ's BUTTER samples
KASEY GOODNOUGH
 
9.) CJ's Lotion samples
REBECCA DEAL
10.) sustainablebabyish | sloomb flat diaper
RACHEL OBROKTA
 
 
11.) super doopsy insert
AMBRIA DECKARD
12.) Rockin' Green sample 2-pack
KIMBERLIE TIEGEN
 

13.) Inspired by Finn adult amber nugget necklace ASHLEY UMANA
14.) Sophie Two-pack vanilla teethers BRIANNA LAUGHMAN
15.) $5 store credit JEREMY LAURIN
16.) $10 store credit MELISSA KITTLE
17.) $15 store credit AMBER SHERMAN
18.) $20 store credit CHANDI SANMIGUEL
19.) bumgenius organic elemental artist series diaper SARAH MORALES
20.) bumgenius organic elemental solid color ERIKA FRANK-POLETTO
ENTER HERE!!!!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Review: sustainablebabyish | sloomb snapless multi and OBF fitted comparison

Grab your cup of coffee, latte, soft drink, or glass of water - this is a long one, and for good reason! We give you honest reviews and opinions, and sustainablebabyish | sloomb, inc.'s collections are some of our absolute favorites! I could go on and on...and I think I will!

The words I would use to describe sloomb's designs and color palettes are fresh, clean, pure, and simple. Don't be fooled - these are not your mom's or grandma's diapers! Long story short, our cloth diapering journey started over 7 years ago with fitteds and covers (not sloomb). I didn't really know what I was doing, didn't have any resources (or where to find them), and I ultimately "quit". Twice. We came back to cloth diapering (again!) with pockets for the birth of our third baby. So when I showed the sustainablebabyish diapers to my mom recently, she laughed, knowing I'd "failed" them before. She didn't laugh for long! The quality is outstanding, and while the diapers (especially with the snapless multi) are "simple", that doesn't mean they are not well-thought-out designs. Both the snapless multi and the organic bamboo fleece (OBF) fitted are very smart designs!

Both the snapless multi and the OBF fitted are fitted diapers, which means they are not waterproof in themselves - they should be paired with a cover. (Try sloomb's wool covers or knit longies from Mami's and Papi's or sloomb!) The snapless multi is a one-size diaper. As the name implies, it is snapless. You can pin it or use a snappi. If you're not using a wool cover and it's one with velcro or snaps, you may not even need to fasten it! Being snapless, it literally has INFINITE adjustment possibilities. The OBF fitteds are sized, have snap-closures, and have a snap-in doubler (snaps in the front so you don't risk touching poo!). Each type also comes with an additional lay-in doubler (the snapless comes with two)! I usually don't even need to use them, but my older baby (non-heavy wetter) can use the snapless as an overnight diaper with the two doublers, and the lay-in doublers can be used, left out, folded in half for extra absorbency right where you need it (even front-and-center for little boys).

With these diapers increasing in recognition, there have been lots of questions recently on the Mami's and Papi's facebook page. Yesterday on facebook, Erin from sloomb graciously answered some of our burning questions for us! Here is what she had to say, straight from the authoritative source!

"...OBF Fitteds do shrink (our patterns are made to accommodate shrinkage & we increased sizing last Fall slightly for a slightly more generous fit)...

Snapless-multi fitteds are made of terry - these are incredibly stretchy and are 3 layers in the body so that they have approximately the same absorbency as the shell of the fleece fitteds. Bamboo fleece is not a very stretchy fabric. It is beautiful, ultra absorbent, and soft. You should care for the fitteds well. Don't over dry them, wash with Ecover fabric softener if you need to, use dryer balls, and an awesome cloth diaper safe detergent (like Lulu's!).

Regarding sizing, I have always recommended people size up in our OBF fitteds if possible. Sized fitteds are more expensive and in our opinion should fit more than one size - they were designed this way. Our son could wear S, M, or L at the same time. This gives you a choice. You can use a smaller fitted for a trimmer fit or size up and have more room, but it will last longer. Our cross-over snap in the front allows for a tighter fit at the waist if you want to move up to the next size.

The snapless is just awesome, plain and simple. It is versatile, well loved for nights or day use, is highly absorbent (they come with bamboo fleece doublers), and is super stretchy so you can add as many doublers as you need. Even if you love the sized fitteds, I always try to encourage people to at least try the snapless. Pins and snappis are very easy to use with our fabric, grandparents/caregivers/dads love them too!

A great tip is to fold one of the doublers in half in the wet-zone. For OBF sized fitteds try folding one of the snap-in doublers before adding the extra doubler in. This gives you an extra 3 layers without adding bulk where you don't need it. Our snap-in soakers snap in the front so that boys can also benefit from folding.

Which one is our personal favorite? I like both. We only used sbish for our son. He had about 18 diapers total, aprox 10 snapless, 8 sized + tons of wool."


As Erin mentioned, yes, products from sloomb could be considered an investment. But if you're going to splurge or set aside money for a great diaper (or several)- these are the ones! The quality is exceptional, and the diapers are made in the USA!! The absorbency and fit are amazing. Our younger baby is a heavy-wetter, and the OBF fitteds in particular are worry-free for the mama of a heavy wetter, especially paired with wool for a breathable combination. Here's the post where these began to be known as the "magic diaper". I agree!

Oh, you'd like to see pictures??? Great! I have quite a few! And Erin from sloomb has allowed me to post the pictures she took of the OBF fitteds. Thank you! Pay close attention to the captions, as the diapers look similar.  For reference, our babies are 7 and 21 months. The 7 month old is right at 50th% in all measurements, weighs around 18 pounds, thigh measurement is 9.5 to 10", has a 14.5" waist, and approx. 11.5" rise. The 21 month old is mid-80th% in height, mid-40th% for weight, weighs 27 pounds, and is 34.5" tall with a 11 3/4" thigh measurement and 17 1/4 inch waist measurement.

all sizes washed OBF fitteds

all sizes washed OBF fitteds
all sizes washed OBF fitteds

all sizes washed OBF fitteds and WOOL!!
I wrote a blog post on the OBF fitted a few months back, but thought it would be nice to bring back these pictures :) At that time, she was borderline for medium, so Mami suggested we size up. About four months later, the medium still fits great and lots of room to go!
inside of OBF fitted with lay-in doubler

OBF fitted on 4 month old
And here's the same OBF fitted on the same baby, almost 4 months later!

For our older baby, I put the snapless multi on just as it is, with the full rise. On our younger baby, I fold the top/front of the diaper inward, then pull the wings across the front and fasten.
snapless multi, adjusted for smaller baby 7 months

beautiful!
snapless multi snappi'd

snapless multi on both, two ways to pin, baby on right has rise adjusted

OBF fitteds, size medium on left, size large on right

OBF fitted, size XL, crossed over snap


Besides the reasons I've already mentioned, there's another reason I love these diapers so much. After a year or so of uneventful cloth diapering with our third baby, she began to develop issues. It started as rashes that were difficult to treat, then we experienced ammonia burn, open sores, infection, more open sores, more ammonia burns, and lots of tears from both her and me. On the advice of a few friends, switching to a clean-washing, simple diaper design made of natural fabric was one of three changes we made that ultimately kept us in cloth diapers. (With some medical background, I couldn't help but make these changes one at a time with a wash-out period so as not to get confounding results along with a re-challenge :) ) Getting the right wash regimen and the right detergent was another piece of the puzzle, as well as some great skin products when needed. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with pockets or all-in-ones. And our younger baby in cloth could care less what's on her bum, but once I eliminated pockets and all-in-ones (even natural fibers) from our older baby, her skin is beautiful and healthy!! I don't need to cringe in anticipation any longer when I take a diaper off, afraid of what I might find. I can't say enough how important that is after MONTHS of issues last year. (As a side note, I'm speculating that our particularly difficult water conditions, paired with the more complicated design of pocket covers and all-in-ones (multiple layers including an attached waterproof layer) as well as microfiber that "grabs" everything combined with the sensitive skin of our older baby caused the issues.)

Sustainablebabyish | sloomb diapers and wool are beautiful, soft, pure, clean, simple, and healthy. All those descriptors are what cloth diapering is really all about, right?? Healthy for my babies' skin, and healthy for the Earth! You can't argue with that! You can find them at Mami's and Papi's online store (snapless multi, OBF fitted, knit wool longies, knit wool cover) or from sloomb.com (snapless multi and OBF fitted, knit wool longies and covers). Watch out - some of the trim colors may leave you searching for a sweet treat! :)

*Whew!*
~Prima~



Monday, February 7, 2011

Wing-droop!

Have you heard the term "wing-droop" and are left wondering "What does that mean??" Simply put, wing droop occurs in front-closure diapers when the bottom layer of the overlap slips or slides out from under the top layer. I happened to catch an extreme case that occurred in our household on camera. You know we've promised honesty on this blog - here it is!!

(Disclaimer - if you happen to be able to identify the brand of diaper, I *believe* I have an older version than the version that is currently available with retailers now)




In my experience with several brands of diapers, this occurs most frequently with snap-closure, and when there is only one snap per side or two snaps without much spacing. In this instance, adjusting the rise of the diaper may have helped. I'm noticing that in the top picture, the snaps are not the same on both sides - I believe Daddy did this diaper change ;) Regular diaper changes, and getting a good fit when you put a fresh diaper on goes a long way in preventing wing-droop also :)

~Prima~

Friday, February 4, 2011

Review: Kanga Care (Rumparooz) Hanging Wet Bag

Mami and I first saw the new Rumparooz Wet Bag, Pail Liner, Changing Pads, and Doll Diapers at ABC Expo in October and were very impressed! We'll get to each eventually, but first up is the hanging wet bag!

A wet bag is a wet bag, right? Nope! Kanga Care has done their research, as this design is very well thought out. Some wetbags have been known to experience some wicking once the wet and dirty diapers are contained for any length of time. By using the same material that their pocket diaper covers are made of, combined with a new seam-sealing method, I'm pleased to say that I've not experienced ANY wicking while using this wetbag! Here's a close-up of the inside seam. In layman's terms, it's as if an extra piece of the waterproofing TPU is laid over the seam with a wide border to yet to spare. Very smart!



Another unique feature is the dimensional design. It's not just two pieces of flat fabric sewn together, but is put together with shape. Once filled with a few diapers, it begins to hold it's shape. It holds more diapers this way, and when hanging (or even sitting on the floor), the flat portion of the "D" lays nicely against the wall. No twisting! Here are a few shots with the bag containing about 8 diapers.




Here is another shot so you can see the dimensional design. I've collapsed the bag accordion-style vertically (it has 2 diapers in it in the picture), and you're looking at the bottom of the bag - you can see the "D" shape.



The overall quality is very very good. It zips and unzips easily, and the snap holds well when hanging, even when filled with diapers. It's a larger, more substantial snap than used on their diapers.

In our personal experience, this is the perfect wetbag for us if we're out and about beyond 2 diaper changes, as we have two babies in diapers. We can travel all day and even a short overnight with this - it holds up to 15 diapers! (If you're looking for larger storage, the pail liner is HUGE! Will hold way more diapers than anyone should be doing in one load ;) )When we're at home, it's afforded us the luxury of having diaper storage in our "little" bathroom as well as our big bathroom. The little bathroom literally has no extra floor space, so it hangs on a towel rack (I'll spare you the picture in that bathroom :) )

This is a diapering accessory that I will not be de-stashing after potty-learning! I look forward to using it on trips to the pool, the beach, and who knows where else!

~Prima~