I have several very dear people in my life who are expecting at the moment. 2011 is going to be a banner baby year for me. I get to have all the fun and none of the pain! 🙂 Hooray for being an auntie!!!

I remember all too well how overwhelming (or even annoying) it can be when someone tries to convince you that they know what is best for you and how you should go about the business of raising your kid. And for those of you out there who are pregnant with your first, just know that such advice doesn’t stop after you have the baby. I’m pretty sure it never stops. Ever!

So of course, I don’t want to be one of those people. But here, on the other side of the fence, it is just so dang hard, sometimes! Especially when it comes to the world of cloth diapering. In the blog world, cloth diapers aren’t really unheard of. They still aren’t used as much as disposables, but if you read blogs, then you most assuredly know someone (at least virtually) who is cloth diapering. But outside of the blogosphere, it seems to be MUCH more rare. I forget that sometimes. Most couples never even consider cloth diapering because they don’t know anyone who does it and don’t have anyone in their lives encouraging them to try it. If anything, they have the opposite, which is parents or grandparents telling them how awful cloth is and how disposable diapers are the greatest invention since sliced bread.

And they do have their place, as I’ve mentioned before.

BUT……

Cloth rocks, and the cloth of today is not the cloth of even 10 years ago, let alone 30 years ago!
I’ll just stop there, because do you see what I’m saying? It is SO HARD not to get on a soapbox and yell, “Just try it! You will love it! Promise!”

Charlie Banana

So for now, I’ll just introduce you to an absolutely fabulous cloth diaper company and let their cute dipes speak for themselves! The company is called Charlie Banana, and they have many fabulous organic baby products, including a one size (OS) cloth diaper, which is what I’m reviewing today.

Charlie Banana diapers do not contain any chlorine, perfume, chemicals or gels, which is just part of what makes them so much more wonderful than disposables. Their entire line is made with 100% certified organically grown cotton. Only the best for your little bunny’s tush!

Charlie Banana diapers are called 2 in 1 diapers, which means that they are designed to be used with either reusable or disposable inserts. Very handy! You can use a Charlie Banana disposable insert for those moments when you might have reached for disposable diapers in the past (such as a visit to Grandma’s house). The insert is just thrown out after use, and the shell can be used again and again (unless it gets really messy, and then you might want to change the shell). You can also put a reusable insert inside the sleeve of the diaper, which is what we do.

We have found the fit of Charlie Banana diapers to be terrific, and the color selection to be fabulous. They even have some adorable prints! My only complaint is that the insert sleeve for the diaper is at the front, which can make it a little bit harder to make sure that you have full protection all the way to the front. All my other diapers have a sleeve in the back, so I’m used to making sure that I get the inserts all the way to the front. With Charlie Banana diapers, that same move puts my inserts all the way in the back, and depending the specific insert I have grabbed, could leave a bit of space at the front. The Charlie Banana inserts don’t leave any gap, by the way.

If you are someone who likes the idea of cloth, but finds yourself reaching for disposables more than you’d like, Charlie Banana diapers are definitely the way to go! Even if you are in full-time cloth, they are still a very reliable diaper. I don’t hesitate to grab this diaper out of the pile at changing time!

Buy it!: Charlie Banana diapers are available for purchase individually through Target, or in packs of 6 from Amazon. You can expect to pay around $22 for 1 diaper, or around $115 for a pack of 6.

Edit: Giveaway is closed

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need Reader is going to win a OS diaper in your choice of color from Charlie Banana! The contest will run until February 1 at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Tell me the color/print you would choose AND tell me the #1 reason you love cloth!

my answer: I love cloth because it saves us a whole lot of money, which means we can breathe a little bit easier every month.

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Charlie Banana on Facebook and post on their wall that Stuff Parents Need sent you!
2. Blogger love: Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need by RSS or email

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my homepage.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own. Affiliate links included at no cost to you.