Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

MABU Newborn Cloth Diaper Kit Available at Walmart!

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Did you know that not everybody likes to shop online? I am so comfortable shopping this way that I sometimes forget that not everybody is! But it’s true. I don’t think my mother, for example, has ever purchased ANYTHING online. I make online purchases a few times each month! 🙂

Not wanting to make online purchases can definitely be a tough obstacle to overcome if you want to cloth diaper. Not very many cities have cloth diapers storefronts (we had one in Chattanooga, but it closed, I assume due to lack of sales…such a bummer). And the big box stores don’t carry cloth diapers. They are still carrying those horrific plastic pants that parents were using 20 and 30 years ago. Yuck!

Cloth Diapers at Walmart

That is, until now. There’s a company that has managed to get itself into select Walmart stores, and I’m so thrilled to see it! It makes cloth SO much more accessible to so many people! It’s called MABU Baby, and they have put together entire starter kits so that you can get started on your cloth diaper journey with ease.

So why did Walmart choose this particular line? MABU Baby has worked really hard to make their cloth diapers VERY affordable. Affordability is another hurdle for many people when starting with cloth. Yes, there’s no doubt that over time you will spend more on disposables than on cloth, but spending several hundred dollars to build your stash at the beginning is simply not doable for many people’s budgets, whereas $13 for a package of disposables this week IS doable.

The MABU Starter Kit comes with everything you need to try out a few different ways to cloth diaper, and it is priced right at $33.99 (as compared to $20-25 for one cloth diaper in many other brands).  cloth diapers walmart

  • 2 diaper outers
  • 2 snap-in pad holders,
  • 2 washable diaper pads
    plus
  • 2 disposable diaper pads and
  • 5 liners
With the MABU system you can try out full cloth diapering, and you can try out the hybrid method, where you re-use your shells, but have disposable diaper pads inside the shells. This second system is more expensive than going fully cloth, but it is a great way to transition from fully disposable to fully cloth if you need some time to adjust or if you are still feeling nervous about the extra laundry and want to minimize the amount you will have.
Our experience with the MABU system has been very positive so far. We have the newborn kit and the diapers fit Layah wonderfully. While MABU diapers lack some of the bells and whistles of more expensive cloth diapers, they still get the job done just fine. I think their greatest asset is their affordability, and I applaud Walmart for starting to carry this brand so that more people can discover the savings to be had by switching to cloth diapers.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win an MABU stater kit in your choice of size! Sizing information found here: http://mabubaby.com/use-and-care/sizing-secure-fit

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Seventh Generation Partners with The Lorax! GIVEAWAY!!!

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I’m all geared up to go cloth from the start with baby #2. I plan to go cloth as soon as the umbilical cord falls off! I’ll have a few days where I need to use disposables, and about 2 weeks after baby is born, we’ll be hitting the road for a few days to go to my sister’s wedding. Cloth is totally doable on the road, but I just don’t want to mess with it in the midst of trying to enjoy Laura’s big day. So I’ll be taking some disposables. But I still want to keep all those nasty chemicals away from my newborn, so I’m being quite choosy about which disposables I will be using. is what I’m going to use!

They have actually just released a new and improved Free & Clear diaper product line, and are launching these products with a little help from Dr. Suess’ “The Lorax!” The Lorax is the “Speaker for the Trees” in this classic tale, which Universal Studios’ has now released as a motion picture. He is a great advocate for those who may not be able to advocate for themselves (the earth, the animals, the air). Seventh Generation will feature limited edition Lorax prints on all diapers and training pants. This is such a great way to remind parents and caregivers that we are responsible for caring for the earth, and we don’t speak up, who will?

Seventh Generation has an entire line of Free & Clear baby products that your family is sure to love, including brand new overnight diapers. Hooray! Free & Clear diapers also have improved tabs for a better fit and the training pants have an absorbant core made with more renewable materials. Seventh Generation truly listens to feedback from its customers to ensure that they put the very best products possible on the shelves. Furthermore, these products are free of chlorine, fragrance, petroleum-based lotions or latex and they are hypo-allergenic.

Beginning March 2nd, if you purchase any 3 Free & Clear diaper products, you can register for a FREE The Lorax scrapbook! Fun!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a prize pack with the following great items:

  • A copy of Dr. Seuss´s The Lorax storybook
  • One package of new Seventh Generation Free & Clear diaper product

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Charlie Banana Diaper Review: One Size Diaper

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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 diaper review
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.

charlie banana diaper review

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!

charlie banana review 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. 

Rockin’ Green Detergent Review

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I need to tell you something about using cloth diapers: sometimes it is hard. I don’t think it is hard to prep the diapers for use, and I don’t think it is that hard to wash them (though it is time consuming, and therefore, can be annoying). What I’m talking about, in particular, are the times when your diapers start to smell really bad and you can’t seem to get rid of the smell. This is also known as having a case of “the stinkies.”

There are almost as many remedies for the stinkies as there are different brands of cloth diapers. Many of them contradict each other. For example: one method will say to break out a little bit of bleach, and another method will say, “Whatever you do, DON’T use bleach!” It seems that what works for one cloth diaper family doesn’t for the next. I think a lot of it has to do with what kind of water you have, actually. The solution for folks with soft water is just going to be different than for those with hard water or even in-between water (I have that “in between” water here).

Rockin’ Green Review

Rockin' Green reviews Rockin’ Green is a cloth diaper detergent company that has become quite popular, largely due to the fact that it makes different detergents for those different water types. The vast majority of people who have used it rave about how well it works. I’ve been curious to try it out, and recently had the opportunity.

Most of my diapers come out pretty clean after going through a cold and then hot wash. But I have one brand of diapers that just STINK, despite everything I have tried (and I tried a lot of different things, folks). Those are my BumGenius AIO diapers. They used to be my favorites, but lately, they have become the diapers I turn to last, because they stink after Darah has been wearing them for maybe 45 minutes. I know they have buildup on them, but nothing I have done will shake it. I thought this would be the ultimate test for Rockin’ Green.

So what was the result? Well, it worked! But it didn’t work right away. It took about 6 washes with Rockin’ Green before the diapers truly became stink free. I continued to use the diapers all along (how else would I know if it worked?) and I didn’t notice any difference after the very first wash, but after every other wash, the smell seemed to lessen. By round 6, Rockin’ Green had TKO’d the stinkies! Yes, it took a while, but it was worth it! To be fair, I think those diapers had a whole lot of stinky going on, and Rockin’ Green could only fight so hard during each wash!

Rockin’ Green also suggests during a third rinse of the diapers, which is not something I had tried before. I have some guilt about the amount of water I use with cloth diapers, but I have integrated the third rinse into my wash routine once a week for now.

I was pleased with the result, and I did end up purchasing a bag of Rockin’ Green to have on hand. It worked for me when nothing else did, and that made it something totally worth the price, which it a bit on the steep side for me. I suspect I may never have a case of the stinkies again, but if I do, Rockin’ Green will take care of it, I’m certain.

Buy it!: Rockin’ Green is available from their site, and from a variety of sites online! Detergents for soft and “regular” water are $12.95 for a 45/90 load size, and $15.85 for the hard water formula.

Win it!: Awwww yeah! Rockin’ Green is bringing one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader one 45/90 bag of detergent in your choice of formula and scent! The contest will run until December 17th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning 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 what kind of water you have where you live? If you don’t know, check out the map on Rockin’ Green’s site to learn! Have you had to do anything special with your laundry cleaning routine due to your water? My answer: I’ve never noticed anything special needing to be done with my clothes until I started using cloth diapers. The buildup they got did require something specially formulated for our water, it seems.

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Follow Rockin’ Green on Twitter
2. Blogger love: Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need via email or RSS
3. Bonus opportunity: tweet about this giveaway and post the tweet url here (just one extra entry total)

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

Disclosure: I received sample packets for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This post contains affiliate links. 

SoftBums Launches Omni Diaper

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You may remember that I did a SoftBums AI2 review a few weeks ago (truly one of my VERY favorite cloth diapers of all time). I’m thrilled to be able to bring you the great news that SoftBums has created a new diaper, and you are going to TOTALLY. FLIP. OUT. when you hear about it.

Check out my video to see what, exactly, makes this diaper like no other out there.

SoftBums Omni Diaper

So the SoftBums Omni diaper will be at the very top of my wish list for cloth dipes for baby #2 (I sure do talk about that kid a lot given that s/he doesn’t exist and won’t for quite some time!). softbums omni I will add snowcone (blue) and sprout (green) to the coconut (white) diaper I already have. If you have a baby or are expecting one, or if you know someone who is and who wants to try cloth, this is the ULTIMATE cloth diaper. It is an absolute must. And lucky you, starting today you can pre-order them! They will be shipping in November, just in time for the holidays!

So, that’s pretty huge news for the cloth diapering community. And now I have news that is just as big. In celebration of this revolutionary diaper, SoftBums is having one seriously gigantic giveaway, and Stuff Parents Need readers get to take part in it. Hooray!!! There are so many amazing, wonderful, drool-worthy gifts that are up for grabs. Allow me to list them for you.

Grand prize: Ipad
First prize: complete birth to potty package of the SoftBums Omni diaper
Second prize: $75 gift certificate to Softbums.com
Third prize: $50 gift certificate to Amazon.com
Fourth prize (20 winners!) SoftBums Omni diaper
Fifth prize (3 winners) pair of BabyLegs

Are you totally freaking out? ME TOO!!!!!

Ok, so how the heck do you enter? It’s really rather easy, my friends! All you need to do is leave a comment on my blog. I have a few extra entry opps for you, as well, so read on. The contest is open to residents of the United States, and closes at 8pm CST on October 18th. The winners will be drawn from amongst all the participating blogs’ comments.

Mandatory entry: Tell me which prize on the list you are hoping for (you are entered for all of them, no worries) and why you want it! Who will the prize go to if you get it???

Additional entries. I’m going to offer a few more extra entries this time, and break away from the standard method, because I’d really love to see people from my blog when all the prizes, and you need to have as many entries as possible to increase your chances!
Sponsor love: Subscribe to the SoftBums blog (it’s a really good one!)

Blogger love: Follow me on Google Friend Connect, Twitter, Facebook or subscribe via email or RSS (you can get 1 extra entry per method…a rare opportunity on my site!).

You can also enter your name on the sites of the other bloggers reviewing the product. A list can be found here at the bottom of the post.

Good luck! Not gonna lie, I want these prizes for myself, but whatever I don’t win (ha ha) I want to see a Stuff Parents Need Reader snag!!!

Be sure to check out my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my main page.

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

SoftBums: Amazing AI2 Diaper

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Today I’m bringing you a diaper from SoftBums that is making me re-think AI2 diapers. AI2 dipes, in general, have fallen out of favor with me. But if you’ll check out my video review, you’ll see just why SoftBums have made me an AI2 believer once again.


On the whole, I’d say that this diaper is brilliant, and it is one that I would enthusiastically recommend to anyone who is looking to start cloth diapering or add a winning diaper to their stash. One size fits 6-35 pounds, and all without a snap system. Amazing!

Buy it!: SoftBums can be purchased on Amazon and the Echo Dry Touch Basic Pack is $36.95, and comes with 1 shell, 3 long inserts and 1 mini-insert. The inserts cover so well that you really could use the shell multiple times before washing it! It makes 3 full diapers, which equals about $12/diaper. Not bad!

Win it!: Are you flipping out with excitement? You should be, because one of you is going to WIN a Softbums One-Size Cloth Diaper Basics Pack in your choice of color!!!! The contest will run until September 17th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to their winning 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 one reason why you are intrigued by SoftBums and who the diaper would be for (you don’t have to list the child’s name, just if they are a son, daughter, niece, nephew, etc.).

Additional entries:
1. Follow SoftBums on Twitter
3. “Like” SoftBums on Facebook
4. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter
5. “Like” Stuff Parents Need on Facebook
6. Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need by RSS, email or Google Friend Connect (only one extra entry, even if you subscribe multiple ways)
7. If you are a blogger (posted something within the past 3 months) put my button on your blog and leave a url so that I can find it.

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways (listed on the sidebar of my home page).

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.