eco diapers

MABU Newborn Cloth Diaper Kit Available at Walmart!

May 15, 2012 · by Tiffany Merritt · 136 Comments

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).

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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Eco Sprout Cloth Diaper Detergent Review and GIVEAWAY!!

April 16, 2012 · by Tiffany Merritt · 157 Comments

Some people cite the need for “special” detergents as a downside to using cloth diapers. I see it as a positive thing, for sure! It is because we started using cloth diapers that we took a good, hard look at the detergents we had been using for our clothes, and realized that we were polluting the environment and leaving chemical residues on our clothes unnecessarily. There are some really great alternatives out there, and they don’t have to break the bank!

Today I’m featuring a very cool line of cloth-friendly detergent that is made by a work-at-home DAD! It’s called Eco Sprout, and I’ve been really impressed with it in the time that I’ve used it. I’m washing all of our baby girl’s clothes in this detergent, because they disclose all of their ingredients (which is not required in the U.S., by the way) so I KNOW that this stuff has no phosphates or enzymes in it. These are known allergens that cause things like eczema, and skin reactions. Babies are especially sensitive to these types of things, so I feel really good knowing that they won’t be present on our little one’s clothing. We’ll also be using it to wash her cloth diapers.

Cloth diaper veterans know that after time, “stink” (ammonia build-up) can become a problem on cloth diapers. Other users of Eco Sprout are reporting that this simply doesn’t happen to their diapers when using this detergent, so there’s no need to do any extra stripping or buy any extra products to battle the stink down the line. Love that!

Finally, I love that there are some really nice scent options for the cloth diaper detergent. I’ve noticed that the smell is light enough to not linger on the clothes after they have been washed, but they do make for a pleasant washing experience (which is so nice to have, especially when you are unloading a wet bag full of stinky dipes!). We’ve been using the Green Tea scent, which is so pleasant and calming. We’ve also had the opportunity to try out Warm Vanilla Sugar. Oh man, that stuff smells GOOD!!!

Overall, I’m just so excited to have this in my laundry room for when baby #2 hits the scene. I feel 100% confident with it based on my experience so far, and based on the experience that others are reporting having. You can pick up a 24/48 load of detergent for just $7.95. If you’d like to try samples first, those are also available for $1.75 and each do 2/4 loads!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a 24/48 load bag of Eco Sprout Detergent in your scent of choice!

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Bambo Nature: Eco-Friendly Disposable Diapers

November 3, 2010 · by Tiffany Merritt · 136 Comments

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that we have switched from disposable to cloth diapers. We feel really great about this change that we have made for a million different reasons that I won’t go into right now.

But…

I am of the opinion that disposable diapers have their place. I don’t think they should be the primary source of diapering (though I wouldn’t judge someone for choosing them, as I don’t know what it is like to be you and to live your life, and so I won’t assume that you should live your life as I live mine!). But I DO think that if there are times when disposable diapers will make your life a little less hectic, then they should be a resource to you. That’s our approach to diapering; it’s totally cool if yours is different.

Eco-Friendly Disposable Diapers?

So when do we reach for disposables? Largely, at night (at least until we got the amazing Ecobubs diaper!). Disposable diapers can hold an awful lot of pee, folks. Mostly that is due to them having a bunch of awful chemicals in them that can get the job done, but that are actually quite dangerous for baby. We also are using them when we take Darah to daycare. They are willing to accept cloth diapers, but I’m just not quite ready to start bringing them in. I’m hoping to have her potty trained before I turn to cloth for daycare, but if she isn’t done with potty training in a few months, I’ll start sending cloth with her (my logic for not bringing cloth now isn’t really sound, but it makes me feel less stressed, so that’s that).

When I was pregnant, I used coupons extensively to buy as many disposables as I could for the least amount of money, and I amassed quite a stockpile. I paid absolutely ZERO attention to the fact that disposable diapers tend to be loaded with really harsh chemicals that could be quite dangerous for your baby. To be perfectly honest, I had abolustely no idea how disposable diapers worked, and didn’t think I had any reason to need to know.

Now, of course, I know better. If you have ever really looked into what is in a typical disposable diaper, it will shock you. Even if you don’t care about the negative environmental impact of diapers (which is massive, by the way), I want to encourage you to look closely at the health risks.

Ok, so since disposable diapers tend to be full of gross chemicals, and tend to be horrific for our landfills, what’s a gal to do if she feels she needs to use them from time to time, as I still do?

Bambo Nature

Well, there is a solution. Check out Bambo Nature diapers, which you probably won’t find at your nearest Walgreens, but which can be found on Amazon.com and direct from the company’s website. These diapers are chemical free (woo hoo!) and they have been given the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, which means that this product has been assured to be eco-friendly and a safe product for baby.

On the Bambo Nature website, you can sign up to receive discounts and free samples of wipes and other chemical free products from Denmark (that is where these diapers are from), so definitely check that out. They disclose everything that is in their diapers, which is amazing!

Additionally, Healthychild.org has just declared Bamb0Nature the ONLY disposable baby diaper available in America that meets their high standards for safety. This tells me that the ingredients in this diaper are even safer than what you will find in any other eco-friendly diaper on the shelves.

So how do these diapers work? Well, they work great! When Darah wears them overnight they go the distance, just as you would expect Huggies or Pampers to do, only without those gross chemicals that those companies use. I think they are a little bit thicker than other disposable diapers, but they are thinner than a cloth diaper, for sure.

One thing I did notice about the diapers is that after she has been in them a long time (like overnight), they do smell like pee. But that’s because they don’t contain any perfumes to mask the odor, and I’d rather have to deal with that smell for the 1 minute it takes me to change her than to have her bottom exposed to those chemicals all night long just so that I can’t smell it for a moment.

I am extremely impressed with Bambo Nature diapers, and will look to these anytime I decide that a disposable diaper makes the most sense. I still believe that cloth is the best choice in many situations, but for me, not in every situation. Bambo Nature offers diapers that I can feel confident (and not guilty!) about. I give them my highest recommendation.

Where to Buy Bambo Nature Diapers: Bambo Nature diapers are available through their website, and also on Amazon.

Edit: this giveaway is closed.

Win it!: I am thrilled to tell you that Bambo Nature wants to give THREE lucky Stuff Parents Need readers a case of Bambo Nature diapers in your choice of size! Depending on the size you get, that will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 diapers! How awesome is that?!?! The contest will run until November 13th at 11:59pm EST when the winners will be selected using Random.org. The winners 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 anything about how you diaper (or used to diaper if your kid is potty-trained). Do you use cloth? Disposable? Have a favorite diaper brand? Have any concerns related to how you diaper? Have a question you’d like to ask Bambo Nature? Anything relevant to the topic at hand will work!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: “Like” Bambo Nature on Facebook.
2. Blogger love: Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need via email or RSS!
3. Bonus opportunity: Tweet: “#Win free eco-friendly disposable diapers! http://tinyurl.com/26cfzjd! ” You can do this as often as you want, but only your first tweet will count for an extra entry.

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

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

My Favorite Overnight Diapers

October 7, 2010 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

We’ve been talking a lot about cloth diapers lately (LOVE it!), and I have really been enjoying learning about products, both those based in the United States an also those from around the world.

I have been on pins and needles waiting for this next review to launch, though. I really hope you all will be just as excited to learn about this new product as I am to tell you about it.

My Favorite Overnight Diapers

Today I am bringing you a cloth diaper from New Zealand, and it is a diaper that gets my absolute highest praise for one very key reason: it really works for overnight. Seriously. 12 hours. No leaks. No, really. REALLY.

Check out my video on the Ecobubs diaper to learn more about what makes this diaper unique and swoon-worthy:

A washable wool pocket diaper truly combines the best of what wool diaper covers have to offer (major leak prevention) with the trim fit that pocket diapers can offer. Also, the stripes on the wool diapers are beyond cute on a baby’s tush!

I want to strongly encourage you, if you own a diaper shop or if you have a favorite online diaper retailer, to send them the link to Ecobubs. I think if some of the diaper shop owners gave these a try they wouldn’t hesitate for a moment to stock them!

Buy it!: edit: Ecobubs are now available on Amazon!

Since Ecobubs are based in New Zealand, their online prices are listed in New Zealand dollars. The cost for the wool pocket diaper in U.S. dollars is $28.30 (which does make it a premium diaper in terms of cost, but I PROMISE it is worth the money and then some, given all the middle of the night leaky diaper and crib sheet changes you WON’T be doing!). The Tangy Apple diaper is $23.09. Extra inserts are $4.10 each. Those inserts are soooo awesome, so I highly recommend that you buy them, and maybe even a few extra! Shipping to the U.S. is $11.17, but until October 14th, shipping for SPN readers is cut in half to $5.58 using the code DIAPER in the voucher code box. That will be the shipping price regardless of how much you order, so go in with a friend and buy as much as you can! 🙂 My husband and I have even started discussing if we can swing getting another diaper, even though our collection is decently large and money is tight. They really are just that good. To order, choose the diaper outer (wool pocket or Tangy Apple), choose the size and the number you want. Then click on the inserts and essential button to pick out the inserts. Then go to checkout. As a new customer you will register on the site, and then you can complete your order using a credit card!

Win it!: I’ve got that Tangy Apple diaper that is perfect for day up for grabs! The contest will run until October 17th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the 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 anything about how you have dealt (successfully or not) with leaking diapers (cloth or disposable). Is it just a reality you have to deal with, or do you have a strategy to prevent them? Anything relevant to the topic will work!Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: “Like” Ecobubs on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need via RSS or email.Be sure to check out my other current giveaways, listed on the sidebar of my main

page.

I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This post contains affiliate links.