Stuff Parents Need

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

Aurora Crinkle Friends Brights Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

· by · 112 Comments

When Darah was a baby, she LOVED to hear crinkly sounds (dry leaves being stepped on during a walk, for example). She would pay such close attention with both her eyes and her ears. It was so cute to watch.

Aurora World actually has a line of plush toys that make that same crinkly sound when you touch them. They’ve had a crinkly frog, pig and cow out for some time, but they recently added some really fun and different animals to the mix.

Introducing the Crinkle Friends Brights! They crinkle, but they also squeak and rattle. And boy are they cute!

Take a closer look at our new friend, Hedgehog:

The day Hedgehog arrived, I explained to Darah before I opened the package that it was a new special friend for Layah. When I pulled out the crinkle friend, Darah shrieked with delight, and exclaimed, “Layah will love it!” And then she proceeded to play with the hedgehog for pretty much the rest of the day.

Long story short, Hedgehog sleeps in Darah’s bed now. She will still tell you that it is Layah’s toy, but that Layah is sharing with her. Hopefully in the next few months I’ll be able to get Darah to start sharing back with Layah!

Crinkle Friends are suggested for children ages 6 months and up and are priced at $17. They can be purchase at retail outlets or online at the Aurora shop. They are bright and absolutely delightful to babies. And toddlers, evidently!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the Crinkle Friends Brights of your choice!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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

Oh Katy One Size Pocket Diaper Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

· by · 186 Comments

Today I’m bringing you a video review of the Oh Katy One Size Pocket Diaper. You do not want to miss seeing what is so unique about their inserts, so check it out!

And aren’t all the colors this diaper comes in just fabulous? Silver is my favorite, but I’m also swooning over twilight and violet!

You can purchase these diapers for $17.95 each. Oh Katy offers $5 flat rate shipping, too! AND, for the entire month of July, if you purchase 4 diapers you get 1 free! That’s like getting 20% off! Woo hoo!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win an Oh Katy One Size Pocket Diaper in your choice of colors!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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

Need a New Vacuum? Dyson Giveaway Coming Up!

· by · Leave a Comment

I got a new vacuum back in April, and it has been revolutionary for us. I never realized just how much my old vacuum sucked (er…didn’t suck, I guess…)!

If your old vacuum is ready to be put to rest, but you aren’t feeling excited about paying for a new one, just hang tight and get ready for a DYSON giveaway! SQUEAL!!!!

If you are a blogger, read below for details on how to join this awesome giveaway!

The Dyson DC24 Cleaner Home Giveaway Event hosted by Mom Powered Media: Iowa-Mom, Powered by Mom and Real Mom Reviews is now open to bloggers!

Cost is $5 or free with announcement post. See bloggers wanted post for more details.

Prize: Dyson DC24 All Floors Vacuum (retail value $399)

Open to: Worldwide (note – if a winner is selected outside of the US, they will be responsible for shipping costs and fees added by their country).

The event dates: August 3 –  24

Link options are: Email, RSS, Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon and Pinterest.

What is required to join? 

  • You will receive an email confirming your participation a week before the event. If you do not, please email teri@momtobedby8.com and someone will check into it!
  • Then on or around August 1st you will receive an email with the html code for publishing the giveaway.  Note it is required that you publish the giveaway html in full to be included in this event.

Referral prize: The two bloggers who refer the most bloggers and businesses to join will receive $20 via paypal or amazon e-code.

Thirsties Diapers: Introducing the Thirsties Duo

· by · 282 Comments

All in One (AIO) cloth diapers were my first love when it came to using cloth. Or to look at it a different way, they were my gateway drug. AIOs are the very best way for someone who is new to cloth to get started because they just couldn’t be any easier.

Thirsties Diapers has come out with a new diaper, the Thirsties Duo AIO diaper, and it has something I’ve never seen before on an AIO and it makes my heart skip a beat! I love it! Watch my video to see what it is!

Pretty sweet, right?!

thirsties diapers, thirsties duo

You can purchase one of these totally rad diapers from any Thirsties retailer or you can get them on Amazon!. Solids are $15.75 and prints are $16.75.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a Thirsties Duo AIO solid color diaper of your choice!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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

BabyKicks NEW Premium Pocket Diaper Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

· by · 164 Comments

Today I’m pleased to be featuring a new diaper from BabyKicks! It’s called the Premium Pocket Diaper and it has several really impressive and clever features. Check out my video to see just what this diper has to offer!

My personal favorite aspects of the diaper are the air gussets (which I thought was going to be my least favorite!), the JoeyBunz insert and the newborn snap. Great design, BabyKicks!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a BabyKicks Basic Pocket Diaper!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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

Lotus Bumz Cloth Diaper Review

· by · 179 Comments

Lotus Bumz is a cloth diaper company started by a mother named Lorain who saw the need for affordable cloth diapering options on the market. She has, in my opinion, come pretty darn close to perfecting the pocket diaper, all thanks to one especially clever feature, which I’ll tell you about shortly!

I was sent the one size pocket diaper in a cute star pattern (they do offer newborn pocket diapers, as well). We had to wait about a month after Layah was born to start using the diaper. Layah was 7 pounds 3 ounces when she was born, and was right around 9 pounds at 4 weeks. I will tell you that for the first week or two that we used the diaper, we had inconsistent results with it, in the form of leaks out of the legs (a problem we seem to frequently have with Layah in most cloth diapers). I think that Lotus Bumz simply require a little bit chunkier of a leg!

Now that we are further along and Layah has really started to chunk up big time, we aren’t having leaks at all with this diaper. So I don’t think our problems were the fault of the diaper, just a timing thing. I wouldn’t recommend the one size Lotuz Bunz for your newborn, but would definitely say to start using them around 6 or 7 weeks, which is when we started to have good luck with them. lotus bumz

Lotus Bumz one size pocket diapers feature 3 rows of snaps so that younger babies and toddlers alike can wear the diaper. Also note that there is a snap on each hip. I think this is a fantastic addition, as it does allow for a more snug fit around the legs, which as we discussed, is very important for Layah.

But the feature that I’m absolutely bonkers about, and that I think catapults Lotus Bumz diapers to the top of the pocket diaper pile is the hole in the back where you stuff the diapers. The hole is pretty small. Well, it really isn’t, it just  has elastic around it on both the outer and the inner sides, and this keeps the microfiber insert from coming out of the back. Trust me when I say that it is literally a pain in the rear to have your inserts start creeping out the back of your baby’s diaper. When your baby pees and the insert is sticking out, you are about to have one wet mess on your hands! Lotus Bumz nips that problem in the bud by having a back pocket that is not wide open like so many other diapers are. Three cheers for this feature, Lotus Bumz!

Lotus Bumz one size pocket diapers are available for just $16.97 in an adorable assortment of patterns and solid colors. You can also stock up and save by ordering 10 diapers at once, and in return, you’ll receive an extra diaper and a wet bag for FREE!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a Lotus Bumz printed pattern diaper! Yay!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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

Sunbaby Diapers Review

· by · 163 Comments

Attention all cloth diaper users who are on a tight budget! Have I got a treat for you today!

Sunbaby Diapers

There’s a brand of diapers called Sunbaby Diapers, and they are a frugal family’s dream come true! These are one size pocket diapers that are cute as a button and extremely easy on the wallet. Wanna hear just how inexpensive they can be? How’s $5/diaper for you?!

Now for the rub: you have to buy the diapers in larger quantities (group of 12) to get this great price. In fact, that’s the only way you can buy the diapers on the Sunbaby site. But for $60, you get 12 Sunbaby covers, or for $78 you get the 12 covers and 24 microfiber inserts. Shipping is FREE! I challenge you to find a better deal on diapers.

At this point you may be thinking what I was thinking…are these diapers being responsibly made if they can be sold for such a low price? The answer is yes! A wonderful lady named Sun Pei owns this company, and she oversees the production of her diapers. Here’s what she has to say about how the diapers are made: “Sunbaby Diapers are manufactured in Shanghai, China. Our city has strict laws forbidding cheaper labor. People who use child labor will be put into jail or fined huge amount money. So buy confidently! Your diapers are manufactured under fair labor conditions. I am the only seller of Sunbaby diapers in China, I never make wholesale business to retailers in china so that I can ensure that I have a reasonable profit and workers in our factory can get paid well and don’t have to work overtime.”

Sunbaby diapers have a very soft interior for a comfy fit for baby. They also have those awesome snaps at the hip to give an extra snug fit around the legs, which is where most cloth diaper leaks happen. They also have 3 vertical snaps so that the diaper can grow with your baby. Layah is still using the shortest setting at 2 months and it is working very well.

I also like that the one size diapers actually come in two sizes. Size 1 diapers are simply designed for a thinner baby, and size 2 diapers are the best choice for a chunkier baby. The website needs to be a bit more explicit about this information, as it is sort of buried in the site.

I do think that the outer PUL fabric is a bit thinner than some other brands of diapers I have used, but if you consider that the diapers cost about 1/3 (or less) of what other diapers cost, this difference can be overlooked. I have not noticed the thinner fabric to cause more leaks.

I also think the Sunbaby website should show the fabric colors and patterns offered so that customers can get an idea of what their package of 12 diapers might look like. My diaper had a cute Hello Kitty character (Melody) on it, but I had no clue what the diaper might look like before it showed up. sunbaby diapers

I’m very pleased with the Sunbaby line and would recommend these affordable cloth diapers to anyone! If you need to build a stash super cheap, this is the way to do it. You could also get together with a friend and split an order, too!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a Sunbaby diaper!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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

$200 Amazon Giveaway Coming Soon! Bloggers, Get Signed Up!

· by · Leave a Comment

Get ready…I’ll be bringing you a $200 Amazon gift card giveaway in just 2 short weeks!

Event Details:

– The giveaway will go live on July 15, 2012
– Open Worldwide
– Prize: $200 Amazon Gift Card *1 winner*

Sign Up Fee & Info:

– NO COST for the first link (Facebook Page only)
– To participate, please share this free event on your site and complete the form below.
– If you would like to include more links (Twitter, Pinterest, Votes, etc.) for this giveaway, then please send the fee to chicalgene@gmail.com via Paypal. Each additional link will cost $3.

Click here to get signed up if you are a blogger!

Cloth diaper giveaways all next week!

· by · Leave a Comment

Hello bloggy friends! I wanted to let you know that I have a special treat for all you fluff fans out there! Next week I’ll be reviewing and giving away 5 different types of cloth diapers…they are all fabulous, too! Stay tuned, as the reviews and giveaways start tomorrow! Yay!