Product Review: Envirosax

Many retail stores are moving to recyclable bag incentives.  One store in our area has completely stopped carrying plastic grocery bags.  You have to bring your own or take your groceries home in paper bags or boxes.  Target now gives a 5 cent credit for each bag that you bring.  Publix has even replaced my old recyclable bags for free when they start to fray. 

I have a whole floor board full of bags on my passenger side.  It works great as long as I remember to bring them into the store with me and as long as I don't have passengers up front.  They take up room and are often piled in a messy heap.  Then they get strewn all over my kitchen after I carry groceries in. 

The solution??  Envirosax!  These are well, revolutionary.  I ordered some off a discount deal of the day website for 50% off.  They are all Sesame Street characters, but there is a whole line of different designs and themes.  The best thing is that these bags roll up to same length as my cell phone.  I can throw them in my purse, in the storage pocket behind the passenger or driver seat, or toss a couple on the floor of the car with plenty of room for a passenger or other bags. 

It takes about 5 seconds to roll them back up, and they come with instructions.  You trifold them, roll, and snap...and then hide them so said children do not get a kick out of unsnapping them.  They have an easy shoulder strap that fits nicely and comfortably over your shoulder.  The other thing that I like is that they are very large.  Some of my other bags do not expand much and do not hold more that a couple of items.  You can load these babies up!  Once my other bags wear out, I think these are all I will use.

Product Review: Ladder Hill Update

Ladder Hill Tinkle Time Trainer Update: So the designer remade two of the trainers with a bamboo velour on the inside. It is definitely much more absorbent than the cuddle fleece that was previously used. It is much softer, and it seems to absorb all over inside of spots.


I still prefer to stuff the trainers that have snaps vs. pullup style, and we have not had leaks yet with either style. We have not used these heavily since we have a decent rotation going. The only other recommendation I would make is to sew a stitch all the way down the insert to keep it from bunching at the end. The doublers tend to bunch/curl on the outside as well, but I’m really not sure how to prevent that.

Our leaks seem to have decreased, but we are also using 3 inserts in almost every trainer. Kai is starting to wake up dry more and more often so that is a good thing!

Overall: 8—I would say that I am pretty happy with these. They don’t seem to be leaking quite as much as when we first started using them, but two have different fabric now. We are also adding an extra doubler. I really appreciate the help from the designer. I feel better about recommending trainers with the new bamboo velour.

Product Review: SuperUndies cloth trainers

After all of our leaks with Ladder Hill Tinkle Time Trainers, I decided to try one other brand that seemed to be made specifically for overnight use. Super Undies makes daytime trainers but they also make a Super Undies Nighttime Underwear. Their website says “Most children have 100% success of non-leaking with these.” What??? Most everything else says not intended for naps or nighttime. Even better, these come with a 14 day guarantee. The only thing that kept me from ordering several was the cost. In the end I decided to try one and if they were as good as I was reading, I would save up for more or sell some other trainers.
These are pullup style, which are harder to stuff but leak less if they are pockets, but these only have a short pocket to stuff. The soaker is like an insert and doubler in one that is sewn in so you never have to search for it after doing the laundry. That amazing thing is that it agitates out of the short pocket in the wash so you don’t have to worry about unstuffing it before washing it!! Yes, I know only another cloth diapering mom really cares what I’m saying!



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More about the design…the inside pocket is soft and stretchy lycra. The only disadvantage is that sometimes that area of the trainer takes a little longer to dry but not much. There is a 3-layer soaker built in under the lycra, then the additional 6-layer soaker is sewn into the back and tucked into the short pocket. The front pocket also allows more absorbancy to be added if needed.

More about the use…these have been bullet-proof. We haven’t used them every night because I only have one for him, and we also have a large rotation of other trainers. We have not had a single leak after about 6 uses, though. Super Undies come with all sorts of recommendations about how to improve absorbance if you experience leaks and other reasons for leaks. They are very upfront about helping solve any issues. I feel like a I can’t go wrong if we run into issues.



Efficiency: 10—We have not had any leaks!! These are soooo easy to prepare after they are washed and dried, and they take about 3 seconds to put on. They are not puffy whatsoever, no gaps around the legs, and extremely soft feeling. I love, love, love that the soaker pad is sewn in (I am a big all in one fan) and takes 2 seconds to stuff. It’s really not like anything else I have seen. I hope to add more of these to our trainer stash!!!

Green: 9.5—No more pullups. These are so well made that as long as C doesn’t mind rocket ships they will absolutely last for 2 kids. The only downside is they take a little longer to dry since they are like a combination of an AIO and a pocket. I’m thinking a few more wool dryer balls and will help. I also noticed that I missed that you are supposed to turn it inside out to wash. This almost always helps with drying so I might have to go back and change this to a 10!

Cost: 7—I think $30 is high for a trainer. It is built for overnight, but if they were priced lower I would definitely have bought more of them. It takes a lot of pullups to equal the cost of one trainer so that might deter someone who is interested in saving money more so than being eco-friendly. I think we will get our money’s worth, but these are one of the most expensive trainers that I have come across.

Overall: 9—These are my favorite trainers so far. I like ones that snap because Kai loves unsnapping them but these are easy for him to pull off, too. They have not leaked, and they are so soft and comfortable looking. The fleece has elastic built in so there are no gaps, and these fit perfectly. Again, I can’t say enough how much I love the built in/sewn in soakers. The lycra makes it super simple to stuff (no pulling, tugging, twisting), and there is plenty of room to add another insert if needed. I would definitely recommend saving up for one or a bunch of these!

Product Review: Ladder Hill Tinkle Time Trainers

The first trainer that I decided to try is from Ladder Hill Designs. Hope has a licensed pattern called the Tinkle Time Trainer. One of the best things about working with Hope is that she does customs!!!! This means that you get to pick out the fabric and customize the trainer (I can see my husband rolling his eyes and trying not to sigh). This means you can get your toddler much more excited about his new "underwear" and make potty training even more successful. Now Kai may have gotten just as excited about blue or green pull-ups but he truly loves and brags about keeping his firetruck, turtle, etc. trainers dry. The other amazing thing about working with Hope is that she asked me for Kai's measurements and then told me exactly which size would work best.


I LOVE these trainers. They look so "handsome" and they are extremely well-made. The stitching looked very professional and I was very impressed by the style. You can customize them to be "pull-up" style like regular underwear or get them with snaps on the front. I still can't decide which style I like better. I got 3 of each. The pull-ups do a much better job at preventing leaks. The snap trainers are MUCH easier to stuff.

Both styles come with a pocket opening in the back to stuff either a prefold (think Gerber cloth diaper tri-folded but better quality) or you can order the inserts that Hope sells to go with them. The insert is wider, and if you order a doubler (smaller, to increase absorbancy) it comes with snaps to snap on top of the insert. The pull-up style then has a small opening at the front to help pull the insert into the trainer (the snap version does not have nor does it need this extra opening—super easy to stuff).

I really cannot say enough about how much I love the design. The only problems we have had are with leaks. Again, Hope has been a blessing to work with. I cannot say our problem is entirely solved, but her communication and offer to help has been amazing. She has even agreed to replace two of the trainers with a different fabric to see if it helps with the absorbancy issues.

Some things I have tried to prevent leaks by stripping them in hot water to be certain that there was no buildup of detergent or fabric softener (which we do not use anymore on even regular laundry), add another doubler outside of the pocket, and making sure that little boy parts are pointing down.

Some days we have leaks and some days we do not. Some days the trainers are completely dry so it's hard to tell if they would have leaked. Some days the trainer is just super saturated. Other days it seems like they could be more absorbent.

I still think these are well made. I know Hope is now using a different fabric on all of her trainers so I will give an update when I get two of them back. It’s hard to troubleshoot because Kai is starting to wake up dry more often, and we also have 6 different trainers in 2 different designs.

Efficiency: 6—I would rank this much higher if I was certain it we had not had so many problems with leaks. There were days when we had to wash sheets twice a day, and I wasn’t expecting to have issues with leaks from the get go. The issue does seem to be absorbancy related at times when it’s not very saturated, but adding a doubler outside of the pocket seems to help. Some of the leg openings have stretched and aren’t tight. One has elastic, but the others do not. Some are nice and tight but others leave a little gap. All are supposed to be the same size.

Green: 8—I would have said a 10 without all of the extra washes we did after leaks, but all of the troubleshooting and extra work involved factored in a bit.



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Cost: 8—These cost about $15-18, which is comparable to other trainers, but then the inserts and doublers are in addition. With an insert and a doubler inside the pocket and another doubler outside of the pocket, the cost does add up. For offering to replace two of them with a different inner fabric that were leaking the worst, I give a lot of respect to the designer!!  Still less than disposable pullups!!!

Overall: 7—I love the look of these trainers, but I wish we had not had so much trouble with leaks. I like that they are thick but not puffy under pajamas. I don’t like having to use two doublers but I am glad that it seems to be working. I wish the fleece on the inside didn’t seem to only absorb in spots. The fleece around the legs seems to be loosening, but it does not seem to make leaks worse at this point. They are extremely well made, and I think the new material will increase efficiency.

Product Review: Trainers

We made the transition to cloth diapers for Caitlin without much trouble. In fact, I loved them. They make disposable diapers feel so scratchy and paper like. I felt really good about our decision, but I was not sure what to do about Kai. He was starting to potty train so I knew our cost would go down substantially once he was day trained. However, I expected him to need some sort of diaper or pull-up for naps and nighttimes for quite awhile. That has been an accurate assessment. Some days he wakes up dry and sometimes he goes days in between.

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I finally felt convicted enough that once he ran out of the diapers I had stocked up with coupons and sales we would switch to cloth trainers. I had already decided not to do disposable pullups for the expense but mostly due to the fact that he could tell a huge difference between underwear and diapers. I just think pullups are too much like diapers. So I went on a search for cloth trainers.

My biggest frustration was that most trainers were for "one accident" or just daytime use. They are not intended for nighttime or even naps due to the strong tendency that toddlers are "heavy wetters." I must have looked at 20 brands…pocket trainers (like a pull-up but need to be "stuffed"), all in ones (AIO, but likely not absorbent enough), snaps in the front, pull up style without snaps, snaps in the back, snaps on the side, pockets of all shapes and sizes. The other frustration is that while you do not need nearly as many trainers compared to diapers the trainers usually run $15-30 each.

The next two reviews I will look at two of the different trainers that are our favorites. Some of the other brands you may want to look at…Happy Heiney's (heard from many moms that these are puffy and don't always fit great), Snap EZ, and Tot Wraps (found on Hyenacart).

Product Review: Northern Essence

I am a big fan of coconut for diaper rash. It has wonderful healing properties and usually clears up rashes right away. It can also be safely used with cloth diapers. However, it just was not cutting it with Caitlin’s last diaper rash. It got to the point that I knew something was going to have to be done or else she was going to get skin breakdown. I starting researching other cloth diaper friendly creams. Several of the recommended brands had lanolin or zinc. Both of those are ointment bases and usually are not water soluable. I could not determine if they really rinse out of diapers so I did not want to take the chance. I started seeing several rave reviews for Northern Essence. After looking at their ingredients and testimonials, I ordered some immediately.


I ordered the “All Natural Diaper Salve.”

Our Diaper Rash Salves have always been one of our top sellers around the World and by far a customer favorite for years now! Our Diaper Salves contains only ALL NATURAL ingredients such as Healing Calendula Infused Oil, Therapeutic Meadowfoam oil, Natural Shea & Cocoa Butters, with a blend of beneficial Essential Oils. They contain NO lanolin, petroleum or zinc. We carry our original Diaper Rash Salve and our Sensitive Skin Diaper Rash Salve. For those little bums that are a bit sensitive, we have removed the tea tree & lavender essential oils and added other beneficial essential oils, a clean fresh citrus scent.

I also ordered the “Better Butt(er) Cream.” This stuff is amazing.

Finally a diaper cream that you can use when your baby has a yeast infection, that will NOT irritate it! Safe to use on cloth diapers. Contains no Essential Oils, only conditioning oils and butters including: Hemp Butter, Shea Butter, Meadowfoam Oil and many more. We have added Grapefuit Seed Extract in it, then we triple whip it to give it a fluffy appearance and super smooth texture. Fragrance free.

The diaper salve comes in a push stick to apply directly to baby’s skin. It does have a pretty strong smell, but it works! Her rash was gone in a day. I use this often at night just to prevent rashes. I use the butt(er) cream on top of the salve particularly after a dirty diaper. It seems to allow the salve to work while protecting the skin until the next diaper change. The butt(er) cream is sooooo smooth and creamy. It’s thick without feeling like an ointment. I like that it has no smell and thoroughly protects the skin.

It is recommended to use the products within 6-9 months which should be no problem. Whenever Caitlin has a rash I can use either of these two products and the rash is always gone before the next diaper change. We still use and love coconut oil but both of these products are great for more serious rashes.

Efficiency: 10—Rashes are gone within 1-2 diaper changes. The diaper salve healed areas that were starting to break down.

Green: 10—I felt much more comfortable with these ingredients on my daughter’s skin and they are totally safe on cloth diapers. I love that the butt(er) cream is scentless.

Cost: 10—1 oz push tube $3.95, 2 oz $6.95 for the diaper salve; 2 oz tub $6.95 for the butt(er) cream. Cheaper than triple paste (my old favorite) and same price as boudreax’s butt paste (Lee’s favorite).

Overall: 10—LOVE it. I will get the unscented diaper salve next time, but it works so well.

Product Review: Kiss my face bubble bath

In an effort to replace products with preservatives and toxins, our kids products were some of the first I looked at.  One of the things we enjoy using the most is bubble bath.  Most of the bubble baths I had bought were 5-7 on the EWG's Skin Deep database.  My goal is to get all of our products to less than 3 in one year's time.  I came across Kiss My Face's bubble bath and I love it!  It is called Orange U Smart, and it smells soooo good.  Here is what Kiss My Face has to say:

Obsessively Natural Kids Bubble Wash
No parabens


No artificial colors

No fragrances

pH balanced

100% biodegradable
 
Ingredients: Aqua, Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis), Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Extract, Arctium Lappa (Burdock) Root Extract, Urtica Dioica Nettle Extract, Disodium Coco-Glucoside Sulfosuccinate, Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba (Guar Gum), Decyl Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Natural Blend or Essential Oils, Capric Acid, Glycerin, Panthenol, Potassium Sorbate, Glycine
 
Efficiency:  9--The kids love it.  I love the smell, and the kids come out squeaky clean!!  Big bubbles that last for a while!
Cost:  7--Usually this runs about $8 a bottle.  While that sounds like a very expensive bubble bath, the same bottle has lasted us for months.  It really only takes a small squirt to get a whole bathtub full of bubbles.  I think the cost is justified.
Green factor: 9--This is where the cosmetic database becomes very useful!  I don't know if capric acid is good or bad, but EWG ranks it as a 1.  Overall the product gets a 2.  However, the do not specifiy what essential oils they use.
Overall:  8.5--This is a great product.  I feel safe putting it on my children.  I am very sensitive to fragrances and this smells so good.  I love taking a bath with it, and it lasts a very long time.  The cost balances out because of the other changes we have made...baking soda/vinegar for our hair, no more hairspray, etc.