This month isn't about fluff, but it's related in a round about way. Since I can't test it out for myself because I'm not expecting, my favorite friend, Kristin, was the guinea pig. Here's her review on one of Bum Luxury's newest items.
Hi Bum Luxury blog readers! My name is Kristin. I’m a mother of one little girl with another on the way and a lover of all things natural. Bridget at Bum Luxury asked me to share my thoughts on one of their new products, Mango Mama Bump Butter, for you. So here is my honest opinion:
Let me start by letting you know I am a BIG fan of Delish Naturals Yum Bum Butter. My 22 month-old daughter calls it her “cream” and we use it not only when her hiney is chapped but also on the moderate eczema she has on her hands and arms. It really works wonders for her. So when Bum Luxury started carrying Delish Naturals’ Mango Mama Bump Butter I was excited because I’m pregnant with dry skin, in the desert, in the winter… oh and P.S. I really don’t want stretch marks.
The first thing I noticed about the product was the packaging. Instead of a lotion dispenser. Bump Butter comes in a deodorant style stick. This is genius, seriously. The butter is semi-solid and the container helps to provide the perfect layer over my expanding midsection, without getting my hands messy. The second thing I noticed was the smell. The scent is fantastic! I’m one of those pregnant women who had to change shampoos because the fragrance made me vomit. Mango Mama is a crisp citrusy mango aroma that dissipates quickly and is generally non-offensive.
With my first pregnancy I tried a variety of lotions, creams and potions for the pregnant belly. Some are thick, some stink, some are runny or greasy. Mango Mama Bump Butter is the porridge that Goldilocks chose. I found it to be just right. I glide it on in the morning when I get out of the shower and its soothing goodness lasts all day. I slide more on at night before bed just because it feels good and my daughter has added it to her nighttime routine while we talk about her sister-on- the- way. I usually wait for it to soak in before pulling my shirt over it because I worry about the natural oils staining my clothes. Not to worry though, that doesn’t take long.
The only negative I can find is that the product claims to heal old stretch marks. Because it nourishes the skin it does help to lessen the appearance of old stretch marks but after almost two months of use my results are not significant, don’t expect a miracle there. On the positive, so far, in my third trimester I have not developed any new stretch marks. That’s good enough for me!
This image was taken from stretch-me.com I have no idea whose belly this is! :)
I give Mango Mama Bump Butter 4.5 out of 5 stars. And as always I give Bum Luxury 5 out of 5 stars – their customer service rocks! Thanks for adding a great new product.
You can enter to win your own Mango Mama Bump Butter here or buy your own to try from Bum Luxury for $13.99.
Another month has gone by and I'm ready to share with you another of my favorite diapers!
Since we discussed a pocket diaper last month, this month we are going to talk about an All in Two (AI2.) An AI2 is a diaper that is two separate pieces that you snap together. First, there is an outer shell that is the waterproof layer. Next, you have an insert that you snap into the shell that goes directly next to baby's skin. The AI2 is usually cheaper than All in Ones (AIOs) and pockets. The great thing about an AI2 is that you can reuse the cover multiple times throughout the day and just change the insert.
Best Bottom Diapers are an awesome choice for an AI2! They are made in the USA which is an important factor in choosing the diapers I stock at Bum Luxury. Best Bottoms also have many choices for families to find what works best for them.
First, you can choose between closures on your shell: hook and loop (AKA velcro or aplix) or snaps. Personally, I prefer snaps. I always forget to close the velcro on the laundry tabs before putting them in the pail and that causes it to stick to other things in my wash. Not good. However, velcro is easier to put on babies who are especially wiggly and usually grandparents, husbands and child care providers prefer it.
Hook and Loop closure
Snap Closure
Your next option is colors. Best Bottom has a variety of colors and prints to choose from for boys and girls. I love how their color names are ice cream flavors like Moo-licious and Cookies and Cream.
After you pick your shell you will need to get inserts for your diaper to have absorbency. Because the Best Bottom Shell is a one size cover, there are three sizes to choose from when it comes to inserts: small, medium, and large.
This simple guide helps you pick the right size insert for your child:
The inserts are color coded so when you have multiple children in diapers, it's easy to spot the right size.
Small has green, medium has white, and large inserts have blue stitching around the edges for an easy way to pick sizes.
Best Bottom now has five insert choices to choose from: stay dry, hemp/organic cotton, overnight, overnight hemp and a micro doubler. Wow! I know it can sound confusing, so let's see what our options are all about.
First, you have a stay dry insert. This insert is the most economical. It is made up of four layers of microfiber and topped w/ a stay dry fleece that goes against baby's skin. This option is great for everyday daytime use.
Next, you can choose a hemp/organic cotton insert. This insert is more absorbent than the stay dry and will have a trimmer fit.
Hemp inserts will shrink a bit when first washed. This is normal and will fit in the shell correctly.
Your overnight insert is just that-made for wearing overnight. The overnight insert is made to work with a stay dry or hemp insert snapped on top. The overnight insert is made of only microfiber, and you don't want that to stay against baby's skin.
In the last month, Best Bottoms has come out with two new choices in their inserts.
First, you have the overnight hemp. Again, hemp is more absorbent than microfiber and you wouldn't have to use an extra topper. This way, the diaper is trimmer and baby isn't going to bed with a huge bubble butt!
Lastly, Best Bottoms has a doubler option. When you want just a little extra protection from leaks, you can add this to your diaper along with your insert of choice snapped on top.
Double leg gussets for extra leak protection
I began using Best Bottom diapers after Baby J turned one, so unfortunately, I am not sure how they fit on newborns. I will have information for you when my new tester comes along in April. No, I'm not expecting, but my friend Twinkle is and I will be happy to change diapers for her to get an idea of the best fit on little babies!
Good fit-these are not snapped down at all. The way the Best Bottoms sit is like underwear.
We started with the large inserts because Baby J was right around 18lbs. at the time. She is now almost 25lbs.
View from the back-the diaper sits up higher, but I can adjust that to make it lower and higher in the front. They fit her well like this, so it doesn't bother me. Plus, at 16 months, it's a PITA trying to get this girl to sit still for anything.
I love the way the BB diapers fit Baby J and I love even more how they never leak. I haven't had one issue with them and they are now my favorite overnight solution. I don't have to worry about super stuffing a pocket-it's so much easier to just snap two inserts into a shell.
View from the front. This is her 'after lunch' belly. The front of the BB has an elastic waist so that there isn't gapping; therefore, no leakage. :)
I am not usually a fan of AI2s because many companies make the insert to narrow and they bunch up in the cracks and crevices. That can't be comfortable for baby. The Best Bottom inserts are nice and wide so there is no bunching up. Plus the snaps on the front and back keep the insert where it's supposed to be.
Most people buy 3 inserts per shell, so you can have 3 diapers for as low as $28.80, which makes the diaper $9.60 a piece.
When I decided to try it out, I got one type of each insert-the doubler and hemp overnight were not out yet. I prefer the stay dry to the hemp because I line dry and that makes the hemp hard and stiff and I don't like putting that against Baby J's bottom. When I do put hemp in the dryer, it comes out super soft, so if you don't line dry, I would recommend the hemp.
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Now enter to win a Best Bottom Shell and stay dry insert!
Fall is in the air and I've decided to make a change. Starting today, I will be doing a 1st Friday Fluff post on the first Friday of each month. 1st Friday Fluff will be a review/giveaway from Bum Luxury. Instead of giving away free diapers to other bloggers, I thought I might as well do it myself! We shall see if it works for me... :)
I've decided to start with the very first cloth diaper we chose to use on Baby J: Fuzzibunz One Size
My husband and I first came to the decision to try a Fuzzibunz one size diaper when we went to the diaper class at Zoolikins (formerly Wildflower Diapers) in Scottsdale, AZ. We drove a good hour to get there and it was totally worth it. I had never heard of Fuzzibunz and went in thinking I wanted to try a bunch of other brands.
The first feature that grabbed my attention was the adjustable elastic. I had been researching diapers my entire pregnancy and had only heard of the snap down rise for OS diapers, so the idea of adjustable elastic fascinated me. Not only did it seem more of a customized fit, the look of the diaper was neater and cleaner without a front full of snaps which only confused my husband.
Lee, my husband, loved the soft feel of the fleece. He couldn't believe how soft it was, especially as he and I stood there touching a table full of cloth diapers. The Fuzzibunz microfleece lining just felt softer than all the other pocket diapers.
The price was average for a one size pocket diaper, so I was okay with that. I was hesitant to pay $19.95 for one diaper, but the comparable brands were within a dollar or two more, and they didn't have the adjustable elastic. Also, the Fuzzibunz One Size came with two inserts, when most of the other one size pockets only came with one.
We went home and I did more research to be sure that this was the diaper for us. I decided to buy ten and go from there.
As Baby J grew in my belly, she always measured large. I was hesitant to invest in newborn diapers because of this. I had heard that one size diapers wouldn't fit a newborn, but didn't want to waste money if I wouldn't need a newborn stash. I came to the conclusion that if none of the one size diapers I bought Baby J fit, I would do a rental for the first few months.
Baby J came out at 9lbs. 7oz. and the Fuzzibunz One Size fit her just fine. I had adjusted the elastic according to the packaging for newborns. The legs weren't on the tightest settings, but the waist was. Since I only had ten of the Fuzzibunz, we bought ten more right away, since none of the other diapers I bought fit her. They were huge and gapped at the legs.
1 week old
Almost 2 months
Four months old
11 months
12 months-not the best picture of the diaper, but how cute is she??
During Baby Js first month, I found an amazing deal for used FB OS diapers on Craigslist that I just couldn't pass up. I bought twenty six more Fuzzibunz. When Baby J was about 3 or 4 months, I did wonder if they were really going to be a one size diaper. She was pretty chunky and they were seeming smaller and smaller. As soon as she started moving though, I had to tighten the elastic back up. I have only had to adjust it about four times overall in fifteen months. Not bad.
Edited to add: I use Fuzzibunz One Size as our main overnight diaper as well. I started with just the microfiber inserts, then doubled it up. When that didn't work, I stuffed it some more, but that created an awkward fit. I finally invested in some hemp inserts and they work great. Now at fifteen months, we use one M/L Fuzzibunz hemp insert and one of the larger OS MF inserts that came w/ the diaper for overnight. I occasionally add a doubler if I feel the need.
After many months, I did notice some PUL issues with some of the used Fuzzibunz I bought off Craigslist. I did contact Fuzzibunz and they replaced my diapers even though I had no receipt and told them I bought them used. I couldn't believe it! I was so elated and glad that Fuzzibunz is a company to stand behind their product. To cover the shipping I paid to send back these diapers, Fuzzibunz gave me some freebies with my new diapers: Leggies, wipes, and doublers.
I used Fuzzibunz exclusively for the first eight months. They worked, and I saw no reason to switch it up. I then joined some online cloth diaper swap boards just to see what was out there. I couldn't understand how people bought and sold cloth diapers all the time. Well, I soon became addicted and now that Baby J is fifteen months old, I'm still buying diapers just to try them out. My husband refuses to use any of the new diapers and will only use the Fuzzibunz. He likes the fit the best and it's easy for him to snap them on and take them off.
The Fuzzibunz one size is my favorite diaper I've tried so far, and I've tried a lot. I think the price is competitive, the customer service is amazing, and the quality is top notch for a product made to be peed and pooped in and washed every other day.
The only thing I wish Fuzzibunz had was a choice of prints. I love the solids to color coordinate with outfits, but I love print diapers, too. Now that Baby J can take off her snap diapers as well as aplix ones, she has to wear pants all the time, so I guess the diaper color/print doesn't matter. Except I find it important to match undergarments to outfits, so I do need a variety of colors!
I'm anxiously awaiting the new Fuzzibunz Elite One Size diaper. I find it hard to believe this diaper can get better, but we shall see!
GIVEAWAY
To enter the giveaway to receive a free Fuzzibunz one size diaper, fill out the Rafflecopter form below.
