Baby Gourmet Creative Combo Purées & Mushies: Review & Giveaway! (Closed)

Baby Gourmet is an organic baby food company with Canadian roots offering a wide variety of tasty, nutritious and convenient meals and snacks for little ones. Although we've historically made most of our baby food from scratch, there have been times when we've appreciated having "ready to go" options (e.g., while out and about,travelling, etc.) and, in these cases, Baby Gourmet's been our go-to brand. Our daughter has enjoyed various purées from their Simply Smart and Squoosh lines, and earlier this year when our son CJ was starting solids, I partnered with the company to review their Creamy Brown Rice Cereal.

Today I'll be sharing my thoughts on two other Baby Gourmet products I've most recently had the chance to test out - Creative Combos Purées and Mushies. Both are designed for babies 8+ months old, so the timing was perfect as our little man had just passed this milestone himself when I received my review package.

We got to test two of the five available Creative Combos flavours (Fruity Carrot & Greek Yogurt Smoothie, and Vanilla Banana Berry Risotto) and both flavours of Mushies (Banana Berry Greek Yogurt and Fruity Greens).


Product Info: Creative Combos Purées

At around eight months, your baby is ready for a new taste adventure.  At this age, babies like to feel the difference in textures.  Our Creative Combos deliver enhanced texture in our fruit & veggie recipes.


Fruity Carrot & Greek Yogurt Smoothie

Greek yogurt is perfect for babies because of the creamy texture and most importantly for the protein content. Jen`s kids love smoothies and a scoop of Greek yogurt always makes it way into the blender. Think healthy, natural creamsicle when you eat this one...yum!!!

Advantages:

• No added sugar or salt
• No fillers or thickeners
• BPA-free
• No gluten
• Kosher

Complete Recipe List:

• Organic Mango
• Organic Banana
• Organic Apple
• Organic Greek Yogurt
• Organic Carrot
• Organic Orange Juice Concentrate
• Organic Lemon Juice Concentrate
• Ascorbic Acid

Vanilla Banana Berry Risotto

Jen makes delicious vanilla bean rice pudding for her family and modifies it for baby by removing dairy and adding bananas and blueberries

 

Advantages:

• Organic
• 65% Daily Value Vitamin C
• No Added Sugar
• No Added Salt
• Nut Free
• No Fillers
• Kosher
• BPA Free Packaging

Complete Recipe List:

• Organic Banana
• Organic Apple
• Organic Brown Rice
• Water
• Organic Blueberry
• Pure Organic Vanilla Extract
• Ascorbic Acid
• Organic Lemon Juice Concentrate

My Review: Creative Combos Purées

Having tried (and thoroughly enjoyed) many of Baby Gourmet's other purées, we had high expectations for these ones, and they definitely didn't disappoint!

Taste-wise, both are flavourful and delicious. The ingredient combos work well together and the main flavours all come through. The Fruity Carrot & Greek Yogurt Smoothie is sweet and a little tangy, and the Vanilla Berry Banana Risotto is, well, very vanilla berry banana-y. (Shocker, right?) Both taste natural and "real", and neither is cloyingly sweet.

The VBBR is the more "interesting" of the two, texture-wise. The brown rice in it is moderately blended (as though it's been pulsed a couple times through a processor), yielding a chunky consistency that's adventurous but still totally manageable for the toothless folk.

 

The FCGY is smooth, but thicker and creamier than the 6-7 month purées we've tried.

I like to serve both combos mainly as snacks on the run, but sometimes I'll bust 'em out at home after meals, as a special treat. Both of my kids go a little cuckoo when they see one. CJ gives it the crazy "I want you!" eyes, and S inevitably pleads "Can I have some????" So it works out well - Ceej gets the first half and then S polishes it off, which (mostly) pleases both and helps ensure neither is over-fruit-sugared. (Particularly key for the FCGY, which has 22 grams per pouch.) An open package does last for 24+ hours in the fridge, however, which comes in handy when the little guy and I are snackin' alone.

On the few occasions we've allowed him to gulp down a whole pack in one sitting, it's taken him all of about 42 seconds. That's mommy's little competitive eater!

Overall, Baby Gourmet's definitely whipped up another healthy, tasty winner with their Creative Combos. (Heck, I may or may not have even slurped down a pouch (or two) myself - shhhhh! :)


Product Info: Mushies

For little mouths just discovering new textures and flavors, Mushies are the next step in developing a taste for good food. These freeze-dried packets of healthy bite-sized snacks have no added sugar or anything artificial – just pure, top quality organic ingredients. Perfect for babies and toddlers.


Banana Berry Greek Yogurt

Babies love our Vanilla Banana Berry Risotto, so Jen replaced the rice with protein-packed Greek Yogurt to give a creamy texture. Like all Mushies, Banana Berry Greek Yogurt is freeze dried with nothing artificial and no added sugar, a perfect melt in your mouth snack for self feeding babies.

 

Advantages:

• Perfect for little fingers
• No Added Sugar
• Nothing Artificial
• Only the best ingredients
• BPA Free Packaging
• Kosher

Complete Recipe List:

• Cultured Organic Milk
• Organic Skim Milk
• Organic Banana
• Organic Blueberry
• Organic White Grape Juice Concentrate
• Organic Whey Protein Concentrate
• Organic Tapioca Starch
• Citric Acid
• Mixed Tocopherols
• Ascorbic Acid

Fruity Greens

Inspired by the popularity of Juicy Pear & Garden Green baby food, Jen added the goodness of Kale and then freeze dried the new recipe into melt-in your mouth, bite-sized bits of fun that babies love to feed themselves. Another great way to help baby develop a love for green veggies!

Advantages:

• Perfect for little fingers
• No Added Sugar
• Nothing Artificial
• Only the best ingredients
• BPA Free Packaging
• Kosher
• Organic

Complete Recipe List:

• Organic Banana
• Organic Apple
• Organic Spinach
• Organic Pregelatinized Tapioca Starch
• Organic Kale
• Citric Acid
• Ascorbic Acid

My Review: Mushies

Mushies is Baby Gourmet's newest product line, launched this past June.When my BG contact first mentioned it to me, for some reason I assumed it would be a chewy snack and thus wondered how it would be safe for a toothless 8-month-old. Well, I assumed wrong. (And, clearly I didn't read the product description ahead of time, or the "freeze dried" bit would've steered me in the right direction!)

In actuality, Mushies are reminiscent of mini meringue cookies. They start out lightweight and solid, and then instantly crumble and melt in your mouth. So definitely no choking hazard here.

Here's a recommended(ish) serving size of Mushies including both flavours. I'm willing to bet you can tell which type is which. :)

Mushies are the perfect size for little fingers, and the dry texture makes them easy to grip.

OK, so that's all good - but how do they taste? Pretty darn good, I have to say! The Banana Berry Greek Yogurt is creamy with a subtle sweetness, and the Fruity Greens remind me of our morning green smoothies. The spinach comes through fairly assertively (which I like!), but it's tempered nicely by the apple and banana for an overall pleasing experience. Both our kids gulp down each flavour like there's no tomorrow!

Another thing I love about this snack is that it's essentially mess-free. You can't say that about too many things that are consumed by almost-one-year-olds!

I also like that each package contains about 3-4 servings. Big enough to share with friends, but small enough for a single child to consume before losing its freshness (i.e. within the recommended 5-7 day window).

The only thing I'm not overly thrilled with is the presence of a few funky ingredients (e.g., mixed tocopherols and pregelatinized tapioca starch) but everything appears to check out OK from a safety standpoint so I can deal. :)

Overall, I've gotta hand it to Baby Gourmet yet again. Mushies are a nutritious, fun, tasty, safe and accessible snack for new self-feeders (and their older siblings, who'll want in on the action too!) Definitely a great option to have kicking around your pantry.

Buy It: 

Visit the store locator to find a store which sells Creative Combos, Mushies and other Baby Gourmet Products near you!

Win It:

Two lucky Manager to Mom readers will each win a 12-pack of Creative Combos and an 8-pack of Mushies! (Note - flavours will be chosen by Baby Gourmet based on availability.) Open to CANADA ONLY.

To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Please follow all instructions within each entry option to ensure your entries are valid.

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Disclosure:  The prize is being provided and shipped to the winner by Baby Gourmet.  I received no financial compensation for writing my review or offering this giveaway, although I did receive the sample items free of charge.  This is my completely honest opinion above and may be different from yours.

Janine's Place - Upcycled Wool and More {Etsy} - Review & Giveaway! (Closed)

A few months back when CJ started outgrowing his small wool diaper covers, I searched for a Canadian cloth diaper retailer specializing in wool so I could begin stocking up on the next size. In doing this, I stumbled upon Janine's Place, an Etsy shop selling wool covers (both soakers and longies), upcycled wool slippers (how cool!), carrier teething pads and other nifty hand-made goodies.

The shop is located very close to me in Woodstock, Ontario and the owner (Janine - you probably could've guessed that, huh? ;) is not only a talented seamstress but also a mama to a beautiful one-year-old daughter and a holistic nutritionist. That's quite the resume! :) Janine was eager to partner up with me on a blog review and giveaway, and provided me with my review package in person at a lovely store called Organic Oasis, which has since become one of my favourite places to shop.

My package consisted of two items, which Janine customized just for us - a pair of 100% upcycled merino wool night time longies (sewn from scratch to fulfill CJ's rise, waist and inseam measurements) and organic bamboo/flannel teething pads designed to coordinate with my Ergobaby carrier. Let's take a look at each one!

Here are the longies. Anyone else compelled to play tic tac toe on 'em? ;)

Merino wool is known for being soft, and these longies are no exception! They definitely feel nice & smooth against the skin. Since we went with night longies, Janine sewed a single layer of fabric on the legs and a double layer in the soaker area for added all-night protection (vs. day longies on which she sews a single layer throughout).

Janine definitely nailed the fit, dont'cha think?

At first I thought they were a tad on the small side, but Janine reassured me that they'd stretch a significant amount and thus give us a long period of wearing time. She was right!

Performance-wise, these guys have been bullet-proof! We generally outfit CJ with a fitted + doubler and the longies on top, and we haven't experienced a single leak in 20+ wearings. The inside does get damp after a full night of wear, but the moisture never makes it to the outside of the wool. When we change him in the morning, we just turn the longies inside out and they're generally dry enough to wear again the next night if we want.

When we received the longies, CJ was workin' the army crawl so he really put the leg material through the wringer for the first month or so. Happily, they held up quite well to all the punishment, ending up with the general integrity intact and just some superficial pilling around the knees.

In terms of maintenance, we've followed standard wool care procedures (lanolize and hand wash) and have had no issues! Note that Janine offers a wool lanolizing service for those who'd rather not deal with this part.

Next up - the teething pads! I hafta say pads are a must when using a soft-structured carrier. If your baby is teething, he/she will inevitably latch onto your carrier straps and could potentially damage them, especially once those chompers start coming through! It's also a heck of a lot quicker and easier to wash a pair of pads than the whole carrier itself.

Janine makes her teething pads with two layers of organic bamboo French terry fabric and one layer of printed flannel. Unlike many/most pads on the market (which have applix closures), she uses resin snaps on hers for a more secure fit and improved longevity.

When I first tried our pads out, CJ immediately began chomping on them so I eagerly snapped this pic.

 
....and then I realized I had them on inside out! The off-white terry side is supposed to be on the outside as this material feels nicer on baby's gums. Like this!

 

Either way, the pads fit perfectly (not too loose and not too tight!) and the pattern does, indeed, look nice with the "Sienna Sunset" style of my Ergo.

I've now worn the pads on many occasions, and they've proven themselves quite durable. CJ "uses" them a lot, I've washed them several times and they still look almost brand new.

The one critcism I have is that they tend to ride up so they're above baby's head. This is easy to adjust when front carrying, but a bit tougher when you're sporting baby on your back. That said, my other pair of pads do the same thing so this isn't a specific issue with the pads from Janine's store.


Overall, I'm happy with both items we got to try from Janine's Place. The longies are soft and comfy, fit well, perform great and have held up quite nicely over time, and the teething pads are lovely, durable and obviously enjoyed by our little guy! Now I'm eyeing up those wool slippers as potential stocking stuffers for a few folks on my list! ;)

Buy It

You can purchase Janine's upcycled wool products, teething pads and other goodies from her Etsy store or her Facebook page. She ships to both Canada and the United States.

 

 

Win It

One lucky Manager to Mom reader will win a $20 credit to spend at Janine's Place! (Note - shipping is not included.) Open to CAN/US.

To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Please follow all instructions within each entry option to ensure your entries are valid

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:  The prize is being provided and shipped to the winner by Janine's Place.  I received no financial compensation for writing my review or offering this giveaway, although I did receive the sample items free of charge.  This is my completely honest opinion above and may be different from yours.

Skip Hop "Grand Central" Diaper Bag from Pinky & Company: Review & Giveaway! (Closed)

As a mom of two kids under 3 (including one in cloth diapers), saying we have to haul around a lot of stuff is the understatement of the year! The modest-sized diaper bag I received for my baby shower got the job done for my daughter, but when our son made his entrance it not longer cut the mustard, size-wise. As such, in a moment of unsound logic I dumped its contents and a bunch of other stuff into this huge, cheap-o, single pocket tote which fit everything but left us completely disorganized! ("Oh, he needs a change? Just give me 17 minutes to locate a clean diaper and a couple wipes," I'd say.) Needless to say, it didn't take long before I was shopping around for a better solution!

Enter Pinky and Company, an online family-owned and operated boutique based in Port Moody, BC, offering brand-name, designer diaper bags and other essentials for mom & baby. I discovered the company following a Google search for Canadian diaper bag retailers, and found myself quickly drooling over all the practical, stylish options for keeping organized. Upon contacting the company, the owner herself responded, taking me up on my review proposal and recommending the Skip Hop Grand Central - a diaper bag touted as being "for the mom who needs it all and takes it all". (Yup, that's me!)

...And that, my friends, was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. :D

Product Info

 

For the mom who needs a little extra space, this is the perfect large-size, yet super-stylish, baby bag.

Skip Hop's Grand Central diaper tote magically combines a compact modern style with an uncanny ability to hold more than you can imagine, tucked away and out of sight. High on style and superb in storage, it holds as much or as little as you want it to; it's the only diaper bag you'll ever need. Take it out for the day or away for the weekend - Grand Central's three innovative sections organize everything you need, without feeling over-stuffed.

Available in Black or Cinnamon - pick the one that's right for you!

Features:

• Baby's Section includes clear, wipe-clean zip pocket and webbing toy fob
• Mommy's Section includes zip pocket, phone pocket, and fleece-lined sunglasses pocket + 3 large, divided sections
• 11 pockets include 2 large exterior zip pockets
• 2 insulated side-pockets fit extra-wide bottles
• Main section has secure zip-top closure
• Cushioned changing pad
• Sturdy, lightweight material; water-resistant lining
• Cotton tote straps; faux leather trim
• Hangs neatly on stroller and can be worn over the shoulder
• BPA-free, Phthalate-free
• Size (inches): 18w x 13h x 6d

Cost: $108.00

Let's Take a Tour

Pinky and Company sent me a Skip Hop Grand Central diaper bag in Cinnamon. (I decided to "live dangerously" and veer away from my standard black.) 

Here it is in its original glory!

Just look at all those "hungry" pockets, ready to bestow sanity upon my life!

And boom, here it is now stuffed to the gills...

...yet still totally manageable and sweet lookin' over mom's shoulder!

A beautiful thing, ain't it? :)

Here's a video highlighting the bag's features and how I pack it. If you prefer a written & pictorial tour, however, just skip this and read on!

As you can see from the earlier photos, the Grand Central has three main sections. This means one for each member of our family who requires a bunch of stuff - i.e., everyone except Dad! It also has two roomy side pockets.

I obviously assigned myself the "Mommy's Section" (at the front of the bag) and lemme tell ya - I'm workin' it!

First of all, the outer top pocket holds my keys & that's it. A waste of space? Not at all, considering the time and frustration I've saved NOT scrambling around at the last minute for them. They're in the key pocket. Period. Below this is a larger zipped section where I keep my other most frequently-accessed items. Money, cards, chapstick (yes, I'm addicted), pen and a couple other things. Here you can see both uber-important sections in action!

Two other items i'm prone to misplacing (my sunglasses and phone) now have dedicated homes inside the main mommy section. As you can see, I also store larger (and/or needed less frequently) items here such as hand cream & sanitizer, my nursing cover and toys for the kiddos. Opposite from the shades & phone pockets (which you can't quite see here, but trust me - it's there!) is a zipped section in which I store receipts, coupons, invoices and other paper items.

Next up - the biggest of the big sections, located in the middle of the bag and "zippable". This one's for 10-month-old CJ's goodies. Here it's stuffed with about 5 cloth diapers, a wet bag and a change of clothes, and his wipe solution bottle and wipes mini-bag which are nestled happily into their own little open pockets. (No more rooting around for these as the little guy wails in "getting pinned on my back sucks" frustration!)

The third big section is for my daughter's goodies. The main part always has a change of clothes and I'll sometimes throw in a couple books/magazines. At the back is a zipped, clear pocket which is perfect for holding her tiny little hair accessories (clips, elastics, etc.)

This section also includes a toy loop to keep baby's favourite rattle or teether at bay. I haven't used this myself but here you can see it in action.

On to the side pockets. They're both extra-roomy and insulated, so I stuff'em with bottles (obviously) as well as snacks and other items I like to have close at hand. This one's holding my daughter's sippy with almond milk and a pouch snack for my son. (The other one currently has my own water bottle and sunscreen.)

The Grand Central comes with built-in stroller clips. There's one like this on each side of the bag.

The clips are designed to work on most strollers. Here we have the bag attached to our UPPAbaby Vista. (Note - took this pic during a recent trip to Canada's Wonderland where the ability to hang it came in extra-handy, since the basket was filled with all sorts of other stuff - blankets, snacks, souvenirs, etc.! Looks like I got a little lazy here re-packing the bag after one of little man's bum changes. ;)

Finally, the bag includes a change mat. I haven't actually used this as I've replaced it with another one I own that I really like. As you can see, however, it's your standard cushioned, foldable, wipeable variant.

***********************************************************************************

 

My Review

 

Loving It

• Practically stylish - As in, it looks good but Dad doesn't recoil in horror at the idea of sporting it.
• Fits a boatload of stuff - plenty of room for mom & two kiddos under 3 (including one in cloth diapers; the bag easily fits 5-6 dipes & associated paraphernalia)
• Extremely well designed (from an organizational standpoint) - I love that there are three main sections, each with their own special sub-sections (e.g. the sunglasses and phone pockets in the mom section). Everything is logical and I don't find anything extraneous.
• Wipes clean - both the inner and outer are pretty much impervious to nasty kid-originated messes. It all just wipes away.
• Stays upright - The base is wide, so you can set it on a flat surface without worrying that it's going to topple over!
• Straps stay put - I can't express how annoying it is when a purse or bag slides off my shoulder, especially when wrestling with a squirmy baby or toddler! Happily this isn't an issue with the Grand Central as the tote-style straps stay in place, regardless of how full or heavy the bag becomes.
• Includes stroller clips - Great built-in feature. Hanging the bag (vs. carrying or stuffing below) makes its contents more accessible and frees up the stroller basket (and your arm) for other key tasks! This is an item you need to purchase separately for many other bags.
• Durable - Lemme tell ya, I am putting this bag through the wringer and it's taking all the abuse like a champion. The material around the stroller clips, in particular, takes a lot of strain and it's not showing any signs of wear.

Could Be Better

• No cooler section - this is included in the similarly-roomy Bento line of Skip Hop bags, and would be a welcome addition to this one (if they could manage to find room for it!), as the one storage-related item we still often need to bring along is a separate soft cooler pack. 
• Sunglasses pocket is on the narrow side - my own sunglasses fit just fine, but there isn't much additional room so I suspect pairs with large frames might fit very tight or possibly not at all.
• Stroller clip mechanism could be easier to work. OK I'm getting picky here. But I don't love that you need to press down on the lever (is that the right term?) to both attach and detach them. I feel that the type of clips you find on carseats (i.e. where the two parts snap together) would be more convenient, though, on the downside, this would result in some extra bulk.

 

 Does It Last?

• 3 Month Update - The bag continues to be in "like new" condition after 3 months of regular use; no signs of ripping, staining, etc.

*** The Bottom Line ***  The Skip Hop Grand Central is truly One Amazing Diaper Bag, and I'd go so far as to say it may be my absolute favourite baby-related item we own. Seriously. If you're in the market for a stylish, roomy bag with uber-organizational powers, give the Grand Central a serious look.

***********************************************************************************

Buy It

You can purchase your own Skip Hop Grand Central, or another diaper bag of your choice, directly from Pinky & Company. With several designer brands and dozens of styles, you're sure to find your perfect match! Use promo code M2MPINKY and receive 10% off your order! (Good until November 11th.)

Note - at this time, Pinky & Company is shipping exclusively within Canada. Free shipping is offered on orders over $125 (before taxes), otherwise there is a flat-rate fee of $9.99.

 

Win It

Pinky & Company has generously offered to give away a Skip Hop Diaper Bag (winner's choice of style & colour) to one lucky Manager to Mom reader! Open to CANADA.

To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Please follow all instructions within each entry option to ensure your entries are valid

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:  The prize is being provided and shipped to the winner by Pinky & Company.  I received no financial compensation for writing my review or offering this giveaway, although I did receive the sample item free of charge.  This is my completely honest opinion above and may be different from yours.

Stonz Rain Bootz and Linerz: Review & Giveaway! (Closed)

Stonz is a Vancouver-based company which offers a continuously expanding selection of practical, stylish outerwear options for babies and children.

I previously partnered with Stonz to review their Booties and Youth Mittz, and today I'll be telling you all about their Rain Bootz and Rain Boot Linerz, two of their newer products. But first, if you're unfamiliar with the company, I encourage you to visit their website, check out my Booties review (which includes info on the company's roots and values) and/or view the Stonz story via this short video clip:

Product Info - Rain Bootz:

Keep little feet dry this season, with Stonz' brand new range of 100% Natural Rubber Rain Bootz! 

Available in 4 stylish colours, they can be layered up with Stonz' Rain Boot Linerz to keep those toes extra cosy.

Features:

• 100% Natural Rubber
• Durable and tear resistant, yet flexible and comfortable
• Quick dry 100% cotton liner
• PVC-free
• Phthalate-free
• Lead-free
• Formaldehyde-free

Sizing:

 


Product Info - Rain Bootz Linerz:

These versatile, ivory Rain Boot Linerz will coordinate with any boy or girl rain boots adding a cozy look on those cold, damp days.

Features:  

• Made of soft, fine-fibre Velour-fleece – almost silky to the touch! 
• Adds a layer of warmth and comfort 
• Fits in almost all tall and short rain boots 
• Open seams along soles eliminate ridges and maximize comfort

Product Video:

My Review - Rain Bootz and Rain Bootz Linerz:

For review purposes, I received a pair of Grey/Black Rain Bootz and Rain Bootz Linerz, both in size 8, to test on my daughter S (now almost 3 years old).

One of the first things I noticed about the Bootz is how flexible the natural rubber material is. It can easily be twisted and bunched up like this and will bounce right back into shape.

Synthetic rain boots, by contrast, are stiffer and prone to getting misshapen when they are manipulated in this sort of way.

The cotton liner feels pleasantly soft to the touch.

The soles are very grippy - a necessity for little feet splashing around on a wet day!

Finally, the Bootz do have a "rubbery" smell, but it's not offensive. Think Sophie the Giraffe as opposed to off-gassing dollar store shower curtain liner. All in all, it's comforting to know they're free from all those narsty chemical!

The Linerz are soft & snuggly - just like the Booties variant but longer. The outer fleece is smooth and the inner is thick and plush. I tried to get my daughter to try them on as slippers, but surprisingly, she wouldn't oblige!

Happily, the material passes the "pull test" - i.e. nothing comes lose when you pinch a small section and give it a good yank.

Outfitting the Bootz with the Linerz is pretty easy - "wear" each liner like a glove, align it correctly and work it down inside.

The two layers together result in quite the stylish look! The Linerz are longer than the Bootz, so the extra fabric can either be folded down overtop (my personal stylistic preference)....

...or left upright for extra warmth around the legs.

On to the most vital factors - comfort, fit and functionality. But first, a li'l "history lesson". :)

I actually received the Rain Bootz alone this past spring but wasn't able to review them at that point due to a sizing slip-up. My daughter had just come out of size 7 winter boots so I figured 8s would be good here, but they turned out to be huge on her. And indeed, comparing one to her size 7 rain boot, it's substantially larger - much more of a difference than I'd expect to see going up one size.

Now, my contact at Stonz informs me that the Rain Bootz are produced to fit true to size (based on measurements from another company which has produced boots for 25 years), so it could be that the comparison rain boots actually fit small. In any case, since every brand seems to fit a little differently, it's always a good idea to measure a child's feet and compare against a sizing chart to ensure he/she'll be getting the right fit.

Back to our history lesson. Upon realizing S couldn't wear the boots herself this past spring, her petite (almost) 5-year-old cousin A gave 'em a whirl and they fit beautifully, so she borrowed them over the spring and summer. Meanwhile, the Linerz were being revamped, and I received my test pair of the "new and improved" version in September. A then returned the Bootz so we could test the combo together on S, which we were happy to find out was wearable (whereas the Bootz alone were still too roomy). So ultimately our sizing gaff was a Good Thing from a review perpsective, as it led to feedback from two wearers (with and without the Linerz), and gave a glimpse into longevity, which isn't possible with standard reviews.

So let's start with Miss A's experience! From her mama, T:

"[A] wore them a ton...she had 2 pairs but she always choose [the Stonz] which is impressive for a fashionista 5 year old! She wore them likely 20 times! She really liked them, comfy, worked, never leaked. She walked well in them, which is not to be said for all rain boots, some are really clunky and hard for little ones to manoeuver. The Stonz ones were 'soft' enough to get on and off easily for her, but 'hard' enough to stay on and provide a good fit."

Love this shot of her striking a pose in 'em. Fashionista indeed!!

Now onto S. Since our weather's mainly been lovely and warm since we received the Linerz, S has only worn the combo in earnest a few times. From this testing, however, I can report the following:

• The fit is quite good. Although there's still roominess at her toes, the Linerz help achieve a snug fit (and thus solid support) around her legs.

• She finds them comfortable to wear, or at least she reports them to be. Like her cousin, she's shown a distinct preference for them over her other rain boots.
• She moves well in them - jumping, hopping and even running with relative ease. 
• They certainly look snazzy. Don'tcha think?

• One issue - since the Linerz aren't actually attached to the Bootz, they can come out of place when putting them on or taking them off. You need to grip the liner and boot together and manoeuver inside with some finesse. As such, my daughter (who's now adept with most shoes and boots) still needs some help with these.

One thing we haven't been able to test yet (due to the aforementioned mild weather we've been having) is the combo's warmth. I asked my contact if they have a temperature rating and he said no, not officially, though he has received anecdotal feedback from customers in colder regions of the country that they seem to keep toes really warm.

Alright, final set of topics - care, maintenance and lifespan.

The Bootz are simple to clean - in most cases, you just need to wipe down the outer and/or sole. We haven't needed to clean the cotton inner on our pair yet so I can't comment on this, however it appears they'd be easy to surface wash, and, if the liner managed to get really dirty, I don't see why you couldn't soak the whole boot with a mild detergent. (Now I want to try this and report back, but my hubby's already chastizing me for taking too long with this review. ;)

As for the Linerz, they launder perfectly on cold wash / low heat dry, so no issues here.

Finally, all signs point to Awesomeness in the longevity department. Following several months of regular use, the Bootz have suffered merely a few superficial scuff marks and some (completely expected) wear on the soles. The seams all remain intact and the overall intergrity of the rubber hasn't been compromised. By contrast, the exterior of my daughter's other rain boots has become wrinkled and scaly looking over a similar number of wearings. Here's a comparison pic to illustrate. (Note that I made sure to capture the most prominently scuffed area on the Stonz.)

Since the Linerz are made of the same material as the Booties variant, I can tell you that they have a solid lifespan too. The only thing I noticed is that they lost a little plushness over time (and after many washings).

As for constructive feedback, if there was a way to attach (perhaps via applix) the Linerz to the Bootz so they stay in place better for kiddos, that would be helpful. Expanding the available colour selection would certainly be appreciated by many folks as well.

Overall, Stonz has hit yet another home run with its Rain Bootz and Linerz combo. Now the big question - which product(s) to try next? :D

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THE BOTTOM LINE - Stonz Rain Bootz and Linerz

Pros:
+ Leak-proof
+ Comfortable to wear 
+ 100% natural rubber / free from dangerous chemicals
+ Easy to clean
+ Grippy soles
+ Durable and long-lasting
+ Linerz are soft and plush
+ Combo (in particular) looks great together!

Cons:
- Currently only 4 shades available
- Can be challenging to keep Linerz in place - especially for young kids

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Buy It:

Rain Bootz and Rain Bootz Linerz can be purchased directly from the Stonz website (shipping is free within Canada and Continental USA on orders over $69.99) and from select retailers.


Win It:

Stonz has offered to give away a $20 store credit to one lucky Manager to Mom reader! Open to CAN/US.

To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Please follow all instructions within each entry option to ensure your entries are valid.   

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:  The prize is being provided and shipped to the winner by Stonz.  I received no financial compensation for writing my review or offering this giveaway, although I did receive the sample items free of charge.  This is my completely honest opinion above and may be different from yours.