Squishy Snak Pak Reusable Snack Pouch: Review & Giveaway (Closed)

Spouted pouch snacks are all the rage these days, with their "no mess" factor, convenient size and oodles of available flavour combos. Parents are snapping 'em up like hotcakes, kiddos love 'em and new brands continue to jump on board with their own offerings. The downside is they can be quite pricey (especially organic variants) and their disposable nature results in significant waste. What if there was a way to enjoy the benefits of this snack format without breaking the bank nor adding to our landfills? Well I'm happy to let you know there is, thanks to a mompreneur named Michelle Zacharias and her her nifty and whimsically-named Squishy Snak Pak!

Product Info:

• Snack container you can fill it from the bottom, squish it out the top
• Our product is made from BPA-free materials and features a choke proof cap along with a heavy duty zip closure. Fill it up with any creation your little one loves.
• Wash it and reuse it over and over again
• The clear window on the back allows you to see the contents
• Holds 1/2 cup of your creations
• Ideal for use on the go
• Fun for at home snacks
• Great freezer storage for portioned baby purees

My Review:

Michelle sent me a 2-pack of Squishy Snak Paks to review. All packs currently come in the same bright & colourful, gender-neutral design.

Right away I noted how thin and light-weight the packs are. I'd guess a similar amount of material goes into the creation of a Squishy Snak Pak as a disposable variant, but these, of course, can be reused! The lids are, indeed, pretty large and would be difficult to choke on, however they don't pass the "toilet paper tube test" so technically there'd still be a small risk. As such, they should be kept away from young'uns inclined to put things in their mouths.

To get started, you first need to cut/tear off the excess material at the bottom below the zip closure. This wasn't specified anywhere directly but it was pretty obvious from the pack's construction. (See above photo - note the little holes on each one near the bottom.)

I got to work quickly making a pureed apple, carrot and cinnamon blend for my 2 1/2 year old daughter S.

Next, I rinsed and filled one of the two packs. I used a large spoon which was pretty easy & effective, though a little did get on the outside which I rinsed off afterwards. Pouring directly into the pack or using a funnel would probably work for a thinner puree.

There's a fill line on the pack, but I wasn't able to add puree all the way up to this line as it would start squishing out when I closed the zip. I think the issue with a fill line on a container like this is that the capacity is variable depending on how wide you open the mouth. So I found it easiest just to eyeball it.

The zip mechanism secures easily and results in a strong and leak-proof closure which would be difficult for little hands to rip apart. The window at the back is useful as it allows storing a few kinds at once and knowing which one you're taking out each time without having to unscrew the caps. It also helps show how much is left when a snack is in progress.

The spout is a perfect size for dishing out the pack's contents.

I tried out the first pack myself (delish!!) and then filled up the other one and gave it to my daughter. She's had pouch snacks before so knew exactly what to do with it!

Here's a video of her first Squishy Snak Pak experience. As you can see, she was pretty self-sufficient though I did remove the lid myself and helped her squish the last few mouthfuls of puree from the bottom.

The next time I handed her a pack, she got a little too excited and gave it a good squish before bringing it to her mouth. Needless to say, this was a bit messy! So it's a good idea to remind younger ones in which order operations should occur. :)

In terms of clean-up, these puppies are easy peasy. If you wash them immediately after usage, a simple rinse gets the job done. If a used pack sits for awhile, I just soak for a few minutes in soapy water to loosen the grime and then wipe and rinse. Michelle confirmed that the packs are dishwasher-safe; I haven't washed them this way yet but will do so periodically to give 'em a really deep clean.

Longevity-wise, Michelle mentioned she's used and washed her own packs over 100 times and they're still going strong. They're made of a nylon/poly blend free of BPA and other toxic materials, so she has no concerns of them leaching over time.

Finally, a peek into cost savings vs. pre-made/disposable pouch snacks. The puree I made from two apples and 4 carrots (all organic) cost just under $3.00 and made six full packs. This is about half the cost of pre-made. If I went with non-organic, I probably could have made the same amount for $1.50 or less. Of course, there's the time factor of making purees, filling the packs and clean-up. As such, when time is short a pack could be filled with store-bought foods such as yogurt or jarred applesauce and this would still result in significant savings.

As for areas of improvement, the main one I can think of is that the packs don't stand up on their own like many disposable versions do. Not an issue for our little monkey since she gulps each one down without taking a breath, but I can see this as a desirable feature for slower eaters. Second, from an aesthetic standpoint it would be nice to see a variety of styles in the future. In terms of the website, an FAQ section (or more comprehensive product info page) would be helpful clarifying details on the packs such as whether they're dishwasher safe, specific materials they're made out of, etc.

Overall, I'm a big fan of the Squishy Snak Pak; it functions very similar to pre-made snack pouches but at a lower cost and without all that waste. Plus, there are practically unlimited options for healthy & tasty "squishables" to put inside! You just need a few extra minutes here and there and a dash of creativity. As for our daughter? She's hooked! Whenever we tell her she's getting a Squishy Snak Pak for dessert, her face lights up and she giggles excitedly. Definitely 10/10 on the "fun to eat" scale!

Buy It:

Squishy Snak Paks can be ordered directly from the website or via numerous online and "brick and mortar" shops. A store locator tool is currently under development.


Win It:

One lucky Manager to Mom reader will win two Squishy Snak Paks of their own! 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 Squishy Snak Pak.  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.   

10 Ways to Protect Your Food Storage Against Pests {Guest Post}

By: Lee Flynn

There's no time like the present for starting to prepare for tomorrow. Preparing for emergencies or times of need by buying food storage is a worthy pastime. Gathering any amount of food storage is no small task and it costs money. Money that you don't want to see go to waste by having food spoil due to lack of protection. Trust me, there's nothing worse than needing to use your food storage, opening it up, and finding that it's infested with some little bug or rodent. It's happened to me, so here are the best ways to protect your food against invaders.

1. Freeze What You Can. Freezing foods like flour, rice, and other grains can prevent a bug infestation. It also helps prevent any larvae from hatching which may already be in the food. The problem we run into is that freezer space is limited, and storing everything in a freezer is not practical. So pick out the most coveted grains and freeze them. You don't necessarily need to leave them in the freezer forever; freeze them for a week and then take them out. All the bad bugs should be dead.
   
   
2. High Density Buckets. Professional-grade thick plastic buckets are rodent-proof. That means there's no way those little rats and mice can chew through a bucket containing your food storage. I recommend the 5 gallon premium food storage containers that meet FDA standards.
   
   
3. Mylar Bags. Mylar bags are made of a thin metal material that have been created for lining food storage bins. The great thing about mylar bags is that they can be sealed with heat creating an oxygen barrier to the outside. You need to place low moisture foods, like beans, with oxygen absorbers in your mylar bags. Then put your mylar pouches in rodent-proof containers.
   
   
4. Carbon Dioxide. For those packing their own food storage, making sure your product is free of pests before you seal it up is important. The big companies fumigate food using a series of chemicals which works very well and kills lots of the insect larvae. For the home food storage packer, dry ice is a great way to do the same thing. Dry ice will fumigate products with carbon dioxide gas. It's heavier than air so it stays low in the container. Simply place a sheet of dry ice at the bottom of your food storage container and let the gas cover the food and all the bugs should die.
   
   
5. O2 Absorbers. Oxygen is not your friend when it comes to keeping your food pest-free. Oxygen absorbers or silica packets work great when preparing your food storage. Simply place them at the top of the food before they are sealed and it will soak up all the oxygen. Insects need oxygen to thrive, so by removing oxygen they can't thrive and they will die.
   
   
6. Bay Leaves. Spreading bay leaves throughout the food storage container is a popular way of deterring pests. Bugs don't like the smell of bay leaves. You don't need very many leaves to do the trick. Just add 5 to 10 leaves for a 5 gallon bucket. You can also spread the leaves throughout cupboards containing the food storage. Bay leaves will not affect the taste of your food.
   
   
7. Temperature. Proper temperature is crucial to food storage. The most ideal temperature to keep your food safe for a long time is 75°F or 24°C. This comes into play when people decide to store their food storage in the garage or shed. Sure there's more room out there, but the temperature fluctuates way too drastically for the food to remain safe for a long time. Keeping temperature consistent will not only protect your food against spoilage, it will also protect it against those nasty pests...bacteria.
   
   
8. Diatomaceous Earth. Mixing Diatomaceous Earth into your food storage, like beans or grains, can control insects. When purchasing your Diatomaceous Earth, make sure it's approved by the FDA for human consumption. There are companies which make it for swimming pools and this type can contain lots of harmful chemicals. Using this method is really easy: for every 40 pounds of grains, add 1 cup of Diatomaceous Earth. This should kill the bugs and you can still eat the food mixed with this product.
   
   
9. Use Glass. Glass containers work really well to create an airtight oxygen-free environment when combined with oxygen absorbers. The nice thing about using glass containers is that you can store things in "every day size", as some people hesitate to open a 5 gallon bucket of sealed grains unless it's absolutely necessary.
   
   
10. Vacuum Sealing. Vacuum packaging your food storage is another great way to get the oxygen out. Remember without oxygen all the little critters will die. I put vacuums sealing at the bottom of the list because honestly it's hard to vacuum seal food really well. The food needs to contain less than 1% oxygen, and that's not easily done with vacuum sealing. That said, it is still a good idea to vacuum seal your food but you will want to supplement this approach by using oxygen absorbers.

Lee Flynn is a freelance writer and expert in outdoor survival food storage and freeze-dried meals.

Happy Green Wool Dryer Balls: Review and "Final Chance" Giveaway! (Closed)

When I began my research on cloth diapering, one of the first things I learned was that I'd need to follow a fairly demanding and finicky laundry routine to get the stinkies out, keep my dipes in tip-top shape and ensure that I wasn't introducing harsh chemicals to baby's sensitive li'l bum. One particular thing that would have to change? No more dryer sheets. As it turns out, these bad boys contain compounds that have been linked to cancer and other health issues.

Really? I thought. Yowza. But then how the heck would I keep the static at bay?

A bit more research unveiled the answer - dryer balls! What a cool concept; toss a couple of these puppies into the dryer and voila - bye-bye fabric cling! And better yet, bye-bye chemicals!

Coupons.ca Review + $25 Toys "R" Us Giveaway! (Closed)

Alright, this one's for all my Canadian followers who love great deals!

....which means all my Canadian followers - because who doesn't love a great deal, right? ;)

I'd like to introduce you to coupons.ca, a coupon savings website that provides free downloadable and online coupons and coupon codes from top brand names like Dell, Expedia, Toys R Us, Old Navy, The Source and many more. The site was developed by SurfMyAds.com, which specializes in coupon technology.  Coupons.ca launched just a few months ago, but already features thousands of coupons from hundreds of brands across numerous categories, and supports both English and French languages.

Shoppers Optimum: how to "optimize" your savings!

I'm a big fan of points programs. Why not get back money or free stuff on purchases you were going to make anyway? That said, some points programs offer such paltry rewards that there's almost no point in being a member. But at the opposite end of the spectrum, other programs offer you the opportunity to REALLY work some serious rewards. Shoppers Optimum is one of them.

For my non-Canadian readers, Shoppers Optimum is the loyalty program offered by Shoppers Drug Mart, the number one provider of pharmacy products & services in Canada. So this post won't be directly applicable to you, though you may generalize some of my tips below to programs available to you.

The day-to-day earnings offered in the program are nothing to write home about. You get 10 points for every dollar spent and redeem them at a rate of between $1 and $2 for every $100 spent. However, if you work the frequent special event days, you can redeem points at $30-40+ for every $100 spent. That's pretty win. I first signed up to the Optimum program about 6 years ago, and I've redeemed at least $600 worth of free products since then by shopping on point event days.

Since I started workin' this program, I've come up with the following guidelines to optimize savings - in other words, not just rack up and redeem a plethora of points, but do so in a sensible fashion and acquire only those items that I truly want or need:

• First and foremost, shop only on major point event days, assuming it makes practical sense to do so. There are two main types of point events: earning events and redemption (or "Spent Your Points") events.
  
  
• Earning events either offer you a multiplier (e.g., 20x the points) or a set amount (e.g., earn 10,000 points) and always have a minimum purchase amount (e.g., $50). The best earning events are 20x the points on almost everything in the store, or a set amount of points which works out to 20x the points or better if you spend exactly the minimum purchase amount. For example, a recent event allowed you to earn 18,500 points for spending $75 or more. Spending exactly $75 worked out to almost 25x the points, which is the best earning event I've seen! (So yup, I worked that bad boy.) Shoppers will offer other earning events, but don't fall for them. Shop the 20x (or more) earning events ONLY!

• Redemption events allow you to redeem points for more than the standard saving level amounts For example, another recent event offered the option to redeem 50,000 points for $100, which is $15 more than the standard savings of $85 at this level. These events usually require you to spend a large number of points at once. All redemption events are good, however occasionally Shoppers will offer an extra $10 or $15; keep your eye out for these!

• Sign up for the Shoppers Optimum mailing list. This will keep you posted on when major point and redemption events are coming and also notify you of secret events (i.e. earning or redemption events which are not publicized.)
  
  
• Keep a running list of products you need (or would be good to stock up on). You want to ensure that each time you go on a Shoppers' spree, you're purchasing items you really want or need. If you routinely end up grabbing miscellaneous items to meet a required threshold, you're essentially cancelling out your savings. This is an important point and requires organization and self-restraint!! It's easy to convince yourself in the moment that you'll use that peppermint foot scrub that's also 50% off, but in practice it'll probably sit in your cupboard until it goes bad. If you need to buy something else to meet a level, stock up on an item you regularly use.
  
  
• If you're not brand picky, get the things you need on special. Specials stack with point events, and Shoppers always has great deals (often 40-50% off or more).
  
  
• If you're shopping during an event which involves earning or redeeming for a set number of points, keep a mental calculation of how much you're spending as you shop. You want to just *barely* exceed the level, as additional money spent above the level does not earn or redeem additional points.
  
  
• Higher redemption levels offer better bang for the buck. However, only redeem at a higher level if you can readily spend that amount on items you need or want.
  
  
• Finally, if an event comes up and you don't need anything (or much of anything), IGNORE IT! Otherwise you end up with stuff you don't need or want, or you end up hoarding an excessive amount of products taking up space waiting to be used.
  
  

I hope this was helpful! If you have any other tips (for Shoppers Optimum in particular, or points programs in general) feel free to comment!

Menu Plan Monday

I've been meaning to start menu planning for awhile now, but aside from my Indian Inspiration Week haven't gotten around to it. However I've decided to commit to it starting this week! So many reasons to do so:

• Shop JUST ONCE for the whole week rather than 3-4+ small, rather disorganized trips. This should also encourage us to eat earlier in the evening as I won't need to shoot out to the store to grab something last minute (and as we mamas know, there's never really a "quick trip" per se when you have a little one!)
• Reduce or eliminate wasted food as there'll be a plan to use everything
• Healthier eating in general; no need to bust out the Lean Cuisine 'cause there's not enough time or ingredients to make a "proper" dinner .
• Less expensive eating; more home cooked meals = less eating out & takeout PLUS we can plan a menu around weekly sales items which'll save additional $$.
• Find ways to use existing ingredients lying around the house before they go bad.

Plus, I found a great blog called Food and Whine which has an EXCELLENT page dedicated to meal planning. If you like the idea of meal planning yourself but haven't gotten started yet, or if you plan but feel your approach could use some work, I highly recommend checking out her page! It includes some sample menus and a bunch of links to other helpful sites as well. The site I heart the most is http://www.supercook.com/. It allows you to type in a set of ingredients and it generates recipes containing these ingredients. Funny thing is that I had an idea to build this type of app a few years back but then forgot about it. Turns out it already existed! (Either that, or the Supercook creator read my mind and went from there. ;)

I've noticed some mamas plan out all three meals each day, however I'm going to start with dinner alone as we usually eat leftovers for lunch and we always have ingredients on hand for breakfast (hot & cold cereal, eggs, pancake mix, smoothie fixings, etc.) Also, I'm just doing Mon-Fri as we very often end up eating out or at a family member's house for dinners on the weekend so I don't want to overplan and end up wasting food.

Without further ado, here is my inaugural Menu Plan Monday menu! It is inspired by the fact that we have lots of chicken & shrimp in the freezer, and by hubby's desire to ingest a lot of veggies following his meatball & wing-laden UFC guy's night. :)

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

Monday:

Spinach salad with strawberries & almonds (This recipe looks good so we'll try it!)

Mediterranean chicken breasts (frozen, pre-seasoned)

Tuesday:

Broiled salmon *

Steamed broccoli

Mashed potatoes w/ garlic and parmeson cheese

* We buy our fish from TJ Seafood, a local establishment which has the most fresh, high-quality fish I've ever tasted and also makes its own delicious smoked salmon in-house. TJ supplies to numerous restaurants in the KW region. So technically this is a separate trip, but a very catered one and so worth it! :)

Wednesday:

Asian stirfry w/ shrimp, tofu and LOTS of veggies (zucchini, carrots, mushrooms, peppers and other goodies)

 

Thursday:

Spinach & Mushroom pasta bake (we'll try this one and use the tri-coloured vegetable fusilli in the pantry!) 

Friday:

Chicken Parmesan over pasta (how about this recipe?)

Some veggie - we'll probably just go frozen for this one!

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

For all you veteran menu planners out there, how does this look? :)

Memorable Monday: The Inaugural Edition

I've invented (I think) an alliterative weekly blog event! Yay me!

What I'm going to do each week is showcase recently read blog posts in other journals which were, well, memorable to me in one way or another. Perhaps they were hilarious or touching, they hit home in a personal way, or they revealed an excellent tip which I plan to incorporate into my own life.

I thought of naming the event "Memorable Mama Monday" to extend the alliteration, however I wouldn't want to exclude the daddy and child-free bloggers I'm following as you guys rock too! :)

(And yes, I realize it's no longer Monday, however I came up with this idea late last night just before hubby & my snuggle / Ally McBeal time. :) )

Without further ado, here's this week's listing!

The Mrs - a newly discovered (for me) Canadian mommy blog, Mrs makes the list not only for having an incredibly engaging and hilarious writing style in general (she manages to work in her maple candy addiction every three sentences or so) but also for her bare-it-all documentation of Project Grocery, in which she strives to stay under $120/week on grocery-related expenditures. Her Oatmeal Time installment in particular was memorable, as I didn't realize you could make oatmeal ahead and refrigerate it for up to a week! I'm totally doing that. :) Finally, she reminded me to do the laundry late at night - surprisingly, this'll save us some $$$!

Hobo Mama (another new blog on my reading list) for her frank synopsis of post-partum sex. Without going into detail, I can certainly relate! I highly recommend this one if you've recently had a child and are disheartened at the resulting changes in this area.

Mommy Only Has 2 Hands! just wrote an excellent tutorial on how to continue with Blogger after purchasing your own domain name. This is something I'm considering, so I'll definitely reference her article if I do take this step.

The Connected Mom for her compelling article on Elimination Communication (EC) myths. I've been intrigued by the idea of EC, especially since I have good friends who practice this with their son. I'm not sure we'll take the plunge (no pun intended) with S, however it would more likely be something we'd look at for child #2 (assuming he or she "happens"!)

To round things out, Everything Cloth earns comic relief points with her graphic EBF blow-out story. :D She had me LLOL (literally laughing out loud) several times with that one!

Feel free to join me with your own Memorable Monday posts - let's let those bloggin' gems out there really shine!

Latest stash additions - gDiapers and more covers!

Thanks to the awesomeness of Kijiji, I've now built up our cloth diapering stash to the point it may take Starryn all the way through to potty training!

Up until this point, we've been using mainly prefolds & covers on her during the day and Kawaii snazzy minky OS pockets at night which has worked out well. In addition to the 6 Bummis covers which came with the kit, I also acquired 3 WAHM covers resulting in a nice rotation. She's quickly outgrowing the small prefolds, however, so I've been hooking us up with a large prefold setup which began with the purchase of 18 premium Bummis prefolds and a medium super brite cover.

Most recently, I got my hands on the following (all either new or in EUC and at deliciously low prices!)

• A wool cover, made by a local mama (bottom left). Isn't it cute?! I've been wanting to try out wool covers for awhile now for their breathability and antibacterial properties, and also just to mix things up a little bit, and at $10 the price was right on this one! The previous owner already prepped it, however the perfectionist in me feels the need to redo things before putting it on Starryn. I've gotta hop to it though as it's a small cover so it'll probably only fit her another couple months.
• Two medium (15-30 lbs) Bummis super snap wraps (bottom right). That's right - snaps on a Bummis cover! I didn't even realize these existed! Although aplix closures are super convenient, I like the durability and longevity of snaps. We intend to use these puppies and the medium super brite along with the premium prefolds once she "graduates" to the larger size. (Assuming we stick with prefolds; I've heard from a few mamas recently that they switched to pockets once their LOs became super-wrigglers. Time will tell!)
  
• Four medium (13-28 lbs) gPants from gDiapers (top). Our main incentive to buy some hybrids was that we'll be cottaging this summer; we don't want to deal with full on cloth diaper laundry, however we also don't want to resort to disposables. Hybrids are ideal as there'll be limited laundering required (just the inserts and covers) and the disposable inserts are biodegradable and will break down within 50-150 days. The medium gPants can also be used with a small trifolded prefold, thus providing more day-to-day diapering options and extending the life of my small Bummis PFs as well!

I'm excited to try these new additions - especially the gDiapers! Starryn is between 12 and 13 lbs now so she should be able to fit into them within another couple weeks. If you're interested in learning more about them, I plan to do a full review here so stay tuned! I may also post reviews of some of the other CDs and related products I've been using. As many of you know, I've been obsessed with entering giveaways recently (as I practically salivate at the prospect of trying even MORE new diapering products!!!!!), however it would be even awesomer to host 'em myself! Crawl, walk, run... :)

Kijiji'd mahself some more dipes!

18 "baby" size (15-40 pounds) Bummis prefolds and a nearly new medium pink "super bright" cover. Paid $26 total. Retail price? $91! Have I mentioned I love Kijiji? Yup, apparently I have! :)

Now I just need to acquire a few more larger covers and S should be all set for dipes until she's potty trained! w000!

Why I love Kijiji!

As some of you know (as you've been subjected, possibly more than once, to my monologues on the subject :) I looooove Kijiji! Since early November when I was off on mat leave waiting for little one to arrive, I've been actively involved both buying and selling items and I'm HOOKED! Why? Well:

1. There are some great barg00ns to be found on nearly new stuff - especially for babies, since many items are only used for a short period of time. So far, I've purchased the following items for S, all in EXCELLENT condition:
   
• A Moby Wrap ($35 - retails for $80)
• A Baby Neptune Ocean Adventure Gym ($25 - retails for close to $100)
• An extra Bummis Fabulous Wet Bag - brand new ($10 - retails for about $30)
  
• A Cozy Cover for her carseat ($5 - no longer sold but previously retailed for $25-30)
2. It's a great way to de-clutter your home of duplicate, unused, no longer desired, etc. items AND make a little extra cash to boot. Chris and I have sold over $300 worth of stuff so far - better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, especially now that we're temporarily down to a single full income.
3. Related to 2, it promotes realignment of items so that they're in a better place. It was gratifying to hear that, for example, the Lilliput Lane cottage I received as a gift several years back went from being boxed up in our basement to proudly showcased within the display of an avid collector in Owen Sound. Y'know?
4. Post creation is a great exercise in honing one's salesmanship skills. Describing the item in a compelling fashion to attract potential buyers, ensuring the right keywords are in place, setting effective price points, photographing the item in the best light, etc.
5. It's fun! I check a few listings each day (for example, I'm currently scanning the bathing & changing section of baby item classifieds for great deals on new or nearly new cloth diapers to expand our stash) and the prospect of sweet new deals emerging is somewhat titillating. :) In the other direction, it's also great to check email and see new responses to our own ads.

Downsides of Kijiji-ing? Living in New Hamburg, I've had quite a few people request delivery of items to KW. I'd generally only do this if it's very "convenient", but convenience is admittedly relative. For example, we met an individual at the Sunrise Starbucks on the way into town to sell them a $12 item. Considering the time and effort to coordinate and complete the transaction (and also the fact that I "had" to have a latte in the process!) this was of questionable monetary value. HOWEVER...said individual is now happily poaching eggs and we've reclaimed some precious space in our kitchen cupboard, so I'd say it was still win-win in the end, dammit! :)

Cloth dipe & wipe update

Now that we've been cloth diapering S for almost 1.5 months, I thought I'd comment on how it's going and what we like and dislike about the different types of diapers we're currently using. We've also been using cloth wipes for over a week now and loving it! I'll post some specifics on what we're doing here too.

The "workhorse" dipes we use day to day are her Bummis prefolds and covers (from the infant size diaper kit we ordered in October). In a nutshell, these are terrific! I commented on some of the theoretical benefits in my earlier entry (before I actually started using them) and not only did these all turn out to be true, but the cons I listed (learning curve, not as convenient as pockets and bulkier) weren't at all a problem in practice. We found them quite easy to start using, and I actually feel they're MORE convenient than the one size pockets; although the change itself may take slightly longer, they don't require stuffing and snapping/unsnapping the rise so overall time investment is actually a bit lower. Finally, they turned out to be less bulky than anticipated - they're about middle of the road relative to the diapers in our stash. And one more HUGE pro - we haven't had a SINGLE leak (poo or pee) outside the cover. All in all, a fantastic diapering system and I'd wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone considering cloth diapering options for a new baby. I'm currently surfing Kijiji for larger prefolds and covers for when she outgrows the infant size (at about 15-16 pounds) - time will tell if we continue to prefer these dipes when she's older or whether we gravitate more toward pockets then.

We also use our Kawaii snazzy minky one-size pockets pretty often, mostly overnight. As you may have read, I bought a bulk set of these on eBay back in November. These are as adorable and soft in practice as I was hoping they would be, and they can hold a LOT of pee when stuffed with even a single microfibre insert! They also appear to be well-made and I believe they'll endure a lot of wear. Another nice thing (especially for overnight wear) is that they seem to draw the liquid away from baby's bum better than the prefolds. Downsides of these diapers is that they're super-bulky and some of them leak through the leg holes. Strangely enough, they don't all fit exactly the same as one another - some are more snug than others even on the same snap settings. (I've read other reviews commenting on this as well.) All in all, though, at less than $6 a pop, we're happy with these, and so is Baby Pebbles!














We currently have 8 of these dipes in our rotation and 5 still in the packaging. We'll likely end up selling the 5 as 8 are more than enough assuming they continue to be mainly night dipes. If any readers in the area are interested in trying one or more, let me know - I'll sell them individually at the bulk price.

Finally, we have a couple AMP duo pocket diapers which we've only used a few times so far. Unfortunately we've had a big leaking problem with them. I suspect this is because she's too small/skinny at this point to fit them properly, as I haven't read about this being a problem in general - knock on wood! I'm really eager for them to fit though as they're super cute diapers and by far the trimmest of the lot, so I'd like to see them become the go-to diapers for her "special outfit" events!

A note about cleaning/stains - we've continued to mainly follow the method I blogged about last month but we've changed the first cycle from delicate to light wash as our washer temporarily crapped out during the delicate cycle a few loads ago. I think the load was too heavy for what it was expecting, so it just stopped running! Aside from this, the method is still working well. In terms of stains, we use our Buncha Farmers stain remover stick when she has a touchdown on one of the Bummis covers, and this helps take the stain right out! We only treat the covers; the prefolds, pockets and inserts go right in the washer. As a result, a few of the prefolds have mild staining but this should come out in the warm weather when we can line dry them, or perhaps if/when we do a full strip.

Next topic - cloth wipes! Our system consists of wipe solution in a squirt bottle (specifically the "peri" bottle I got at the hospital which I no longer need for its original use!) and baby wash cloths - the thin variant (e.g. these). When baby's bum needs to be cleaned, we simply shake the bottle (to mix the ingredients), squirt solution onto a wash cloth, wipe her up and toss the wipe into her wet bag to be washed with the diaper laundry. We use the Olive 'n' Tea Tree recipe from the Zany Zebra site, but we mix up a much smaller portion each time to ensure it's always fresh and use slightly less olive oil and baby wash than the recipe recommends. We mix it right in the peri bottle and use a small funnel to add the oil & baby wash. Here's our specific recipe if you'd like to try it out directly:

Olive 'n' Tea Tree wipe solution:
1 cup water (filtered if possible)
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp baby wash (we use Live Clean Baby shampoo & wash though any gentle wash would work)
1 drop tea tree oil

This recipe makes enough to almost fill up the peri bottle, leaving some room to shake it and mix the ingredients together before the first use:



















We find this portion size lasts about 2 days (or 20-25 diaper changes), and the solution has a nice, fresh scent. Making our own wipes should save us about $100-150 per year, and the best part is that baby's bum has never looked better!

I'm sure the project manager and savings addict in me will continue to look for ways to improve life for our little one and live more economically to boot - stay tuned! :)

** UPDATE ** - Made a few adjustments to our cloth wipe routine since this post. Check 'em out here.

Bought more cloth diapers today

I couldn't resist. :)

A couple weeks back I found myself researching cheaper options for one-size pocket diapers as I currently have only two of these (my AMP one size duos) and would like some more for convenience, variation and Daddy (and other caretaker) friendliness. However, I've found it hard to rationalize spending $20+ per diaper which is what the popular, mainstream brands cost (BumGenius, FuzziBunz, etc.) Several hours of Googling around reading reviews, forum discussion topics, etc. led me to a brand that is both extremely economical AND highly esteemed - Kawaii Diapers. They are manufactured in China but under strict specifications, and are sold by a Canadian distributor at http://theluvyourbaby.com as well as on eBay. The prices on her website are quite reasonable already ($7 to $10.50 per pocket diaper, depending on the specific type), but the bulk deals on eBay are even better. This was all very exciting, but I decided not to pull the trigger at the time and instead wait until Little One was here in order to gain some early experience with CDing and determine the best way to extend our "stash".

Well that was then and this is now. :)

I found myself back on eBay tonight and couldn't resist putting in a min bid of $69 US for a package deal of 13 "Snazzy Minky" one size pocket diapers. Look how cute they are!







And they also score well in the areas of softness, leak-resistancy and durability, according to numerous user reviews. Finally at this bulk price, they're just $5.30 a pop compared to $8.95 from her website. My min bid held up and I'll be receiving these awesome new diapers within a few weeks!!!

The only concern I have with buying one type in bulk like this pre-baby is that there's some chance they won't fit her particular size and shape ideally. That said, if this does happen I can probably sell them on Kijiji or Diaper Swappers at little to no loss (or possibly even make a small profit)! I could look at selling all of them or keep several back to try when she gets a little bigger and/or with future babies :) So really there's little to no risk here the way I see it.

In other news, tomorrow I'll be 3 days overdue. We have an OB appointment in the morning during which there'll inevitably be another offer for the illustrious stretch & sweep. At the time of my last post, we thought we'd go for it during this week's appointment in the interest of avoiding chemical induction, however we've done some more reading and thinking since then and have changed our minds. What it comes down to is that I feel pretty good physically, and in the interest of following the most natural, gentle path toward labour and birth, we're content to let baby arrive when she darn well feels like it, assuming there are no SOLID contraindications to doing this. And in most cases when a pregnancy advances post-date to 42 weeks or so, there aren't any. So tomorrow I'll be turning down the S&S offer once more and reviewing our desires with my doctor. She's been quite understanding and flexible so far so hopefully we don't run up against undue resistance on this one...

Cloth diapering - Part 2!

Alrighty, so following my last post on the topic, I did a crap load (no pun intended) more research, plugged in some costs and ended up deciding on a thriftier alternative to a complete set of one-sizers in the form of the Bummis Organic Cotton Diaper Kit (infant size).

Bummis is a popular, reputable cloth diapering company based in the Montreal area, and their products get good to great reviews. The organic diaper kit is one of their newer products and is based on a prefold diapering system. For those unfamiliar with types of cloth diapering, this is a two-part system consisting of a thick, absorbent inner layer (the prefold) and a water-proof outer layer (the cover). There are many benefits to prefolds including the following:

• They are versatile; you can fold them in different ways to accommodate the size, shape and elimination patterns of your baby and also depending on day or night use.
  
• Covers can generally be reused a few times (unless they're pooped on, which is fairly unlikely if the prefold is used effectively). This means you need to buy fewer of these than the prefolds (about 1 cover for every 3 to 4 prefolds) and you don't need to do as much laundry!
  
• Speaking of laundry, prefolds are easier to launder and dry more quickly than all-in-ones and other styles.
  
• In terms of covers, there are so many combinations of cute patterns and material types to choose from which makes things fun!
  
• Finally, prefolds are the most economical option, costing less than half of what you'd pay for a full all-in-one or pocket diapering system.
  

So what's the catch? Well, there's a bit more of a learning curve to get the hang of this system in the first place, they're not as convenient as pockets and all-in-ones (and in fact, some daycare facilities may refuse to use them) and the diapers tend to be a bit bulkier on baby's bum which may make some clothes fit awkwardly. The first of these points doesn't really concern me, and there's a solution to the 2nd and 3rd points - supplementing prefolds with a smaller number of pockets and/or AIOs which are basically just as convenient as disposables. So that's what I decided to do! (More on that in a bit.)

I feel the need to rave about the Bummis kit a bit more. It contains so many goodies! :) In addition to the 24 prefolds, it contains 6 covers in a selection of great colours/patterns, disposable and reusable liners (to help with heavier pooptuations), a great big "fabulous wet bag" (which is supposed to be AWESOME) and a couple extras - a snappi (an easy-to-use alternative to pins for fastening various fold types) and a sample of bum bum balm, a diaper cream made from organic ingredients that is compatible with cloth diapering. I ended up ordering the kit from bynature.ca since EBS didn't have any in stock.

In the interest of supplementing with some more convenient diapers, I bought a couple AMP one-size duo pockets along with some hemp and bamboo inserts from EBS. I was originally leaning toward Bum Genius as it's a great brand that CDing parents love, however ended up grabbing the AMPs as reviews appear to be equally glowing (if not more so) and it's a Canadian company. I'll try out the two for now but probably grab a few more to round out the collection once little one is here. I also may buy a couple more covers if baby turns out to be a heavy wetter - wool and fleece are good options here.

In terms of storage and laundering, I bought some Country Save detergent and decided on the dry pail method of storage since we have a front load washer (it sounds like a messy PITA to deal with transporting wet diapers into a front loader). The fabulous wet bag which comes with the Bummis kit will either work well on its own for storage, or as a liner in a diaper pail (need to decide on this part still.) I'll probably grab a second big bag and one or two smaller bags for outings as well. The biggest challenge will likely be getting the dipes cleaned properly in the washer, because as awesome as front loaders are for "regular" laundry, they're not generally as effective as top loaders for CD laundry due to the fact that they use less water (ironic, isn't it?) That said, there are grillions of blog entries and forum posts out there detailing what has worked well for others w/ front load washers, so I'm confident we'll get this whole thing ironed out.

Holy crap (again, no pun intended) I've gone on about diapers for awhile! :) Time to join Chris for an episode or two of Ally McBeal!

Cloth diapering

I've been learning about cloth diapering now for over a month. I think that historically, I always assumed we'd just use the "standard" disposable diaper approach, however upon doing some research my opinion has swayed. The top two reasons I'm seriously considering this option are the reduced environmental footprint (which can be significant if the clean & care process is managed effectively and if the diapers are reused for another child) and the health of baby's skin. Additional benefits include saving some $$ (again, depending mainly on the factors cited above) and the likelihood of potty-training earlier (though evidence for this admittedly appears to be anecdotal).

So what's next?

The first thing I'm going to do is buy some baby and cloth diaper-friendly laundry detergent. Even if we don't end up cloth diapering long-term, we'll still want to wash the rest of baby's clothes in detergent that is free of harsh elements such as fragrances, dyes and brighteners. This site contains an awesome detergent comparison chart. I'm currently leaning toward the Country Save powdered detergent as a first go because it received the highest rating on the chart, is cheaper than most/all of the others with this rating and gets terrific reviews.

Secondly, I'd like to at the very least buy a small number of trial diapers if not go all the way and purchase 2+ days worth (at least 24 diapers). I've essentially decided that one-size is the best option for us. Although they are more expensive upfront, they grow with baby and (generally speaking) are very easy to use - similar to disposables. I'm currently researching various brands that are sold at the Extraordinary Baby Shop including BumGenius, Fuzzi Bunz and GroVia. They all appear to be high-quality products and well-reviewed. I'm not yet sure whether we'll stick to a single brand or try at least a couple of them.

Third, we need to decide on our cleaning approach. I'm currently inclined toward laundering at home due mainly to the cost of cleaning services, though there are many considerations to iron out including storage approach (wet vs. dry pail), whether or not we install a mini-bidet (I like the idea of this and my co-worker who cloth diapers is enthusiastic about hers, however hubby is less than thrilled at the prospect of "spraying poo water all over the bathroom" :) ), how many and what type of wash cycles, drying options, etc. That said, we could always start with one approach and make adjustments based on hands on learning coupled with more research. I don't think home care necessarily needs to be a huge PITA - just a matter of figuring out a system that works efficiently for your household & lifestyle.

Finally, there's the issue that some child care facilities do not embrace cloth diapering so we'd need to keep this in mind as well (either choosing an option that does, or being willing to do a combination of cloth & disposable diapering).

So that's about where we're at now. More to come on this!