Teeming with #2: Week 37 update!

Full term. (How the heck did that happen?!)

Well, full term according to my midwives, anyway. Using their "wheely thing", they determined that my due date is Dec 2nd. By my own "first day of my last period" calcs, it's Dec 7th. So I'm either a couple days past 37 weeks or a couple days shy of it. I'm going with the former because I have the suspicion I'm going to pop pretty soon. Little Man has definitely dropped, and I've been experiencing some interesting "Braxton Hicks but Different" sensations. All in all, I feel like I'm "ripening" if you know whadda mean.

In any case, I'm officially huge now. :)

Current weight: 145 lbs so still on a 1 lb/week gaining schedule. I was measuring a bit small at my 35th week appointment so my midwife ordered me a biophysical profile / growth ultrasound which turned up "mostly normal" results - baby scored 8/8 with lots of fluid and measured at about 40th percentile in weight (estimate was 2.5 kg or 5.5 lbs). However the more in-depth report (which takes longer to come in) cited there is "notching" on my uterine artery.  My midwife said this is almost certainly nothing to be concerned about in my situation (full term, low blood pressure), but to play it safe and ensure baby continues to grow well, she's booking me for another ultrasound at 38 weeks. If I make it that long, of course! :)

Other health-related stuff - hemoglobin's up a bit more to 107 (good) and Group B Strep swab's been sent in but no results yet. Bathroom trips are now required once or twice / hour (yay) though thankfully the bleedy nose problem has taken a hike. I do have minor heartburn from time to time but nothing like my last pregnancy, and I've also managed to remain totally unbloated which has enabled me to keep my wedding ring on! (Had to remove it at 32 weeks last time around.)

I'm definitely feeling increasingly tired as these late-preggo weeks pass, and the last few days have brought on some emotional spells as well. Crying for no reason, snappishness, that sort of thing. Pregnancy, as a whole, keeps me quite level so these spells are unusual and add to my inkling that Babe #2 will be coming early. Of course, there are also 2348203432 things going on in our lives right now - finishing up work (3 more days!), numerous home renos, loose planning around S' 2nd birthday (keeping things simple this year), regular activities (swimming, kinder music, curling, yoga), early Christmas planning/shopping, attempting to keep things somewhat manageable around the home front and, of course, blogging when I can grab a spare moment or two. Juggling it all has become fairly overwhelming, not to mention that we remain totally unprepared for our little guy's  arrival. We're almost certainly not going to have S' "big girl room" ready in time (it's still a semi-hoarded office, where I sit typing now) which means she'll need to remain in the nursery for awhile. Not a huge deal since the little man will hang out in our room for a couple months anyway, but it would be nice to have all our ducks in a row here. Following my first bout of BHbD sensations the other night, hubs DID get the car seat ready so we can check that one off at the very least. :) (Now, someone kick me into gear to get that hospital bag together!)

As per my recent FB post/question, I'm still not doing a heck of a lot to prepare (physically, mentally, emotionally) for labour and birth. :-/ Still doing a weekly yoga class which is SUPER awesome, and I bounce around on my exercise ball when I think about it, but that's about it. I do have a little evening ritual of slathering Belly Jelly all over my bump, which is somewhat meditative in of itself and hey - if it manages to reduce the severity of impending stretch marks, even better. (Yup the little rascals are beginning to make an appearance, but they're not terrible just yet.)

As for S, she TOTALLY appears to "get it", giving my belly lots of kisses and telling people that her little brother's coming soon. She loves reading It's Quacking Time and on the last page points out the members of the duck family as Mommy, Daddy, S and [insert brother's name here]. (Nope, still not telling! :)

So let's play a guessing game - when (date/time) is our Little Man going to arrive? Is there gonna be another T w/ #2 update?

Wordless Wednesday: Sticker Sillies!

Think Manager to Mom is an awesome review blog?

If so, I'd LOVE if you'd take a moment and vote for me as one of this year's Top 25 Product Review Moms over at Circle of Moms!

Simply click the badge, scroll to/search for my listing and click the Vote icon. Easy peasy! (Note that from Nov 9 to Nov 10 I'll be under the Pending Approval tab while they approve my listing, but you can still vote for me under there!)

You can vote once/day until November 16th. I appreciate each and every vote!

If M2M makes the Top 25, this should open the door to even more great brands and products to review, and giveaways to share with you as well!

I want to thank Circle of Moms for this opportunity to be recognized for something I put a lot of thought and hard work into. It's important to me to ensure each and every review I post here at Manager to Mom is detailed, high-quality and honest and I hope this is of value to my readers as well!

Thanks all! :)

Lil Helper Organic Bamboo Change Mat & Pail Liner: Review & Giveaway! (Closed)

Does the name Lil Helper ring a bell? If so, you may remember the brand as the "grand finale" review/giveaway in my Fluffy February cloth diaper event early this year. If not, I encourage you to check out my prior review for info on this unique, all-Canadian cloth diapering brand and their products as they certainly stand out from the masses in a number of key ways.

Fast forward several months later and I'm happy to report that:

• My LH diapers continue to be among the first I grab for new changes, and they always get packed in the daycare diaper bag too! LOVE 'em!!
• The company is firmly committed to ongoing improvement in their products. For example, their original cotton insert has been revamped so that it no longer gets bunchy/warped after prepping, as I'd reported in my previous review.

Lil Helper recently began branching out and offering additional eco-friendly products, including a super-sized diaper pail liner, and two organic bamboo / waterproof pads (a mattress protector and a change mat). And guess what? I've had the opportunity to review two of these new products which I'll share with you today.


Product Information - Diaper Pail Liner:

Size: 28 in x 28 in
Colors Available: Red & Yellow

[Note: website information currently very limited.]


My Review - Diaper Pail Liner:

Before I begin here, an important note - the version of the pail liner I received for review purposes is different than what the company will be offering in the future. Mohammed (LH's "Chief Everything Officer" - love it!) confirmed that they will be switching suppliers and likely materials as well. The current liner is made from laminated nylon, the same material used to make windcheaters and other wearable waterproof items, however the company is leaning toward PUL (which they already use in their smaller wet bags) for the future version. I wholeheartedly approve of this choice, as I own several PUL-based wet bags (including one of their own, which rocks) and it has definitely proven to be a "workhorse" material in terms of its lasting waterproof qualities. And it's safe too!

All that said, here's my own "V1" pail liner. I received the snazzy, bright yellow shade!

A picture of the liner alone doesn't really give a good appreciation of size, so I recruited my (then) 22-month-old daughter for some assistance.

Roomy, huh? Mohammed told me they designed the liner to fit the largest diaper pail they could find - a whopping 24 gallons. This would definitely hold multiple days of dirty dipes for a single child, and probably 2+ full days if you have a couple little ones in cloth. (We'll likely be in this situation for at least a month once our Little Man arrives!)

The bag uses a drawstring closure. Here you can see it open...

...and pulled shut:

The inner laminate material sort of stuck together at first, so I had to pry it fully open in order to wash it properly (along with my regular diaper laundry). Once washed a couple times, however it had a similar feel to my PUL wet bags - just slightly stiffer/bulkier.

The pail liner can be used as, well, a pail liner (no, really?) or a hanging wet bag. We've grown accustomed to the latter and, in fact, simply keep the liner plunked down on our bathroom floor as it gathers its contents for the next wash. We find it holds smells at bay quite well, so we're not inundated with an unpleasant olfactory experience during our DD's bath time, which is appreciated! That said, we have been casually shopping around for an actual pail which has either a flip lid or no lid at all, as we like the concept of a totally hands-free operation.

Have I mentioned that the liner is huge? Here it is holding two full days of dipes - including a Lil Helper one, of course! ;) - and not even at half capacity.

It's also very strong. I can haul a full load o' dirties down to our laundry room using the drawstring closures without concern that the liner will rip.

In terms of laundering, I've had best results turning the liner inside out and pulling it about two thirds closed for the wash cycles. The one time I washed it without drawing it closed, it "collected" an errant microfibre insert which came out of the wash all stinky. Not good! I haven't had this issue since I started drawing it partially shut.

I have noticed a different issue cropping up, however. Small patches of the laminated inner are beginning to peel off, particularly near the top seam. Thankfully I haven't yet experienced leaking/wicking due to this, though if the problem continues to get worse I think this'll be likely at some point. I'm wondering if the nylon material is more vulnerable to the hot wash cycle temperature than PUL, since I haven't noticed this with any of my other wet bags? I always hang the liner to dry, so it's not a dryer heat issue. Come to think of it, the aforementioned hauling of the bag down to the laundry by the drawstrings could have something to do with it too? In any case, obviously not ideal as a pail liner should be able to stand up to a serious beating - don'tcha think? :)

All in all, I'm loving the size and function of my Lil Helper pail liner, and encourage the company to carry these aspects forward to the "new and improved" version which will hopefully resolve the peeling issue as well. Then we'll have one seriously awesome pail liner, folks!


Product Information - Organic Bamboo Change Mat:

Once more, the whimsical humour of the Lil Helper folks are at work on the description for this product, so I encourage you to read the full write-up on their website. The quick version:

• Size of mat: 18" x 22"
• Top layer quilted with organic bamboo / organic cotton (70/30) on both sides
• Top layer contains a specialty fabric which can absorb 10x its weight in liquid
• Naturally-wicking surface material retains a stay-dry feel
• Waterproof bottom layer made from a safe, medical-grade waterproof material guaranteed to last 200 commercial launderings.
• Top layer is made from pesticide and bleach free organic bamboo. Waterproof barrier is phthalate, BPA and lead and heavy metal free
• Organic bamboo/cotton layer is pre-washed to prevent shrinkage
• Manufactured in Canada

My Review - Organic Bamboo Change Mat:

Upon receiving the change mat, my initial two observations were that the top layer is super soft & pleasant to the touch, and that the mat appears to be extremely well constructed. The stitching is perfect and the advertised measurements (18" x 22") were spot on.

Here's a close-up of both sides of the change mat - the quilted organic bamboo / organic cotton top layer and the waterproof bottom layer.

Here's the quilted side laid flat.

Similar to the pail liner, however, we need some context to get a true appreciation of size. So here y'go!

(Side note - I was quite impressed that our DD actually lay still for several pictures! She must've felt nice & comfy on there. :)

As it can be seen, the mat is nice & wide. It's not a bad length either (definitely plenty long for babies) but at the mid-to-late toddler stage your little one's head will probably be off the mat (like you can see with our 23-month-old, above) so you might want to place something cushiony & ideally antibacterial under his/her melon, especially when changing on a public table.

When I asked Mohammed about the possibility of extending the length (or adding a head piece) for toddlers, he mentioned that if this type of change were made to the current mat, it may become too bulky to fit in a diaper bag. However, they're considering the introduction of a new waterproof mat with a thinner top layer, allowing them to make it larger but still portable. Cool - always good to have options!

Before using the mat, I prepped it by washing it twice along with my regular diaper laundry. When I re-checked the measurements afterwards, I did notice slight shrinkage (they were down to 21.25" x 17.5") which resulted in ever-so-slight unevenness of the layers but certainly nothing to impact functionality. Really a picky observation if anything. (Though you know me - I feel obliged to report these too. ;)

I also tried the absorbency trick as demonstrated in the video (embedded above). After two washes, liquid kind of pooled on top for several seconds before it began to soak in. But once it did absorb, it was clear that the mat could contain a lot of it. Mohammed advised that the top layer continues to get more absorbent with multiple washes, similar to diapers made of natural materials (e.g. prefolds). And indeed, after wash #4 I tried again and liquid absorbed much more quickly. I actually got my mat to "drink" about a cup and a half of water (more than double what was demoed in the video) and the waterproof bottom layer still did its job, keeping the area underneath the mat dry. Eventually the top of the mat lost its stay-dry feel, however this is surely inevitable at a certain point. Fun to experiment, in any case! :)

One more minor issue to report. The other day I noticed that the bottom of my mat had developed a superficial scratch. This hasn't impacted the waterproof quality, however it made me realize that a li'l TLC is probably best with this item - e.g. wash only with cloth diapers (being careful all aplix is fastened securely), hang to dry and ensure there's nothing sharp/scratchy beside the mat when stored in a diaper bag. I tend to (purposefully) put my review items through the wringer, and in this case I'd washed the mat at least once with a regular load of my daughter's clothing (including jeans and other pieces with zippers and embellishments), plus it's been shoved into different sections of our diaper bag with other miscellaneous items. Moving forward I'm going to be more careful as I definitely want this mat to stay in good shape, especially with Little Man on his way!

All in all, I highly recommend the Lil Helper Organic Bamboo Change Mat if you're looking for a mat which functions well, is comfy for your little one and boasts safe, high-quality materials and worksmanship. Our daycare provider sends along her endorsement as well:
Great mat! seems comfy, folds easy, so as long as it washes well, I would recommend it! 

Just keep in mind you'll need to be a bit careful with care and maintenance to keep it in perfect shape, and that it's a bit on the short side for toddlers, so you might want to carry around an additional cushy piece (hat, small blanket, etc.) to go under the head in this case.


Buy It:

You can purchase Lil Helper diapers and accessories directly from the company website, or take a look at their Where to Buy page to find a 3rd party retailer (though note that at this time there is only a single retailer, diaper-eez, based in Toronto.)


Win It:

One lucky Manager to Mom reader will win an Organic Bamboo Change Mat 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 to the winner by lilhelper.ca.  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.

Wordless Wednesday: Brussel S'prise! #WW

I'd been assuming our garden was finito, and then the other day hubs strutted in wielding these:

Apparently brussel sprouts love cooler weather and have an extremely lengthy time to harvest! When we planted them in early June we had, frankly, no idea what to expect, and then were disappointed when a big, bushy plant emerged with no appreciable yield. The sprout "buds" along the stem were still tiny when the rest of the garden had finished (mid-Sept), so we gave up on 'em. Thankfully hubby checked again, as we ended up with a huge, tasty side dish during Sunday's dinner!

Do you like brussel sprouts? What is your favourite way to prepare them?

Canadian Double Stroller Giveaway! #CanadianStroller {Closed}

Welcome to the Canadian Double Stroller Giveaway! 

Manager to Mom is taking part in an extra special giveaway just for Canadian fans, shared by Canadian bloggers and sponsored by the ultimate online Canadian baby store!

Hosted by Baby Giveaways Galore and sponsored by Canada's Baby Store.

{Canada's Baby Store}

• Sells a huge selection of baby products: car seats, strollers, travel systems, playpens & yards, highchairs, swings & jumpers, nursery items, home safety, health products and toys.

• FREE shipping on ALL Canadian orders over $50.00 

• Only ships within Canada

• Online store is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

• Customer Care Experts available by toll-free phone, email or live chat 

• FREE 90-day product warranty on ALL products

• Gift Registry

• Onsite resources: Buying Guides for cribs, strollers and car seats 

• 30-day money back guarantee  

 WIN: Chicco® Cortina® Together™ Double Tandem Stroller
$395 Retail Value

OPEN: CANADA ONLY!

ENDS: November 20th 2012 (11:59pm EST)

READ/WATCH THE VIDEO REVIEW

SPONSORED BY: www.canadasbabystore.com

 USE COUPON CODE:  Mummy15 to get 15% off ANYTHING 
in the store even sale items!
(Coupon is good from Nov. 7th to Dec. 18th 2012) 

SALE: The Chicco Cortina Together double stroller is on sale right now for only $229.69 . 

ENTRIES: Via Rafflecopter Below

20 Questions: Interview with a Toddler!

In recent months, our daughter S (now 23 months) has been captivating us with her newfound ability to engage in repartee. So the other day at dinner, Chris and I decided to conduct an "official" 20-question interview with our li'l chatterbox. Here's the complete, unedited transcript!

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

Q1: Who do you love?
S: Mommy, Aunt Tracey and Hailey!
(Tee hee, I got the "official" #1 spot! Though to be fair, her answer to this question tends to vary significantly. So no worries - she spreads the love around! ;)

Q2: What are your favourite things to eat?
S: Strawberries, food, trail mix

Q3: What is your favourite book?
S: Cinderella!
(Strange one indeed! She does have a Cinderella / Disney Princess book but we've only read it a few times. I expected her to quote a Munsch title like "Sandcastle Contest" here.)

Q4: What is your favourite thing to do at the park?
S: Swings! Slide!

Q5: Who's your favourite stuffed animal in your bed?
S: Kitty and Froggy
(Note: both Build-a-Bears.)

Q6: What is your favourite fruit?
S: Banana and peanut butter

Q7: What's your favourite thing to drink?
S: Almond milk and coconut milk!

Q8: Who are your friends?
S: Caleb and Addy and Norah
(Daycare BFFs!)

Q9: What's your favourite bedtime story?
S: Sandcastle Contest and Mini Munsch
(OK, there we go. :) BTW by "Mini Munsch" she's referring to the Munsch Mini-Treasury One.)

Q10: Who are your cousins?
S: Hailey and Avery

Q11: Who are your aunts?
S: Aunt Becca, Aunt Tracey, Uncle Jay, Uncle Jay, Uncle Mike, Uncle Nick, Daddy
(Haha, yup - they're all a bunch of GIRLS!)

Q12:  Who is your brother?
S: [Brother's Name] [Brother's Name] [Brother's Name] [Brother's Name] [Brother's Name]!!!
(No, we're not telling. Yet. :P)

Q13: What's your favourite thing to watch on TV?
S: Football!
(lol...what?)

Q14: What's your favourite cereal?
S: Mini Wheats and Cheerios!

Q15: What's your favourite thing to look at on the computer?
S: Mouse! Don't worry, be happy!
(She developed a bit of a fixation with this interactive YouTube video with a sad mouse. More on this in another post!)

Q16: Where does Daddy go sometimes?
S: Curling

Q17: What's your favourite thing to do in the back yard?
S: Pick strawberries!

Q18: What is your favourite thing to do at the cottage?
S: Play with the fish!
(She's referring to this animated, singing fish up on the wall at the cottage my mom & stepdad rent in the Bruce. It scared her a bit at first but then she got kind of obsessed with it, in a good way. :)

Q19: What do you want for your birthday?
S: Play-doh!

Q20: What does mommy clean around the house?
S: Kitchen and teapot!

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

Fun stuff! I think we'll make this a regular exercise, and when she's a little older it'll be neat to turn the tables and have her ask us some questions back! A previous coworker of mine said one of the most special & memorable activities he did with his kids (then early school-aged) was "Ask Daddy a Question". Before bedtime each day, they both got to ask him one question about whatever they wanted, and he had to answer honestly and thoroughly. He said they were super into it, really putting a lot of thought into their questions since they got just one/day. I love this idea - totally going to steal it. :)

Do you and your children like to conduct "interviews" with each other? What other types of communication activities/games do you enjoy with them?

Croatian Sauerkraut Cabbage Rolls (Sarma) {Recipe}

Do you like cabbage rolls? How about sauerkraut? If you answered yes to both of these, you MUST MUST MUST try this recipe! I insist. :) Literally everyone I've served it to has exuburently sung its praises. It results in a totally different taste (which I prefer hands-down) than your standard tomato sauce-based cabbage rolls and you boil the rolls vs. baking them. It's quite easy to prepare, it freezes well so you can make a huge amount at once, and best of all, it's uber-gentle on the wallet - less than $2 per serving!

Creds go to my besty's mom for perfecting this recipe and originally teaching it to me. Nothing like hands-on learning from a spirited Croatian mama, lemme tell ya! I've omitted the step of tossing the first roll against the wall to make sure it's been wrapped properly - but feel free to add this in if you're feeling zesty. :)


Croatian Cabbage Rolls (Sarma)

Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 3 hours
Yield: 25-30 rolls

Ingredients:

Cabbage Rolls:

• 2 pre-soured cabbage heads (Approx. 7 pounds total, or 3.5 pounds per head)
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb ground pork
• 6-7 slices of bacon, chopped into small pieces (Note: I use a dry, cured "hanging" bacon sold at a local butcher shop, but you can use packaged bacon as well.)
• 2/3 cup brown rice (uncooked)
• 2/3 large onion, diced
• 4-6 cloves garlic, diced
• 2-3 squirts ketchup
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• Handful of parsley, diced 

Paprika Roux:

• 1 cup canola oil
• 3 tbsp flour
• 2 tsps paprika
• 1/3 large onion, diced

Steps:

Note: If you are purchasing cabbage heads pre-soured, look for a consistent orangey colour - this indicates strong and even fermentation (better flavour!)

 

Set two big bowls beside the sink. Pull leaves off each cabbage head and rinse under running water.

Place 2-3 of the largest outer leaves and the smallest leaves / inner core in the first bowl. For each remaining leaf, cut a layer off the raised part of the stem (down the middle of the outer side) with a paring knife to make it even with the rest of the leaf. Place in the second bowl. (Note - you can omit this step if you're pressed for time or feeling lazy. I often do. ;) Chop all the leaves in the first bowl into very thin strips and place back in the bowl.

 

 Chop bacon into small (approx. 1 inch) pieces.

Combine the ground beef, ground pork, brown rice, 2/3 diced onion, garlic, ketchup, egg, 2 tsp paprika, salt and parsley in a big bowl.

 

Set a 15 litre stock pot, the second cabbage bowl (with the medium-sized leaves) and the filling mixture all within reach. Sprinkle 1/3 of the chopped cabbage strips into the bottom of the stock pot.

 

Open a cabbage leaf and place a palm-sized amount of the filling mixture inside the leaf at the bottom of the stem (this amount will vary depending on the size of the leaf.)

 

Loosely roll up to the opposite edge of the leaf. Push each side of the roll inward until it is tucked in. (Note: if the roll is properly soured the ends should push in easily.)

 

 

Place roll inside the stock pot with the outer edge facing upward. Repeat until the bottom layer of stock pot is filled.

Next, spread another 1/3 of the chopped cabbage strips over the rolls, and sprinkle half of the chopped bacon on top. Create and place the rest of the cabbage rolls on a second layer using the same method as the first layer. Spread the remainder of the stripped cabbage and chopped bacon on top. If there are any additional leaves which were not used up, you can chop these into thin strips and place on top as well. Fill the pot with water so that all rolls and cabbage strips are fully covered.

Bring to a boil at medium-high heat, and then reduce and let simmer.    

Once water is simmering, heat canola oil in a small saucepan on medium-high heat. Slowly whisk in flour, and then add remainder of diced onion. Stir constantly for about 5-6 minutes until onion begins to brown.

Remove from heat, stir in paprika and immediately pour evenly over top layer of rolls. Continue to let rolls simmer for about 3 hours.

To serve, ladle 2 rolls into each bowl along with some cabbage strips, bacon and broth. Serve with a simple starch (e.g. mashed potatoes or dinner roll) and a side salad. Enjoy!!

FuzziBunz Trickle-Free Trainer from Cloth Diaper Kids: Review & Giveaway! (Closed)

Cloth Diaper Kids is an online shop based in Grande Prairie, Alberta which sells cloth diapers (no surprise there, huh? :) and other green products for mamas & babies with a focus on items that are Canadian-made and/or made or sold by stay-at-home moms. The owner, Stephanie, is a stay-at-home mom herself. Following a disappointing experience with a diaper service (the single style provided was not a good fit for her 5 lb son), Stephanie ventured out to cloth diaper on her own, and she was quickly sold! Her subsequent experience with many, many brands and styles encouraged her to open Cloth Diaper Kids as a way to stay home with her son and sell products that she loves, and that truly work.

I first discovered Cloth Diaper Kids via a giveaway I won early last year (yay me!), and when I checked out the shop was impressed by the quality and quantity of brands and products that Stephanie sells. Big names such as FuzziBunz and Bummis as well as boutique offerings; pockets, wool covers, trainers, swimmers, laundering supplies, teething necklaces, knit hats, slings - you name it and she's probably got it! :) For those interested in cloth diapering but aren't sure where to start, she offers a number of flexible, affordable options for getting started including rental kits, trial packs, discounted diaper packages and gently used diapers. 

Now that our daughter is potty learning, we're beginning to experiment with trainers so Stephanie offered to send me a FuzziBunz Trickle-Free Trainer to review.

Product Information:

FuzziBunz®'s Trickle Free Trainers™ are back by popular demand—and they're better than ever! The new and improved Trickle Free Trainers™ help transition your baby from diapers to big-kid underwear without the waste of disposables or the feel of a traditional diaper. And what's more they are designed to make the potty training process FUN for toddlers and EASY for parents!

• Design looks less like a diaper and more like big kid underwear
• Fun child focused digitally printed (no fading or peeling) designs are engaging to toddlers
• Minky fabric on inside allows for wetness to be felt yet cleans up easy in messy situations
• Perfect next-step purchase for loyal FuzziBunz® parents
• Available in a variety prints and white
• Easy dual side snaps makes changing accidents a breeze
  

Trickle-Free Trainers come in four colourful prints (as well as plain white), all of which are currently available at Cloth Diaper Kids.

My Review:

In the interest of full disclosure, I have a confession: this is the first trainer I have ever tried. So I am, literally,  a complete n00b. :) That said, on the plus side I hope this brings a bit of a fresh perspective to the review - knock on wood! Since I'm just getting my feet wet here, I'll forego my standard evaluation system (which would probably need to be adjusted for trainers anyway) and simply list some pros and cons (as I see them) at the end as a summary. Alright, onward and upward!

Our daughter is 23 months and 22 pounds, so Stephanie sent me a medium trainer in the Bee print. (I like this print because it's unisex, so it'll work for both our daughter now and our li'l man-to-be a couple years down the road!) The pattern is every bit as bright & cheerful as advertised, and I love that it comes with minimal, recyclable packaging.

 The back of the insert includes some potty training tips - a nice touch!

 The minky inner is super-soft - must feel nice & fluffy against a toddler's tushy!

Each side includes two sets of three snaps to contend with messes. It surprised me how close together they are; I feel like an extra half cm or so between them would be ideal, however I assume FuzziBunz has done their research here to optimize the distance for each size.

The waist and legs are elasticized, but aren't super-stretchy like most of my diapers are. Given my n00b-ness, I can't comment on how common this is with trainers though my personal preference would be a bit more stretchiness in the material, for comfort and ease of pulling on/off.

Finally, the trainer comes with a serial number allowing registration of the product on the FuzziBunz website. Registration activates your warranty and provides various perks such as automatic enrollment in monthly prize drawings, access to educational resources and ways to stay connected.

When we first showed our daughter her new Bee trainer, she appeared to be both intrigued and confused. (Is it a diaper? Big girl underwear that's fluffier than the others I've tried? Help a kid out here!) She was pretty patient while I fumbled around pulling it up and getting it on right, however. It definitely wasn't as easy to pull on as I thought/hoped it would be, mainly due to the aforementioned not-so-stretchy waist and leg material. Rather than gliding on, the trainer kind of "sticks" so you need to adjust the legs and waist individually to get everything in the proper spot. Pulling down is a little easier, however, which is good as this is the more important of the two steps for a toddler to learn to do on his/her own. That said, while our daughter can "navigate" the pull-down mechanism of regular underwear, she still has trouble with these. So all in all I'd say these trainers definitely need adult assistance for younger / less physically adept potty learners

The trainer certainly looks adorable on our little one...

...however I have to say that the overall fit is kind of odd. It manages to be both tight AND loose at the same time. The legs are particularly tight, even with the leg snap on the looser of the two settings.

Since our daughter is only 22 lbs, this makes me question whether the medium size would truly fit comfortably until 30 lbs (as advertised), especially for toddlers with chunkier thighs.

By contrast, there is some extra "bagginess" in front / underneath.

 

Finally, the waist appears prone to sagging down too far following active play.

Fit criticisms aside, this trainer does perform quite well! A few specifics:
- It holds a decent amount of pee. Definitely a trickle and up to a smaller "full" pee, if that makes sense. During our testing period our daughter wet her "Bee Pants" several times and we had a leak just once, following a super-big pee.
- It appears to contain messes well, and the side snaps are indeed helpful for managing the clean-up process. (Though note that we've only had one poop in it so far, and it was quite solid.)
- They certainly succeed in feeling wet, as our daughter tells us right away when she's had an accident while wearing them. (Now, the tricky part - getting her to tell us BEFORE she pees! She's doing so well with a bare bum, but as soon as she has any material down there it's a different story!)

As for care & maintenance, the trainer sprays down very easily, washes well and air dries SUPER quickly - within just 2-3 hours. Thumbs up!

Durability-wise, after several washes the minky inner continues to be nice and soft, and (true to description) there are no signs of the bright, vivid pattern fading at all. The only (very minor) issue I'm beginning to notice is slight pilling around the waist and leg elastic.

As for our daughter's opinion, well she appears to neither love nor hate her trainer. She does cooperate better for her Bee Pants than for a "regular" diaper, since we can pull it on her while she's standing or sitting. (She's beginning to loathe lying down for a change, which can definitely test our patience!)

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For those of you in a hurry, here's a summary of pros and cons (as I see them) and overall comments.

Pros:
- Performs well - holds a substantial amount of pee and contains poop without issue.
- Minky inner is nice & soft (even after several washes) and feels wet after an accident, which is important for potty learning.
- Side snaps are helpful when dealing with messes.
- Two sets of snaps are included on each side to customize the fit.
- Available patterns/styles are bright and vivid, and are definitely resistant (if not impervious) to fading
- Easy care & maintenance; quick drying time.

Cons:
- Unusual fit - tight waist/legs but baggy in the crotch. May not fit comfortably at the heavier end of the weight spectrum for a particular size?
- Challenging to pull up and down, mainly due to tight leg elastic. Adult assistance required for many, if not most, learners (especially those on the younger side).
- Limited number of styles available (four patterns + white).
- Waist and leg elastics show some pilling over time.

Overall comments: As I mentioned earlier, our FuzziBunz Trickle Free Trainer is literally the first trainer we've tried. That said, it does strike us as a high-quality product and we've found it to perform quite well. On the flip side, it has an "interesting" fit and we feel it would be most effective for an older learner who has mastered the skill of pulling tight pants up and down (vs. younger/less physically adept learners who would definitely need adult assistance.)

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Buy It:

Visit Cloth Diaper Kids to purchase a FuzziBunz Trickle Free Trainer of your own. Now's the perfect time to order as all pattern varieties are currently 21-27% off! While you're there, be sure to browse the full selection of available products - bet you'll find something else you love! :)

Note: Cloth Diaper Kids offers Canada-wide flat-rate shipping for $9.99 (free shipping on orders over $200). Local pick-ups are available by appointment. Shipping is available to the United States for a flat rate of $15.  


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One lucky Manager to Mom reader will win a FuzziBunz Trickle Free Trainer of their own! Winner chooses size and style, based on availability. ** Note: Open to Canada only.**

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Disclosure:  The prize is being provided to the winner by Cloth Diaper Kids.com.  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.