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CLOSED Giveaway: Win free cloth diapers! It’s the Hoppin’ Halloween Giveaway Hop #HoppinHalloween

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I’m excited to announce the Hoppin’ Halloween Giveaway Hop is now open!

This event, hosted by MamaNYC, runs from Oct. 25-31. Nearly 100 bloggers have teamed up to bring you exciting giveaways with all kinds of prizes on their blogs. View the linky at the bottom of this post to “hop” from blog to blog, entering giveaways as you go!

Here on My Life: A Work in Progress you have the opportunity to win free cloth diapers, thanks to my awesome sponsors!

Never used cloth diapers before? Cloth diapers are becoming increasingly popular over disposables due to environmental, medical, and financial concerns. Click here to read “Why Choose Cloth Diapers over Disposables?”

Over the last few weeks, I’ve reviewed several cloth diapers made by the creative WAHMs (working-at-home moms) of Diapers by Chris, Rockabilly Baby, Roxie Harlow, and Poodelum & Missy Kate. These wonderful mamas/entrepreneurs are giving away a diaper or gift certificate code for their store to one fortunate reader at My Life: A Work in Progress!

Diapers by Chris:

Chris began sewing cloth diapers after her daughter was born. Like many of us, she was concerned about the negative impact disposable diapers have on our environment.

In sewing her diapers, she uses fabrics like natural bamboo, hemp, cotton, and fleece. Although she can make perfect-size or newborn-size diapers, many of her premade diapers are one-size, fitting approximately 12-35 lbs. Chris also sells and makes several styles: fitted, hybrid fitted, all-in-one, and all-in-two.

To read the full review, click here.

Diapers by Chris is giving away an AI2 diaper! Winner gets to choose fabric for the diaper from a selection.

Rockabilly Baby:

Rockabilly Baby diapers are the creations of Bri, a long-time WOHM (work out of home mom) turned SAHM (stay at home mom) to two boys. Bri started sewing diapers for her youngest son when he was too chubby for most of the readily available brands. After sewing her own, Bri wanted to share her love of cute prints with everyone. 

In addition to boy and gender neutral prints, Bri sells “a lot of girly diapers, which is super fun for me having two boys.” Bri says the best thing about her diapers is that they are great for chubby thighs!

To read the full review, click here.

Rockabilly Baby is giving away a one-size hybrid fitted diaper!

 Roxie Harlow:

Roxie Harlow diapers are the creations of a SAHM/Etsy Shop Owner/Photographer/Navy wife.

“I got the idea of cloth diapering when I was pregnant with my third child. The thought of two in diapers didn’t sound too good on the bank account. I started my stash with some cheap-o-China diapers, but soon progressed to drooling over the super cute WAHM diapers I was seeing on Etsy and Hyena Cart. Being the DIYer that I am, I decided to hit the sewing machine and start making my own. After a few failed attempts I finally got the fabric combination/pattern that I liked. Soon after making a few diapers for my kids I started getting inquiries from friends and friends of friends. So, I decided to add them to my Etsy shop, and here we are today.”

To read the full review, click here.

Roxie Harlow is giving away this “Wakey, Wakey, Eggs ‘n Bakey” embroidered pocket diaper!

Poodelum & Missy Kate:

“Located in beautiful Bend, Ore., ‘Poodelum & Missy Kate’ began on the far end of my enormous kitchen table with my sister’s borrowed sewing machine.

I’ve always been ‘crafty.’ It’s in my nature. I’ve always loved sewing and creating. But now, absorbing a wealth of information from other know-how, crafty, do-it-yourself-genius mamas, I am striving to become an expert.”

Poodelum & Missy Kate sells hybrid pocket fitted diapers, pocket diapers, all-in-twos, hybrid fitteds, fitteds, fleece soakers, wool soakers, and inserts.

To read the full review, click here.

Poodelum & Missy Kate is giving away a $25 gift certificate to their store!

Winner:
Entry #2283 Katie A.

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cloth diapers, Review

Review: Hybrid Pocket Fitted Diaper by Poodelum & Missy Kate

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I’ve never had a diaper quite like this one before. We have fitteds, and we have pockets, but this is the first diaper that is both!

“Located in beautiful Bend, Ore., ‘Poodelum & Missy Kate’ began on the far end of my enormous kitchen table with my sister’s borrowed sewing machine.

Just this last spring, I decided to make a change. Our youngest, now 9 months, was going through disposable diapers with lightning speed. I had always been curious about cloth diapering and decided to take the plunge. I already did a TON of laundry anyway, so why not?

My curiosity grew when I found out how many different kinds/types/brands there were. I asked all my mama friends to share any knowledge they had and began searching blogs for any insight mamas I didn’t even know wanted to share with the world.

I became obsessed. But not really obsessed to the point where I buy every different kind/brand out there. I became obsessed with figuring out how to make them myself.

I’ve always been ‘crafty.’ It’s in my nature. I’ve always loved sewing and creating. But now, absorbing a wealth of information from other know-how, crafty, do-it-yourself-genius mamas, I am striving to become an expert.”

Click on Photos to Enlarge:

I received a one-size hybrid pocket fitted to review.

The outside of this diaper is made of cotton interlock, and the inside is lined with french terry cloth. French terry cloth is not considered a stay-dry fabric, but that is normal for a fitted diaper.

Because this is a hybrid fitted, there’s a layer of fleece sewn in the middle to help the outer layer stay drier longer. However, this diaper does need a cover to be completely waterproof.

The pocket of this diaper is quite wide, so an insert can be used if desired for extra absorbency. I used it with a BumGenius insert, and it fit quite nicely.

Our Experiences with the Diaper:

Since this diaper doesn’t come with a closure, a Snappi or diaper pin should be used to close it. Because of this and the fold down rise, it’s easy to adjust this diaper to fit all sizes of babies. This can be a great thing for newborns, small babies, or skinny babies.

Because of the fabric used, I wasn’t sure how well a Snappi would hold it together, so I used a diaper pin. My son is really squirmy, so I did struggle getting the diaper fastened with the pin. However, I know many parents have become well-practiced at using pins and can do it quite quickly. Also, Kate mentioned to me that she has become adept at fastening a cover over this style of diaper without a Snappi, pin, or any type of closure.

If you’re not sure that a no closure diaper is for you, Kate does make them WITH closures.

With one microfiber insert inside, this diaper started to feel damp on my son after two hours, so I definitely recommend using this with a cover. An extra insert or doubler can also be used.

On its own, it’s a simple diaper without a lot of bells and whistles. But what it does have is the ability to be customized to fit many sizes of babies: from the very thin to the very chunky. It’s made well with even stitching and nice, wide elastic. It’s also very reasonably priced: without closure $13, with closure $14.

5 1/2 months old, 19 pounds, 24 inches long

Besides the hybrid pocket fitted diaper, Poodelum & Missy Kate also sells pocket diapers, all-in-twos, hybrid fitteds, fitteds, fleece soakers, wool soakers, and inserts.

You can win a $25 gift certificate to Poodelum & Missy Kate to choose and purchase your own diaper! Come back to My Life: A Work in Progress on Oct. 25 for the Hoppin’ Halloween Giveaway Hop (Oct. 25-31).

Can’t wait? Visit Poodelum & Missy Kate on Facebook to buy your own!

Note: I received a sample product to review. I was not compensated for this review. The opinions are my own and may differ from yours.

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cloth diapers, Review

Review: Pocket Diaper with Embroidery by Roxie Harlow

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Roxie Harlow diapers are the creations of a SAHM/Etsy Shop Owner/Photographer/Navy wife.

“I got the idea of cloth diapering when I was pregnant with my third child. The thought of two in diapers didn’t sound too good on the bank account. I started my stash with some cheap-o-China diapers, but soon progressed to drooling over the super cute WAHM diapers I was seeing on Etsy and Hyena Cart. Being the DIYer that I am, I decided to hit the sewing machine and start making my own. After a few failed attempts I finally got the fabric combination/pattern that I liked. Soon after making a few diapers for my kids I started getting inquiries from friends and friends of friends. So, I decided to add them to my Etsy shop, and here we are today.”

Click on Photos to Enlarge:

Since my hubby’s in the Navy, I received an adorable one-size pocket diaper with U.S. Navy-appropriate embroidery on the bum to review. 🙂 View available embroidery designs here.

Note: I was informed that this particular embroidery design would look best on a cotton or linen fabric, rather than minky, but I still think the anchor looks adorable! 

The outer layer of this diaper is made with 100% polyester minky fabric. Minky is very soft and silky! Since it’s a one-size, this diaper fits approximately 10-35 lbs. The rise and waist size can be adjusted by using the rows of snaps.

Smallest Setting
Largest Setting

The inner layer is made with micro-chamois, a micro-fleece fabric that is also soft and silky. Micro-chamois is a “stay-dry” fabric, so it will help keep moisture off baby skin. As you can see, the micro-chamois is a sort of beige or light brown color instead of the typical white. I really like this, because it will make any staining less visible.

Micro-Chamois Inner Layer

The narrowest point in the crotch is about 6″ wide. As a comparison, BumGenius pocket diapers are about 6.5″ wide at their narrowest point.

This diaper has a hidden layer of PUL. That’s what makes the diaper waterproof. The hidden PUL is red…I would say this a VERY patriotic diaper! 🙂

Our Experiences with the Diaper:

This is a good, solid, well-constructed pocket diaper. It did not come with an insert, but I was able to use it with both microfiber inserts and cotton prefolds stuffed in the pocket. The pocket is plenty wide, and I don’t have small hands.

Because of the minky and micro-chamois, this diaper is soft and silky on both sides. I know I keep using the same words to describe it, but I honestly can’t think of anything more fitting.

I was also very pleased with the snug fit around my son’s legs. My favorite thing about this diaper is the custom embroidery, of course!

In these photos, my son is 5 1/2 months old, 19 lbs., and 24″ long. The diaper is snapped at the smallest waist setting, without crossing the tabs. I also have the diaper snapped at the smallest rise setting. The waist is still fairly loose snapped like this, so there’s plenty of room for growth in the width and rise of this diaper.

The embroidered pocket diapers by Roxie Harlow retail for $21. This makes them on the higher end of the price range for pocket diapers. Considering the lush fabrics used and the unique, custom embroidery, I don’t think this is a bad price at all for these diapers.

Besides the embroidered pocket diapers, Roxie Harlow also sells hats, beanies, hair clips, fleece shorties/longies, diaper inserts, onesies, dolls, and regular pocket diapers (no embroidery), loveys, and more.

You could win your very own Roxie Harlow embroidered pocket diaper! During the Hoppin’ Halloween Giveaway Hop, Oct. 25-31, one reader will win this stinkin’ cute “Wakey Wakey Eggs ‘N Bakey” diaper:

You could win this diaper!
Can’t wait? Visit Roxie Harlow on Etsy to purchase a ready-made diaper or order a custom diaper. Follow and “like” Roxie Harlow on Facebook to keep up with the latest news.

Note: I received a sample product to review. I was not compensated for this review. The opinions are my own and may differ from yours.

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