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

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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Review: Hybrid Pocket Fitted Diaper by Poodelum & Missy Kate

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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Review: Fitted Diaper by 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!

Click on Photos to Enlarge:

I received a gorgeous one-size, hybrid fitted diaper to review.

Hybrid Fitted by Rockabilly Baby

Because it’s a hybrid, there’s a hidden layer of poly fleece that deflects moisture back into the attached soaker. The outside of this diaper has a beautiful, trendy knit print. The inside layer that touches baby’s skin is made with soft, cotton velour. Although this diaper must have a cover to be completely waterproof, the hybrid design makes it water resistant.

The snap-in soaker is made with two layers of cotton velour and two layers of bamboo velour. That’s a total of eight absorbent layers when folded over and snapped in!

Inner Layer- Cotton Velour

 

Soaker- Unsnapped and Unfolded

With the folded soaker, the diaper is about an inch thick in the middle. I found it to be very absorbent!

This diaper is considered one-size but does not have snaps up and down the front to adjust the rise. It features a fold-down rise instead. The regular waist has 12 snaps, and the fold-down rise has 11 waist snaps.

The backs of a couple of waist snaps on each side of the soaker are not covered and do touch my son’s skin, but that doesn’t bother me. Baby J doesn’t appear to find it uncomfortable, and they do not leave marks on his skin.

Fold-down Rise

This diaper gave my son plenty of coverage. At its narrowest point between the legs, it’s about 5 1/2″ across…which is equivalent to the Kiwi Pie fitted diapers I usually put on my son at night.

In the below photo, my son is wearing the diaper on the smallest setting without using the cross-over tabs. It’s actually a little loose like this, so if I were to use the diaper without a cover, I’d use the cross-over tabs/snaps.

5 months, 1 week: 18 pounds

As you can see, my son has plenty of room to grow in this diaper, which I consider a good thing. Since he’s large for his age, I’m concerned he may grow out of some of his diapers early, but I don’t have that worry with his Rockabilly Baby!

The photo’s blurry (couldn’t get him to hold still), but you can see that the fit is a little loose around his legs. My son’s legs aren’t particularly chubby, so that’s not surprising. Using a cover over this diaper on Baby J’s “poop days,” ensures there are no leaks.

No thunder thighs here!

This diaper would probably be very large on a small, young baby or newborn which could be an issue for some, but there are newborn-size diapers available at Rockabilly Baby. Additionally, Bri is currently working on a trimmer-fit, one-size diaper.

Our Experiences with the Diaper:

Because it’s a hybrid, I first put it on my son without a cover. After 3 hours, I changed him. The front half of the soaker was soaked and the inside of the diaper was just starting to feel damp. The outside felt completely dry.

I also tested it overnight with a Flip cover overtop. Twelve hours later…no leaks! My son is still pretty young, and I wouldn’t consider him a heavy wetter. With this in mind, eventually, I may have to use this diaper with a doubler, but that goes for any of his diapers.

This diaper will become even more absorbent over time, since the soaker is made with bamboo fabric. Bamboo blends need at least 10 washes before they reach their full absorbency.

My favorite thing about this diaper is how incredibly soft it is. I’ve talked before about soft diapers, but this is truly the softest, squishiest diaper I’ve felt. I couldn’t wait to try it on my son, and I felt good about doing so. I know he’s comfortable wearing it.

Overall, I would give this hybrid fitted a 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. If you’re looking for a comfortable, absorbent hybrid-fitted diaper at a reasonable price, I recommend visiting Rockabilly Baby.

Like what you see? Purchase a Rockabilly Baby diaper on Hyena Cart or Etsy! Check out Rockabilly Baby on Facebook and see available prints!

You could win your very own Rockabilly Baby diaper! Bri has graciously agreed to sponsor a diaper for the Hoppin’ Halloween Giveaway Hop, Oct. 25-31. Are you excited yet?

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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