CuteyBaby Diapers Review

So, I really was completely ready and excited to love this new diaper, but alas, it was not to be. It's not a completely awful diaper, but just isn't something I'd buy considering all the other great options on the market. Why?

*It didn't hold up to the overnight toddler test. I have a 3yo who still wets the bed at night and a husband who absolutely CANNOT distinguish the difference between a daytime and a nighttime diaper, so ALL my diapers need to be able to handle a nighttime call to action. This one wasn't able to handle that. We didn't get a big puddle, so it did work somewhat, but the pee had wicked onto the outside of the diaper between her legs (a common place for that to happen) and made her jammies wet.

The insert portion of the diaper wasn't completely soaked or anything so personally I think the problem is in the laminate that is used on the outside of the diaper. As nice as super soft laminates are, I have found that time and again, when you get away from the basic polyester PUL, you tend to encounter wicking more often. Minky often has this problem and cotton knit laminates. Which makes them just fine for daytime use when diapers are changed more often, but sometimes causes nighttime problems.

*The tabs are removable. This fact is touted as a benefit for CuteyBaby diapers - that way you can just remove the velcro when you wash so the velcro lasts longer and the diapers stay looking newer because there are never any snags or diaper chains. While this is awesome in theory, the fact was that in our house, we were delayed in trying out this diaper by a few weeks because I took the velcro off to do the initial pre-wearing wash and it promptly disappeared. Just grew legs and walked away. I eventually found it so we could try out the diaper, but just the fact that it has small pieces to get lost turned me off. I think if you are concerned about velcro wearing out and diaper chains, just using a snap diaper is a much simpler option.

So - those are the big two reasons I would choose another brand over CuteyBaby. It did have some nice features - soft outer, interesting inner channel and soaker set-up that worked well, cute prints available - but those weren't enough to make me want to buy a bunch of my own.

Cloth Diapers at Costco?

So - if you're a Minnesota cloth diaper mama then you know that the only local places that have cloth diapers for sale are the all natural type places and the baby boutiques. While I do love these stores, I was excited to see that Costco will be holding some local events to bring cloth diapers to the masses. A new cloth diaper on the market - CuteyBaby - will be selling a special wholesale diaper pack at select Costco stores in the coming months.

These special sales events are only available in-store to Costco members, but still, any public exposure for cloth diapers is a GOOD THING!

Maybe you haven't heard of anyone using cloth diapers in the last 30 years? WHERE have you been? Cloth diapers are making a comeback in a big way and are just as different from your the diapers your mom wore as your iPhone is from your grandma's rotary phone. Don't feel bad though, I hadn't heard of modern cloth diapers until Henry was 2. I love them now though. The environmental aspect is nice and the money savings are GREAT! And the natural feedback that kids get from cloth diapers is wonderful for contributing to potty independence.

There are so many different cloth diapers out there and each one has it's own schtick or gimmick - some of which are very handy, some of which are cute, and some of which I just don't understand WHY anyone would want that. This particular diaper (which I haven't seen yet, but which the owner, Ada, has graciously offered to send 
me a sample) features a free flying sewn-in soaker for quick dry times, some kind of channel elastic system for containing messes, and removable closures. It also comes in many super cute prints (I am a big fan of prints). I am eager to try out the quick dry soaker - i've tried things like that before and found them to be a great feature. The channel elastic thing i'm not so sure about but it seems like a good idea. I'm imagining it fits something like the Gdiaper inners. The removable closures though just seem like a recipe for disaster in our house. Like we really need MORE little pieces to lose? The starter pack does come with a handy "Closure Keeper" magnet that sticks on your washer so that's a plus. We'll see how it goes, and frankly, if it works in THIS house - it'll work for anyone :-)

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men

So, with baby #4 on the way, i've been making some plans for how we are going to set things up for the new little one. In the past the middle bedroom has always been the nursery, but currently it is occupied by Jamie and Julie and I don't think moving them would be a wise idea. They are pretty happy and the room is pretty well set up and you know what they say about sleeping dogs. Our plan at this point is to make the nook at the foot of the basement stairs into a little baby sleeping space - kind of a mini bedroom. We'll have all the baby's stuff (dresser, misc baby gear, etc) in Mitchell's room, and technically the two of them will be sharing a room, but not really.

I've been doing alot of reading about Montessori nurseries and floor beds and the like. Mitchell's room is no place for a floor bed for sure. He is eight and the floor of his room is littered with legos and paper airplanes and chunks of dissected remote control cars. Not very baby safe. So we decided that while the basement nook isn't big enough to be a real bedroom, it does have room for a twin size futon mattress on the floor, a small shelf, a mobile, some low art and a mirror. And from what I have gathered, that is pretty much the essence of a Montessori bedroom for the first year of life so for now I think it will work.

Most of this is still in my head, but I did pick up a new twin futon mattress on craigslist this weekend and some foam puzzle mats to pad the floor (the floor is concrete) so we are on our way. Some other things on my list for the mini-Montessori nursery are:

*Paint the nook - it is currently stark white with gray concrete floor - not very calming or beautiful or anything. In fact, somewhat reminiscent of an insane asylum which really isn't that far off from the reality of our house. I'm thinking a light, gentle green.

*Cover the floor - like I said, it's concrete. A large rug or carpet remnant should do it though, with foam pads around the bed for extra padding.

*Fence off the area - not sure how we're going to do this yet. Probably some combination of bookshelves and a large gate. It's not a big area so it shouldn't be too tough.

*Montessori mobiles - an eyebolt in the ceiling should be doable, and i've found some cute, cheap mobiles on Etsy and Amazon. We'll start with something high contrast, then move to the Gobbi, then a grasping ring. Once baby is more mobile we'll find something beautiful to hang higher up just for looking at.

*An unbreakable mirror - i've found them for about $90 so I think this will be the most expensive part of the nursery. Well worth it though I think because we can use it long after #4 is done with babyhood.

So - those are my goals for now. We'll see how much of that comes to fruition, but here's hoping!