Baby K'tan Carrier Review

I love baby wearing.  I mean REALLY love it.  Especially now that I have 2 kiddos.  Andrew is 5 months old..and aside from a couple walks, he's not really been in a stroller.  When I need to run errands with the boys, it's so easy to just tuck Andrew into my carrier and put Collin in the cart or stroller.  When I'm cleaning or hanging up clothes to dry, if Andrew doesn't want to be put down, I tuck him into the carrier.  I would be LOST without my carrier.

So what is my carrier and why do I love it?

It is a Baby K'tan baby carrier! The K'tan baby carrier was unlike any carrier I had tried in the past.  It is basically a wrap without all the wrapping! Let me explain:

There are 2 parts: 

1.  Two loops of cotton which are connected by a third smaller loop called the Back Support Band


2.  A Sash

It is basically a cross between a sling and a structured front baby carrier--but there is no wrapping or buckling to fuss with.

The fabric is a SUPER soft 100% cotton knit with one-way stretch.   I find it to be quite breathable!

The design is fantastic as it has double shoulder weight distribution.  The fabric is wide enough to be able to spread it across each of your shoulders fully (if you desire that).  Additionally, the wide fabric allows you to adjust it to create an ergonomic position for the baby (creating a seat basically, instead of having them dangling).   I can wear my 20 pound Andrew for HOURS at a time and experience no back pain or discomfort.  I think the longest I've gone is about 4 hours.  I could go longer!


The ease of use is unmatched! Although, I'll admit..I had to have my sister's help the first time because my tired brain wasn't understanding the pictures that came with the instructions.  My little sister read the instructions and said "oh you do this..then this.." -- so I blame newborn mommy brain.  But, just in case, I've added a little video to show you a couple different positions (in case your brain is tired too). Also, you click here to see instructions for all the different ways to carry baby.

I use this carrier EVERYWHERE I take Andrew..And that is not an exaggeration.  If I am running to the grocery, I just slip my k'tan carrier on, tuck Andrew in and go.  If I'm taking Collin to the park or the mall..I do the same thing.  Andrew has been in a stroller twice in 5 months.  Not because I have anything against strollers but because using the carrier is SO much easier. 


There are a couple drawbacks:


1.  It is a sized carrier--so if you and your husband vary greatly in size, you'll need more than one.

2.  If you use it as extensively as I do, it'll need to be washed and dried probably once a month.  Washing and drying it returns it to its original elasticity.  Of course, the fact that it is so stretchy is a nice feature--so I'll take it :)


Overall:

I've tried to put Andrew in another baby carrier before I bought this one and he HATED it.  The K'tan is soft and cuddles him up close to me.  I have never loved a carrier as much as I have this one.  I recommend it to everyone.  In fact, I was recently at a mom and baby show and had some moms ask me about it.  They said, 'oh that's looks hard' and I said.."here, watch!" And in less than 2 minutes I had Andrew out and back in the carrier.


Nothing beats being able to be hands free while still cuddling your little one. 


The K'tan is super easy to use, super comfy to wear, super supportive for mom and baby..and well, it's just SUPER!

Thank you to K'tan for allowing me to purchase the K'tan at a lower cost in order to complete my review.  Please know this did not influence my opinions.  Your experiences may differ from mine.  

Mama's Makin' the Switch: Imse Vimse Organic Cotton Mama Cloth Review & $20 gc giveaway from Thanks Mama!

Mama's Makin' the Switch is back with another review and giveaway!! This time, I am reviewing the Imse Vimse Organic Cotton pads from Thanks Mama! And one of you gets the chance to win a $20 gift certificate to use at Thanks Mama!

Thanks Mama is one of the first cloth diaper stores I made a purchase from over 2 years ago!! Not only will you find cloth menstrual pads but she carries EVERYTHING you need to cloth diaper your little one.  But she is more than cloth diapers! She carriers strollers, carriers, items for mom, baby and toddler, mom-to-be and so much more!

At Thanks Mama you will find excellent customer service to go along with all the great products! You get free shipping on orders over $60 and you can earn rewards dollars with every purchase.


She also has a couple coupon codes out right now:


$5 off $50 with coupon code "5off"

15% off baby carriers with code "Carrier"

So, I received a 3-pack of normal Imse Vimse Organic Cotton sanitary pads. Here are my thoughts:

•  The first thing I noticed about these was the simplicity of them.  They are off-white with pink stitching.  They have a job to do and don't need any frills to get the job done.
  
• The second thing I noticed was the price.  For $17.75, you get 3 regular sized pads.  That breaks down to a little less than $6 a pad -- WOW!!
  
• Thirdly, the design is great.  You have wings that snap closed.  There is a hidden layer of polyurethane laminated polyester between the organic cotton.  So, you have organic cotton on the outside--top and bottom.  I really liked that. I also liked the length:  10 x 3 inches.  It was a good length to feel like I was getting good coverage without all the bulk.  Speaking of bulk, these are VERY Trim, yet still absorbent.
  
• I love that they are made out of organic cotton.  Very soft, very comfortable.  You don't even notice you have one on.
  
• While trim, they are very absorbent.  With my lighter days, I could wear one all day. 
  
• They wash well! I'm not very good at remembering/taking the time to rinse, but these have hardly any stains in spite of my laziness.  

Overall, I really liked these.  They aren't fancy, they aren't frilly but they get the job done.  And I just love that you can get THREE (normal size) for $17.75 (panty liners are less; overnights are more).  If you are needing an affordable mama cloth that gets the job done, I highly recommend these.  

And now one of you gets the chance to win a $20 gift card to use at Thanks Mama! Just enter the giveaway using the rafflecopter widget below!

Potty Training Update

So probably a month ago we decided Collin was done wearing diapers. His urine is too strong to even linger a minute on his skin without causing irritation.

We got undies and sweatpants and decided it was time to seriously potty train. We introduced the potty last July when he was 18 months old--every once in a great while he would potty on it. We didn't want to force him to sit on it or make him cry about it. Just whenever he wanted.

Then as it go closer to his 2nd birthday, I invested in some cloth trainers from Flip Diapers. These were great because they were absorbent but he could tell when he peed.

Those worked for awhile, but then it seemed like he just thought they were diapers and he was wetting in them frequently. So I decided, no more. I decided to just put him in undies and sweatpants and see what happened. At the time, my hubby said I was crazy.

Well, the first day we had TONS of accidents..and probably the next few days as well. But I got better at watching for his cues that he needed to potty. Peeing wasn't a problem. If we took him, he'd go. He had troubled pooping on the potty to begin with. But we changed up his diet and gave him a little bit of miralax (dr. okayed it) so it would be easier for him to go. This made a huge difference!!

To begin with, I would take him to the potty every hour. And now, it's about every 2-3. or when he tells us he has to go. He doesn't always tell us; we just figure if he hasn't gone in awhile, we'll offer and he'll go. He is definitely telling us more often now that he has to go. He just doesn't have many accidents at all--maybe a couple a week? It's pretty neat!

One thing I was afraid of was night training. A friend had once told me she read about how the brain is trained to know that if a diaper is on, it's okay to pee in it. So I decided to be brave and just let Collin sleep in undies and sweatpants. He had an accident the first night, but not the second. And now, after a month, he maybe has an accident a week? One thing I've learned with him is that it doesn't matter how close to bed he has liquids. I've tried cutting him off and he's had an accident. I've let him drink water until he went to bed and he had no accidents. So that doesn't make a difference for us! I do notice when he is OVERTIRED, that is when he has accidents. Otherwise, when he gets up, we go to the bathroom and he empties his bladder!

I can't tell you how proud we are of him. He's doing such a great job! And the fact that it's been a month since he's been in diapers or trainers is awesome! He is 27 months old--so I feel like he is doing a great job!

Oh and I wanted to mention that when we first started, we were offering prizes and such and those worked for awhile. But now, he just goes. So for what it's worth, the prizes seemed to have gotten him excited to start using the potty. Now he just knows he's a big boy and uses the potty like mommy and daddy.

How about you? Any potty training success stories you want to share? Let's celebrate!!




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Modified Momma Creations OS Pocket Cloth Diaper Review

A few weeks ago, I received a one-size pocket diaper to review from Nikki at Modified Momma Creations! I've been putting it through the ringer (day time, nap time, night time) and I am finally ready to tell you about it!!

The first thing that caught my eye with this diaper was the design!! I LOVE the contrasting prints! They are so incredibly unique, too! Girl, boy, gender neutral...it fits all categories!

As I looked the diaper over, I loved the fact that it is soft cotton flannel on the outside (PUL inside) with the inside being a no-pill fleece layer--does an excellent job of wicking the moisture away from Andrew's bum! And I have found it is incredibly stain resistant!

The snaps closure is an excellent selling point for me! There is a hip snap which I really like.  I feel like I get a better fit when I can use a hip snap.  Also, there are snaps on the front of the right wing that allow for you to cross the other wing over and snap it on there (making the waist smaller).  The rise is adjusted by snaps as well. 

I love that the diaper has elastic at the back that ensures there will be no blow-outs up the back.  Additionally, the elastic at the legs provides the same reassurance.

Finally, she threw in a seconds-quality insert but said I could use whatever insert I wanted.  I used the one she sent (and loved it) but also tried some others as well.  


So, how did it perform?

Outstanding across the board.


Day Time Use:  No sweat! I just threw in the insert she sent and Andrew could stay in that diaper for a good 3 hours or more (I usually try to change ever 2-3 hours regardless of the diaper).  No leaks.

Night Time Use: No worries at all! In addition to the insert she sent, I threw in a hemp babies little weed and a hemp babies doubler.  12+ hours, no leaks.  I was especially impressed because so many of our diapers leak at night because Andrew is a crazy heavy wetter. There are only a handful we can actually use at night and this is one of them.

Fit:  Andrew was around 15 pounds when I first put him in this diaper.  He is about 17 ish now. He is snapped down one on the rise and all the way in on the wings (not crossed over).   He has a ton of growing room.  This will be a diaper we can use clear to potty training.  It wouldn't fit a bitty newborn (like Andrew was)--unless there were more extra snaps on the wing but I would say 10-12 lbs is a good starting weight.  It would easily go to 35 lbs +!

Explosion Containment:  Phenomenal!!! Seriously...Andrew has tested this feature and this diaper passes with flying colors. In fact, when I want to put Andrew in a diaper that I know will not leak at all..I grab this one.  Hands down, best containment capabilities!

Overall, this is a great diaper to add to the stash! For $17, you get your money's worth!

To buy one, you can click on this link here!


Other Info:

I just wanted to share that Nikki told me about a co-op that is opening up.  The Co-op that is opening is at Green Living Co-op.  It will feature Diapers, wipes, momma cloth, unpaper towels, and other items.

For more info, head over to Modified Momma Creations and talk to Nikki! 

Fancy Cloth Baby Review & Giveaway

Awhile back I was sent a neat product to try from Fancy Cloth Baby.  It is called the Stay Dry Snap Pouch!

This pouch is made of stay-dry material and is meant to be stuffed with prefolds, inserts, whatever your heart desires.  It instantly turns your inserts into stay-dry inserts just by sticking it in the pouch and snapping it closed.  And, once it is used, you can just throw it in the wash--no need to unstuff as that will occur in the washer.  It is approximately 14.5" long and can be folded down to make length shorter! It is made of super soft butter suede to help keep your baby dry.

Let me tell you, this is BRILLIANT! I'm not really a big fan of prefolds--we have them and we use them on laundry day.  The reason I'm not a huge fan is because they don't take the wetness away from the baby's skin.  For my toddler, that was ok--we were wanting to potty train him anyway.  But for my newbie, I didn't like that.

Now that I have this stay-dry pouch, I don't have to worry about that! I just take a prefold, fold it up, put it in the pouch and snap it closed. 

Something else I have been doing was taking 2 of Collin's training pant inserts and putting them in the pouch for night time use.  I would then just lay the stuffed pouch in a cover of my choice.  It worked beautifully!

These are also great to use if you need to use diaper cream--provides a barrier!

Such a versatile product...and you can buy a six pack for just $12.95!! I think that's one of the most exciting things! These are not super expensive -- but they are so fabulous!! I also like it because it makes prefolds and covers more user friendly for daycare and babysitters. You can pre-stuff the pouch and just show the caregiver that you lay it in the cover and then put baby on it and close the cover! No having to explain how to fold a prefold.

So simple.  So brilliant.

And if you have some time, be sure to stop by her Etsy or Hynecart and see all the other great products she makes-- AI2, covers, inserts, hemp fitted, one-size, fleece, wool..so many great things! 

And now one of you gets to win your own stay-dry snap pouch!! Just enter using the rafflecopter widget below.