Review: Preston's Pants

Diaper:  Preston's Pants - Pricing varys on the diaper you get.  She offers diapers anywhere from $20.95 - $37.00.  Pricing depends on the style, fabrics, and if you get embroidery. 

Type:  She has several styles. Some are fitteds in Small, Medium, Medium Long, Skinny Large, and Large.  Others are OS.  She also carries Wool Covers.

Materials:  Her diapers vary in materials.  You will want to check out her website for details on what kind of diaper works for you.  I got a PUL outer layer OS pocket diaper, the inner was a printed micro-fleece, and it came with 2 inserts (1 microfiber and 1 hemp).  The elastic in her diapers is Lastin so it is a latex free elastic in the leg casing.

Fit:  7 - 35 + lbs.

How it works:  Preston's Pants are a WHAM snap on fitted or OS pocket diapers.  She has many fabrics and styles.  You just have to check out her website to familiarize yourself with all of the options.  :)

Thoughts from Amanda:

Aesthetics -  Really there is so much variety here that you can't go wrong.  You would be hard pressed to not find a diaper that at Preston's Pockets if you're looking for a wide range of colors, patterns, fabrics, and so on.  The snaps on my diaper (Trains!) were in a contrasting color from the outer PUL.  On my diaper the PUL is a deep blue and the snaps are brown.  The inner liner is a micro-fleece with a train print on it.  I LOVE IT!!!  I know...some of you are thinking...what's the point of having a print inside of the diaper.  You can't see it!  Well to those of you thinking that...I say it is the undergarment mentality.  No one may see my bra, but I know it makes me feel good because it's pretty.  :)  Usually my son is wearing pants over his diapers, but that doesn't mean I don't like to know there is a cutie patootie print there!  

Functionality - These diapers work well with the inserts that are included with them.  The microfiber/hemp combo absorbs well and my son was able to go 2 1/2 hours with this diaper on.  Keep in mind he is a SUPER SOAKER!!!  lol  2 1/2 hours is great for him.  Be sure to prep the hemp though, and to wash it separately from your other diapers to make sure any natural oils are washed out and don't get on your other dipes.  The snaps are in good placement so I can get a nice and secure fit on my son, and the rise on the diaper is of a good height as well.  The micro-fleece inside is of good quality and extremely soft against baby's skin.  It does a fair job of wicking away moisture, but not as great as suedecloth.  (I find that to be the case most times though.)  The Lastin in the leg casings is a nice touch if your child has a latex allergy; however, I find the width to be very thin and I worry that it could be uncomfortable on my sons thighs.  He doesn't have red marks though and doesn't complain so maybe it's just me.  :)  I see the leg Lastin as a potential issue down the road though if his thighs get larger.

Durability -  Great quality.  This diaper has held up well to washing and a turn in the dryer to seal the PUL around the snaps.  We are really enjoying this diaper.  I hope you'll take a chance to check out Preston's Pants.

Review: Rockin' Green Detergent

Detergent: Rockin' Green Cloth Diaper Detergent; $2.50 for sample size and $13.95 for larger bag.

Materials:  Clean rinse detergent: sodium carbonate , sodium percarbonate, sodium citrate, sodium sulfate,  surfactants, fragrance oils (if scented is chosen)

How it works:  Rockin' Green Soap is an all natural clean rinse formula detergent that is said to make your diapers sparkle and not create the residue build up like other detergents can. 

Thoughts from Natalie:

Smell -  I am not a fan of anything that smells like baby powder so many products that are dubbed for baby stuff I avoid with fear of it smelling like fake baby powdery gunk.

Rockin' Green is so much fun to buy because all of her amazing scents. It's like being in a candy store with Grape Soda and Pumpkin Crunch. I purchased the samples of Cherry Lemonade and Vanilla Lavender. I loved the the Cherry Lemonade and wanted to eat it!

Functionality - I used the Rockin' Green soap as soon as I got it. (after I stripped the diapers) I soaked my diapers for 3 hours in 2-3 tablespoons and then washed them and rinsed twice. My diapers came out smelling like wet dirty gym socks. I was so turned off. I assumed I used it wrong so then I washed my diapers without anything, then ran the diapers with 2-3 tablespoons of soap then a clean rinse cycle. They still smelled wet and gross. Kim, the creator said maybe I have too many diapers in the wash so I tried with half the amount of diapers roughly 5, and the same thing happened. I stopped using the soap for a few days then kept hearing rave reviews about the soap so I was now determined. I spent a whole day washing my diapers with this much then that much and then more rinse cycles. I never got my diapers to smell clean. They felt clean and looked super clean but never smelled clean. 

I do like how Kim lets you get scent cards and you can purchase samples that are nice sized for $2.50 so you can have fun. Maybe it is my washing machine, but no matter how much I want to love this product, I just don't.

Thoughts from Amanda:

Smell -  I tried the Vanilla Lavendar, Vanilla Buttercream, and the Peppermint Cocoa.  I personally didn't find the Vanilla Lavender or the Vanilla Buttercream to be that fragrant.  To me they just smelled like laundry detergent.  The Peppermint Cocoa is the only one that I really got a good smell separate from the detergent itself, and it was a nice scent for winter.  Personally it didn't really matter to me if the detergent smelled nice because the smell won't linger on the diapers since it is a clean rinse detergent.  But, I guess it's fun to smell it as your pour it in.  I hear good things about Grape Soda, which I will have to try another time.

Functionality - I followed the directions that came with the sample packs just as Natalie did.  I too ended up with a stinky diaper.  Which is weird because I've never had a smell issue before.  But, I decided to stick with it.  (My hot water temp. is around 135 degrees.  FYI)  I'm glad I did.  After a few subsequent washes (3ish) the lingering smell has been gone ever since and I have a nice clean diaper.  Although it wasn't as fast acting as my other detergent was (Planet Ultra) I am pleased with the long term results. 

My only qualm is that I wish it came in a liquid form.  I'm not a big fan of powder detergent.  I find it messy and I like the convenience of a lid as the measuring device.  With that said at 13 cents a load you can't beat that!  

Customer Service - Natalie did comment to me on what a great help Kim was in her quest to make Rockin' Green work for her.  I contacted her regarding my hard water and she was a big help.  She recommended the Classic Version.  I also wanted to say here that their delivery is insanely speedy.  I had my detergent in 2 days!  Good thing for a procrastinator such as myself.  

Review: Diaper Change Pocket Diapers

Diaper: Diaper Change Diapers  starting at $17.95 per diaper not including the inserts

Type:  Side-snapping Pocket Diaper ranging in sizes from small to large

Materials:  PUL outer layer with a micro-chamois inside (super soft!)

Fit:  Newborn 7lbs. to Toddler 35lbs. The designer will also create a custom sized diaper for you.

How it works: Diaper Change Diapers are side-snapping pocket diapers which require inserts. These are as easy as it gets with any diaper and this is why a lot of people go towards the pocket  cloth diapers when first starting out and stay very loyal to them. Plain and simple...they work.

Thoughts from Natalie:

Aesthetics -  I adore all of the prints that come with the Diaper Change  Diapers. She has so many to choose from and the fabrics are lush and of great quality.  I love the side snaps as they don't make the diaper look industrial.  It is all print on the diaper.  The one thing that I thought about the diaper was that it looks much bulkier than most of the other diapers I have for the babe.  I think it is because there is elastic on the front and the back. I am sure this makes them fit as well as they do though.                                                    

Functionality - Easy to use.  Easy to clean.  The diapers do not come with their own insert.  But, from the advice of the website, I used two tri-folded micro-fiber towels. Yep, towels that I bought in the automotive section at Target. 

Durability - two things I did to test these diapers:

1. I left the diaper on baby one day for 3 hours. She is a major pee-er.  No leaks and her bum was bone dry, but the inserts were soaked completely.
2. Night time!  The ultimate test on any diaper. We tried the diaper as our night time dipe and no leaks, no crunching and again her skin was dry as a bone. She wore the diaper from 7PM to 7:30AM.

- If Pockets are your favorite diaper so far, or pockets are what interest you the most, please try these. I am completely impressed.

Thoughts from Natalie:

Aesthetics -  Great great great prints!  The snaps are color coordinated which I love as well.  Cute little (slightly) ruffled legs and elastic on the front and back.  Definitely not a trim diaper though, and a rise comparable to the bumGenius 3.0.                                               

Functionality - Very easy and no problems with wicking for us.  Even in a onesie.  You do have to make sure to stuff them properly seeing that the insert meets the edges of the diapers.  If it is too small through the crotch then that leaves gaps where the insert won't absorb leading to leaks in the legs.  However, the nature of cotton covered PUL is to wick some so if it does happen to you don't be surprised.

The way this diaper snaps is unusual in that the wings go toward the front on the inside of the diaper rather than towards the back.  I have a love hate relationship with that feature.  It makes it super easy to put on even a squirmy baby.  But, on a boy baby sometimes the wings come in contact with urine and this can lead to a slight wick at the top of the diaper if the wings are positioned straight across the front.  The wings are covered in the micro-chamois on the inside so if done correctly the wicking shouldn't occur.  So, watch out for mommy error.  :)

The inside stays mostly dry.  There have been heavy wetting times where ours has felt a little damp on the micro-chamois.  If that irritates your baby's skin I recommend a simple fleece liner inside.  Voila!  Problem solved.  :)

Durability - I know my son couldn't wear these at night.  He is a super soaker...especially being a boy who sleeps on his tummy.  With that said these have made a great daytime diaper for us.  I usually change them at 1 1/2 hours just to be safe.  I hate wicking and I love onesies.  But, we've gone 2 hours without an issue before.  The instructions that come with the diaper do recommend to hang dry regularly so as not to wear the diaper out fast.  These do take a long time to air dry though, so don't count on them if you are in a rush for a diaper unless you want to throw them in the dryer.  Follow the instructions that come with the diapers to get them ready for use or you may have wicking around the snaps.