9/27/2011

The New Product Showcase

Coming soon to Itsy Bitsy Bums 


What I love about this brand (in addition to its great design and amazing colors) - 
  • All of the materials, with the exception of one fabric, are sourced in the United States! And all of the diapers are sewn in the US! This is a rare, rare distinction for a diaper, as even those 'Made in the USA' are often still made of imported materials.
  • The owner, Christy, and her husband Geoff. They are very passionate about what they do, and have a keen eye for design and function. 
Smart One 2.0
Smart Bottoms's All-in-One
For those AIO purists, this is for you! Everything sewn into place. A trim fit. Amazingly soft natural fibers against the bottom. And for those looking to add a couple super-easy diapers to your stash, this is also for you! 

Smart Cover
Smart Bottom's All-in-Two
A two-size cover that can be paired with the insert of your choice - Smart Bottom's 'Smart Fold's organic cotton/hemp fleece prefold (a super-trim and absorbent insert option you can also pair with any other cover), or their 'Too Smart' insert. The Too Smart insert tucks neatly into the shell, ensuring your shell stays clean and the fit stays trim.


Smart Bottom's Wipes
These wipes are amazing! They have a nice heft to them, so you don't have to worry about any mess coming through the fabric. And priced at just $8 for five wipes! You aren't going to find a better quality wipe with that quite-smart pricetag. 


Dimpleskins Naturals Bum Bum Balm
Zinc-free and cloth diaper-safe!
Ingredients: Coconut Oil, Pure unbleached Beeswax, organic Jojoba oil, Apricot Kernel oil, Organic Calendula oil (infused in sunflower oil), Cocoabutter, Vitamin E oil (derived from pure Soybean oil), pure lavender essential oil



TotsBots Easy Fit
A one-size All-in-One diaper
Customers have been asking for this one for quite a while, and I'm thrilled to at long last be adding it to the store! I cannot decide my favorite feature of this diaper - velcro that wears like iron, a partially-detached soaker that unfurls to wash thoroughly and dry quickly or the beautiful colors and prints. Or the super-soft leg gussets, or the super-soft bamboo against babies bottom. Or.... yup, hard to say!



Organic Prefolds in three sizes - Preemie, Infant and baby

Newborn Diaper Pack
Such an easy diaper solution for those supplementing with prefolds and covers through the newborn period. this pack contains two Bummis SuperBrite newborn covers, and twelve prefolds. Grab one pack for washing every evening, or two packs to add some extra wiggle to laundry time. Also a great addition to those doing the newborn diaper rental who are looking to extend laundry into a third day!



Oh Katy Diapers
One-Size Pockets
I know what you are thinking - how is this one-size pocket different than the others out there? Oh my, YES, it is! My daughter has always been petite for her age, and her one-size pockets inevitably swallowed her right up (even now at 25lbs, and I still find myself always reaching for her sized diapers over her one-size pockets). Well this diaper changes my entire outlook on one-size pockets. This diaper fits her SO trimly! And it is so squishy and soft. And the overlapping wings mean a great fit on the thinnest of waists. I couldn't be more pleased with its design, and I'm thrilled to add this diaper to the store. (Ps. Katie - the momma behind the diaper - could not be more pleasant and lovely!)



Eco Nuts Natural Laundry Soap Nuts
Available in both nut and liquid form
(those with nut allergies - no need to worry - these 'nuts' are actually berries!)
Yup, soap nuts! If you haven't heard of them, I highly recommend checking out this brief introduction and these how-tos. They are an all-natural way to wash any laundry - diapers, clothes, whatever. They are also great for those with extremely sensitive skin. I have a good friend who uses soap nuts for her diaper laundry, so I've always been interested in adding them to the store. I eventually settled on Eco Nuts due to their high quality sorting and storing standards. They will be stocked in both nut and liquid form (the liquid is great for those with hard water, front loaders and/or those who wash in cool water), and in several sizes. 



Organic Flannelette Contour Diapers - Newborn/Small (4.5-18lbs)
This contour is so lovely, so soft, and so very practical for small babies. Simply fold down the diaper's rise to match your baby's needs, and wrap the wings around baby. No need to snappi or pin. Layer a well-fitting cover over the diaper and you are ready to go. 'No snappi or pins?' you ask. Correct - the fibers' slight loft helps the wings 'stick' to the diaper, meaning the diaper will stay in place while you secure the cover around baby. I really love the look of these diapers, and imagine that if we ever have another baby, these will be one of my go-to diapers. 

Earth Friendly Baby and Kids Wipes
(pictures not to scale - Baby wipes are larger than Kids wipes)
Looking for a flushable wipe option, wipes to store in the car or diaper bag? These wipes are 100% biodegradable, meaning they are gentler on both baby's bottom and the environment. Is your little one learning to use the potty? You might like the Kids Wipes - perfect for small hands. 

Imse Vimse Flushable Liners
Another item requested over the months, I'm pleased to finally add it to the store! These liners are especially great for those looking for a flushable liner that also can withstand a wash or two (yup! throw urine-only liners in with your diaper laundry then hang to dry, and you'll find you can typically extend their life a use or two). 


I know I've said this about so many of the new products, but I have to say it again - I'm so pleased to be adding this brand to IBB! Developed by an RN (who is also an herbalist)  Earth Mama Angel Baby offers such a wide range of products - from vegan Nipple Butter (great not only for those who choose to avoid lanolin products but also those who are allergic or sensitive to lanolin) to pregnancy and post-partum teas. And of course a cloth diaper-safe rash cream is also in the mix! 

New Colors! Steel, Lime, Neon Pink, Grape
The new colors are positively amazing! Steel is so classy I can hardly stand it. Lime and Neon Pink are brilliant pops of happy color, and Grape is so rich and expensive. These are the kind of colors that leave me wanting to never restock and simply make the newest shipment my own stash. Swear it hasn't happened yet, but one of these days.... 

Look for new colors from Chewbeads! No photos yet, but here's the skinny - both Jane and Cornelia are coming in a dark brown and dark purple. And Hudson is coming in Deep Sea Blue and Punchy Pink! 



Yes folks, it is true. Bright Star Baby is changing names to Peachy Green (due to events entirely out of her control - you can find more details here). And just in time for the release of the long-awaited and highly-anticipated All-in-Two! The same trimness and function you've come to love in your Bright Star Baby All-in-Ones is now available in an All-in-Two. 


The one-size shell features side-snap closures, a snap-down rise, and a fleece-lined inner. This fleecy-goodness will repel moisture away from the shell, and back into the snap-in bamboo soaker (also one-size). Check out a sneak-peak at the first colors and prints below! The option to preorder will go live Friday Sept 30th at 8pm central Saturday Oct 1 at 12:01am, and are expected to begin shipping Oct 10th. 



And that is not all! I'm still finalizing the final baby carrier assortment, in addition to a few other diaper and diapering accessories brands to be added. Stay-tuned through the week for more details!


9/21/2011

Carnival Games

The Carnival is in town, and all orders over $45 get in on the fun!

Step right up, folks, and pick your fate - Candy, Candy, Candy or Fishing Pond. But you must decide, for you cannot choose both.

Here's how to play:

  1. Shop IBB until your fluffy heart is content. 
  2. Notice your order total. Decide if you will play Candy, Candy, Candy (min. order $45) or Fishing Pond (min. order $65). 
  3. Go to THIS page, and add your single freebie choice to your shopping cart. 
  4. Check out. 
  5. Anxiously stalk your mail-person. 

Candy, Candy, Candy!
All orders over $45 can get in on this one. Stick your hand in the candy jar, and see what you might pull out (in other words, find your order total, pick one of the 'flavors,' and add it to your cart. You'll find out your freebie when you unpack your order).

Penny Candy - Orders $45 - $74.99
The possibilities (in no particular order, after all, the candy jar is a surprise):
  • Baby Leggings
  • Fuzzibunz Wet Bag 
  • GroVia Wet Bag 
  • GroVia Hybrid Shell (aplix)
  • Grandma El's Jar
  • Chewbeads Charles Bangle

Penny Candy Hints -
Hint #3 - Strawberry and Lemon are wet bags. 
NEW Hint - Raspberry and Lemon are both made by GroVia. 
NEW Hint - Cherries always keep stems (aka legs) nice and warm. 

Nickel Candy - Orders $75 - $104.99
  • CJ's Tub or Tube x 2
  • One-Size Fuzzibunz Diaper
  • GroVia Hybrid Shell (aplix) + Cotton Soaker
  • IBB Wipes Sampler + Wipes Wet Bag
  • Thirsties Duo Wrap + Stay-Dry Insert
  • Chewbeads Jane Necklace
Nickel Candy Hints - 
Hint #2 - Tangy Tart - This IS a diaper. 
Hint #4 - Cherry-Swirl and Lemon-Lime are both One-Size diapers. 
Hint #5 - Cherry-Swirl is the GroVia Shell+insert. 
Hint #6 - Apple-Caramel and Bubbly-Pink both will make diaper changes easy breezy. 

Dime Candy - Orders $105 - $164.99
  • Bright Star Baby All-in-One
  • Planet Wise Wet/Dry Bag
  • bumGenius Elemental All-in-One
  • Bottombumpers One-Size All-in-One
  • GroVia One-Size All-in-One
Dime Candy Hints - 
Hint #1 - Razzle Dazzle - An AIO brand that doesn't start with the letter 'B.' 
Hint #7 - Chocolate Mountain and Flaming Marshmallows can both both be real bums
NEW Hint - Flaming Marshmallows candy really is the work of a genius. 


Quarter Candy - Orders $165+
  • Planet Wise Hanging Wet/Dry Bag
  • itti*bitti tutto 
  • Ultimate Sampler - three One-Size Diapers (minimum sampler value - $60) 
Quarter Candy 
Lunchtime Hint - Bomb Diggity Pop is an itti*bitti tutto. 
Hint #8 - Gee, this Wasabi Chocolate tastes like an adorable cotton outer+PUL inner. Nom, nom, nom. And is that a zipper?


Fishing Pond
The biggest chance, but the most to gain! Throw your pole (and your penny) over the sheet, and cross-your fingers that you will snag one of the top prizes. Any order over $65 welcome to play! (Again, what you snagged is a surprise until you open up your order.)


Up for grabs: 
  • CJ's BUTTer Sampler - 1 Tube, 1 Tub and 1 Stick
  • CJ's BUTTer - 3 samples
  • GroVia All-in-One
  • itti*bitti tutto
  • Party In My Pants - 5-pack sampler
  • Teething Bling Necklace + Bangle
  • All-in-One pack: bumGenius Elemental, GroVia One-Size All-in-One, Bright Star Baby All-in-One, Simplex 2.0 
  • All-in-Two pack: Bestbottom Shell + Insert, GroVia Shell + Insert, Flip Shell + Insert
Fishing Pond Hints - 
2k Hint - RED FISH is one of the diaper sampler packs.
Hint #9 - Here Fishy is something momma's wear. 
NEW Hint - Blue and Green Fish sure taste a lot like butter.
NEW Hint - Go and Nugget Fish are often mistaken for one-size diapers, but I really think it is just the way they do their hair. 





Fine Print
  • Limit THREE freebie orders per household (any combination of Fishing Pond or Candy, Candy, Candy).
  • Freebies end Sept 26th @ 23:59 central.
  • Qualifying order total is your total AFTER any Bitsy Bucks and/or other discounts are applied. 
  • Trial/rental packages, preorders and gift certificates excluded from your order total. 
  • Due to expected order volume, no order cancellations will be accepted. Please do not email me that your dog needs emergency surgery, your truck died, and/or your husband found your Paypal receipt and is now threatening to change the PP password. 
  • Please allow a few extra days for orders to ship, as my toddler-helper is not so much a helper these days. 
  • Not valid on pending or prior purchases.  
  • There is a finite number of freebies per 'Candy' and 'Fishing' type, there might be ten of one item and three of another. But once everything is gone, it is gone. 9/22/11 Update - what I mean by - this - there might be only three itti*bitti tutto up for grabs. Once three people buy that fish, it is no longer available. If a fourth person attempted to buy that fish, it will come up as out of stock, thus alerting future fishers to buy a different fish. There are some prizes that are set upwards of 20, 40 and even more, so there are plenty of fish (and candy) in this (proverbial) sea! 
  • If you add more than one freebie to your shopping cart, I will cancel off all but the first that appears on your receipt. 
  • Non-US residents - I cannot ship certain brands outside of the US. If you happen to win one of said brands, I will sub an equal or greater value item for your freebie. 





9/15/2011

Review: Bright Star Baby All In One Photo Review

So very excited to bring you another review from Anna, our guest blogger/reviewer extraordinaire! You already know how much I love the Bright Star Baby All-in-One (BSB AIO), and I'm pleased to present a second person's take on this (ahem, amazing) All-in-One. 

Not only are all Bright Star Baby All-in-Ones on sale through Sept 30th (including IBB's exclusive), but this is your chance to snag an extra special bonus. Through Sept 22nd, buy three or more BSB AIOs and get a free BSB Snap-in Hemp Doubler. Simply mention 'Anna' at checkout (in 'notes to seller' field, or email me if you miss it during checkout) to grab this extra freebie! 

Limit two free BSB Hemp Doublers per household. Not valid on previous purchases. 



Ultra Trim.  Fast Drying. Natural Organic Fibers.  Stretchy Soft.  Super Cute.  Made in the USA

Surely one diaper cannot be all those things, or can it?  Many diapers claim to be.  Some are very close, but fall short in one category or another.  Only one so far in our cloth diapering adventure manages to wrap all those things up in one fabulously adorable diaper--and that diaper is none other than Bright Star Baby!

OVERVIEW
Brand:  Bright Star Baby (Formerly the makers of Fishnoodles Solo Flyer AIO)
Style:  Sized, side-snapping, all in one cloth diaper.
Material:  Outer:  PUL, Inner Lining:  Organic Cotton & Bamboo Viscose, Insert:  Organic Cotton & Bamboo Fleece
Sizing:  Size 0 fits babies 7-16lbs with a rise up to 15"; Size 1 fits babies 12-28lbs with a rise up to 17.5"; Size 2 fits babies 24-35lbs with a rise up to 19"
Price:  Solid colors $21.50; Prints $22.50 Sale price through Sept 30th - Solids $18.28; Prints $19.13

DESIGN/CONSTRUCTION
The diaper featured in this review is a Bright Star Baby AIO, size 1 in the gorgeous black butterfly print.

Front.  Mmm!  The top panel is nicely finished with a turned & topstitched seam.  I love the crisp, clean look of side-snapping diapers, and Bright Star Baby is no exception! 

Back.  Two unique features of the Bright Star Baby can be found in the back of the diaper.  The first is the unique way the elastic is sewn in, and the second is the serging at the top back.  Many diapers have elastic at the back, but none have it sewn in such a way that it not only acts as a barrier agains leaks, but also contributes to the ultra-trim design.  The serging at the top also keeps this diaper super trim, because it means that no layers have been folded over (thus creating extra bulk).  Also, notice that while the diaper is very trim, it is amply cut through the bum so those cute little cheeks stay covered.


Side.  Notice how the side-snaps contribute to the Bright Star's slender silhouette?  From the side view, you can also see the unique leg openings--the elastic is not sewn into a casing, nor does it roll--ensuring that even the chubbiest of baby legs won't get red marks!  I love how they picked snaps to coordinate with the print too ;)

Crotch.  You can tell just how trim the Bright Star Baby AIO is, just by looking at how little bulk is at the crotch.  


Waist.  You can see just how thin the "shell" of the diaper is.  It's no wonder this diaper is so trim!

Wings.  The wing tabs are not only nice and long with four rows of snaps to accomodate a growing babe, but they are also nice and stretchy!  You're sure to get a perfect fit :)



INSIDE

Inside the Bright Star Baby AIO, nothing but soft organic cotton/bamboo fabric touches your baby's delicate skin.  Snaps are hidden beneath the inner lining.  The insert snaps out for easy laundering & quick dry time.


Insert
The insert for the Bright Star Baby AIO is made of buttery soft bamboo fleece that is amazingly absorbent!  Don't be fooled by how thin it is--it soaks up liquid quickly and holds quite a bit.

Back of insert                                                             Front of Insert

The insert design is unlike any other snap-in insert I've seen!  At first glance, it looks like a bi-fold soaker like most other diapers with snap-in soakers have.  However, if you look closely at it from the side, you can see a third layer in the back panel.  


PERFORMANCE AND FIT
We love our Bright Star Baby AIO's!  In fact, sometimes, I wish I needed more so I had an excuse to buy more of the fabulous new prints :)  These are some of my favorite "showing off" diapers that I save for outings.  I love that even under leggings you can't tell she's wearing a cloth diaper because it's so trim!   Given its trimness, the amount it can absorb is rather surprising!  Although I prefer to change J every 1.5 hours or so, in our experience, Bright Star Baby diapers can withstand 2-3 hours of use without wicking.  In circumstances where I know ahead of time that I'll need it to last a bit longer, I use our Bright Star hemp booster for added absorbency. Thankfully, we've never experienced poo escaping!



Aside from the trimness, the fit of Bright Star Baby is probably my favorite aspect of these superb diapers.  I love that the bum is cut generously enough to cover, but not so wide that it puckers from the excess material.  The crotch is amply narrow so to speak--it is just perfect!  The elastic in the legs is so gentle that even when J was a chunky monkey at 6 months, it didn't leave red marks.  Now that she's 13 months and is lean through the legs, the same size 1 diaper still fits her perfectly!  And of course, the front looks like a million bucks thanks to the side-snap closures.  I could not be more please with the fact that the same diaper that fit J 7 months ago, still fits her perfectly now, and will continue to fit her for months to come!!   She has 10lbs to grow before she'll need the size 2--and hopefully by then she'll be potty trained ;)


For reference, J is almost 14 months old and weighs around 18lbs and wearing a Bright Star Baby size 1.







If you've been holding out for the day time diaper that has it all, look no further!  Bright Star Baby AIO really is trim, absorbent, cute, and a great value for your money.  I highly recommend them!