GroovyCheeks Cloth Diaper Review and Giveaway

I am more than excited to be doing this GroovyCheeks Cloth Diaper Review and Giveaway! I had emailed GroovyCheeks about a month ago with interest in their diapers and wanting to find out and possible doing a review since our local awesome cloth diaper store (All About Baby Boutique) just started carrying their bamboo diaper line. They were incredibly generous at GroovyCheeks and sent me one of each diaper to review. They sent both a bamboo and a cloth, and agreed to give one my readers a chance at winning one of their Cloth Diapers!

A little information about the diapers from the groovycheeks website is in order, I do believe.
About the One Size fits most All in One Bamboo Diaper: ." It is constructed the same as our cloth diaper but made with high quality, renewable bamboo fabric. The interior is soft against baby's skin yet able to wick wetness away at the same  time. 

Exterior fabric 70% bamboo / 30% cotton, with waterproof PUL coating to prevent leaking. Interior fabric is 100% bamboo microfleece for a soft touch against baby's skin."

About their One Size fits most All In One Cloth Diaper: "The interior pocket holds the 6 layer microfiber insert for super absorbancy. Durable, adjustable snaps for correct sizing from birth to potty training. Hip snaps also incorporated to prevent leakage. Exterior fabric has a soft waterproof coating in a variety of colors. Interior fabric is a super soft microfleece to keep baby dry and comfortable. " 

A few tibits of info about these diapers that I love: 

• They are made by a WAHM (a work at home mommy!) 
• The bamboo diaper has a dark colored lining inside so it hides stains! AHHH!! 
• They are super friendly, and fast to respond at GroovyCheeks
• The bamboo diapers are breathable and antimicrobial, great for rash prone bebes
• The cloth/microfleece is great for overnight use, its supersoft and absorbant

SO I am going to review both types of the diapers Bamboo in Green, Cloth in Black.
(but the giveaway is for the CLOTH ones, your choice of color)

Softness

 Bamboo: OMG these diapers are crazy soft! They are the definition of fluffy and I want to rub my face on them like a kitty cat! See ~

Cloth:  The cloth diapers fabric was one of the most soft microfleece lining that I have ever felt on a diaper. Super soft and silky feeling. Here is a picture of the inside soft fluffy goodness~

Absorbancy  
Bamboo: Holds in poo fantastically, and we had an issue with his heavy pees. The inner thigh lining would become wet after a few hours, and it didnt seem to bother him but I emailed Mika from GroovyCheeks about my little issue and here was her fantastic response: 
    "    The bamboo diapers do become saturated on the outside quicker than the
cloth. This is due to the outer layer being bamboo. Bamboo, as you
probably know, is more absorbent than synthetic fibers such as polyester.
Once pee gets on the outside of the diaper (on the other side of the
waterproof PUL layer) it saturates the diaper quickly. This is due to the
outside of the diaper being bamboo instead of polyester.
I rectify this issue with one of two things, I either change my little
girl every 2 hours (where I change the cloth every 3 hours) or I add an
additional insert to the bamboo diaper and it seems to work. I actually
just put a washcloth in with the bamboo insert and it works great for me.
That is the only downside of the bamboo. It is great for breath-ability
and any rash issues but the outside will become saturated if left on too
long or without an additional insert (or washcloth). "
Cloth: Had no issues whatsoever with leaks. The diaper held in several hours at a festival sitting in pee with no leaks, and holds in poop perfectly. Very absorbant insert and the inner thigh gussets held everything and were not too tight.

Fit
Bamboo: fit like a glove on my 17 month old. The diaper had so many snaps it was perfect for adjusting to what my son needed. Not too tight, not too loose.

Cloth:  Same perfect fit as the bamboo diaper. No complaints. My son walks perfectly with it on, no waddling with a big diaper between his legs. Does not leave any red marks on his belly or thighs.

Durability
Bamboo:The diaper itself has stayed in amazing condition even after repeated beatings from a toddler and an old washing machine. (although always hung to dry) The inner lining of bamboo has some aesthetic issues with wear and tear but works perfectly. *Pardon the playroom mess in the background :)

 Cloth: Still looking great after a month of use. A few little threads here and there sticking out that I needed to trim off. Is to be expected and totally has no effect on how well the diaper works. Overall, looks great! 

Colors 
Both the bamboo and cloth have vibrant colors to pick from. The bamboo one in green I especially love for how earthy it looks, and the cloth diaper colors are very shiny and gorgeous! I love the pretty blue one I have.


Overall, I am extremely pleased with the GroovyCheeks company and their diapers. I am so happy to be able to offer one of the All In One Cloth Diapers to one lucky winner. 

But in case your not the one to win, you can buy the bamboo diaper from All About Baby Boutique  http://www.allaboutbabyboutique.com/catalog.php?item=596
 and as they do not yet carry the Cloth Diapers there yet, you can purchase those straight off the groovycheeks website http://www.groovycheeks.com/Online_Store






a Rafflecopter giveaway


PS I was not compensated for this review. I did it cause I like to, and cause they sent me a diaper to try out and tell yall about!  

Get Ready!

Doing another review and giveaway of something super awesome in the next day or two! Stay tuned!!!

E-book Giveaway Winners

and the two winners are:
     Heather Perkins and
  Carrie Eastlack

congrats, I think you both will very much enjoy it! Ill email you will the details!

E-Book Review and Giveaway! How To Love Your Labour, by Tracey Rose

   I had the opportunity to read and review this wonderful e-book by Tracey Rose, and now I get to share a free copy with 2 lucky readers!

So let's get down to my thoughts on it! (I am very excited to do my first book review, actually, its about time, I am a hardcore reader! I will be doing more of these in the future for sure!)

The positives: 
  It is always good to start with the positives, right!? ;)

1. Love the way it was written. Clear, concise information is presented along with her own personal journey. It is very inspiring. 
2. Quick, light and fun read!
3. Entertaining from start to finish. Never bored me. 
4. I loved the ending, felt empowered and wanted to experience it for myself again. 
5. Great quotes found throughout the e-book.

The negatives:

1. I am the kind of person who loves to hold a physical book in my hands! I wish I had a hard copy of this book. 
2. The writer is Australian, which is awesome, but the language is a tad bit different then US English and sometimes you can tell that in the writing. Its nothing too bad, and easily understandable. 
3. Wish it was longer! (It is actually a positive and negative, I love to read and would enjoy to read more, but also for some this shorter book would be really nice and lite and informative!) 

Reading "How To LOVE Your Labour" by Tracey Rose.

My Review

I went through this e-book with a notepad and took notes on each chapter, or just jot down something I loved in particular or that stood out to me. 

First let me say, the way this was written is fantastic. She interjects wonderful quotes that I loved, and also has some great lists right when you need it. She presents some information to back up her opinions and does so in a really nice format that is clear,concise and in your face!

From the very beginning the writer, Tracey Rose, grabbed my attention. Her background was very interesting and I was thoroughly enjoying reading about her journey. I was almost in tears reading her amazing birth stories and ached for all women to experience such powerful births!

She is down to earth and goes into such personal and touching details it pulls you into her story and drives you to read more.  After getting over the different US/AU grammar thing very quickly in the beginning, I dove head first into the rest.

Let me also say, most importantly, that as a doula I think this is a great read for mothers planning a natural childbirth. In fact, this would be a wonderful place to start, it can lead you towards thinking more about what you want your birth to be like. Especially for those doing hypnobabies or hypnobirthing. She talks a lot about her experience doing those childbirth classes and it sounds so wonderful and powerful. This is a powerful testimony to the fact that hypnosis and relaxation during labor really do work! 

The ending was also very inspiring. I felt like it was such a great call out to every mother who needs to get herself informed about birth! We can change the world with the way we birth. This book really does its job in helping to facilitate a change in the way we prepare for natural childbirth. 

 

Here is what Tracey Rose's website NaturalChildbirthworld.com has to say:

Here’s what you can expect to read and learn from my book …

This is what you will get:

• A real life birth story that tells it how it is with all the emotions, facts and gory details! … you will soon learn I am no hippy chick!
• I will share with you my fears, my hopes, my mistakes, my victories, my darkest hour and my moments of bliss … you will laugh, cry and come out inspired … guaranteed.
• The shocking facts about medical intervention … this should be public knowledge!
• The REAL PAIN behind pain relief … you need it … like a brick in the head.
• What I learnt week by week in my childbirth classes … I went to gain knowledge and gained a whole new perspective on life.
• A birth story where everything goes perfect … dreams do come true
• A birth story during my darkest hour … there is hope no matter where you are at
• How your childbirth can change your life … do it for you!
• How your childbirth can set your kids up for life … do it for them!
• An emotional journey that will scare you, prepare you and leave you with practical steps to move forward … do it now!

The ebook includes links to the following 4 resources:

Resource #1: The latest referenced research on the effects of a Cesarean Section

This resource is a must read for anybody that is considering a cesarean section or needs it for medical reasons. There are times when cesareans are absolutely necessary! But you need to know the facts so that you can make an informed decision. I keep this page up to date with the latest research I can find and I also include my source references so that you can expand your research if you want to.

Resource #2: The latest referenced research on labour inducing drugs

Did you know the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends no more than 10% of births be induced artificially? However, that number is currently more than 32% in the US and about 25-30% in Australia. That means you have a 1 out of 3 chance of being induced! In this resource I also cover research on drugs like “Cytotec” and “Demerol / Pethidine”. It is your life and your baby so know the facts so you can make it your decision!

Resource #3: The latest referenced research on Epidurals

Did you know that almost 1 out of 4 women who have an epidural experiences complications? I can live with 1 in a 1,000 kind of odds, but with 1 out of 4, I wanted to know the facts. This resource goes into the latest research and is referenced if you wanted to verify or expand your research.

Resource #4: Your Next Steps

As you will see in my book, I got lucky and stumbled across the information and experiences I needed. I don’t even want to think about where I would be now without that information and experiences. Especially with my second birth! I am just so grateful that life played out as it did and feel very privileged that I can now share specific steps with you so you don’t have to leave it all to chance. In this resource I share with you practical steps that you can start with today to prepare for your childbirth experience. As you will see in my book, it takes time to prepare for your birthing experience so no matter where you are currently at … START TODAY FOR YOU AND YOUR KID’S SAKE!

Click here to check it out for yourself!  http://naturalchildbirthworld.com/birth-story/

Want to win a copy for yourself or someone you know? Here is your chance! Just enter in the rafflecopter below! (it may take a min to load)