WAHM Customer Service

The sweetest fluffymail arrived today from Sweet Seats. This is a WAHM (okay, really she's a work-at-home-grandma) store at HyenaCart. This transaction epitomized the kind of service we love from individual creators.
Within an hour of purchasing this item, Jacque emailed me to thank me for my order and to let me know it would ship the same day. Two days later (USPS priority), it's here. When I open the package, it contains


a handwritten thank-you card, a bonus crocheted dishcloth, and the set I ordered, very prettily wrapped in tissue paper and tied with the same yarn used in the dishcloth. The card advises me to wash the dishcloth before use. Now this is fluffy mail.

The newborn longie set is gorgeous. This picture does not do the colors justice; they're quite a bit brighter than they look.



Here's the description from HyenaCart:

Adorable crocheted longies, and matching felted moccasins, in the "Blauer Reiter" 100Purewool Merino colorway, trimmed in "Pimenton" 100Purewool Merino, are paired with a whimsical, hand-painted, 100% Cotton, Gerber lap-tee in size newborn. Due to the felting, the mocs do not have much stretch, so a tie was added. They measure 3.5" along the sole, and are 2" wide. Perfect for your new baby, and so soft! The longies have a drawstring closure, extra high rise, and crotch gusset. Measurements at rest are: waist 15", rise 16", thigh 8", inseam 6". Washed and lanolinized in Lansinoh, so ready to ship and wear!"

The little shoes are adorable. I hold one up to my belly when my baby presses a foot out, and worry that if he or she stays in much longer they'll be too small.

The longies are incredibly soft. It is hard to believe they're wool. The crocheted stitches are tight -- these are sure to be leakproof. I love that they're already lanolized.

This whole set is a great deal at $43.50 (plus $4.60 priority shipping). Comparable sets with better-known names go for $100 or more. The next time I'm looking for longies, I will look at Sweet Seats.

Starbunz Carrot AIO

This is one of Evelyn's diapers, a large Starbunz AIO that looks like a carrot. She wore it from about six months to over a year -- it would still fit her. The AIO is fleece on the outside and the inside. The inside has a lay-in fleece-topped soaker.

The AIO is technically front snap, but the two rows of snaps are on the wing, just like a side-snap diaper. There are only three sets of snap sockets, closely spaced. Yet the diaper fits well, on my baby and on other babies who've tried it.

This AIO proved a good nighttime diaper, as it holds a lot of pee and does not leak. It is one of the bulkiest AIOs I've ever owned, though. You'd better size up on pants if you want to put anything over it. I also dislike matching up the two pieces. (We had a cute chameleon one, but sold it for this reason.) Starbunz makes some very cute AIOs, so they're great for running around pantless. They make pocket versions of the same diapers, as well. If cuteness and leakproofness are your goals, and trimness is not, these are good diapers for you.

Brace the belly

This is one of the essential tools for pregnancy: a supportive band to go under the belly and help out those strained abdominal muscles. Wearing this brace helps with abdominal separation (diastasis), back pain, and posture. Wear it during exercise and when standing or walking for long periods. Wear it as tight as you can get it. It's a good idea.



I highly recommend the Loving Comfort postpartum belt. It is available at Babies R Us and on Amazon for about $25. No, it isn't pretty, but wear it under your clothes. The key feature of this band is that the scratchy half of the velcro will stick anywhere on the band, not just on the patch of soft velcro at the end. Other bands (Medela, for instance) have a narrow landing strip for the velcro, severely restricting their usefulness. With the Loving Comfort band, the ends can overlap as much as needed, and the top part can be looser than the bottom half while you're pregnant.

Of course, it's also useful postpartum. Wearing this band helps your belly to shrink faster and your abdominal muscles to heal better. It helps with the permanent pooch as well as the temporary one.

For sizing, I wear a medium all through pregnancy and postpartum. (I'm a size 6.) When in doubt, choose the larger size, because it will still work even if it's longer than optimal. It is even possible to hook two bands together.

More newborn fluff

This post is a shameless showoff one, as I've already posted about Kindhearted Women newborn diapers. Here are three more that arrived today:







What beautiful colors! It is too bad that the snap sockets are all white. The diapers are velour except for the yellow. The diapers are adorable and lovely and I like them all!

Seriously hyena

This is an El Bee fitted diaper:



These are seriously hyena, meaning that it is very hard to buy a new one before they sell out. Laura, the mother who makes them, is recovering from leukemia. These were hard to get before she got sick, and there's plenty of pent-up demand.

What's so exciting about them? El Bees are probably the trimmest fitted diaper out there. They're simple and elegant. They're very carefully constructed; the least little stitching inconsistency gets them declared a second (which still sells for about $30). I love the scalloped stitching around the edges. The elastic edging on these is different from most diapers. It's very smooth, not bunchy-uppy at all. El Bees are known for fitting very well, surprising for a one-row front-snap diaper. Here it is at the largest snap setting:




And here is the interior. The super-trim soaker is internal, but a nifty matching doubler is provided.




and here's the back, how charming:


Laura made this El Bee for me after I won a drawing of all participants in a poll. What a fantastic prize! It's a size large, organic cotton with organic cotton velour inside. Evelyn only wore it a few times before she potty trained.

A weekend's loot

Here are a few items that arrived over the weekend. I'm not ready to review them in more detail before using them, but need something to post about. The pictures aren't the greatest, as the digital camera did finally bite the bullet. The video camera takes still photos, but not as well.



This is a Luxe Baby wool pull-up cover. Very sweet and cute, and fairly hyena. $34 on HyenaCart -- lately she's put enough of these wool covers up for sale that stalking wasn't necessary.



These are Happy Tushies wet bags. They have a cotton print outside, PUL inside, and a zipper at the top to hold in wetness. My favorite feature is the snapping handle on the corner. We use that to attach the bag to the outside of the diaper bag when it gets full. These bags are a size large, and I'm wishing I'd ordered one or both in Medium, as they're generously sized. They'll hold half a dozen fat diapers easily. They're a little heavy, for an empty bag, and would be lighter and more compact in a smaller size. These larges are $17 each.



Dream-Eze AIO from Montana Diaper Store: this one is technically a tester. The site says, "Based on tester feedback the only major change to these diapers will be the elastic. The final production diapers will have wider elastic for a more gentle fit." These look like they'll have a trim fit over a fairly wide range, and the outer PUL is a cool shiny texture. They can't be my favorite, though, because of the name. Here's the inside:



The soaker has two petals, both sewn in at the back. There is no stay-dry layer; it's only organic cotton inside. The tester was only $10.50, what a deal.

Tykie Diapers (and lots of wipes)

This lovely custom order arrived over the weekend:



That's two small fitted diapers, four sets of six wipes each, and a bonus set of four wipes. Just look at those carrots!

These were made by Ann at Tykie Diapers. She does a wonderful job on custom orders, and I always enjoy her diapers. Let's take a closer look at them.

These are side-snap fitted diapers. The snaps and snap sockets are color-coordinated. The edges are serged. This particular diaper is organic velour inside and out, yummy soft. Of course, there are carrots embroidered on the butt! For Ann's embroidery, she doesn't have a set of designs on her page. Instead, you tell her what you want, and she finds patterns for you to choose from -- great ones!



The inside of the diaper is organic velour, too. Snaps are hidden. The soaker snaps in with one snap. I forgot to ask her to sew it in for me this time. My favorite part about ordering from Ann is how flexible she is with her pattern: she'll sew the soaker in six different ways on request. Look closely at the snap-in soaker. There is a carrot stitched into it! This is a fantastic detail, and makes it easy to match the soaker to the diaper after washing (in case the green snap isn't enough).

Now let's talk about the wipes! These are my favorite cloth wipes. They're oval, about the size of your hand or a little bigger, soft organic cotton on one side, and fabulous prints on the other. I like to keep six-packs of them on hand for gifts. Even for moms who don't cloth diaper, they make awesome baby washcloths, far softer and nicer than anything at the store.



Tykie fitteds are affordable, at $11.50 - $18.50 depending on size. She also makes covers and AI2s, which I haven't tried. Embroidery is about $6 more, an excellent price. She has diapers in stock, but I always go for the "Custom for you" department.

Hannas

Finding clothes to fit correctly over cloth diapers can be challenging. Even the trimmest cloth diapers are a bit bulkier than disposables. Onesies are often too short, pants are too slim in the butt, and dresses look funny on boys.

To deal with this, some moms simply size up. This works well on most stretchy clothing. Some WAHMs make clothing as well as diapers, and these are of course sized for cloth. (I recommend Lucy's Hope Chest.) Finally, there are a few brands of children's clothing that consistently work well with cloth diapers. Zutano is one, and Hanna Andersson is another.

Hanna clothes are all soft and stretchy. Many meet organic standards or those of Oko-Tex, another ecological certification process. They fit for a long time. They're cute without being too cutesy. And best of all, many of them have matching items in my size!


Evelyn and the new baby will have a matching outfit with this dress and romper. There's a women's dress to match it, too, but it won't fit me now, and won't work for nursing. I do wish their dresses were nursing-friendly.

Here is a sweet little outfit for the new baby:

The kimono top is umbilical-cord-friendly and cloth-diaper friendly. Notice the shape of the pants: all butt, hardly any legs. There's plenty of room in there for a well-stuffed diaper. On the right are matching socks.

Hanna's prices are not as friendly as the clothing. I almost always wait for a sale. In this case I am frustrated, because several of the things I purchased on sale last week are on a better sale today. Grrr. But what can you do? Wait too long, and they'll be out of stock in the desired size.

Kindhearted Women Layette

When pregnant with Evelyn, I read that Kindhearted Women diapers were some of the best for newborns. My stalking skills were poor, however, and I never found one for sale. This time I have acquired two, both within sets of baby clothes.



The first set has a little kimono top, pants, and a small fitted diaper. The second set has a T-shirt, pants, and a small fitted diaper. One diaper here is at its largest snap setting, the second at its smallest with the umbilical snapdown. The snap arrangement here is similar to Muttaqin and Kissaluvs.



The diaper has a built-in soaker and a lay-in doubler. Both are topped with very soft velour; the doubler is hand-dyed. The doubler is so soft, and such a nice general contour shape, that it may find its way into my drawer after the baby outgrows it.

The KHW small fitteds are $16.50 - $18.50 each. The clothing sets here were a good deal, at under $30 each. The little outfits are delightful, especially the kimono top. It is difficult sometimes to find cute T-shirts, as babies these days mostly wear onesies. Onesies are not ideal for cloth diapers. In a way it is silly to have a fitted diaper (which will be under a cover) matching the baby's outfit, but it makes me happy.

There's embroidery, and then there's Embroidery

Fluffymail are a classic hyena diaper. They're very well made and well designed, and people want to buy more than the creators want to make. The prices are high ($26 for an AIO) but not insanely high (like Fussybutt, $48 for a fitted). If you catch a custom or semi-custom slot, then you can choose to have it embroidered. Embroidery is $1 per 1000 stitches in the design. This is a common pricing strategy, but many WAHMs charge less. The embroidery designs in Fluffymail's selection range from $5 (few) to $50, with most of the good ones around $20. That's in addition to the cost of the diaper.

Here's why it is worth it:

The back of this diaper is smooth, and the embroidery is a step above the embroidery on many of my other diapers. It is hard to tell the difference from the photograph, but holding this diaper, and holding others, the difference is clear. The ladies at Fluffymail are good at this.


For completeness, here's the rest of the diaper. This is a First Class Baby (FCB) style, which means it is side snap. The snap covers are blue, but the sockets are white. Inside, the diaper is lined with fleece, with a quick-dry soaker sewn in the back. The included doubler (not shown) fits under the tongue soaker. Note that the snaps are not hidden on the interior of the diaper. This surprises me. My theory is that these diapers have been popular since before hidden snaps became the standard.

Tail Feathers FUSION

Since I thought the Fly Baby AIOs were so cool, I had to try a FUSION from Tail Feathers Diapers. These also combine the pocket and AIO ideas. Check out the lovely diaper Rachel made for me:





I picked gray PUL because neutral colors look good on babies, and because I've looked for gray at other WAHM sites and not found it. Rachel suggested the delightful striped microfleece. The best part is the snaps, which are all mix-and-match colors that coordinate with the interior.


That's what the diaper looks like turned inside out. See the built-in microfiber layer on the inside of the pocket. The Flip'n'Fly has this layer AND a built-in insert. The FUSION has only the microfiber layer. Treated as an AIO, it is trim, with limited absorbency. If more absorbency is preferred, stick an insert into the pocket.

This is a more flexible diaper than the Flip'n'Fly, and more affordable (under $20 with shipping). For more absorbency, though, the FUSION will require assembly with a separate insert. Turnaround on this custom was blindingly fast (faster than in-stock shipping at plenty of places). I'll let you know more after we get to try it on a baby bigger than Evelyn's doll.

Mudpie Babies

Here's my custom order from Mudpie Babies, one fitted diaper and two covers. (I wanted an AIO or two, but their AIOs have snap-in soakers, so they're disqualified. Tiffani didn't have time at the moment to customize the pattern for me. It's always worth asking.) My favorite is a small side-snap cover in the most awesome diaper fabric I have ever seen: armadillos!



Somehow, my husband managed to snap the small cover onto her, after she pleaded. Evelyn chose the fabric for the fitted diaper: Dora the Explorer. Not gender neutral, but she loves it, so we can blame her for the baby wearing pink. The inner on this diaper is very nice, soft velour with two quick-dry soaker flaps, one sewn in the front and one in the back.




Note the matching snap sockets and hidden snap interiors.

The final item in this custom order is a medium side-aplix cover. Side aplix is an unusual arrangement; we'll see how we like it several months from now when the baby is in mediums. It'll probably confuse my husband. He picked out the alien embroidery.



These diapers are $16-$19 for a fitted, perfectly reasonable for the quality. Embroidery is by the number of stitches, more expensive than some. She offers a very wide selection of embroidery designs.

Stash Pics: medium

Deep in Evelyn's closet, the larger diaper sizes are stored. (Her closet goes back under the attic stairs, and a dragon lurks at the end.) Here are photos of the two boxes of medium diapers, including also some one-size and some Size 1 of two-size systems.


Mostly size 1 fitteds: Fluffymail (6), Fly Baby AIO medium, Clothmopolitan (2), Cuddlebuns one-size, Righteous Baby FLAG


More fitteds: Muttaqin 3-step-rise one-size (2), Ecobaby one-size, Fluffymail size 1 (2), Fussybutt, Clothmopolitan, Righteous Baby FLAG


AIOs and pockets: Blueberry one-size minky pocket, Righteous Baby shell set, Snap-EZ pocket, bumGenius one-size pocket, Clothmopolitan "sweetie pie" AIO, Muttaqin 3-step-rise one-size AIO


The first row is medium fitteds: Simon's Custom Cloth, Tykie, Little Beetle size 2, Hillbilly Bunny, Firefly (2), unknown, Cherry Bomb Baby
The second row is medium AIOs and AI2s: Fuzzi Bunz, Valor Kids, Lucy's Hope Chest, unknown, Sugarbums (2), Full Moon Baby Gear


Mostly covers: Sugar Peas, unknown (4), Imse Vimse, Simons Custom Cloth fitted, Tykie fitted, Little Beetle wool soaker shorts, Valor Kids wool pants, Fuzbaby "kiwi" wool AI2.

Not pictured are a few more wool covers (Righteous Baby shell set, Wooly Wonder from Flutterby Baby). Also not pictured are the diapers received since then, such as the Very Baby AIOs described below.

Very Baby

Today, Evelyn assisted in the diaper photography. Pictured are some embroidered Very Baby AIOs. Five were laid out; three made it into the photograph. Later, she modeled some of the diapers. Her baby doll helped with the small ones.







Very Baby AIOs are made by multiple WAHMs who license the pattern. One of the best is Sunshine at Flutterby Baby. For this beautiful selection of fluff, I snagged a custom order slot for four diapers, and an in-stock Sock Monkey AIO, from the Flutterby Baby store at HyenaCart. These AIOs have aplix closure with a crossover tab.


Flutterby Baby offers a choice of soaker styles, and all diapers come with doublers. The basic soaker is internal, made of birdseye. An alternative is a quick-dry soaker of hemp or birdseye, sewn in at the back, and this can be topped with velour or microfleece. Generally, I prefer internal soakers, although the quick-dry soakers are handy for sticking the doublers under.



Before Evelyn was born, I bought her a Very Baby AIO in size XS. She may have worn it once, but she was born too big for it. A small newborn would fit delightfully in it. For comparison, four sizes of Very Baby are photographed: extra small, small, medium, and medium-long. For scale, the Baby Bjorn Little Potty is visible. (Everybody has one of those, right?) Purple is extra-small; Sock Monkey (yellow) and Flying Dragon (turquoise) are small; Biohazard (black) is a medium; and Armadillo (sage) and Phoenix (seaspray) are medium-long. At 2, Evelyn fits into the medium-longs pretty well, with the waist about as wide as it goes. She can technically wear the medium, even backwards, as she insisted on posing in the biohazard diaper.



These diapers have a reputation for fitting well and not leaking. They're very easy to use; Evelyn diapered the doll herself. They're priced reasonably, at $14 - $18 (depending on size) plus up to $5 for soaker options. FlutterbyBaby's embroidery prices are very reasonable; most designs are $7. The options listed on her site seem limited, but that doesn't matter - I asked for something special (armadillo), and Sunshine found a great design for me. She also pointed me to two different embroidery design sites and gave me the option of everything there that would fit on the back of a diaper. I found Biohazard on one and Phoenix on another. I expect these to have good resale value someday, since they're a well-regarded brand, by a well-regarded WAHM, and unique.