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Review: Cherub Tree Night Nappy

You might know that I am an agent for Cherub Tree, and as such my opinions may seem biased, but really, these are amazing nappies!

The night nappy is the latest addition to the Cherub Tree family, and I can’t wait for the new stock to arrive so that I can get a whole bunch for my kids. At for the last 2 years, Elijah has been in cloth by day and disposables by night… just like Princess Fiona in Shrek – beautiful by day and nasty ogre like by night. Its useful but the nagging guilt feeling of pollution and how bad it is for his bum has been getting to me. I am really happy to announce that as soon as these nappies are readily available, my kids will be fully fluff-bummed!

This OSFA All-In-One Bamboo Velour nappy is super easy to use, with the absorbent parts of the nappy sewn and snapped in.

Each nappy has one sewn insert and one snap in insert. Each insert is made up of two layers of bamboo fleece with one layer of microfibre sandwiched between. Additionally these nappies are lined with absorbent bamboo fleece making a thirsty seven layers of absorbency in an ultra-trim fitting, quick drying nappy.

Excellent for night time use, these nappies are best used in conjunction with a Fleece cover or wool soaker. Available in Blue, Cream, and Pink.

(I couldn’t use a photo of Elijah in a pink nappy on the blog, so here it is on Naomi)

 I used mine with Elijah with a normal waterproof cover, and unless I forget change him first, the outside of the velour is dry in the morning. This is a miracle folks, this kid can wee for the A team and wets through pretty much any nappy! I have been told that fleece covers or wool soakers would work even better as the night nappy already has PUL in it.

I highly recommend these nappies, and purely as a mom of a heavy wetting boy, not even as an agent. That said, if you’re in Cape Town and interested in trying these nappies, please contact me.

( I received one nappy to try out but was not reimbursed in any way for my opinion.)

Review: Eco Nappy Solutions

Eco Nappy Solutions is a lovely company run by Marion, who is a mom to one gorgeous boy. They sell Bamboo cloth Nappies, training pants, breast pad and other reusable cloth nappy accessories. These re-usable nappies are washable, waterproof and breathable.

From their website:

The Bamboo material is incredibly soft, highly absorbent, naturally antibacterial and hypoallergenic, so it’s extremely kind to your baby’s sensitive skin. Bamboo also keeps your baby cool in summer and warm in winter.

Marion sent me a pink minky nappy for Naomi, bright orange training pants for Elijah and breast pads for me. I will admit I have not tested the training pants yet, so that review will come once I have.

The bamboo nappy is much slimmer than most one size nappies I have tried, and it has one inner, made of 4 layers of bamboo terry. It’s absorbent enough for a daytime nappy, but I would get a few more inners the older she gets and obviously for night time a few extra inners would help. These nappies are especially made for Eco Nappy Solutions, so they are unique. I have never liked minky nappies before, I’ll be honest, but this one I actually like. I’m also impressed that you can add quite a few extra inners in the pocket, apparently you can fit 3 of the terry bamboo inners.

The only thing with this nappy is that it’s only from 3-13kgs, so it won’t fit Elijah. So it’s a great nappy if your child potty trains before 15kgs… But I think it also depends on your child’s size. I think Elijah is bigger than most kids his age, so he is not the standard measure for these things.

Being that they are made from bamboo, the price is justified, at R150 each they are still in the more affordable bracket of cloth nappies. The extra inners cost R55 each. But as I said, these nappies are great daytime nappies without the extra inners.

If the minky bamboo doesn’t fit your budget, there’s the Babyland bamboo nappy that is also in the Eco Nappy Solutions shop. I haven’t tried it yet, but it’s a but cheaper and according the the website it’s slightly bulkier. But truthfully I like a big fluff bum

Now for the breast pads. I don’t like disposable breast pads, they make me itch, they are bad for the earth and they also make me sweat. But I was afraid in the beginning to try reusable ones because the embarrassing moment where you realize you have been leaking through your shirt, is not one I’d like to repeat. After making my own breast pads (which work really well) and trying a few other brands, I was happy to try something new.

The Eco Nappy Solution pads are bigger than the other reusables I have tried, 12cm in diameter. So they will probably work for any mama. The 3 layers of bamboo make it really soft and absorbent, and hands down the most comfy breast pad I have tried. They are not bulky at all, which is great when you wear tighter tops, as they don’t show. You can buy 4 pairs for R139, which is a really good deal, for the quality.

Contact Marion at econappysolutions@gmail.com or 081 061 8989 if you have any more questions regarding their products.

Review: Therific Kiddy Calm Bath Salts

I’m forever looking for a new way to convince Elijah to get into the bath without an epic tantrum, I’ve tried food colouring, bubbles, a handmade fishing games, bath crayons… You name it, I’ve probably tried it. And then there’s the fact that once he’s bathed he tends to run around and get all hyped up, so I was looking for a way to get him calmer and enjoy his bath.

A friend of mine mentioned that I should try magnesium sulphate baths for myself to help the inflammation in my hand due to the carpal tunnel syndrome I developed after Naomi was born, and I went on a google search of the qualities of this so-called miracle bath.

I found out that magnesium sulphate is Epsom salt, and that it is an amazing natural muscle relaxant and anti-inflammatory. it is recommended for muscle pain, back ache and various inflammations. It is also great for detoxing the body as its absorbed in through the skin, and helps rid the body of toxins which cause headaches, ADHD, cramps, and many other ailments. It helps adults and children sleep better and be calmer and less aggressive.

In my search, I came across this amazing product for kids and adults alike, Therific Naturals. They have a children’s range called Kiddie Calm and an adult range called Mai-Thaim. (I was sent the Kiddie Calm range to try on Elijah.)

Some background about the company, from their site:

The Therific Naturals range of products was created by Theri Rossouw, a mother who had a need for a “clean” cure for her daughter who at the time was labelled ADHD. Jessey perceived her Epsom Salt Bath to be a medicine bath and refused to get in… So Theri found a way to disguise the “peas and the carrots” and turned a boring Magnesium Sulphate bath into a fun, fragranced and colourful bath filled with bubbles.

Magnesium Sulphate is well known for its benefits in reducing hyper- activity, improving sleep patterns and increasing memory and concentration. Its also known for its rapid relief from headaches, migraines, stress, muscle spasms, insomnia and many “modern day” ailments.

I tested the salts on my very busy 2 year old, and I’m impressed. He loved the colours, and the scent and the bubbles. It was so fun for him to add the salts to his bath and watch it change colour. What I appreciate is that although the colour is vivid, it never stains the bath or the skin. The smells aren’t overwhelming or fake, which I am glad for, as a cloying scent in my tiny bathroom would just kill me.

After just a few days of using the Kiddie Calm bath salts we saw quite a difference in how Elijah acted, he was calmer and didn’t fight bedtime as much… Not to mention how excited he was to bath.

I was a bit afraid to try it on Naomi, as I’m not sure a 4 month old should be detoxed or have the scents and things on her, but I am totally going to be using these on the kids in future.

You can order from their agents who are listed here.