Having two little girls is still such a surprise to me, I was the only little girl in my family aside from a beloved cousin living on the opposite end of the coast who would visit every few years and send refrigerator size boxes of luxe hand me downs that made up basically my entire wardrobe. Autumn is still very young, but I see Harper appraising her and choosing to be gentle and kind to her every day, watching her face for reactions and bringing her toys and blankets. I know they won’t always get along so well, but Harper has always been quite particular about who receives her affections, often refusing a request for a hug or kiss or farewell and choosing to play aloof. I don’t begrudge her this personality quirk, it makes the attention she does offer that much more meaningful. And Autumn is given it in spades. I have never witnessed a sister who is more attentive and loving and sweet towards her new playmate. Even when I tell her for the tenth time that day that I can’t nurse her that moment because it’s Autumn’s turn, she may balk but she never gets upset with Autumn, she never tries to push her away. There doesn’t seem to be a jealous bone in her body. It may not last, but I am relishing this connection they have while it exists.
Today you may have noticed I don’t have a diaper review for you. I have a nappy review! This is a rarity in ‘the states’ but I am so incredibly tickled I have a proper nappy from Europe to tell you about. These gorgeous cloth pocket nappies are carefully crafted and definitely an eye catcher. I’ve received more compliments and questions when my girls wear this nappy then I have with any diaper they’ve worn before.
[typography font=”Crafty Girls” size=”24″ size_format=”px”]Ease of Use✩✩✩✩✩[/typography] These pockets are designed with an envelope enclosure at the front so adding inserts is simple, and removing inserts when the nappy is soiled is tidier since with any luck the mess is not at the front of the nappy. One feature I noticed with these is that the hem is carefully finished with a neat tightly serged edge. Many pocket diapers that feature a front opening will just leave a cut microfleece edge which over time can become worn and also seems more prone to ride up, the Milovia does not have this issue thanks to the designer going the extra mile with this feature. It also boasts a PUL backing on the interior of the microfleece at the top of the diaper. This is a huge benefit as it means that your child can enjoy the softness of the microfleece against their skin all the way up (many diapers will use a strip of PUL here instead, which can be a little rough on extremely sensitive skin) while still protecting against leaks (especially compression leaks for tummy sleepers). [typography font=”Crafty Girls” size=”24″ size_format=”px”]Bang for the Buck✩✩✩✩[/typography] For the longest time these nappies were not available in the U.S. and fans were forced to track down a UK retailer who was willing to internationally ship and the customer was left with exorbitant shipping charges. This drove the price of a single cloth diaper way up from a consumer standpoint. Despite this concern Milovia still has quite the following here, so much so that they just announced last week their first American retailer! http://www.squigglybugsllc.com/ is now offering Milovia nappies for sale. You can select a microfleece interior like I am reviewing here or a Coolmax interior if you prefer. With this new retailer, Milovia is also now offering their inserts included with the nappies! Previously fans would purchase the pocket then separately purchase a small, medium, or large insert (or sometimes a combination of two for ultimate absorbency). With this new package option you will automatically receive both a small and a medium insert. The entire package comes out to $34 which is still on the high side for a pocket diaper, however it is significantly lower than customers have paid in the past, and I think it is well worth the price to have at least one of these unique beauties in your stash.