LetJoy Cloth Diapers are made by a WAHM and can be found through Etsy.com. I really enjoy reviewing Etsy cloth diapers because they always have a lot of style and personality to them. The packaging and included notes were just icing on the cake to a really well made and adorable diaper. When you buy from WAHM’s you often get those special touches not found when buying from an online cloth diaper retailer of manufactured cloth diapers.
Ease of Use ✩✩✩✩ The LetJoy Pocket is Sized and comes with two different inserts. You will need to stuff and unstuff the diaper before and after each use, and the entire diaper can only be used once unless you lay the suedecloth topped insert on the lining, in which case you are using it as an All-in-Two. I reviewed the Velcro version and found it very easy to get on and off. She also makes a snap version.
Bang for the Buck ✩✩✩✩ The price point on this pocket is 15.00 which is a steal for a handmade cloth diaper with a lot of little touches, like the addition of the stitching around the velcro tabs in a fun color. You also get designer fabrics and, in the case of the diapers a reviewed, a soft velour lining. They also make suedecloth lined diapers. PLUS you get two inserts.
Performance ✩✩✩✩ I went against my own rule and tried this diaper overnight and was pleased to find it worked without wicking around the legs or leaks. My son isn’t a heavy wetter. Since the diaper is covered on the outside with a cotton knit there is a chance of wicking but we didn’t have that. I’m not saying it will never happen, but it didn’t to us. I used two inserts for nights and the single insert for daytime.
Fit ✩✩✩ The biggest problem I had with the diaper is probably a result of not having the right size. We had some pretty noticable wing droopage issues with the velcro diaper. He had a LOT of waist left and it would slowly droop down. Had we reviewed the Medium there would have been less. I don’t know if thatw ould have solved the isue completely but it would have been better than what I was dealing with. It isn’t a super trim diaper but for what it is it isn’t that bulky either. The Large was just too big in the rise and waist for Ev but it still fit him enough to be leak free.
Overall: The diaper isn’t perfect but I liked the special touches included. The price is right at 15.00 too. I appreciated the packaging, the email with further instructions about care and wear, and everything about the experience in working with Leticia. I’m sure any customer would be treated with as much care and courtesy as I was, and that is priceless.
Where to Buy: LetJoy cloth diapers on Etsy

The cloth diaper industry is full of Mom run businesses. This Saturday, support your local industries! I’ll be heading out in search of Christmas gifts today and trying to buy local. I’m also hoping to hit a cloth diaper store here in Charlotte where I am visiting family.

Many of us used yesterday to buy our electronic toys for the year from large stores. Today- lets look for our heartfelt gifts from the small businesses in your area. Or, if you can’t shop local choose to support your online WAHM run boutiques and Etsy stores.

Happy Shopping!!!

{email subscribers please click over to see video} After following bebeMellons (mellonplus8) on Twitter for years, it is about time I review one of their diapers! Mary-Ellen is the WAHM behind the diapers, and she has a busy family life as a mom of 8! I enjoyed reading more about her and her shop at Under the Apple Tree.

Ease of Use ✩✩✩ Fold over rise One Size cloth diapers might not be as obvious to use as snap down rise cloth diapers, but they are actually easier in many respects. The biggest and obvious advantage is that they easily go between two children of different sizes. Newbies might find the idea of free sizing overwhelming but it isn’t that scary. The insert can be left out or snapped in, and can stay in for washing, in my experience.

Bang for the Buck ✩✩✩ 29.00 is such a hard price to justify, unless you are leaning towards the collecting of cloth diapers and not trying to build a base stash. bebeMellons does offer a more luxiurious diaper; the lining is velvety soft. The outer cotton is decorative, and you can always find a great print that you love. I think most of us know that cloth diapering is part hobby, part necessity. I wouldn’t expect anyone to buy 24 of these, but 1-2 in fun prints is a nice splurge to add some spice to your collection. I also see her using vintage fabrics so you may end up with something one of a kind! When thinking of the high price you also have to consider that the diapers are handmade and use designer fabrics and expensive materials like hemp. And, since you get the newborn contour, that adds a little bang for your buck too.

Performance ✩✩✩ This diaper is very pretty to look at, and best for daytime. Because there is a fold over rise the risk of wicking increases, as does the risk due to the cotton knit outer. I have to admit that this never happened, but for full disclosure, my son isn’t a heavy wetter. It could be great and not wick at all, but I do feel the need to express my concern in that area. I did use it for my toddler on one occasion overnight. He liked it and called it “soft” and we didn’t have any wicking or leaks. He is also not a heavy wetter and potty trained, but occasionally has a small accident at night.

Fit ✩✩✩ My favorite feature of the diaper is that the insert can be used with an itty bitty newborn as a contour. You will need to use it with a newborn size cover, but it is a nice option. I do also appreciate fold over rise diapers for the simplicity, once you understand how to use them. There are limitations, for example, when you just need to fold it over a tiny bit, that isn’t possible due to the snap placement. I can either fold over the rise, or leave unfolded. They both work at this point. Since the crotch is rather wide I wouldn’t personally use this diaper on an 8 lb baby, but you could use the contour insert on them for a bit. I didn’t see any red marks on Ev since the lining was so nice and soft around the legs.

Overall: I appreciate the workmanship behind these diapers; they are extremely well made and there is a lot of attention to detail. The coordinating insert and lining are eye catching and gorgeous, the prints are some that you don’t see other diaper makers use, and it is all put together well. For 29.00 (although if you follow her on Twitter @Mellonplus8 she often releases 10% off coupons, especially on Monday nights.) it is a show diaper, in my opinion. And since it is such a nice looking diaper, it makes a good one. She also sells fitteds, and beautiful wool covers in her shop, as well as other baby items to coordinate with her diapers.

Where to buy: bebeMellons Etsy Shop (more diaper focused) or HyenaCart (more wool focused)

Mo Dia is an Etsy brand that combines stylish designer prints, colorful snap combos, and PUL solid colors to create a gorgeous cloth diaper!  The diapers are made my two Mom’s who obviously have an eye for style!  I would say this is a WAHM diaper but these ladies have day jobs and make diapers, plus they are moms!  They definitely stay busy!

Ease of Use ✩✩✩ Like many snapping diapers, this one has 4 snaps to close, two on each tab.  If you have the velcro version it would go on just like a disposable.  It is a pocket so it has to be stuffed before being used, and unstuffed before being washed.  An added step will be folding the insert before inserting it to the desired size.

Bang for the Buck ✩✩✩✩ A Mo Dia will run about 20.00, including the hemp insert.  I find that to be a more than fair price factoring in labor, quality materials, and an awesome insert.

Performance ✩✩✩✩ Ev has tested this diaper pretty thoroughly, including overnight.  The hemp insert is very absorbent, one of my favorite features of the diaper.  I underestimated my son and began using the diaper on the smallest setting but after a couple of leaks went to the middle rise and this solved the problem.

Fit ✩✩✩ In the rise the fit was great for my son once we went to the middle setting, and we have room for growth in that setting as well as once the diaper is unsnapped.  Waist wise I think the diaper could use more width.  Now that I have a chunky baby I see how he could outgrow this diaper in the waist at some point.  In the video I show you where the diaper snaps and that the male snap ends would hit skin if done any wider.  If they added an inch or two to the waist that would help.  The waist elastic is a good idea and I am seeing more diapers adopt this design. (FYI, the velcro version would not have this issue)

Overall- The combinations of prints and colors that these women come up with for their diapers are pretty fabulous!  You won’t see diapers like this that are mass produced.  Their velcro tabs look awesome but I haven’t tried them.

Where to buy: Mo Dia Etsy Store or Z Bears

A Mo Dia was sent for the purposes of the review.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are 100% genuine and my own.

This review and giveaway is part of the New Baby Event Part 2!  Make sure you check out all of the other giveaways

How I came to learn about this company is strange….  I was checking my google alerts for “breastfeeding” and somehow, a blog entry about Knoodle Knits Newborn Knit Hats was included.  I had been searching Etsy high and low for a great and adorable newborn knit hat but I wasn’t having any luck.  When I clicked the link I fell in love with the cuteness!   The hat looked like it would actually fit a newborn, and the tiny little ears were icing on the cake!

I contacted Knoodle Knits to see if we would work together on a review and giveaway.  I was very excited that they accepted!

The hat I received was custom.  I was asked what colors I liked and I threw some out there (grey, green, blue, etc).  She just happened to have some great yarn that would work.  She whipped up a beautiful hat and shipped it to me with time to spare before my little man arrived.

Right after he was born, being held by daddy.

I packed the hat in my birth kit.  I knew we wouldn’t put it on right after the baby was born because I didn’t want to get birth goo on it.  On the day he was born we put a cotton hat on him while he was in the tub with me.  Once we were out and dried off he wore the Knoodle Knits cap.  It fit hit tiny little head so well and looked adorable!

Since that day he has worn the knit cap for almost every outing we have gone on.  I live in a very cold area so even though it might not be too cold where you live, it is here!  I get compliments on it wherever I go.  In fact, I got to name drop on a trip to the mall when a woman asked me if it was handmade.  Etsy is such an amazing website!  It used to be that you could only get handmade items from your grandmother.  Now you can find well made items on Etsy and support men and women right here in the US!

The hat fits him so well and I couldn’t be happier with the quality or the looks.  In fact, I really want another hat on her site so I think I am going to put in an order soon!  You can never have too many hats in Central New York!

And did you know Knoodle Knits also makes wool longies?!   You can find them on their Hyena Cart. You can also find more of their wares on Crunchy Congo!

About Knoodle Knits:

Knoodle Knits is a WAHM business founded by Janet, a retired business teacher, and Christine, a high school art teacher.

After the birth of Christine’s son, the mother/daughter team started knitting various baby items. Friends and family soon expressed an interest in their knit designs, so they decided to start selling their products online.

Knoodle Knits was launched on Hyena Cart in the Fall of 2009 with a line of unique baby hats. The popularity of their baby hats led to requests for hats for children and adults.

In the Spring of 2010 Knoodle Knits expanded their product line once again, this time to include knit longies and shorties from their own unique pattern.

Knoodle Knits is also a licensed seller of the Adorabubble Britches pattern and the Springtime in Hollis Sweater pattern. Additional patterns and garment designs will be offered in the near future.

One lucky DDL Reader will win an adorable Knoodle Knits Hat!

*Custom, winner chooses colors, style, and size-newborn to young child!)

Mandatory Entry:

(1 entry) Visit Knoodle Knits and tell me which item in the shop or gallery you love the most! Leave it as a comment.

For extra entries do any or all of the following.  Leave a comment for each you do.

(1 entry) Follow @KimRosas on twitter and tweet this giveaway. Please tweet, “Enter to win a handmade baby knit hat from @knoodleknits and @KimRosas.  http://yq2mg.th8.us Ends Nov 25”  Leave a comment with a link to your status.

You can tweet once a day for the duration of the contest. Leave a comment with your status for each tweet. 1 entry per day.

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A newborn hat was sent for the purposes of this review.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are 100% my own and genuine!  Giveaway ends on Nov 25. Winner will be chosen using random.org. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours a new winner will be drawn. *Open to US and Canada*

This review was performed by DDL Contributor Kristen.

I was given the opportunity to review a hat made by lcraftanddesign on Etsy.  I discovered her store on Etsy because a while ago I reviewed a hat by MoBoleez, which was made for helping the breastfeeding mom to nurse discreetly by having the baby wear the hat and the brim is so wide that it covers everything.  It quickly became my favorite method of discreetly nursing in public.  The only problem was that my baby kept growing, and then the hat no longer fit her head.  I was in the market for a summer hat for my baby anyway (we spend our days at the beach, the pool and the park) and I figured if I found one with a really wide brim, it could serve a double purpose.

I found what I was looking for at lcraftanddesign’s Etsy store. The hats she sells through her store have such adorable designs that I had a hard time choosing!  I finally chose the “Crazy Daisy” patterned sun hat.  When I received the hat, I could tell that it was well made, in addition to being adorable!  One of the things I liked about it was that it has ties on it to help keep it on my 6 month olds head.  She isn’t too good about getting hats off yet but I know it’s in the near future and there’s always the wind to contend with when outside so the ties help to keep the hat securely on her head. They also help to make me feel secure that when I use it for nursing, I can reliably know that it won’t fall off her head and randomly expose what is going on underneath there!

Compared to the MoBoleez Nursing hat, this one did have a smaller diameter brim, although it was wider than pretty much any other sun hat I have encountered, so while it works well for nursing, it would be even nicer if it was a tad bit wider to make me feel even more comfortable.  The brim itself was pretty floppy, which has advantages and disadvantages.  I loved it because it shaped well to cover things when I nursed, but when she wore it as a hat, it often flopped into her face.  Easily remedied by having her add the snaps to the hat to hold the brim up.  As I stated I love that it ties, but I almost wish it had a hook and loop closure instead of ties. (snap closure available upon request) The reason for this is that I often nurse while I am wearing my baby in either a ring sling or soft structured carrier, and it’s really hard for me to tie it on her head while wearing her (if she isn’t already wearing it).  It would be easier to plop on her head and fasten a hook and loop closure instead.  However, when I’m not wearing her, it isn’t an issue and the ties actually look really cute and are also nice because no matter what size head your kid has, you can tie it as tight or loose as needed.

All in all, I really love this hat for all the purposes mentioned above.  It’s a fabulous sun hat at a reasonable price and I think it’s great to support people on Etsy.  I get so many compliments on the hat and pattern and she sells many different cute patterns in her store so there are a lot to choose from.  For breastfeeding purposes, I do kind of wish the brim were a tad wider (maybe another inch or two in diameter?), but as it is, it still works great for the purposes of discreet nursing, which is a bonus in my book!

If you’d like you can find lcraftanddesign on Facebook!

For the month of August, DDL readers can save 20% on lcraftanddesign’s hats with code: DDL20.

Kristen received a Wide Brimmed Sunhat free of charge for the purposes of this review.  All opinions expressed are genuine and 100% her own.

Wool Longies made by @icandiknits

Construction paper characters, will be strung for a banner

Scenery (will make more) made using decoupage

Cupcake toppers, from etsy

For more go to WordlessWednesday.com

Instead of packing like I should be doing, I decided to play dress up with my son.  I have made a bunch of cowboy bandanas, and I bought some cowboy boots from Etsy for our trip to Texas.  He was very tired so he isn’t all smiles, but that is ok because cowboys are serious.  

So this what I have been doing the past 2 days instead of blogging:

Finished and near finished bandana bibs

My messy craft table. There are some awesome fabrics waiting to be turned into bandanas in that pile!