Before there was even a Dirty Diaper Laundry I was drooling over the SQUISHY wool goodness that is Sustainable Babyish.  I gazed at the gorgeous colors and stylish wool longies and knew I wanted them.  My first cloth diapered baby hadn’t even made it into this world.

One day on Twitter I saw that Sbish also had a One Size fitted that was very unique.  By then I was running DDL and buying diapers for reviews.  Erin was so kind and sent a coupon code because I tweeted about how BADLY I wanted to try the diapers but I didn’t have a lot of money to spend.  I ordered two Multi Snapless diapers and filmed my review.  That review, by the way, has the highest number of views out of all 90+ of my video reviews: 37,800!

Besides being my most viewed review, the Multi Snapless has a special place in my heart for being an awesome overnight fitted.  I recommend it quite often and it pairs great with a Sustainable Babyish Wool Soaker or even a standard PUL cover.

A few months ago I had the pleasure of meeting Erin of Sustainable Babyish while visiting a friend who lived in MA.  She is so so sweet and didn’t kick my friend and I out even though we stayed for about 20 hours and our kids started eating their food.  That should have been a hint that we had overstayed our welcome, that and the fact that between all of our kids we changed 6 diapers, many of them poopies!

Sustainable Babyish is also one of my awesome Sponsors, so I love them for that too!

I asked Erin if we could do a little giveaway for my 2 year “blogiversary” and she said yes!  Plus, use code DDL10 for 10% off orders through April.

One lucky DDL Reader will win a Multi-Snapless Starter Kit from Sloomb!

This includes 2 Multi Snapless fitteds, 1 OBF Doubler, and 1 Wool Knit Soaker.

I am simplifying all of my giveaways for this week.

Mandatory Entry:  Visit Sloomb.com and let me know why you love them so much!   Could be because you love the longies, their philosophy, their design, whatever!  No one word answers please!

Extra Entries:

(1 Entry) Do any of these: Follow @KimRosas on Twitter, follow @Sloomb on Twitter, “Like” Dirty Diaper Laundry on Facebook, “Like” Sustainable Babyish on Facebook.  Let me know that you did.  You can only do one, or do all.  Feel free to tell me which you did as well.

(1 Entry) Do any of these: Subscribe to my YouTube Channel, Subscribe to my Monthly Newsletter, Subscribe to my blog by email, subscribe to the Sloomb newsletter.  Let me know you did at least one, but hopefully you will choose a few more ways to show you care!  Leave it as a comment.

(1 Entry) Tweet about this giveaway and reply to @KimRosas and @sloomb and link it. You can tweet one time a day until the contest ends.

The fine print: Open to US and Canadian Residents.   I use “and the winner is…” to randomly draw winners.  Giveaway is open until April 30.

PUL, or Polyurethane Laminate, is the waterproof layer of material often used in cloth diapers.  Pockets, All-in-Ones, All-in-Twos and Diaper Covers most often use this on the outer layer of the diaper as a more breathable alternative to the old Rubber and Plastic pants of the previous generation of cloth diapers.

Example of laminate inside and polyester outside (at top) of this Flip Cover

So what exactly is PUL? When you look at many diaper covers you can see that there is a “wipeable” side which is inside, and a cloth like outside, which is usually polyester or cotton.  The laminate side has been fused to the cotton or polyester side using heat or a chemical process.  Usually this process is permanent and the two layers stay together for the long haul.  However, certain chemicals and other mistreatment of this material can cause the laminate to separate from the fabric outer, in which case the diaper will begin to have leaks through those areas.  It will bubble up and appear like a peeling sunburn.

Cotton or Polyester? Pretty much any diaper you have seen uses polyester as the soft fabric side.  While cotton offers many options for cute prints, these wick more.  The bigger brands can afford to commission large quantities of proprietary prints in polyester PUL.  The reason you don’t see many prints is for that reason, they are expensive and require large orders.  Not to mention they need to be designed.  Remember, the fabric has to look good rightside up and upside down.  A lot of diaper makers who really want to have fun prints choose to use a regular cotton knit sewn over a hidden layer of PUL.  Some are successful in this (GEN-Y Covers have NEVER leaked or wicked for me) but other diapers end up with horrible wicking (moisture from the inside of the diaper migrating to the cotton, usually around the legs.)

1 Mil or 2 Mil? PUL has either a 1 mil or 2 mil thick layer of the laminate backing.  It is up for debate whether or not 1 or 2 mil is better.  1 mil certainly feels thinner, but 2 mil has an extra layer of protection.  It could be argued that 1 mil will potentially wear down quicker over time.  You could also argue that 1 mil would be more breathable since there is less waterproof laminate for air to come through.  I have not seen conclusive evidence of either.  Unless you are making your own diapers and buying PUL, most consumers don’t even realize there are different types of PUL being used.  If you are buying your own PUL, 1 mil is easier to find and less expensive.

Examples? Bummis covers are made with 2 mil PUL.  bumGenius! products use 1 mil, for a comparison.  The Bummis covers definitely feel thicker.  Understandably, some people do not wish to use 2 mil because it is harder to work with and sew.

Some of the larger brands commission their own PUL with distinctive brand specific colors (think Bum Genius) and patterns, (think Mother-Ease).  bumGenius! have stated that they do not use a chemical solvent process, and they also believe their PUL is made in an environmentally friendly way.

Many other brands and WAHM’s have been using a brand of PUL called Fabrite which I recently learned is considered the best for diaper making.  Unfortunately this brand stopped production.  Unbeknownst to consumers, diaper makers are scrambling to find a comparable alternative, of which there aren’t many.  Fabrite used a solvent process described as”The PU film and knit are coated with a solvent based adhesive that slightly liquefies the surface of the PU film and knit, then pressure is used to fuse the fabric together.”  source: Wazoodle

After speaking to others I have learned not everyone thought Fabrite was the best.  Many used to use it and later went with a heat solvent PUL.  Nifty Nappy prefers the heat solvent PUL also.

There is another term floating around regarding PUL and this is TPU.  TPU stands for Thermoplastic Polyurethane.  This is where it gets hairy.  According to Rumparooz, who uses TPU, they regard it in another category altogether.  Taken from Rumparooz’s Website:

In 2008 Kanga Care started using a biodegradable TPU waterproof material. Biodegradable TPU is solvent-free. Biodegradable TPU is a polyester fabric that has been laminated with a thermoplastic polyurethane using a heat bonding process. This process is low in toxicity and is better for the natural environment. Both the TPU laminate and the polyester fabric the laminate is applied to are biodegradable.  When composted they will biodegrade in 4-5 years.

However, the fabric distrubutors Wazoodle, who issued a highly informative breakdown of the different PUL’s, say:

TPU is the technical name for polyurethane film used to make all PUL, new and old.  A few vendors heard TPU for the first time and thought it would help them make their items sound different — just marketing tricks!

So if TPU is better for the environment why aren’t more diaper manufacturer’s using it?

It could just be that they are, and the TPU is just a fancy name for the heat solvent version of PUL that many manufacturers use.  It is all very confusing for someone who does not make diapers!

Bottom line?

It is near impossible to know exactly which PUL a diaper is using unless you ask.  Some makers are very forthcoming, others believe their proprietary PUL recipe should be kept secret.  I found both sides when looking into this post.  You will also see that some diapers source PUL from China, but other brands are still careful to use PUL made in the US.  I still believe PUL has made the cloth diapering revolution possible. I love my Pockets and couldn’t live without them.  Cloth diapers are better than disposables any day, no matter how the PUL was made, but it isn’t something you should keep your head in the sand about either.

What is I don’t want to use PUL but want to use cloth diapers? If you are concerned that PUL production is bad for the environment there are certainly other options.  Wool and fleece work just as well at keeping leaks at bay.  While it isn’t practical to expect every cloth diaper user to use these materials, if you really want organic and conscientiously produced diapers wool and fleece might be what you need.

For responsibly made wool I would recommend: Sustainable Babyish, Better for Babies (Little Beetle), and the WAHM’s out there who upcycle wool into soakers or hand knit them (Hyena Cart and Etsy will yield results).

If you prefer fleece (easier to care for overall and less expensive) I suggest Lollidoo, who use recycled plastic bottles to make their fleece!  Also, there are WAHM’s who upcycle fleece to make soakers as well.

Special thanks to the cooperative diaper companies I contacted: bumGenius!, Bummis, and Nifty Nappy, who were very helpful in answering my questions.

Images: Flip- clothdiapers.blogspot.com, PUL- www.zjgxdiaper.com

I’m sorry to post this so late.  Here are winners from the last 3 giveaways.

Wee See DVD

Sloomb Soaker

Sloomb Longies

Congrats Angie!

AMP Duo One Size from Eco Bebe Boutique

Congrats Jodie!

sustainablebabyish❘ sloomb ♥ has recently released the newest addition to their cloth diaper and covers line up.  Knits!  Sbish is renowned around the cloth diaper world for fabulous interlock wool covers and longies.  Traditionally, most knit wool covers are handmade, and this means that they are most likely going to be more expensive.  I LOVE supporting WAHM’s, and I love homemade longies.  But they aren’t for everyone, style wise or price wise.

The sustainablebabyish knits features:

Double Layer.
Soft.
Wide waistband and cuffs.
Wide leg (longies)
Warm in Winter and Cool in Summer
More colors being added soon! (Sprout and Air)

I was most excited to try the longies.  Since I live in the frigid North (Central NY) and there is snow outside for the foreseeable future, longies are perfect to keep my son warm and dry.  My first thought was how perfectly they fit!  The length was right to the heel, and they hugged his cute fluffy booty!  I started snapping pictures of him in them because I couldn’t get over how cute they were.  When my husband got home and saw them he also commented on the cute “pants” which I informed him were actually wool longies!  When I saw the images online of the pants and the color, I wasn’t a huge fan.  In person however, I decided I love the color!  It goes with so many of his shirts, and looks very manly!

He slept in them that night, and we were leak free!  I trusted that his legs would be nice and warm since he doesn’t sleep with a blanket.  I didn’t even feel any dampness on the outside since they are double layer.  I let them air a bit and immediately put them back on him.  We had a sitter that evening and she commented on how adorable the pants were!  These things just look sleek and modern!

Once the longies needed a wash (and I lanolized them again, just because I wasn’t sure how much was left, I used them a lot for a short period of time) I realized that they do take a good while to dry.  This is the only “drawback.”  I had heard some knits need 2-3 days, but I had not experienced with, even with hand knit longies.  These took about 2 days, even after spinning them in my washer to get the excess water out.  I laid them over the crib rail and flipped them around a few times.  I have a sweater rack but I didn’t bother since I only needed to wash a few things.  The soaker didn’t need a wash yet so I have yet to see how long it takes to dry.  I suspect it would be less,  but maybe not since they are the same thickness.

Recently my son had a terrible rash, and since I wanted to do everything possible to heal it quickly, I discontinued using PUL diapers and used only wool.  I only have 2 longies that fit him, so he lived in these!  The rash did show improvement, and I believe the wool was part of that.  The wool allowed more air through to his skin.  That is the awesome thing about it!

Right now you can buy sloomb ♥ knits in CARBON (shown in the pictures) and you can preorder SPROUT and AIR.

DDL readers can use code “DDL15″ for 15% off through the month of January!

Sloomb ♥ is giving one lucky reader a wool knit soaker another reader a pair and knit longies!

*** The first name drawn using random.org will win the soaker, the second name will win the longies!***

Mandatory First Entry:  Go to sloomb.com and tell me what color of any Wool is your favorite, not just the knits! Leave a comment.

Extra Entries.  You must leave a separate comment for each one you do.

Follow my twitter and tweet this giveaway. Please tweet, “♥ Squishy Wool!  Win a new knit soaker or longies from @sloomb and @KimRosas.  http://6kr7d.th8.us #clothdiapers. Ends Jan 26” 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.

Follow @Sloomb on Twitter.  Leave a comment.

Become a fan of Sloomb on Facebook. Leave a comment.

Subscribe to my blog via email through feedburner. Leave a comment.

Follow me through Google Friend Connect or via a reader. Leave a comment.

Grab my button and post it on your blog. Leave a comment.

Blog about this giveaway. Post a link in the comment.

Get Creative!  Post this giveaway on a message board or forum and leave a link. Leave a comment.

Giveaway ends on January 26. Winner will be chosen using random.org. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours a new winner will be drawn.

***Open Worldwide!***

I was not compensated for this review, however the product sent was kept free of charge.  All opinions expressed are my own.

This post is part of “All About Wool Week” here at Dirty Diaper Laundry.

Erin from Sustainable Babyish sent a beautiful teal wool soaker from her line, Sustainable Babyish for me to review.  The first thing I noticed was how brilliant and vibrant the color was.  One of the fun things about Sbish are the fun colors you can choose!  I set about lanolizing the cover right away so I could try it out.  It was the first wool cover I had ever lanolized, or tried!  I was actually pretty nervous about the whole ordeal.  You can read all about my laonilizing adventures in another post.

This soaker is a “pull on” soaker, so there are no snaps or velcro.  This poses a challenge for exceptionally wiggly babies like my son.  But, it can also be a positive.  Since my son refuses to lay down for diaper changes, once you get your fitted or prefold on, you can let the baby stand and pull the soaker on!  I’ll let you figure out how to get the fitted on!

I was pretty afraid about the results of the first night in wool.  Despite the amazing reviews of wool, I still had to see for myself.  My son woke up at some point in the night and I felt his Sbish Soaker.  It felt cool to the touch, but not wet.  We fell back asleep.  He awoke again in the morning and I felt underneath him for the oh so familiar wet spot that can happen in a pocket diaper.  The sheets were dry, and his soaker felt the slightest bit damp.  It wasn’t wet or leaking.  When I removed his soaker the diaper was pretty darn wet underneath.  Amazing!

I will also say that, though absolutely not recommended, the Sbish soaker held up during a stint in the washer.  YIKES!  You will hear all about that story later in the week!

Interlock Wool is a breathable, light, soft, and stretchy material. Sloomb uses organic wool to make their covers and longies.

About Sustainable Babyish™ ♥:

we love what we do. we care about what goes into our products. we care about what we leave behind for our kids. sustainablebabyish|sloomb♥tm was born out of the need for a better fit, a softer hand, & the desire to bring earth-friendly baby products in great colors to your home. we are committed to offering you a low impact, durable product for you & your children to love and enjoy. the life cycle of our products is important – our products are made by hand in the USA, by women who are paid fair wages and who care about what they make. most of our fabric is organic or an organic blend. we use low impact dyes. we recycle our fabric and donate seconds to communities in need. we have a paperless office – you will not receive paper receipts and extra packaging. your items will arrive safely and securely in 100% recycled mailers, no plastic. we expect our products to be given to another when your little ones outgrow them – they are made to last that long. you have a choice – there is a difference. together we are moving forward to bring about positive change, without leaving too much behind. sustainablebabyish|sloomb♥tm continues to look towards new, sustainable textiles and processes for hip and ethical solutions to diapering and clothing children, while leading the growing and diverse market in style and concept innovation.

do one thing today – sustainablebabyish♥tm

Along with their soakers Sbish makes the adorable Karate Pants and cloth diapers like the Multi Snapless, which I have already reviewed, flats, and fitteds with snaps. I love supporting responsible companies and Sbish is the definition of responsible. Their One Diaper One Tree™ ♥ program means that when you buy a cloth diaper from Sloomb they plant a tree in Southeast Asia to help offset the carbon footprint they left while producing their organic cloth diapers.

Sustainable Babyish is offering 2 items!  One pair of Organic Stretch Karate Wool Pants and One Organic Stretch Wool Soaker (like the one I reviewed).  There will be two winners.

The first number pulled wins the karate pants, the second wins the soaker.

You can also use the code “DDL10″ for 10% off of y our purchase at Sloomb.com

To Enter: (for help entering refer to this handy entry guide)

Please leave a separate comment for each entry you do.

First, (this entry is mandatory) Go to sloomb.com and tell me your favorite product that they sell. Come back and leave a comment with your answer. Please leave your email in this comment as well in blank at hotmail dot com format.

Extra Entries:

Follow @sloomb on Twitter. Leave a comment saying you did.

Become a fan of  Sloomb on Facebook. Tell me you did with a comment.

Sign up for Sloomb’s newsletter. They always send out fantastic coupon codes and sales so this is an awesome way to stay in the loop!  Leave  a comment.

Follow my twitter and tweet this giveaway. Please tweet, “Win wool soaker or karate pants #clothdiapers from @sloomb and @KimRosas on DDL http://8mfm8.th8.us” Leave a comment with a link to your status.

Subscribe to my blog via email through feedburner. You will get an email to activate. You must activate the subscription! Leave a comment. psst… you definitely want to sign up for updates via email. In October DDL is giving away a Hygeia Double Electric pump and more!

Follow me through Google Friend Connect or via a reader. Leave a comment.

Grab my button and post it on your blog. Leave a comment.

Blog about this giveaway. Post a link in the comment.

Go to mamaneedsthis.com and subscribe via email. Leave a comment saying you did.

Post this giveaway to your Facebook. Leave a comment.

Giveaway ends on October 12. Winner will be chosen using random.org. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours a new winner will be drawn.