Lotus Bumz cloth diapers and leggings!

This post was originally part of the Favorite Things Giveaway Hop

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Spring has almost sprung and I am particularly excited because that means OFF come the warm cozy pants and OUT come the cute little dresses that show off those cute fluffy bottoms :) #clothmom

But alas, spring isn't a true season here in Washington and half the time we are still in cozy clothes. That typically hasn't stopped us because we can always opt for baby leg warmers, right?

So today I want to share with you the cuteness of Lotus Bumz cloth diapers and her line of coordinating leg warmers!

Lotus Bumz is family owned by Lorain and the diapers are ethically made in China. The diapers that I got to review are a one-size pocket diaper. If you are new to the cloth diaper lingo game, "one size" means that the diaper is made to fit most babies from usually 8 - 35 lbs, and "pocket diapers" means you stuff an insert inside the cover. The insert doesn't get bunched up or out of place so it's really a great option for many families.

We've been using Lotus Bumz cloth diapers for about 6 months and love em. Just plain love em. They have the cutest prints and fit my (now potty trained) toddler and infant really well. Each diaper comes with a microfiber insert.

The outer material, PUL, is thick and high quality. I have had zero issues with leaks and I can see these diapers standing up to a lot of use. Even though I use cloth diapers because I think they're cute, my main goal is to be able to use them through multiple children and I don't have any doubt that I'll be using these for another child. Here's my full Lotus Bumz cloth diaper review.

The leg warmers are also great quality. They have been a life saver for Ruby's knees while she motors around between carpet and hardwood. The best part about them is that they make diaper changes a breeze! A bonus is that when your kids get a little older and their legs are too long or thick for the leggings, they become great arm warmers. They are the right mixture of warm and lightweight that you can use them most of the year.

Are you ready to win a set of your own? Lotus Bumz wants to give a Pierogie Mama winner a coordinating cloth diaper and leg warmer set! Just enter via the giveaway widget below.

This giveaway has ended.

Disclosure: The Pierogie Mama is not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations.

5 Reasons to Babywear When Your Little is Sick

Did you have the joys of experiencing the crud that has been passed around this winter? I call it "the crud" because there's really no other name for it. It's not quite a cold or the flu, sometimes a little bit of stomach virus gets mixed in and it just percolates through a home for weeks, sometimes even months. Truth be told, we've been going on about 6 weeks of this and that. And typically as soon as we feel well and go out for a play date or some kind of event, BOOM a new strain gets picked up and we start all over again.

Before kids, I would either tough it out and lock myself in my office and only accept human contact in the form of IMs or I'd resign myself to the couch. Mamas, you know that this is not even a remote possibility if you and especially if the kids are sick. But life goes on and the couch beckons for the husband when he returns home, not for you. What are you to do?

Babywear. Babywear. Babywear.

Here are the top 5 reasons why one should babywear when the little is sick:

1. Skin to skin (Kangaroo Mother Care) contact helps children heal faster. Skin to skin contact releases oxytocin, it helps regulate heart rate, temperature and breathing.

2. Nursing babies want to nurse more while sick, so wearing them gives them easy access. Breastmilk is full of antibodies and is very hydrating; both of which are important when a little one feels under the weather. There's also studies showing that breastmilk is the pathway between mother and baby for shared immunity, and the mother is able to respond with antibodies that the baby needs.

3. Sick children inherently want to stay close to their parents and snuggle, so wearing them helps satisfy that need. Staying close is comforting and reduces stress levels for both.

4. Wearing children helps keep them upright, which helps drain their sinuses and can help them relax enough to get some rest. I encourage you to (safely) babywear in the shower or in a steamy bathroom. Beach Front Baby Carriers are great for water-use!

5. Just like with all baby carrier types, you can still get stuff done while your little one is needing to be held more!

During our season of "The Crud" I was able to try out the Boba Wrap. Normally I opt for a soft structured carrier, like the Boba 4G, but I found that the wrap was awesome for several reasons:

1. It was soft, snuggly and just the right amount of stretch. Perfect for sick babies.
2. The "tails" were perfect for wiping snot. There, I said it. You know you do it too.
3. It washes and dries very quickly, especially after too many snot wiping episodes..
4. Because of the stretchy factor, it encouraged me to move slowly and not move around as much as I normally would in a soft structured carrier. Using a Boba Wrap doesn't necessarily limit you to standing in one spot in fear of the material moving out of place, but it definitely kept me mostly upright (no unloading the dishes for me) or snuggled on the couch.

Ruby is about 20 lbs and 11 months old, which is still well within the 35 lb weight limit. My almost 3 year old weighs 25 lbs, so I gave it a shot and she loved it too! She called it the "Boba Hug."

Learn how to tie a Boba Wrap here. It took a little bit of practice for me to get it tight enough but once I got it down it was so comfy to wear.

You can get the Boba Wrap at Pish Posh Baby!

The innovative Pish Posh Baby Boba Wrap is the perfect wrap style carrier for both advanced babywearers and beginners. Featuring a unique fabric blend free of buckles, straps, or buttons, it offers simple, no-guess tying and a hands-free hold that is comfortable for both you and your baby. It also makes breastfeeding a cinch! By evenly distributing the weight of your child, there is no time limit to how long your baby can stay in the wrap. You may calm and soothe your baby with your warmth, your voice, your movement, and your heart beat for as long as you both would like! The Boba Wrap holds babies weighing from 7-35 lbs. Available in black, navy blue, gray, orange, purple and print stardust, the Pish Posh Baby Boba Wrap retails for $37.99.

Follow  Pish Posh Baby 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PishPoshBaby

Twitter: https://twitter.com/pishposhbaby

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Disclosure: I received a Boba Wrap from Pish Posh Baby in exchange for my honest review. No other compensation was provided.

Catch the moment: Week 6

More instagram quality pictures. One day I'll pick up my camera for real ;)

 Miss Ruby had some really wrinkly feet after her bath, and it totally brought me back to that super newborn phase where they are still wrinkly and crinkly. We are on the eve of her first birthday (well, it's next month..) and I don't know about you, but with the first baby everything is so new and fresh that I couldn't wait for the next milestone. With Ruby I am finding myself holding back, because I know that she will never be this little again. With the grace of God she will not be my last baby so I will get to relive all those baby moments again :)

 When I ask Penny to smile for the camera, or to say "cheese," this is the face she makes. Gosh I love this girl. She is just too hilarious! She quite enjoyed her cupcake.

 Miss Ruby is now 11 months old and the girls' joint birthday party is in full planning mode. 

 I am a bandwagon fan. I don't know anything about football, but anyone in Seattle these days needs a bit of Seahawks gear. So the day following the Superbowl (this is going to sound really horrible..) I knew that a lot of Seahawks stuff would be on sale so I headed to my local fabric and craft store to buy remnants.  Along with a thrifted scarf and a bit of lace, I made my own Seahawks infinity scarf. Boom.

My sister in law has gone gluten free and she's pretty stinkin good at making macrons. So naturally I had to go out for a visit to watch her make some and then eat them. :)

 Squirt and Ruby have this strange bond that he never grew with Penny. From the very beginning, he knew that she is something to be protected and cared for. And in the last 6 months, also that this is a source of food. He commonly sits under her high chair and waits. Times when I put her on the floor with a snack, he stays close. Today she taunted (and later shared) him with a piece of french bread. But this dog will never snatch from her, he always waits for her to offer. And she squeals when his tongue licks her hands :)

Until we build a new coop, we still be sticking with the 5 hens that I've had since last year (but don't quote me on that). Since it's chick season, we got our chick-fix by visiting our local Co-Op and took a look at the little chickies that are currently in. Maybe later in the season when they have older chicks that never got bought, I'll pick up a pretty one or two..or three.

Catch up on previous weeks: 

Catch the moment archives

Follow along on Instagram daily!

Catch the Moment Week 5

Our little town had a 12th man flag raising ceremony at noon. I took the girls down to watch the local high school drum squad and cheer on our hawks.

 I taught my first Cloth Diapering class at Grow With Me Boutique, and the owner of Buttons Diapers sat in!

On sunny afternoons I let my girls free range and I love seeing them go bottoms up. Their butts are just so fluffy!

 Penny has requested a "fairy dinosaur" themed birthday party. So each week I'm hitting up the local thrift stores in hopes of finding good deals on these dinosaur models and will start putting together the decorations.. Find all my girly dinosaur pins.

Have you ever seen anything quite so adorable?

 Penny wrote out Valentine's Day cards to the loves in her life, and I made sure that a very special one got sent to Daddy's office (shh it's a surprise!). The first true love a girl has will always be her daddy. No one will ever replace him as the love of her life. 

Since July I've been on hiatus from my contacts because I've got some weird irritation going on in my eyelids that contacts seem to make worse. BOOO. I've been wearing my frames that I've had for ten years and I just needed a new look. Finally - these bad boys. I kind of feel like a mix between Alex Voss and this Tula model mama!

Catch up on previous weeks: 

Catch the moment archives

Follow along on Instagram daily!

Teaching Cloth Diaper 101

This past weekend I taught my first cloth diapering class at my local children's consignment store, Grow With Me Boutique!

Grow With Me Boutique is very quickly becoming the go-to location for anything cloth diaper related - she's stocking up on multiple different brands and accessories so it seemed appropriate to help educate our community about the benefits of cloth diapering as well as show parents how easy it is to cloth diaper.

When I was initially looking into cloth diapering I was so overwhelmed with all the different options and didn't have a location close to me where I could actual hold a diaper to see how they worked exactly. We bloggers try our best to show off the features of each diaper we review, but sometimes you just gotta hold it in your hands and have a person talk to you face to face about what it is. With this in mind, I created my "lesson plan" and Grow With Me set up the event!

I was thinking that a group of 6-8 would be perfect; more than I could ask for. As the date to the class grew closer the attendance count kept ticking up and soon over two dozen were signed up to come!

My goal of the class was to introduce the different styles of cloth and to show everyone that every family is unique so there is no "right" way to cloth diaper. I started by giving a brief overview of the different styles of cloth as well as their pros/cons:

• prefolds and flats with covers
• all in ones
• all in twos
• pockets
• fitteds

I also covered accessories, wash basics and a little bit of trouble shooting. Some of the attendees were already experienced in cloth diapering so it was great to have them share their experiences, such as while I use the dry pail method, two other moms shared that they use wet pails and why it works for them. It was a great open discussion with tons of questions and it made the time just fly by. I was also able to give out samples of Rockin Green, Country Save, Motherlove Herbals, Earth Angel Mama Baby and Planet Wise even sponsored two prizes!

We also had a special guest appearance; my own "cloth diaper community star," Amy the owner of Buttons Diapers. Amy and I have worked together several times, through my own Buttons Diapers reviews and at the Mommie Mixer in 2013. She's somewhat local to me so it was fun to have her come visit and for a couple customers get to meet her.

It had been several years since I've taught a class so it was fun and refreshing to jump in again. I hope I'll get to do it another time soon!

Connect with Grow With Me Boutique 

to find more cloth diapering resources for Snohomish County!