Share the Love: Sprout Change Diaper Review and $50 Willow Store Giveaway

**THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED! CONGRATULATIONS TO MARGARET {number five}, as she was chosen as winner. She has 24 hours to respond to my email and claim her prize.**

One of the biggest challenges we've come across during our journey into cloth diapering has centered around finding a diaper that accommodates the way our babies have rapidly changed shape and morphed into unique sizes from month to month and year to year.

While we expected we'd have to experiment with fit and size from year to year, we didn't anticipate just how many brands of sized and one-sized diapers we'd filter through before finding the right fit for each age and each stage and each differing body type.

All of that said, I really wish we would have discovered the Sprout Change Diaper when it was first introduced by mom entrepreneur Catherine Bolden several years ago, as she developed the diapering system to not just grow with babies through all their many months as well as years, but she made the diapers so that they could offer a really custom fit with the many unique changes in shape or size our little ones experience.

The Sprout Change Diaper {like the Sprout Change Training Pants we absolutely adore} isn't like a normal one-size diaper, most of which often just adjust in the rise and in the waist, offering multiple snaps to accommodate growth in height and width.



Sprout Change Diapers actually adjust to give a custom fit by allowing mom or dad to tighten or loosen the elastic in each leg as well as around the waist.


I'll show you {on Brown Bear because the toddler wanted nothing to do with being a diaper model any time I tried; it's like he's got a mind of his own or something.}



The diaper shell, which is reversible and lined with a Sprout Change Organic Cotton Insert, fits both my thin, 33-pound preschooler {who doesn't actually need them but was willing to be a guinea pig tester for a few brief moments} and his stocky, 32-pound toddler brother, demonstrating how the diapers not only grows to fit different sizes but also different shapes.

Whenever number three comes along, we'll surely be investing in a few more Sprout Change shells and inserts so as to eliminate buying multiple size diaper covers that often cannot give a custom fit.

In addition to liking the custom fit, I also like that the Sprout Change Diapering system was designed for easy use.

Simply lay the insert inside the shell, adjust to your little one's size and snap shut. It's one of the more simple diapers, aside from all-in-ones, to use as there are not a lot of bells and whistles. Once the diaper is adjusted to baby's size, it's only a matter of switching out the inserts at each change because generally the shells are able to be used multiple times, which is something my husband really liked.



Messes are generally restricted to the insert, though I experienced a time when my toddler went through a growth spurt and needed double inserts inside the shell to ensure the shell wasn't soiled.

Overall, I've really liked our Sprout Change Diaper, and I'm looking forward covering a new little baby bum sometime in the future with these diapers.

How about you? Would you like to win your own Sprout Change Diapers?

Or maybe something else from the Willow Store, like Sprout Change Training Pants {LOVE them!} or Forever {paperless} Towels or Soap Nuts?

The Willow Store is again giving away a $50 Gift Certificate to one of my friends here! {So generous!!}

Simply share with us what you would use your $50 to buy and why after taking a peek at all of the green, organic goodies at The Willow Store. Be sure to leave a correct email address!

Want an extra entry?
* Tweet: I'm hoping to go #green w/ a $50 gift card from #TheWillowStore & @HyacynthW for #clothdiapers & other must-haves http://bit.ly/qDlCtK. {Don't forget to leave a comment for your extra entry.}

EXTENDED: I will randomly choose a winner Friday, August 12 at 9 a.m. CST. Best of luck!

{P.S. In keeping with Facebook policy, I may not give an extra entry for liking The Willow Store on Facebook. However, if you'd like to show your support of a wonderful, eco-friendly, mom-owned business and say thanks to Catherine for offering such a second generous giveaway, you could head over and give them a thumbs up}

The Willow Store is a gracious sponsor of this space. I received a complimentary Sprout Change Shell and three inserts for review. My opinions, as always, are mine and mine alone.

Share the Love: $50 Giveaway from The Willow Store and Sprout Change Training Pants Review

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!
**Lauren was PICKED BY RANDOM.ORG as the WINNER in the THIRD redraw! She has 24 hours to respond to my notifcation.**

Bedtime shouldn't be a battle -- especially a battle about underwear.

Alas, every night before bedtime, we have the same spirited conversation.

"I'm big," says almost 4-year-old G. "I don't WANT to wear a diaper to bed."

As I list all of the reasons why his cloth pull ups are not actually diapers, my oldest son eyes up the cloth diaper John is securing to his younger brother's rear.

And my argument is null and void right there. Most parents who are helping preschoolers learn to master the potty have fought this fight, be it at night or during the day, so I know you hear me on this one.

Reluctantly, G puts on his bulky, pocket-style pull up, often with tears, and climbs into bed unhappily almost nightly.

It's sort of heartbreaking; he wants to wear underwear to sleep but he's just not there yet because he's such a sound sleeper. {This is frustrating for a kid who learned to use the potty during the day before he was two.}

A few weeks ago, The Willow Store, a lovely mama-made-and-run company in Wisconsin, asked if I'd be interested in reviewing a new cloth pullup. I couldn't say yes quickly enough.

I've been on the hunt for a washable training pant pull up that isn't pocket-style and that doesn't look like a diaper or feel bulky for about two years now. And mostly all I've found is bulky, pocket-style pullups that get the job done but are exactly like the ones G so adamantly protests nightly.

Catherine, the owner asked which color Sprout Change Training Pants G would like, and she sent him his first choice, which was a super way to start off the review.



Because unlike with cloth diapers meant for babes who have no vocal opinion on said diapers, training pants must be approved not only by mom and dad, but also by very opinionated preschoolers.

And, you know, when parents are working with their little ones on potty learning -- be it at night or during the day -- allowing preschoolers or older toddlers to have a say in picking some of their potty-learning gear actually works for potty-learning endeavors. {Especially in my case with a kiddo who desperately wants to outgrow his training-pant days.}

So, yes, the large array of color choices was a huge bonus, mostly because it gave G at least a bit of say in what he was going to wear. And whatever offers him a little relief from the frustration of having to wear training pants to sleep, helps me sleep better.

The very day his special blue Sprout Change Training Pants arrived in the mail, he was eager to wear it that night instead of the other ones.

So eager that he wouldn't take no for an answer when I told him I had to wash it several more times before it would be ready for wear, as our chosen Sprout Change inners are made of organic cotton that needs to be washed several times before it reaches maximum absorbency. {There is also a stay-dry inner option.}

Against my better judgement, he wore it to sleep, and he leaked through the side -- my own fault of course for not standing my ground and washing it the directed two more times before use.

The next day, I washed the Sprout Change Training Pant two more times, and had it ready to go when he requested his blue "night underwear."

That night, I also added a regular Spout Change Organic Cotton Insert to the pullup so as to ensure adequate absorbency for a preschooler.

He happily pulled the Sprout Change on and went to sleep.


And he happily woke in the morning without any leaks.

Every night, G asks for his special Sprout Change underwear -- I honestly cannot wash the thing fast enough for his liking, so I foresee a few more Sprout Change Training Pants arriving at our doorstep during the next week.

As you've likely figured, the Sprout Change Training Pant is in heavy rotation here as it's not only been well-received by the younger audience, but it's also been mom and dad approved:



Sprout Change Training Pants Quick Overview:
Shop: The Willow Store
Type: mom-owned, hand made, eco-friendly, natural and organic
Price: moderate to high
Quality: great
Customer Service: great
Durability: great {Worn every other night for the past two weeks}
Communication: great
Selection: great
Sizing: accommodates a large weight range and body structure

What makes Sprout Change Training Pant Unique:

*Unlike cloth pocket pullups that are bulky when stuffed with adequate inserts to accommodate a heavy wetter or preschooler, Sprout Change Pullups are very trim. Even when I added the extra insert into the pull up, there was minimal extra padding, and G's pajamas fit normally instead of tightly and awkwardly across the seat of the pants.

*Sprout Change Training Pants are adjustable in the thigh and in the waist, so it's actually possibly to get a really custom fit quickly and easily. There's no cloth to fold over or snaps to adjust when trying to get the right size for your little one. Rather, the elastic is adjusted from the inside.



Unsnap the button on the tabs of the pullup to access the elastic, and simply pull the elastic until it gently tightens around the thigh and the waist. When the desired tightness for both the thigh and the waist have been secured, slip the button through the elastic and tuck back into the side tabs of the training pant. Because the elastic and button adjustments are stored inside the shell, little hands are not able to readjust or fiddle with the adjustments.


*Sprout Change Training Pants function as daytime training pants in addition to night-time trainers, keeping accidents contained. Unlike many cloth pullups that are made of just cotton or fleece, which both wick and are easily soaked through, the Sprout Change Training Pant features organic cotton on the inside and water-proof PUL on the outside.

*The Sprout Change Training Pants allows preschoolers independence, as they can pull it on with out assistance, but also has easy-open side buttons so a messy accident can be easily changed.

One Quick Note:
*One of my biggest pet peeves about cloth diapers and pullups in general centers around quality elastic. The elastic in Spout Change Training Pants seem to be made of durable, quality elastic that likely will hold up in heavy rotation. However, we've only been using the Sprout Change Pullup for a few weeks, so I will be sure to update this review going forth if for some reason the durability drastically changes after more wear and tear.

Overall, I consider Sprout Change Training Pants to be the nicest cloth training pants we've tried. And, as I've said, we've tried many with decent results from my perspective, but never with such positive reviews from both the wearer and parent alike.



Would you like to win a $50 gift certificate to The Willow Store and buy a few Sprout Change Training Pants? Or maybe a few Sprout Change Diapers? Or maybe some other organic, eco-friendly mama or baby necessities like mama pads or forever towels or laundry nuts?

Simply leave a comment sharing what you would purchase from The Willow Store with your $50. Or tell me about why you'd like to try one of the aforementioned items.

For additional entries {LEAVE A COMMENT FOR EACH!}, you can:
*Like The Willow Store on Facebook

*Tweet: "I'm hoping to live green by winning a $50 #TheWillowStore GC for #clothdiapers or other #organic mama-must haves http://bit.ly/jO8PJH!"

*Share this giveaway on your Facebook page tagging both The Willow Store and Undercover Mother {note that you must "like" both pages to tag, but I have no other way of monitoring FB otherwise -- sorry! I try not to make people FB "like" me during giveaways!}

Cheers to healthy living, and good luck!!Entries close Wednesday, July 6 at 7 p.m.!

{Just a friendly reminder: Only family-friendly products I know my friends here will find beneficial and complimentary to living life healthfully are reviewed in this space. While the Willow Store is an wonderfully kind sponsor here, all of my opinions are my own. I was given the Sprout Change Training Pants for the review. To read more about my review policy, take a peek here.}

Adventures: On having a home away from home

Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by how much this little blog feels like my very real home on the web.

{Maybe that's strange?}

But if this space is my home, I suppose when I'm writing other places, I'm actually venturing out into the big world. My jaunts have been sporadic since Chicago Moms Blog went of hiatus, guest posting at a few places, which have been warm and welcoming, much like good friends' places are.

And, now, I think I may have found a new, more-frequented home away from home at CBS Local.

I've been invited to write there once a week about my parenting experiences and preferences regarding all things family and Chicago.

So if you want to help me warm my new home away from home, feel free to check out my thoughts about our favorite cloth diapers available in the Chicago area.

Cloth diapers: cost-effectiveness of cloth vs disposables

Now that G is 17 months old (pictured left in size medium Happy Heiny pocket diaper), I thought this would be an appropriate time to tally up what I've spent on cloth diapers for his entire diapering career up-to-date: $791.87.

Here's the fine print about our stash.
*The diapers range from newborn through toddlerhood. We will not have to buy any more diapers to fit G as he grows, so this stash will take us through potty learning (probably 22 months, which is really early for most kids).
*I bought some diapers gently used and some brand new.
*We have a somewhat "fancy" stash that includes All-In-Ones, Goodmamas fitted diapers and Aristocrat wool covers. We definitely could have done with out these things and spent $215 less. We thought the Goodmamas were worth it, though, because they fit newborns through toddlers. A bare-bones stash using prefolds and covers would have cost us even less -- to the tune of probably about $200-$300 for a full stash.*We have a large stash; I only do laundry every other day, and I can go three days laundry-free without Gabe having to run around naked and free.

Covers
4 newborn covers ($32)
2 Thirsties Covers size large ($18)
3 Bummis Covers size medium ($30)
2 Bummis Cover size small ($20)
2 Thirsties covers size medium ($20)
2 Aristocrat Soakers sizes large and medium ($60)

Pockets
8 Happy Heiny Pocket diapers in size medium and inserts ($140)

Fitteds
5 Bamboozle size 2 ($45)
4 Snug-to-Fit Supremes ($51.80)
4 Goodmamas ($105)
4 Organic Under the Niles in size Medium ($51.80)
8 infant Green Mountain Diaper fitteds ($64)

AIO/AI2
4 Very Baby All-in-Ones and All-in-twos in size large ($50)

Prefolds
10 brown edge prefolds from Green Mountain Diaper ($20)
2 blue edge prefolds from Green Mountain Diaper ($5.32)
2 yellow edge prefolds from Green Mountain Diaper ($4)
12 green edge infant prefolds from Green Mountain Diaper ($21)

Inserts:
4 Hemp/Fleece Doublers from GMD ($32)
2 Fleece Inserts from GMD ($3)
2 Happy Heiny Hemp Doublers ($16)
1 Hemp Doubler from GMD ($2.95)

Here is a total of what we would have spent on disposables during the last 17 months: $986.64. (I am using sale prices found online for Babies R Us and Toys R Us as of today.) And as you know, disposables cannot be reused.
I also should mention that this is an estimate! Some babies pee more and need more changes and some pee less. This is roughly what it would have cost us with our little one.

Huggies newborn 92 count for $25 -- $152 for months one and two
(That's 10 diapers per day, seven days a week, four weeks per month for two months because newborns poop a lot. That's a little bit of an underestimate because a lot of days we were changing 12 diapers per day.)

Huggies size 1-2 192 count for $33.99 -- $101.97 for months three and four
(That's 10 diapers per day, seven days a week, four weeks per month for two months.)

Huggies size 3 144 count for $33.99 -- $528.73 for months five through 14
(That's 8 diapers per day, seven days a week, four weeks per month for 10 months.)

Huggies size 4 126 count for $33.99 -- $203.94 15, 16, and 17
(That's 8 diapers per day, seven days a week, four weeks per month for 3 months.)

G probably will not be done potty learning until about 20 - 22 months, so you can factor in 5 more months worth of costs for disposables, yet we do not have to buy anymore cloth diapers. If I were to factor in five more months in disposables, it would cost an additional $305.91. That would bring the total for disposable diapering a child through age 22 months to $1,292.55.

And that, my friends, is my unscientific but experience-based research about cloth-diapering costs versus disposable-diapering costs. And just think, for another baby, we would end up spending another $1,292 for disposable diapers. We will be able to reuse our cloth diapers when we have another little one whose bum needs covering, and that makes both me and the Financial Manager very happy.

RAVE: Sun Oxygen Cleaner

We've had some staining issues since Gabe started solids mostly because Gabe believes that everything part of his body should share with his mouth in the joy of eating. Many a green bean has been smeared across his clean onesie or wiped onto his formerly white socks. Most of the clothing stains have come out with no problem in the wash. The diapers, on the other hand, are an entirely different story. Apparently solid-food-poop stains are harder to remove than predigested food stains. I was having the hardest time getting the unsightly blemishes from my beautiful fluff (remember, I really, really love our diapers. It's unnatural, I'm sure, but I don't care!).
I asked the ladies at the Green Mountain Diaper Yahoo Group for help, and one mama suggested an oxygen cleaner. Another cloth-diapering mama who also uses the stuff suggested we take a walk across the street to the Dollar General to pick up a bucket of Sun Oxygen Cleaner, and boy, am I glad we did!
My fluff looks beautiful!!! This stuff took the stains out of Gabe's diapers, and it only took one wash! It's a simple, inexpensive, bacteria-killing, brightening detergent (but it does not contain whitening enzymes, which is a big no-no for cloth diapers). It's also nice because it is powder form and doesn't have the additives used to keep liquid detergents in liquid form. And it's safe for cloth diapers!
Pointer: It's not necessary to use as much as the box suggests per load. You can easily get by cutting the amount in half! Happy laundering, mamas!