Review/Giveaway for a Christmas Print AI2 Diaper by Howler Monkey Bums - a new WAHM Diaper!

One lucky reader will win the cute Ooga Booga Christmas print AI2 diaper pictured above by Howler Monkey Bums. You can also find Howler Monkey Bums on Facebook.

Plus I want to give you a heads up on a great sale! Today only (Monday, 11/28/11) there's a cyber sale. Use the code CYBERMONDAY10 for 10% off your total order!!!

About Howler Monkey Bums:

Howler Monkey Bums is a brand new WAHM run business by Callie Eddy Burton, located in Layton, Utah. Callie is another talented lady from my due date group! Callie is also a 1st grade teacher & Mom of 2 beautiful girls. Callie was inspired to try cloth diapers by Sarah West of Wee Bonnie Botts in April 2011. She was confused about where to begin and extremely frightened with the start up cost. Sarah sent her a few different types to try and gave her some time to decide on which she liked the best. She decided to venture into sewing and selling them herself. Callie's absolute favorite diaper is the AI2. She loves that the shell can be reused throughout the day minimizing the amount of laundry. This also allows her to coordinate her baby's clothes with the cute diaper print. She's a licensed La Di Da seamstress. She sells both AIO & AI2 diapers with PUL. She also makes one size & sized La Di Da Diapers. In addition, she can make the One Size Sprout Snap if you like that fit for your baby's bum. All of her diapers meet and exceed all CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act) Regulations.


She offers discounts for starter packages, which will be personalized through her etsy shop.

Callie is super sweet & helpful. She understands feeling confused & overwhelmed since she felt that way herself when first starting out with cloth diapers. She's open to answering any questions that you might have.  

What's an AI2?

By now I'm sure all of you are familiar with AIO's & pocket diapers, but do you know what an AI2 is? It's very similar to an AIO because it has an outer shell, complete with waterproof layer, but the absorbent portion usually snaps in or just lays inside the shell. What makes this so nice is that you can remove the absorbent portion & reuse the shell! This works better with some AI2's than others. I've tested other AI2's & ended up using them like AIO's because the shell became wet as well & I didn't like the thought of putting my baby back in a wet shell with a new liner. I think because Callie's liner is so super long & made of ultra absorbent Zorb, you could actually use this one that way! I will be ordering some extra liners from her once we get past the holidays to see how that works out. I feel pretty certain that if I had a spare when I tested my Ooga Booga Christmas print, & if I'd changed her at 2 or 3 hrs instead of closer to 5, I could've gotten away with reusing the shell & just putting a new liner in.

This brings me to...

My Experience with Howler Monkey Bums:

I just received my AI2 from Howler Monkey Bums in the mail a couple of days ago. My 1st impression? CUTE & very well made! I was unfamiliar with the La Di Da diapers, but I have to say that I'm impressed. It's a nice trim diaper that adjusts to various sizes easily. There's a very long snake like, snap in liner/soaker that you can fold to add extra absorption where needed for your baby.

 Fresh out of the package, snapped down to it's smallest size.

View of the back

 

  

Diaper opened up, exposing the red suedecloth inner.

The very long snap in liner, tri-folded.

This pic shows the super long, snake like, snap in liner. You can fold this in any configuration that works best for your baby.

Callie suggested that I wash the diaper on hot 3 times & dry it in the dryer 3 times to make sure that the holes from her sewing through the PUL were sealed. I don't ever wash my dipes on hot - I always use warm. Plus, I was impatient to try this cute dipe out on my baby, so I kind of cheated in the pre-wash process. I did a warm wash with 2 warm rinses, & dried it twice in the dryer.

As soon as it came out of the dryer I put it on my baby. I nursed her, & she fell asleep in my arms. She slept for a good hour in my arms, & there was absolutely no leakage at all. When she woke up I let her play in her activity center for a while, on the floor for a while, etc. She normally cries when she wets, but she didn't even complain! She wore this diaper from about 4:00 pm to around 8:30 or 9:00 pm before she started to complain. Normally I change her every 2 or 3 hrs, but I was just curious to see if it would leak since I didn't exactly follow Callie's advice about sealing the holes in the PUL. Guess what? Not even a small leak! I was very impressed that she didn't seem to be uncomfortable with a wet diaper until almost 5 hrs went by!

My husband changed her diaper when he came home from work. He's extremely intimidated by cloth diapers for some strange reason, but he managed to get it off easily. I asked him if she was very wet, & he said that he couldn't tell. I know that she was wet based on her behavior before & after the change, but the fact that he couldn't tell means that the Zorb really does absorb liquid well. I've tested diapers with Zorb in the past & they really do perform outstandingly well! Based on this, I haven't even tested the diaper for night use. I know that it will definitely last all night - at least based on my breast fed baby's version of all night, which is anywhere from 5 to 8 hrs of consecutive sleep before waking to nurse.

I also know that there are quite a few Moms out there who would appreciate winning this before Christmas comes & goes, so I want to get the giveaway up! :o) Trust me when I tell you that there was absolutely no leaks at all during the extended time frame that I had her in the diaper!

Look how cute!

 

Look at the great fit!

She can move easily in it (too easily - she almost rolled off the table!).

A closeup of the rear fit.

Callie surprised me with a little bonus! She sent me an extremely cute miniature version of her diaper for a doll. :o) It has decorative snaps, but closes with Velcro to make it easier for little hands to manipulate. Of course, my baby girl is too little for it yet. She won't be ready for it until she's 3 for safety reasons (snaps), but I'll definitely hang on to it for her! It's absolutely precious! Be sure to check out Howler Monkey Bums on Facebook or the etsy shop to see samples of everything she offers, including these adorable doll diapers. 

Look at the cute little doll diaper!

 Tips From Callie:

Callie was nice enough to offer some tips! She says that if baby poops you shouldn't reuse the shell, even it appears to be clean because the smell lingers.

There's a trick to cleaning the snake soaker if you are a Mom that sprays poop off into the toilet. Be sure to leave it tri-folded while spraying it off. Callie said "Maybe I'm just slow but the length of them used to really bother me until I realized that you can keep it folded."

Pros:

1. Fit
2. Function - super absorbent!
3. Cute!!!
4. Ability to customize the shell lining with your choice of suedecloth or velour. 

Cons: 

I really can't think of any.  The snake like liner/soaker might be a little difficult for some to adjust to at first, but I didn't have a problem.

Attention Moms of girls! Please check out this cute, pink, sparkly, flower headband by GiggleBox Boutique! It would make a nice stocking stuffer, & would be super cute in those Santa pictures coming up! The headband giveaway ends on Dec 4 at midnight.

The Giveaway:

This giveaway is slightly different because we're so close to the holidays! Callie wants to make sure that the winner receives their Christmas print AI2 prior to Christmas. Because of that, she's asking the winning bidder to please pay $5.80 for priority mail. She's offering the winner a great bargain too - free shipping if they purchase a diaper in the Howler Monkey Bums Etsy Shop at the same time! You'll just have to contact her for the free shipping code prior to placing an order. The giveaway is open to residents of the US who are 18 & older. It ends Dec 12 at midnight.