Sands Charity Auction

“An angel in the book of life wrote down my baby’s birth. Then whispered as she closed the book “too beautiful for earth” - Author unknown

17 babies are stillborn or die shortly after birth every day in the UK. Sands Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity, offers support to anyone who is affected by the death of a baby either during pregnancy or after birth, they are working with health professionals to improve the care given to bereaved parents and to promote research to reduce the loss of babies lives. Cloth Nappy Tree are holding a Charity auction in aid of Sands. The Auction contains over 40 items ranging from handmade jewellery, clothes and gifts to nappies and baking! The Auction will be running for 10 days with items ending next week between Monday and Thursday.

To bid simply register on Cloth Nappy Tree and comment on the item you’d like with your bid amount.

http://www.clothnappytree.com/wahm-wonders/wonders.php?u=5842

Nature Babies Bambini - a Review

Style: 4/5

Fit: 5/5

Absorbency: 4/5

Ease of use: 4/5

Value for money: 5/5

The Bambini is a new nappy recently introduced by Nature Babies. It’s a one-size fitted nappy, made from super absorbent bamboo, comes with a separate bamboo booster and fastens with aplix.

I tested the Bambini with a Nature Babies Classic Wrap in pink camo print. A one-size wrap with leg gussets available with aplix or popper fastening.

My first thought when I opened my fluffy mail was how gloriously soft the bamboo was, it never ceases to amaze me how lovely bamboo feels against my skin, you instantly know it’s better than man made fabrics.

My second thought was; ‘this is way too slim, Esmé will out wee this in no time!’

With a fair dose of trepidation I put the Bambini and Nature Babies Wrap on Esmé on a morning we weren’t going out!

I was instantly sold on the fit of the nappy, it was snug to her thighs and waist without being tight. On her third wearing we managed the containment test and all the poo was contained within the nappy without soiling the wrap.

The wrap fit equally as well, the size matched the nappy without adding any extra bulk and wasn’t excessively baggy like many wraps can be. I’m a huge fan of gusseted wraps, although I don’t use many fitteds on a daily basis, I do always opt for a gusseted wrap as they are by far the most reliable in my experience. The disadvantage is that you loose the nice smooth bum look in trousers but the availability of a wide range or prints and solid colours makes up for this when she’s in a skirt!

I’ve already mentioned that the Bambini is extremely slim, I would compare it to a BumGenius v4 for bulk, which puts it a lot slimmer than other fitteds I’ve tried. Absorbency isn’t compromised though, this lasted the distance extremely well and wasn’t saturated when I took it off, which is the main thing that puts me off using fitteds. I would have liked to have a second lay in booster with it but not everyone would need this and they’re available for only £2.50 if you do.

The down side to this absorbency is that it takes a long time to dry. I found the best method was to stretch it out and peg it in place on the line; even then it took several hours on a sunny day to dry completely. Therefore I would hesitate to recommend it to someone without a tumble drier, unless you’re willing to wash frequently to ensure they dry in time.

There are two reasons I’ve marked this nappy down for ease of use, the first being that a two part system is never going to be as nursery/husband proof as an all-in-one, but I wouldn’t hold that against it. The second is a very petty bug bear of mine; I fasten the right hand tab first which means the overlapping aplix is on the wrong side, not the end of the world I’m sure I’ll get used to it! However, no stuffing required and it’s pretty ‘wriggly baby’ proof so it redeems itself.

The Bambini retails at £9.99 and the Classic wrap at £8.95 it’s comparable to other fitted nappies and for a reliable system that will do you from birth to potty, it represents excellent value for money.

Overall the Bambini is an excellent, reliable nappy that I’m sure will quickly become popular with fitted fans and cloth newbies alike.

Smartipants - Review

Style: 4/5


Fit: 4/5

Absorbency: 4/5

Ease of use: 6/5

Value for money: 5/5

The Smartipants have recently been brought to the UK by online nappy store www.fill-your-pants.com. The Smartipants is a one-size pocket nappy with popper fastening, a thirsty microfiber insert and a suede cloth inner to keep your baby’s bottom dry.

I tested the Mellow Yellow colour Smartipants which is a gorgeous unisex soft yellow. With 7 pastel colours and the imminent arrival of a further 6 brights you’ll easily find one to suit you.

The Smartipants fastens with a single row of incredibly strong poppers! Esmé did give it a go but can’t get them undone. I also find popper fastenings keep so much nicer over time and washing than aplix fastening that tends to wear out and become tatty looking.

The main feature of this nappy that I think sets it apart from the others on the market is the Smart Sleeve. This is the opening that you stuff the microfiber insert into, it’s open at both ends so the insert is super easy to put in, lay flat and it come out again in the wash, so no touching the wet insert. It’s also stitched a cm in from the leg to help prevent leaking.

I found the fit on Esmé to be very similar to the BumGenius v4.0 but I suspect it’ll go a bit further on the larger end of the scale. Containment was perfect for explosive teething poo. The single insert lasted a respectable distance but my heavy wetter would definitely benefit from two, luckily there is plenty of space in the Smartipants to facilitate this without adding excessive bulk.

The Smartipants retails at £13.50 for a single nappy with discounts for larger packs, making them an incredibly affordable pocket nappy with excellent performance to match.

Overall the Smartipants is a reliable affordable nappy that I’m sure will see many babies all the way from birth to potty without ever having to spend another penny (of the monetary kind anyway!)

New Itti Bitti Limited Editions

I am stupidly excited about these new limited edition prints from Itti Bitti.  Available in the one-size tutto and the sized D'lish there's one to suit everyone.

MiniLaLa Review

Mini La La - Review

Style: 5/5

Fit: 5/5

Absorbency: 4/5

Ease of use: 5/5

Value for money: 4/5

The MiniLaLa is a one-size pocket nappy with a brushed polyester outer, suede cloth inner, two bamboo inserts and hook and loop fastening.

I confess I awaited the arrival of my MiniLaLa with lower than normal levels of excitement, I’m not an automatic fan of prints and none of the MiniLaLa ones caught my attention.  My opinion changed within seconds of opening the package.  The colours were bright and summery and the fabric was wonderfully strokable, although difficult to describe!

On inspection I found the hook and loop to be very strong, the suede cloth inner was lovely and soft, the rise adjustment was easy to use and the wide pocket opening made it easy to stuff.  As soon as I held the bamboo inserts I knew this would be a super absorbent nappy, most people would only need the small insert for a newborn then the two-fold insert on it’s own until toddlerdom.

And so to test.  Of course, as with any first try of a new nappy, the inevitable happened.  The difference is we didn’t notice!!  3 hours after putting Esmé in the MiniLaLa I changed her ready for bed, only to be taken by surprise by the worst teething poo to date – it actually made my eyes sting!  Not only had it contained an incredible explosion, the MiniLaLa had also contained the smell.
 
For the second test I was hoping to test the absorbency.  Baring in mind Esmé is a heavy wetter and I usually change her every 2.5-3 hours during the day, I was perhaps a little harsh on the MiniLaLa leaving it 5 hours.  By the time I changed her, Esmé was not at all uncomfortable and I was very impressed to find the suede cloth inner only slightly damp.  However it had leaked, not enough to soak her clothes but moisture appeared to have wicked through the outer where the inserts didn’t meet the leg elastic.
 
My ultimate test of looks is to send it to nursery.  They’d create a nappy for Esmé out of a plastic bag if it looked pretty.  The verdict is clear, every time it’s in the nappy bag it’s the first to be used.  The lovely summery colours brighten up the dull winter days, I only wish she got to show it off more!
 
Over regular use on a day to day basis I have been consistently impressed with the MiniLaLa.  I haven’t had any other leaks and on a normal 3 hour change routine the inserts haven’t been anywhere near saturated, I now have every confidence in it’s reliability.  My initial assessment of the fastening was spot on, finally a hook and loop nappy Esmé can’t undo!  The inserts and the inner suede cloth have stayed lovely and soft despite our hard water, which usually turns nappies crispy.  I did once catch myself using the clothes brush on the outer of the MiniLaLa, the fabric seems to pick up fluff but it doesn’t put me off, I love the feel of it but still can’t describe why!
 
At £18.00 a go I wouldn’t build a whole stash of these but 1 or 2 would make a worthy addition to any stash and cloth addicts can keep going back for more with the lovely range of prints.
 
Overall the MiniLaLa is a practical and reliable nappy with the added bonus of being incredibly pretty!
 

Photography and Facebook

Photography is most definitely not a strong point of mine!  Whether it’s down to skill or equipment I’m not really sure and I’m not willing to spend a lot of money to find out.
 
If you look at my facebook page for my jewellery: www.facebook.com/byAsta you’ll see some of my appalling attempts at photographing jewellery I have made in order to show them off.  Doesn’t really display my pieces well do they! 
 
The later (much better) photos were taken by my good friend (and wedding photographer) Andrew Sweeney.  He’s passionate about photography and truly believes in affordable photography for all.  He took this batch of photos in my living room with my 12 months old climbing all over him, he made it appear effortless which is a skill in itself.
 
As I’ve set up my facebook page I have begun to realise what I should have already know, social networking is an incredibly powerful medium.  I have only a few ‘fans’, mostly friends who ‘liked’ to support me but it’s definitely encouraging to receive some feedback and I look forward to my first ‘like’ from a stranger.  I’ve been drip feeding Andrew’s photos onto my page so as to keep it ticking over and in people’s minds.  Already I’ve sold a few items, which is just brilliant as I don’t really have any other outlet at the moment. 
 
At the end of the day the more I sell the more I can make and that’s what I enjoy, so I shall embrace my facebook page with enthusiasm and hope to see it grow over the coming months.  With a little help from my friends!
 
Andrew Sweeney’s photograph can be found here: www.flickr.com/sweenpole2001/sets/

I forgot about one of my other ‘hobbies’ in my last blog – nappies!
 
Years and years ago I saw an item on BBC breakfast about reusable nappies, there was a very cute baby crawling around in a cow print nappy.  From that moment I was decided that if I ever did cave in and have children then they’d be in reusable nappies.  Nothing to do with cost or environment but solely to do with cuteness!
 
When I fell pregnant it was never really a discussion, I researched the best type to go for and found the best price.  We went for Bum Genius v3.0 a fantastic staple nappy in rather boring white.  I then picked up another 10 in pink after Esmé arrived.  It didn’t take me long to realise there was a whole bigger world of nappies out there and our stash grew to include all sorts of different nappies mostly from the cuter and fluffier end of the spectrum to our original Bum Genius’. 
 
Before long I’d started as a ‘Nappy Guru’ for online nappy store Fill Your Pants; www.fill-your-pants.com and was giving advice and demos to other Mums and Mums-to-be who wanted to use reusable nappies but didn’t know where to start.
 
I still do give advice and demos to anyone who contacts me or for friends although I no longer have so much time to actively push it.  Of course I am forever trying out new nappies and Esmé is always a willing test pilot!
 
So this blog may also include the odd nappy related review/rant.
 
My ‘Real Nappy Guru’ website can be found here: www.realnappyguru.co.uk I think the blog will probably go in favour of this one so that I’m not restricted to nappy topics.

Hobbies

As a teenager, once I'd given up girl guides and playing the piano, I really had no hobbies. It wasn't 'cool' and lets face it we were all desperately clinging to any ounce of cool that came our way. I was working in a shoe shop aged 13 earning a paltry £1.83 an hour but boy was I rich! I blew it all shopping one summer, it was great.

Later in my teens I joined the school tech crew. This was really just an excuse to mess about and get sugar highs from far too much coke and doughnuts. It is how I got to know my future husband though, not that either of us had the slightest clue at the time. The tech crew also takes an amount of credit for my career choice in engineer. Only a small amount though, my Dad takes most of it.

When I started university I wanted to carry on with the technical theatre work I'd done in school. The university tech crew was just a little too weird for my liking so I joined the Music and Drama society. I did 3 years of shows and enjoyed every minute of it, I resisted in my final year wanting to concentrate on my degree. It was with much sadness that I watched the show and society fail. Being called apathetic for not stepping in was like salt in the wound, sadly sometimes you have to prioritise.

In my second year of university I picked up a Winnie the Pooh cross stitch in Tesco. I completed it in front of the TV in the evenings, added a name and date of birth and gave it as a Christening gift. It was so well received that I did more and more. Unfortunately I set a president and it became a chore, I haven't done any cross stitch in 18 months now after I completed a sampler for my nephew.

When my husband, Darren, and I got married in 2008 I decided to make mine and my bridesmaids jewellery for the day. After I worked in the shoe shop I moved to a jewellers aged 16 and loved it, so I'm amazed it took me so long to start making my own!

For Christmas 2008 my sister, Kelda, gave me a book called 'how to grow your own veg' and a few packets of seeds. By the end of January we had cleared out the back of our garden and built three raised beds. That year we successfully grew courgettes, carrots, onions, sweetcorn, potatoes, to name a few.

Our daughter, Esmé, was born in December 2009. The garden and my jewellery making have been sadly neglected. I did grow some broccoli and cauliflower and made a few bits of jewellery for the Christmas craft fair at church but that was the extent of it.

Just before Christmas a friend and I went on a short course at a bead shop in Oxford in making Christmas decorations. The decorations perhaps weren't particularly inspiring but it reminded me how much I enjoy beading and making jewellery, sometimes you just need a little prompt.

Another little prompt came in the form of my secret santa present from Darren's brother. I got a little pot of parsley to grow in the kitchen and a garden planner. Today I went out to the garden to see if the ground was at all workable. It was in a hideous state and stank of rotten cabbage but in a couple of hours my main raised bed was cleared, topped up with some fresh soil and fertilised ready to plant the over winter onions and garlic that should have gone in last year!

So in a round about, rather long winded way I have introduced some of what my blog is likely to contain over the coming weeks and months. I hope you'll see my garden flourish, some beautiful creations and get to watch my daughter grow into a [hopefully] charming two-year old.