New products from Happy Heinys!

Happy Heinys proudly introduces 2 new products and we are excited to bring these to you through our store Ottawa Cloth Diapers!

Happy Heinys have been working on a few new products over the last couple of months and are releasing them a little differently than usual. Typically they make a new product, have it go through testing, then release it to all retailers. This time they have done the usual testing, but decided to release these 2 new items as "Beta" products. They are also releasing them only in a couple of colors and only 100 of each product in each color. These 2 new products are not yet officially named, the company will be taking name recommendations from customers (including customers from Ottawa Cloth Diapers) and the name they choose, if it is submitted for the product by a customer, that customer will receive a $50 gift certificate from Happy Heinys.

First New Product: "BETA" Happy Heinys One Size Diaper cover w/gussets

This is an absolutely wonderful one size diaper cover that will fit most babies from 8-35 lbs. They have used the softest fold over elastic we could find for the entire edge of the cover and gussets. These gussets are wonderful for holding in the typical runny breastfed poo as well as most "illness poo". With a stuffed Happy Hempy this combination is a bullet-proof combination for over-night.

Second New Product: "BETA" Organic Happy Heinys One Size Pocket Diaper

This diaper has been born from the numerous requests for special diaper manufacturing of a pocket diaper with a natural interior. At this time there are no inserts included with these diapers. The hemp lining is fully absorbent and when combined with any insert of choice this has proven itself to be a bullet proof over-night product. There are several differences in this pocket diaper from other "Organic" pocket diapers. It is made with the proven Happy Heinys One Size design, a design that has now been around for 7 years. It is also made with Organic Hemp/Cotton. Hemp is antimicrobial and anti-fungal which decreases the chances of rash. Hemp is more durable and absorbent then cotton alone.

For both "BETA"models Happy Heinys is taking any and all input and suggestions both good and constructive. They are also in search for a name for these products. This contest is for customers only and the winning name submitter will receive a $50 gift certificate from Happy Heinys.

Good Luck everyone!

These 2 new products will arrive at Ottawa Cloth Diapers either this week (December 28th) or next week (1st week of January). You can order them now if you like. We will have a limited number of these in stock as only a few have been released from the company so far so get yours fast! Please contact us if you have any questions.

Happy New Year ... we wish you all the best in the year 2010!

Thristies Duo Diaper Review

After trying out the new Thirsties Duo Diaper for a couple of weeks now on both our boys, I thought it would be timely to write a quick review on our blog about it in case anyone is interested in this great new diaper.


For full details about the Thirsties Duo Diaper, click here.



Quick Description of the Thristies Duo Diaper ...
The Duo diaper is a pocket diaper that includes a combination insert (two layers of serged microfiber terry snapped together with five serged layers of hemp jersey). The pocket is opened in the front and back of the diaper. The diaper comes in 2 sizes (size 1: 6-18lbs and size 2: 18-40lbs). It is available in 8 colors, features double leg gussets and features aplix closure. Retail price at Ottawa Cloth Diapers: $19.95 each

Performance and fit ...
We have been using this diaper over the last 2 weeks with both our sons (27 month old weighing 27lbs and 9 month old weighing 19lbs). Both our boys fit in the size 2 diaper. Our 9 month old is at the smallest setting and our 27 month old is at the middle setting. The fit is awesome on both boys (see pictures below). They fit nice and snug, very trim and so far have left no marks on their skin. They both have fairly average to skinny legs so the double leg gusset is nice. However on a baby with chunky thighs it might not be ideal as it may be too tight on the thighs?? If you have ever used the Thirsties Pocket AIO diaper or the Thirsties Duo Wraps, the fit is very similar.





My 9 month old (19lbs) in a size 2 Thirsties Duo Diaper at the smallest setting (color: ocean blue)











My 27 month old (27lbs) in a size 2 Thirsties Duo Diaper at the middle setting (color: ocean blue)




I love the combination insert of microfiber and hemp for this diaper giving it a lot of absorbency. I have always liked the Thirsties Pocket AIO for my boys when they were smaller but I found that as they got older and heavier wetters, that the pocket AIO would not give me enough absorbency unless I double stuffed it. With the new Duo diaper, I get lots of absorbency even with my 27 month old. So far, I have not had any leaks with this diaper and the longest I had it on on my boys was 4 hours. I have not tied it at night yet as I do not usually use pocket or AIO diapers at night (I am a fitted/cover girl when it comes to night time diapering :)) Another comment about the insert is that the unique hemp jersey is unlike any other hemp products I have used in the past. Hemp is not my favorite fabric (I prefer bamboo) but I really like this hemp jersey as it is much softer and silkier than regular hemp products I carry.


I also love the fact that this diaper comes in 2 sizes as opposed to a one-size diaper that is too bulky on a newborn and sometimes too small on a toddler. This diaper offers you a chance to save money by only having to purchase 2 sizes without sacrificing the fit as well as having 2 sets of diapers will give your diapers a chance to last longer (2, 3 kids).


Ease of use ...
The front snaps are easy to adjust for sizing and the pocket is easily stuffed with a front and back opening. The insert is fairly wide so you have to make sure you lay it down flat in the middle section of the diaper where it is a bit more snug. When you stuff the pocket, make sure to put the microfiber part on top (closest to the baby's skin) and the hemp underneath to get the best absorbency as microfiber absorbs faster than hemp (I can see Daddy's being confused here :)


Putting the diaper on is fast and easy with the overlapping aplix closure and taking it off is also a breeze. The laundry tabs are easy to use and you also don't need to take out the insert for washing as it will come out by itself in the wash with the front and back opening of the pocket (although I prefer separating the diaper anyways to make sure it washes well).


Downfall ...

Not much to criticize here except that the diaper does not come with snap closures for those who prefer snaps over velcro and the microfiber/hemp insert does take a bit of time to dry. But that is always the case when you have a highly absorbing insert. At least the combo insert can be separated to dry faster and also to be used separately if you want to.



Also, even though I love the double leg gussets, some might not, especially for the chunky thigh babies.


Overall ...

GREAT diaper. I will definitely be adding more of these to my stash for my boys. I think this is truly a great diaper from newborn to potty training within the 2 sizes. The only question remaining is its night performance for those of you who would want to use this diaper at night time. For me, as mentioned above, it is a non issue as I prefer using fitted/covers for night.


Rating out of 10
I give it an 8.5/10!

I'd love to hear your questions/comments about this diaper.


Have a great weekend everyone!

My Fuzzi Bunz Saga

It has been a while since our last post as we have had a couple of very crazy weeks!! However tonight I am sitting down to share with you my Fuzzi Bunz saga. Here goes ...



Ottawa Cloth Diapers is finally carrying Fuzzi Bunz products. When I started my cloth diaper store I decided not to carry Fuzzi Bunz just because I had to limit the number of products to begin with. I was already carrying other similar pocket diapers such as Happy Heinys and bumGenius so I figured that was enough to start with. I had the occasional customer ask about Fuzzi Bunz but that was it.

A few months into the business I considered retailing Fuzzi Bunz but I had heard a few negative comments about the company so I decided not to apply for an account, plus at that time the US currency exchange was getting high so I was happy to find new Canadian products instead.

A couple of months ago when Fuzzi Bunz came out with their One-Size pocket diaper I considered applying for an account again. Before making a decision, I decided to order a one-size Fuzzi Bunz from another retailer to try it out with my sons first. I received the diaper by mail and my immeidate thought was - what a big diaper! This could never fit a newborn. Then after opening the diaper and looking at the elastic adjusting system I was overwhelmed and thought there is no way I will have time to adjust this diaper between both my sons. That was it, I did not even try the diaper instead I decided to return it for a refund. Around that same time I heard more negative rumors about the company and comments around the high shipping rates plus I knew that the diapers were now being manufactured in China so I was happy with my decision not to carry them even though the company had accepted my application for an account. I could not imagine trying to sell a diaper that I did not even want to try on my own kids.

In the following weeks I had many many customers ask me whether I carried Fuzzi Bunz or whether I was planning on adding these products to my store. So I finally caved in and decided that if my customers wanted these diapers than I should listen to them. I also needed to keep up with the competition as most retailers carry Fuzzi Bunz. So I contacted the company again hoping that they would still accept me as a retailer. Thankfully they did.

Let me tell you now how wrong I was about these diapers and the company!! I received the products this week. Shipping was fast, easy and the people I have dealt with so far at Fuzzi Bunz have all been very nice and helpful!

I tried the perfect size pocket diaper first on my 2 year old son. The diaper was a great fit, was absorbent enough to last him through his afternoon nap with no leaks and did not leave any marks on his skin (my son has very sensitive skin). I also love the hip snaps that adjusts the leg opening seperately from the waist snaps. And I really like the fact that the size medium will fit both my 7 month old (17lbs)and my skinny 2 year old (25lbs).

Now lets talk about the one-size Fuzzi Bunz diaper. This is the same diaper if you recall that I returned to the retailer without even trying it first thinking I would just hate this diaper! Was I ever wrong!! What an awesome diaper! First it took me a good 5-10 minutes to adjust the sizing with the leg elastics and the waist elastics for my 7 month old son. So for sure this is not a diaper that I will be adjusting between both my sons as it would be too time consuming. However the fit is amazing as it can be customized to the perfect fit for every baby. Even though the diaper looks big it shrinks down to this tiny diaper that will fit your newborn. Much less bulky than other one-size that I have tried.

I have since tried the diaper on both my boys without any leaks and a great TRIM fit for both of them. Now I have to say that the one I originally returned was one of their first one-size version that did not have the hip snaps and was a bit different than the newest version that has been tweaked to perfection since then. Another great added bonus of this diaper is that it comes with a set of replacement elastics if you ever need to replace worned down elastics which happens frequently with one-size diapers as they get a lot of wear and tear. Also, Fuzzi Bunz offers a lifetime warranty on their snaps! With extra elasatics and lifetime snaps, you have much better chances that this diaper will last you from birth to potty training and even for more than one child!

So to sum up this very long story, I just wanted to share with you that I was very wrong about Fuzzi Bunz and that I am very happy (and even excited) that I have finally decided to carry (and try) their products. It just goes to show you that sometimes we are influenced by others and we make decisions based on rumors or wrong information.

Fuzzi Bunz were the pionneer of the pocket diaper and they continue to bring us great innovative diapering products. Ottawa Cloth Diapers is also carrying the Fuzzi Bunz changing pad and will be adding their super soft Fuzzi Bunz wipes (which I am using right now and really like!).

For more information on the Fuzzi Bunz perfect size and one-size diapers, visit our website at this link: http://www.ottawaclothdiapers.com/products/products.asp?id=14

They have many great colors to choose from plus a few new prints.

Hopefully you will like these diapers as much as we do! Please share your comments, I would love to hear from anyone who has tried or is planning to try these diapers.

Thank you to my customers who have kept asking about these diapers because I don't think I would have decided to carry them if I wasn't asked so many times about Fuzzi Bunz!

Have a great weekend!
Vicky