Playskool Clippo Hippo Review

18 May By catherinefortin Leave a Comment

About Playskool and the Clipo Hippo

Meet Playskool

PLAYSKOOL began with a simple idea: what if toys for young children didn’t just entertain them, but also encouraged their minds to learn and grow? It’s a notion that seems self-evident today, so it’s surprising to think it was innovative back when we started in 1928! The world has changed a lot since that earlier time, and so has PLAYSKOOL. But our commitment to provide quality toys that enrich children while they play remains at the heart of the PLAYSKOOL name.

Today, PLAYSKOOL offers I-gotta-have-it toys that little kids love and parents can trust.

Introducing the Clipo Product Line
Connect. Create. Celebrate!

Playskool recently added a new and exciting product to the Clipo product line, the Clipo Hippo and was kind enough to share it with my toddler. The Clipo Hippo is a 3 in 1 toy full of fun that offers clipo storage, clipo building pad, and a roll on the floor character.

It comes complete with:

19 clipo blocks,
1 clippo bird friend
Clipo Hippo storage character

Kid Tested

Toddlers are fascinated by putting things together and taking them back apart again, and my toddler is no exception. From the moment my 23 month old daughter saw the bright packaging she was ready to have some fun. She’s right at the stage where she’s learning new words and squawking them back out like a parrot. As soon as the packaging was set aside the first thing she said was, “dog dog”. I quickly corrected her and now she calls her new little friend, “Hip Ohhhhh”.

Right away she knew exactly what to do and began constructing her own little masterpiece with the clipo connectors. Soon thereafter she discovered the storage area inside the Hippo’s backside and was rolling him all over the house. I’m not sure who was more excited, her or myself, because it was so easy for her to connect the clipo pieces to the Hippo board and wheels.

Mom Approved

I love it! The pieces are so easy for her little fingers to grasp. Anytime I find a toy that my daughter can use a little imagination with and holds her attention for more than ten minutes is a great addition to her collection – and this one did exactly that. The storage area inside the Hippo is ideal for cleanup as well.

I found that the Clipo pieces are the perfect alternative to legos because there are no sharp corners. Every Clipo piece has rounded edges so when you go wandering through the bedroom at night and step on one, you won’t find yourself cursing your child’s toys.

Mom Improvements

We didn’t discover any functional problem with the Clipo Hippo so my only suggestion would be to add more animal characters to the product line. Every Hippo needs a friend.

Buy It

The Clip Hippo is available at popular retailers and Playskool online for $20.99

Filed Under: General Tagged With: clipo, hippo clipo, playskool

Preston Pants Winner

18 May By catherinefortin 2 Comments

Congrats to the winner of the Preston Pants Cloth Diaper!

erin says:
May 4, 2009 at 12:26 am

Tweeted – 5/3

Prestons Pants give-away at Mom Dot Reviews: http://tinyurl.com/d7s25x

— theMomBuzz (@theMomBuzz) May 4, 2009

speak2erin(at)gmail(dot)com

Filed Under: General Tagged With: cloth diaper winner, Giveaway Winner, preston pants

(Closed) Preston's Pants Cloth Diaper Giveaway

4 May By catherinefortin

About Preston’s Pants

From the website:
With a lot of help from my friend Paully at “Middleearthdiaper” I developed a top selling product that is fashionable, economical, and oh so cute! Not to mention that they really hold up to heavy wetters and can withstand hard washings! Paully saw my potential as a designer/seamstress, and carved a path for my diaper line by making them the attraction of her store!

Preston’s Pants are pocket cloth diapers constructed of materials such as minky, breathable fleece, wool, or solid pul. Each diaper is fastened by snap closures and comes in a variety of sizes from 7 – 35+ pounds with optional one-size diapers available.

Mom Tested and Approved

Over the past two months I’ve been experimenting with all sorts of cloth diaper brands, fits, and even materials. When a sample cloth diaper from Preston’s Pants arrived I was really excited because it offered something I have never used before – minky material. Mink is a soft almost velvet like material that you often find baby blankets made of. After wrapping my daughter’s bum in the pale lavender minky cloth diaper I just wanted to squeeze her like a little teddy bear. The inside was layered with soft fleece and backed with 2 mil pul. I have to say it’s the softest I’ve probably felt in a cloth diaper.

The cloth insert easily slipped inside the pocket and stayed put the entire time she wore the diaper. I also really loved how well the diaper fit around her waist and thighs. We’ve had her in the Preston’s Pants cloth diaper several times this week which also included a not so lovely blowout, that didn’t blowout at all. While a little bit of the “nuck nuck” as my toddler calls it did creep up her backside, the majority stayed right where it should be – in the diaper.

Mom Improvements

While I loved the overall fit, I found the material to be bulky and warm on the skin. My infant’s onesies were difficult to snap around the thick padding of the cloth diaper and left the area around her thighs a little red from the warm minky material on her body. In general, I think the minky material would be best used in the cooler months.

Buy It

Preston’s Pants cloth pocket diapers start at $19 and you can add custom embroidery to most diapers starting at $8.

Win It

One (1) lucky reader will win a $25 gift certificate to use at Preston’s Pants on any in stock or custom made diaper.

Giveaway Entry

Required Entry

Visit Preston’s Pants and tell us what which cloth diaper is your favorite.

Extra Optional Entries

1 entry – tell us why you started cloth diapering
1 entry – add MomDot Reviews to your blogroll
1 entry – add MomDot Reviews button to your blog
daily entry – tweet this giveaway with a link back to this post, leave a comment with your tweet link
unlimited entries – leave a comment on any other MomDot Reviews post and leave a comment here with the post title

Giveaway Rules

One (1) winner will be selected by random.org on Friday, May 15th at 11am CST. Winner must claim their prize within 48 hours or a new winner will be randomly selected. Open to US residents with a valid shipping address.

Listed at the Ultimate Blog Carnival at LiveGiveaways.com

Filed Under: General Tagged With: cloth diaper, custom cloth diapers, pocket cloth diaper, preston's pants

Cloth Diaper Outlet Winners!

1 May By catherinefortin 1 Comment

Thank you to the Cloth Diaper Outlet for generously donating 3 Knickernappies Cloth Diapers and all the entrants into the giveaway.

Our randomly selected winners are…

15 MRS.MOMMYY says:
April 15, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Fuzzi Bunz

22 Mf says:
April 16, 2009 at 1:57 am
I love the BumGenius

37 Jessica says:
April 16, 2009 at 9:48 pm
bumGenius AIO organic! They are my absolute FAVE!

Congrats ladies, you will be emailed shortly.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: cloth diaper outlet, giveaway winners, knickernappies

(Closed) Cloth Diaper Outlet Review & Giveaway

15 Apr By catherinefortin 231 Comments

About the Cloth Diaper Outlet and Owner

Everyone likes to know who they’re buying from! My name is Heather and I own and operate ClothDiaperOutlet from our home in Oregon.

My husband and I have been married for nine years. We have one daughter and another baby due in 2009. Camille is 3 years old and has been cloth diapered since she was 8 weeks old. We’ve tried a variety of diapers, from pockets to all-in-ones to prefolds. We’ve dealt with leaks, detergent buildup, fit issues, and concerns about ease of use. What I sell in my store is a direct product of our experiences with our own daughter.

Simply put: We only sell what we use and love for our own baby. If it’s in our store, then it’s also in our home.

Mom Tested

As moms we face so many choices when it comes to choosing what’s best for our babies. One of those choices are whether to cloth diaper or not. I must admit, after 2 kids that went through disposables, I’ve been pretty set in my ways and even scared of cloth diapering. With all of the information out there pushing one-size diapers, pocket diapers, pre-fold diapers, it can make your head spin. So what’s a mom to do? First, read the Cloth Diaper 101 guide provided by the Cloth Diaper Outlet, then look at the pro’s and con’s of each style, and finally, sample a few brands from that style. That’s exactly what I did when Cloth Diaper Outlet sent me the Pocket Diaper Sampler pack to try with my infant and toddler. Here’s the breakdown.

BumGenius 3.0 One Size Pocket Diaper – one-size cloth diapers offer an industry first, stretch-to-fit tabs (patent pending). Our unique tabs provide a comfortable fit and trim look. This simple design makes cloth diapering as easy as using disposables. BumGenius!

Pros: This is by far my favorite of the four cloth diaper brands. It grows with baby thanks to the hidden snaps, Velcro closures are easy on me to use, there’s a snug fit all around, and the material kept my infants skin dry without overheating her.

Cons: These are still a little thicker than I would prefer to help shorten the drying time.

Knickernappies 2G Pocket Diaper – feature elastic at both the waist and back. This keeps messes where they belong: in the diaper! With hidden snaps and gentle leg elastic, Knickernappies are designed for your baby’s comfort.

Pros: I love the snug fit these provided and protection against leaks.

Cons: They are limited to 3 sizes meaning your baby does outgrow them. My toddler was also able to undo the snaps much more easily than she can with the Velcro on other cloth diapers.

Happy Heiny’s One Size Pocket Diaper- designed with the same quality and luxuriousness of the Happy Heinys Pocket Diapers only they are made to fit baby from birth to potty training.You will find on your one size diaper a 4 rows of snaps on the front. This will give you a total of 4 different sizes for your diaper. This will allow the diaper to fit most babies from about 8 lbs- 35 lbs.

Pros: I love that it comes in 22 colors and prints. I also noticed the diaper cover was thinner than the others which for me was a plus because it cut down on the bulk of the overall diaper and dry time after washing. The Velcro closure also saved me lots of time and frustration when diapering a wriggling baby.

Cons: The interior fleece left my daughter’s skin too warm followed by a heat rash.

Fuzzi Bunz Pocket Diaper – If a super great fit and “stuff and go” convenience is important to you – then the FuzziBunz Perfect Size cloth diaper line is for you.

Pros: I found that this one had the best fit around the waist line and a nice wide cut with leg elastic contained the explosive diaper we had yesterday very well.

Cons: It may just be personal preference but I’m not a fan of the snap closures as mentioned before.

My overall impression about cloth diapering has most definitely changed. What I once saw as a hassle is something I’m now slowly adopting into our lives. As I grow more comfortable with cloth diapering I’m glad to have found the Cloth Diapering Outlet as a one stop shop for my needs. Aside from carrying just about every style and brand of cloth diaper I’ve ever heard of, plus a few I didn’t know about, you can pick up all of the needed supplies and accessories. The well organized menu allowed me to quickly find a wide range of cloth friendly laundry detergents, wet bags, and extra diaper inserts.

Mom Improvements

The one thing about cloth diapers I found difficult to get use to in comparison to disposable diapers is how bulky they are. The insert added to the diaper makes my baby look and feel like she has one big bum and clothing fits a little tighter than usual.

Buy It

New to cloth diapering? You can try a pocket diaper sampler pack like I did to find what brand fits your baby the best for $69.99.

Reader Discount

Save 5% on your next purchase at the Cloth Diaper Outlet by entering coupon code MOMDOT5 during check out. No expiration!

Win It

We’ve got a Knicknappies Cloth Diaper with LoopyDo Insert for Three (3) lucky readers, you choose size and color!

Giveaway Entry

Required Entry:

Visit the Cloth Diaper Outlet and pick out your favorite cloth diaper or one you think you would like to try.

Extra Entries:

1 entry: Tell us what color and size of Knickernappies diaper (color choices on bottom) you would pick if you won.
1 entry: Add MomDot Reviews to your blogroll.
1 entry: Comment on any other non-giveaway post here. Leave the title of the post in comments below.
1 entry daily: Share this giveaway on twiiter. Leave your tweet link in comments below once per day.
5 extra entries: Blog about this giveaway including a link to this post and Cloth Diaper Outlet. Leave 5 comments with your post link.

Giveaway Rules:

Three (3) winners will be selected by random.org on Friday, May 1st at 11am CST. Winner must claim prize within 48 hours or a new winner will be selected. US Only please.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: bumgenius, cloth diaper, cloth diaper outlet, cloth diaper review, cloth diapering, fuzzibunz

Pint of PJ's Winner

27 Mar By catherinefortin 2 Comments

A big thank you to everyone who entered the Pint of PJ’s Giveaway and the generous sponsor for sharing their product with us!

The winner chosen by random.org is…

Congrats Emily! You will receive an email shortly.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Giveaway Winner, pint of pjs

Pantene Pro-V Natural Fusion Review

27 Mar By catherinefortin 21 Comments

About Pantene Pro-V Natural Fusion Line

For the first time ever in a Pantene shampoo, scientists have combined Pantene Pro-V to unlock the power of cassia essence to give your hair strength* and natural radiance.

Pantene science has found a way to harness the conditioning properties of the cassia plant. The gum powder produced from the cassia seed is where those conditioning properties lie. In developing the shampoo, we used a scientific process to add positive charges to create the cassia polymer, which enables it to adhere to hair.

The Natural Fusion line is available in two formulas:

Moisture Balance -The new Moisture Balance Collection with a blend of cassia, ginger, calendula and aloe vera, helps to strengthen and protect hair against damage while leaving it naturally radiant.
Smooth Vitality -Fight frizz for a smooth, silky feel. The new Smooth Vitality Collection, with a blend of cassia, avocado, bamboo and grapeseed, transforms frizzy hair into smooth, sleek style.

Mom Approved

Being a woman isn’t easy, and it gets even more complicated when you add mom to the mix. With 3 children at home, my top priorities when it comes to hair care is care-free, inexpensive, and natural.

I was recently introduced to a new line of shampoos and conditioners from Pantene Pro-V called Natural Fusion. Now you’ll have to forgive me, I’m a tad biased. I’ve been using Pantene products since I was a teenager because of how well they worked with my a hair type and have always been consistent. So I was eager to try the new Natural Fusion: Moisture Balance. My hair is on the pesky side, it can be dry and frizzy some days and oily other days, so finding the right shampoo to combat the daily changes is a must for me. I love the fact that grapeseed oil is part of this new line, as you may or may not know, this is a skin softening natural oil found in many bath bombs.

Join me for a quick shower and follow-up to see how the Natural Fusion line was put to the test.

Like mentioned in the vlog, I love the fresh smell of the natural ingredients in my hair. Pantene made a good choice by combining their consistent shampoo quality with a mix of natural oils to help keep my hair clean and soft without harsh additives.

The Light Conditioning and Detangling Spray deserves a mention as well. This product is my new life saver for knots and tangles. I typically spend a good 10 minutes after a shower just combing out my hair but the quick spritz of the lightweight conditioner helped me sort through the knotty mess in less than 2 minutes. A big time saver!