Petite Bottoms $30 GC winner

Congrats to the Petite Bottoms $30.00 GC winner

You have been e-mailed and have 48 hours to respond to claim your prize!
A huge thank you to Petite Bottoms for sponsoring this giveaway and to all of you that entered!
~Mama of the Littles~

Naturepedic No Compromise Organic crib mattress review and Waterproof Organic Cotton Fitted Crib Mattress Pad #GIVEAWAY (RV $59.00)

Have you heard of Naturepedic? They make GOTS certified Organic Mattress and Bedding Manufacturer! Wait, I am getting ahead of myself here. Let's rewind 3+ years...

When I had my first baby, I wasn't too conscious about eating organic foods, harmful chemicals, and toxins. He slept the first year of his life on a regular old Serta mattress we purchased at Babies R Us.
During my infancy of parenthood, while breastfeeding my son I started reading more and more about eating organic foods. I read that most commercial foods consumed everyday contain harmful toxins (think pesticides and herbicides, growth hormones and so on) that can be passed through breast milk to your tiny baby! I started my research and armed with factual evidence, I slowly started making changes.
I made the switch from commercial foods, to all organic (yes it is spendy, but so well worth it)! I started making my own baby foods out of organic produce! I went through plastic surgery. Not the kind of plastic surgery you think, but I started getting rid of ALL plastic items in my home. From food storage containers, to the baby's plastic toys! Is our home totally plastic-free? No, but we will slowly get there!

As I continued to research and make changes I came across many articles that addressed the issue of mattress off-gassing! One of my most favorite websites that is choc-full of useful information regarding toxins in items for kids is called Safe-Mama! Safe-Mama showcased an article about off-gassing last March, you can read that article HERE! It explains what off-gassing is, and how you can prevent it. Its a very informative article!
There has been question as to whether mattress off-gassing plays a roll in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). I would say yes, though I am not a doctor or scientist. As parents we all want what is best for our children. Many (if not all) commercial (non-organic) mattresses (both crib and full sized) are treated with fire-retardants! Fire-retardants are toxic chemicals that are sprayed onto the surface they are meant to protect. After time, these toxic chemicals off-gas and are breathed in by the person sleeping on that surface.
Healthy Child Healthy World also has great information regarding off-gassing. You can read more about that HERE!
After conducting the research, I knew I needed to purchase an organic mattress. Why was this such an important change that I needed to make? On average, a child spends 12-14 hours a day asleep on their mattresses!! 10-14 hours breathing in toxic off-gassing fumes!!
This is how I found Naturepedic No Compromise organic cotton crib mattresses. Was it expensive, a bit. We paid $259.99 for our mattress that we bought from Target! I think for the original mattress we had, we paid around $150.00 for it. So, this one was about a hundred bucks more.... but so worth it, for my peace of mind!
This is the mattress we bought:

I took a few pictures of it today while I was changing my son's sheets. This is my 3 yo toddler bed:

Here is a close-up of the Naturepedic tag:

You can see the detail on the edges of the mattress here:

I know that many mom's and dad's can't afford to plop down $260.00 for an organic mattress... but there are other things you can do to help prevent off-gassing. You can purchase a Naturepedic organic Cotton waterproof mattress pad for $59.99 (fitted crib size) which has a thin layer of plastic inside the pad itself, which will not let the gas pass from the mattress into the air!
This is a very affordable option for those families that currently own a non-organic crib mattress.
I loved my Naturepedic no compromise crib mattress so much, that I bought a second one when I was expecting my second baby. Mind you, it took a bit of work convincing my husband to spend so much more on an organic mattress.... but I scrimped and saved in other areas to purchase these mattresses.
I rest assured in knowing that my boys are NOT inhaling toxic fumes when they sleep. Funny thing too, once I made the switch with my oldest son to the organic mattress, he slept better, and longer, but my boys have always been good sleepers. My 3 yo still naps, and today he slept for 3.5 hrs. They go down at 7:30 and are up by 7 am!

This post was created to share my personal experiences with using child-safe/non-toxic items. It was not created to place blame or condemn anyone for using a non-organic mattress. At the end of the day, we as parents do whatever we think is best for our families... it took me a long time to save up to buy these mattresses. I think that in life you have to decide what things are important to you and then you have to try your hardest to do those things! It may cost a bit more, but it was an obtainable goal!

Do you want a Naturepedic organic crib mattress? All of the wonderful organic products made by Naturepedic can be found on their website.
You can purchase the same mattress I did at Target for $259.99!

Naturepedic has generously offered one LWML follower a chance to win a Waterproof Organic Cotton Fitted Crib Mattress Pad (RV $59.00)
To enter, simply use the rafflecopter form below, you may have to click on "read more" to see the rafflecopter entry form!

Good Luck and have fun!
~Mama of the littles~

Disclosure: This is my completely honest opinion about the item above and may differ from yours. I was not compensated in any way for this review!

Giveaway at All Things Diapers (blog)

Head on over to All Things Diapers and enter to win a G-diaper. I've never tried G-diapers/pants but I'd love to! Of course I'd love it if one of you won too :)
Ends 19 September

~Mama of the Littles~

Kelly Wels "Changing Diapers: A Hip Mom's Guide to Modern Cloth Diapering" book review and #CLOTHDIAPER GIVEAWAY

I'm sure by now you've all heard of Kelly Wels... right? If you love cloth diapers and giveaways, I am sure you know who she is. She recently wrote a book called Changing Diapers: The Hip Mom's Guide to Modern Cloth Diapering.

I was given an online version of the book for review!
This book is awesome! I really got into it and couldn't stop reading. I wish it would have been around when I was starting out with cloth 3 years ago! There are so many misconceptions about cloth diapering. So many parents picture pins, prefolds and plastic pants when they hear the words cloth diaper! *that is what I wore when I was a baby*

This book really lays out the facts of what modern cloth diapering is all about!
Here is a brief description of the book taken from "Changing Diapers: The Hip Mom's Guide to Modern Cloth diapering" facebook page:

Modern Cloth Diapers Made Easy! Yes, that is right...EASY!

The leading cloth diaper expert Kelly Wels has gotcha covered in this definitive guide to everything you need to know about cloth diapering.

The cloth diaper choice is yours to make. If you're going to be a cloth diapering mom (or dad), you need to know the facts. In
"Changing Diapers: A Hip Mom's Guide to Modern Cloth Diapering", you will have the most comprehensive, easy-to-read, how-to book on the subject of modern cloth diapering.

Why listen to Kelly?

Kelly has been an insider in the cloth diapering industry for nearly a decade. She has seen, touched, and tested just about every brand of cloth diaper imaginable. She has documented her experience for several years on the blog http://www.TheClothDiaperWhisperer.com/ and her personal blog http://www.KellyWels.com/

She was the founder of a large cloth diapering store, DiaperShops.com, that she later sold to spend more time on her passion as an advocate of cloth diapers.

This book is very well laid out. It is super simple to navigate to find useful answers to cloth diapering questions. There is an index at the back of the book that you can use to look up topics. For instance let's say you are using cloth diapers full-time, heading back to work, and faced with putting your littles into daycare! Simply go to the index (p. 219) and look up the word 'daycare' and you will find that daycare is covered from page 105-117!
I was surprised when reading this book at how much useful information there was, right at my fingertips. I have been cloth diapering for 3 years now and until I read this book I never knew the difference between a flat and a prefold. Well, Kelly describes flats on p. 60-61 and prefolds on p. 62-63. I never really cared about flats or prefolds, (as you all know I am a 100% pocket diaper-loving Momma and fitteds and wool at night.... until I received a set of prefolds and a cover for review for the blog! So even 'seasoned' cloth diapering parents can learn a thing or two from this read!

Have you had the opportunity to read this book? You should! I would say it is a 'must have' for every parent/grandparent/daycare provider/aunt/niece you name it to have! It will transform the way you currently view cloth diapers! You will be refreshed and (as a current cloth diapering parent) revived, and confident after reading this book.
You can pre-order the book Changing Diapers: The Hip Mom's Guide to Modern Cloth Diapering HERE. But that's not all, if you order now, before October 14th and use the coupon code AMRC you can get the book for 50% off! {please note the link provided is my affiliate link and I will earn commission from the sale}!

Are you excited about this book? I can tell you that you will not be disappointed!
Kelly Wels is also offering a giveaway here! Up for grabs is a one size Rumparooz OR Fuzzibunz diaper AND an eco-friendly tattoo that says "I'm a Hip Mom and Love Cloth Diapers" (please note, the winner can choose the brand of diaper Rumparooz/Fuzzibunz, but not the color)

To enter, simply use the rafflecopter form below, you may have to click on "read more" to see the rafflecopter entry form!

Good Luck and have fun!
~Mama of the littles~

OS Flip Winner!!

Thanks to all who entered the giveaway for the Flip Diaper in honor of my blog turning one year old!
Out of 124 comments, random.org chose #46 Mia G Congrats! I am e-mailing you now!
Please respond within 48 hours to claim your prize!

Just a reminder of the current giveaways going on right now on the blog:
$30.00 GC to Petite Bottoms (17 Sept)
1 pair of children's shoes from Livie and Luca (19 Sept)
1 cloth diaper of choice from The Little Bee Co. (22 Sept)
$25.00 GC to Modern Cloth (24 Sept)

~Mama of the littles~

Awesome event at The Tree Huggin' Momma

Hey all! Just wanted to pass on some info about an event over at "The Tree Huggin' Momma" It begins 19 September and will be a lot of fun!
You won't want to miss out!

$50.00 to Hearthsong winner

The lucky winner of the $50.00 GC to Hearthsong is lucky #225, Bonnye S.

Congrats, I am e-mailing you now. Please contact me within 48 hours to claim your prize!
A huge thank you to Hearthsong for sponsoring this review and awesome giveaway!

~Mama of the Littles~