Instinctual Mamas: *CLOSED* Bug On A Rug Review + Giveaway

Monday, March 28, 2011

CLOSED Bug On A Rug Review + Giveaway

I was very excited when Aundrea from Bug On A Rug approached me to do a review/giveaway. Not only because I love to support WAHMs but also because many of her goods are made with upcycled materials she finds at local thrift stores and this appealed to me immensely.

A little bit about Bug on a Rug:

All of my items are 100% handmade (therefore each item is unique!) and 100% reusable, made from mostly recycled material. Being green can be so easy! Help the earth and look cute doing it!

All of our upcycled material comes from non-profit organizations like Goodwill Industries, dedicated to helping the less fortunate, and The Children's Boutique at Steven's Hope, which supports the families of children hospitalized at Loma Linda Medical Center. I try to use as much upcycled material as possible. The fabric and soakers in the dipes are all upcycled, the embellishments on the hooded towels are upcycled, and the cape material is all from upcycled material. The thread, elastic, snaps, aplix, PUL and towels are all purchased new for quality reasons. I really love sewing and creating new things, it's the first thing I've done that I've loved (besides parenting!! but I don't get paid for that, lol!). I want my things to be special to everyone, so I'm always happy to do custom orders!

So for the purpose of this review Aundrea sent me both a diaper and a hooded towel that she even let me pick out myself. I chose a Veggie Tale themed diaper because we are big veggie tale fans and a Bear hooded towel for my Little Man for his birthday. Just a few days before he expressed how sad he was that none of the "fun towels" we had worked for him anymore. He was referring to all of our hooded towels that the girls still use.

The day of his birthday party I forgot to give it to him which was actually a good thing as it gave us something to give to him on his actual Birthday a couple of days later. He loved it but insists it is a puppy and not a bear. Whatever he wants it to be guess. He has even named it, surprise surprise "Sammy Dog" which is also the name of our new puppy and just about ever dog stuffed animal he has.

The best part is he treats it as a lovey/blanket and sleeps with it every night. It is also the ONLY towel he will use for baths so this thing see's the washing machine a lot! Even after all of the washes its still extremely soft. The towel has to be the softest towel I have ever felt, think of the soft plush minky type stuffed animals. Its not minky though its fluffier but that's the only thing I can think of to describe it. I seriously want one for myself!

Little Man cuddling with his Sammy Dog Pillow Pet
His Sammy Dog (bear) hooded towel AND
his new Sammy Dog puppy

I think it is safe to say that everyone is in love with this towel in our house. Even the hubs joked that he wants one, its THAT soft! Our 2 older girls are jealous and also want one, I see some towel purchasing in our future but would like to hold out until their upcoming Birthdays which are only 2 and 3 months away. We may have to break down and order early though.

Warning-wash alone for the first time! It sheds a bit in the first wash, I washed with our towels and they had some lent build up on them from it that transferred onto our skin when drying off. This only happened with the first wash though. Our dryer has seen better days though so this may not be an issue for anyone else.

The diaper she sent was pin closure. Something I have no experience with and it quite intimidated me. I must admit I only used the pins once for the purpose of taking pics. I figure it goes under a cover anyways so I don't worry too much about it. I just lay it flat inside of the cover and secure the cover in place and it stays put perfectly. If you plan to wear on occasion without a cover I would suggest adding the Snap/Aplix closure option to your cart for $1 more.

Monkey modeling the diaper

I am not sure if the results of the diapers may vary since they are made with upcycled materials but ours is supper absorbent. Its does well overnight and actually takes longer to dry than the rest of my stash because it holds onto the moisture so well. I was very impressed with how well it did on DD2, she is the ultimate test for any diaper since she is a supersoaker. She can have a dry diaper and seconds later be soaked completely through to her cloths. That is not an exaggeration. She often goes after bath time and its no wonder why she soaks through them with the huge puddles she leave on the floor!

As with all diapers I test I tested it during the day and overnight on all 3 girls in order to provide a thorough review.
For DD1 who is a light wetter it preformed great both in the daytime and over night. She has strong smelling urine and sometimes can cause diapers used for overnight to retain stinkies but this diaper did well and washed clean.
For DD2, who is a supersoaker it did great in the daytime with a regular PUL cover on its own. For night I pair it with a fleece cover the first time. She awoke at 5sh AM crying. There was no leaking but she was soaking wet. The next night I added in an insert from another diaper and again used a fleece cover and she was a happy camper sleeping in until her normal time the next morning.
For DD3, who is an average wetter and a chunky monkey, this diaper did well for both day and night on her. I could definitely never use pins on her with this even if I was experienced enough with them. She is so super chunky it does not over lap enough to pin well. If it had snaps/aplix it would fit but would be on the largest settings. Did I mention she is super duper chunky? 21 lbs at 10 months! She's nothing compared to her big brother who was 23 lbs at 9 months!

Overall I like this diaper and would feel comfortable recommending it to my CDing friends. It appeals to me not just for its functionality but also because it is made with upcycled materials and I love supporting a fellow mama.

Bug On A Rug offers Fitted Diapers with Pin closure (snaps/aplix can be added for $1 more), waterproof trainers, hooded towels, leg warmers and reversible capes for imaginative playtime.

You can order from Bug On A Rug on her Etsy Shop BUT, you an also try to WIN an awesome hooded towel of your very own here!! That's right, one of those adorable hooded towels for your little one to enjoy in the Froggy design. (or yourself if you want!).

If you want to try some of her other products (I ordered a pair of leg warmers from her and can't wait to get them!)

Frog Hooded Towel

Her son modeling the Frog towel

She has also offered a discount code good only for us Instinctual Mamas:
10% off everything in the store. Etsy code IMAMAS10 Enter code in at check out to receive your discount.

Giveaway open to U.S and Canada only..

Rules: Please Read carefully.. Mandatory entry must be done before doing additional entries..

YOU MUST LEAVE A COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY! you follow a blog its 1 comment, you like on facebook its another comment. LEAVE YOUR E-MAIL in EACH COMMENT, comments without an e-mail will be void and deleted. I know it takes some work but It assures that the people following all the directions correctly, get a fair chance.

Mandatory Entry.

Follow Bug On A Rug on Facebook tell them Instinctual Mamas sent you!

Additional Entries. (optional! leave a comment for each additional entry you do)

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Contest will run Monday March 28, 2011-Monday April 4, 2011. Contest will close at 11pm PST (pacific standard time) on Monday the 4th. Winner will be announced within 2 business days.

** NOTE: Opinions expressed are my own about items that I was given free of charge. They do not reflect the opinions of Bug On A Rug and results may vary for others.

And the winner is.........