Klean Kanteen: A Review and a Discount!

Several months ago, I bought some Klean Kanteens for my boys. In my last post, I talked about how I prefer to use metal over plastic due to the side effects of BPA and who knows what else in plastic. Klean Kanteens are made of stainless steel, but they do use a plastic (polypropylene) sippy spout.

Price: About $15 to $20 including shipping

Availability: Amazon.com, The Soft Landing, etc.

Description: Klean Kanteen sells all sizes of bottles, and we have a variety of them in our house. Scott loves the big 40 oz, I use the 27 oz, and both of the kids use the 12 oz sippies. This review will focus mainly on the sippy cups.

All of the Klean Kanteen bottles are made of food-grade stainless steel, inside and out, so there is no need for a protective lining between it and your drink (like when you use an aluminum bottle). The sippy cup option has 5 parts: the stainless steel bottle, a plastic adaptor that fits on the bottle, a plastic sippy spout, a plastic ring that holds the sippy spout to the adaptor, and a plastic insert that makes the sippy leak-proof. It sounds complicated, but it's not. :) It's much easier to put together than the majority of the other sippies we've used!

The sippy spouts are made by Avent for Klean Kanteen. All the plastic parts are BPA-free polypropylene (#5) and are probably the "safest" plastic out there. There's a picture of the spouts to the left here.


Pros:

• They are completely dishwasher safe. Scott usually handwashes our big bottles, which we just use for water, but we always put the kids' sippy cups in the dishwasher since we use them for milk and juice.
• They keep your drinks cold for quite awhile.
• Your drink tastes clean and great.
  
• They are BPA-free!
• The sippies hold 12 ounces, which I've found is a good size for the kids.

Cons:

• Your hands get really cold holding this! Because it's just stainless steel with no insulating on the outside, putting cold liquid inside makes the outside of the bottle very cold, too. According to this blog post from The Soft Landing, the Momo glass bottle covers work really well with the Klean Kanteen sippies and would solve that problem. I was going to order some today, but it looks like they are out of stock. The Soft Landing also recommend the Green Sprouts Neoprene cover, which has built-in handles! That sounds perfect for those little guys learning to use a sippy cup.
  
• Without a cover, the sippy is succeptible to dents and scratches in the paint when dropped. If you get the plain silver one (with no paint), it will look prettier longer! (Again, if you have a cover, this won't be an issue.)
  
• If you fill it all the way, it can get heavy.
  
• As it is, it doesn't come with a lid. You can buy one separately, or if you have old Avent bottles or sippies, the lids might fit. If you have an older kid, you can opt for the sports cap, shown below.

Bottom line: These are my favorite cups for the kids. They are easy for my kids to drink out of, easy to clean, and easy to transport. The biggest drawback is that they don't come with lids. If you get the kind with the sports cap, like in the picture to the left, that's not as big of an issue.

Discount: Because of the whole Sigg Scandal, The Soft Landing is offering The Bigg Bottle Swap. If you have a Sigg, you can send it in and get a 30% discount on a new stainless steel bottle. Or, if you don't have a Sigg, you can fill out a little form and get a 20% discount. Wahoo! This offer is only good for a short time, so check it out soon!

A Few of My Favorite (Eco-Friendly) Things

I've been meaning to do this for awhile, but here is a list of some of my favorite eco-friendly things from around our house.

EcoGear Backpack
I get so many comments about this backpack! When Caleb started preschool, I looked high and low for a backpack that would be the right size for him and didn't have toxic materials in it. Seriously, most backpacks have tons of vinyl, which contains lead. I found this one online at EcoGear and it fit the bill perfectly. It is super cute, and it's made out of organic cotton canvas, non-toxic dyes, recycled plastic, and sustainable wood. How cool is that? And even cooler--they now sell these at Target. They have other designs--a pig, an elephant, and a panda. They are the perfect size for a 2-5 year-old to carry. Well worth the $29!

(You can see a picture of Caleb wearing this backpack on my left sidebar. He was 2.5 at the time.)

Bobux Shoes for Babies and Toddlers
Another thing people comment on a lot are Isaac's shoes. When he was smaller, he wore Bobux soft-soled shoes like the ones on the left here (his were a different style, but these are cute!). Bobux uses what they call "eco-leather", which you can read about here. I like knowing that Bobux shoes are safe for Isaac to put in his mouth (cuz, you know, that's what babies do)!

I must say that it is pretty hard to find eco-friendly shoes for toddlers. There are several options for babies and big kids (including the ones from Simple Shoes), but not as many for early walkers. I was happy when I found these at Bobux. They are from the i-walk collection.

Check for coupons at retailmenot.com before you buy. Usually you can find a 15% off coupon.

Shoes for Mom and Dad
While I'm reviewing shoes, I should throw my own shoes in the mix. I love my Simple Shoes! I've had them for almost a year now, I think, and they are holding up well. They are super comfy and stylish, too. The bottoms of the shoes are made from recycled car tires, the laces are old plastic bottles, and the inner is made from organic cotton and hemp. I hear Ellen wore them on her show on Earth Day!

You can buy these at simpleshoes.com or at amazon.com for about $55 or less. (Simple also has some incredibly cool boots that are on sale now but are still out of my price range. Maybe Mother's Day...?)


Non-Vinyl Lunchbox
Just like the backpack, I wanted a lunchbox that wasn't made of vinyl, either. After all, the kids at preschool actually eat out of their lunchboxes, and oftentimes food comes in contact with them. I wanted him to have one without lead!

Crocodile Creek was the answer for us. Isn't this firetruck lunchbox adorable? It's a great size for him and fits several reusable containers (because of course we don't use plastic bags!). It is phthalate and PVC-free. It's about $15 at amazon or Whole Foods.

Steamer Mop
We have quite a bit of tile flooring in our house, and I have NOT been happy with the job that my lousy Swiffer Wet Jet does in cleaning it. Not only does it not clean very well, it uses yucky chemicals and leaves them on my floor. I always feel like cleaning up my floor after I clean it up! I am just striving to have a house that is as non-toxic as possible (especially since I have a toddler who likes to eat everything that falls on the floor). To that end, I have had my eye on a steamer mop for several months. I finally broke down and bought one a couple of weeks ago. I LOVE IT!

I got the Eureka Enviro Steamer. It uses hot water to steam the floors. That's it! Just water--no chemicals. It's really quiet and easy to use, and I finally feel like my floors are clean. I bought mine from amazon for about $68. A little pricey, but in the long run it makes sense because I don't have to pay for any replacement pads or refills like I would with the Swiffer. The steamer uses cloth pads that you just stick in the washer and hang to dry. Yea!



That's all for now. Perhaps I'll have a volume 2 of this in the future!

Cheap Organic Clothes

Whenever possible, I buy clothes that are 100% cotton. They are soft, cozy, and breathable. Plus, after Caleb was born I found out that he is very sensitive to synthetics like polyester--he'll break out in a bright red rash if his skin rubs against them too much.

But did you know that it takes about 1/3 of a pound of toxic pesticides and fertilizers to produce the cotton for a single t-shirt? (See here, here, and here for just a few stats.) These toxins are getting into our water sources and causing cancer and other awful problems.

The answer, of course, is to buy organic clothing, but it has traditionally been very expensive. Now there's hope! My thoughts on WalMart overall are pretty mixed, but they do a great job at incorporating organic clothing and accessories into their mix.

If you search their store online for "organic cotton", you get 164 results! They carry all sorts of CHEAP organic cotton items. We're talking about $10 for a 2-pack of baby blankets, or $4 for tank tops like the one below.




But wait, there's more! This month at WalMart (in stores and online), they have some cute Earth Day inspired organic cotton t-shirts for all ages from $4-8. Woo hoo! I bought several last week (like the one pictured below).




I think WalMart is about to get more of my business. (Plus, for those looking for an even better deal, walmart.com participates in Bank of America's Add it Up program, so you can get 4% cash back on your purchases.)

Cloth Diaper Review: Tiny Tush Fitted Diapers

UPDATED 9/2/09: The Tiny Tush diapers were my first experience ever with a fitted diaper. I had never seen one in person, since I didn't know anyone then who used cloth diapers. As you'll see in the review below, I was very surprised by how bulky they were! But of course now I know that ALL fitted/cover options are bulky when compared with disposables. I actually really like the Tiny Tush now when paired with a wool cover. Tiny Tush and the BumGenius bamboo fitteds are my favorites.

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When I ordered my diapers, I ended up ordering from 4 different places to take advantage of sales and get free shipping on everything. All my diapers have arrived with the exception of my Dream-Eze fitteds, so I'll talk about them in another week or so.

I washed all the fitted diapers and covers, and I set yesterday as my cloth trial date for those. I've already been using the SposoEasy all-in-one diapers, and those are FABULOUS. Loving them. But the fitteds...well, here's the review of one brand of fitteds I've tried.


Price: $12.55 each for Tiny Tush Trim One Size fitted diaper

Availability: sewcraftybaby.com and many other sites (this is a good place to check out sales at diaper sites)

How it works: Fitted diapers are just thick pieces of cloth, basically, that are sewn into the shape of a diaper. They close with either snaps or velcro. I worry that velcro might wear down in the wash, and it's easier for little hands to open, so I opt for snaps most of the time. (Snaps have drawbacks, too--they take longer to close, which is important to know if you have a wiggly baby.)

Fitteds require the use of a waterproof cover over them. Basically the fitted can get soaked, but the cover keeps the wetness from getting on the clothes. I know that we've been raised to think that's icky if there's something wet next to baby's skin, but it's actually pretty comfortable for them, and safer than having all the chemicals of a disposable next to the skin.)

Pros:

• They are 100% cotton and are very cozy feeling.
• These are "one size fits all" diapers. You can snap them down to make them smaller for a newborn, and you can leave them unsnapped for a bigger baby (Isaac is big enough that I leave it unsnapped).
• So far, these seem pretty absorbent.
  
• They come in cute colors.
• 100% cotton means that they will wash cleaner and stain less.
• There is an organic cotton version available for a little more money.
  
• They have a snap-in doubler, or extra piece of cloth, for added absorbency. You can take it out for younger babies, or just use the snap-in by itself for a newborn inside a newborn cover.
  
• I haven't had any leaks, and I don't expect to.
  

Cons:

• The name is just wrong! There is nothing "tiny" or "trim" about Isaac's tush when this diaper is on! They make Isaac have a HUGE butt. I mean, HUGE! Remember those Subway (I think it was Subway) commercials that mentioned the big "badongadonk?" Well, that's what we were calling Isaac yesterday. That, and "big booty boy," and many other alliterative names that I won't mention here. But the point is, those things just make his rear end incredibly big.
• There is no way I'd take him out of the house in this fitted diaper and a cover. He doesn't fit in jeans or any "normal" clothes while wearing them. It's strictly a sweatpants only thing.
• I don't buy the whole one-size-fits-all deal. If you snapped this down to make it smaller for an infant, it would be even bulkier than it already is. I would not use this on a newborn unless everything else I had in the house was dirty and this was my only option.
  

Bottom line (no pun intended): I don't mind using Tiny Tush fitted diapers with covers at home, but they are not practical for using outside of the house. They are just way too bulky. Hopefully I will find a brand of fitteds that really are trim.

(I will add some pics of Isaac with these on within the next couple of days. I was having camera issues on the day he wore them last.)

Cloth Diaper Review: Gdiapers

This will be the first in a series of posts about cloth diapers. I told my story of how I came to use gdiapers in the previous post.

Left: starter kit comes with 2 "little g" covers, 3 liners, and 10 flushables















Price: $24-27 for a starter kit (see pic), about $17 for extra covers, $15 for a pack of flushable inserts (between $.36 and $.45 per flushie, depending on the size)

Availability: amazon.com, Whole Foods, and target.com for the starter kits; covers in colors other than orange or vanilla bean currently have to be purchased at gdiaper.com

How it works: Gdiapers are what they call a "hybrid diaper." It's not totally cloth, but it's not disposable either. It's kind of like Cloth Diapering 101. There's an outer cotton cover, an inner waterproof liner that snaps into the cover, and a flushable insert that goes in the liner. Yup--flushable. When your kid poops or pees in it, you just pull it out and flush it down.

Well, theoretically. You have to rip the sides off of the insert first, and say a prayer to Jesus that your toilet doesn't get clogged in the process. (Hey, He's God over the little things, too!) But it's fairly simple, and we've been using them with a good amount of success since June.


Left: an opened cover with a liner snapped into it (the flushie fits into this)






Pros:

• They are adorable!
  
• The velcro fastens in the back, so it isn't easy for little fingers to pull off.
• The inserts can be flushed down the toilet, thrown away (they will biodegrade quickly!), or composted (just the pee ones).
• They have held up well after Isaac's 6+ months of use. A little fading and wearing down on the velcro, but definitely still usable for many months to come.
• There are no fancy laundry routines required--you just wash the covers and liners in warm with the rest of your laundry.
• You can reuse the cover several times before washing it.(The liner usually needs to be hand-washed in the sink after one use--just use a little soap and warm water. It dries very quickly, so you can just leave it out to dry.)
  
• The g's are super-trim, so they fit nicely under regular kid clothing. Some cloth diaper systems are too bulky for normal clothes.
• Their customer support rocks! You can talk to a real live person on the phone, or send an email and have it answered pretty quickly. Their headquarters are in the Northwest (Seattle area, I think), and they actually have planned events for g parents.
• There's a great support group for g-parents on yahoo! groups.
  

Cons:

• The flushies are expensive--more than a disposable diaper.
• You can use cloth inserts in the liner instead of the flushies, but I always get leaks when I do this. (I still do it, but I just know I'll have to do more laundry that way.)
  
• The snaps often leave red marks on Isaac's skin, no matter how tight or loose I fasten the g.
• I don't trust these overnight or on long shopping trips. They just aren't as absorbant as a regular diaper, so we still use disposables for those times. Tried and true g mums will put two flushies in there at night, but that just gets too pricey for me.
• Whenever a kid poops in a gdiaper, you're going to get poop on the waterproof liner. That means that you're going to have to unsnap the liner and wash it in the sink. Yup, that means you often get poop on your hands. If that totally grosses you out, then gdiapers are not for you.
• The waterproof liner does lose its "waterproofness" over time. Ours are still okay, but not as good as they were when we first bought them. I still don't have a problem with leaks when using the flushies. But eventually we'd need to wash them in a product like Nic Wax to get that waterproofness (is that a word?) back.
  

Overall Impression:
Gdiapers are a great introduction to cloth diapers. If you have the money to pay for the flushables, and you don't want to worry about dealing with the particulars of washing cloth diapers (since g's go in your regular laundry), go for it! It's definitely much better for the environment than disposables.

For me, I can't afford the flushies, and I'm not opposed to doing extra laundry. I'm researching other options, but these cute little g's will have a special place in my diaper stash.

Note:
If anyone needs a coupon for these, I have several. Just let me know and I'll mail one out to you for free.