Testing..Testing..One..Two..Three...Charlie Banana Cloth Diaper Vs. Amelia

Saturday, August 20, 2011
Okay. I fully admit it. I am a cloth diaper geek. 
Other people get excited over test driving new cars, or checking out the latest tech gadgets. Me? I'm thrilled when I get to test out a new cloth diaper.
Well, not me exactly. It's more like my daughter, Amelia, does the actual testing. 
So, I was very happy to receive a new shipment of Charlie Banana diapers - especially the super cute ones that had "goodbye disposable, hello cloth" written on them.
And, since we have just moved and the web store was down for a little bit, we had plenty of time to get some use out of them.

Their one size works like most other one size diapers, and was very easy to put on the girl (even a crazy active girl like our Amelia who rarely sits still). We made sure to use these new diapers at least 3 times a week, and to include naps and overnights too - just to see how they would perform. Overnights are currently a big deal with us right now. Our DD usually wakes up with a super wet diaper, and we have certain diapers which we reserve for overnight use. 

I LOVE Charlie Banana! These diapers never leaked - never! They fit our girl (at 32 pounds) perfectly, and contained her overnight wetting like few other diapers can. We used these diapers on our girl when we took the ferry to Vancouver (it's not always easy to change a baby on the ferry so I always try to put a really good diaper on her before we leave), and we used them overnight when staying at our relatives homes. I find it very important to trust that Amelia's diaper will not leak overnight and hence, will not leak onto guest beds. 

For overnight use, I triple stuff her diapers (3 inserts), and for naps and daytime use, the 2 inserts worked wonderfully. 

Our la la ladybug family is very excited to be offering Charlie Banana diapers for your family. Another bonus is that Charlie Banana supports Operation Smile, a medical charity that helps children around the world.:
https://www.charliebanana.com/Operation-Smile_ep_44-1.html

It's a Win-Win!

In celebration of our grand re-opening, we will be giving away a fabulous Charlie Banana "Goodbye Disposable, Hello Cloth" One Size Diaper. All you need to do is sign up for our newsletter at www.lalaladybug.com for the giveaway details.

Have a lovely day!

the la la ladybug family.






Yes - You CAN Love Cloth Diapering!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011
It's finally spring and it's the perfect time to try new things. Have you ever wanted to try cloth diapering but it seemed too overwhelming? Have you used them in the past with little success? 

At the last trade show I participated in, I heard many stories of people who really did want to use cloth diapers, but something came in the way. Some parents had bought diapers but after a few uses, they began to leak. 
I often hear that people use diaper rash creams with their cloth diapers - this can be one of the reasons why your diapers leak (all diaper rash creams are designed to repel wetness to clear up the rash. Repelling wetness is not good for your diapers -you want them to be as absorbent as possible).
Another culprit can be the detergents that are used when washing the diapers. Although a detergent may have a label that says it's "earth friendly", it doesn't mean that it is cloth diaper friendly. Take a look at the list of ingredients - if there is anything that says "coconut and/or kernel oil", it cannot be used to wash diapers. The oil in the detergent acts much like the rash cream - it will make your diapers repel wetness and hence, they will leak.
Not to fear though, all you need to do is strip those diapers to make them as good as new (you may need to strip them a few times to get them back to being absorbent. I found this out the hard way).
There are many ways to strip diapers that work. Check out this blog post and the responses from other cloth diapering parents who had some great ideas:
http://lalaladybug.com/_blog/la_la_ladybug_Blog/post/Okay_all_you_cloth_diapering_moms_and_dads_out_there,_I_need_your_help/

Do you have any other questions about cloth diapering? Have you ever wanted to try them out but weren't sure where to begin?
Drop me at an email at: jaclyn@lalaladybug.com ( http://lalaladybug.com/contactus) - I would love to help you love cloth diapering your little one.




la la ladybug at Mommylicious!

Tuesday, March 01, 2011
Just a quick note to let you know that we will be at Mommylicous, and fan-tab-ulous trade show, on March 6th. We hope you can come out and see us!



We Want Your Funny Parenting Stories - The Messier The Better!

Wednesday, February 09, 2011




Send us your messiest, most hilarious stories and you could WIN a mini photography session with Timeless Edge Photography (http://www.timelessedge.com/)

Go to the "Contact Us" page and submit your story now:
http://lalaladybug.com/contactus






Family Fun Day - December 5th, 2010

Monday, November 08, 2010
Hi everyone,

I am just so excited about Family Fun Day coming up on December 5th. 


Time:

Sunday, December 5 · 11:00am - 4:00pm


Location:

Dance Co.

9030 McKenney Avenue, Mission Ridge Plaza.

St. Albert



Holiday Extravaganza!
Where else can you learn about cloth diapers and baby wearing, sip healthy coffee, shop for holiday gifts AND sample some super fun parent and child dance / fitness classes?

We don't call it Family Fun Day for nothing.

-Reanna Maitland will be doing trial dance / fitness classes for parents and kids (see schedule below).
http://jadoredance.com/

-Emily Hiller will be there with her Healthy Coffee. Check it out: http://www.emilyhiller.organogold.com/

-Jaclyn Thomey will be there to host several cloth diapering workshops throughout the day, and will also have various la la ladybug goodies for sale
www.lalaladybug.com


-Erin from Cosy Baby, Happy Mommy will be doing a baby wearing info session too!
http://cosybabyhappymommy.com/about.htm


-We are collecting New, Unwrapped, TOYS for children from infants to 12 years old for Santas Anonymous.
http://www.santasanonymous.ca/events/icalrepeat.detail/2010/12/05/95/-/ZmFkYWRhNzgwNzU4ZGIwZjk2MjEzNDNjMDM5YWQyMzU=


We will be offering some adult fitness and dance classes too - but that is no reason to leave the kids at home. We will have plenty of crafts and fun things for them to do while you enjoy some adult time.

Schedule:



11:00 am - INTELLIDANCE BABIES™.Postnatal class (3 - 18 months)
Learn how dance and movement can nurture early neural development and strengthen the caregiver-baby bond.

11:30 am - BABY WEARING SESSION
With Erin from Cosy Baby, Happy Mommy.

Noon - HAWT SALSA MAMA. Postnatal class (6-8 weeks of age and up)
With little ones snuggled into baby carriers, new moms learn popular Latin dances while babies shake maraca rattles and bounce along to the Salsa beat! All levels of fitness and dance experience are welcome.

1:00 pm - INTELLIDANCE TOTS™. Parent and Tot class (2 - 4 years)
Offers a creative environment for independent movers and their caregivers, to experience the joy of dance and movement together.

1:30 pm - FIESTA FAMILY Parent and Tot class (1 - 5 years)
Fiesta Family combines movement and play, with lively rhythms that parents and kids can both enjoy!

2:30 pm - SALSA BURN. Adult Class
Salsa Burn is a fitness dance class that teaches participants the sultry Latin rhythms of Samba, Salsa, Merengue, Cha Cha, and Bachata. Suitable for all dance and fitness levels.

3:00 pm - FIT HOP. Adult Class
Come and try this fun and funky cardio style hip hop class. No dance experience necessary.




Upcoming Shows and Cloth Diapering Workshops

Saturday, October 30, 2010
I know it's Halloween, but the holiday season is fast approaching. Get your holiday shopping done and support your local vendors at the same time (it's a win - win kind of thing).

We have a few more shows coming up, so mark these dates on your calendars:

WeeStock:
November 20th, 2010
10am-5pm
Mayfield Trade Centre



-Shop Till you Drop Expo:
November 28th, 2010
Trans Alta Arts Barn
10:00am to 5:00pm




Family Fun Day (The Holiday Edition):
December 5th, 2010
Dance Co. St. Albert
9030 McKenney Avenue, Mission Ridge Plaza


There will be trial dance / fitness classes for moms to be, moms and babies, and moms and tots (and dads too!). 

We will also be hosting two cloth diapering workshops and a baby wearing info session.



You can sip healthy coffee and shop at our local vendor fair as your kids do a fun craft. 
Click on the facebook event link to get updates on our vendors and the schedule for the day.
We don't call it family fun day for nothing.


BOO! 
Happy Halloween from all of us here at la la ladybug.


Keegan wasn’t just a cat; he was my family.

Saturday, October 09, 2010
I’ve taken a bit of a break from the business this week. Those of you that are a fan of la la ladybug on our facebook page will know the reason: my little cat, Keegan, passed away on Monday. 

As I write this, Rob is at our vet clinic, talking to them about our little Keegan. The vet was very gracious in giving us some time to think about what we’d like to do. 

It seems to weird to think that our youngest cat is now gone. Chasing mice in cat heaven, as my aunt said to me the other day. I always assumed that Keegan would be the cat that Amelia would grow up with.

He came to us as a stray kitten. 5 years ago, during Fringe time in August, our friends found the little guy in the “Robes N’ Relics” shop off Whyte Ave. They did all the things you are supposed to do when you find a stray – called the SPCA, put up flyers, etc. No one was looking for this kitten.

They couldn’t keep him and so asked us if we would take him in. After some discussion, we decided that he would fit right into our family of me, Rob, and our two other cats. 

We named him Keegan because he had red and white fur – Keegan in Gaelic means “little fiery one”. He was indeed fiery, and loud, and a small puffball of energy.

Keegan was so tiny. The vet guessed his age at 4 months, too young to be neutered. Little did he know that Keegan was in fact over 6 months old – that cute little kitten began to howl and spray our shoes! It wasn’t long before we took him back to get him fixed.

Our little kitten has part tabby, part stripy, and totally fearless. He would run right up to the other cats and then plop himself right on top of them and snuggle in. He had such a loud purr –Rob used to call him briggs, like a loud briggs and straton motor. 

He sat on the countertops above the fridge, slept in the laundry closet on freshly washed laundry, and snuggled with Tybalt in their cat bed. It was never hard to find him; all you had to do was call his name and he would answer with his little kitten meow and come running to find you.

No matter how many years past, he was still a kitten. Still had the little kitten meow, still had that super soft kitten fur, and was still so tiny. What he lacked in size, he made up for in personality. When I went into Amelia’s room in the morning, he would jump on the window ledge and meow his good morning. He was always underfoot, and always talking to anyone who was in the room. You could never ignore Keegan. He had a way of making everyone laugh.

I miss my little guy so very much. He wasn’t just a cat; he was my family. He is everywhere I look, and yet he’ll never be here again. 

I was very touched to see that my friend, Sue, did up a memorial to Keegan on her blog, Memories by Sparky. I have included the tribute she made for him below. 

I know it will get better, I know that it will take time. Keegan was a wonderful part of our family and we are better for knowing him.

http://memoriesbysparky.blogspot.com/2010/10/it-hurts-they-are-family.html




They will not go quietly,
the cats who have shared our lives,
in suptle ways they let us know,
their spirit still survives.
Old habits still make us think,
we hear a meow at the door,
Or step back when we drop
a tasty morsel on the floor.
Our feet still go around the place
the food dish used to be,
And, sometimes, coming home at night,
we miss them terribly.
And although time may bring new friends
and a new food dish to fill,
That one place in our hearts
belongs to them. . . and always will.
                                                                        .....Linda Barnes




Cloth Diapering Coast to Coast

Thursday, September 23, 2010
The girl is down for a nap so I thought I would take this time and update our blog. 

This summer was a whirlwind for our family - within one month, we went to British Columbia AND Newfoundland. We literally cloth diapered from one coast of Canada to the other. And yes, it can be done. Here are some quick tips on how to travel with your cloth diapers.

Bring two large laundry bags - one for dirty diapers and one for clean (don't mix them up - it makes for a long laundry day. Trust me).
http://lalaladybug.com/products/cloth-diapers-and-accessories/applecheeks-storage-sack-size-2
When traveling by plane, we put both laundry bags in cargo. Most airlines will give you a certain amount of cargo luggage for kids - car seat, cloth diaper bags (2), and portable play pen. We brought our stroller all the way to door of the plane and they stowed it before take off.

Make sure you bring a change pad to change the baby on the plane. The changing station is super tiny and you'll need to provide some padding for your baby.
http://lalaladybug.com/products/cloth-diapers-and-accessories/dri-pad-change-pad
It was also helpful to have Rob standing outside the bathroom to pass me things as I needed them (wipes, new diaper, etc.)

We have stayed in hotels and also at family members houses and have washed diapers at both places. All you really need is your detergent, a wash basin (or bathtub) to rinse out poopy diapers, and a washing machine. We usually did diaper laundry while Amelia was napping (our monitor was super handy to have in the hotel when the washing machines were a floor below us). 

Yes, you will have to set aside some time to wash diapers, but we found that it was a nice way to relax and hang out with each other. It was the perfect way to get some downtime. 

When heading out for the day, we used a backpack instead our regular diaper bag. We found it especially useful on days walking around the city, and when taking long day trips. Sometimes, a backpack is just easier to haul around than a diaper bag. 

Cloth diapering while traveling takes a little bit more time, but it was well worth it. 
If you are planning on traveling with your diapers and would like some tips, or anything else, you can contact us at: jaclyn@lalaladybug.com

Happy Travels!

 Amelia in Stanley Park

 lighthouse at Cape Spear, Newfoundland


Testing out the new OrganicKidz Stainless Steel Bottles on the East Coast

Saturday, September 11, 2010
Hello everyone and welcome to our blog,

Hope you had a good summer. We're just getting back from the east coast and getting caught up on everything and that means doing a recap of our summer activities.

Before we left, I was contacted by Michael from OrganicKidz to see if we might be interested in carrying his line of stainless steel baby and toddler bottles. I took a look at the information he sent me and I thought that it would be prefect opportunity to try them out during our east coast trip. I ordered a few, and was especially excited to try the thermal baby bottle during our long day trips.

Here is a quick write up of the thermal bottle:
 organicKidz™ is proud to have the world’s only thermal baby bottle in our 9oz/ 270ml narrow necked bottle. Liquids will be kept hot or cold for over 6 hours.

These bottles look fantastic, and we received compliments on them everywhere we went (just yesterday we were at Hathaway's Diner and two separate people thought they looked "funky" and "cute"). My favorite though was the thermal bottle and boy, did it take a beating on our trip! Amelia is going through a phase right now where she throws food, bottles, etc. when she is done with them. This poor bottle was thrown all over Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and it still looks like it's in great shape. They are not kidding when they say they are unbreakable!



The thermal bottle did indeed keep the beverage cold for 6 hours, which was such a life saver on our long day trips to places like Lunenberg. I really liked that it held 9oz as well, it was the perfect size to have for an all day outing. 


I think it is great that these bottles can "grow" with your child - you can use a slow flow nipple, a fast flow nipple, and then you can get a sippy spout for toddlers. They are also compatible with several other brand name accessories.

These bottles have officially passed the "Amelia Test", and I am excited to be offering them through la la ladybug very shortly. Look for OrganicKidz bottles starting in October 2010.
 I just took this photo of our thermal bottle - still looks great!



Some more information about organicKidz™ Stainless Steel Baby Bottles:

4 and 7oz Narrow Necked single hulled bottles for easy warming
9oz Narrow Necked vacuum insulated bottles so liquids keep cold for 5-6 hours
4oz and 9oz Wide Mouthed single hulled bottles available
2oz lid for easy measuring
BPA, PVC and Phthalate free
Compatible with most narrow necked nipples
Light weight and dishwasher safe
Unbreakable and dent resistant
Our products are packaged in environmentally friendly, recyclable cardboard


Cloth Diaper Fun in the Summer Sun

Sunday, July 25, 2010
Hi everyone,

I was hanging up the diapers today so they could air dry, and I just couldn't resist taking photos of my little girl as she played underneath.