The winners of 1 packet each of RLR Laundry Treatment, as selected by Random.org are:
Comment 14: hclairec
Comment 8: s
and
Comment 18: Sarah
The winners have been contacted by e-mail; please respond with your mailing address within 48 hours. Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who participated! Stay tuned for more great reviews and giveaways! :)
Friday, April 1, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
RLR Laundry Treatment Giveaway!
In the Diaper Laundry post in my cloth diapering series, I mentioned that I occasionally "strip" my diapers with RLR Laundry Treatment. To quote myself:
The product that I've fallen in love with for stripping diapers is RLRTo kick off Fine and Fair Favorites, I'm giving away 3 packets (3 winners will each receive one packet) of RLR Laundry Treatment!. When I strip my diapers, I start out with clean diapers and do a hot wash load with just RLR. Then I do a million rinses, marveling at the amount of suds that are coming out. (Thanks hard water!) I know it's time to strip when the diapers start smelling more strongly after they're peed in, and RLR always solves it!
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| Image Source: Simple Wonders Diapers |
Enter to Win
Mandatory Entry
Follow Fine and Fair Favorites via Google Friend Connect (Click 'Follow' in the upper left corner of this page)
Bonus Entries
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Tweet this entry (comment with link)
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Comment, letting me know what types of products you'd like to see reviewed
Comment, letting me know what types of products you'd like to see reviewed
Fine Print
Leave a separate comment to this post for each entry!
Be sure to include your e-mail address in your comments so I can easily contact you if you win.
Giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only.
Contest is open until Midnight CST on 4/1/11.
Winner will be selected by random.org.
Winners will be announced on 4/1/11 and will be contacted by e-mail.
Winners will have 48 hours to respond or a runner-up will be chosen at random.
*****
This Giveaway is not sponsored, nor was the review of this product solicited.
The Vaccine Book
In my spare time (ha!) I volunteer as an administrator on the Natural Parents Network's Facebook Page. Lately, to vaccinate or not to vaccinate has been a hot discussion topic over there. Making an informed decision on whether to vaccinate, which vaccines to give, and when to give them can be a challenge, given the amount of information available that is biased one way or the other.
The single resource that helped the most in determining Delilah's vaccination schedule (we vaccinate selectively and on an alternative schedule) was The Vaccine Book
by Dr. Sears. The Vaccine Book gives detailed information on the risks and benefits associated with each vaccine on the current CDC child immunization schedule. It includes information on the diseases and viruses that vaccines are meant to protect against, including their prevalence and severity, and also discusses how vaccines are made and tested, how they function, and explains the potential side effects associated with ingredients commonly found in vaccines.
by Dr. Sears. The Vaccine Book gives detailed information on the risks and benefits associated with each vaccine on the current CDC child immunization schedule. It includes information on the diseases and viruses that vaccines are meant to protect against, including their prevalence and severity, and also discusses how vaccines are made and tested, how they function, and explains the potential side effects associated with ingredients commonly found in vaccines.In addition to the comprehensive information provided, Dr. Sears's writing style makes this book stand out. He provides the facts in an un-biased manner, explaining medical terms to ensure that the information is clear and easy to understand. He withholds judgement on whether or not to vaccinate, seeking instead to provide all of the information so that parents can make educated and informed decisions about what is best for their children. He offers several suggestions for alternative, delayed, and selective vaccination schedules, including rationale for his suggestions. He weighs the risks and benefits of each vaccine against the severity and prevalence of the disease it is meant to guard against.
Whether you are pro-vaccine, anti-vaccine, or undecided, I recommend this as one of the must-have books in every parent's library.
--This is an un-solicited review for which I received no compensation.
Raz-A-Dazzle Toothbrush
I recently posted a DITL photo project, and got a couple of questions about Delilah's toothbrush.
Delilah brushes her teeth with a RaZBaby Raz-A-Dazzle Baby Toothbrush
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.The Raz-A-Dazzle Toothbrush was an impulse buy. I was waiting to check out at Once Upon a Child one day when I noticed the display of RaZBaby products. Delilah certainly didn't need a new toothbrush. The little finger tip brush I'd been using on the few teeth she had at the point was still more than sufficient, but the thought of seeing her brushing her own little teeth with her own little toothbrush made me smile. I was sold. (As you can see, my foresight was spot-on. How adorable is that?)
The Raz-A-Dazzle toothbrush is reasonably priced at around $5. It is made from non-toxic medical grade silicone and has very soft and gentle bristles. Even when she's teething, the soft bristles against her tender gums don't seem to bother Delilah a bit. I think my favorite part of the toothbrush is the little safety shield. That shield means that after I've done my part in getting her teeth clean, I can let Delilah brush her own teeth (by which I mean chew on the toothbrush). The shield keeps her from sticking it too far into her mouth and gagging or injuring herself with it. She loves being in control of the toothbrush and seems to find chewing on the bristles very soothing and satisfying!
I absolutely recommend this toothbrush. This was one impulse buy that I don't regret!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Earth Mama Nipple Butter
Thanks to Delilah nursing like a newborn again due to being under the weather, I had to bust out my jar of Earth Mama Nipple Butter for the first time in...gosh, probably a year! In light of that fact, today's Featured Item is Earth Mama Nipple Butter
!
!When Delilah was born, the hospital sent me home with oodles of samples of lanolin. While I know that animals are not killed for lanolin, I still wasn't crazy about it being an animal based product. I went ahead and gave it try, and found it to be a bit sticky. Having to wipe it off prior to nursing Delilah was a pain (literally and figuratively). Even the softest cloth feels rough against sore, tender nipples that are new to nursing, and the frequency at which a newborn eats meant I was wiping off and reapplying sometimes two or three times within an hour. I was also sad to find that it effectively ruined my nursing tanks, leaving tell-tale and conspicuous grease spots that wouldn't wash out.
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Delilah Nursing at 3 months Photo by Nicole Aarstad |
Enter Earth Mama Nipple Butter. First of all, it is certified vegan and contains no toxic ingredients or parabens. Do you know that that means? It means you don't have to wipe it off before nursing, since it is safe for both mamas and babies. Second, it is not sticky or greasy at all. It's just the right consistency (not too thick, not to thin) and glides on smoothly. It is extremely easy to apply and if it gets onto your clothes, it washes out easily. Most importantly, it works! I've been lucky enough to miss out on the joy of cracked nipples, but based on reviews, it works beautifully for cracks, too. What I can vouch for is its effectiveness at moisturizing and soothing sore, dry, tender nipples.
. First of all, it is certified vegan and contains no toxic ingredients or parabens. Do you know that that means? It means you don't have to wipe it off before nursing, since it is safe for both mamas and babies. Second, it is not sticky or greasy at all. It's just the right consistency (not too thick, not to thin) and glides on smoothly. It is extremely easy to apply and if it gets onto your clothes, it washes out easily. Most importantly, it works! I've been lucky enough to miss out on the joy of cracked nipples, but based on reviews, it works beautifully for cracks, too. What I can vouch for is its effectiveness at moisturizing and soothing sore, dry, tender nipples.A little goes a long way, which explains why I still had half a jar sitting in my medicine cabinet after nearly 16 months of nursing. Knowing that it doesn't contain traditional (potentially harmful) preservatives, I wasn't sure what I'd find when I twisted that lid off, but was pleased to find that it looks as good and works as well as the day I bought it.
Planet Detergent
As I mentioned in my Cloth Diaper Laundry post, we use Planet Detergent not just for diapers, but for all of our laundry. Our hard water can make getting our clothes truly clean a bit of a challenge,
and Planet has proven itself up to the task. Our clothes come out clean and with no film or residue with about a quarter of the amount of detergent we used prior to
switching to Planet, which means that the pack of four 100 oz bottles we buy from Amazon lasts for months. I haven't kept track, but I estimate that one 100 oz bottle lasts close to 2 months. To put that time frame in context, we usually do about 10 loads of laundry per week.
What I like best about Planet Detergent is that it's gentle. I'm not just talking about gentle on out clothes, which it is, but the lack of dyes, perfumes, harsh chemicals, and allergens means it's gentle on us, too. Delilah has sensitive skin that is prone to eczema outbreaks, so that gentleness is important! The fact that it is biodegradable, free of petrochemicals, and not tested on animals means it is gentle on the planet, too.
You may be lucky enough to find Planet Detergent in stores near you, but since I am not so lucky, I buy it through Amazon. I buy 4 at a time with free shipping, and when I do figure out how often I run out, I will sign up for the subscription option which saves an additional 15% off.
Whether or not you use cloth diapers, I recommend Planet detergent to anyone who is looking for a gentle, effective, eco-friendly laundry solution!
LuSa Baby Wipe Juice
When we made the choice to use cloth diapers, we decided that it made the best sense for us to use cloth wipes as well. It took us a year of trying different recipes and products for our wipes solution before we tried Baby Wipe Juice from LuSa Organics.
I'd seen the pretty blue bottles at the local cloth diapering store, and even picked them up a few times to look them over. I had tried and loved LuSa's Booty Balm, so I knew I could trust the product to be safe and effective. On top of that, I love supporting local businesses, and LuSa is based about 30 miles from where I live. Still, I didn't think I could justify shelling out $13 for that little blue bottle when my only issue with the water/apple cider vinegar/tea-tree oil combination we'd been using was the smell.
When we received a gift card to the local cloth diapering store for Delilah's birthday, a bottle of Baby Wipe Juice was among the goodies we splurged on. Thank goodness for that gift card, because Baby Wipe Juice quickly made it to the top of my list of must-have items for cloth diapering.
The first thing I noticed when I opened the bottle was the heavenly scent. Sure, anything would smell better than vinegar and tea tree oil, but there was no chemical or soapy smell what-so-ever. It just smelled nice and fresh; a bit earthy. There's a trace of lavender and just a faint hint of patchouli in the scent; so don't worry, your baby won't smell like a hippie. Not that I have any objection to babies smelling like hippies, I'm rather a fan. ;)
The directions call for mixing 1-3 teaspoons with a cup of water. I use less than a teaspoon with about 3/4 cup of water with great results. Using that formula nets us 4-5 days worth of wipes. Baby Wipe Juice is extremely gentle. Delilah has very sensitive skin and is prone to eczema outbreaks and diaper rashes, and she has not had a single diaper rash or hint of skin irritation since we started using it.
Remember that price tag I had hemmed and hawed about? We got that bottle in mid-November. Nearly three months later, it's nearing half empty. I never kept track, but I have no doubt that the amount of apple cider vinegar and tea-tree oil we were going through added up to much more than about $2 a month! The lack of rashes means we're saving on salves and creams for diaper rash, too!
--This is an un-solicited review for which I received no compensation.
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