smarti pants review and giveaway

we have been a cloth family now for 13 months. that's about 12.5 months longer than i think joel thought we would make it.

bella, rockin out her cloth diaper, at around 2 months

in the beginning, i had my work cut out for me. before bella was even born, i had to convince joel that cloth diapering was not just something that people did back in the old days. in reality? it was not that long ago.

so first things first-we talked money. by cloth diapering, we found out that, if bella was fully potty trained by 2 (which is on the early side) we would save around $5,000 by cloth diapering. that had joel on the fence. he is a man who likes to save money. then, i made a big mistake. i told him that if he let me make this investment (and initially, it is a little bit of one) he would never have to change a diaper. ::palm to forehead:: i admit, i said that in a moment of desperation. because even though i LOVE cloth diapering? there have been some moments where i could have used a hand. (to be fair, he has changed 3 diapers......and once, because there was only a changing table in the mens room. thank you panera bread!)

but he conceded, and i dove in. into researching. because it is overwhelming. luckily, jessica over at SmartiPants is a genius. she has created a wonderfully amazing diaper. it claims to be a one size fits all, from birth to potty training.

so i bit. i bought 18 of them. i had a few other of different brands, just to try them out. see what fits. after about 2 weeks, Smarti's quickly became my favorites.

• they're easy. the liners come out in the wash. this might be my favorite thing about them. because i don't have to grab a soaking wet liner and pull it out. with my fingers. yucky. nope. they agitate out in the wash, so you literally just throw them in the washer.
• they fit. of all the diapers i have used, smarti's seem to fit the best at every stage. they have snaps that go up and down the front to adjust the leg hole size, and snaps across the tops and on the tabs, to adjust the waist. this is what makes them fit so perfectly, at all stages. you can overlap the flaps without adding a bunch of bulk. 
• they aren't too bulky. back to those liners. the way the pockets are sewn on the diaper makes the liners fit perfectly and not get all bunchy, making them pretty trim, for a cloth diaper. 
• they're absorbent. the liners in smarti's are by far my favorite of all the liners we have. and we have a lot. they are big and long, but somehow don't overwhelm the diaper. and they are incredibly absorbent. which is why they're there. duh. 
• they're cost efficient. when i first started researching diapers, i was overwhelmed by the price. sometimes, a single diaper can cost up to $25. and needing around 25 or more, that would get expensive, fast (there's that investment i mentioned). but at $14.95 for a single one, they are more than $10 cheaper. there are different size packs you can get as well, saving even more money. 
• they hold up well. we've had our smarti's for over a year. they are still in pretty awesome condition-no pilling like other diapers, not stretching, no fading, and no disintegrating (yes, i have had diapers that have just....fallen apart). my ONE AND ONLY complaint, is that the elastic is starting to give. but that is after one year of constant wearing and washing. i would say that's not too bad. 

not the greatest picture, but she looks so cute in her smarti's! bella at 2 months. 

and now? you can get one free! this is a great opportunity to try them out. or if you already have them (and love them) you can add to your stash! one winner will receive one diaper of their choice. and entering is easy peasy lemon squeezy.

there are several ways to enter! each entry is a separate comment and please be sure to include your e-mail address in each comment, so i know who to contact!

mandatory entry:

• head over to SmartiPants. come back here and leave a comment telling me what color you would pick! 

extra entries:

• "like" Smartipants on facebook. 
• follow this blog. 
• tweet about this giveaway and mention @this_isparadise. 
• share this on facebook.
• follow me on facebook.

that's it. you don't have to do everything, only the first one is mandatory, but each entry is another chance to win. the winner will be chosen by random.org and announced on january 20 at 12pm est. don't forget to leave a separate comment for each entry with your e-mail address in it!