But, with economy being what it is, I think I can contribute to my readers with some detailed product reviews so that you can minimize buying crap like I did.

Ok, so my oldest is now about 31 months old now.  As you may recall, we started with Pampers Swaddlers but decided it was waay too expensive, especially since my guy did not have any allergic reactions.  So when he was about 3 months old, we switched to BJ’s house brand.

Now, some people might say it is inferior to Pampers but I have to ask you this question:  if you knew your baby pee’d in his or her diaper, wouldn’t you change it right away?  I don’t get this hold notion of not changing diapers frequently because it can hold more liquid.  I guess under certain circumstance (like being out in the mall), it might be convenient, but for general use, I think using BJ’s brand is better.

Having said that,  I decided to switch the diapers to Luvs for several reasons:

1. Size 6 diaper is slightly wider, preventing poop leaks (yuck)

2. Luvs diapers seem to be softer (but slightly thinner) than BJ’s diapers

3. Luvs diaper seem to better hold liquid than BJ’s

4. Price (with BJ’s manufacturer coupons) is comparable between Luvs and BJs

So, there you have it. If you have a size 6 boy or girl, why don’t you give Luvs diapers a try?  As I recall, Luvs is a cheaper brand manufactured by Procter and Gamble who also manufactures the Pampers brand.

PS.  What is up with Costco?  Because Costco is closer than BJs from my house, I checked out their store the other day.  It seems like the majority of the items are their own Kirkland brands.  Especially for diapers they only had the Huggies and Kirkland!  Instead of paying membership fee, Costco should pay ME to shop there!  lol.

Anyways, I wanted to share a product that has worked wonderfully with my son’s eczema on his face.  Basically, his skin is very dry so he would scratch and make his skin bleed.  Upon his pediatrician’s advice, we ended up buying a product called Eucerin which has worked wonderfully.

The reason why we chose this product is because unlike petroleum based products (Vaseline, etc.), it does not have a warning about accidental ingestion.  We had to apply it for few days to see the results but his skin is now very soft and no more bleeding, yay!

Well, I guess folks at BJ’s were reading my post? Due to high gas and food prices, we decided to try BJ’s Berkley & Jensen diapers again and we were pleasantly surprised. Rather than simply tell you “I like it”, I would like to take some time to go over my conclusion in detail.

Disposable diaper components

Believe it or not, there are numerous sites that contain almost-too-much-information on disposable diaper. If you are inclined to read, these are good sites to start with:

· http://disposablediaper.net/faq.asp?1

· http://www.babynaturale.com/whindidi.html

In order to make my case little bit easier, I’ve drawn a simple diaper diagram with various parts indicated:

Product Info (from the diaper carton)

BJ’s Berkley & Jensen baby diapers

• · Size 4 (22 to 37 lbs)
• · Hypoallergenic – perfume and dye-free to help protect and care for baby’s sensitive skin
• · Double Leg Gathers – designed to provide excellent day and night protection against leakage
• · Ultra Thin Absorbent Care – hourglass shaped and helps draw wetness away from baby’s skin
• · Stretchable – resealable grip tabs ad stretchable waistband help customize the fit to your baby for netter leakage protection
• · Moisture Guard Layer – pulls in wetness and keeps it away from baby’s delicate skin
• · 156 diapers
• · Three, 52ct packs
• · UPC 400000206820

Huggies – Snug and Dry baby diapers

• · Size 4 (22 to 37 lbs)
• · Contain mild cosmetic ingredients to help keep skin soft and healthy-looking (Petrolatum, Ozokerite)
• · Contain safe, absorbent particles that gel when wet. If you notice a small amount of gel-like material on your baby’s skin, it can be removed with a baby wipe or damp washcloth.
• · 176 diapers
• · Two, 88ct packs
• · UPC 036000524895

Pampers Cruisers baby diapers

• · Size 4 (22 to 37 lbs)
• · Go Baby Grips for Non-stop fit
• · 140 diapers
• · Two, 70ct packs
• · UPC 037000095156

Side-by-Side comparisons

A – Front elastic waist band

Winner: Berkley & Jensen

Comments: Surprisingly Pampers and Huggies did not have this feature. I would have imagined this was an important feature, especially for boys.

B – Enclosure (receiving tabs)

Winner: Berkley & Jensen

Comments: Berkley & Jensen diapers had the widest receiving tabs. It’s my opinion that these wide tabs gave me additional flexibility to secure diapers properly.

C – Elastic bands for legs

Winner: Tie between Berkley & Jensen and Pampers

Comments: All had dual elastic band layers. Berkley & Jensen and Pampers both had 5 elastic strands (total); Huggies had 4 strands (total).

D – Enclosure (Velcro tabs)

Winner: Berkley & Jensen

Comments: Again, Berkley & Jensen diapers had the widest Velcro tab, providing the most amount of (unofficial) gripping or holding power. Although Huggies Velcro tab had nearly identical surface area, it did not seem to have enough “receiving tab” surface area to maximize the holding power. Pampers used a different approach by using a different Velcro material as well as utilizing a narrow strip of adhesives. In my opinion, Pampers had the weakest holding power. In addition, 23 out of 140 diapers had defective Velcro tabs where the entire tab separated from diaper when force was exerted. Totally unacceptable in my opinion.

E – Rear elastic waist band

Winner: Huggies

Comments: Huggies had the widest, most flexible rear elastic band. Berkley & Jensen came very close at second. Pampers did not include any elastic bands for either the front or back sides.

F – Absorbent material

Winner: Tie between Berkley & Jensen and Pampers

Comments: Although Pampers’ material seemed superior due to thicker materials as well as it’s cool looking mesh layer, both Berkley & Jensen and Pampers performed similarly during my unscientific tests:

1.      I pouring 2 oz of water, using my son’s feeding bottles for exact measurement and noted the absorbency rate; and

2.      I tested water holding power by pressing down a piece of dry paper towel on top of the wet diapers.

From what I observed, the absorbency rate was pretty much the same.  However, when the paper towel test was conducted, Huggies “gave up” some water whereas Berkley & Jensen and Pampers diapers did not.

G  – Logos

Winner: Berkley & Jensen

Comments: Both Huggies and Pampers must pay licensing fees to use Disney and Sesame characters in their products, respectively.  Berkley & Jensen wisely chose NOT to take the same path, saving us money.  After all, diapers are hardly seen by anyone else and they go into trash fairly quickly so why throw money away on admittedly cute, but expensive cartoon pictures?

Pricing Comparisons

I purchased Berkley & Jensen, Huggies and Pampers diapers within a span of 1 month at the same BJ’s location in New Jersey.  Arguments can be made that there are manufacturer coupons available for Huggies and Pampers, making the final price cheaper than what is mentioned here. So, if you can find some available coupons, please adjust your final cost.

Conclusion

So what is the end result?  From my un-scientific tests and field experience, I whole heartedly recommend the Berkley & Jensen diapers over the other two brands for its superior performance and price.  Even after factoring in the BJ’s membership price ($45 per family per year) and some coupons for Huggies and/or Pampers, I think you can agree that Berkley & Jensen diapers will cost less at the end.  Don’t get suckered into slick advertising and pay for those cute Mickey Mouse and Elmo on a throw away product!  Save some money now!

Disclosure

As I stated repeatedly before, my testing methods and results are NOT SCIENTIFIC.  They are simply my PERSONAL opinion based on use.

I do not financially benefit from promoting a specific product mentioned in this article

If you have any money savings ideas you would like to share, please post!

 Gerber Finger Foods, Bite Biscuits

• 12 biscuits in a box
• Each are individually packed
• Net weight of 5 oz or 142 g
• Recommended for 10+ months
• $2.49 plus tax

Earth’s Best Organic – Barley Teething Biscuits

• 12 biscuits in a box
• Two biscuits per packaging
• Recommended for 9+ months
• $3.29 plus tax
• Net weight of  4.6 oz or 130 g

On the surface, Earth’s best seemed like a good deal, mainly because of it’s “organic” status.  However, I have observed that its Barley biscuits tend to break apart in rather large chunks.  In addition, they dissolved in “gritty” nodules.

On the other hand, Gerber’s biscuit did not break apart easily and they seemed to just dissolve as they were being licked by Gregory.

Conclusion: I recommend Gerber’s biscuits over Earth’s Best organic biscuits.  I will be writing a letter to Earth’s Best to let them know that I consider their products to be un-safe.

The only thing we requested from our pediatrician was that the shots are made WITHOUT any mercury.  We were told that most shots do not contain mercury these days, but call ahead to make sure that is the case.  In addition, keep a detail record of all shots.

Birth to  2 months: Hepatitis B (Hep B)

2 months:  DTP (diphitheria, tetanus, pertussis), OPV (polio), Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type B)

2 to 4 months: Hep B
4 months: DTP, OPV, Hib

6 months: DTP, Hib

6 to 18 months: Hep B, OPV

12 to 15 months:  Hib, MMR (measles, mumps, rubella)

12 to 18 months: DTP (or DTaP at 15-18 months), Var (chicken pox)

Before starting school (4 to 6 years): MMR, DTP or DTaP, OPV

11 to 12 years: Var (if your child has not had the chickenpox shot, and  has never had chicken pox), Hep B

11 to 16 years: Td (tetanus, diptheria)

The Blue Bulk (a.k.a. nasal aspirator) to the rescue!  This has to be one of the most effective torture device known to mankind.  Whenever he sees it, he starts to cringe and his eyes tear up instantly.

On the advice of some fellow Amazoners, I purchased Bebe Sounds Nasal Clear Aspirator ( here ) and all I can say is that this is a piece of crap.  The suction power is woefully inadequate and it makes a buzzing motor sound that would freak out even me if it were being stuck up my nose!  The only good part is that it has some decent music that you can play to entertain your baby while suctioning out stuff with a blue bulb.

Honestly, I think some of these “objective” reviewers are actually paid reviewers, earning commission (note: The Amazon link I provided you does NOT have an affiliate info).

Trust me from a person who has ACTUALLY used this product.  It DOES NOT work so don’t waste your time and money on it!

I think I finally found a good one though.  It’s Gerber Graduates Sip & Smile Spill Proof Cup.  Unlike others, there are only 3 parts: a lid that has handles and nipple combined together; flow limiter and cup.

The “hybrid” lid is handy because:

1. I don’t have 10 gazillion parts to wash
2. Nipple is permanently attached to the lid so I don’t have to worry about losing it
3.  The inside of a nipple is reachable via bottle brush meaning it can get cleaned relatively easily
4. The nipple is a soft rubber variety which Gregory seems to like
5. The handles attached to the lid is also very pliabl; and they are ribbed so it’s easy for the little ones to grab

The flow limiter is a simply one piece made of plastic and rubber gasket in the middle; although the manufacturer recommends using cotton-tips to clean it, I use a regular bottle brush figuring they need to be replaced every 3-4 weeks anyway.  As I said before, this part is also very easy to clean unlike some others.

Check out the product here and let me know if you have found others that work for you.

It got gradually worse as the day went on, refusing to eat or sleep so I called my pediatrician.  She told me to give him a warm bath to calm him down and come in for a sick visit later in the afternoon.  I ended up jumping in the shower with him and he passed out under the warm shower  in 2 minutes!

To make the long story short, my pediatrician ended up diagnosing him with an inner ear infection and prescribed amoxicillin (anti biotics).

Moral of the story?  Be in tune with your baby’s behavior patterns!  We are all busy with work and chores but at the end of the day, our kids are what matters, right?

We are starting to read to him more diligently, so we hope his verbal skills will improve soon.

Believe it or not, we have committed ourselves to NOT watch television and I think that is helping.  Not only do we avoid all those flashing tube signals (and possibly scrambling his little brain), in place we spend more quality time together.  Yes, it is much, much harder to do it this way, rather than plopping him in front of a television set.  With all the hoopla about autism, maybe avoiding “empty” stimulus is a good thing?

It seems like his milestones are being hit one after another! Oh yea, his single tooth on his bottom gum has finally exposed….