Prairie Tales Experience

About a month ago, I was lucky enough to win the Prairie Tales giveaway at Happily Domestic. I choose a chocolate chip and the elephant print medium diapers and the zoo print wet bag. The day that they came, I hadn't been feeling well and had been in bed all afternoon. I saw them on the counter when I got up to get a drink and of course, sick or not I had to inspect them! My first impression was how cute they were. Loralee, the owner, also sent a handwritten note with the package, so I knew customer service was going to be good.

I also knew as soon as I felt the wet bag that I was going to LOVE it! The PUL* is so much thicker than any of the other brands I have seen. I also like the zipper, the snap handle and that the cute outer material isn't attached to the inner layer. I feel it is much easier to dump dirty diapers from my Prairie Tales wet bag in the washer. My other 4 wet bags are all drawstring and they require some work to get the diapers out the opening. The only problem I have is wishing it came in a larger size! Loralee does offer a pail liner. We don't currently have a diaper pail; we just keep the wet bags by the toilet. I think an upgrade to our system might be in order!

* Update 12/28/2009: I found out it is so much thicker because it isn't actually PUL, but a medical grade barrier fabric! That even sounds better than polyurethane laminate! I remember reading that on their website and had actually forgotten.

Most diaper makers/ companies suggest that you pre-wash your cloth diapers before using. They all vary on how many times, so I wanted to be sure. I emailed Loralee and received a response the same evening. My second impression of the good customer service was right on! Two washes and we were ready to test.

Tate weighs 24.5 pounds, so I went with the medium diaper. As you can see, he definitly has some room to grow into it. His waist is thinner and he has some chunky monkey thighs, so I like the two rows of snaps. All of the other diapers we have that snap only have a single snap row. With the two rows, I am able to get a more comfortable fit (or so I imagine).

Tate sometimes is a super heavy wetter. Example: Right before I took this picture, I had just changed a basically dry diaper. (I thought I had smelled poop.) Not more than 45 minutes later, he came over to sit on my lap and his clothes and the microfiber insert were drenched. I solved the problem by making a booster to go along with the Prairie Tales insert. I cut the sleeves off a long sleeved t-shirt and sewed them together. We usually have to add an extra insert to all of our cloth diapers to prevent leaks. Even with the extra booster, the Prairie Tales diaper is very trim. Now, the only problem is the 2 I have always seem to be dirty because I use them first!

Our Prairie Tales experience has been very good! I love the extra wide pocket openings, which makes stuffing easier. After a year of heavy use, our current large wet bag has seen better days. The PUL** is coming apart. I will definitly be looking to Prairie Tales soon for a new one! Unless anyone wants to get us one for Christmas... :o)
** Update 12/28/2009: I also found out, after emailing the company, that our large wet bag isn't in fact PUL either. It is only a plastic lining that isn't meant for heavy usage. Thanks for not mentioning that in the product information because had I known that fact, I wouldn't have spent the money on it a year ago! Since no one got us one for Christmas, we are upgrading our current system to the Prairie Tales pail liners. I have no doubt that it will work much better for us than our current and that it will still be in great shape next year, and the next, et cetera.