My Little North Star Organic Toddler Pillow

My little north star's organic toddler pillow is made with organic cotton for the covering fabric and hypoallergenic polyester cluster fiber filling on the inside. The pillow is made in the USA, which in and of itself is a huge plus for us! The pillow measures 13" x 18". The loft, per the product description, measures 3.5".  The pillow doesn't requires a pillowcase, but I definitely plan on using a fitted pillowcase to keep it clean of drool and oil.

The pillow is best for children ages 2 to 5 years old. Bigger kids will find this pillow a big too small for their growing size.

The pillow can be thrown in the washer and dryer. It doesn't clump up after drying, but I do use 6 wool balls in my dryer loads so that could also be a huge help to unclump anything. The pillow is very soft and the size is perfect for parents who are concerned of their child being buried with a larger pillow.

Purchase yours here!

Disclosure: This complimentary item was provided for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own and no compensation was received. This post contains affiliate links.

Charlie's Soap Laundry and Kitchen Review and Giveaway!

Charlie's soap is a family business that was started by Charlie Sr. himself. Read about his story here! I stumbled across this wonderful company in doing research for natural laundry and cleaning products for our home as we have been slowly transitioning to greener products both for the environment and for our health. The biggest push lately has been due to an expected arrival of our first baby in the coming months. We wanted green cleaners that actually clean. Especially laundering baby clothes and stains. We heard some good things about Charlie's soap on the web and decided to test it out to see if it lives up it's hype. Our biggest issue with a lot of green products is its cleaning power. Though it's green and great for your health and environment, when it's not actually cleaning what you want it to clean off. Those products don't resonate well with our household.

We will be reviewing the following four products from Charlie's soap: Laundry powder, Booster, Kitchen & Bath spray, and Indoor/Outdoor spray. You'll want to keep reading because there is giveaway happening!!

The ingredients for both the sprays are:

• NATURAL MINERAL INGREDIENTS: Water, Sodium carbonate
• BIODEGRADABLE INGREDIENTS: C12-15, Pareth-2 (Vegetable and mineral sourced surfactants)

Yep! They have the same ingredients. And then I read a review on Amazon that someone used it as a laundry spray too, so I thought I'd show you how that went for a grease stain on my husband's polo. So I'm making a wild guess that the laundry spray may be the same ingredients, too.

The bottle squeeze handle is very comfortable and the actual spray is very nice. By nice I mean it sprays wide and very evenly in a mist-like manner instead of like the ones that have some areas that come out like a stream. Having an easy to squeeze bottle that is ergonomic is helpful when you are spraying an entire shower stall and are having to squeeze a LOT. It decreases hand fatigue.

Here are some stains on my husbands shirt. He seems to always get grease stains on his shirt, but that's another story. This is bike grease, in case you are interested. Not easy to get out.

This is the first application of the indoor/outdoor cleaner. I let this sit for about 10 minutes before I came back to look at the shirt. I never scrubbed or patted the shirt. I did not touch it besides spraying it.

The picture above is what it looked like when I came back to check on the shirt 10 minutes later. Not gone, but you can see the grease stained lightened with ZERO work from me. I wasn't expecting a miracle, so this was surprising that it even lightened with no scrubbing. So I reapplied the spray and waited another 10 minutes, then forgot to take a picture. But I'll just tell you the stains were still visible and looked more or less like the photo above. So at this point, I took it to the sink and hand washed the stained area and to my surprise, the stains came out! See for yourself!

Shocking, right? A natural cleaning spray that got out bike stains. I was VERY impressed and LOVE this for getting stains out of shirts! I did use it for its intended purpose, in the tub and kitchen sink. It didn't do so well for our porcelain kitchen sink. The stains didn't scrub out even after letting it sit. Same with the tub. What it did clean was the hard water stains on the shower curtain, again, without scrubbing.

I bet you are all wondering, does the laundry soap live up to its rave reviews. I am happy to report that it does!! Being pregnant, I have gotten pretty clumsy, and I've dropped food on myself so I can attest to the cleaning power of Charlie's laundry soap against food stains on white clothing. It does get the stains out! We were very happy with how well this laundry powder performed and at the cost per load, this was an easy switch. We highly recommend this for anyone thinking about going natural for laundry detergent and absolutely recommend it for anyone looking for a good baby safe laundry detergent!!

The booster is a hard water treatment for those living in areas where hard water is an issue...which is pretty much all urban and suburban areas. That makes up, what, a majority of the population? Who knows. All I know is we have hard water in Los Angeles and it is a pain to deal with. It wasn't worth it to get a water softener. We were using tide before this and it did a good enough job with the chemicals it uses to wash our laundry well- stains and all. But now we can use eco-friend and non-toxic laundry cleaner with this booster!

And now, what you've all been waiting for!! Our giveaway! Charlie's soap was kind enough to provide 2 sampler packs and 1 FULL sized laundry soap! That's three prizes to give away! All you need to do to enter the giveaway drawing is to comment with the following: 1) How you stumbled onto Charlie's soap and 2) What about Charlie's soap appeals to you! Your name will be entered into a drawing at the end of October and the winners will be contacted via email the first week of November, so be sure to enter a valid email!

In the sample pack, you get a trial sized indoor/outdoor & kitchen/bath spray, liquid laundry soap, and 4 packets of powdered laundry packets in a nice fabric drawstring bag!

Purchase your Charlie's soap products here!

Disclosure: This complimentary item was provided for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own and no compensation was received. This post contains affiliate links.

Ha&Da Infant Wooden Hairbrush and Comb Set

Okay, bear with me, I know this is a second post for a brush set that looks strikingly similar to the one I posted just a few posts back but this one is a little different and definitely of better value.

Ha&Da's brush set is similar to the Tilly & Jasper set I reviewed here. BUT this one comes with a baby nail file! If there was one major advice that all moms have told me, it was to get a baby nail file because those nails are sharp and you can't always cut them perfectly so you will need to file them. This is a quality nail file, not a cheap one either. This is why I like this set more. It's a full grooming kit, short of giving you nail scissors or clippers.

The 100% goat hair brush is extremely soft and has a full sized handle that is ergonomic to hold for an adult hand. Your baby is not going to be brushing their own hair, so it'd make sense for the handle to be made for adult hands!

The brush below is just your normal plastic pin brush that is very spaced out to get out any tangles. I don't actually foresee this being used much in infancy or toddlerhood for a boy since boys don't have that much hair, but for a girl it would be a good tool to have.

A word regarding their customer service. Originally the comb came broken. Now I can attest to their customer service, which is great. I emailed the company and sent them the photo. They immediately sent out a whole new package to me and it arrived very quickly. This is GREAT service and not all companies do this.

Tilly and Jasper brush set is $17.95* where Ha&Da set is $9.95*. I think it's a no brainer which is more value!

*Prices at the time of posting

Buy your set here!

Disclosure: This complimentary item was provided for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own and no compensation was received. This post contains affiliate links.

Linen Storage Bin

We were looking for little storage containers for around the house and came across these linen storage bins on Amazon from a little store called Balamiya. When I saw these, I thought they would actually be PERFECT for our nursery! I needed some extra storage in our nursery for little things on top of the changing table and these fit the bill. I couldn't decide which of the designs I liked best so all four it was!

These little storage containers are made from a blend of cotton and linen material with some sort of plastic backing that makes the interior waterproof. The storage container measures 7.8”×6.3”×5.1” and is large enough to fit baby shampoo, a nail kit, a hairbrush kit, Mylicon, and a whole giant tub of aquaphor. I could definitely fit in a tube of diaper cream too. When I first received the package, it comes flat and all squished, so I put a few towel to stretch it out and give it shape. After a day or two, it held it shape without the towel. The fibers just need time to remold itself. Overall, these are a great set of organizers to help you store all your little personal belongings neatly in your house, in a nursery, or even in the bathroom. If I have one left, I would use it in my laundry room! But I doubt I have enough cubes for that.

Below are pictures of each of these beauties. 

This is the interior of the 4th storage cube to show you the stitching and how it looks inside. It's not super neat, but it didn't bother me or how it functions.

Buy your baskets here!

Disclosure: This complimentary item was provided for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own and no compensation was received. This post contains affiliate links.

Lekebaby Baby Diaper Bag - Arrow Print

Lekebaby's diaper bag is a large any roomy diaper bag made of water repellent polyester and a faux leather handle. You can hold the bag by the handle or use it as a messenger bag. When you use it as a messenger bag, you can flip the front compartment down so it looks less feminine for any of the dad's who are using the bag in conjunction with mom.

The diaper bag features 9 exterior pockets and 8 interior pockets. There is also a side pocket for baby wipes. The bag is a whopping 16" x 6" x 14" and comes with a diaper changing mat (23 x 14 inches). I was surprised just how big and roomy this bag is! It fits a ton of stuff and is perfect for a long day out to the beach or picnic. It can be stuffed with a lot and will look pretty big, but if you are using this on a day to day basis, you can just put in what you need and because the bag is soft fabric, it just flattens a bit so it doesn't look like you are carrying a giant diaper bag around.  The arrow print is really cute and fashionable. The bag also comes with built in stroller straps that allows you to attach it to your stroller. 

There is large front zippered pocket that is attached to the handle and is large enough to use as a separate compartment for all of the parent's belongings to it's kept separate from all the baby stuff.

The insulated pockets inside the bag at large enough to stuff the wide Comotomo baby bottles (which we have). I don't know of any wider bottles than that! The bag itself is 16 (L) x 6 (W) x 14 (H) inches and weighs 2 pounds with nothing in it. It's only spot clean, which is a little inconvenient but so are leather bags. Not a deal breaker for us. The thought would be nice to machine wash it if it were soiled from the baby, but most bags are not machine washable. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever washed any of our backpacks or fabric bags (with the exception of fabric/canvas grocery bags). 

Lekebaby has a satisfaction guarantee with their diaper bag. If you are unhappy or there is a problem with your bag, there is a 50 day free exchange on your bag. The bag itself has 185 day warranty should you encounter any issue. So far we love this bag and all the compartments. It is very thoughtfully designed with magnetic closures for a clean design. We were very pleased with this diaper bag and even my husband liked it! See all additional photos of the bag and buying information below!

Magnetize the tops together so they don't flop around

Fold arrow print down for a different look. Works when you use it as a messenger.

Zip top for the main compartment

Stroller clip on both sides

Zippered pouch where the arrow print is

Buy your bag here!

Disclosure: This complimentary item was provided for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own and no compensation was received. This post contains affiliate links.

Tilly & Jasper Natural Brush & Comb Set

These set of high quality maple wood handled brush and comb set from Tilly & Jasper is a set all newborns are going to want to have! These make a great set for either your child or for someone you know who is expecting. 

The brush below is made of 100% real goat hair and is actually REALLY soft. Believe me, I was very skeptical and in the photos it looks rough but it is very soft. This specific brush is great to use on newborns to prevent cradle cap and increase scalp circulation.

Fits very comfortably in your hand.

Here is a close up of the goat bristles.

This other brush (below) is more for when your baby grows older and is about toddler age. Since they don't have that much hair, they won't really need this brush.

The combs it a nice part of the set that helps you guide the hair where you want it and smooth it out. It's the perfect size for your little one.

This whole set can carry you from newborn through pre-teens, really! You'll be all set with this premium set of brushes. This whole brush set is made from eco-friendly and natural materials without any BPA, formaldehyde glues or VOC releasing finishes - definitely safe for your precious newborn. Though I previously mentioned this is made of maple wood, the comb itself is not made of the same wood. I'm not sure what it's made but but it is still wood.

Buy your set here!


Disclosure: This complimentary item was provided for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own and no compensation was received. This post contains affiliate links.

Wonder Balls: 100% Natural Wool Dryer Balls

Replace your dryer sheets with all natural 100% New Zealand wool dryer balls! These come in a pack of 6XL balls that replace the need for chemicals and unnatural toxins loaded in your dryer sheets and cuts your drying time as well. They are made entirely of wool, unlike some that are just wrapped in wool. They also come in a drawstring bag for easy storage! 

I use about three balls in my medium large loads and notice that it cut down the drying time (about 25% for large loads and 40% for smaller loads). If you like scent on your clothing, you can add some essential oils to the balls then throw them in the dryer, but we are okay with not having the scent most of the time. The only time I put scents on is when I dry sheets and I use lavender for the calming effect of the smell when I put my bedding on. 

These balls don't leave a weird filmy texture like some dryer sheets do and are eco-friendly. I will say that they don't soften your clothing and linens as much as softer does, but we try and use as little un-natural products as we can in this household. One, to reduce toxicity and chemicals in our day-to-day life. Two, it's cheaper. Three, it's better for the environment. Four, to make our lives easier.

We are totally in love with these dryer balls and will be gifting them to family during the upcoming holidays!

Buy your set of dryer balls here!

Disclosure: This complimentary item was provided for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own and no compensation was received. This post contains affiliate links.