Product Review: Clever Cat Litter Pan

Clever Cat Litter Pan



We have two cats, Zoe Pinkle Purr (female) and Pyewacket (male). They are both about 5 months old and messy like all little ones are. I became so frustrated with the amount of kitty litter on the floor and the smell that I started a search for a new pan.

I had considered the "self-cleaning" pan, but wondered if it would be any better at containing the litter. Scooping isn't a big deal with the all-natural litters that clump (no clay here), so I wasn't impressed with the price of a self-scoopin pan.

I found the Clever Cat Litter Pan on one of the national chain websites and thought I'd try it. I was rather skeptical about a top entry pan since my cats were still rather small at the time (10 weeks old).

This pan has been amazing! I didn't have to "train" them to use it, like other reviews I read. I just showed them the pan and they used it immediately. Of course, there's no such thing as a pan with no litter tracking at all, but most of it gets trapped in the lid on the Clever Cat. Each day when we pooper scoop, we just turn the lid over and dump it back into the pan. We now have about a tenth the amount of tracked litter because the cats can't shoot the litter all over the room with their little paws.

The pan also provides some privacy for the cats. We have four children, all under the age of 7, so it's helpful that the cats can sneak into the pan with little interruption. It is not, however, childproof as my 1 year old found a way to crawl on top of the pan and dig out litter (yuck!). She is, sadly, faster than I am, though I've learned to not let her in the laundry room at all. ;)

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PROS: Very well-designed, although it is similar to "any large plastic bin" the lid is well worth the price. There is less odor as well.

CONS: A little pricey, but I can't imagine how much it costs to sweep up litter every day. You also should scoop every day since it is mostly a closed unit.

COST: We bought ours at Petco for about $30.

RATING(out of 4):

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Dental Care

My two oldest had their dental checkup today. It went well, though we do have a few cavities to speak of :( Apparently, they inherited my crowded teeth and we're not flossing enough.

As usual at a dental exam, the dentist gave each of the girls a toothbrush. Though they are cute (the handles look like a whale), they are made in China.

Why do I care? Every week I get recall notices in my email box and the majority of them are lead paint recalls from China. I'm just not comfortable with products from China, especially those that are put in my children's mouth.

So I went on a search for toothbrushes for the girls. It may seem as if there is no selection for Made in the USA products, I've found the following:

TOOTHBRUSHES
Dr. Du-More's (I've purchased the flossers at Wal-Mart)
Radius
Oral-B (be sure to check the label)
POH

Remember the '07 scare about China toothpaste?

TOOTHPASTE
Tom's of Maine
Nature's Gate


I'll update this after we've tried any of the toothbrushes. We already love Tom's of Maine and have been using it for years.

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PR: Thermos Intak Water Bottle, BPA free

THERMOS INTAK

I've been looking for a water bottle for awhile. I like the Sigg bottles, but I don't want to drop $25 on a bottle (though they are nice looking bottles!).

I found a Thermos at Target yesterday I love! It's BPA free--no surprise since Thermos has been committed to BPA free for a long time. It has a loop for a carribeaner and a dial to count the number of times you've refilled the bottle (from 1 to 6). The spout opening is nice as well. It comes in multiple colors.

I don't know about durability yet as I've only had it a few days. I can tell you that having the little dial to count the refills has been a great motivator. There's a great sense of pride when you dial the number 6 by the end of the day.

How much water should you drink? I read one interesting formula:

0.5 ounces x Body Weight in Pounds = Daily Fluid Requirement in ounces

COST: $9.99 at Target

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Product Review: Tovolo Ice Cream Molds

Tovolo Ice Cream Molds



I hesitated posting this review as I've never actually used the ice cream molds for Ice Cream. My infant is allergic to milk and I'm nursing, so I cannot have milk right now.

I have, however, used the molds to create shaped boiled eggs and shaped rice:



Notice the Cow Shaped Rice ball: Spray the molds with Pam, mix gooey rice with cinnamon and raisins, then smush in the molds.



For the cow and pig shaped boiled eggs: Boil the eggs, cool (but not all the way), peel the eggs and center them in the molds laying down. push the plunger down and place a rubber band around the mold. Put in the fridge for a couple hours.

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PROS: Very well-designed, a great size, and can be used for multiple purposes!

CONS: They are a bit pricey, but they are built to last.

COST: I found mine at an outlet home good store for $11.95. I've seen them online for anywhere between $9.95 and $19.95 (Amazon had a double set for $22.95)

RATING: (out of 4):

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Ergo baby carrier

My new favorite product! The Ergo Baby Carrier.

My SIL recommended the Beco carrier, which I've also heard from others is fantastic. This one is similar, just not as pretty, but it was about $30 cheaper.

I've now had the opportunity to carry baby Lily (8.5 months old, 21.75 lbs) for hours at a time and I don't get sore! She loves being on my back, especially since she can really see what is going on. Today at an outing, she slept for a half hour in the front, and carried on my back for another hour while I played skeeball and played other games with our girls.

It's also ergonomic for mom and baby. I've noticed I don't slouch with this carrier and baby Lily loves to be in it as if I were holding her.

9/12/08 UPDATE: It's now been two months and I still LOVE this carrier! The pocket is big enough to put a diaper, a small wallet and a travel size wipes. Just a word of warning: when you're putting baby on your back, sit on a chair or in the front seat of the car. It's a bit tricky, but works so well! My little one is now 11 months old and I can carry her for hours without back, neck and shoulder pain.

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The Perfect Brownie...and pan

There is a great company called Namaste that makes milk, soy and wheat free mixes. I bought a brownie mix and have been waiting to use it. I finally prepared it the other day to appease my chocolate craving and YUMMY!

I started to think about how I LOVE the crusty outside of the pan and the inside mushy part isn't as satisfying to me. I posted to some friends online about it and we got into a discussion about crusty vs. soft inside of the brownie pan.

Then one of my online friends posted this:



from Baker's Edge

Now there is a product I need!

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Playtex

Playtex is taking requests for a free BPA-free baby bottle:

CLICK HERE



I have also put a link to the right of the Playtex BPA free Products

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Imse Vimse Training Pants

My two year old is potty training. Really, she's potty training me. I had no desire to potty train with a newborn, but my little Katie had different ideas.

It's gone rather well considering. We've had a setback, but in the last few days she has done amazingly well! And, in the end, any number of diapers I don't have to change are a bonus.

I'm not a big fan of the thick underwear and rubber pants. *shudder* I've used them in the past. They don't breathe and they cause stinky odors. Instead, I've tried other training pants and my favorite so far are these:



They are absorbant enough that an accident doesn't get nasty and leak. Even a poop accident stays in the training pants, though cleaning up the accident is no more or less messy than changing a poopy cloth diaper.

PROS: If you're serious about potty training, these are great! They look and feel like undies--not bulky like most trainers--and hold in accidents well. They also feel wet so, unlike the name brand pullups, kids know the training pants are wet and get uncomfortable.

CONS: If you have a really heavy wetter, they may not contain the mess as well. They are pricey, but if you're willing to wash imagine the savings! You'll make at least the cost back and save some serious landfill space. These are not good for overnight; for overnight, I'd recommend and All-In-One diaper or traditional cloth diaper and cover.

COST: $13.50 (For the cost of one box of the name brand disposable training pants, you can buy 2 pairs).

Rating (out of 4):

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Kushies Cloth Diaper AIOs

I found Kushies at Wal-mart while shopping one day. There were only 2 packages of the Kushies (5 pack) and I'd never heard of them, but thought I'd pick them up to try at a whopping $37.95 (that's only $8 per diaper after tax!). I asked a couple CDing friends whether they thought the diapers were decent but most of the feedback I received was that, for the price, they probably aren't very good (the "you get what you pay for" adage).

I decided to try them anyway. I've now been using them for over a month and I have to say they work great for me. The first time using them, I didn't pull them snug around the leg and tighten them well, so they leaked. Initially, I was going to blame the diaper, but I kept trying them and found that they haven't leaked again.

I often use these at night with an additional soaker in the middle. Again, no leaks!

After doing a search on the internet for cost, I realize how very inexpensive they were and I'm off to Wal-Mart to discover whether there is still another package left.

PROS: *These diapers are very inexpensive and really do the trick!

*After washing every other day for a month, they still work great. I admit, though, that I don't typically dry them in the dryer, I just hang dry them in hopes they will last longer.

*With the fit, they should make it another 6-8 months, when dd gets close to 22 lbs.

CONS: *Be careful not to wash them with bright colored diaper covers, they will become stained from the wash. (Of course, I learned that as a newbie and just wanted to pass it along).

*They are supposed to fit 10-22 lbs, but I've found it's closer to 13 lbs when they fit the best. You can make them fit at 10 lbs, but you have to be sure to make the fasteners snug.

*With the 5 pack, you get 2 patterns and 3 solids. The two patterns are really cute, but as you might now with CDing alot of moms like the cute patterns and these aren't quite as fashionable.


COST: $8-13 per diaper, depending on where you purchase them. At Wal-Mart, they are approx $8 a diaper, at Babies R' Us they are about $10 per diaper and online they are $13 per diaper

Rating (out of 4):

Comments: These are great diapers! Not as fashionable or flashy, but very economical and worth the price.

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g diapers

I found out about the gDiapers over a year ago. They are advertised as flushable diapers with outer covers you just throw in the washer. I tried to find them at our local stores like Whole Foods and Vitamin Cottage, but they weren't carrying them yet. I didn't want to have to pay shipping every time I ordered diapers, so I gave up on the idea.

One year later, and one new infant later, they are now in stock locally. You can buy a kit of two diaper covers, 4 snap-in liners and 10 diapers for about $24-27. After the initial purchase, the cost is ~14.99 for 40 diapers, or ~$.37 per diaper. The cost is comparable to the higher line pull-ups like Huggies, which are generally $.31-.41, depending on the diaper size, size of the box you are purchasing, and where they are purchased.

Flushability: You might wonder, "really, they flush?" Here's how it works: You have to take the diaper material (which really looks like a giant maxi-pad) out of the inner liner (polyurethane coated nylon) that snaps into the diaper cover, then rip open both sides the outer material (which resembles the inside of a regular diaper) and dump the inner material into the toilet. The inner material is like toilet tissue and it does clump, so it's necessary to swirl it around to break it up. According to the directions, you can flush the outer meshy material as well, but the one time I tried, it clogged the toilet.

But never fear, even if you can't flush the diapers they are highly biodegradable and great for composting (wet only diapers). In our house, we flush the inside and toss out the outside of the diapers. In comparison to regular diapers, we're adding about 1/20th the volume of a regular diaper (it is really just a thin outer meshy covering to hold the other material in) to a landfill.

Pros: *This diaper is great for reducing garbage and landfill. As a mom of 4 (all of which are in some type of diaper from night time pants to all day diapers) this is really important to me. I shudder at the realization that my first two children used about 10,000 diapers each and it took me this long to cloth diaper and use the gDiapers.

*The diaper covers really are cute! However, I put them on backwards for quite some time (the g on the diaper goes in the BACK!) and they still worked well.

*The diaper covers can be used for cloth diapering as well. I snap in the liner and add a prefold where the gDiaper would typically go. When I'm out and about, I use the regular gDiaper liners.

*You can be as cool as Julia Roberts


Cons: *Throwing them in a diaper bag is tricky. I feel like I need to put them in a separate sanitary bag so the stuff rolling around the diaper bag doesn't get on the diaper liners.

*Price. Let's face it, if you watch for sales and clip coupons, they cost about twice as much as regular disposable diapers. As a mom on a budget, it's a pretty big con.

*Dumping poopy diapers. It's really just as messy as cloth diapers, which cost a ton less and don't tax the waste reclamation any more than sitting on the potty and flushing (unlike gdiapers, which increase the amount of paper product in the septic system). With a bm, you really do get messy tearing off the outside of the diaper to dump the inner contents and if you don't feel comfortable flushing the outside, it can get really messy.

*Finding the diapers. I'm fortunate that I live in a state that has a big population of earthy crunchy mammas and even then, the stores don't have a huge stock. If you have to order online, you have to factor in the shipping cost, which can add a couple cents per diaper.


Cost: Starter Kit (2 diaper covers, 4 liners and 10 diaper inserts) ~$24-27
Refills (40 diaper inserts) ~$15

Rating (out of 4):

Comments: They can be costly, but such a benefit to the environment! A great alternative for outings, especially for cloth diapering moms.

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Squid Soap by Airborne

Squid Soap is made by Airborne. A few months ago, I signed up for product testing and was sent a full sized sample of the squid soap. We've now been using it for over a month and I wanted to share our findings.

As far as soap goes, it's a great smelling soap! The sample we received had the orange squid on top and I think the scent is blue raspberry. We are still using the soap and it seems to clean well.

The quality that makes it unique, though, is the red ink pad on top that inks your hand while you pump, then stays on until you've washed it off (15-20 seconds).

My husband was the first to try it. He pushed down on the inkpad and he did get inked, though not very well. It was hardly noticeable.

I gave him the hint that maybe his hands were supposed to be wet first! So he tried that and got a good ink spot on his hand. However, when he tried to wash it off, it wouldn't come off! He scrubbed and scrubbed. It did finally come off, but not in 15-20 seconds.

We've now been using it for awhile and it does work much better. The initial inking was a bit much, but now that the inkpad has been used for awhile, it marks appropriately.

The problem is, the kids aren't really that interested in it. The first couple days were novelty and the girls loved to ink their hands, but they lost interest quickly. The soap is still used, but the girls do not pay attention to the ink spot.

We've always had the rule that you have to sing a song while you wash. The ABC song is the favorite, followed by Twinkle Twinkle little star and Happy Birthday. So far, this has been the most consistently used trick to get the girls to wash long enough.


Cost: ~$4.00

Rating (out of 4):

Tested by: 2 adults and 3 children aged 5.5 years, 3.5 years and 2 years

Comments: Though my kids weren't interested in the actual inking of their hands and lost interest, it could be a great asset to those with kids who love to get marked!

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