Giveaway: Wool Prefold Belt from EC Wear **CLOSED**

***This giveaway is now closed. Please stay tuned for the announcement of the winner! ***

This is a joint giveaway with The The New Mommy Files: Memories, Milestones and Missteps and Natural Parents Network. You may enter at one site only. Please find the section marked "Win it!" for the mandatory main entry and optional bonus entries.

I have been practicing Elimination Communication with my daughter since she was born, so I was thrilled when she was a few days old and I happened upon EC Wear. EC Wear is a work at home mom-run business that sells clothes, trainers, and other accessories for easy elimination communication, as well as traditional cloth diapers for back up. All of the products sold by EC Wear are sweatshop free, and many are mama-made, so I always feel good about the items I purchase. One of the most practical and economical items sold at EC Wear is the wool prefold belt.



The prefold belt is a product made exclusively for EC Wear using quality wool scraps left over from the manufacture of Little Beetle wool diaper covers. This soft, elastic band goes around your baby's waist and holds prefold or flat diapers in place with no need for a cover, pins, or a snappi. Inside the soft wool outer is a length of buttonhole elastic, which makes the belt fully adjustable, so it can grow with your child.

We have been using a prefold belt, creating what we lovingly refer to as the "sumo diaper," for some of our at home EC needs since my daughter was only a few months old. She has always been squirmy, never wanting to be still for diaper changes, so the ease of use of the prefold belt has been fantastic. I simply pull it up around her waist and tuck a prefold in. When it's time to visit the potty or change a wet prefold, I just slide the diaper out from under the belt and replace it. It can be done in seconds while my baby is standing.


Changing diapers as soon as they become wet or soiled is a priority when practicing EC so that babies do not become accustomed to being wet. As a parent, it's not always easy to remember to check a diaper as frequently as I would like. Because prefolds are so absorbent, however, they soak up an entire "miss" with no problem, so going without a diaper cover at home is easy. Because I can easily see when an uncovered prefold has become wet, changing diapers immediately is an easy task. Going coverless also allows for plenty of air flow in the diaper area, which is a huge plus for babies with sensitive skin or a tendency for diaper rash. In addition to the ease of use and ability to go coverless, another benefit of using a prefold belt is that it allows for independent toddlers to remove their own diaper when they need to use the toilet.

A prefold held up with a belt is a great
solution for bottoms in warm climates.

The only trouble with this diapering system is that it doesn't keep the prefold or flat super snug against baby's skin. This is fantastic for air circulation, but not-so-fantastic when a breast fed baby has a bowel movement. It also makes for some serious bulk at the top of the diaper in both the front and back, so it's not terribly practical under clothing. For this reason, we have limited our use of the prefold belt to times that we're home. It's absolutely worth having, however, even if only for home use. I should also note that I have rather bulky, Indian prefolds, so a thinner variety may work much better under clothing.

I would recommend prefold belts to anyone who practices either full or part time EC. A belt would also be a great addition for families who cloth diaper full time but want a breathable option to give their baby's skin a break. If you live in a cold climate and your baby's lower half needs to be covered at all times, you might have better luck with an option like split pants.

BUY IT!

You can buy your own wool prefold belt from EC Wear's online shop, along with a variety of other specialty EC products, cloth diapers and diapering accessories, and sweatshop free clothing selected with easy EC in mind.

WIN IT!

For your own chance to win a wool prefold belt, enter in the comments below! The winner can select a belt from in stock colors and sizes. Contest is open to readers worldwide.

MAIN ENTRY: Visit EC Wear and tell us about one other product you like and why.

Leave a valid email address in at least one of your comments so we can contact you if you win. You can write them like this to foil spambots: mail {at} naturalparentsnetwork {dot} com.

This is a joint giveaway with The New Mommy Files and Natural Parents Network. You may enter at one site only, and we'll be recording IP addresses to ensure that there are no duplicate entries. That said, please do visit and enjoy both sites!

BONUS ENTRIES: enter for more chances to win using the bonus entries after completing the mandatory entry above (leave a separate comment for each so we can count them all):

• Name one thing you love about EC.
• Subscribe to The New Mommy Files in a reader or by email (1 entry for each).
• Subscribe to Natural Parents Network in a reader or by email (1 entry for each).
• Leave a relevant comment on a non-giveaway article at Natural Parents Network and tell us which post (comment on separate posts for up to 3 entries total).
• Like The New Mommy Files on Facebook.
• Like Natural Parents Network on Facebook.
• Like EC Wear on Facebook.
• Post this giveaway on your Facebook page or wall and leave the link (1 entry). You can use this status update: Enter to win a wool prefold belt from @The New Mommy Files: Memories, Milestones and Missteps and @Natural Parents Network. Contest ends August 6 and is open worldwide.
  Be sure to attach the contest URL to your update! (http://naturalparentsnetwork.com/giveaway-wool-prefold-belt/)
• Follow @ECWear on Twitter and leave your Twitter name in the comment.
• Follow @NewMommyFiles on Twitter and leave your Twitter name in the comment.
• Follow @NatParNet on Twitter and leave your Twitter name in the comment.
• Tweet about this giveaway (up to 5 times total, at least 24 hours apart). You can tweet this text: #Win a Wool Prefold Belt from @NewMommyFiles & @NatParNet! #giveaway #FreedomofCloth http://bit.ly/iOBSLv {8.6, US}
• Enter another of the giveaways on Natural Parents Network (1 extra entry per giveaway — check back for more).
• Put the Natural Parents Network badge on your website or add http://NaturalParentsNetwork.com to your text blogroll for 2 extra entries each. The HTML code for the badge is in the right sidebar. Leave your site URL in the comment.
• Put The Freedom of Cloth Carnival badge on your website. The HTML code is on the bottom of the page. Leave your site URL in the comment.

RULES:

• Contest open worldwide.
• Contestants may enter at either The New Mommy Files or Natural Parents Network but not both. Entries will be combined for the drawing of a single winner.
• Leave each entry as a separate comment so we can count them all.
• For actions like following and subscribing, if you already follow or subscribe, just let us know in your comment.
• For tasks that garner you multiple entries, you can copy and paste the comment with a #1, #2, etc.
• You don't have to do any of the bonus entries, but you do have to complete the first mandatory one.
• We will pick the winner through Random.org after the contest closes and send an email notification. Leave a valid email address as you comment so we can contact you if you win. If we can't reach a winner or don't hear back within a couple days, we'll draw a new name.
• Any questions, let our interim giveaway coordinator know: ShannonR {at} NaturalParentsNetwork {dot} com

Contest closes August 6 at 11:59 p.m. PST.

Disclosure: This review is based on a product that our reviewer personally purchased and owned prior to planning the review. All opinions expressed are those of the reviewer. We try to seek out only products we think you would find relevant and useful to your life as a natural parent. If we don't like a product, we won't be recommending it to you. See our full disclosure policy here.

Photo Credit: Author