Month 36: Review – Lil Baby Chaps from EC Wear

Totally Scientific Experiments on the Blue and Gray Polka Dots EC Chaps with Subject B

Over the summer I was delighted to be asked to review L’il Baby Chaps from EC Wear.    I could totally type a review in between kid wrangling right?    The package arrived when we were away on a summer trip and when we got back it was BLAZING hot.   They were cute and had that nice fresh pressed pristine look that you know is going to be destroyed in 15 minutes of use.     Unfortunately, I had to wait a month before the weather even permitted using them on Itty Bitty’s little brother Mini Moose.I wanted to drag these chaps through a good course.   Put them through the paces like a good Household Scientist.

Daddy Man thought they were a little weird, but he is used to my wack-a-doo ways and just went with it.     The chaps were actually quite lucky for a week before a stealth poo took them out.   They were used day and night.      It did take two runs through the washer, but the orange-yellow stain did come out (by the way, never ever *rub* baby poo stains.  Gentle agitation will get it out most of the time, if you rub it embeds the poop deep into the fibers where you can never get to them.  When out and about, a few people even commented on cleverness — they saw the advantage even with non-EC — what better way to show off those pretty cloth diaper covers!?  Traditional pants covering skull heads with rockin’ guitars or bows, playful monkeys, and fruited polka-dotted butts is a crime!

Drop the prefold from the front, let it hang from the back, and the potty opp is still easy pee-zy.

EC Friendly:     I was actually quite surprised how nicely the chaps fit and accommodated a prefold and belt, and when we were on an extended outing it was a bonus to be able to put on a diaper cover and not have to fuss with pants.  No bulk!    Potty opportunities with them were just as easy as without them…a big bonus in my eyes.  We had no incidences where they got wet and they never got in the way.    I don’t want anything to make a pit stop more difficult.   It was also nice to be able to remove the prefold and leave the boy unfettered but still keep his legs warm if it was chilly.   Made for really cute baby tush photo ops too!

Legwarmer Contender:    I love legwarmers.   I have

Sunject B found crawling a little slippery at first but he got the hang of it. Subject B even cuter with bare booty streaking by.

several babylegs and the one major advantage the chaps have over these legwarmers is that they don’t slide down.   Some of mine are worse than others as far as having to pull them up constantly, but that problem was non-existent with the chaps.      The big disadvantage for me with the chaps though is that they are a one trick pony…I can not use them for arm warmers for myself or Itty Bitty, and they will not grow with him and I can’t use them on Itty Bitty.  For some people that is okay, but I want to squeeze every penny and stretch out use as long as possible.

Washability:    As I mentioned, the chaps did get blasted with a poo bomb, but because they do not cover the buttocks the stains were secondary transfer.   We actually used them many times without needing to wash them.   And when they did need washing (poo incident aside) it was because they got dirty from crawling.   Of course, for the benefit of the review I did wash them many extra times with the other laundry to give them a proper showing.        There were a few stray strings that cropped up, but nothing unraveled and the fabric stayed soft after drying.   I did NOT run them through super hot  — it was either air dry (which left them a little stiff which was easily softened from body heat and wear) or low temp drier.    The fabric of these chaps was a light cotton.     On a curious note, the chaps always seemed to make their way through all of the laundry bits to be right at the drier door whenever I opened it as if eager to get back to work…

Subject B ponders Little Potty and Chaps…Made for each other?

Wishlist:    While I like the chaps and they are a nice addition to the wardrobe, I am always in preference of products that can do more than just one service.  In this economy where you look to save money by reuse and versatility and the growing trends to upcycle, I’d like to see this product be all that it can be.

• Adjustable or more expandable elastic band — One of my main annoyances with the chaps was the elastic waist.   It isn’t that it was neither loose nor tight for regular wear, it just can not grow to accommodate size and it was also not tight enough to double as a prefold belt.    I am using a headband as a prefold belt (I’ve got a little thrift going), but I had been hoping the chaps waist band would have been stretchy and snug enough to do double duty.  At the very least, I wish it had been adjustable to get the exact snugness I felt was needed.
• Leg Hems to Let Down —  The single most irritating thing to me about clothes and EC is that there is always too much butt room in clothes and when they grow big enough for the butt, the legs are to short!  Chaps eliminate the butt problem obviously!  On the other hand,  I wouldn’t say that my Littles are exceptionally tall, but still I found the chaps really limited in growing room.  If the hems had extra fabric to cuff attractively and then fold down for length as the baby grows that would be better than sliced bread.
• Totally Crazy Peachy Keen Idea —  My dream baby chap would be one that was a winter knit with a little stretch that could bet detached from the waist band so that they could be used as leg warmers or arm warmers on a toddler.   I’d clap my hands with glee and do the Snoopy Dance!

I know that I ask for a lot from clothes, but I do my best to get my Little’ clothes to go more than one season and to do more than one thing if at all possible.     I LIKE the baby chaps, they are extraordinarily easy to EC with,  they are attractive, and I like supporting companies like EC Wear — Made in the USA.   It feels good to support the home turf.     I think they would have a real winner on their hands if they made some small adjustments so that their products would showcase extra uniqueness and have that lasting power a lot of parents look for.

Go to EC Wear and judge for yourself.    Order one and give it a go then pass it on to a friend and let them run it through the wringer.   If you live in the USA, support this US based business and if you live next door go local!      I hope you come back here and tell me how the little chaps survived in your home.    As for mine, once Mini Moose outgrows them I think they will be reborn as doll wear because they are just too pretty to part with.

Visit Brother Blog:  Pottytunities for Two