K'tanCloth vs. Udder Covers - and a GIVEAWAY!!

I'm sort of a shy breastfeeder.  I am incredibly supportive of nursing in public, as I think it re-normalizes and encourages breastfeeding... but I am admittedly just a little shy about it personally.  Mostly because the positions in which we nurse aren't incredibly easy to do discreetly in public, and I'm just a little shy.

Hence, when I received a promo for a free nursing cover with the cost of shipping (which was slightly exorbitant) from Udder Covers, I decided it was a wise choice.  Here is an example from their website:

I was still pregnant when I received it.  The first thing that I noticed was that it was actually sorta scratchy and stiff.  And I don't know if I mentioned it, but I'm nursing under there - both my chest AND my baby's face are going to have that rough fabric on them.  I washed it, and it was a tiny bit better, but still just not comfortable.  

I figured that comfort wasn't necessarily the point of the cover, so I used it - yes, it's discreet... because it's sort of a tent.  It doesn't let the baby see anything, I couldn't see my baby very well, and it got hot under there in the summer.  Also, and more importantly - there was just pretty much no way that I could effectively nurse while babywearing in there.  An active baby moves this around and wants to see, and it just wasn't comfortable.  We ended up only actually using it a few times.

Starting in 2011, the makers of the Baby K'tan developed the K'tanCloth (LINK).  They've improved it even more since then, but it's designed to be a 3-in-1 mama's little helper:  burp cloth, blankie/lovie, and nursing cover.

(Photo courtesy of the Baby K'tan website)

At first glance, it seems so simple - it's a strip of cloth that's roughly 2.5 feet long, maybe 10 inches wide.  One side is super-soft cotton (which is why it makes such a great blankie for your little one), and the other side is micro-fiber mesh (so you can use it as a burp cloth that is easily cleaned).  One of the ends is a pocket (which catches all of that spit up that otherwise would inevitably end up straight down your back), and the other end has a great Velcro attachment that allows you to attach it to whatever you might need.  This could be a stroller or car seat, but (in my opinion, more importantly) also a nursing tank or a baby carrier. 

"But why would you attach it to a nursing tank or baby carrier," you ask?  For easy nursing on-the-go!  You don't have a 3-foot-long scratchy cover making it so your baby can't see anything that you have to wear around your neck like a bib - instead, you just attach the Velcro around the carrier or nursing tank, put it just behind your baby's head, and tuck the other end into the other side.  That's all there is to it.  It's super-simple, incredibly portable, and so very soft.  It's small, so nobody is overheating under it.  

I'm in love with this item, and it's really inexpensive at $12.95.  I personally recommend carrying two - Baby K'tan doesn't include this as a feature, but we also use one as a diaper changing pad when out and about if we still have accidents.  We originally had used the vinyl diaper changers because they were easy to clean from accidents, but it bothered me that it's difficult to actually wash and sanitize these - so I was left with the choice of germs remaining on there if I just used baby wipes, or using something like a bleach wipe on it that was too harsh for baby skin.  The mesh is still easily wiped down, but this can be washed successfully without damaging it, which makes it a far better option for a changing pad.  

This is a silly added bonus, but Little A also likes to babywear in it!  The little velcro is just long enough to wrap around her body, so she puts one of her many dolls in there and walks around with it.  I attempted to get a photo of this in action, but she kept going all preschooler Sean Penn on me.

So...  here's the deal!  We are hosting a giveaway (thanks to the Baby K'tan team!) of one of the K'tanCloths.  Here are the ways you can enter - create a comment in our notes below for each criteria you meet (so you can have up to four comments):

1.  Comment below to say you have liked the Facebook page for Mother Knows Best at https://www.facebook.com/motherknowsbestreviews

2.  Visit Baby K'tan's shop at http://www.babyktan.com/shop.html.  Come back here and comment to mention what item interests you most.

3.  Share the MotherKnowsBestReviews Facebook page, and come back here to comment that you have done so!

4.  Share the pin for this blog post on Pinterest, then come back here to comment and mention that you have:  http://www.pinterest.com/pin/132645151498615160/

You can enter up through noon Central time on Friday, September 20.  Come back that afternoon to see if you have won (winners will be chosen through an internet randomizer)!  If I am unfamiliar with the winner, I would likely need them to message me on the MKBR Facebook page.

Thanks, and good luck!