For That Price Those Diapers Must Be Made of Gold!

I have heard this a few times and as a former cloth diaper consumer I can relate. In my opinion LolliDoo™ diapers ARE MADE OF GOLD!

Firstly we use as few virgin resources as humanly possible with the technology we have available. Each diaper has a minimum of 8 recycled beverage bottles in them. Saving them from the landfill, re-using our trash and furthermore protecting the virgin resources needed to create brand new fleece. Our cotton is organic and even our stainless steel snaps are made from recycled steel.

See - GOLD!

Moreover - everything we manufacture is domestic. We are paying Americans to work which not only strengthens our economy but we have the peace of mind that all of our suppliers have ethical working conditions. The downside some might say to manufacturing in the States with domestic components is the expense. Yes our textiles cost more then something made in China - yes we are paying our seamstresses a living wage and yes our Overnight diapers are a bit more expensive BUT you get what you pay for.

With LolliDoo™ diapers you not only get a bulletproof overnight solution but when you buy a LolliDoo™ diaper:

~ You are supporting the economy
~ You are advocating for small businesses
~ You are honoring WAHMs (our seamstresses) who are able to make their own schedules to put their families first and therefore also supporting families
~ You are endorsing organic farmers
~ You are getting behind recycling
~ You are sending a message to the disposable diaper companies that they need to step up their game and offer a more sustainable solution
~You are helping to establish a relatively new industry that is almost completely run by moms
~ You are choosing your baby's health over so-called convenience
~ You are saving over 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum feedstocks and 20 pounds of chlorine that are used to produce disposable diapers for one baby EACH YEAR.
~ YOU are BUYING GOLD!

When people insinuate that LolliDoo™ Overnight eco-pockets™ are too costly I like to remind them that not only are you purchasing a diaper that will prevent night time leaks BUT you are supporting, women, the environment, the economy and your child's future.

For more information on LolliDoo™ eco-pockets™ please click here.

Fridge Magnets: Wordless Wednesday : Lollidoo

Fridge Magnets: Wordless Wednesday : Lollidoo Just the cutest little guy rocking a Classic LolliDoo eco-pocket!

Diaper Rashes

What can you do for babies with diaper rash? The first step is identifying the type of rash. Originally I googled photos of different rashes in attempt to post coordinating photos with this post. Unfortunately the photos were all worst case scenarios and I didn't want to scare folks. I am listing some rashes and remedies below - I am NOT a doctor so please check with yours.

A few things to note:

• The diaper rash is usually caused by the feces and if the feces happen to be solids then the risk of the rash is high.
  
• Breast-fed babies are less prone to this infection. A balance of breast milk and semi-solid foods or formula would go a long way in controlling this rash.
• Avoid perfumed baby powders
• If you are cloth diapering - try changing detergents and then strip your diapers. My easy diaper stripping instructions (scroll to the bottom)
• Do not use wipes, lotions, or powders that contain alcohol or fragrance, because this can irritate babies delicate skin and prolong the diaper rash.
• Look at the obvious clues. My daughter Rylee had a horrible diaper rash. She was in pre-folds and a wool cover. After switching out the wool the rash went away. WE had her tested and sure enough she had a lanolin allergy.
  

Rash Remedies for every type of rash

• Air your baby out as much as possible.
• If naked time isn't an option then make sure you are changing diapers as soon as your baby dirties it.
• Calendula cream encourages healing and helps with pain.
• Avoid foods that cause diarrhea and acidic urine.
• Plain old corn starch helps any kind of chafing on your body just pat on dry skin.
• If you are lactating - squirt some breastmilk on the rash. It will be sticky but breastmilk has natural antibiotics that work as well topically as they do orally.
  

Candida aka yeast
If you go to a traditional doctor they will give you an antifungal topical treatment.

Natural Remedy

• Both of you should start taking acidophilus if you are breastfeeding to help get your systems in balance again (and in your case, to prevent thrush on your nipples).
• Also avoid sweets and yeast!
• You can also apply acidophilus directly to your baby's bottom.
• Paint baby's bottom with gentian violet (once a day for 3-4 days), which you can buy from small drugstores. It usually works very well, but is also very messy - it turns everything purple! Also it can irritate the skin so use moderately.

Painful Red Bleeding Rashes
In addition to the rash remedies listed first in this post you can also:

• Use vinegar in the bath water and let the child soak for about 10 minutes - fill tub to waistline, and add 1/4 -1/2 cup white vinegar.
• Just rinse the baby's bottom in the sink at each change instead of using wipes.

When to call a doctor

• If the rash lasts longer then a few days
• If it spreads to other parts of the body - arms, face...
• If your baby is under two months old
• If the rash is getting worse instead of better
• If your baby has a high fever or is lethargic
• If the rash is bleeding, has pus, crusty patches or boils

Note: If you are using a LolliDoo ™ Diaper - you can boil it once in a blue moon to sterilize it. Do not try this with PUL (polyurethane) diapers because you will ruin the PUL.

This is a great article from WebMd for more information

Green Your Baby - My 5 steps to a healthier baby

Several parents have asked me what they can do to keep their babies as healthy and green as possible.

My number one answer is always, "breastfeed".
Not only are giving your baby the healthiest possible start in life but by breastfeeding but you are saving thousands of dollars on formula, bottles and the likes.

The manufacturing of baby formula is energy intensive. The industrial processes release harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Formula is packaged in tin cans - the majority of which are never recycled. Formula requires plastic bottles and nipples - which take anywhere between 200 to 450 years to breakdown.

Read more

Additionally Since many cows in the U.S. are now routinely ingesting synthetic growth hormones to artificially increase their milk production, it stands to reason that these hormones are also getting into the U.S. formulas.

Click here for more information.



Make Organic Baby Food
This is actually quite simple. You don't need all the trays and fancy baby grinders unless you want them. All you need for little babies is a blender and for older babies - a fork.

To make organic brown rice cereal:
1. Cook your organic brown rice according to instructions.
2. Put it in a blender with a little breast milk.
3. When it's the right consistency - feed it to your baby. Easy Cheesy.

To make fruit and veggies
1. Boil the fruit and veggies
2. Blend or smash with a fork.
*Some fruits like bananas don't need to be boiled - just mash the heck out of them.

In my house we feed the babies whatever we are eating - just mashed up. No need to spend money on store bought brands that might have sneaky ingredients in them.

This is a good link for more information.



Use Healthy Sunscreen
Brands of sunscreen that you find in conventional stores typically are full of chemicals. There is no need to lather your baby in a chemical cocktail - here are several brands that are cleaner and safer:

*Badger All Natural Sunscreen

*Soleo Organics Sunscreen

*Kid Kare Biodegradable Sunscreen

And my personal favorite

*Alba Botanica Sunscreen - this is sunscreen made from green tea and my kids can wear it all day long in the pool without burning or needing re-application. Be forewarned - this is a THICK sunscreen.

Click here for a comprehensive guide to sunscreen.

Pay special attention to this "Hall of Shame" list of sunscreens.

I had to sneak a picture of my Doodle Bug in here :)

Cloth Diaper Your Baby
You knew I was going to say that, right? Since I talk about cloth diapers almost exclusively on this blog I'll be short and sweet. Protect your baby's tenderest parts, keep raw sewage out of our landfills and save literally thousands of dollars with cloth diapers. Of course I recommend LolliDoo Diapers :)



Last but not least - stay away from plastic toys, seats and the likes
You really don't need even a fraction of all the baby stuff in stores nowadays. Especially those plastic toys and bouncers. If you do buy them please pay attention to where they are made - things coming over from other countries are sometimes full of chemicals.

This is what I believe you need for a baby:
A sling and/or backpack (check out Sweet Pea Ring Slings)
Diapers
Clothes
Wooden toys
Organic blankets

That's it folks - all the other stuff is just gravy. Even cribs - how many babies do you know that actually sleep in a crib? I can count three - the rest sleep with their parents; where I believe they should be.

I am of the opinion that these five steps are easy, practical and safer for babies.

Want To Win A LolliDoo Overnight eco-pocket?

Want to will an Overnight LolliDoo™ eco-pocket™ cloth diaper?

Here's how:

Here is how you can be the lucky winner:

Post a LolliDoo review on Diaper Swappers and/or Diaper Pin to be entered to win an Overnight eco-pocket.

1 entry Per site - you can enter twice; once for Diaper Swappers and once for Diaper Pin

Post the link on our FaceBook page and we will enter you in the drawing. Contest ends 7-31-10.

Happy posting!

In San Diego? Want to meet me and see LolliDoo up close and personal?

Here is your chance :)

Thursday July 15th I will be at the Real Diaper Circle Meeting. I am really excited to meet Heather McNamara in person - she has created so much goodness for the cloth diapering community and I want to thank her in person.

I will have a LolliDoo™ stash to show you. I believe that kids are welcome.


Click here for details

I Met My Work Wife Online

Although I wasn't looking for a business partner at the time - in the age of Match.com and eHarmony it's not that far fetched that I met my work wife on the internet.

It began in 2004 when we were both pregnant and due in May of 2005. Bored and looking for camaraderie I joined an online parenting forum. I quickly found a group of mommies who shared similar parenting philosophies. We chatted online, on the phone and sometimes we had group web chats.

I was in the process of developing a cloth diaper - my vision then was to mainstream cloth diapers. Having no sewing experience whatsoever I sketched a diaper and sent it off to a friend to sew. Once I got the testers back I was dismayed that they leaked and didn't fit well.

Chanda - one of our internet friends - suggested that I call Melissa. She said that Melissa was a brilliant seamstress and she might even have an interest in partnering with me. So I did.

Melissa was in - and our two families embarked on an amazing journey. We formed an LLC in 2007; before ever meeting face to face.

Eventually the Morgan family took a trip our to Tucson and soon thereafter we went to their house in Washington for six weeks. Thank goodness we love eachother as much in person as we did online.

It might not be for everyone but I can assure you that meeting my partner online was perfect synchronicity.


Last summer in Washington we had a girls night.