The Top 10 Cloth Diaper Industry Events of 2010

The Top 10 Cloth Diaper Industry Events of 2010

Analysis and opinion by Jennifer L. Labit, owner of Cotton Babies, Inc. Creator of bumGenius, Flip & Econobum.

10. For several years, the cloth diaper market has been primarily work at home mom based. Throughout the year, a number of retailers and several manufacturers (including Thirsties) were sold to growth-minded investors. This is a continuing trend from 2009 perhaps showing that we are entering a new phase for the product category.

9. In late October, gDiapers entered the European market.

8. In early October, we launched the bumGenius Artist Series and featured local artist, Chelsea Perry with her Tiny Socialite Collection. A few months later, we also brought back the bright colors (Zinnia, Moonbeam, Clementine and Ribbit).

7. In June, Cotton Babies launched bumGenius 4.0 One-Size Cloth Diapers, bringing snap closures to the bumGenius pocket diapers for the first time.

6. Cloth diapers are moving from online to in-person. I can personally count six women in the cloth diaper industry who have opened local storefronts for their previously online-only businesses. Big moves were made by many of our retailers. Consumers are begging for cloth diapers on local store shelves. Next year will be telling as we look towards easier access to cloth diapering products for everyone.

5. In December, bumGenius turned five years old! It feels like an eternity. It also feels like I just blinked. Some of you have been on this journey with us since the very beginning. Can you believe that the very first bumGenius baby is in kindergarten and reading now? We also just announced that the small, medium and large sizes of our all-in-ones were being discontinued.

4. In July, cloth diapers were on the Today Show in New York City! Through email, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, we organized a successful campaign with only three days notice that merged social and traditional media... driving a strong turnout that was truly social media generated. Parents stripped their baby down to a diaper and stood in groups around the Today Show plaza with signs about cloth diapering. Many supportive messages were posted on the Today Show's Facebook wall from parents who weren't able to get there with us. Our message was heard! I met Ann Curry and parents were interviewed about cloth diapers. Stay tuned for another similar event this summer... we're in the planning stages now!

3. In September, the Real Diaper Industry Association entered it's third year as a trade association. I was the founding chair of the RDIA in 2009. After working with the original board of directors to get the organization established, I left my position to focus on Cotton Babies. Having spent this year on the outside looking in, it has been interesting to observe the development, organization and maturation of the association. RDIA made some pivotal choices this year, including a decision to continue excluding manufacturers of hybrid systems from membership. To enable our continued support of the association, Cotton Babies has joined within the retailer category of membership.

2. Also in October, the ABC Kids Expo 2010 had a large number of cloth diaper companies exhibiting, including 13 members of the Real Diaper Industry Association and several other companies including hybrid systems from gDiapers and Grovia. The show floor was buzzing about cloth diapers... a welcome change from our first years exhibiting at trade shows. As people came through our booth, it was interesting to watch the significant new faces that were turned towards the concept.

1. In November, Natali Morris, a reporter from CBS, made a very public, dramatic conversion to cloth diapers, pushed forward in part by Tereson Dupuy of Fuzzi Bunz. Her story has been played out on blogs, through video and on the CBS website. I was disappointed in the vicious way that the cloth diapering community lashed out at Natali, her job skills, and her parenting choices instead of focusing their criticism on her original report on CBS. Thankfully, Natali chose to rise to the challenge rather than attack the culture. After trying cloth diapers for 30 days, she became a cloth diapering mom herself. Go Natali!

Cotton Babies is pushing access to cloth diapers forward in 2011! Stay tuned for more details coming soon!

Cotton Babies Show and Tell

Remember show and tell from school as a child? Recall the fun of sharing your favorite thing and learning cool new things from the other children? Today we're hosting a Cotton Babies show and tell!

Show us a photo of what Cotton Babies goodies you have given or received recently. The photo can include your little one or maybe it's just a "haul" photo of an opened package. However you want to share your Cotton Babies loot, just post a link to your favorite photo sharing website in the comments below so we can see your swag. As a bonus, random winners will be selected tomorrow to receive some bonus Cotton Babies swag.

Eligible entries must be posted today, Tuesday, December 28, 2010. U.S. Residents only. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win. Winners will be notified via e-mail.

Merry Christmas from Cotton Babies

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and hope you have a joyous holiday weekend with your families!

In case you missed it, here's our fun little Cotton Babies Christmas video:

This Just In: Best Homemade Baby Food Book

A new addition to Cotton Babies this week is the book The Best Homemade Baby Food On The Planet.

"Full of recipes to suit every age and stage-from six months all the way to twenty-three months-The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet shows you how simple and easy it is to prepare food your baby will go absolutely ga-ga for. From quick purées like Mighty Tasty Blueberry and Pear Mash and No-Cook Prune Purée, to new and nourishing meals like Sweet Omelet Surprise and Finger-Lickin’ Good Lentils and Potato with Cheese, you’ll find it a breeze to prepare any and all of the recipes you and your little one fancy."

As I flipped through this book I was surprised to see it is more than just quick how-tos and recipes for baby food. While the recipes take up a majority of the book, I was drawn to the final chapters that include charts of vitamins and minerals that explain what each does for baby's body and which foods are good sources of each vitamin or mineral. Another chapter is entitled "Special Considerations" gives information about the differences between food intolerances and allergies as well as a list of "problem foods" which makes it a great resource for any parent.

The book is full of beautiful photographs that compliment the recipes and would be a great gift for any mom-to-be, especially if she is interested in making her own baby food. Pair it with the Beaba Babycook Multiportions Tray and spoons to make a great gift to get the new family off to a great start.

Have you made your own baby food? What is your favorite recipe for your little one?

25% Year End Clearance Sale on Thirsties, FuzziBunz, Moby, Diva Cup and more!

 25% off Year End Sale!

With the new year come new changes, goals and resolutions!  We've got some big things in the works for Earth Angels Diaper Company and as a result we're clearing out our in-stock inventory to make room for all new inventory!

We've moved our in-stock merchandise over to our Hyena Cart location for easy access.  Everything has been discounted 25% off regular prices!

Some of our discounted in-stock brands include:

• Charlies Soap
• Rockin Green
• FuzziBunz
• Flip
• Thirsties
• Knickernappies
• Wahmies
• Diva Cup and more!

Thanks for being a Fan of Earth Angels Diaper Co. I hope everyone's having a wonderful Holiday season so far, and cheers to a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!

*To take advantage of this sale opportunity please make sure to check out our Hyena Cart shop!

Merry Christmas from Jenn and Jimmy

Jimmy Perkins (formerly handled your returns... now doing inventory) surprised us with a fun remix of Christmas music last Thursday. Cotton Babies culture at it's finest. :-) Our social media coordinator, Heather Vaughn, made a video with what he did and we wanted to share it with you... Merry Christmas everyone!

Lots of love,

Jenn & Jimmy Labit

Real Mom Talk: Receiving Graciously

I have a bit of a confession to make here, I haven't always been the most gracious person when presented with a gift.

There is one time in particular that sticks out in my mind. Five or six years ago during the holiday season, my family received an unexpected knock at our door. It was about a week before Thanksgiving and a local church was distributing holiday meals to families "in need".

My memory is fuzzy, it was either the year we had three boys under the age of two, or the year all our sons were less than 3 years old and we had just discovered we were expecting baby number 4. Either way, things were tight, but very few people knew just how tight they were. To this day, I have no idea how we landed on their list. We didn't attend the church and couldn't name a single person we knew that was aware of our situation that might have turned us in.

The guests were kind, brought the food in and with my husband's assistance, carried the turkey with all the trimmings to our kitchen. I'm pretty sure I took a child or two and pretended to be busy, changing a diaper. I was embarrassed and on the verge of angry. How could anyone think we were needy? Who would put our names on one of those lists? Thankfully, my husband was gracious and thankful, maybe it was because he'd had more sleep than I. The strangers said a quick prayer and were on their way.

The tremendous blessing of that turkey was revealed a few days later when family unexpectedly dropped in at a mealtime along their own holiday road trip. We had food enough for everyone, which wouldn't have happened without the gift from the church. We had a lovely, stress free holiday meal with lots of laughter.

In the years since, I've regretted my ungrateful, prideful attitude. I wish I would have had better behavior that night, despite how I felt at the time. That meal made such a positive impact on our family that for the last two years my husband and I have trimmed our personal grocery budget and used holiday bonuses to donate holiday meals to other families through a similar program here in St. Louis. Our children think it's a lot of fun, but have no idea why it is so important to mommy and daddy to buy groceries to donate to other families.

All those years ago, I assumed people just gave because they felt sorry for the "less fortunate", but never did I think that maybe they had personally been in a similar place and received a blessing from someone else. Now I understand that many who give to programs like these have themselves been a recipient at some point in time. They give because they truly understand what a positive difference it can make for a family. They know first hand that meeting a need can take a great deal of stress off a family.

Truthfully, I think many families struggle at some point, especially young families. There are a lot of expenses that go with having a baby and often times one little bump in the road, like a job loss, medical expense or major car repair, makes it difficult to recover financially.

What I now realize is that someone who knew us and likely had survived life with three very young children just wanted to bless us. Thankfully, not even my poor attitude kept me from receiving that blessing, even if it took me a few days to realize what a blessing it was.

That experience, and a few years of maturity, have revealed to me how important it is to be gracious when presented with a gift. Whether it's the ugliest hand knit acrylic sweater from your color blind aunt, a plastic battery operated toy from your mother who knows you don't purchase toys made in China or a turkey given without warning as an act of charity, it's important to be gracious when receiving a gift.

Share with us your story of how you graciously received an unexpected gift or you received an unexpected blessing.

Real Mom Talk: Giving With Grace

I LOVE GIVING PRESENTS! I live to find perfect gifts for people and find great joy when their eyes light up with just how perfectly customized it is for them. It’s never about how much money I spend it’s the hunt, and the excitement of giving someone something that I know they’ll use or LOVE. I discovered one of my friends who volunteers at my church every Sunday morning always stops at Panera for a hazelnut coffee so I got him a $10 gift card so the next few weeks are one me. Another time I heard a friend mention she really liked brown betty tea pots when we just happened to be talking about tea. I remembered and several months later I got her that tea pot for their birthday, it made her day and she could hardly believe I had remembered. It’s just fun! It brings joy to my heart. Admittedly, there is a delicate battle of ego not to let being pretty good at giving gifts go to my head so I do as much as I can to keep myself in check. There is a very fine line between giving a gift because you know it’s going to bless someone like crazy and giving a gift so you can look super awesome. In Real Mom Talk: Receiving Graciously, Heather opened her heart up about an experience she had when someone gave her family a meal. The timing was spot on for her family, thankfully it doesn’t sound like the givers put on a show of just how wonderful they were and good for them.

Recently, I was in a small local store standing in line waiting to make my purchase. A family walked in, a mom, dad, and two small children. I happened to make eye contact with the little boy and suddenly everything in my heart wanted to give family something. I was so anxious and excited the lady in front of me seemed to be taking forever. Finally it was my turn; I asked the cashier if they had gift certificates, no. They didn’t have a debit/ cash back option either and I had no cash in my wallet. I quickly took my stuff to the car and thankfully there was a Walgreens right next door. It was so exciting. I walked over there as fast as I could, grabbed a simple Christmas card and some fun candy for the kids… of course the line was LONG again. I got the cash, placed it inside the card, wrote “Merry Christmas” and did not sign my name. My heart was racing, I was praying they hadn’t left the store yet, I went back in and started anxiously looking for them, finally I spotted them and then I quickly asked for everyone’s attention in the store and made my very generous gift presentation. JUST KIDDING! Making sure you’re paying attention. I actually hung back a minute, waited for a moment when the kids were distracted, tapped dad on the shoulder, handed him the card and candy and quietly said, “I just felt like I’m supposed to give this to you. Merry Christmas” and quickly turned around, didn’t look back, and walked out. I love the fact that those children probably have no idea what happened… that maybe just maybe that money was something those parents needed to buy Christmas presents, or maybe simply food for that family. The bottom line is, it wasn’t about me, I would rather those parents feel loved and blessed and be able to love and bless their children – to me, that is the best part of giving that gift.

I struggled sharing the story above – it’s actually the first time I've publically told anyone, but I wanted to share the joy of sneaking that little gift. Of course all gift giving doesn't have to be covert or anonymous, it’s entirely appropriate to be open when giving gifts. People always say, “It’s the thought that counts” and I know during a season that is pretty much defined by giving gifts it’s easy to get wrapped up in comparisons of the elaborate present someone else gave you and they weren’t even on your list or revel in the glory of the exact perfect present you've picked out for some one. I also understand there are situations where gifts are obligatory, in these situations we should choose to give with joy and be excited about the opportunity to make someone's world a little brighter. Just as we should all be gracious in receiving gifts, no matter what they may be, we should also give with grace, be thoughtful of how you give to others, and make them feel like it’s all about them and not about you.

Have you ever given a sneaky gift or been on the receiving end from a stealth Santa? Were the gifts given with grace?

bumGenius Birthday Bash

Five years ago today, the first shipment of bumGenius cloth diapers arrived at Cotton Babies. So today, we're celebrating bumGenius' 5th birthday with a giveaway.

If you are new to cloth diapering and haven't heard the history of bumGenius, we invite you to take a few minutes to learn about how it all began in Jenn's own words.

The bumGenius brand has come a long way in five short years, from a white pocket style diaper to a dozen colors, five Artist series prints, and three styles of bumGenius diapers (one size pocket, AIO and Elemental). The bumGenius line also inspired new cloth diapering products like the Flip and Econobum diapering systems to make cloth diapers accessible to more families.

As part of our bumGenius Birthday Bash, today we will be giving out 5 packs of bumGenius cloth diapers. You could win a 5 pack of bumGenius Artist Series Tiny Socialite Collection cloth diapers in 4.0 or Elemental styles or a 5 pack of the recently returned bumGenius 4.0 brights cloth diapers.

To enter for your chance to win, please leave a comment on this blog post sharing how bumGenius has affected you or your family's life. As a Cotton Babies customer and staff member, I would love to see Jenn and Jimmy showered with stories of how their hard work has helped so many families. (Surprise, Jenn!)

Eligible entries must be posted today, Tuesday, December 21, 2010. U.S. Residents only. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win. Winners will be notified via e-mail.

Winners will be selected by predetermined post times. Cotton Babies staff has a list of 5 predetermined times (CST) today (for example, 12:01 a.m. CST). The post with the Blogger time stamp closest to the appointed time will be the winner. In the event of multiple posts with the same time stamp at the same minute, a randomizer will be used to select the winner.

Cloth Diapers 101: How to fold a prefold

We've talked a lot lately about our Econobum diapers. Maybe you were introduced to our Econobum line through our Black Friday package deals. If you have never tried a cover and prefold diaper system, this post is for you!

Did you know, you can fold the inner, prefold cloth diaper in different ways to adjust the fit and absorbency for your little one? Here are a few folds to get you started:

Newspaper Fold
This is the simplest of all diaper folds. Fold the diaper in thirds with the thick part in the middle, fold any excess length towards the back and lay in a self closing diaper cover.

Angel Wing Fold
Follow instructions for the Newspaper Fold. After laying the diaper in the cover, fold the back edges open like wings. You can secure these wings to the front of the diaper with a Snappi Diaper Fastener or diaper pins, although with the Econobum or other modern covers, this may not be necessary, depending on baby's size.

Bikini Twist Fold
Lay the diaper flat, place the baby on the back of diaper, pull the diaper between baby's legs, twist 180 degrees. Using the back wings of the diaper, if necessary, use a Snappi Diaper Fastener or diaper pins to secure the diaper closed.

Too Much Bulk Fold
This is a little harder to manage because it requires an extra step but if you're having problems with the front of the diaper being too bulky you can try one of the two following solutions:

Using the Newspaper Fold, put the excess diaper length folded towards the back of the baby instead of the front. This will cut down on absorbency for a little boy but will reduce the amount of bulk in front.
Using the Angel Wing Fold, fold the diaper down a few inches in back BEFORE starting the instructions for the newspaper fold. This option was the most effective for us.

If you are a prefold and cover cloth diaper connoisseur, what is your favorite fold and why?

This Just In: Zutano Clothes Coordinate with bumGenius Brights!

We're really excited this week about the return of the "brights" to the bumGenius product line. The colors you know and love are back! Clementine, Moonbeam, Ribbit and Zinnia have arrived in bumGenius 4.0 cloth diapers. Flip covers, including never before offered Clementine, will be arriving and available for purchase soon.

It's a bit chilly for your wee one to run around only wearing a diaper this time of year, so how about some equally bright and coordinating clothes from Zutano?

We love how the Tweet print coordinates with the Clementine and Zinnia cloth diapers. Tweet is available in baby gowns, dresses, and shirts:

For toddler girls, we like the Heartly Wrap Dress:

These Jazzy Chimps are as busy as your toddler boy. The Navy Multi Stripe is also a bold choice for little boys. Both are available in shirts and pants:

For little ones, we like the Itzy Bitzy line from Zutano. Some of our favorite prints are the Owls and Lions, both are available in a long sleeve onesie and a one-piece footie. Itzy Bitzy are only available in newborn and 0-3 months sizes.

Don't forget to check out the Zutano tights or our wide selection of BabyLegs to finish off your outfit. Don't forget, our bumGenius 4.0 Buy 5, Get 1 Free sale is still running and it now includes the brights. Sale ends December 31, 2010!

To celebrate even more, we will be giving away some bumGenius 4.0 in the bright colors or the new Cotton Babies cold cup to randomly selected commenters on this post.

Eligible entries must be posted today, Friday, December 17, 2010. U.S. Residents only. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win. All winners will be notified via e-mail.

Cotton Babies Holiday Office and Retail Schedule

Cotton Babies offices (including customer service, returns and shipping departments) and retail stores (including Vancouver, WA; St. Louis South County and West County) will be closed in observance of Christmas and New Year's holidays.

Cotton Babies Holiday Office and Store Hours:

Friday, December 24 to Sunday, December 26:

All Cotton Babies offices and stores are closed.

Monday, December 27:

Cotton Babies offices closed. Retail stores open 10 am. to 8 p.m.

Friday, December 31st:

Cotton Babies offices closed. Retail stores close early, store hours 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday, January 1st to Monday, January 3:

All Cotton Babies offices and stores are closed for holiday and inventory.

Tuesday, January 4:

Cotton Babies offices and retail stores resume regular hours.

Real Mom Talk: My Econobum Challenge

Throughout my cloth diapering career our family has experienced circumstances and phases that have dictated our ability to use (or not to use) cloth diapers. There have been seasons of all cloth all the time, seasons of disposable dependence, and seasons of both (cloth at home and disposables on the go).

I read Jenn's recent post about families struggling to buy disposable diapers and sometimes choosing between buying diapers and food. Providing Econobum to needy families is really exciting. It got me thinking. I know that using cloth diapers saves money. I know that an Econobum Full Kit costs less than $50. I know that Econobum is easy to use and wash. What I didn't know was about the ease of transition for a family switching from disposables to Econobum. So, on Thanksgiving weekend I set out to compare the use of 1 Econobum Full Kit to our typical use of disposables during the busy Holiday season.

My husband works full time; I work full time from home and we have six awesome children. Our house is always bustling (read noisy and probably messy). Our extended family is large and active. Beginning with Thanksgiving and ending with New Years Day we spend weekends going from one celebration to the next. During the weekdays in between our house is in recovery mode.

I am now in the third week of my self-induced Econobum Challenge. I have added 2 Flip Stay Dry Inserts for overnight use because my son has very sensitive skin. I am washing a small load of cloth diapers every morning. I had anticipated that this might be a problem and leave me with no diapers if I got behind on laundry. But something quite the opposite has happened. The daily routine actually has left me victorious in the taming of the laundry volcano! Another unexpected positive has been the lack of diaper pail (or trash can) stink. Econobum has accompanied us on several all-day outings. I was even able to change a diaper on my lap in the front seat of the car while out Christmas shopping. I have been pleasantly surprised with the absorbency of the pre-fold and the cover has contained some serious power poopies.

So far, I would say that Econobum has stood up to the convenience factor of disposables. But alas, there are still a few weeks left in this delightfully busy Christmas season so we will see what I have to report nearer to the end of my Econobum Challenge.

How does your family handle diapering during busy, hectic, or stressful times?

Cotton Babies Cyber Cookie Swap

One of my favorite parts of the holidays are the delicious foods, especially the abundance of sweets. I especially like parties that involve sharing foods and gaining new recipes, like cookie swaps. We know with the wild weather last weekend some of you may be stuck indoors, so today we're hosting a cyber cookie swap party! No need to leave the house to join our party.

One of my favorite cookie recipes is one I have been making since I was old enough to stir. With four simple ingredients and easy enough for little hands to help with, it's a family tradition at our house.

Flourless Peanut Butter Candy cookies:

1 cup peanut butter (we like creamy)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 package candy coated chocolates (we use m&ms)

Mix all ingredients well. Using hands, shape into one inch balls and place onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Gently press one candy into top of each ball.

(No candies? Just flatten slightly with a fork in a criss-cross design.)

Bake at 350 degrees until golden, approximately 10-12 minutes. Cool slightly before removing from pan.

So for some holiday fun, please share a link to your favorite cookie recipe and tell us why it's your favorite recipe. For some additional fun, we'll randomly select a few comments from this blog post for a little secret Santa surprise from Cotton Babies. Don't forget to read the other comments to find a new recipe your family will love. Let the party begin!

Eligible entries must be posted today, Tuesday, December 14, 2010. U.S. Residents only. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win. All winners will be notified via e-mail.

Cloth Diapers 101: What Style Of Diaper Is Right For You?

We've shared previously in Cloth Diapers 101 some of the different terms associated with cloth diapers and the types of cloth diapers. But how you do really know what style will work best for you? How do you choose a place to start that will help you be successful in your cloth diapering journey?

First of all, why are you interested in cloth diapering?

Many parents initially look at cloth diapering for environmental reasons -- and with good cause! Disposable diapers are the third most common consumer product in landfills today. A disposable diaper may take up to 500 years to decompose. I haven't met the scientist who stood there and waited for the diaper to turn into dirt -- but that's the theory. Jenn Labit said, "A biologist told me that landfills aren't meant to be friendly towards decomposing waste. Due to toxic waste and ground water contamination problems, most landfills are simply sealed capsules that don't allow any air or light to penetrate. Both air and light are needed for decomposition to occur. One baby in disposable diapers will contribute 1 ton of waste to your local landfill. Amazing!!"

Other parents are interested in cloth diapering to save money and control their budget. Disposable diapers can cost an average family, diapering an average baby up to $2000 over the course of 2 years (that is assuming your child potty trains at two). When Jenn and Jimmy first started cloth diapering their oldest son, disposables weren't even an option because they had to buy groceries, plain and simple.

Another reason families choose cloth is for health reasons. Some families are very concerned about making sure that only natural fibers touch their little one's sensitive skin. This is an important think to know about your cloth diapering interest as you begin to decide what you want to purchase for your baby. Many products are 100% polyester and most diaper covers contain some form of plastic.

How important is convenience to your family?
If you tend to throw a pizza in the oven or bring home takeout, then go with something simple. We recommend bumGenius 4.0 One-Size Cloth Diapers with hook & loop closures for being one-size, as easy as disposables and our most popular product by far!

If you like to cook and create, then buy a little of this and a little of that. Don't be afraid to try something. Dabbling can be half the fun of cloth diapering! If you go for bumGenius, Flip or Econobum, your purchase is based by a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. If you don't like it, send it back to us and we'll refund your purchase!

Finally, what is your budget?
We have a diapering system for just about any budget. If you have $100 to spare, you can easily have enough simple cloth diapers and covers with our Econobum system to last you through potty training. This is a simple, non-glamous solution -- but it gets the job done at a fantastic price!

If you just want the best of the best and money really isn't an issue, we'd encourage you to look towards bumGenius Elemental cloth diapers. The one-piece design of the bumGenius Elemental product is simple, one-size, natural fibers and absolutely stellar in terms of absorbency.

If you have further questions about how to start cloth diapering, our customer service team would be glad to assist you. Give us a call at 1-888-332-2243 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CST Monday through Friday to speak with our team.

Cotton Babies Holiday Shipping Schedule

We wanted to make you aware of our Cotton Babies holiday schedule so you can plan your purchases accordingly.

For online orders, to ensure your package arrives in time for the holiday, we recommend the following dates and shipping methods:

• Please place your order by Thursday, December 16th for Economy (free) shipping.
• Please place your order by Monday, December 20th for Expedited shipping.
• Please place your order by Tuesday, December 21st for Express shipping.

For descriptions of our shipping options, please see our shipping page.

This Just In: Lifefactory Glass Bottles

We are so excited to share this product with you today. Our team first saw the Lifefactory Glass Beverage bottles at the ABC Kids Expo in October. Several team members purchased bottles while there and they were an immediate hit with the entire staff when they were brought into the office. Our team literally begged Jenn to bring them in to offer to our customers.

We love the Lifefactory glass bottles because the entire product, including all components, is completely free of known toxins including BPA, phthalates, polycarbonates, and PVC. The silicone sleeve makes it easy to grip the bottle and prevents breakage. What makes the adult beverage bottles even better is they are a widemouth bottle design, which makes it easy to add ice, citrus slices, tea bags, etc. I reach for this bottle time and time again instead of my metal reusable water bottles because the bottle and sleeve can be put in the dishwasher together. Not having to handwash these bottles made it an instant favorite for this busy mom!

The adult glass beverage bottles are available in two sizes, 16 ounces and 22 ounces. The 16 oz. design is available in raspberry, spring green, pearl white, turquoise, royal purple and graphite colors. The 22 oz. design is available in red, orange, spring green, midnight, sky and pearl white colors.

Don't forget about your little one when placing your order. Jenn says that her daughter Elsie uses these Lifefactory baby bottles exclusively whenever she isn't nursing. The baby bottles are available in both 4 ounce and 9 ounce sizes. The baby bottles come in a rainbow of colors: pink, raspberry, orange, yellow, spring green, sky, ocean, lilac and royal purple.

With the Cotton Babies free shipping deal, these will make a great gift for anyone on your holiday list!

From Jenn: Econobum Donation Update

After my Thanksgiving Day post about our holiday campaign to raise cloth diaper donations for needy families (read here: "Trim A Tree, Trim A Budget, Give Cloth Diapers"), we were pleased that many of you responded by purchasing Econobum products that we could donate to needy families on your behalf.

I wanted to give a report of what has been donated, by you, so far in December:

• Econobum Diaper Covers - 4
• Econobum Full Kits - 22
• Econobum Trial Packs - 4
• Econobum Prefolds (3 packs) - 5

If you don't already know a family that needs cloth diapers, you can now select to have Econobum product donated by Cotton Babies on your behalf to a needy family. We will be working with our local food banks, pregnancy clinics or shelters to provide education and ensure the diapers get in the hands of the right people. Every box of donated Econobum Full Kits could conservatively provide a family with an additional $10, $20 or even $30 in their weekly grocery budget. Trim a tree. Trim a budget. Buy diapers to give today.

I can't wait to come back and give a great report of some families that were positively impacted by your giving. Thank you for participating in change that can have such an important impact on our country.

Kindest regards,

Jenn

Real Mom Talk: Can I Cry Now?

This week has been a roller coaster of emotion. Sunday, I enjoyed my first Cotton Babies holiday party, celebrating an amazing year of hard work with my new co-workers. It was amazing to be a part of this tremendous company and to see all the hard work invested before I joined the team. At the same time I was celebrating with my co-workers, my husband was in the air, on a flight bound for out of state training. After our party, I rushed to assist a holiday stage production for a few hours before returning home to put my children to bed, well past their bedtime.

I managed to get everyone to all their places on time Monday morning, only to encounter unexpected issues from our Cyber Monday sales when I arrived at the office. Yes, we know Cotton Babies made mistakes, we are human. Our very human team worked very hard this past Monday to do all we could to make it right. It was an emotionally exhausting day and when 5 p.m. hit, I ran out the door to pick up my four children. I'm not too proud to admit, I picked up Happy Meals on the way home to soothe all of our weary spirits.

Tuesday started off early with a child threatening to vomit, running late and a few extra errands added to my busy day. Today, I'm running on more caffeine than my thirty-something body likes to ingest and I admit, I've eaten more than my fair share of dark chocolates in the last 48 hours. I've even put myself to bed way earlier than normal, just to cope with the exhaustion of my temporary single parenting.

I know there are many single parents that do what I'm doing day in and day out with no end in sight. I know military mamas that do an amazing job holding families together for months on end during deployments. I know my husband will step through the front door in just a few days, that I have a warm house, that I can fill my fridge with food (if I could find time to shop) and that I have the luxury of going through a drive through. I feel bad for complaining. And yet, the stress of being outside of my normal routine, and the addition of a few hormones, make me want to crawl in bed and cry.

Let's face it, being a mom is incredibly difficult, no matter the external circumstances. We all have days, weeks or seasons of life that are particularly difficult for a variety of reasons. It seems these difficult times are more abundant around the holidays with the extra work load involved in holiday festivities, shopping, gift-giving, baking and extra family get-togethers with their intricacies.

I wish I could have sage advice for you today, but I don't have it. I'm tired and worn. So today, for Real Mom Talk, I ask you, what are your tips for when the going gets rough? How do you talk yourself “off the cliff” in a manner of speaking? How do you cope with the darkest days of parenthood and find a way to soldier on?

Baby Legs Bonanza!

It's downright cold here in St. Louis and this morning, so I pulled out Baby Legs for my 4 year old daughter to wear with her favorite leggings. She was so excited to wear them and show them off to her siblings and friends. I used to think Baby Legs were just for babies, but after trying them out, I'm really impressed with the quality and longevity of this product. On my taller than average 4 year old, they covered her heels to above her knees with no stretching.

Another Cotton Babies staff member has a 10 year old that wears Baby Legs as legwarmers, they reach from just below the knee to the ankle with a little stretch. This 10 year old loves them so much that she's requested more for her Christmas gifts this year, she even wears them on her arms instead of long, fingerless gloves.

For those of you who have to see it to believe it, I have great news. Today we'll be giving away more sets of bumGenius Baby Legs and Cotton Babies 2011 calendars (and maybe a few other random prizes).

Random winners will be selected from comments on this blog post, tweets on Twitter using the #cottonbabies hashtag, or comments on our Facebook page. Eligible entries must be posted today, December 7, 2010. U.S. Residents only. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win. Winners will be notified via e-mail and announced throughout the day on our Facebook page and through our Twitter account @CottonBabies.

Cloth Diapers 201: HELP! I need to use diaper cream!

One of the benefits of cloth diapering is that many parents discover they have less diaper rash once they switch to cloth. But sometimes life happens, be it a virus, food sensitivity, an unfortunate poopy diaper that stays on too long or other issue that can leave baby with a diaper rash. We get quite a few calls about how to safely use a diaper cream without ruining your cloth diapers or running the risk of voiding the warranty. Here are some of our favorite tips:

When using any cream or lotion product, we recommend using a barrier to protect your cloth diapers. Creams and lotion are designed to coat your baby's bottom and to repel moisture. Creams and lotions will cling to the inner fabric of your cloth diapers the same way it clings to your baby's bottom. The same ingredients that repel moisture to help baby's bottom to heal will repel moisture from the fabric of your cloth diapers, which can lead to leaking. So what is a parent to do?

Here are a few anecdotal tips and tricks from the Cotton Babies' staff:

• We recommend bumGenius Stay Dry Liners or Bummis Fleece Liners. Be sure to wash the liners separately from your cloth diaper laundry to avoid contamination.
• No local cloth diaper store and need a middle of the night solution? Try cutting up an old cotton flannel shirt or t-shirt to use as a liner in your cloth diaper.
• Don't want to worry about added laundry? Keep a Flip diaper cover and a set of Flip disposable inserts in your stash for a convenient diaper cream solution that won't add extra work to your laundry routine.
• If your pediatrician recommends using a diaper cream and you are looking for a product with natural ingredients, you may be interested in Angel Baby Bottom Balm, Grandma El's Diaper Rash Remedy & Prevention or Mother Love Diaper Rash & Thrush.

Remember, if your baby has recurring diaper rash, you should consult your pediatrician for further assistance.

This Just In: Kicky Pants Seasonal Sets

Today we want to introduce you to some seasonal selections from one of our favorite brands, Kicky Pants. Kicky Pants are always a staff favorite because they are made from bamboo, which feels incredibly soft and luxurious and has a natural wicking ability that will help keep baby warm, dry and odor free. At just $36 for a long sleeved shirt and coordinating pants with adorable detail on the leg, these sets are sure to be your child's favorite outfit this winter.

Dragons are a hot trend with boys, so keep your little guy flying at the front of the pack with this Kicky Pants Dragon outfit:

This two-piece outfit comes in four color combinations: Natural (pictured above), Twilight, Moss (dark green) and Pond (light blue/green). It is available in sizes ranging from 0-3 months up through size 4T.

The little fashionista in your life can strut her stuff in this adorable Peacock Outfit:

The Kicky Pants Peacock Outfit is also available in four color combinations: Natural/Bark (pictured above), Lotus (pink), Twilight and Natural/Lotus. Just like the Dragon Outfit, Peacock is available in sizes ranging from 0-3 months up to 4T.

We love the versatility and coziness of these sets. Perfect for gift giving and a gift that will be loved all through the winter months. All items shown are available online at CottonBabies.com and in our three retail locations. These are seasonal items from Kicky Pants, so get them while you can, because they are only available for a limited time.

From Jenn: Favorite Drink Recipe from a Friend

This is one of Jenn's favorite drink recipes from her friend, Bekah, a Cotton Babies blogger. We're sharing this recipe again and reposting it so you can find it easily when you need a little treat on a long day. Bookmark this page so you can enjoy peppermint mochas all winter long!

I love a good peppermint mocha during the cold midwest winter months. However, if you've ever dared to investigate the fat and sugar (aka high fructose corn syrup) content of your favorite coffee restaurants, you likely found yourself feeling guilty and/or grossed out. This is why I have been experimenting with a cheaper, healthier way to get my coffee fix. Prompted by my wise friends I recently tried making peppermint and chocolate syrup from scratch. It turned out to be fabulously easy and the results left me with my ideal peppermint mocha recipe. So here it is per the request of the Cotton Babies Staff...

Peppermint Mocha

For a single cup:
3/4 c. strong coffee-I use Kaldi's Espresso 700 ground coarse for my French Press
1 T. homemade peppermint syrup (recipe below)
1 T. homemade chocolate syrup (recipe below)
1/8 c. coconut milk

To fill a full size Sigg thermos:
2 1/4 c. strong coffee-I use Kaldi's Espresso 700 ground coarse for my French Press
3 T. homemade peppermint syrup (recipe below)
3 T. homemade chocolate syrup (recipe below)
6 T. coconut milk

Stir all ingredients together or for a lovely frothy foam, blend all ingredients for 1 minute in a blender (at my house "blender" means Vitamix, but that's another blog post).

Peppermint Syrup

2 c. sugar
2 c. water
2 tsp. peppermint extract

In a medium saucepan stir water and sugar and bring to a boil. Add peppermint extract and let simmer for 30 min. Let cool and store in a sterilized container in the refrigerator. Yields 2 cups.

Chocolate Syrup

1/2 c. cocoa powder
1 c. water
2 c. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan stir cocoa powder and water over medium heat until cocoa is dissolved. Stir in sugar and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute while stirring. Add salt and vanilla extract. Let cool and store in a sterilized container in the refrigerator. Yields 2 cups.

Bekah works from her home as a designer. She has six amazing children. Five of her children have worn or are wearing cloth diapers.

Top 10 Reasons to buy cloth diapers as gifts!

From the Knickernappies Blog

1. Because they're cute and they come in so many different styles and prints!

2. Because they save you money, can be reused for future children and can even be resold when you're through with them!

3. Because it's fun getting other mamas addicted to cloth and it gives you another excuse to buy fluff!

4. Because they save you from all those late night diaper runs.

5. Because babies don't need another plastic toy, terry cloth bathrobe, or hooded towel that they'll never wear.

6. Because they're better for baby and more comfortable than disposables.

7. Because they're better for the environment.  For every cloth diaper changed you've saved a disposable from the landfill.

8. Because they make changing dirty diapers so much more fun!

9. Because it's fun seeing the looks on peoples faces when they see what "modern" cloth diapers look like!

10. Because nearly all cloth diapers are sold by wahm companies and were invented by mommy inventors and it's great to support family owned and operated businesses!

*Can you think of additional reasons why cloth diapers make great gifts?  Leave a comment here or on Knickernappies FaceBook Page!

Real Mom Talk: Surviving The Holidays

Last week was the official start of the holiday season. After all the shopping, menu planning, gift planning and schedule making, I'm already exhausted and I imagine you are too.

As parents, we often want to create magic holiday memories like those we see on a 30 second television commercial. The problem is, my children are much younger, not returning from college and if I smelled coffee brewing before my husband and I awoke, that would be a major red flag at our house.

So how do parents of young children survive the holidays? All the organizational gurus chant “Simplify! Organize! Schedule!” But how do we realistically provide a memorable holiday season for our family, especially when our little ones don't grant us enough time to complete a 'to-do' list without interruption?

One thing I've learned along the way is to pay attention to what my children remember. About this time of year, I ask my kids what they remember most from last year and what they would like to do this year as a family. This clues me in to what they remember, as well as what is significant to each of them, since they have unique personalities. I use this information to build my “must complete” holiday list, a few family activities along with the mandatory tasks of gift purchases, wrapping and travel preparations.

For one of my sons, it's baking cookies while another prefers to hand make ornaments. While it would be easy for my personality to go all “Martha Stewart” with the fanciest recipes and most intricate ornaments, I have to keep in mind activities they will enjoy and that will not easily frustrate them. I've discovered, mostly by trial and error, that to my children, it's about the time spent together, rather than the end product.

As a mom, I have to think about what I can “let go” of to create a happier and less stressful experience. Almost daily during the holiday season I'm forced to remind myself to adjust my expectations to accommodate my children's abilities.

A two year old will make a mess while “stirring” (read: “tossing”) the flour into the cookie dough, so we invest in the pre-made sugar cookies that they can count out and place on a cookie sheet and save the mixing for another year.

My four year old can color (mostly) inside the lines of a pre-printed wooden ornament with a set of washable markers without ruining her favorite outfit. I'll save the glue and paint for the school years, while saving myself precious time that'd be spent cleaning otherwise.

Most years, my Christmas tree is bare from the floor to about 4 feet high. With four children, there are four separate opinions on how each ornament should be hung (and rehung), sometimes numerous times a day. Most evenings, there's a large pile of ornaments underneath the tree. I consciously choose to be okay with that. I tell myself someday I'll have a color coordinated that looks like it's decorated by the Hallmark elves, but I know in my heart the tree I'll stare at for hours will be one filled with homemade ornaments from years gone by made of paper, craft sticks and yarn.

My big goals for surviving this holiday season are relatively simple:

#1. Do one special family activity for each child. I'm trying to make them about 30 minutes each because that's about all the attention span I can honestly expect from my children, given their ages. That may mean we only bake a half batch of cookies, or break up a bigger activity into smaller projects. To keep it stress free, we might do two activities one weekend and none the next if we are busy, as long as each one gets done before the end of the year.

#2. Spend at least 30 minutes one night each week in front of the fire after kid bedtime, with or without my husband. Maybe I'll have a cup of tea, read a good book, paint my toenails or just stare at the fire. Maybe a candlelight bath is your thing, or some time with your favorite holiday album is what works for you. What you do doesn't really matter, what is important is taking care of yourself.

It's a lot like how the airline attendants tell parents to put their oxygen mask on themselves first, so they can then care for the child. If my family is to survive the holidays, I have to take care of myself first. To take care of myself, I have to have a few moments every few days to think my own thoughts, whatever they may be. Any mom of little children understands what a luxury thinking your own thoughts can be. When I have that quiet time, I find it much easier to find grace for the exceptionally difficult days, which always seem to arrive about 24 hours before your in-laws do.

How are you preparing for the holidays? What tips and tricks have you learned that make the holidays more memorable? How do you take care of yourself during this stressful season?

Happy Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday Cotton Babies fans! While you are waiting for the mail carrier to deliver your packages from last week's sales, we thought we'd spread a little holiday cheer with some random giveaways.

We have a variety of prizes we're giving away today, including our Cotton Babies 2011 calendar:

Random winners will be selected from comments on this blog post, tweets on Twitter using the #cottonbabies hashtag, or comments on our Facebook page. Eligible entries must be posted today, November 30, 2010. U.S. Residents only. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win. Winners will be announced throughout the day on our Facebook page and through our Twitter account @CottonBabies.

Cloth Diapers 101: Types of Cloth Diapers

One of the things we see a lot from moms who are new to cloth diapers is that the cloth diapering lingo is very confusing and overwhelming. We've all been there, new to cloth diapers and struggling to figure out what each type of diaper really is and what we need to purchase to make it work. We've compiled a basic list to get you started. We won't cover every cloth diaper in existence, but consider it a primer to get you started in the right direction.

Pocket cloth diapers: A pocket diaper is usually made of two layers of fabric sewn together to form a pocket that will hold an absorbent insert. bumGenius 4.0 and Fuzzibunz are pocket style cloth diapers. The advantage of pocket style diapers is that they can be as convenient as disposables to put on baby during diaper changes. Pocket style cloth diapers do require an extra step after laundering of placing (sometimes called "stuffing") the insert back inside the pocket.

All In One (AIO) cloth diapers: AIO style diapers have a waterproof outer fabric and absorbent inner fabric, all sewn together to create one piece. bumGenius 3.0 Deluxe All-In-Ones and bumGenius Elemental are all-in-one style diapers. The advantage of AIO cloth diapers is that they can be more convenient because there is no need to stuff inserts after laundering, although these diapers frequently take longer to dry because of their multiple layers of fabric.

Hybrid diapers: Hybrid diapers are a new class of cloth diapers that are a blend of traditional all cloth diapers and disposable options. Hybrid diapers are usually a two piece system comprised of a waterproof outer cover and an insert that can be a variety of materials ranging from cloth to disposable. Our Flip Diapering System is a great example of a hybrid. I consists of a waterproof, one sized fits most, cover and your choice of stay dry, organic or disposable inserts. The advantage of hybrid diapers is the versatility of changeable inserts to suit your baby's changing needs.

Covers and prefolds: Covers and prefolds are an economical way to cloth diaper. Covers are typically a single layer of waterproof fabric. Prefolds are the classic, original cloth diaper. With modern covers, there are no need for pins to keep your prefolds in place. Prefolds are all cotton, with bleached and unbleached options available. Econobum is an economical cover and prefold system, where you can cloth diaper your baby from birth to potty training for as little as $100.

Another important thing to know when purchasing cloth diapers is about sizing. There are both sized and one-size options in all the categories of cloth diapers mentioned above.

Sized diapers: Each cloth diaper brand has it's own sizing system, so be careful to read the weight suggestions for each size before purchasing. bumGenius 3.0 Deluxe AIO (all-in-one) cloth diapers come in sizes extra small (XS), small (S), medium (M) and large (L). FuzziBunz Perfect Size cloth diapers are available in S, M and L sizes, while Thirsties Diaper Covers are a cover/prefold style with covers available in sizes XS through L.

One-Sized diapers: One sized diapers are a shorter way of saying "one size fits most". These cloth diapers or covers are designed to fit most babies from newborn stage (approx. 8 lbs.) through toddler stages (approx. 35 lbs.). The way these diapers grow with baby is by having rows of snaps in the center of the diaper that create an adjustable rise. These snaps do not have to be changed at each diaper change, only adjusted as babies grow. bumGenius 4.0 is a one-size pocket style diaper; bumGenius Elemental is a one-size, all-in-one clothdiaper and Econobum is a one size cloth diaper cover.

The key to successful cloth diapering is to remember that you must have a waterproof outer fabric or cover in addition to an absorbent inner liner or insert and it needs to be the correct size for your baby.

Are you wondering about other cloth diapering terms? Ask in the comments and we'll add to this post.

Cotton Babies Black Friday Deals!

Black Friday. Simple. Fun. Easy to shop.

Cotton Babies Black Friday deals are cloth diaper grab bags with guaranteed savings of 30-35% over regular retail prices. We can't disclose brands, but we can guarantee a really good deal. These limited availability offers end Sunday at midnight or while supplies last. Please shop early to guarantee your deal.

Five fun cloth diaper grab bags at amazing prices.

Starting at only $9.95 .Guaranteed savings of 30-35%. No limit. While supplies last.

MilkDaze Camis are 60% off - only $11.60!

No limit. While supplies last.

Other deals available here and here. Have fun shopping!

Kindest regards,

Jenn

P.S. Cyber-Monday has a whole new set of offers that will go live on Monday at 12:01am.

From Jenn: Christmas with Econobum (and thanksgiving day deals too)

(thanksgiving day deals included at the bottom of this blog post)

With the money saved by not purchasing disposable diapers, cloth diapers can help provide a family you know with better food. This year, our theme for Christmas is "Trim a Tree. Trim a Budget. Give Cloth Diapers." You can change a family's life (and how well they are able to feed their children) by giving them cloth diapers.

Kimberly Clark has been airing commercials recently about their "Every Little Bottom" campaign. They now know what we already knew... many families are choosing between diapers and groceries. While I'm glad to see Kimberly Clark responding to that family's need, it would have been more appropriate to focus their investment in a reusable product like Econobum. Reusable diapers would enable that family to continue feeding their children... long after the diaper banks dry up and the promotion is over. At it's best, the "Every Little Bottom" campaign is promoting and reinforcing a cultural dependence on disposable diapers, at the basest, most inexcusable level... in families who are choosing between diapers and food. How does this make you feel?

When my husband and I started Cotton Babies eight years ago, we already realized we could not afford to buy both diapers and groceries. Our baby was wearing prefolds and diaper covers given to us by a friend. Every week, our grocery budget was $30 plus the WIC check bought our milk, beans, tuna, carrots, baby cereal and a few other essentials. We chose to use cloth diapers simply because we couldn't afford to use disposables.

A few years later, we went to our first JPMA trade show with the bumGenius 1.0 One-Size Cloth Diapers pictured at the right. (Babies who wore those diapers are now starting kindergarten!) We showed up with five folding tables, hundreds of diapers, business cards and a really big sign. We always had a crowd around our tables, but I'll never forget the afternoon that I looked up and saw "Proctor & Gamble" nametags. Two men in suits were standing there listening to my presentation. When I finished, I watched them walk away laughing. One said, loudly enough for me to overhear, "You've got to be kidding!"

I wasn't kidding. Today, based on retailer reports, bumGenius is the #1 selling cloth diaper in North America. We have manufactured and sold many millions of diapers. Together, our brands may have single-handedly prevented the use and disposal of nearly 1 billion disposable diapers.

While bumGenius is one of my proudest accomplishments, I've always been acutely aware it was very difficult for many families to make the investment necessary to purchase bumGenius One-Size Cloth Diapers. So, last year, we developed Econobum, a brand designed to reach out to lower income families who couldn't afford to buy our more expensive brands. We made sure the products were high quality and packaged them in an affordable manner. For $11.95, you can purchase three one-size prefolds and a one-size diaper cover. For $48.95, you can purchasetwelve one-size prefolds, 3 one-size diaper covers and a reusable wet bag. You'll be doing laundry every day or every other day... but it's enough. If you do your wash in a laundromat, four of the Econobum Full Kit boxes would provide your family with enough cloth diapers to make it through an entire week of diapering... for under $200. In other cloth diaper brands, the same number of reusable diaper changes could cost upwards of $800-$1500. Econobum actually enables families to diaper a baby for much less than disposable diapers and significantly less than any other cloth diaper brand on the market.

This summer, we had the opportunity to distribute 800 Econobum Kits to a needy neighborhood in north St. Louis. Those Econobum Kits could save that neighborhood over $1.6 million in diaper expenditures over the next two years. Our diapers were a tiny part of a major event called "Love The Neighborhood" coordinated by Service International and Pastor Jeff Perry from St. Louis Family Church. "Love the Neighborhood" impacted many, many St. Louis families by providing school supplies, backpacks, clothing and shoes to thousands of neighborhood children.

A few months later, I flew to Michigan to be part of another event coordinated by Molly Ging atThe Little Seedling. There, we distributed Econobum Kits to grateful WIC families.

These are two relatively small events. When you think through what this could mean on a larger scale, a reusable product like Econobum has the potential to have a major impact on low income families... at a micro-level like they did for my own family eight years ago, at a neighborhood level like we saw in North St. Louis and at a community and state level, reaching across the nation and saving our country billions each year. The first savings is realized at the family level, but later, your community actually sees a savings too because you're throwing away less trash. One family doesn't make a huge difference... but what if every low income family in your community switched to Econobum?

Mahatma Gandhi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world."

Buy Econobum for someone you know. If you don't already know a family that needs cloth diapers, starting today, whenever you purchase Econobum from Cotton Babies, you can now select to have the product donated on your behalf to a needy family. We will be working with our local food banks, pregnancy clinics and shelters to provide education and ensure the diapers get in the hands of the right people. Every box of donated Econobum Full Kits could conservatively provide a family with an additional $10, $20 or even $30 in their weekly grocery budget.

Trim a tree. Trim a budget. Buy diapers to give today.... and thank you for participating in change that can have such an important impact on our country.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jennifer Labit, Owner

Cotton Babies, Inc.

P.S. As our way of saying thank you for being a Cotton Babies customer, every purchase over $30 on Thanksgiving Day qualifies for a free package of bumGenius Flannel Baby Wipes (an $11.95 value) or a free pair of bumGenius Baby Legs (an $11.95) value. One code per order. You must add the product to your cart and use the code "FREEBABYLEGS" or "FREEBABYWIPES to get the discount during checkout. As always, every single order ships free.

Additionally, we have some fun Thanksgiving Day Giveaways!! Three random people willbe chosen from comments on this blog post, tweets on Twitter using the #cottonbabies hashtag,or comments on our Facebook page to receive a free Ergo Baby Carrier (valued at $105). Eligible entries must be posted on Thanksgiving Day. U.S. Residents only. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win. Winners will be announced on Black Friday.

P.P.S. We have some great Black Friday Deals coming on Friday! Those deals will be posted on the blog at 12:01am on Friday. See links on the right side of this page for how to follow our blog so you're first to hear!

Please share the deals with your friends through Facebook by "liking" this post. Thanks!

How To: Turkey Dinner for the Holidays

As we were discussing what to post on the blog around Thanksgiving, we started laughing in the office about how many of us have completely failed at trying to have a turkey dinner. Most of us have had at least one spectacular failure... many of the others had just never tried.

My assistant, Rita, has previously offered to share her mother's recipe for a successful Thanksgiving Day with me and I'd foolishly declined... thinking I'd be just fine. Unfortunately, last year's Thanksgiving was a total train wreck. At 4pm (lunch was supposed to be at 2), I was near tears on the living room couch while my husband and father-in-law sorted out the lumpy, gross gravy disaster.

Rita has graciously shared her mother's recipe with everyone. I hope that it helps you prepare a wonderful Thanksgiving Dinner. I'm certainly going to try it!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Kindest regards,

Jenn

P.S. If you have ideas for how to make Thanksgiving Day go better, please share your ideas in the comments. If you're like me and struggle in the kitchen, feel free to tell us your Thanksgiving Day disaster stories. I'll be watching, reading and hopefully learning something new from every comment!

Turkey Recipe

by Rosalie Bira, courtesy Rita Sciaroni

First defrost your turkey starting two days prior to the Big Day by setting the turkey in your refrigerator. Place the turkey on a dish towel.

The night (or day) before, take it out and remove the gizzard, liver and neck. Place the turkey in cold salt water. (Just pour salt in the water and put the turkey in it.) A good pan to use is your dishpan. This assures you the turkey is thoroughly defrosted and it will be thoroughly clean. While turkey is soaking:

Take the (heart), liver, gizzard and neck; rinse in cold water. Place in saucepan and add boiling water to cover.

Add:
1 tsp. salt
2 whole peppercorns
2 whole cloves
1/2 bay leaf
2 thin slices onions
1 stalk celery - cut up
1 carrot - cut up

Cover and cook over moderately low heat for about 15 minutes. Remove liver. Continue to cook until gizzard is tender - about 2 to 3 hours. Strain and reserve. (Remove some of the meat from the neck and put it back in the broth). You can chop up giblets coarsely and return to broth too. You will use this when you make your gravy. You can also add this to your dressing, especially the cut up meat and giblets.

Then make your dressing. NEVER stuff your turkey the day before with dressing. This promotes bacteria. Put dressing in refrigerator and keep it for the time you are ready to stuff your turkey.

STUFFING FOR 18 LB. BIRD:

This is Grandma Bira's stuffing. We use it because Dad likes it. Maybe in the years to come you'll try something else you like better.

2 or 3 packages Croutons (instructions on package will tell you how much you need for the weight of the turkey you have.
2 eggs
1 1/4 tsp. thyme
2 tsp. sage
2 cups onions
2 cups celery
2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. poultry seasoning
2 beef bouillon cubes
5 cups water
1 cup butter

Put butter in big skillet and melt slowly. Put onions and celery in butter and cook, stirring till celery and onions are transparent not brown.

Put croutons in big bowl. Pour the onion, celery and butter mixture over croutons and mix thoroughly.

In a saucepan, combine the water and bouillon cubes and cook until cubes dissolve. Put in the seasonings and pour this over your bread crumbs. Slightly beat eggs and put this in mixture -- blending thoroughly. At stuffing time you can put the meat from the neck and gizzard in the dressing. Put in refrigerator and cover. DO NOT STUFF TURKEY UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO BAKE IT.

Now your turkey should be clean and thoroughly defrosted and ready to dry it off. Pat it dry with dish towel. Be sure you get the water out of the neck cavity too.

Rub your turkey with some white vinegar, then rub the outside with Crisco (as best as you can - it's a little difficult with the vinegar on it.)

Then figuring 1/8 teaspoon for each pound, rub the cavities with salt.

Place it back in the refrigerator. I usually cover it with a big dish towel and place it on a large meat platter.

Next day, when you get ready to bake it:

Take the turkey and dressing out of the refrigerator and stuff according to your cookbook. It will also have the time table in it for baking your turkey by weight.

However you cookbook might say "don't cover and don't add water." I have (and my mother too) have always added water (1/4 cup) and a big tablespoon Crisco and I cover the turkey with my roaster top.

BASTE OFTEN BASTE OFTEN

After your turkey is done:

Your cookbook will give good hints on this. You should use meat thermometer. (I can usually tell by appearances because the legs pull away and it looks done). Also, it's best to allow the turkey to stand out (after it's done) for about 1/2 hour - this is the time you make the gravy in the same pan that the turkey was baked in.

When ready to make gravy, here is a good gravy recipe I found years ago in my Redbook Magazine.

GIBLET GRAVY

1/2 cup fat from turkey drippings
1/2 cup unsifted all purpose flour
5 cups liquid (including reserved giblet broth)
Salt and pepper to taste
cooked giblets (optional)

After turkey is removed from roasting pan, pour drippings from pan into a bowl (I use a large measuring cup) leave most of the brown particles in the pan. Let the fat rise to the top of the drippings. Skim off 1/2 cup fat and pour into a large skillet. Skim off remaining fat and discard (When I have a very large crowd of people I never throw away the remaining fat just in case I have to make more gravy). Add rest of the drippings to reserve giblet broth, pour into the roasting pan. Place over moderate heat and stir scraping to remove brown particles from the bottom. Measure liquid from roasting pan and add enough water to make 5 cups.

Heat the 1/2 cup turkey fat in the skillet over low heat; gradually blend in flour. Cook until mixture bubbles. Remove skillet from heat and add the 5 cups liquid gradually, stirring constantly.

Cook over moderate heat stirring constantly, until thick and smooth. Add salt and pepper. Add chopped giblets (optional).

Makes 5 cups gravy

Rosalie Bira was mother to three Cotton Babies employees, Rita, Kathy and Jeanne. Cumulatively, these sisters have raised 9 children, 8 grandchildren (with another on the way) and served at Cotton Babies for more than 13 years. We're thankful that Rosalie raised such amazing women and that they shared their secret family recipe with us.

Real Mom Talk: Is motherhood a prison?

The Wall Street Journal just published an opinion piece on attachment parenting & cloth diapers in their Saturday edition. The headline - "Spend every moment with your child? Make your own baby food and use cloth diapers? Erica Jong wonders how motherhood became such a prison for modern women."

The author is clearly talented. Her article was deftly written to stab a knife in the heart of those who have wielded other equally venomous attacks in her direction. She eloquently attacked the parenting style, but I wish she had identified the real issue before writing a sadly misdirected article to be published on a platform like The Wall Street Journal. Her knife doesn't belong in the heart of the parenting style. Her knife belongs squarely between the eyes of the culture and attitude behind the parenting style.

Jong is described as a feminist activist. How did we reach the day that a feminist activist is speaking out against a woman's choices in parenting? Feminism involves political, cultural and sociological theories, as well as philosophies concerned with issues of gender difference. Did I really just read an article written by a feminist that advocated against choices that women should be allowed to make without fear of criticism or rebuff? Is she really attacking the right issue? Or could she just be saying, "Shut up world! I am ME and YOU don't get to decide if I was a good mom"?

Jong's words were just given a pedestal in one of the most well respected newspapers in our country. I think it's time that we, as a community, choose to raise the standard. This article shouldn't have been about a parenting style. The only reason she sees life through those lenses is because someone left her feeling like a bad mom. Someone shaped an influencer. Was it you?

It isn't the first time it's happened either. We saw it last week. And the week before...

The real issue is a lack of cultural civility between mothers. I've watched women rip each other apart online seemingly without consequence for years. Then they come into my store scared to ask questions because they are afraid that their method of parenting won't meet my standard. If I had a $1 for each apologetic look I've had from a woman, I could pay off my house and yours too. It's sad! Women should not be eating each other alive. Imagine how the world would be if we encouraged each other the way we hope to be encouraged. Dare I say it? We would all be better mothers. Most women really don't want anyone telling them what to do... because, as we all know, there aren't any hard and fast rules other than to do the best you can.

Natali Del Conte called for an "internet time out" last week in her blog post after the cloth diapering community viciously attacked her (CBS was kind enough to remove the worst comments). Her report about "Diaper Wars" on CBS certainly wasn't a fair representation of cloth diapers. Frustration was justified. Coordinated education and protest was justified. However, even righteous anger isn't justification for ripping apart someone's mothering skills or criticizing her personal integrity.

Del Conte chose to take the cloth diapering challenge and cloth diaper her baby for one month. I'm proud of Del Conte for standing up to the cloth diapering community and offering to try cloth diapers while also drawing a line in the sand around her parenting choices.

I wish I was as proud of the cloth diapering community for the manner in which the challenge was posed. Yes, we want cloth diapers to be fairly represented in the media... but frankly, if Del Conte actually discusses the character of the cloth diaper community in her followup report on CBS, we're likely to hear something more like what Jong just wrote for the Wall Street Journal.

Our customers tell us that they want cloth diapers to be mainstream. They want to be able to walk into a store in their hometown and pick up whatever they need. If this is ever going to happen, it is important that the cloth diapering community stops using words and attitudes to alienate the very people who can help make that dream a reality.

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do." - St. Ambrose (A.D. 537)

I rarely write posts that so clearly state my opinion, but I've seen enough in the last week to last the rest of my career. I'm calling on all of the industry leaders to stand up and draw a line in the sand. Raise the standard. Stop hosting drama. Stop generating hatred. Stop hating. We should be respectful, friendly advocates for mothers who are learning. Research. Speak carefully. You never know who you are talking to or who is going to read what you have written. It's time to realize that the influencers in our culture are watching you and start behaving like something and someone that should be watched.

When treated professionally and with respect, authors like Erica Jong, reporters like Natali del Conte and even buyers from big box stores could freely advocate for your product and parenting choices... rather than rail against the emotional prison imposed by rude, unfettered tongues.