I read an interesting article on how to talk to your kids about 9/11 and was all prepared when my young sons asked about it this morning (they wanted to know why there was a commemorative ceremony at the baseball game they were watching on tv). When I started to answer them using the words and tone the article suggested they replied “Oh, the Twin Towers? We learned about that at school.” “Really?” I responded, “When?” “In Art class” they replied. Huh? In Art class? Has 9/11 and the wars that followed so desensitized us as a nation to the horrors of that day that 2nd graders are learning of it in Art? This was the defining moment of my adulthood. Like Pearl Harbor and the Kennedy Assassination that proceeded it, it is one of those days where everyone can tell you exactly where they were, what they were doing and how they felt when they first heard of it. It ended any innocence that remained and caused fear to be a unwelcome companion. Should something this consequential and life changing really be a topic in 2nd grade Art? Upon hearing of our sons’ history lesson, my husband and I sat down with them and provided a bit more detail than I am assuming they received over finger paints and glitter.

So, on this 10th Anniversary day, I will not blog about diapers but I will do a giveaway as we all need something fun and happy to which we can look forward. One of our favorite Made in the USA diapers, Thirsties, has recently added new prints to its diaper cover line. They are sweet and delightful and make me smile whenever I see them. We will give away one of these new covers (you pick the size and print) via a random drawing from the entrants.

In order to enter, please do one or all of the following (doing all four gives you four entries!):

- Comment below on how you discuss 9/11 with your children

- Fan Cottontail Baby on Facebook

- Fan the Cloth Diaper Retailer Cooperative on Facebook

- Join the Cottontail Baby mailing list

Ironically, I am NOT Made in the USA

We have been getting lots of questions lately regarding which of our brands are Made in the USA. Almost all of them are with a few big exceptions.  The very popular Mother-ease, Aristocrat and Bummis diapers and covers are all made way up north in Canada.  Imse Vimse (fun fact: Imse Vimse means “Itty Bitty” in Swedish) is a Swedish brand and Snappis, like the amazing World Cup we all just witnessed, come from South Africa.

Here is a list of some of our absolute favorite diapers, covers and accessories proudly Made in the USA.

But I am!

All Together

Baby Kicks

Drybees

FussyButt

Happy Heinys

Happy Tushies

Kissaluvs

Leslie’s Boutique

Mommy’s Touch

Rocky Mountain

Sheepish Grins

Stacinator

Swaddlebees

Thirsties

Wahmarama

Wahmies

Am I the Tie That Binds?

I was all set to site down and write a blog post about swim diapers. After the “Poo in the Pool” fiasco of Memorial Day during which our local pool was closed for an hour, in 90 plus degree weather, due to an unfortunate disposable swim diaper that did not work, I was fired up and ready to write. Just buy a reusuable swim diaper. Imse Vimse are good. They work. They don’t inconvenience your neighbors. They are cheaper in the long run and better for the environment. Plus, they are cute! I had it all planned out. Then, I sat down and read the Sunday NYT Styles section…..

In the Sunday NYT section, tucked away behind an article on the gorgeous, classy Iman, the Gore’s marriage implosion, and the tall lady from Glee marrying a woman from my alma mater, was an article about a French Intellectual (their term, not mine) who opines that some of the tools of motherhood that I espouse, cloth diapers, breastfeeding, natural childbirth, are just chains that are keeping women from achieving their full potential. Elisabeth Badinter, as she outlines in Conflict: The Woman and the Mother (Le Conflit: la femme et la mere) believes that the advances of modern times, disposable diapers, the plastic (now BPA-free glass) bottle and epidurals which were designed to help free women and keep them independent and liberated are being discarded in favor of greener, more eco-friendly, and she would say, harder choices. Choices that are rolling back years of feminist advances in favor of a lifestyle that chains women to motherhood.

So, as you can see, not what I wanted to read on a happy, peaceful, Sunday morning. Mommy Wars a la Francais. Unlike the US based Mommy Wars which seem to focus mostly on the Working Mom vs. Stay at Home Mom dynamic, this was all about the movement toward a greener, cleaner lifestyle. She classifies the heightened eco-awareness amongst many of today’s moms (and dads!) as just a passing fad and one, that left unchecked, is going to derail decades of advances for women.

After I got over my initial anger and frustration at what I believe to be this woman’s limited point of view, I guess I understood a bit of what she was saying. Yes, women are making different choices than perhaps their mothers would have made. I can see how the women who blazed the trail for working women (moms or not) would be upset or frustrated that so many who follow are choosing different paths and perhaps not fully appreciating their struggles and sacrifices. But, isn’t this okay? Isnt the beauty of where we are in society that it is okay that we have a choice? Bottles might allow women to return to work sooner but breastfeeding is cheaper and easier for many (not all, as my own experience would attest). Cloth diapers are better for the environment and our pocket books. So many live their lives in a medicated state, isn’t it okay and rather cool that some (once again, not all, as my crash C-section would attest) choose to experience a major life event drug free and clear? Why are these things bad?

I do agree somewhat with one point she makes. That we, as a society, have idealized what the “perfect” mom does (cloth, breastfeed for 12 months or more, natural childbirth) and those who opt to not do these things or, even worse, try and cannot succeed in doing these things are left feeling like a failure. As if they did not check off all the “Good Mommy” boxes and are not as dedicated as the moms who do. So, what do you think? Are women who choose cloth and breastfeeding and natural childbirth rolling back decades of feminist advances? By making these choices are we reducing our freedom and limiting our professional options? Are the women who choose to not incorporate these elements into their parenting portfolio “Imperfect?” Or, in the end, is the “Perfect” mom one who loves her child and does the best she can in her own individual way taking into account her own, individual circumstances?

No BPA or toxins in me!

Interesting article article from the Environmental Working Group about BPA toxins and newborns. A recent study detected an astounding 287 toxic chemicals in newborn cord blood including mercury, fire retardants, pesticides and Teflon chemicals. Of these chemicals, 180 are known to cause cancer, 217 are toxic to brain and nervous systems and 208 cause birth defects or abnormal developments in animal tests. Experts believe rising rates of birth defects, asthma, neuro-developmental disorders and other serious diseases in U.S. children are resulting from these early chemical exposures.

BPA is one of the world’s highest production-volume chemicals and is widely used in the production of:
- Plastic water bottles
- Plastic gallon milk bottles
- Plastic microwavable plates, overware and utensils
- Tooth sealants
- Canned foods and soda cans
- Baby toys, bottles, pacifiers and sippy cups

So, what can you do? Mercola suggests the following:
- Buy and eat organic
- Eat wild-caught and not farm-raised fish
- Eat whole foods and not processed foods
- Use glass rather than plastic food storage containers
- Have your tap water tested and install a water filter if necessary
- Use natural cleaning products
- Use natural toiletry products. Northern Essence is one of our favorites for our kids.
- Avoid using artificial air fresheners, dryer sheets, fabric softeners
- Replace Teflon with ceramic or glass cookware
- Search out and use toxin-free alternatives in all aspects of your home and life (cloth diapers, reusable menstrual products, non-toxic paints and floor coverings.)
- Replace your vinyl shower curtain

Good luck making as many of these changes as possible. Every little bit helps in keeping you and your family healthy.

Bummi Whisper Wrap Froggy Print

We used Bummis Super Whisper Wrap for our daughter with prefolds. We really loved this cover. We had no leaks at all with the whisper wrap and always felt as if they provided superior coverage. The Whisper Wrap was always the cover I would reach for first in my stash. They were very durable and didn’t seem to suffer despite multiple launderings.

In addition to the high quality of the Whisper wrap, I really loved the colors. The frog print was my favorite but I also really loved the Flower print and Star Baby. One of the best parts of cloth diapering over disposables is all the great prints and colors available.

One little known fact of the Whisper Wrap is that it can be used, in a pinch, as a swim diaper. When our normal swim diaper was not clean, we were able to use the Whisper wrap (without a diaper underneath) as a substitute. We just used a size smaller than normal and had no problems.

I really feel as if the Whisper Wrap is the unsung hero of the cloth diapering world.

Would your rollerblading toddler wear this? Mine would

Once again, I am ALL about Year End lists.  LOVE THEM.  So, this article from the New York Times which listed the top YouTube videos of the year immediately found a warm, fuzzy place in my heart.  Of course, Susan Boyle was the top of the year.  We are a nation that always roots for the underdog.  Who could have been more of an underdog than frumpy Susan who the crowd immediately dismissed in their cynical, cruel fashion?  But she showed them.  Awesome.  I admit that I was one of the many who watched the Susan Boyle video, repeatedly, on YouTube. Yes, it made me cry. Every time. I thought the David After Dentist was a bit exploitative of a little kid a bit bewildered but watched most of it anyway. I thought the wedding dance thing went on way too long and was only redeemed, as a cultural moment, by the brilliant parody of it as done a la The Office and Jim and Pam’s wedding. Classic.

I thought the Evian rollerblading babies were just this side of creepy but it was cleverly done nonetheless.  I wonder what kind of diapers they wore under their little onesies?  Gotta be cotton as they are far too cool for disposables.  These are not Pampers kids. I am thinking either a Happy Heiny’s one size in leopard or cow print or a super cool, progressive, hybrid like the Gro Baby.  Maybe a couple were a tad ironic and went a bit old school with a prefold and cover but the cover would have had to be a whimsical design like a Kozy.  What do you think?  What would your rollerblading baby wear?

In terms of the rest of the videos, I just can’t get myself to the place where I care about Twilight or Miley. So, those little video snippets of the 2009 cultural zeitgeist passed me by. I do admit, however, to watching some Michael Jackson videos after his death.  Mostly to show my sons.  Thriller.  Both the classic original as well as the awesome Philippines prison version.  Amazing.

Were these your top youtube videos of the year?

Thirsties Duo Wraps

Thirsties has been a favorite of ours for quite some time.  They make simple, waterproof cloth diaper covers in terrific colors.  They are an essential part of any diapering mom’s stash.  Well, Thirsties has done it again and introduced the Duo Wrap.  The Duo Wrap has an adjustable rise which allows for each size to last twice as long.  It comes in two sizes.  Size One takes an infant from 6 to 18lbs and Size Two takes the baby from 18 to 40lbs.  They also have three rows of snaps to allow the wraps to be adjusted to each baby’s unique shape.  

The Duo Wraps have all the other features we love in our Thirsties sized covers…waterproof, breathable fabric, super soft leg gussets, PVC-free, phthalates-free, lead-free, and latex-free AND they come in all the wonderful Thirsties colors (Storm Cloud is our favorite).  Check them out!

Every family travels a different path to cloth diapers.  For some, it is all about cloth.  For others, it is all about the environment.  For some, it is due to the health advantages of cloth vs. disposables.  That is the case for us.  We didn’t start out as a cloth diapering family. Everyone we knew used disposables and we were not even aware of the options available with modern cloth diapering.  I wish I had researched it before she was born.  However, Emily, as is her nature in ALL things in her life, had other ideas.  She developed a nasty red, raw rash with her Pampers.  So, we switched to another brand.  And another.  And another.  Yet, this angry, red, raw rash continued.  As a nurse, I knew this wasn’t normal and started to do some research on the diapers.  It was then that I discovered all the nasty chemicals that disposables contain.  I was a bit horrified that I was putting those right next to my child’s skin.  What kind of mom was I?

We went out and bought a few Fuzzi Bunz.  The rash IMMEDIATELY disappeared.  I mean, IMMEDIATELY.  We were thrilled.  We bought a whole stash of cloth diapers and have never looked back.  Our little girl still has sensitive skin and we do have to be careful with detergents but the red, raw butt that characterized her first several months has been gone forever.  

Once we switched, we discovered that we really liked the convenience of never running out of diapers and having to make that midnight run to the all-night Target to get more.  In addition, the cost savings were immediately apparent.  Finally, the girl in me loves the fact that they are so cute with these great colors and prints and lacies and fun designed woolies.  

When our son Ben came along disposables were simply not an option.  We used cloth from the moment he was in the hospital and he never ever had a disposable on his body.