The EcoChic

I’ve been told that I can find the silver lining in most clouds.   The last few weeks have personally been challenging for me.  Our family has been battling winter illnesses (colds, sinus infections, and the likes) and we are still today coughing and hacking.  Thankfully you can’t catch it from reading this…but I wouldn’t want to step into my house today.  Which reminds me, I think I’m going to hire a maid for a very DEEP cleaning of the entire house and I need to go buy everyone new toothbrushes.  Isn’t it funny what you think about after you get sick? 

Anyways…in addition to all the germs floating around my house I’ve received some scary news about the health of others in my family.  But like most people, we will learn to accept the cards that we have been dealt and treasure the moments we have today.  I know..I sound like a cheesy Hallmark card…but sometimes life gives you so much that there is nothing else you can do but look for that silver lining.  Take a step back and remember what matters most in your life.  It’s easy to get caught up in the moment and focus all your energy on work, extra-curricular activities for the kids, and other daily activities…but what really matters most in life is relationships with those you love. 

Last week I received an email from Erin, an editor at the Southern Living Magazine, and asked if she could feature me as their Mama Blogger of The Week.  This came on the same day as some pretty scary news.  I was all excited and giddy as I sat there and read her email over and over again.  I went and read about some of the past Mama Bloggers of the Weeks and I feel honored to be among these other great mama’s.  Thank you Erin for all your kind words and for the recognition.

So…go check it out.  Go visit the Southern Living, Live Healthy blog and see what it’s all about.  There are great articles about health, wellness, and the environment.  Leave me your comments over there so next time I have a bad day I can read your kind words and remember why I continue to write.  To build relationships, to help one another through these tough times, and to share my passion with the environment with everyone.  

Thank you for continuing to support me.  It’s gonna be one tough year…but I’m ready with my blender to make some lemonade (or maybe a margarita)!  Anyone else thirsty?

Giveaway alert! One lucky reader will win a BabyKicks Bumboo Pocket Diaper and a Premium Duz-it-All. Details following post.  Closed! Eco-ngratulations to DebbieLG @MSU_MOM_TO_2 you are the winner!

Despite how lame I know this is going to sound…I got a total KICK out of BabyKicks newest diaper, the Bumboo pocket. I mean seriously, look how adorable it is when it arrives in the mail.

BabyKicks is a small family owned business that hand makes about 90% of their products in Maryland. In addition to their new Bumboo pocket diaper they also sell fitted diapers, pre-folds, nursing pads, burp pads, and blankets.

When the Bumboo first arrived I was in love with the softness of the inside and the interesting leg gussets. The Bumboo is a one-sized diaper that fits babies from 7lbs to 30lbs (comparable to most one-sized diapers). As you can tell from the picture above it has snaps but they are side snapping. Side snapping simply means you don’t snap the diaper by pulling the side tabs to the front…instead you pull the front snaps to the side. It actually takes a little while to get use to it but I like it. Although I fear that if you had a very hefty baby or toddler that it might be snug around the middle. (updated 2/23/09…BabyKicks is working on a new wing design to correct this potential issue with size!). One advantage of the side snap is that it prevents tab droop. The snaps are available in green (as shown here), blue or multi-colored.

I mentioned the interesting leg gussets. They are soft bamboo/fleece like the inside barrier but there is no PUL. It’s amazingly soft on their little legs but I feared that it would leak….guess what? It didn’t! The leg gussets were designed like this for 2 reasons: 1) to reduce rubbing on your babies legs, and 2) for better air flow (thus reducing the possibility of rash).

The Bumboo is a front loading pocket which allows for a more trim fit and helps to prevent that extra fluff in the rear. It comes with one Joey-Bunz 100% hemp insert. I love hemp inserts….they are so trim and so absorbent. My only other hemp insert came with our GADBaby diaper which Lil’ B recently outgrew (boo!). Why hemp? Hemp is super absorbent and anti-microbial (no bacteria or mildew here). Look at this pic of Lil’ B and you can tell that the Bumboo pocket really does have a nice trim fit.

Did you know that hemp is better for the environment than cotton? Hemp does not deplete the soil and actually adds rich nitrogen back into the soil. This allows growers to use less fertilizers and reduces the need for crop rotation.

But it now! The Bumboo pocket diaper sells for an amazingly low $18.50…this is incredibly LOW for a diaper of this quality! It’s very difficult to find a diaper with organic cotton and bamboo for less than $20-25 each. You can buy the Bumboo pocket diapers directly on their website or at many cloth diaper retailers nationwide.

Win it now! Visit the BabyKicks website and leave a comment below telling me one interesting fact about hemp. This is a mandatory entry.

Extra entries: (Leave an individual comment for each extra entry.)
1. Follow me on Google Friend Connect.
2. Follow both @TheEcoChic and @BabyKicksUSA on Twitter. Tweet about this giveaway a maximum of 2 times per day. **Be sure to include @TheEcoChic and @BabyKicksUSA along with a link back to this post in your tweet.
3. Subscribe to have The Eco Chic blog delivered to your inbox via Feedburner.
4. Add The Eco Chic blog to your Google Feed Reader or other RSS reader.
5. Add my button to your blog and/or blog about this giveaway.

Giveaway is open to residents of the US only. Must be over 18yrs old to enter. Contest will end on March 8th at midnight (EST).

Good luck!

ECO-ngratulations DebbieLG @MSU_MOM_TO_2 You are the winner! Watch your email for details on claiming your diaper!

I have just received a glamorous and much needed SUNSHINE AWARD!  It’s been freezing cold in Florida this week and the sunshine is exactly what I needed. 

This sunshine award was given to me by @Zealandsmom at There’s No Snakes in New Zealandblog.  Danielle and I met on Twitter while talking over cloth diapers one day and I’m stoked that she has finally moved back to town!  I’ve never met her in real life (IRL) but we have a play date coming very soon…as soon as we both find time!  LOL!  Go check out her blog.  She talks about her kids and does product reviews and giveaways too.  She certainly has more time to spend on her blog than I do…I’m slightly jealous.  Thanks D for passing on this wonderful ray of sunshine to me!!

Now…I have to pass it on to 12 bloggers I know.  I spend a lot of time each day on my own blog, networking on Twitter, and yet I only visit a few blogs each day.  Here are some on my Google Reader:

1.  Diapers and Dimples  -  For some lovely Wordless Wednesday pics.
2.  Dirty Diaper Laundry  – Because I love her passion towards cloth diapers! This would be me if I didn’t have a full time job.
3.  Paisley and Pretties  – For her witty tweets.
4.  Mommy Doodles  – Because I truly wouldn’t be able to blog without her! **And because she has become one of my greatest friends! Love ya!
5.  Retro Housewife Goes Green - Always thought provoking.
6.  The Mommy Blog - For a little bit of everything.
7.  Smiling Green Mom  – Because she always makes me smile on #Follow Friday.
8.  Mama Dweeb  – Because we’re all a little silly!
9.  The Crunchy Wife  – watch soon for a guest post from yours truly.
10.  So Fawned  – for gorgeous pictures of a brown-eyed little fawn!

So each of these ladies are asked to pass this award on to 12 other bloggers themselves.  Please take a moment to visit each of them and see why I love them.

There has been so much going on in my personal life lately that I haven’t been online as much but I couldn’t miss the opportunity to take part of the Cloth Diaper Carnival (VI) hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry!  With Kim’s wonderful campaign and our many voices I am confident that we can….and will…

GET CLOTH DIAPERS ON THE ELLEN SHOW!

And you can participate too.  All you have to do is write a blog post, link your post below using McLinky, and tweet a link to your post on Twitter using @TheEllenShow #operationflully and #clothdiapers in the tweet.  For example: @TheEllenShow you should see how cute my baby looks in #clothdiapers #operationfluffy!

Operation Fluffy actually began last night during our weekly cloth diaper chats on Twitter (which if you don’t chat with us…you are missing a lot of fun!) when hundreds of tweets went out to The Ellen Show.  We plan to continue Operation Fluffy until Ellen helps us laugh, dance, conquer!  You can read the rest of the plans of Operation Fluffy on the Dirty Diaper Laundryblog…there will be videos, pictures, blogging and so much more!  We really want to get Ellen’s attention. 

So who’s with me?  Do you want to get cloth diapers featured on The Ellen Show?  Write your own letter to Ellen telling her why you love cloth diapers and want them on her show. 

Here is my letter:

Dearest Ellen,

You can call us what you like but here are just a few titles that we are known as; mom, mommy bloggers, wives, sisters, daughters, caregivers, dads (yes there are dads in the revolution too), housekeepers, professionals, stay-at-home parents, working parents, environmentalists and revolutionists (to name just a few)!  We have all made a commitment to our children when we decided to use cloth diapers instead of disposable diapers…a commitment to our childrens health, the environment, and our bank accounts.

Did you know that disposable diapers contain toxins and carcinogens like Tributyl-tin (TBT) and Sodium Polyacrylate? These are known to cause cancer, skin irritations, and allergic reactions (including staph infections)?  Cloth diapers are much healthier for our babies and cause much fewer diaper rashes than disposable diapers.

Did you know that the average baby uses 6,000-9,000 disposable diapers in the first 3 years of life?  At an average of $65 a month that is $2340 over those same 3 years spend on disposable diapers alone.  That doesn’t include diaper wipes and diaper cream to cure diaper rashes.  Cloth diapers range in price (depending on the type) from $300-1000 for a stash of 24-36 diapers and when your baby is out of diapers you can resell them.  Cloth diapers can be reused over and over again saving you a ton of money.

Did you know that it could take anywhere from 250-500 years for disposable diapers to decompose in a landfill?  Did you know that disposable diapers use twice as much water as cloth diaper; and that’s mostly in manufacturing.  Over 27 billion disposable diapers end up in landfills each year.  Cloth diapers are much better for the environment and will reduce our children’s butt-print (carbon footprint) significantly. 

I want to see cloth diapers on The Ellen Show because the only way to change a diaper is one baby at a time and if you could help us reach just one more family than Operation Fluffy will be a success. 

We are your fans and we look forward to meeting you and showing off our babies adorable fluffy butts.  I’m sure you would fall in love with all of them…especially this one…

Much love and and lots of dancing,

The Eco Chic and family 

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As I continue my cloth diaper journey over this past year I have become associated with many wonderful companies, organizations and people who support the modern cloth diaper revolution.  I’m still trying to decide how I can best serve the cause and bring cloth diapers into more homes.  One way I have began advocating cloth diapers is through the Real Diaper Association (RDA).  I am in the process of becoming an RDA Circle Leader…an advocate for cloth diapers in the community. 

The RDA is a non-profit organization who works with parents all across the US to encourage the use of reusable cloth diapers 100% of the time!  I like to say that I use cloth diapers 99.99% of the time…and I cringe every time I put Lil’ B in a hard, crunchy sposie. 

My commitment to cloth diapers is primarily an environmental commitment.  Research shows that cloth diapers are far better for the environment than disposables.  Even though you will use slightly more water for washing…your babies environmental butt-print (hehe!) will be greatly reduced when using cloth diapers.

How can I help?  By introducing cloth diapers to others in my own community (and online!).  We’ve already worked to educate our babies caregivers, our family, and our friends to the world of cloth diapers.  I have several friends of mine who have recently given birth or are expecting…and I continue to share my own experiences with them.  Disposable diapers are readily available and accepted as the norm…cloth diapers are not.  When I mention to my friends that we use cloth they think I’m some new aged, hippie chick!  I’m just a normal working mom with a normal family.  Yes, we (OK…I) am a little obsessed with eco-issues and my friends have learned to love me for it.  Just like with recycling and CFLs…I believe that cloth diapers will one day be considered the norm as well. 

And I will continue to share my own cloth diaper journey with others…one baby at a time!  What about you? Is your baby in 100% reusable cloth diapers all the time?  Do you want to learn more about cloth diaper or the RDA?

PRESS RELEASE: February 1, 2010

Miracle Diapers is now The Cloth Diaper Foundation; empowering families, improving the environment!

As Miracle Diapers has grown so has the number of families they assist. In 2009, they helped over 450 babies directly, more than 100 babies through sponsorship and local distribution, and assisted other charities with the same mission as well! To better serve those families Miracle Diapers reaccessed it’s structure and practices. They have:

• New leadership with Roxanna Jolly—CEO and Lisa Johnston—Operations Manager and Board Chair
• Relocated their headquarters to Katy, Texas
• Restructured how they process and accept applications
• Opened a retail store for fundraising
• Founded a new membership program
• Welcomed several new board members from the cloth diapering industry.

In it’s fifth year Miracle Diapers wants to continue moving forward and has decided to take on a new name that better describes the organization and it’s mission.

Miracle Diapers is now The Cloth Diaper Foundation.

“We felt that a more appropriate name would help the community have a better understanding of who we are, as we have often been mistaken for a diaper manufacturer. Our desire to move forward and build a legacy of support for the cloth diapering community will be reflected in our new name: The Cloth Diaper Foundation.” -Roxanna Jolly, CEO, The Cloth Diaper Foundation

Monetary donations fell last year do to the economy. Which means there are more families out there for The Cloth Diaper Foundation to help! While diaper donations are always appreciated, we must be able to financially support organizational growth. Let’s make this happen together and spread the CD love. Visit http://clothdiaperfoundation.org today to find out how you can help!

To assist in fund raising efforts, in the month of February, Tracy Whittemore and Lisa Adkins from The Cloth Diaper Company have so graciously offered to match, product for product, each Cloth Diaper Company product sold (Drybees, Wahmies, Rocky Mountain Diapers) in The Cloth Diaper Foundation Retail Store with an equal donation to our organization.  (Example – Purchase a Rocky Mountain Diapers OS Pocket, CDC will donate our organization a RMD OS Pocket, Drybees for Drybees, etc.)

Here are a few deals and steals that I’d like to share with all of you!  Great eco-minded companies!

Franklin Goose- Start a wishlist or gift registry during the month of December and share it with friends and family.  Franklin Goose will randomly selected winners to receive one item from their list!  Maybe they will grant your wish!  Great wooden, soft, and recycled toys for the babies and tots!  Coupon code 15077b61 for Free Shipping on all orders over $50.  See full review HERE.

Sprout Baby - Use coupon code SBBL055to save 15% off your first purchase.  Sprout Baby sells organic baby food, cloth diapers, and much more!  Only 7 days left to register to win $2500 cash in their First Birthday Bash! See full review HERE.

aden + anais – Great organic cotton muslin swaddle blankets and more!  Lil B doesn’t go anywhere without hers. 
From Dec. 3 – Dec. 18th you can save 15% off anything on their site with coupon code celebrate.  See full review HERE.

Dittany Baby: Save when you shop at Dittany Baby with the following codes!  ***Be sure to enter theecochic@gmail.comin the comments box at checkout so I can receive my “Refer A Friend” credits.  (THANK YOU!!)  See full review and enter the giveaway for a Mei Tai baby carrier HERE.  (Giveaway ends Dec. 10, 2009)  
                            ”10off20” for 10% off of a $20.00 order
                            “20off50” for 20% off of a $50.00 order
                            “35off100” for 35% off of a $100.00 order

Picnic Basket Crafts on Etsy:   Etsy is a great place to find homemade items when you don’t have the time to make it yourself.  PBC makes homemade spa and body treatments along with other cool items.  Coupon code Eco Chic Blog for 10% off your next purchase.  See full review HERE.

Rockin’ Green Soap:  Use coupon RockinHoliday and receive 10% offyour purchase.  Great eco-friendly detergent formulated especially for cloth diapers.  Scents I’ve tried…pumpkin crunch, peppermint cocoa, cherry lemonade, and buttercream.  Next on the list to try…Mango Sorbet! Yummy!

Today I spent an hour at my son’s school with about 40 first graders talking about trash!  The Great American Teach In is a time for parents and community members to come into the schools and show the kids what we do for a living.  I love talking to the kids but I was a bit intimidated when I drove up…there was a garbage truck, a helicopter, and a police car in the parking lot!  And here I come with my reusable shopping bag full of goodies.  I was afraid they wouldn’t be interested but they loved it.

I decided that this year I would talk about the 3R’s – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!  The media tends to push recycling but they don’t mention the other 2 R’s.  I started by asking kids if they knew where their trash goes to…that big hole in the ground we call a landfill…and told them that hundreds of years from now their trash will still be there!  Then I talked about the Mobius Strip (the recycling symbol) and what it means.  Did you know that it was created in 1970 by a 23 year old college student; Gary Anderson? 

I showed the kids some simple ways to reduce and reuse their waste.

-Reusable bags
-Reusable water bottles
-Using both sides of the paper
-Using trash for craft projects

I even prepared a small craft project for the kids.  I took some of our cardboard boxes from the recycling bin (cereal, pop tarts, mac-n-cheese, etc) and cut them to the size of a bookmark.  Each kid got to draw and color a picture on the backside and I finished them off by adding a ribbon to the top.  It was so cute to see the kids all excited about playing with trash! 

I can’t wait for next year to visit again; I wonder what I’ll talk about then?

I think I’m in denial, is Thanksgiving really next week?  Where has 2009 gone?  It was just yesterday that I was on bed rest with Lil’ B unsure of what was going to happen next.  She ended up being born on January 4th, 2009. 

And here we are again, almost a year later!  We now have a toothless little 6 yr old boy and a crawling and clapping (our newest talent) 10 month old girl.  Thanksgiving will be spent with hubbies family and Christmas will be spent with mine.  I really love all the decorations and food and time off of work.  I love trying to find just the right gift for the special people in my life and this year I’m going to try to make it as green as possible. 

This year I have put together a list of my favorite environmentally friendly gift items.  I’m so excited that in addition to the gift guide many of the companies have offered up giveaways and coupons for my readers.  So cuddle up with me and start making your shopping list! 

One part of the gift guide that I’m most excited about is the Homemade for the Holidays section.  I have a great Etsy store that I’m featuring along with some unique ideas to make this season more about Love and People than about Things!  After all, we need to all remember what Christmas is all about…the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ!  We tend to get caught up looking for the perfect gifts that we forget that we can give our time and ourselves for people as well.  But there will be more on that later on! 

Over the next few days you will see the Gift Guide growing larger and larger!  Be sure to subscribe to receive The Eco Chic in your email so you don’t miss a minute of The Eco Chic’s Holiday!

Whether you are considering cloth diapers or already using them one of the reasons for choosing cloth is because of your concern for the environment.  You can’t see adding 6,000 disposable diapers to the landfill.  But you’ve also heard that cloth diapers cause diaper rash and that scares you.    

We’ve all been there, our little ones wake from their naps and what do we find inside their diapers? 

A big red diaper rash! 

Admit it when you see it for the first time you feel like the worlds worst parent.  When my son was a baby we used disposables and his little bum was always covered with a rash.  No matter how much cream I lathered on his bum it was always red.  Back then the world of cloth diapers was not much more than pre-folds and covers and the only person I knew who used cloth was my mom!  Our pediatrician (thinking it was caused by the chemicals in the wipes) told us to use cloth wipes (wash clothes) and water.  It was months before I tried regular wipes again but the rashes still appeared.  This experience was one of the primary reasons I wanted to try cloth diapers with my daughter.

What causes diaper rash?  There are actually many causes of diaper rash and we may need to channel Sherlock Holmes to figure it out. 

*Wetness
*Rubbing/Chafing
*Chemicals in urine/stool
*Teething
*Diet
*Perfumes
*Detergents
*Antibiotics
*Fabrics
*Illness

And I’m pretty sure that there are more reasons that I’ve missed!  Did you know that the rate of diaper rashes have increased since the development of disposable diapers?   Did you know that diaper rashes are most common in babies between 9-12 months?  Did you know that ALL babies get at least one diaper rash in their lifetime? 

If you are lucky enough to determine WHY they have a diaper rash you are now plagued with another challenge in the world of cloth diapers.  Diaper rash creams can ruin your cloth diapers!  The bases of most creams are oils which will leave a residue on your diapers and can cause them to repel…your worst nightmare!      

Don’t put away those cloth diapers yet, you can help your baby and still use your favorite cloth diapers!  Here are some tips to help return your babies bum to soft and smooth:

*Find a good cloth diaper friendly diaper rash cream.  The traditional creams that you can find at your local big box retailers are probably NOT your best choice.  The cream we use on Lil’ B is more like a lotion than a cream and has always healed Lil’ Bs rashes within a day or two.  Ask your favorite cloth diaper retailer what they recommend. 

*Don’t have a good rash cream; try one of many home remedies that can treat diaper rash.  Did you know that coconut oil and olive oil can be used to treat rashes?  Or that tea tree oil can be used to treat yeast infection rashes? 

*Use a liner between your baby and the cloth diaper.  You can use flushable liners or make your own cloth liners from fabric scraps (old t-shirts or blankets work well).  When using a cloth liner, be sure to wash them separate from your cloth diapers since the creams can transfer to your diapers.

*Change their diaper more frequently.  Your goal is to keep them as dry as possible.

*Practice elimination communication or diaper free time.  Regardless of the type of diaper rash the best way to treat it is by allowing their bum to air out.  Even 20-30 minutes every few hours can help keep the wetness from their red bum.  Think of this as the ultimate in environmentally friendly diapering. 

The most important thing to remember is that all babies get diaper rashes; they are common!  Have patience and try to eliminate the causes of the rash.  Don’t forget why you chose to use cloth diapers to begin with.  They are better for your baby, better for your wallet, and better for the environment!

I wrote this article for the Parenting By Nature’s Blog to Inspire contest.  If selected as a finalist you can vote for me starting December 3, 2009.  Wish me luck and be sure to share this post with your friends and family.