“My Little Bed” by the Newborne Company was the first commercially successful toddler bed for the juvenile furniture market. The concept of a toddler bed continues to be a much needed answer to fill the needs of young children too old for their cribs, yet too young to comfortably make the transition to a twin sized bed.

Our daughter Holly climbed out of her crib when she was just over two years old. My wife and I searched in vain for an alternative to putting her back in her crib as we realized that she could escape the confines of her crib and climb, or in her case fall, down to the floor. A twin size bed seemed too expansive and high up off the floor for her to easily enter and would have required a guard rail. It was not a solution to our problem. So I went to my workshop that weekend and made her a sturdy little bed out of pine. She just loved it!

Years later, at the 1989 Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association’s (JPMA) annual trade show in Dallas, Newborne displayed my first hand-made prototype of a metal toddler bed. It really was a “sleeper” as nobody had any idea how popular toddler beds would become. Our specialty store customers responded positively to “My Little Bed”, a toddler bed that made the transition between crib and bed. Many retailers were willing to give it an opportunity in their stores.

Initial orders for three pieces turned into re-orders for a dozen beds. It took about six months for us to realize that we had a real winning product.

During the second season, a more attractive arched headboard model was introduced in lots of really neat colors. Dual guard rails with mesh panels were added. The toddler bed was becoming a staple in most juvenile specialty stores and catalogs as well as a handful of major national accounts. At last, toddlers could have their own little beds!

Newborne’s toddler bed established a true product category for the juvenile furniture industry with almost a quarter million beds sold in 1991 and 1992. As can happen to any non-patentable basic concept in a free market, “My Little Bed” was paid the ultimate compliment by becoming copied by at least half a dozen other companies who made metal, ready to assemble furniture, most much larger than Newborne. Just as the climate for increasing market shares became overly competitive, Newborne transferred the marketing rights of “My Little Bed” to The Fisher-Price Company.

That company refined the metal toddler bed design and also transferred the idea into two molded plastic headboard/footboard models. These high-tech versions feature girl-boy themes with wonderful built-in storage compartments for toys.

Other creative manufacturers for quality toddler beds feature attractive designs done in molded plastics. Designs range from classic styling to a new bed with glow-in-the dark features on the headboard. Consumers can choose either traditional styling or novelty designs, such as the race car bed for boys and a canopy model in pink for little girls. A futon variation is also now available.

Although there had previously been heirloom quality toddler beds made from hardwood, “My Little Bed” by Newborne was important for several reasons. At the time it was first introduced, it retailed for under $100; it was a very straightforward square headboard and footboard design. It was specifically sized to accept a standard full size crib mattress, measuring 27″ x 52″, as well as the accompanying crib bedding that included a fitted sheet and quilt.

The perceived value in extending the use of the crib mattress and bedding for a few more years of use on a toddler bed makes practical sense to many parents. Many specialty stores wisely suggest a better grade of crib mattress to their customers, no matter what grade of crib they selected.

As there were no industry standards to go by at the time I designed the toddler bed, I used some of the existing JPMA crib standards, including the required 2-3/8″ spacing between the headboard and footboard slats. Even though the advised threshold age of “My Little Bed” was 24 months, my concern was that parents were moving their children over to toddler beds too early. I suspected that in some cases the old crib was being emptied and readied for another new addition to the family. This is why I support threshold age warning labels on all toddler beds and also advise them to be multi-lingual.

What was important for that first wooden bed that I made in my workshop and the many mass produced metal toddler beds that were shipped into the market, was that the frames were designed to be strong enough to hold an adult’s weight. I believed that the dimension and thickness of the steel tubing had to be strong enough to allow a parent to sit on the edge of the child’s bed and “tuck” them in at night. This was one of the major factors that earned “My Little Bed” the National Parenting Seal of Approval.

Another improvement to the original design was the application of dual guard rails with mesh panels to the bed’s frame. Not only did they serve to enclose the occupant in the bed, they also helped secure the crib mattress to the toddler bed frame so that it could not shift under active use. Many three or four year old kids may see their toddler beds as a play space, even a trampoline! All of the dominant toddler beds available today have addressed this concern with the addition of centering edges or braces, devices that serve to hold the mattress in the proper position.

In terms of early childhood development, I have always felt that it is important for a young children to be able to identify with their own little bed. Their new sleeping environment can give them new independence. It also offers unrestricted access to their own room and beyond!

When parents assemble a new toddler bed in the child’s room, they must also pay renewed attention to a list of potential hazards in the room as well as the entire home. The solutions for this list can include cupboard latches, electrical outlet covers and open stairway protection. With toddlers using their own little beds, they now have unobserved access to many of those problem areas from that the parents had assumed the crib would prevent.

When it is your time to purchase a toddler bed, salespeople suggest that this is also a good time to crawl around the house to again identify and solve potential safety problems with the devices that most stores can readily supply.

It is also a good time to really outfit the toddler bed and crib mattress with fresh new toddler bedding instead of using the old crib bedding. This means supplying a slightly larger quilt that can be tucked under the mattress. It also may mean going from the typical soft pastel colors for infants to the bright primary colors that toddlers like. Making this time period a big deal for the child, even embellishing the room decor, is all part of the transition process. All of the sudden it is no longer a nursery, it is their own bedroom!

One concern that I still have is the tendency of some manufacturers of toddler beds to try to meet extremely low price points in mass market distribution for their promotional models. Today, I often see metal toddler beds on sale for $25 and there doesn’t seem to be much substance to the bed in terms of structure. This makes the product look more like a cot for daycare with no footboard, no guardrails or headboard. I wonder if they’ve gone too far just to hit a low price point.

My original toddler bed was a concept that evolved to create a secure and attractive environment for young children, two to five years of age. It was a defined space that was created to nurture a child’s independence as well as offer security, thereby making the transition from crib to bed the most positive experience possible.

Jim Dodge lives with his wife Michele and their two teenage daughters in Worthington, MA USA. Jim was Vice President and a partner in The Newborne Company for over ten years. He is presently an independent product design and sales consultant in the juvenile and housewares markets.

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There has been a recent explosion in popularity of infant massage among today’s mothers because of the physical and emotional benefits massage offers to a developing baby. But as with most natural healing techniques it is by no means a new therapy; people have been massaging babies for centuries. Let’s briefly examine some of the amazing physical and psychological benefits of infant massage.

Benefits at the Neurological Level

Babies need touch to grow. Touch is a powerful way to support baby’s early brain development. When babies are massaged it causes neurons in the brain to form novel connections called synapses that are important for continued brain development. Touch also can decrease production of cortisol, a stress hormone that can inhibit growth. Furthermore, infants are born explorers that learn by sampling the environment around them first through touch. One massage technique that can be used involves alternately touching opposite hands to feet. This technique not only helps to teach the baby to become aware of the right and the left sides of the body, but making tactile connections across the midline of the infant’s body activates deep structures of the brain.

Benefits at the Muscular Level

Newborns have relatively tighter muscles from their life in utero and from the reflexes governed by an immature nervous system. Massage can help to release their tightened muscles which can aid in comforting babies. Relaxed babies means more sleep for baby and parents. Who couldn’t use more of that these days?

Benefits at the Integumentary Level

Infant massage gives a parent the opportunity to become highly observant of your baby’s skin. From my personal experience, when massaging my baby I am able to notice rashes or other things on the baby skin that I would never find if I wasn’t giving her a massage. When you are busy changing a baby’s diaper you don’t have the chance to be observant of your baby’s skin. During a massage you have the opportunity to thoroughly notice any irregularities and take any concerns to your pediatrician. Massage also increases blood flow to the skin which enhances healing and temperature regulation.

Benefits at the Digestive Level

Since infant digestive system functions are rapidly adjusting to accommodating milk, formula, and new foods, gas and constipation can easily develop. There are many massage techniques that help release painful, obstructing gas and waste. Speaking from my own experience, massage has helped me get out of some difficult situations.

Once, we were out at a fancy restaurant and my infant son suddenly started to cry profusely. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. I had tried feeding him, I checked the diaper but for the life of me I couldn’t determine the problem. In a scene straight out of a parent’s worst nightmare, tables of restaurant goers around us stopped to stare as if to say, “Do shut him up, please.” We were seconds away from asking for our meals to go but just then, in a moment of desperation I started with a massage technique that released a large, loud push of gas from my son’s behind and immediate quiet and a happy smile. We enjoyed the rest of the meal. Massage was my life-savior.

Benefits on parent-infant relationship

Massaging your baby makes you and your baby release love hormones called endorphins. Through their eyes you can see the loving bond you are building between you and a baby. This bond continues to grow every time you massage your child. Creating more positive experiences between you and your baby. Because let us be honest, there are many times you feel stressed and overwhelmed by your child, which could cause negative feelings between you and your child. Infant massage has the power to quickly replace negativity with loving and nurturing touch.

A ten minute massage just two or three times a week can help to build a solid caregiver-infant relationship and bring happiness and health to baby. The benefits of infant massage range from relaxation, relief, stimulation, and interaction. So many benefits from something so natural; one may ask why not do it? I love massaging my children and my children look forward to massage time. Both of them love spending one on one time with Mommy. I can see how our loving bond continues to grow every time I massage them. I know I am creating positive memories that will last a lifetime.

Editorial provided by Adina Rosenberg, NCMT. Adina is a Nationally Certified Massage Therapist specializing in Prenatal and Infant Massage in Chicago, IL, a Mother of a three year old and an eight month old baby, and President, Breathe Bodyworks, Inc.

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I have put together 7 simple steps to help you capture more meaningful images of you children as they grow, and not one of them has anything to do with getting a fancy camera or learning about aperture.

The Details Count

Take a minute and think about what you love about each stage your child is in? Is it how your baby sucks his two fingers? Do you love those little feet walking in their first pair of shoes? Is there a 2-foot tall stuffed penguin that your child can’t get enough of? All of these things are fleeting, and make for incredible photographs documenting this stage in their life.

The Camera Phone Works

The best camera is the one in your hand. I actually use my iPhone camera much more then my professional camera when documenting my family because it’s with me. Check out some of the fun photography related apps, such as Instagram, which adds vintage filters to your images. Don’t let a moment pass simply because your regular camera is at home.

Change Your Perspective

The fastest way to drastically improve the wow factor in your images is to change your perspective. We are used to seeing the world from an adult’s vantage point, but maybe not from the level of your toddler. Lay your baby on the bed on her side and place the camera on the bed to take a picture of her at her level. Lay on the floor to take pictures of your preschooler playing.

Fill the Frame

Simply getting a little bit closer and having your child fill the frame is another simple way to improve the composition of your image. It eliminates distraction and there is no question as to who the subject of the photograph is.

Pass on the Flash

When at all possible try to avoid using your camera’s on camera flash. This is harsh direct light that often results in crazy red monster eyes. Instead, open the blinds of your home and place your child near the window. When they are facing towards the window it will light their face beautifully and light up their eyes.

Earn It

Capturing true expressions takes work, but it pays off with images that showcase your child’s personality. Laugh, joke, and play peek-a-boo. Don’t forget to capture different expressions. Even though you think that pout is forever seared into your memory, there may come a day that it becomes one of your favorite images.

Print It

Don’t forgot to take the time to periodically print your images! It’s so easy to capture digital images, download them to the computer and then forget about them. Print photos for scrapbooks or create yearly family photo albums at any of the consumer photo sites.

Above all, just make it a priority to capture your everyday in images. When you look at your photos in 25 years, they will transport you back to this moment in time so you can fondly remember the messy house, sticky fingers, and a 24-inch stuffed penguin.

Editorial provided by Nicole Begley, owner of Nicole Begley Photography, a professional on-location children’s and pet lifestyle photography business based in Wexford, Pennsylvania. (PD512)

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Digital has many advantages and many drawbacks. The biggest drawback I see is people failing to follow through with their memories. I cannot tell you how many times someone has called me to tell me how she lost all her files because her computer crashed or she had card failure in her camera. Yes, there are ways to recover your hard drive or even information on a card (sometimes), but these options are not only costly, they are also very time consuming.

Here are some tips on how to store your images, organize them, and keep them safe:

Set up a system

Come up with some system on how you are going to save images. Here is what I suggest: make a folder on your computer called “My family pictures” (or whatever you want to call it). Inside that folder you will be creating other folders. Let’s say you just photographed your baby at the hospital the day she was born. Create a new folder and date it with that day’s date and the event in the following format: 2009-07-22 Christina’s birthday (hospital).

By dating everything with year-month-day all your folders will stay in chronological order. Cool, right? You won’t have to search anymore:it’s all there! Once you create your new folder, simply drop your images in there and now you have a library of images that you can enjoy and easily navigate! But don’t stop there.

Back it up

Once you have your images in the folder and they are properly named, make sure to save the images to a CD or DVD. Buy one of those inexpensive CD holders and store them in order. That way, if your computer ever crashes, you don’t have to cry or call someone like me. You can buy a bigger, better, and newer system and just get your CDs loaded in there.

Buy an external hard drive

Why not? External hard drives are fairly inexpensive these days and extremely easy to set up. Save all your important files in there as a back up. Not only can you save your precious images, but you can also save your important documents.

Print your images!

Don’t just share them over e-mail or post them on a personal site- print them! Put them in an album, a frame, or scrapbook them. Children love to see themselves and it has been shown that children whose parents display images of them around the house have better self-esteem. Awesome, right?

I hope this article helps you to organize and store your digital files better. Protect your memories and those beautiful little faces that light you up everyday, for tomorrow they won’t be so little. Have those images stored and in print so that you can cherish the “good old days” forever!

Editorial provided by Maria Sauserman of Studio M Photographic in Pittsburgh, PA.

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What is an Event Party Planner

An event party planner is someone that plans parties from baby showers, wedding showers to birthday parties. This person usually provides and plans for every detail of the party starting with the invitations and décor and ending with the games and food. This is a great way to go if you want to avoid added stress and leave the planning to someone else. There are many local party planners in your area and if you are unsure where to look you can always search online. Many sites will have everything divided into city/state and type of event desired.

How to find an Event Party Planner

Word of mouth is the best way to find a local party planner in your area. Ask your friends, family and even co-workers if they have used or heard of a good event coordinator. If you can’t find a party planner by word of mouth then try the phone book or go online. It is important to look around and not settle for the first person you find. It is recommended to interview at least three potential event planners and meet with them face to face. This will give you a chance to feel out their personality and even let them show you some previous work they’ve done. You want to feel comfortable with the person you hire, especially since you will be working closely with them to ensure every detail of the party is to your liking.

Questions to ask your event party planner

Once you have selected your top three picks you want to make sure that you ask some important and direct questions so that you feel comfortable with the coordinators background and feel secure with your final selection. It is important to ask each candidate how many years of experience they have along with how many parties and events they have planned. Find out what their favorite type of party or event is to plan. Some party planners are more comfortable with planning adult parties then kid friendly ones. You want to make sure the both of you will be comfortable planning the type of party you have in mind. The party planner should have a portfolio of their previous work to show you at the initial meeting. Planning a party usually involves changes somewhere along the way so ask how each person would deal with last minute changes. Discussing a budget is very important because each party planner may charge differently.

The Baby Shower

For most first time mothers this is a very important celebration. The shower usually takes a good amount of time to plan. A baby shower is typically hosted about a month before the expectant due date. The party planner can take care of the following details so that the family or friends of the mother-to-be can be relieved of some of the stress and anxiety that goes into planning such a special event. The party planner will help organize and establish the following:

• Baby shower theme
• Guest list
• Favors
• Décor
• Budget
• Food
• Drinks
• Games/activities
• Venue

The party planner can be extremely or as little involved as you like; it is ideally up to whoever is throwing the shower and the work load they want to take on.

Baby’s First Birthday

There are many advantages to hiring an event planner for your child’s first birthday.  Letting an event party planner take care of all the stress and details of your child’s first birthday relieves the parents from that job and lets them enjoy the day with their child. Below are a few advantages of hiring a party planner:

• Saves you time. It is hard to plan anything especially if you work full time. Let the party planner help you out by planning and organizing everything for the party.
• Offers themes. Many party planners now offer theme parties. The more experienced the planner the more ideas he or she will most likely have.
• Throw your party at home. Let the event planner set up, organize and decorate the party at your house. It is much more personal to have a party at home then in a loud environment, being surrounded by other people throwing parties as well.  The event planner usually includes costumes, party favors, activities, crafts and set up and clean up for a minimal price.
• Enjoy the party with your child. The last thing you want to happen after all the time and effort you put into planning the party is not being able to enjoy the big day. No one wants to spend the entire party checking the food and drink table while also being in charge of keeping the children entertained. Take some stress off of yourself and hire a planner to organize and orchestrate all of the activities for the party so that you can enjoy taking pictures and spending time with your family and friends.

Overall, there are many advantages to hiring an event party planner. The biggest advantage is taking away the stress so that you are able to enjoy and remember your child’s most memorable parties.

Editorial provided by Heather Grassi, owner of It’s My Party For Kids, LLC, event party planning of Northeast Ohio.

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When looking at professional images of peacefully sleepy and curly newborns, it looks so easy! But a lot of hard work goes on behind the scenes of those precious images. I have five rules that are crucial to capturing great photographs of newborns: age, sleep, heat, food and noise. I always educate my clients prior to a newborn session about my “rules” so mom and dad know exactly what to expect and how we can work together to ensure success.

Age and Sleep

As already stated, your baby is only considered a newborn when under two weeks old. Newborn sessions should be booked around 5-10 days old. There are many reasons for this. For starters, your baby must be in the deepest sleep possible for the session to flow nicely. This ensures that a photographer can comfortably pose your baby without him or her making a fuss. An awake or alert baby is much more difficult to work with. When you bring your baby home from the hospital, it may seem that all she does is sleep. After two weeks, your baby will be a lot more alert and awake for longer periods, thus harder to work with. A sleepy baby is like putty in my hands! Your newborn will also be beautifully flexible and able to curl up into tiny poses at such a young age. Just think how curled up she was in your belly for nine months. After two weeks, babies tend to stretch their limbs stiffly and not fold as nicely. Also, after two weeks is typically when baby acne and colic can set in…best to avoid that as well!

Heat

When clients come to my studio, I have the heat cranked and I run two small space heaters in the shooting area. I try to mimic the womb in many ways. In your belly, your baby was used to your warm body temperature. I photograph all newborns in their beautiful natural state (naked!). If you do not want to wake her up or startle her, you have to keep her very comfortably warm. If you are sweating from the heat, then the temperature is just right your baby will be happy!

Food

In an effort to keep your newborn content and sleeping, a full belly is a must. Newborn sessions generally run anywhere between two and fours hours, as frequent stops may be necessary so that mom can feed her baby. Before a feeding, it’s easiest to take all clothes off the baby, including the diaper and swaddle him very tightly. Mom can then feed him this way and the baby usually falls into a dream-like state. Once very deeply asleep, baby can be un-swaddled near the heat, so not to startle or wake the baby. If (or when) the baby starts waking up again, its time for another feeding session!

Noise

When your baby was in your belly, all the sounds that surrounded her were loud and muffled. This is why newborns love white noise, because it imitates the womb. Of course she heard your heartbeat loud and clear too. I always (loudly) play a continuous stream of a white noise and heartbeat combination throughout the session. This will help the baby stay asleep and feel serene. It also helps mute any sudden noises in the room, which might startle and wake her. Just run a white noise machine during your session. You can also download many white noise phone apps as well.

Some Other Tips

A great way to pose your baby is on a firm beanbag covered with a nice blanket. This makes for a classic and clean image. If you don’t have one, take a more lifestyle approach and photograph your newborn in his or her nursery, your master bedroom bed, in dad’s arms (or yours) or anywhere that feels natural to you and your family. Save the prop shots for the professional photographers. While the set-ups look easy, they are not. A well-experienced newborn photographer knows exactly how to safely pose a newborn into buckets, a bowl, etc. Always put the safety of your baby first.

If your baby gets fussy while taking pictures, don’t lose your cool. She will sense your stress. Before giving up, try some soothing techniques first. A pacifier can work wonders and a nice tight swaddle always seems to do the trick too. A little bouncing and rocking really helps some babies and of course, a nice LOUD and long “shuuuuuush” in the ear can work like magic.

Lastly, when you come home from the hospital with your first newborn baby, it will be a very overwhelming time for you. You are trying to get to know this new little person, breastfeed successfully, set-up a routine and schedule, host guests, deal with your hormones and, oh yeah, take a nap or shower! The first two weeks of her life go by in a blink of an eye. Before you know it, you are trying to take photos of an older, awake baby who will not cooperate. Newborn photography takes a tremendous amount of patience, something you just may not have post partum! Consider hiring a professional newborn photographer while you are still pregnant and take one last stress off your plate. This way you can even be IN the photographs with your baby as well!

Editorial provided by Melissa Lagano, a Newborn Photographer based in Greater Hartford and Farmington Valley, Connecticut.

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The very thought of premature death may make you worry about the changes your family would need to make if your income were no longer available. A good way to protect your family’s future is with life insurance.

Why do I need life insurance?

Life insurance provides protection from financial loss if you or a family member dies prematurely. Each situation is different, but life insurance is commonly used for final expenses, taking care of dependents and continuing business activities. Final expenses may include an illness, burial expenses, legal fees or outstanding debts.

Life insurance is especially helpful if your family exists on a single income. Life insurance helps families maintain their current lifestyles. Mortgages, college education and your spouse’s retirement are all benefits that may be paid for by life insurance. Also, if you own a business, life insurance can help ensure your family or business partners will not be left with outstanding debts.

How much coverage do I need?

Although coverage amounts vary from person to person, most financial planners agree you should have at least five to seven times your annual salary in life insurance. It’s best to invest in life insurance early because the older you get, the more expensive life insurance gets.

Some employers provide group life insurance, but no one should rely solely on this type of coverage. Employee group life insurance protects you while you are an employee, but may disappear if you lose or leave your job.

What are the types of life insurance?

There are two main types of life insurance protection: term and whole life insurance. Term life insurance provides protection for a specific period of time and is used to fill a temporary need, such as covering a mortgage or sending a child to college. Term insurance typically offers the greatest amount of coverage for the lowest initial premium and may be a good choice for families on a tight budget.

Whole life insurance offers lifelong protection and allows you to accumulate cash value and equity. This type of coverage is used to fill long term needs, such as income replacement. Unlike term life insurance, the premiums stay the same over the years and you have the option to stop making payments in later years.

Start thinking about life insurance.

Life insurance is too valuable to ignore. If you don’t currently have life insurance, don’t wait to protect your family’s future. If you have life insurance, re-evaluate your needs. Examining your life insurance needs every few years is a good idea because changes and events in your life may alter the amount of coverage you need. To help you decide what life insurance policy is right for you, contact a life insurance professional or a financial planner.

Editorial provided by Michael Basile, Financial Representative at COUNTRY® Financial in Chicago. (PD1211)

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Not having a will or an up-to-date will

Many new parents assume that they don’t need a will because they don’t have a large estate or much in the way of assets, but a will is essential in designating guardianship. If something were to happen to you or your spouse, wouldn’t you want to make sure that your children were cared for by the people that you wanted them to be cared for—and not who the court appoints?

Not having enough life insurance

Would the other parent be able to afford all of the family debts, maintain the house, raise a child/children and put them through college?  Life insurance through a job is rarely enough coverage and if you leave that job then you are no longer covered. Even if one parent doesn’t have an income, they still need life insurance because the cost of childcare and housework would be extremely expensive for the family if that parent were no longer there to do it.

Not having adequate disability insurance

Have a policy that would enable you to cover your expenses and maintain your standard of living if you were unable to work.

Not putting priority on your retirement

It is important to save for your retirement even before saving for your children’s college tuition. You will not be able to receive any financial aid or loans for retirement like your child can for college. Plus, it would be worse for your child if they had to figure out a way to support you during your retirement.

Delaying saving for college

There is a number of college saving vehicles offered to help you start saving as soon as possible and allow you to deduct from your bank account on a monthly basis. While you may not save enough to cover the entire cost of tuition, you can help your children avoid serious debt that would take years to pay off.  College saving vehicles make great gifts for grandparents to give a child!

Overlooking tax benefits for parents

There are many tax benefits for parents such as the dependent-care tax credit and the child tax credit. It’s important that you have your taxes done by a professional who can help you get these additional savings if you qualify for them.

Failing to plan is the biggest mistake you can make

By planning accordingly you could avoid all of the above mistakes. The longer you wait to have everything in place, the fewer options you will have.

Editorial provided by Kate Domack of Westco Financial Group in Stratford, CT. (PD0112)

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Diaper Service Was Once A Necessity

Many young parents today were diapered in the same manner they are now diapering their own children: using disposable diapers purchased in bulk at a local store or supermarket. These bulky packages come with several dozen to a package in all sizes, and are often perfumed and adorned with colorful characters. They are compact, use plastic stripping for quick changing, and are disposed in the trash and carted away to a landfill. This modern practice sounds simple enough, but how was it done before disposables became available in the early 1960s?

Diaper services, the predecessor to the disposable diaper, were a popular part of child rearing, especially in households where washers and dryers were not efficient enough to handle batches of soiled diapers, and hand washing was not a desirable alternative. Just as reliable as a milk delivery, a predetermined amount of diapers of a specific size were delivered right to your door and the soiled diapers were taken away and cleaned commercially by your service. These services were reliable and everyone in the neighborhood usually used the same service. The only negative was using pins to secure the diaper, which often opened up and woke the sleeping baby. An important advantage of diaper services was the way they enabled our mothers to preserve our environment. Human waste was disposed of properly through sewage systems without impacting our environment by entering a landfill via a full diaper. So why would anyone want to replace something that made sense and worked effectively for decades? Unfortunately, that wasn’t up to the consumers. This smart service was eliminated by big corporations who developed the plastic non-biodegradable alternative that now contaminates our environment.

What Is So Great About A Cloth Diaper?

Out of concern for the health and development of our children and the world we live in, the cloth diaper service has been reintroduced to families and communities. Diaper services are also working fantastically for those with a busy lifestyle.

There are two kinds of diapers in the world. One is the simple, three-panel rectangle of five to seven piles of soft and natural cotton that is used by diaper services. The other is a tremendously complex combination of heavily treated paper pulp, polyethylene (along with other plastics), glues, dyes, synthetic perfumes, and above all, a super absorbent chemical called sodium polyacrylate that absorbs urine and holds it in a “gel” next to babies skin. Along with the invention of the recent diaper came diaper rash, which is why so many mothers of the 60s and 70s continued to use their cloth diaper services even though there was a “modern” alternative at their local store. Eventually, mothers had no choice, since the corporations that produced disposable diapers squashed all of the local diaper services, leaving no alternatives. These corporations marketed disposables as a convenient alternative to the cloth diaper despite the fact that chemicals and absorbency materials used in their product caused health problems and allergic reactions like diaper rash. Health issues like asthma, a weakened immune system and impaired hormonal systems have all been attributed to this diapering alternative. Years later, it was discovered that disposables were not only making our kids sick, but they were contributing to an unhealthy environment too. Again, the corporations that created this product attempted to convince the public otherwise.

An independent study commissioned by one of the largest manufacturers of disposables contended that cloth diapers required so much water to wash that they were less environmentally friendly than disposables. These findings are false, and the same study actually reported the opposite of this. The study found that commercial diaper services are the most environmentally friendly way to diaper your child, but the large corporation that commissioned this study took artful license and eliminated that vital fact from its findings before making it public. Common sense tells us that “reusing” cloth diapers that are laundered in a local facility using eco-friendly cleaning products in high efficiency machines is better for the environment than disposables often made overseas from a combination of bleached plastics, dyes and chemicals, trucked across the continents, used once and then discarded where they spend hundreds of years decomposing. Not to mention, the human waste discarded along with these diapers leaches bacteria and virus into the water system. It takes around 80,000 pounds of plastic and over 200,000 trees a year to manufacture the disposable diapers for American babies alone!

Why Should I Make The Switch To A Diaper Service?

In addition to keeping both your baby and the environment healthy, it is convenient and may get your child out of diapers sooner, which would mean less money and time spent on diapering!

Studies have also shown that babies who wear cotton diapers are “potty trained” sooner. Babies who wear disposables are not exposed to wetness and do not feel the sensation of a wet, soggy diaper, which does not make potty training and urgent matter. However, not having to diaper as often, or twice as much if there is more than one diaper aged child in the house, is not the only lifestyle convenience diaper services offer. Most services offer complete start up kits that provide all the tools necessary to easily ease right into cloth diapering. Diaper pails, citrus deodorizing circles, pail liners, waterproof cover pants, flannel baby wipes and best of all, non-pin diaper fasteners, are all some of the useful components offered or included with some services. Cloth diaper services will also arrange supplemental orders for day care providers. All of these services are quickly arranged and the supplies are brought right to your door! All you have to do each week is leave the bag outside your door. This saves you weekly trips to the store transporting bulky packages and gas. Many services offer full online conveniences and are easy to use. Your orders are scheduled to be picked up and delivered on the same day each week to the same location, all fluffed, folded, stacked and ready to use. Diapers orders are also adjusted in size and quantity as your diaper needs change. Some services even guarantee that you will always receive your own personal diapers back with each delivery. A tagging and bagging system assures this much like that of a dry cleaning service.

The final and most common misconception of all is that cloth diapers services are costly. In actuality, a basic services run about $23.00 per week with some additional start up costs. This is about the same as purchasing disposables. Premium services are slightly more and include some of the supplies mentioned above. You can pay month-to-month for a service or arrange for a six month or one year membership. You will find that most services will tailor any existing plan to meet your needs and strive to offer the utmost in client services.

If you are considering lifestyle alternatives for your family, a smart choice may be to try a cloth diapering service. There is no denying the health benefits, which are an investment in your child’s future. Not to mention, these services also offer a host of conveniences. Parents who choose to use a cloth diaper service are bringing back something that makes sense, as well as sending a strong message to their community and young children about what they are doing to preserve the environment.

Editorial provided by Dana Scinto, Innovative Diaper Service, the green cloth diaper service for New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

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From an environmental perspective, manufacturing of disposable diapers consumes energy, trees, and plastic and then can take hundreds of years to decompose. Each year, more than 80,000 pounds of plastic and 200,000 trees are consumed in making disposable diapers for American babies alone. The plastic and chemicals along with the untreated waste ends up in landfills where it can potentially contaminate ground water. Cloth diapers can be used 50-200 times and then gain new life when they are recycled as rags. Waste from cloth diapers is either flushed or washed into the sewer system where they can be properly treated at wastewater plants.

Many parents choose cloth diapers for the health benefits they provide. Disposable diapers are full of harsh chemicals that not only cause diaper rash, but are now being found to have more long term effects. Just as you would prefer cotton on your skin, cloth diapers provide a natural, comfortable, and breathable environment for a baby’s sensitive bottom.

The cost of diapers is usually one of the largest expenses and a great concern for parents. If you compare the monthly cost of disposables to that of a diaper service, you will find they are very similar. The major savings come when you consider the convenience and the fact that cloth diapered babies tend to potty train one year earlier than those who use disposable. With a cloth diaper service, clean cotton diapers are delivered to your door on a weekly basis, eliminating additional trips to the store.

Many parents are taking a hard look at the environmental, health, and cost advantages of cloth diapering. When you factor in the convenience of the modern, no-pins cotton diapering system and a diaper service, cloth diapering is the logical choice.

Editorial provided by Kathy Huntebrinker, Owner of Baby Care Diaper Service in St. Louis, MO.

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