moving sale is over - we've moved

Buzzie Bee Diapers is now conveniently located within Clean Bee Laundry in Camden. Please visit us at 83 Elm Street (the Renys plaza). We're open 7 days/week - Monday through Saturday, 8 to 7pm. Sunday 12:30 to 5:30. You'll bee glad you did!

In honor of Mother's Day, the Bremen Library will be hosting a Parenting Resource Fair on Saturday May 8th from 10AM to 12PM in the library's meeting room. Admission is free, but donations will be gladly accepted. There will be numerous representatives from local organizations who support parents and families there to share information and ideas about their products and services. Healthy snacks will be provided and there will be activities for children as well. The library will have a Mother's Day present for every mom who attends and there will be generous door prizes for moms donated by local businesses.

This event was coordinated by one of our longtime customers. We're helping her diaper her second child. She invited us to participate - and when we couldn't be there in person (because not only is Mother's Day, it's our daughters' ballet recital - can't miss it!) she volunteered to represent Buzzie Bee Diapers. She's certainly qualified to do that!

We've donated a Swimmi for the door prize. Should be a fun event - if you're in the Bremen area tomorrow, check it out.

the sale goes on

I absolutely LOVE cloth diapers. I am not so insanely crazy about website shopping carts. Being that we are a small, family-run business, we do the shopping cart maintenance ourselves... since we are trained in theater and art, this is probably not a good idea. We can't seem to figure out why the cart will tell folks that something is out of stock or not apply the 40% off sale to all items (when I certainly have checked the box that states 'sale ALL').

So... we really want to sell these supplies. We really don't want to pack them up to transport to the new location. That said, if you are having trouble with the shopping cart, please don't give up - please give us a call (542-0505) or send an email (info@buzziebee.com) with what you'd like to order and we'll do our absolute best to get it to you.

Thanks!

we're back...

We're back from a fabulous time in Guatemala. Highlights included visiting at Safe Passage, touring a coffee finca (www.asgoodasitgets.org) [I have always appreciated fair trade coffee, but now after seeing just how much work is involved, will always seek out fair trade coffee...], and spending long, lazy days in the tree cabin outside of Antigua (www.earthlodgeguatemala.com). We experienced some adoption related moments of joy as well. Too much to blog about - but we're hosting a potluck/trip slideshow next Wednesday (3/17)... send me an email for details if you'd like to join us.

The diaper we intended to bring to Guatemala were inadvertently left behind - along with all of Broo's clothes - in my dad's car as he dropped us off at the airport. Oops! We came home to a few requests for diapers for Haiti - so that's where they ultimately went. Really doesn't matter where they go, just that they are being used.

cloth in daycare - it can bee done!

Here at the hive, we keep hearing from parents whose daycare providers are reluctant to plain refusing to allow cloth diapers. This is frustrating on many levels - it's hard to find daycare that is reliable and affordable so when parents have found someone they feel they can trust, it can feel uncomfortable to make any "additional" request. We know because our children have both been in childcare settings - ranging from awesome to awful. By working with other RDIA and RDA members, this topic is going to be addressed on a national level, with practical applications at home. It'll take some time but we're working on it. If you have any daycare diaper stories - successes or opportunities - please pass them along to me.

Wonderful WOOL at Buzzie Bee

New items at Buzzie Bee Diapers! You’re probably heard people raving about wool diaper covers - now you can see for yourself. Just in from Loveybums (a mom owned business in Amherst MA) is a wide assortment of wool covers. Place your order during the month of February and receive $4 off each cover! Orders must be placed over the phone (207.542.0505) or in person.

Wool Crepe Covers $31
Soft and colorful wool crepe covers! Available in Lemon, Green Apple, and Baby Blue.
Loveybums wool crepe is a medium weight cover good for daytime or nighttime use. Snap closures.
NB/SM (birth to 12 lb.)
MD (9-22 lb.)
LG (18-30 lb.)

Wool Jersey Covers $31
Loveybums wool jersey is a super soft, trim diaper cover.
NB/SM (birth to 12 lb.)
Aplix Keylime / Snap Tangerine
MD (9-22 lb.)
Aplix Periwinkle / Snap Keylime
LG (18-30 lb.)
Aplix Aquamarine / Snap Periwinkle

Hand Dyed Organic Wool Covers $37
with snap closures. Each organic wool cover is made with two layers of o~wool.
NB/SM in Maize
MD in Cornflower
LG in Mint

Loveybums-In-Ones $39
Snap closure wool crepe cover with sherpa snap-in diaper. Additional sherpa snap-in diapers available for $14. Organic cotton snap-in diaper available for $16.
LG only in Periwinkle, Aquamarine, Tangerine and Keylime

Nursing Pads $5.75/pack
Loveybums organic cotton nursing pads are made with a layer of organic cotton fleece topped with a layer of soft, luxurious organic velour. Price is per pack (each pack contains two nursing pads).


Wet Bags $19.50
Loveybums wet bags measure approximately 12" wide x 14" tall x 5" deep and can hold several diaper changes. Each wet bag is handmade with an outer cotton print, an inner of PUL, and a sturdy zipper closure to keep wet diapers safely inside.

Lanolin Tube $4
This tube of .25 oz. Lansinoh lanolin is a perfect size to have on hand for lanolizing wool covers.

credit card snafu

I am delighted that the Buzzie Bee website store is getting orders! It's wonderful - the people at the post office are congratulating me as they are seeing me much more often. One minor issue is that the cart software isn't recognizing credit cards. But Paypal, check, money order, local delivery and instore pick up all work. So, if you're in need of a baby gift or want to help out new parents by providing them with a month of diaper service, check out the site. Thanks!

The Ultimate Test Drive

A little over a week ago, a mom who is taking a Women's Studies class on Women and the Environment contacted me about trying cloth diapers on her toddler for a month as her class project. She was turned off by the start up cost for cloth, particularly when she wasn't sure she'd stick with it after the project ended. I decided to loan her a Test Drive Set (which is a bunch of diaper service diapers and supplies to try at home) free of charge (normally it's $16/week with a $175 refundable deposit) and allow her to use my name in her blog about the project. Needless to say, I'm delighted it's going well... Thought you might enjoy reading how she and her daughter are doing as they try to Go Cloth.

frozen diapers

Today's diaper pick ups included the season's first frozen diapers. The last two winters this was a much celebrated event because (1) frozen diapers don't smell nearly as much as their room temperature counterparts and (2) we delivered using a PT Cruiser.This summer we traded the PT Cruiser for a Toyota Tacoma pick-up so smell isn't really as much of a factor anymore. Live and learn!

gently used training pants for sale

I have 5 pairs of small Bummis Training Pants (for babies 20-30 lbs)that I'm looking to sell. A Buzzie Bee customer tested them with her twins so they've been used just a few times. The set of 5 would retail for $60 new, so I'm asking $30 used, enough to cover my cost to replace them. Please call or email if you're interested. We also have lots and lots of gently used prefolds and Bummis covers which we'd be happy to pass along.

Adios Panales!

Haydee is out of diapers. Done. Gone. ¡Adios pañales! Yippee! I hesitate to say that she is ‘potty trained’ because in all honesty took very little training. No sugary treats, no promises of a new toy, no real tangible reward other than dry, big girl panties. Definitely many moments of happy singing and dancing, getting puffed up proud, and of course the occasional explanation that, yup, that’s okay, accidents happen.

Each child reaches milestones in her own time and fashion. With our first daughter, who strives to please and maintain order, we packed up her diapers one day shortly after she turned two and never looked back. Being the parent of two children complicates matters in that what worked for one may not work for the other. With Haydee, who’s fiercely independent and wildly messy, I imagined it might take longer to be diaper-free. I thought we’d offer now but if she didn’t take to the potty, we’d just try again later.

Much to my surprise, Haydee wanted to be out of diapers. She’d use the toilet and want us all to know. During the her first diaper-free day, she created her own ritual for positive reinforcement. She wanted Daddy to sing to her. If he wasn’t home, she’d call him with a request, “Daddy, me go pee, you sing ABC Daddy, right now!” Lucky for us all, Daddy was more than happy to oblige.

Staying dry overnight has taken more effort. Haydee sleeps nearly 12 hours at night - a long time to a two year old bladder. We saw three options: put her in a diaper overnight, change wet sheets all the time, or get her up at least once during the night to use the toilet. We tried them all. She wore a diaper overnight for a few nights but then reminded us (with a full blown tantrum) that she was in fact finished with diapers. Over the last two weeks we’ve tired of changing and washing sheets, so we’re intentionally creating a habit of, at least once each night, sitting her on the toilet while she’s sleeping. So far so good. This morning she woke us at 4 AM screaming that she needed to pee. By the time I stumbled out of bed, found my glasses, her bed was wet but at least she knew what she needed to do. That’s progress. It takes three to four weeks to create a habit. I’m confident if we spend the next few weeks sitting her on the toilet before we go to bed, she’ll soon learn to wake herself up to go.

Back in the 1950’s, 95% of American children were out of diapers by the time they turned three. Today, only about half of American children are toilet trained by age three. In the 50’s, nearly all babies were in cloth diapers. Babies in cloth are more aware of their bodily functions as the cloth allows them to feel the sensation of being wet. Not that cloth diapered babies are toddling around sopping wet - because they’re not. But they do feel the wet sensation long enough to connect the feeling to what their body just did. Because of this, around the time that they begin to assert their independence in dressing and feeding themselves, they are typically ready to toilet independently as well. By choosing cloth, parents and children are less likely to encounter the power struggles involved in truly toilet training a three-, four- or even five-year old. There are many reasons to cloth diaper, but for me, as a parent who has a lot on her plate, this is the most compelling reason - easier and earlier toileting means less time in diapers! Less time in diapers means more time for something else.

Know of anyone looking for some gently used cloth diapers? Have them give me a call as Haydee’s diapers are good to go.

cloth makes a comeback

Last week I was talking to an advertising representative at a downtown Bath networking event. He was there promoting a magazine focused on coastal living. My husband and I were there promoting our businesses. We made a connection in that he’d cloth diapered his children, years and years ago. He was saying that what was once old is now new again. Whenever I go to networking events, I tend to bring along my baby - not my daughters - but the cabbage patch doll that my grandmother stood in line for decades ago. It’s helpful to have a “model” when talking about or demonstrating how to use cloth diapers. The ad rep immediately noticed how much cloth diapers had changed in the last twenty years. He commented that what’s old is new again only better. He got it right: cloth diapering is indeed making a comeback. And here’s why:

Cloth diapering is easy. Baby boomers are surprised to learn two basic facts about modern cloth diapers. Number 1: no pins! Number 2: no toilet dunking! Generations X and Y are delighted by how easy cloth diapering is now. Baby Boomers can’t believe the someone hasn’t thought of it when they were diapering their children. Today’s diapers secure with snaps or Aplix and can be easily washed in a standard washing machine or with a diaper service. Aplix is a type of velcro and usually diapers using this will have laundry tabs to secure so that the velcro stays free of gunk and doesn’t catch on anything else.

More and more information is available, locally and online. The March/April issue of Mothering magazine carries the headline Cloth Diaper Comeback and can be found at the Good Tern. The Real Diaper Association, a national cloth diapering advocacy group, provides internet searchers with facts and directs interested folk to local resources. Four times a year, Mid Coast Hospital offers a free Diapering 101 class. In Maine, there are two diaper services and at least a dozen stores selling quality cloth diapers. Local cloth businesses are more than happy to give demonstrations - often at no cost to you.

Increased awareness of environmental benefits of cloth. More and more transfer stations are introducing pay-by-the-bag. The cost of petroleum products (such as disposable diapers) is rising. Modern cloth diapers can be used, reused and then used some more. Energy efficient washers make it possible to launder cloth diapers with less water and without harsh chemicals. By laundering cloth diapers, waste stays out of the landfill - or wherever your municipality ultimately puts of trash. Cloth diaper manufactures are aware of and open with the sources of the fabrics used in making cloth diapers. Read the ingredient label on the disposable diaper packages... oh, yeah, there isn’t one. Hmm...

Increased awareness of health benefits of cloth. In a time where we are bombarded with chemicals and additives, cloth diapers are a natural haven. Unlike their throwaway counterparts, cloth diapers are pollutant free and contain no dioxin or Tributyl-tin. Dioxin is a cancer-linked chemical while Tributyl-tin is linked to hormonal problems in humans and animals. Back in the 50’s, when nearly every baby was in cloth, most babies potty trained at 18 months old. In the 80’s, when half the babies were in cloth, only 50% of babies were potty trained at 18 months. Now, with over 90% of babies in disposable diapers, two-thirds are still in diapers after their third birthday. Delayed potty training has taken its toll on the environment as well on the child. First there’s the prolonged exposure to chemicals. Second there is the impact on self-esteem in being too old for diapers but still in them.

Availability and options. Cloth diapering parents refer to their collection of diapers as their stash. No two stashes are identical. Selecting diapers is no different than shopping for a car or deciding what you want to be when you grow up. Admittedly, it can be overwhelming and is sometimes sited as reason for inaction. You can try a variety and make up your own mind. You can ask friends and family what worked for them and make up your own mind. If one diaper seems to work better than another, you can switch. You’re not locked in. Anyone who’s looking to try cloth diapers, please give me a call, I’d be happy to show you my stash!

buzzie bee is growing!

We're getting closer to offering diaper service to the southern area of mid-coast maine. Our start date is February 26th. On Monday February 25th 6-8pm, together with the Mid Coast Medical Group, we're offering a **FREE** Diapering 101 class. We'll demonstrate all sorts of cloth diapers, including the ones offered through Buzzie Bee Diapers, offer tips for home laundering as well details of the diaper service. We'll also provide participants with reasons for choosing cloth diapers. It's sure to be a fun, interactive event - complete with giveaways.

Diapering 101 location:
66 Baribeau Drive, Suite 1B
Brunswick, Maine 04011
(207)729-4392

Confused about cloth?

The other day a friend told me that she considered cloth diapers for her first child but felt her head spinning with all the cloth options available. She was so overwhelmed that she didn’t know where to begin. She’s now expecting her second child, due in a few months. She recently googled ‘cloth diapers’ and was, once again, confused by all the choices she saw. My hope here is to clear up the confusion about cloth. The first years of a child's life are a special time that will pass all too quickly, and my goal is to help parents make the most of this time and to help them keep their baby healthy, happy, and comfortable. Because shopping for cloth is nothing like going down the baby aisle at the grocery store where the disposable diapers options are neatly placed on shelves all within arms reach. Like parenting, there are various methods of diapering - try a few and ultimately go with the one that best suits you and your child.

There are two categories of cloth diapers - those that require a diaper cover and those that do not. The diaper itself is the cloth part, most commonly made of cotton, hemp or bamboo. The diaper does the absorbing. The cover, made of wool or a polyurethane laminate (PUL), contains the diaper and keeps the baby’s clothing from getting wet. Most covers are gathered at the leg openings and secured to around the waist with velcro or snaps. Today’s cloth diapers barely resemble ones your parents may have used. Gone are the days are diaper pins and rubber pants!

Three types of diapers require a cover- flat, prefold and fitted diapers. Flat: dishtowel-type diapers that are folded multiple times, so that it fits virtually every baby and dries quickly. Prefold: layers of cloth sewn together so that you don’t have to fold them multiple times. Fitted: diapers which are gathered at the leg openings and may be secured around the waist with velcro or snaps. Two types of diapers do not require a separate diaper covers - all-in-ones and pocket diapers. All-in-one (AIO): fitted diapers with the diaper cover built in, making the diaper waterproof. Pocket: water-resistant outer shell with an opening in the back to insert absorbent material.

A quick online search will reveal hundreds of cloth brands and online retailers. Pretty much every diaper out there fits into one of the five types mentioned above. To determine which type will work for your family, identify your motivation and budget for cloth. You’ll need 2-3 dozen diapers and 6-8 covers. Five years ago, we sought a diapering system that was economical and reusable. We chose unbleached prefolds and PUL covers. We experimented with various ways fold the diapers in thirds and my husband, being very visual, created a simple diagram which we posted near the changing table. For covers we went with Bummis super whisper wraps which secure with velro-type tabs. In all, spent just under $300 on diapers for Liefe, birth to potty training. Once she potty trained, her prefolds went to a friend. Now Haydee uses some of the same covers. Our success in cloth diapering Liefe, from the simplicity of her diapering system to her ease in potty training, is influenced the choices available to Buzzie Bee Diapers diaper service customers.

If your motivation centers around convenience, talk to other cloth diaper users about what they find the easiest to use and launder. Pocket diapers and all-in-ones are easy to put on even the most wiggly toddlers. Because the insert comes out before laundering, pocket diapers dry quickly. Using a diaper service takes almost all the work out of diapering, you’ll still have to change your baby, but that’s about it. It’s also perfectly fine to diversify your diapering portfolio, such as pockets or all-in-ones for travel, daycare, or babysitters and prefolds for home use. Diaper users have a wealth of cloth options from which to choose. By being familiar with the basic cloth diaper categories and the reasons to use cloth, I believe everyone can find a cloth diaper to suit their needs and help them to be successful cloth diaper users.

Happy Birthday Sale!

Birthday Sale!
celebrate 2 years of Buzzie Bee Diapers
Two years ago, Buzzie Bee Diapers brought cloth diapers back to the midcoast, with a modern twist - no pins, no soaking. Now cloth is as easy as can bee! We carry Bummis covers + training pants, Bamboozles, LoveyBums, prefolds (new + gently used), waterproof bags, flannel wipes, doublers, hampers, and more. Free delivery along our diaper service route.
The choice you make when you change your baby is your chance to change the world.

20% off all in stock merchandise
Current diaper service customers may apply their standing 10% discount for total of 30% off. Sale prices valid 10/15-11/15/07.

birthday coming up!

In just a few weeks, Buzzie Bee Diapers will be 2 years old. Wow. Granted it's a ton of work to get any small business off the ground and many don't do so well if/when they get up and running. I am so grateful that hasn't been the case with Buzzie Bee Diapers. We're actually full - and will start more customers in early November. (Let me know if you'd like to get on the waitlist!)

In celebration of 2 years in business, we're going to have a major sale on retail items, both new and gently used. Look for that in early October. It'll be a great opportunity to get some great items - either for your children or to give as gifts.

Why Go Cloth?

Parents are obligated to make millions of decisions. Some small - like which brand of mac&cheese to serve and how often - and some very large decisions - such as choosing a child care provider or school. Most parenting decisions impact more than our children on a particular day. Some decisions are made long before we ever hold our babies for the first time. Take, for example, the diaper decision. The way I see it there are three options, none being mutually exclusive: diaper-free, cloth or plastic.
The diaper decision is generally after considering the options and determining the easiest method. Cloth diapers are by far the easiest. They are easy on on our babies, our hearts, our wallets, and our planet.
Easy on our babies. Gone are the days of diapers pins and dunking diapers in the toilet. Cloth diapers have evolved to be as quick and convenient. With velcro or snaps, they are easy to put on... or at least as easy to put on as their plastic counterpart. Washing diapers at home takes the same amount of effort as doing your normal laundry. As cotton contains no chemicals and breathes better than plastic, rashes due to diapering with cloth are virtually nonexistent. Studies show that babies in reusable cloth diapers tend to potty train 6 to 12 months earlier and easier than babies in single-use, throwaway plastic ones. Age-appropriate potty training helps in establishing positive self-esteem and gives toddlers a huge sense of accomplishment and independence.
Easy on our hearts. Changing a newborn in cloth feels very good. Knowing the advantages of cloth instills a sense of pride. Knowing that cloth is gentler on baby and the planet, each diaper change becomes a positive experience for parents and baby. Later on, using cloth offsets some of the challenges of raising of a toddler. In three seconds flat, a toddler can destroy just about anything - from an heirloom quilt to all the information saved on her mother’s laptop. One day a toddler may love a certain food and for some unknown reason, after you’ve stocked up on it, she’ll refuse to eat it. Add diaper after diaper to the mix and the workload more than doubles. A toddler in cloth understands her bodily functions, connecting the feeling of a full bladder with the sensations of elimination, and will naturally begin to potty train.
Easy on our wallets. Using a simple diapering system of prefolds, covers, and washing at home, parents can diaper a baby from birth to potty training for under $400. Most likely the same diapers and covers could be used for a second child, cutting the cost per child in half to $200. Using a diaper service requires even less effort and costs $2350 for two years. Using plastic diapers for three years probably costs about $2300 (assumming $65/month, not including sales tax, disposal fees or the additional impulse buys when running to the store to get diapers). The Real Diaper Association calculates that Americans spend $7 billion annually on disposable diapers (cash register price only, disposal and production expenses are additional). They also estimate that by switching to cloth, Americans would save over $6 billion annually - enough to feed every American child who goes to bed hungry.
Easy on our planet. The diaper-free option, known as elimination communication or EC, has the least impact on our environment. EC will probably surface as its own column topic at a later point but for now, you can learn more about it at www.diaperfreebaby.org. Cloth keeps waste - both plastic and human - out of landfills (and roadsides, lakes, ponds, and any other place where you’re likely to come across a throwaway diaper). The energy and raw materials consumed to produce cloth diapers is minimal, and even less when the product’s reusability is factored in. No one knows how long it takes for plastic diapers to decompose. It’s estimated at 250-500 years. It’s common knowledge that old cloth diapers make the best cleaning rags. Seems to me that cloth diapering is a recycling fundamental- using something again and again until it simply returns to the earth from which it came.

LoveyBums ... for your lovey's bum

I've heard such wonderful things about LoveyBums that we're now carrying them. They launder well and are so soft that they've got to be unbelievably comfortable. Pictured here is a LIO - Lovey-in-one - with a wool cover and quick dry snap in diaper. Additional snap in diapers are available to create a colorful, economical diapering system. For the longest time, I've been a prefolds and Bummis covers kind of momma. While I'm still very pleased with the systems I've been using, I do like the color and variety that the LoveyBums add to both my personal and retail supplies.
Can LoveyBums be used with the diaper service?? Absolutely! Buzzie Bee Diapers offers all diaper service customers a 10% discount on all retail purchases (and no shipping charges!). We'd be delighted to launder the LoveyBums for customers. The wool covers need to be hand laundered (and come with a sample of lanolin to get started) but the actual diaper (organic cotton or sherpa) can be washed by us. Pam at LoveyBums assures us that they will hold up well in the wash cycle we've designed for the diaper service. And I can attest that Haydee's diapers are just as bright and beautiful now as when they were new.

Buzzie Bee Diapers sends much needed baby items to newborns in Haiti.

Local cloth diaper service Buzzie Bee Diapers (www.buzziebee.com) announces a clothing drive to benefit babies born at a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Haiti.

Haiti has the highest level of maternal mortality in the Americas, with 523 deaths per 100,000 births. Doctors Without Borders (also known as MSF, Medecins Sans Frontieres) established a 60-bed Jude Anne Hospital in 2006 to assist women living in the most violent parts of Haiti’s capital city, who have difficulty accessing appropriate care, in part, because of poverty and violence. Medical care is provided for women with pregnancies presenting dangers to the mother and child, as well as treatment to help prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Emergency obstetric care services are available around the clock.

We're collecting new and gently used cloth diapers, newborn onesies, socks, and hats to be sent with a family friend down to Haiti this month. A second donation will be made in April. Initially the request for donated items was made to the diaper service’s current customers. Word spread and several boxes of baby clothes have already been collected. A group of neighbors in Bremen is even knitting newborn hats, using patterns from the book Knitting for Peace. We’re delighted at the response from our customers and want to open the collection up to the greater community. My family has been sending items to Haitian women and babies in well over ten years now. Everything has always been well received and much appreciated.

For additional information or to make a donation, contact me at info@buzziebee.com. Pick up is available along Buzzie Bee’s delivery route. Donations may also be dropped off at Buzzie Bee Diapers in Rockland. Buzzie Bee Diapers opened in the fall of 2005, providing weekly pick up and delivery of freshly laundered cotton diapers, to make cloth diapering more accessible to mid-coast families. The service is currently available from Bremen to Belfast, Rockland to Washington.

http://www.BuzzieBee.com
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