v4 issue 24: Going to a Shower

Shower her with gifts... We are headed to a baby shower and want to share our favorite gifts to give and receive. It's all about spoiling the mom-to-be in this issue.

Cover by Shannon Lott










1 Pacifier has met the bling, indeed! Spoiled Brat brings you pacifier holders made with quality selected, lead free crystals. Gorgeous and safe! Mix and match, or buy them all.

2 Honeydew has five great ECO maternity skincare products to keep skin radiant. Each and every one is fabulous! Soothe tired legs, relieve belly itch, or butter up your belly. The C-Scar Therapy secret to success is it's onion extract. Onion extract acts an inflammatory and inhibits the over-production of collagen.

3 This fabulous keepsake Box from Suzibella contains a pouch for baby's first haircut, a ribbon-tied box for baby's first tooth, and a bag for baby's favorite pacifier or rattle. There is a wonderful poem on the top. Mom can keep this poem or remove it and insert baby's first picture.

4 The Musty Grow up booster seat is so soft and comfortable. The base attaches easily to any adult chair. This is a great seat to take along on vacation, to Nana's or anywhere a seat is needed to keep your baby put while eating, thanks to the attached strap system.
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5 Vibrant, soft, and colorful on one side, with black and white eye popping graphics on the reverse. Plus, plenty of toys for baby to tug, squeak, and peek at. Kushies Zolo Toys stocks this multi-sensory mat, along with tons of other unique treats.

6 Our favorite feature on the hotslings baby carrier is the one piece construction. No belts to come loose! Very user friendly and if you need help it comes with an instructional DVD. You will love the fabric choices as well as their selection for Dad's and matching big brother/sister slings.

7 The Kuster Jellybaby Changing Mat brings ergonomic design to baby changing. Made of soft, PVC free memory foam shaped to warmly fit the curves of baby. It's easy to clean and portable. Available at goores.com
Enter code: ttwku for 10% discount

8 An on-the-go necessity. The travel duo from Ajo.Bebe is a diaper sack and wipe holder combination to keep things together when you're out and about. Swanky fabrics make this duo a winner.

9 Feast your eyes on a tasty treat over at the Sassy Pink Boutique. The Diaper Milkshake is the most scrumptious gift around. Filled to the brim with onesies, diapers, socks, and washcloths with oodles of flavors to choose from.

10 The Bosom Blanket is a truly versatile nursing cover for Moms and babies. Great fabrics and clothing clips provide the secure coverage, while playful flannel prints and tabs keep baby entertained. It's a nursing cover, blanket, and tummy mat all-in-one!

11 Keep germs away from your little ones pacifier with this adorable Paci Pocket from Cry Babyz Boutique. Attaches anywhere you need a clean binky. At $12.99 buy a pocket for each paci in your home.

12 The Apple of my eye Changing Clutch keeps Moms and diaper bags organized. Open up the pad, and you have all you'll need for a quick diaper change. Holds 3-4 diapers and a travel wipe pack in a pocket attached to the pad. Perfectly designed for restroom changing stations.


Consumer Protection Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA):

Here at Tot Trends Weekly and Kids Trends Weekly we feature a lot of 'indie' products, meaning we feature a lot of independent designers and small companies that make unique products with a very large majority of them made in the United States. There is an important issue happening right now that we wanted to share with you because we feel you as consumers have the right to know about it and fight for the rights of these amazing small companies.

H.R. 4040, the Consumer Protection Safety Improvement Act CPSIA) was signed into law August 14, 2009 and will go into effect on February 10th of this year is such a dramatic step taken by congress that many are referring to this day as National Bankruptcy Day. This act was a necessary act to protect our children as it's goal is to keep our children safe and hold companies accountable for importing toxic toys. The intent of this act is to ensure safe levels of lead and phthalates in all products manufactured for children under the age of 12. We all agree that the safety of our children is the most important thing but in this case the legislation has chosen to include the handmade industry right here in the United States with no distinction between very small businesses owned and run by one mom and those of large manufacturing plants importing their product from China.

This act requires all finished products to have each of their components tested or have documentation from the manufacturer of the products they use (such as a skein of yarn) that the product is certified lead-free. H.R. 4040 requires even organic products to be tested...though clearly organic products by their nature are lead-free.

The price for this testing is very expensive which forces small, mom-owned businesses to either cough up the ridiculous amount of 'dough' for the testing or bail out of their businesses.

In speaking with small businesses that we work with a company that produces knit hats for babies stated that she would have to have each of her yarns tested. This can accumulate from $400-800 per product. If another product is made with different colors, the entire material list is subject to their round of testing as well. All of this testing is required for her to sell a hat that retails for $25.

The legislation for this requires manufacturers to test one item from each batch. For large companies like Fisher Price who have thousands of each product made in a batch this is simply and Fisher Price can easily absorb the cost of this testing. For small businesses like most of the companies we feature, their batches can consist of just one to fifty. This cost is simply absurd and will force these companies to close their businesses.

As of February 10th, all items that have not gone through this testing will be illegal to sell. This means even items of Ebay will be illegal to sell as well as the clothing and toys that would be purchased at second hand stores like Good Will will be labeled as "hazardous goods" and will be illegal for these stores to sell. Large fines will be given to stores that choose to sell these items as of the 10th.

Everyone will be affected by this act. Not only the small manufacturers but the stores that sell these items. Ebay, craft fairs, church donations for the needy and more will be effected by this. As readers of Tot Trends Weekly, we assume that you love the alternative to mass produced plastic toys...that you strive to provide your child with unique toys and clothing that matches their unique personality. This law will take away your ability to buy independent goods.

In addition to your freedom to purchase what you would like, this legislation also will affect our economy. If you thought the economy couldn't get any worse...just wait! If you consider that these small businesses contribute billions of dollars to our economy the fallout from removing these companies is simply incomprehensible.

We all agree the safety of our children is our primary concern, but those affected by this legislation believe that the act can be amended to ensure our children's safety without devastating our economy and wiping out these small businesses. This piece of legislation was put together to protect our children from mass produced products imported from China that were unsafe...but it will wipe out the alternative to products made in China.

Are you wondering what you can do to support America's small businesses?

Write your elected officials either by snail mail or email. You may find your representatives by clicking here: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/ and type in your zip code. Let them know how this legislation would devastate America and it's small businesses. Please feel free to use our sample letter below when contacting your representatives. We hope you join the fight to protect our children and America's small business community.


Here is a sample letter:

Dear Senator,

As your constituent, I am writing to urge you and your colleagues to act quickly to revise the details of the H.R. 4040, the Consumer Protection Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). While parents of the children in this county are deeply concerned about the safety of the toys that their children play with, we are concerned that the independent toy makers and sellers will be devastated by this act.

This legislation was swiftly created with great intentions for the safety of our children but failed to recognize the necessity of the small businesses that craft toys, clothing, and goods independently in this county and the effect this piece of legislation would have on them and our economy.

The required testing would devastate this community of toy makers that have championed the rights of safe toys for our children by crafting alternatives to foreign made products. This law, if passed, would require each toy maker and clothing producer for children's goods to test each toy/apparel item at a cost of $500-$1500 per unit. This also includes European toy makers subject to these regulations even though Europe has a very successful and rigorous testing system in place, making the US tests redundant and an additional costly expense.

This law, if passed, will wipe out the natural toy industry in the USA. Natural toys, just like natural foods sold at Farmer's Markets, are important to US consumers who care about the products they provide to their children.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent request.

Sincerely,



Interview with Margarita McClure of Blueberry Diapers
We recently interviewed Margarita McClure the founder of Blueberry Diapers and Swaddlebees. Margarita is a mother with a mission. She’s out to change America’s diapers and help clean up the mess the 27.4 billion disposable diapers leave behind each year.

When did you start your company?
I started the company in February 2005. I've been making my own baby's diapers several months before that, but it was purely for "recreational" purposes. I didn't really have a solid plan when I started because I only did it more for fun than as a serious business venture.

What was the inspiration behind your company?
The inspiration behind the company is really in trying to fill a need. Lots of people create unique products and then look for a market to sell them to. I did it the other way around and found out what the market is looking for and created a product to fill that need. To this day, that's still the "formula" I follow when creating new products. What drives me to make this company a success is the ability to create value for our customers while being able to stay home with my kids and watch them grow up. It's a win-win situation for me because there aren't too many compromises that need to be made. We provide products that people want, we help provide other work at home moms and businesses with an avenue to make money, we help provide jobs for lots of people, I get to use my creative energy in designing our products, and I get to do all this with my family beside me. I am able to stay true to what I believe in.

What obstacles (if any) did you face along the way & how did you overcome them?
Oh boy, where should I start? As with any other business, we weren't without problems. We've gone through 3 different sewing contractors before finally settling on the one we're using. We lost a lot of money from poor quality issues with the previous contractors. When we were just starting, we were pretty much at the mercy of the sewing contractors because a lot of cut & sew manufacturing facilities in the US require high minimums. I had to look long and hard for a facility that would be willing to work with us yet still have high standards of quality. We just tried to make do with what we were able to get until we got to a point where are now able to set our own conditions for manufacturing.

Cash flow seems to be a never-ending problem either. What I didn't realize when I first started was how much money in inventory I needed to have. While a lot of people think that having a greater demand for your product than what you can deliver is a good problem to have, it's a very stressful situation for us. We obviously want to be able to deliver products in a timely manner, but being able to do so requires upfront capital. And because most of our customers are small businesses, they don't typically pay for the products until it is ready to ship. My business is entirely self-funded. We don't have the luxury of having investors fund our company, so we really have to watch where everything goes.

And lastly, as a mother, I always have to deal with the guilt of either working too much and not spending enough time with my family, or spending too much time not working. Most of what I do for the business is not really "work" for me, so it's hard for me to separate myself from that. I just have to always keep in mind who I'm doing all this for in the first place. A lot of work at home moms are guilty of this when their business starts really growing and they get more involved in the day to day operations. The whole point to all this is to be able to spend more time with the people we love, and if I'm putting in too much time away from them, then it defeats the whole purpose of why I created the business in the first place. I had to learn to delegate and hire out a lot of what I don't like to do, so I can spend more time in what really fulfills me.

What is the secret to keeping cloth diapers from leaking?
Change them often. A lot of moms that are used to using disposable diapers are spoiled by their ability to not have to change the diapers often because disposables can absorb so much. Not so with cloth diapers. You really have to change at least every 2-3 hours or you will get leaks. Actually, with disposables, you have to change that often anyway or you run the risk of diaper rash. You also have to have a good-fitting, and well-made diaper. Don't buy the cheap stuff.

Can you give us some benefits to going cloth over plastic?
While there are tons of benefits with using cloth, there is also a trade-off with having to do laundry and maybe changing the baby more often. If the parents' lifestyle can't support this, then they just have to choose the system that will work for them. There are top 3 reasons most people use cloth over disposables. It's better for the environment, it's better for babies, and it saves money.

I personally chose cloth over disposables for environmental reasons. Each baby generates 1 ton of solid waste from using disposables, which ends up in landfills....and occasionally in parking lots. They don't break down for several centuries. Compare that to just a few dozen cloth diapers that can be used on multiple babies. Yes, you do have to wash them and you have to use water and electricity, but washing diapers every other day or every 3 days won't even add more than $20/month to your utility bill, if that much at all. Plus, your house will stink a lot less.

Babies who use cloth also tend to have less diaper rash because they get changed more often and are not exposed to the chemicals contained in disposables.

And from an economic standpoint, a typical American family will probably spend between $1500-2000 per child on just diapers and wipes alone from the time the baby is born until they are potty-trained. A stash of cloth diapers can run you between $400-800 depending on the type you get. If well taken care of, the diapers can be used on future siblings, thus diapering them for free.

Again, these are just some of the benefits of using cloth. If none of these resonate with the child's parents, no amount of data will convince them to make the switch. Just like going vegetarian, nobody can convince a steak-lover to eat rabbit food unless that person already believes the value in going vegetarian and the trade-offs that they will have to live with.