I had someone contact me last week about purchasing some diapers to send with a family who is travelling to Ethiopia after Christmas.  I was very excited about this and contacted the family in order to get some more information about their trip and their needs. 

Here is an excerpt from what Anita wrote to me about their upcoming trip: 

"Our family is travelling with another family to Ethiopia for two weeks just after Christmas. We'll be spending 5 days providing childcare for the children of missionaries during the biannual conference that allows the missionary families from all across Ethiopia to reconnect with each other and be refreshed for their various ministries. While the parents are in their sessions, we will be doing sessions with the children - singing, Bible lessons, games etc. x
Before and after the conference, we will be spending several days at various other ministries in the capital city of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. One of the places we will visit is the orphanage from which we adopted our two Ethiopian children four years ago. This is one of many orphanages that is not directly connected to (and funded by) a large international agency. They provide the best care that they can, but often their resources are extremely limited. Many times, on previous visits, we have cuddled tiny babies "diapered" with rags held in place with tied-on grocery bags. We would love to be able to provide them with washable diapers and diaper covers!  We would greatly appreciate donations! We'll take as many diapers as you can give us and give them to the orphanage. Smaller ones are probably needed more, and they won't care at all what patterns or colours we bring."

There are always so many great organizations and causes to donate to, especially at Christmas.  This cause has tugged on my heart and we would love to be able to send Anita and her family to the orphanage in Addis Ababa with LOADS of cloth diapers to leave there. 

In order to do this, I'd like to encourage you to consider making a donation.  This can be done by purchasing diapers or by making a small financial contribution that can be added to other donations to make a purchase.  We will be using all proceeds from purchases to buy more diapers to send, so even a little gift on your behalf will be multiplied. 

Anita and her family are leaving on Boxing Day, which means we need to have the diapers to her the week before Christmas so she can pack them up (hopefully she'll need to buy another suitcase to take them all!)  In order to make sure we meet this timeline, I will be ordering all diapers at the end of this week.  

If you have been thinking about where to make a donation this Christmas, please consider purchasing a diaper or two, or making a financial donation to this cause.  If you'd like any more information, don't hesitate to email me at laura@lovablelittletreehuggers.com

Thank you in advance for your generosity! 

Travelling anywhere with a baby means lots of stuff, whether that's going to the mall for a couple of hours or spending a few nights at the in-laws. 

When we first started cloth diapering, my hubby and I decided we would do cloth at home and disposable when we went out.  I was overwhelmed with the idea of lugging cloth diapers and wetbags with me everywhere I went.  However, I quickly realized, no matter what kind of diapers you use, there are things to lug when you have a baby! Plus, I didn't like using disposable...my baby got rashes, I hated the thought of adding more diapers to the landfills, and the more I used cloth, the more I loved it.  So, after doing the disposable thing a few times while we were out, I took the plunge one day and packed a couple of All-in-One diapers, a wet bag, some bum wipes, and a bum spray in the diaper bag and off I went.  I realized that really, this was not any more difficult than using disposables while out and about.  The wet bag contains the wet and the stink, so it's not a big deal to carry around some dirty diapers. 

After getting used to using cloth full time, we went away to a cottage (on an island, with no washing machine) in the summer.  Now came the real question...could I really do cloth for 3 days out of the house? Because the cottage is a "green" cottage, I felt like I had to give it a shot.  I packed a duffel bag full of diapers, liners, and wipes along with a couple wet bags and gave it a shot.  This long weekend was a success and since then we have done cloth diapering on over night trips and even a week-long holiday!

If you're wondering about using cloth while you're away, there are some things you need to think about. Know what your facilities are.  Will you be there long enough that you need to wash your diapers? If so, are there laundry facilities?  If not, do you have enough diapers to last for your trip or is there a laundromat near by?  I heard of one family who used only cloth diapers while traveling for months at a time (the husband was in a band).  It is definately possible!

Here is a list of what you will need for a few nights away from home. 

* Diapers & inserts/liners

* Cloth baby wipes and diaper spray or your own baby wipe solution

* Wet bags and/or pail liner

* Change Pad

Determine the quantity of diapers, etc.  you'll need according to how long you're going to be away, accessibility to laundry facilities, and the age of your child/how many diaper changes you do each day.  Pack it all up in a duffel bag, or better yet, if you're travelling by car, put it all in a laundry basket!

If you're spending some time away from home this Christmas and contemplating whether or not you will stick with cloth, I encourage you to give it a shot! You'll get the same health, financial, and environmental benefits as you do at home, plus maybe you'll convert someone else to cloth diapering when they see how darn cute cloth diapers can be!

     

Bath Salts
When mom finally gets a bath, she deserves the best!  These herbal bath salts will help her relax and enjoy her "mommy time." 
 
A very generous 16oz/600 gram size!

Available scents:  Lavendar
                        Mandarine
                        Rose

Organic Body Scrub
This scrub exfoliates dead skin, stimulates circulation, while at the same time leaving your skin beautifully soft and radiant. You won't need a moisturizer after this!

Available scents: Unscented
                       Scrub 'n Fresh
 

Organic Massage Bar

This massage bar is solid at room temperature and melts at body temperature.  Perfect to help anyone relax after a long day.

Available scents: Sensual
                       Energizing
                       Deep Woods
                       Unscented.

Organic All-in-One Cleanser
I keep this cleanser everywhere in the house - great for hand soap in the kitchen/bathroom and for cleaning up in the tub.  Can be used on face, body & hands

Available scents: Rise n' Shine
                       Deep Woods
                       Lavender Dreams
                       Unscented

Organic Lip Balm
This is the greatest lip balm!
Now available in tubes or extra large jars! Should last all season long...

Makes a great stocking stuffer!

Available Scents: Natural
                        Mandarin
                        Peppermint

Organic Facial Serum
Give your mom the best of the best this Christmas! Serums are the moisturizers of the future! Containing only high quality and easily absorbing oils, these protect and nourish better than creams which are often full of thickeners and emulsifiers - providing no benefit to your skin.

Available in: Unscented (sensitive skin)
                 Balance/Tone (normal skin)
                 Refresh & Rejuvenate (dry/damaged skin)

Shampoo Bar
A traditional SLS free shampoo bar! This shampoo bar cleanses gently without stripping hair of it's natural oils. The Orange & Cedar Scent smells wonderful! Can also be used as body soap. 

Healing Balm
A must-have in every home!
The Healing Balm is the perfect balm to relieve dry, itchy, damaged or irritated skin. It contains super emollients like organic shea butter, premium Canadian beeswax, organic olive oil and organic hempseed oil.