Kanga Care Cares BONUS: Part 6! Kanga Care Longevity

Now that the US Patent Office has officially recognized our internal double gussets, we wanted to celebrate with you all! We asked some of our favorite bloggers to help us tell our story in five parts. Thanks to all of you who have been a part of Kanga Care's story! Together, we've prevented millions of disposable diapers from clogging up landfills for the next dozen generations, saved families significant money and kept thousands of babies comfy and cute in Kanga Care cloth diapers!

Kanga Care Longevity

From: Sally of Exploits of a Military Mama

The cloth diaper market is ever-changing. When we began using cloth diapers over three years ago (what?!), there were a whole host of diaper companies in existence that have since fallen to the wayside or gone under. I've seen my fair share of mothers clamoring to get their money back from faulty products or diapers that fell apart only to be met with the news that the company they purchased from was no longer in business. We all know that the baby business is a fickle one and it's not always easy to survive. But when you find a company that is consistent, caring and dependable, it can make your cloth diapering experience enjoyable and easy.

Rumparooz has been our favorite brand since the very beginning of our cloth diapering journey. Sully began wearing them around four-months-old, and we brought Arlo home in a Lil Joey. Not only are they one of the original brands of modern cloth diapers (born in 2006), but they have grown stronger as a company every single year. They have amazing customer service and are the kind of company who becomes a friend rather than just a name behind a screen. They have created a line of reliable diapers with the patented and famous double-gusset system we have all grown to know and love. Rumparooz are the one brand of cloth diapers that I have recommended to anyone and everyone who will listen because of their amazing customer service and products.

As my eldest has graduated from diapers and my littlest is on the brink of potty-training, I find myself a bit nostalgic over those adorable cloth diaper booties and the gorgeous patterns offered by Rumparooz. But I feel certain that if my husband and I ever decide to dive into the world of three babies, Rumparooz will be our go-to brand several years from now. Until then, I just have to convince him that I need the Quinn and Dexter patterns to get us through the next few months!

Part 1 | Part 2 |  Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6


Check out the other posts in this series:
History | Uniqueness | Quality | Customer Service | Ethical Manufacturing Practices | Longevity

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Trivia Question: How many years has Kanga Care been making diapers?

To enter:  Copy and paste this readymade Tweet
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#Win @Kangacare #clothdiapers by answering #trivia questions! Learn more: http://bit.ly/KCcares @mrstrophywife1 #kccares6

Copy and paste our readymade tweet-- and make sure you add your answer-- and you're entered to win a $10 gift certificate to www.Kanga-Care.com! 

Our guest blogger, Sally of Exploits of a Military Mama will be the judge and decide who the winner is on Friday, May 31st (3pm MST).

Kanga Care Cares: Part 5 of 5 Kanga Care Ethical Manufacturing Practices

Now that the US Patent Office has officially recognized our internal double gussets, we wanted to celebrate with you all! We asked some of our favorite bloggers to help us tell our story in five parts. Thanks to all of you who have been a part of Kanga Care's story! Together, we've prevented millions of disposable diapers from clogging up landfills for the next dozen generations, saved families significant money and kept thousands of babies comfy and cute in Kanga Care cloth diapers!

Kanga Care Ethical Manufacturing Practices

From: Julie of clothdiapergeek.com

If you know me, you know that I am a huge supporter of small business, a lover of all things entrepreneurial and an uber optimist. The sky is not the limit, there are no limits and every little business seeking success should go for it. I've seen cloth diapers inspire tons of people to create their own business in one way or another, in fact, I dare you to say you haven't at some point considered a cloth diaper related business yourself. Because our industry is always so full of tiny businesses just getting their start it is often easy to forget that even the big guys are still small companies. These "big" guys like Kanga Care appear bigger than they really are and are sometimes looked at like the Wal-Marts of the cloth diaper industry, but in my opinion certainly shouldn't be treated as such. Would you turn your back on your favorite itty bitty wahm if she suddenly skyrocketed to success?

I believe (remember my uber optimism) that companies big and small all have room to succeed. I see no shortage of babies to cloth diaper in the near future and Kanga Care is not hell-bent on putting the next cloth diaper wahm phenom out of business, but they do stand behind their belief in ethical overseas manufacturing. Companies like Kanga Care have achieved a level of success that has allowed them to seek out manufacturers for their products that believe in the ethical treatment and fair compensation of their employees. This is where being "big" pays off. Kanga Care doesn't just expect you to take their word for it, nor do they simply take their manufacturer's word for it. Kanga Care's CEO, Julie Ekstrom, has been able to personally travel to her manufacturing facilities in China, meet the employees, inspect their work environment, equipment and ensure that the products made to provide your baby comfort are not being sewn by underpaid, uncomfortable mothers, daughters, sisters, brothers, etc. who are merely out of sight out of mind and a world away.

Some things I just learned about Kanga-Care's manufacturer that I think are super cool: It's employee owned- which is extremely unusual in China. They have an art studio for the employees to hang out in, use during breaks or after work and they host an in-house t-shirt design contest each month. They have built eight preschools in their city and many of their own children go to these schools. What's really important, though, is that they never ever pay by the piece- which is key since this is how sweatshops work. Kanga Care's manufacturer normally only makes organic garments but agreed to work with them because of the eco-friendly nature of cloth diapers. It's nice to know that Kanga Care's diapers and accessories are not being made in a factory that also houses harmful chemicals! Julie was pleased to see that it's a bright, clean, safe, happy place to work and she really gets the impression their team is like a family.

Ultimately I hope this post will remind you that even the "largest" of cloth diaper manufacturers was small at one time. You get to choose who you support in this industry but it's important to remember that while bigger isn't always better, it does sometimes come with benefits, like the satisfaction of knowing the diapers you're using on your baby are ethically made.

Part 1 | Part 2 |  Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5


Check out the other posts in this series:
History | Uniqueness | Quality | Customer Service | Ethical Manufacturing Practices

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Trivia Question: Who owns Kanga Care's manufacturer?

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#Win @Kangacare #clothdiapers by answering #trivia questions! Learn more: http://bit.ly/KCcares @ClothDiaperGeek #kccares5

Copy and paste our readymade tweet-- and make sure you add your answer-- and you're entered to win a $10 gift certificate to www.Kanga-Care.com! 

Our guest blogger, Julie of clothdiapergeek.com will be the judge and decide who the winner is on Monday, May 27th (3pm MST).

Kanga Care Cares: Part 4 of 5 Kanga Care Customer Service

Now that the US Patent Office has officially recognized our internal double gussets, we wanted to celebrate with you all! We asked some of our favorite bloggers to help us tell our story in five parts. Thanks to all of you who have been a part of Kanga Care's story! Together, we've prevented millions of disposable diapers from clogging up landfills for the next dozen generations, saved families significant money and kept thousands of babies comfy and cute in Kanga Care cloth diapers!

Kanga Care Customer Service

From: Maria of change-diapers.com

Kanga Care (makers of Rumparooz cloth diapers) is dedicated to excellent customer service, both to their wholesale and retail customers. I have had the experience of dealing with Kanga Care's customer service to take advantage of their warranty and I was pleased with their streamlined process. In 2012, less than 1% of the products sold came back for warranty claims (3% is considered excellent), so you probably won't ever have to worry about submitting a warranty claim, but if you do, know that you're in excellent hands!

If you have an issue with your diapers, just use this link and they will gather general information to better assist you. Next, Kanga Care will ask for information specific to your claim (all the way down to prints, colors and closures). This process allows Kanga Care to track trends in warranty claims so that they can improve their products as needed. Perhaps more importantly, it allows them to see possible correlations between specific wash and care routines and potential outcomes. For example, they discovered that customers who laid their diapers flat to dry experienced fewer elastic issues than those who hung them. It also allows them to make objective detergent recommendations based on data instead of arbitrary rules or personal favorites. (I love that their #1 recommended detergent is the one I use: Tide!) After submitting your info, your diapers will be repaired or replaced as quickly as possible so you don't have to live without your diaper for long!

From itty bitty Lil Joeys, to one-size diapers, covers, fitteds and and pail liners, shop Kanga Care and know you are receiving the highest quality products! Take care of your diapers and they will last you many years, but rest assured that if any issues arise, Rumparooz and their amazing team will take care of you!

Part 1 | Part 2 |  Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 (5.24.13)


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History | Uniqueness | Quality | Customer Service | Ethical Manufacturing Practices

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Trivia Question: What does Kanga Care use to determine which detergent is most compatible with their products? 

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Copy and paste our readymade tweet-- and make sure you add your answer-- and you're entered to win a $10 gift certificate to www.Kanga-Care.com! 

Our guest blogger, Maria of change-diapers.com will be the judge and decide who the winner is on Friday May 24 (3pm MST). Good luck!! 

Kanga Care Cares: Part 3 of 5: Kanga Care Quality

Now that the US Patent Office has officially recognized our internal double gussets, we wanted to celebrate with you all! We asked some of our favorite bloggers to help us tell our story in five parts. Thanks to all of you who have been a part of Kanga Care's story! Together, we've prevented millions of disposable diapers from clogging up landfills for the next dozen generations, saved families significant money and kept thousands of babies comfy and cute in Kanga Care cloth diapers!

Kanga Care Quality

From: Calley of theecochic.com

How can you tell that the diaper you are looking at purchasing is a high quality diaper that will last from birth through potty training and potentially through more children? When my family invested in cloth diapers for our daughter I did a lot of research and quality of the diaper was very important. If I was going to be spending $15-25 per diaper I wanted to make sure that they would last for 2-3 years and still have a good resell value once our daughter was potty trained. Rumparooz was one of our favorite diapers that met my expectations in quality.

Did you know that Rumparooz has a less than 1% return rate on their diapers due to manufacturer's defects? Their snaps are 100% covered for the lifetime of the diaper and if you ever have an issue with your diaper they may be able to help you repair it even if you're beyond the warranty period! Rumparooz has implemented a quality control process that helps them track issues to see if there is a trend or potential problem with a batch of diapers. In 2012, they noticed that 45% of warranty claims related to elastic were from families reporting that they hang their diapers to dry. This lead them to recommend that it's best to lay them flat to dry. Our stash of Rumparooz diapers lasted us for 2 + years with very minimal wear and tear; all of which are normal for diapers that are used regularly. When it comes to diapers, the old saying is true, "You get what you pay for!" Spending a little more for a quality diaper that will last for 1, 2, or even 3 children is worth the investment.

Part 1 | Part 2 |  Part 3 | Part 4 (5.22.13) | Part 5 (5.24.13)


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History | Uniqueness | Quality | Customer Service | Ethical Manufacturing Practices

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Trivia Question: Does Kanga Care suggest line drying or laying diapers flat to dry? 

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Copy and paste our readymade tweet-- and make sure you add your answer-- and you're entered to win a $10 gift certificate to www.Kanga-Care.com! 

Our guest blogger, Calley of theecochic.com will be the judge and decide who the winner is on Wednesday May 22nd (3pm MST). Good luck!! 

Kanga Care Cares: Part 2 of 5 Kanga Care Uniqueness

Now that the US Patent Office has officially recognized our internal double gussets, we wanted to celebrate with you all! We asked some of our favorite bloggers to help us tell our story in five parts. Thanks to all of you who have been a part of Kanga Care's story! Together, we've prevented millions of disposable diapers from clogging up landfills for the next dozen generations, saved families significant money and kept thousands of babies comfy and cute in Kanga Care cloth diapers!

Kanga Care Uniqueness 

From: Autumn of allaboutclothdiapers.com

Why have I continuously owned and used Rumparooz cloth diapers over the last five years? Because of the inner gussets! Rumparooz cloth diapers stand out above the competition with this one unique feature. As a matter of fact, they've pretty much successfully built their brand around their famous, and much copied, double-gusset design. The double inner gussets form a scoop which conveniently keeps the poop inside the diaper. Exactly what every parent (cloth diapering or otherwise) wants!

Julie (President and CEO of Kanga Care) saw the market appreciation for her design and quickly began the patent process shortly after the birth of Rumparooz cloth diapers. After six long years of submitting bushels of information proving the originality of her design and spending thousands of dollars and hours on this process, Kanga Care was granted a patent for the Double Inner Gusset Technology by the US government. Well done, Kanga Care family!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 (5.20.13) | Part 4 (5.22.13) | Part 5 (5.24.13)


Stay tuned for more posts about:
History | Uniqueness | Quality | Customer Service | Ethical Manufacturing Practices

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Trivia Question: How many years did the US Patent Office research the double gusset pattern before awarding the patent to Kanga Care?

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Copy and paste our readymade tweet-- and make sure you add your answer-- and you're entered to win a $10 gift certificate to www.Kanga-Care.com! 

Our guest blogger, Autumn of allaboutclothdiapers.com will be the judge and decide who the winner is on Monday May 20th (3pm MST).

Kanga Care Cares: Part 1 of 5 Kanga Care History

Now that the US Patent Office has officially recognized our internal double gussets, we wanted to celebrate with you all! We asked some of our favorite bloggers to help us tell our story in five parts. Thanks to all of you who have been a part of Kanga Care's story! Together, we've prevented millions of disposable diapers from clogging up landfills for the next dozen generations, saved families significant money and kept thousands of babies comfy and cute in Kanga Care cloth diapers!

Kanga Care History

From: Amanda of theecofriendlyfamily.com

Soon after the birth of their second child, Julie and her husband Chad were faced with the challenges of caring for an infant with highly sensitive skin. Disposable diapers contain a number of toxins and were simply out of the question. Cloth was the answer - but they didn't love the options that were available to them in 2006. Nothing quite fit their little girl just right, and we all know how messy a diaper that doesn't fit properly can be! Julie put her years of sewing experience to work and developed the first Rumparooz. Inspired by an idea that hatched in the middle of the night, the addition of double gussets was one of the first things that truly set Rumparooz apart from others. This now patented feature is a first line of defense against leaks and even the most massive explosions.


As word spread about this new cloth diaper design, Julie began to get interest from other parents and soon began taking orders. A business was born and stores caught on too! Rumparooz are now one of the top cloth diaper brands and the product line has grown to include Lil' Joeys newborn AIOs, the 6r soaker, diaper covers, the redesigned RaR G2 and more!

Part 1 | Part 2 (5.17.13) | Part 3 (5.20.13) | Part 4 (5.22.13) | Part 5 (5.24.13)


Stay tuned for more posts about:
History | Uniqueness | Quality | Customer Service | Ethical Manufacturing Practices

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Trivia Question: How many children did Julie Ekstrom have when she invented Rumparooz cloth diapers with our patented double gussets? 

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Copy and paste our readymade tweet-- and make sure you add your answer-- and you're entered to win a $10 gift certificate to www.Kanga-Care.com! 

Our guest blogger, Amanda of theecofriendlyfamily.com will be the judge and decide who the winner is on Friday, May 17th (3pm MST). Good luck!! 

An Open Letter to the Kanga Care Community

On April 23, a little over a week ago, Kanga Care’s patent was published with the United States Patent & Trademark office for the Double Gusset Cloth Diaper Along With Method For making The Same.  As you might imagine, this is an exciting moment and long awaited for both my team at Kanga Care and myself.

Sadly, we have received some less than positive responses from a few in the cloth diaper community.  During the past few days, a great deal of misinformation has been posted in various places online about Kanga Care, our products and our business practices. As the founder and CEO of this company, I want to take a minute to set the record straight and answer many of the questions and assertions about Kanga Care.

There are lots of issues to cover, so I’ve broken this post down into questions and allegations we’ve seen. At Kanga Care, we want to be transparent about our decisions, but we also want to deal in facts. I’m open to further questions in the comments and I’ll be sure to answer as soon as possible.

Why are Kanga Care products produced in China instead of here in the U.S.?

Our original plan was to produce Kanga Care products domestically, but we were unable to find a suitable manufacturing partner that could meet our requirements. We did not make the decision to go overseas lightly, and when we did, we carefully selected a partner that is different from every other facility we considered. For the workers at our facility, wages are significantly above average for China and we understand are well above the cost of living based on European lifestyles and standards.  The benefits packages and working conditions are also based on European standards, which are far greater in quality than typical Chinese employers offer. In order to help control our quality and deliver ethically made products that represent our company well, we partnered with this company and made them part of the Kanga Care team.  We have been more than pleased with both our relationship and the decision to pass our production onto them.

Why are Kanga Care products more expensive than those made in other facilities in China?

As noted above, our facility is not like every other facility in China. A Danish family, who brings those European wages, benefits and workplace management philosophies to the facility, owns the company. Could we save money going to another facility? Yes, but instead we chose quality for both those that produce our products and the products themselves.  Our factory holds the IMO GOTS certification, which is a strict and virtually impossible certificate and classification to receive in China. Our factory has additionally been certified by FWF, SGS and OEKO-TEX. Our textiles, where applicable, are also IMO GOTS certified organic textiles.  We also use the highest-grade snaps to ensure there is no lead content.  We use corn-spun polyester, which is biodegradable, along with a biodegradable TPU laminate adhered with an eco-glue so that our products are ground water safe.  We use fabrics that are made from recycled water bottles so that while making a reusable product that is good for the environment we, at the same time, are removing waste and repurposing it into a highly functional item.  Our microchamois is no-pill, hypoallergenic and won’t irritate your baby’s skin.  All these materials are cream of the crop because we believe that your baby deserves the best. 

Additionally, it’s important to remember that our products strictly adhere to all Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) standards for infants and children.  We spend thousands of dollars per year on these tests. These tests are not taking place on most cheap replication diapers being imported in small batches, which is required by law. You can read more about the testing taking place on the SGS web site. 

We will not risk the safety or comfort of your child. It is not an option at Kanga Care.

Why don’t you offer wholesale pricing to co-ops?

We believe strongly in respecting the relationships we have with our customers as well as our business partners. We have made the decision to sell Kanga Care products through retail outlets. With this decision comes an agreement to support those relationships and not go into competition with retailers through allowing co-ops purchasing power.

Customer service is a key benefit to our customers.  When purchasing through co-ops there is no more customer service, no store to refer back to when the customer needs trouble shooting, no company to receive a refund from if the product does not suit your needs as you thought it would.  Removing the retailer from the equation removes the support and growth that we provide for our community, economy and small businesses.

Safety, quality and honesty are some of the main reasons we’ve decided to structure our business the way we have.

Choosing not to sell to co-ops is one thing, but I’ve read online where you’ve bullied people both on social networks and via email. Is this true?

I, too, have seen where I’ve been called a cyberbully (and worse). Let me assure you -- it’s both hurtful and completely false. Let me be very clear:

•  At no time did I personally, or any member of my company, send threatening emails or letters to co-ops. In fact, there has been no direct correspondence between Kanga Care and the co-op most often making this accusation, or any co-op for that matter. 

• At no time did I personally, or any member of my company, enter a co-op group to edit order forms nor did we give instruction to other members of the group make these actions.  Co-ops have between 100 and sometimes more than 7,000 members which comprise of many baby product brand owners, retail store owners and loyal customers. These members have joined to monitor the actions of these co-ops and report them when they are acting maliciously against the property of honest brands. 

• I personally made one online post noting that a diaper pictured was, in fact, a Kanga Care design. There was no threat nor any “bullying.” It was a statement of fact.

Because we have worked to obtain a patent -- a process which began in 2007 -- we have rights protected by that patent. We are protecting those rights through appropriate channels -- not bullying or name-calling, online or anyplace else.

I have seen others say you were not the first to design the inner gussets.  Do you deserve this patent?

We started the process to patent my invention in 2007. As is true with many patent applications, it takes a number of years for the patent office to diligently review and comment on the application before it issues a patent. The patent process is long and often complicated. Like all applications, our filing was carefully examined by the U.S. Patent and Trademark office, who found our innovative design was original, first to market and worthy of patent protection.

I’ve also seen online the allegation that I’ve stolen this design from Pampers. Not only are disposal and cloth diapers very different, had Kanga Care, stolen or absconded patented technology held the by Proctor & Gamble -- Pamper’s parent company, which had more than $80 billion in sales in 2012 -- P&G’s corporate attorneys would have both fought my patent application and would now be vigorously defending their patent. They are not doing so, because the patent is ours. Our alleged “theft” of P&G’s patent is simply an untrue Internet rumor.

Social media and the Internet are wonderful things and so much useful information is shared every day. At the same time, all it takes to post online is a connection to the Internet. Just because it’s online doesn’t mean it’s true. 

What do you say to people who believe your diapers are simply too expensive to use?

I hope I’ve outlined here the extra steps we take -- from choosing a more expensive production model to selecting more expensive components and putting the product through extensive and ongoing safety testing -- that make Kanga Care products better and safer for your baby. If we cut corners to reduce the price, we would not be true to our quality and safety goals. At the same time, if we let anyone purchase the products at wholesale, we would be disingenuous to the retailers who choose to carry and support our products. Just like many people choose to pay more for organic food for their family, we’ve chosen to produce a product that’s more expensive but that provides benefits to your baby and community. We can only share these facts so you understand the differences between our products and imitations, and that the higher final cost comes from higher costs throughout our production model.
  

I’m a WAHM and have incorporated your inner gusset design into diapers I make for myself and a few friends, how does this affect me?

I started out as a WAHM, and through very hard work have grown Kanga Care as a company.  I have great respect for others moms and WAHMs in situations similar to how I started out.  I am especially fond of those that are creating and coming up with new and innovative ideas to diaper our children.  I frequently purchase WAHM diapers from these moms to use on my own children.  They are adorable and unique!  At this time we are working on a plan to provide an opportunity for moms, dads, and WAHMs to license our patented technology.  Once we have worked out the details, we will provide information on how to contact us to obtain licensing rights.  If you would like to obtain a license we will have an online application form to collect your information.  You can contact us shortly to inquire about the process.

What I’m trying to do here is provide you with facts. I started this company in 2006 because I wanted a better diaper for my daughter, who had bad reactions to disposable diapers. I started as a work at home mom and continue to support all work at home moms in many ways.

I hope I’ve been able to answer many of the issues you may have seen online recently. Again, I’m happy to answer any other questions you may have. Please ask in the comment stream and we’ll answer here as soon as we can.

Kanga Care Natural Parenting Expo and Great Cloth Diaper Change 2013!

Just a couple weeks before this year's Natural Parenting Expo & Great Cloth Diaper Change, we asked one of our biggest fans (and most ADORABLE blogger ever) to cover the event for us! Please help us welcome Katie Mitchell of Standpipe and Sprinkles to the Kanga Care blog!

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Everything about this year's Great Cloth Diaper Change just seemed to fall into place. 

First, a dear local friend asked if I wanted to go with her. "Yes!" I said. I wanted to attend last year, but frankly, I was still wrapping my new mom brain around getting an 11 month-old out of the house without breaking my back or forgetting anything. This year, with an almost 2 year-old, Kanga Care's Great Cloth Diaper Change actually sounded like a lot of fun!

Then, the lovely ladies of Kanga Care contacted me, asking me to write a guest blog post on the event. Needless to say, I was thrilled! We switched to cloth diapers when our Maile was a few months old, after some gentle coaxing by a friend. We haven't looked back, and I am seriously a walking advertisement for Rumparooz, haha. I'll use any opportunity I can to tell people about how much we love our RARs!

Even though Maile and I arrived right at 9 AM, we actually had a lot of fun waiting in line with our fellow cloth diapering parents and littles! And let me tell you, the conversations in the queue to get into a natural parenting expo can't be made up -- hilariously endearing, and one of many reasons I love the natural parenting community in Denver. Of course there were the mamas wearing slings, dressed from head to toe in probably-organic fabrics. But there were also Rockabilly moms, with perfectly waved hair, and bright red lipstick. A heavily tattooed dad, with his adorable son's hair shaved into a mohawk. A mother with dreads, wearing a velveteen skirt. Such a unique crowd we were, but all there for the same reason! Our children.

Despite our just-in-the-nick-of-time arrival, Maile was still one of 300 registered babies to receive a The Bump swag bag, and all of the contents were great, but my personal favorites were definitely the limited edition "I heart RAR" Rumparooz cloth diaper, and the reusable snack bag by Itzy Ritzy. I also can't wait to try our new BunchaFarmers stain stick!

Though the prizes were ridonculous, (including an Uppa Baby Vista Stroller from Naturally Loved and a Diono car Seat from The Giggling Green Bean!) I didn't participate in the raffle, but we were able to meet a couple of members of the Kanga Care team (SO exciting!), browse a few exhibitor's tables -- like The Bump and Bamboobies, The Leaky Boob Nursing Lounge, and even hit up the Instabooth before settling into our spots for the Great Cloth Diaper Change!

First, we got to hear a bit from Jamie Grayson (aka, TheBabyGuyNYC), who, yes, is as awesome in person as he seems on social media. Also, his Twitter background photo is him with Martha Stewart. Can you ask for more? Nope. But he gave more, by being a sport and wearing the largest cloth diaper ever. On stage. In front of hundreds of people. Well, he was on Broadway! My friend and I positioned ourselves by one of the stage doors and Jamie was a total doll about our little ones playing peekaboo on the stairs, too.

Next, it was time to set up for the Guinness World Records Great Cloth Diaper Change! I have to say, I've secretly always wanted to participate in a Guinness event. One that doesn't involve growing my fingernails to the floor, or stuffing scorpions in my mouth, of course. Changing my daughter into a cloth diaper, while thousands of other parents around the world do the exact same thing, at the exact same time? Perfect. And it will be so much fun to tell Maile about someday.

So, at 11 o'clock, on the dot, we danced to "Celebration" as we changed our kiddos (my kiddo danced and wiggled, too), held them up for the world to see -- Lion-King-Pride-Rock style -- and that was that! A wonderful way to spend a morning, if you ask me. Tons of fun, and hopefully record breaking, too!

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Thanks so much, Katie for your excellent recap of this year's event! And we just got word that we did, indeed, set a NEW Guinness World Record- all without having to grow your fingernails out or put anything horrifying into your mouth! Hooray!

"It’s official! The 2013 Great Cloth Diaper Change (GCDC) set a new Guinness World Record of 8,301 babies changed into cloth diapers at one time. The record was set on April 20, 2013 when participants around the globe gathered at 11:00 am local time to change babies into a 100% reusable cloth diaper. We achieved this goal with the hard work and dedication of 182 GCDC hosts in 20 countries around the world."

Great Cloth Diaper Change events were held in:

• Australia
• Belgium
• Brazil
• Canada
• Chile
• Finland
• Hong Kong
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Italy
• Malaysia
• Mexico
• Netherlands
• Philippines
• Puerto Rico
• South Korea
• Spain
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom
• United States

Thanks to ALL of our amazing sponsors of this year's event, our volunteers and of course, the families choosing to use cloth diapers every day! We can't wait to see you all again next year!

First Friday Birth Story! This month: Raeann Howes and her baby girl, Justus

We love birth stories! Each one is unique and amazing. If you'd like to share yours, you can use the button below to submit it. We will read (and probably cry) over each one, and then post one on the first Friday of every month! 

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Mama: Raeann Howes
Baby: Justus
Due Date: Monday, March 12, 2012
Birthday: Wednesday, November 30, 2011

This is a very special, miraculous story.

I became pregnant in June of 2011 and once we found out I was 6 weeks along and due March, 12, 2012. Everything seemed to be going great up until about the 22 week of my pregnancy. My blood pressure started to elevate, but nothing too serious. The morning of Thanksgiving of 2011, I woke with cramps and bleeding. I rushed to the ER and I was told all seemed to be fine and my uterus was "acting irritable," but nothing to be concerned about. By the end of Thanksgiving night, I was back in the ER with more bleeding and more cramps. At this point, the cramping turned into light contractions and my cervix was just a bit soft. But still, the doctor assured me I was fine. I stayed for two nights and went home that Saturday morning. I was to be on strict bed rest for the rest of my pregnancy with weekly non-stress tests and ultrasounds. By that night, I was bleeding worse with severe cramps. I went to the ER again and to my surprise I was in full labor at 24 weeks!

They immediately started me on preterm labor medications to stop the contractions. I was rushed to Indiana University Hospital and was already dilated 2cm. Twenty minutes after the ambulance ride, I had dilated to 4cm and she was head down and my water bag was severely bulging. There was absolutely no reason for my pre-term labor. My cervix was fine, no infection, no blood clots, and most importantly baby was just fine. The doctors came in and updated us on what was going on and what would happen if I gave labor that night.

They explained to us that if she was born that night she would only have a 30-40% chance of living and of that chance an 80% chance of severe disabilities including cerebral palsy and a wheel chair with machines for the rest of her life. They told me that babies born at 24 weeks barely ever make it and if they do they have the worst possible quality of life. Our only options were to try and stop labor for 48 hours so I could receive steroids to develop the baby's lungs as quickly as possible since babies born at 24 weeks never breathe on their own. They also said that she had a 90% chance of severe brain bleeds and hemorrhaging. The doctors basically instructed us we should just hold her and let God take her. 

They hoped I would make it to 28 weeks because her chances of living would double to 80%. They assured me I would give birth that week since you can only be on those meds for 48 hours before it hurts mom and baby. The medications were stopped that Monday and I started contractions the following Tuesday afternoon. 24 hours later I was fully dilated and my water was on the verge of breaking. After a few large pushes Justus was born at 640 grams, or 1 lb 6 ounces. They actually placed her in a ziplock bag to keep her skin moist so it wouldn’t fall apart while they transported her to Riley Children’s Hospital. Her name is very special because she is our first child and she is “Just Us."

Basically at this point it was nothing but a waiting game. We were told she wouldn’t breathe on her own for months, would have severe brain bleeds, would be 80% blind and deaf if not more, her gut would be incredibly underdeveloped and would suffer severe necrotizing enterocolitis. She would also suffer severe chronic lung disease and a lot of heart problems. This summarizes just the major issues; this doesn’t even touch the minor issues.

Surprisingly Justus breathed on her own for the first five days! She was only intubated because she became septic and fighting an infection and breathing is very hard for a one pound baby. A week later they did a head ultrasound to determine the amount of brain bleeds she had. This was actually the biggest moment in her NICU journey because depending on how much her brain bled depended on if we should continue her life. To our amazing surprise, she had no brain bleeds and her brain/head was completely normal! Over the following weeks, Justus could have lost her life at any moment. Incredibly, she overcame EVERYTHING and was still alive after four weeks.

At this point, we knew she would live, but her quality of life was still in question. After two months had passed, Justus was still miraculously alive and doing beyond well. The fact she had no eye and ear issues defies medical science.

We finally took her home on her due date, March 12, 2012 with just a feeding tube. She weighed 6 lbs 13 ounces.

Today, Justus is a very healthy 16 month old with only some physical and occupational needs and is severely far sighted. She is itty bitty, just 15 lbs 6 ounces. We have had a lot of stomach issues and feeding tubes, but nothing near what she should have. Furthermore, the doctors cannot medically explain why Justus has done so well! We have had a lot of ups and downs, road bumps, and challenges to overcome. But not a day goes by we don’t praise God for our true miracle.

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Thanks, Raeann, for sharing your story with us! Justus is truly a miracle baby and cute beyond words. Give her hugs and kisses from all of us at Kanga Care.