Saturday, September 11, 2010

A Different Kind of Back to School (and a Giveaway!)




Happy September! I am Kathleen, the owner of Cottontail Baby and her sister site Mamaclothonline. We live in gorgeous, green, lake-filled Minnesota where, as if on cue, the moment Labor Day weekend and the Minnesota State Fair were over the weather turned cold with brisk winds and crisp air. Summer is done and it is time to turn our attention to more serious pursuits like school and the Vikings. I love the Fall. Maybe it is all those years of going to school with new notebooks and paper and freshly sharpened pencils but it seems more a season of new beginnings to me than Spring ever does. A chance to begin again and make good choices and succeed and write new chapters.

One issue we struggle with at Back to School is sleep. Weaning our school age kids off their summer bedtimes and into school bedtimes is a significant challenge in our home.

As if psychically knowing exactly what our family is experiencing, the Science Times this Tuesday was full of articles on kids and sleep and school and studying. I thought this blog post was a good opportunity to share a couple things I read. The first has to do with kids and sleep and weight. We all know there is an obesity epidemic in this country. We also all know that there is a correlation between getting adequate nightly sleep and weight issues later in life. The Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine entered the dialogue with another study linking lack of adequate sleep in young children to becoming overweight or obese later in life. According to the study, children under 5 who did not receive at least 10 hours of sleep each night (naps do NOT count) were almost twice as likely to be overweight or obese later in life than those kids who did get the sleep. The belief is that sleep affects hormones that regulate hunger and appetite. Fortunately for the children of the world, sleep is an easily modifiable risk factor.

There was a second kids and weight article in the Times this week. This one did not have to do with sleep being a risk factor but the mother's weight. Yes, again, it is always Mommy's fault. According to this study, excessive weight gain in pregnancy can lead to larger than average infants who are prenatally programmed to become overweight adults with all the health issues associated with excessive weight (diabetes, heart disease, cancer). According to the National Academy of Sciences, fewer than 40% of women gain ONLY the recommended amount of weight during their pregnancy. The other 60% pack on too many pounds. Piggybacking on this phenomenon is that most women do not lose all their pregnancy weight before entering into another pregnancy causing them to start off heavier and gain more each time.

A similar study of British children found that at age 9, kids of women whose weight gain exceeded their physician's recommendations were fatter than other kids, more likely to become overweight and had multiple risk factors for heart disease as well as poorer immune function. In an editorial associated with the publication of this study in Circulation, Dr. Neal Halfon from the Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities at the University of California, Los Angeles said "You can't turn around in the nine months of pregnancy what's been going on for many years of life. The preconception period is critical to placing pregnancy on a healthier trajectory."

I really liked this quote as it seemed to encapsulate what we are trying to do here on the Cloth Diaper Retailer Blog. Help families lead healthier lives for themselves and their children. We help not only by selling the tools to a greener and cleaner lifestyle but also by giving tips and hints and advice on how to make it easier and not onerous. For example, the posting a week or so ago Simple Steps to Start Canning giving tips on how to can fresh vegetables from your garden. Not only does this help in saving money at the grocer but it also allows your family to eat pesticide free produce that has not been frozen wrapped in chemical laden plastic or canned in sodium rich tin.

So, what do you think? In this season of new beginnings what changes are you going to make to help your family lead a greener and healthier lifestyle?

Giveaway

I spent some time thinking of what would be the best item from our inventory to giveaway to readers. Something that incorporated this posting's theme of new beginnings and learning and healthlier lifestyles and it became clear. A trainer! We are huge fans here of both the Happy Heiny's trainer for kids in the early stages of potty learning and the Imse Vimse trainer for kids who have mastered potty learning but still have occasional accidents.

For this month, I believe we will go with the Happy Heiny trainer. We love the Happy Heiny for being so customizable. With the Happy Heinys Pocket Trainer you can pick the color and snap option (no snaps, snaps on one side, snaps on both sides) that works best for your child as well as stuff it with as much or as little as you need. We will giveaway one Happy Heiny's pocket trainer in any regular size, color and snap option the winner desires.

In order to enter (Please leave a separate comment for each entry. If you already are a fan or already subscribe, leave a comment saying so):
1. MANDATORY entry: Stop by Cottontail Baby and check out the selection of Happy Heinys products. Tell us what you like most about the brand.
2. Follow this blog for an entry.
3. Become a fan of Cottontail Baby on Facebook.
4. Become a fan of CDRC of Facebook.
5. Join the Cottontail Baby mailing list
6. Follow the Cottontail Baby blog, Clothdiaperonline.

Thanks!


50 comments:

  1. I like all the fun colors that they offer!

    girottih@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. I follow this blog.

    girottih@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love that the trainers can be extra stuffed for night time

    libby dot bloom dot hunt at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  4. GFC follower

    libby dot bloom dot hunt at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  5. CDRC FB fan

    libby dot bloom dot hunt at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Cottontail Baby FB fan

    libby dot bloom dot hunt at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Google reader follower of clothdiaperonline

    libby dot bloom dot hunt at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love the extended sizes that HH carries (from 5 1/2 lbs??!!?!)
    babyfickas@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. I follow this blog!
    babyfickas@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. I am a fan of cottontail baby on FB
    babyfickas@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. I am a fan of CDRC on FB!
    babyfickas@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. I joined the cottontail mailing list!
    babyfickas@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love the HH patterns!!!
    lindseygalvez at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  14. I follow this blog via GFC.
    lindseygalvez at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  15. I already like Cottontail Baby on FB.
    lindseygalvez at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  16. I like CDRC on FB.
    lindseygalvez at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love that you can stuff them as much or as little as needed
    waterlily_mc@juno.com

    ReplyDelete
  18. I love how many colors they have and how bright and bold some of them are.

    andiemarie923 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  19. I like cottontail baby on facebook


    andiemarie923 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  20. I signed up for the mailing list.


    andiemarie923 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  21. I like all the options they offer: one size, sized, trainers, pockets and fitted, hemp or microfiber inserts, not to mention the color/ print selection!
    saywah_j at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  22. following the CDRC blog
    saywah_j at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  23. like CDRC on FB
    saywah_j at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  24. I follow the Cottontail blog via RSS

    ReplyDelete
  25. I like the options and variety. That there are s, m, l, one size, great colors, stuff for mama, just a lot to choose from.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I am also already a fan of CDRC on facebook.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I like that Happy Heinys offers so many options! You can get exactly what you want with 5 size options, over 25 colors and 3 closure options! That's incredible!

    katiekstewart at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  28. I'm following this blog

    katiekstewart at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  29. I became a Fan of Cottontail Baby on Facebook (Katie Farish Stewart)

    katiekstewart at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  30. I'm a Fan of CDRC on Facebook (Katie Farish Stewart)

    katiekstewart at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  31. I'm following the Cottontail Baby blog (Clothdiaperonline) by subscribing to their RSS Feed in Google Reader

    katiekstewart at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  32. I like the quality and affordability
    carlaboo11@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  33. I follow this blog with google
    carlaboo11@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  34. i like cotontail baby on facebook
    carlaboo11@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  35. i like cdrc on facebook
    carlaboo11@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  36. 1. I'm in love with the Happy Heiny trainers, This was the perfect solution to our nighttime needs! I love the snap sides for easy inserts! :) My daughter loves the softness! Jamie Flaniken jamie_edcu@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  37. 2. I follow the blog under sentimentsfromyourstruly.blogspot.com

    Jamie Flaniken
    jamie_edcu@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  38. 3. I'm a fan of Cottontail baby on facebook

    Jamie Flaniken
    jamie_edcu@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  39. 4. I'm a fan of CDRC on facebook :)

    Jamie Flaniken
    jamie_edcu@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  40. 5. I joined your mailing list under jamie_edcu@yahoo.com

    Thanks, Jamie Flaniken

    ReplyDelete
  41. I follow the cottontail baby blog as sentimentsfromyourstruly.blogspot.com

    Jamie Flaniken
    jamie_edcu@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  42. I love the selection of colours available!
    taraz9 at excite dot com

    ReplyDelete
  43. follow blog
    taraz9 at excite dot com

    ReplyDelete
  44. I like all the options and the quality of the products that HH offers. (I'm a fan/user of the one size pocket diapers with aplix)
    ashley-conner at att dot net

    ReplyDelete
  45. i follow your blog
    ashley-conner at att dot net

    ReplyDelete
  46. I Follow the Cottontail Baby blog too
    ashley-conner at att dot net

    ReplyDelete

 

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