Wednesday, January 12, 2011

The Happy Heiny New Fit Re-Launch Party!

Welcome to the Party! Here at The Green Baby Store we have fallen in love with the new Happy Heiny fit. There are a few great improvements that have been made to the classic Happy Heiny design that make it a better option for all babies now.

First, the rise of the diaper is now made about 1 inch shorter. This brings the legs a little tighter to avoid gaps and leaks. It also brings the fit down below the belly button when on the correct rise snap to make for a more comfortable fit for baby when sitting.

Second, they have shortend the width between the legs. This makes the diaper fit better and have less bulk around the back. And again, makes it a little more comfortable for baby.

Lastly, they have improved the overal bulk of the diaper, so that at the smallest setting they fit an infant with ease. They also have crossover a tabs which help you get a more customized fit for your littler baby.

Each Happy Heiny one-size diapers comes with two microfiber inserts. I have found the large insert to be more than absorbant enough for normal daily use for my 1-year-old. And I have a client with a 3-month-old who uses the small insert even overnight without a leak. If you do need to use extra stuffing for a heavy wetter or an overnight these diapers have a nice large opening and are easy to stuff. I use them with the large microfiber and an organic doubler for overnights without a problem. They also offer this diaper in both a snap and a hook & loop (velcro) closure.

We encourage everyone to give this new Happy Heiny one-size a try, and to help you make that decision a little easier we are offering 20% one diaper! Use coupon code HAPPYHEINY at checkout and it will take 20% off your most expensive Happy Heiny one-size in your cart. All other diapers are at regular price.
A few more happens at The Green Baby Store: Used diaper trade in and auction event. We hold this even 2-3 times a year and encourage customers to send in their gently used (or even fair condition) diapers for store credit. See our facebook page for more information. We are also running an anniversary sale to commemorate our one year mark as an online retailer and our 3 year anniversary as a local diaper represenative. Use coupon code SALE10 to save an extra 10% off most items. And finally watch this week for special one-two bonus items that are on sale and also eligible for the 10% off coupon.


Thanks for reading! And for getting this far we want to reward you with a free Happy Heiny One-Size diaper. We ask that you befriend our facebook page and post a comment below about which Happy Heiny Color is your favorite. (here is the color listing) We will randomly draw a post number from below, but we will double check that the winner is a fan of our Facebook page too! One entry per person, winner chooses from diaper colors/prints that are currently instock at the end of the giveaway. Giveaway ends 1/17/2011.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Are Chinese Mothers Superior?



My husband read it first. "Kathleen, you have got to see this" he said as he handed me the Weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal. There, on the cover, was an essay by Yale Law School professor Amy Chua entitled "Why Chinese Mothers are Superior." Yikes. This is gonna be good. So, I read the article and was appalled at the lengths this woman would go to instill perfection in her daughters. The opportunities she denied them and the effort she demanded from them. I went to the web site to see if anyone had posted any comments and was amazed to see over 500 already there (when I sat down to pen this blog post, there were over 1700 comments).

I went to my Facebook page to post a link to the article only to discover several friends had beaten me to it. Throughout the weekend, I received emails and phone calls from friends across the country who had read the article and wanted to discuss it. Clearly, Ms. Chua touched a very hot button with her article. I will give her immense credit for her ability to put it all out there. Clearly, she had to know that her personal examples would not reflect well on her with her Western audiences. Also, as she has a book coming out tomorrow, she is a master marketer.

Boiled down, it is her position that Chinese parents raise more successful children than Western parents due to their unwavering focus on academic success and their ability to eliminate all competing distractions from their children's lives in order to demand that success. The author believes that there are three major differences in parenting between Western parents and Chinese parents:

1) Western parents place too great an emphasis on self-esteem. In her view, Chinese parents believe self-esteem comes with success and must be earned. If a child does not do well, the Chinese parent does not believe it is due to any lack of ability but rather because the child did not work hard enough and he or she should be punished and shamed until improvement occurs.

2) Chinese parents believe their children owe them everything and therefore should do whatever it is the parents ask or expect of them irrespective of their ability to perform said tasks.

3) Chinese parents believe they know what is best for their children in all respects and therefore can override their children's own wishes and desires. In fact, what the child wants is not a factor for consideration. Only what the parent believes the child should want and enjoy.

In her defense, which I feel she does need as the comments against her are just so mean, she does have a couple interesting points. Parents know best. Not always and in every situation but especially for the younger children, often they do. Practice makes perfect. Very few of us are born with the innate ability that matches our passion for activities be them sports or music or art or whatever else. Practicing these skills helps improve these skills which often increases our enjoyment of the activity.

So, what do you think? Is the Chinese model superior to the Western model? Is the Western model of nurturing individualism and allowing children to follow their passions misguided? Are we (Western parents) raising generations of weak, unfocused children who will not be able to compete in the 21st century marketplace?

Win a FuzziBunz One Size or Perfect Size Diaper

Well, since we are talking China, how about a diaper that used to be made there? Parenting favorite FuzziBunz. We will give away one of their very popular One Size or one of their equally popular Perfect Size (your choice) to a randomly selected entrant. Giveaway ends January 25, 2011. In order to enter:

1. Post a comment about your parenting style on this blog post

2. Friend Cottontail Baby on Facebook

3. Join the Cottontail Baby mailing list

4. Follow the Cloth Diaper Retailer Coop Blog
 

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