MailBox Mondays

I hope everyone had a great Christmas holiday!

Tereson answers more MailBox Monday questions:

"What are some of your hobbies and do you find that they contribute to or compete with your creative projects?"

"What is your background? Were you in sales or marketing or were you just a mom with an idea?




Click Here to ask Tereson a question.

MailBox Monday

Hey all you Fuzzi Lovers!

Tereson has been sick so we were unable to film a video for our Mailbox Monday segment.  But don't fret - she has written the answers to the questions so you can get your juicy cloth diapering tips for the week!

Andrea said:
Did you have any other names in mind when you were looking to name your brand of diapers? (the name is so cute, by the way!)

Thank you very much, but I never had any other names in mind.  Things tend to just pop into my head so I can remember I was at my mom's house, I can remember what I was wearing and what I was doing when the name just popped into my head.  The reasoning behind that was because they are fuzzi, they are made of fleece, and they go on a baby's bottom, like bunz... I thought it was cute, everyone else agreed, so I just went with it and never considered any other name.


Kelly said:
What are the top three things I can do to ensure that my Fuzzi Bunz don't leak?

Excellent question, so happy to answer this one!  

1. Proper Laundering
Launder as it says on the care tag.  What is most important is to not use too much detergent. You need to use biodegradable  detergents or detergents that we recommend (**see list of recommended detergents at end of blog**) and have tested that will not put a lot of residue on your diapers.  If there is too much residue or too much perfume on the diapers, they will tend to start repelling liquid (urine) and they may leak.  Detergent choice is really important.

2.  Proper Fit
Please, always very important, do not be afraid to fasten the diaper snugly on your baby.  People tend to leave too much room in the leg area.  Fasten the leg snaps (the bottom row of snaps) first and make sure you have a very secure setting. Again, do not be too afraid to get a snug fit, it will not cut off circulation on your baby's legs, I promise you, but it will prevent leaking.

3.  Enough absorbency in pocket for time period
Make sure you have enough inserts in the pocket for the amount of time your baby will be in a diaper.  Some babies are heavy wetters, they drink a lot, they are on a fluid kick, they are nursing more than they did 3 months ago, etc., be sure to have enough inserts in the pocket.  Overnight, you might want to double up on the inserts.  Our inserts are very absorbent - they are 4 layers thick.  One insert will probably last 2.5 -3 hours, so if your baby sleeps all night, 2 inserts are recommended.  Also, remember to double stuff your pocket diapers if you will be out for a long period of time, or if you cant change right away, and you will be fine.  


**For mainstream store bought detergents stay away from dyes or perfumes - especially scents. This may interact with urine and cause a foul odor. Tide Free and Arm and Hammer Free are two that we recommend. Arm and Hammer would be my first choice since it does have the odor controlling power of Baking Soda. To be more environmental - and best ensure that you have a "residue free" diape - more "natural" brands of detergent are recommended. These are 7th Generation and Ecover. Both can be bought at any health food or Natural Grocer. For more specific "diaper recommended" detergents that can be bought through diaper retailers we recommend the number one brand that we put our name on Vaska for FuzziBunz® but Allen's Naturally,Charlies Soap, and Rockin Green Soap all work very well at preventing build up and keeping your diapers smelling clean.**

Again thank you to all who submitted questions.  If you would like to submit a question for MailBox Monday, click here!

You have all week to submit questions, one per week please!

FuzziBunz Holiday Card Contest Winners

We had such a difficult time choosing the winner of the Holiday Card Contest because all the entries were so cute! Too many cute baby bums!!

Initially, we were going to only choose 1 winner and 2 runners up.  However, because we had such a wonderful response, we picked 1 winner, 2 runners up, and 15 honorable mentions!!


Thanks for all of you who submitted photos - we plan on doing this again soon.  We love our Fuzzi Fans!

Grand Prize Winner!

1st Runner Up

2nd Runner Up

Honorable Mentions:

Mailbox Monday Videos

Hey ya'll!!

I'm really exited for you all to see this video of Tereson answering MailBox Monday questions as she is on location in New Orleans! It looks like she had an amazing time at the Saints game!

This week's winners are:

Robin said...

What do you think is the biggest obstacle in getting the parenting masses to consider or convert to cloth?

Amy said... My girl is getting ready to start solids soon, meaning stinky poo! When we are out, there usually aren't good facilities for those of us who use cloth diapers (and I can't bring myself to dunk a diaper in a public toilet). Do you have any suggestions for minimizing the stink when carrying around dirty diapers?



Keep sending in your questions!

Mailbox Monday

Keep those awesome questions coming! Post your question below for Tereson to answer.  If she picks your question, you win free FuzziBunz!! Who doesn't love free stuff?

Don't forget to leave your email so I can contact you when you win :)

FuzziBunz Cyber Sale

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families... Now are you ready to do some shopping?!!  We know everyone loves a sale so we are authorizing 15% off on all FuzziBunz products!  Check out your favorite participating retailer and start saving some money! Sale ends December 1.



Also, don't forget to enter your bundle of joy into our Holiday Card Contest! You can read more about this contest and how to enter here.

Happy shopping!

Wanna know what the orignal FuzziBunz looked like?

The winning questions from last week are:

kgmama said... What did the first ever Fuzzi Bunz diaper look like? Is it still functional after 10 years?

Candace said...How did you end up at the GENIUS idea of adjustable elastics?? Did you always know you wanted to do that or was there a process of trial & error until you got to it??

Here are a few pictures of Eden in the first FuzziBunz ever 10 years ago:

 

FuzziBunz sure have come a long way in the past 10 years! 

Congratulations to this week's winners and be sure to leave a question for Tereson to answer (here).  If she picks your question, you win free FuzziBunz!

Maibox Monday

Don't forget to submit your questions for Mailbox Monday!

Leave your question and email address below to enter.

Deadline is Tuesday, November 24

Good Luck :)

Mailbox Monday - November 16

Thank you all for such awesome and creative questions for our Mailbox Monday segment.  We will continue to do this weekly because of the great questions generated.  The rules will have to change slightly - but don't worry - this will give you an even better chance at winning!

Each week, the questions not chosen from the previous week will be put into a bank where we will choose a random winner.  This gives you more opportunities to win! If you submit a question every week, you get 4 chances to be chosen in the random drawing.

Here is Tereson answering the winners from last week:

"What would you say was the inspiration for the design of FuzziBunz was and were you trying to fix problems you had with another product"



"Would FuzziBunz still be leak-free in outer space"

Here are the  New rules:

1.  You must be a public follower of this blog 
2.  You may only ask one question per week - so make interesting!

3.  You must leave your email address in your comment so I can contact you when you win

4.  There will be 2 winners each week: 1 randomly chosen winner and 1 creative/interesting winner (each winner will win 1 OS FuzziBunz)

5.  The winners will be announced each Monday
6.  Each week, the questions not chosen from the prior week, will be put into a bank where we will choose a the random winner.

7.  You have until Tuesday at 10:00am CT to submit your question.

Leave your comments below to enter!!

2009 FuzziBunz Holiday Card Contest

We are happy to announce the FuzziBunz®Holiday Card Contest! This is a photo contest and the winning baby will be featured on our 2009 FuzziBunz® Holiday Card.

The winner will win a lifetime supply of FuzziBunz® diapers (12 One Size FuzziBunz) and will receive 36 Holiday Cards with your baby for your own personal use. The winner will also be spotlighted on our Blog and Facebook Page.

There will be 2 runners up, who will receive $40 in FuzziBunz® products.

Rules

• Photo must feature a baby and FuzziBunz® diapers
• Baby does not have to be wearing the diapers, but FuzziBunz® diapers must be featured in the photo
• No visible toys/games in the background
• Be creative with your location – as this photo will be featured on a holiday themed card
• There is no limit in the amount of entries - you may submit as many pictures as you wish
• Be aware of the lighting you use, we cannot use a picture that is poorly lit
• Photos submitted must be your sole property and not the property of another photographer
• You must enter through Facebook® – Photos submitted via email/mail will be disqualified
• Once a winner is chosen, the winner must sign a waiver form to release the rights of the photo to FuzziBunz® and grant permission to use said photo on our Holiday Card.
• By submitting photos for this contest, you give FuzziBunz® permission to use photo on our Blog, Facebook Page, and additional marketing materials.
• This contest is open to US and Canadian Residents

Judging
FuzziBunz® staff will chose a winner based on creativity and originality.
The winner will be announced Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Prizes
1- Grand Prize Winner - 12 FuzziBunz® One Size diapers (and free elastic replacements) as well as 36 Holiday Cards with your featured baby for sending to family and friends.

2- Runners Up - $40 in FuzziBunz® products

Deadline
Eligible entries must be submitted to the FuzziBunz® Facebook Fan Page photo album by Monday, November 30th, 2009 at 7:00PM CT

Instructions for submission
1. Became a fan of FuzziBunz® on the FuzziBunz Facebook Page

2. Follow these instructions for submitting photos:

Click on this Photo Album Link

Click "Add Photos” button located at the upper left hand corner (underneath the “Fan Photos from FuzziBunz Cloth Diapers” heading)

You now have 2 options : Upload new photos OR select photos already uploaded to Facebook

1. Upload New Photos Option
-Click “Upload Photos” Tab
-Browse for picture on your computer and select upload 

            OR

          2.Add photos already uploaded on Facebook Option
          -Click “Add from my photos” Tab
          -Select the album in which your pictures are located
          -Select individual pictures you wish to submit

We can't wait to see your babies in our FuzziBunz®

Mailbag Monday and Fuzzi Friday Winners!

We had such a great selection of questions that it was so hard to choose our winner!  We will be answering more questions soon, so stay tuned to win more free stuff.

Congratulations to Lisa, our random winner!



"What would you say was your inspiration for the design of Fuzzibunz? Were you trying to "fix" problems you had with another product?"



Congratulations to Jaime, our most creative winner!

"Would fuzzibunz still be leak-free in outer space? "

Stay tuned for a video from Tereson answering these questions and more!

Follow us on Twitter!

We currently have 934 followers on Twitter.  The 1000th follower wins free diapers! Hurry and follow us!

www.twitter.com/fuzzibunz

Fabulous FuzziBunz Testimonial

Wow - now we have been getting testimonials for ten years about how parents love love love their FuzziBunz, but I have to say I think this one takes the cake!  We are re-printing with permission this recent testimonial from a very happy mom and baby!  ---

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!! Fuzzi Bunz have made such a huge difference in my daughter's and my life! She LOVES her Fuzzi Bunz! We just have a small stash and are still working on getting enough for a full days worth so we have to alternate between disposables and her Fuzzi's. Her mood immediately improves when she sees me pull a Fuzzi Bunz out of the drawer and start stuffing the insert in it! She is 5 months, has supper sensitive skin, and gets rashes on her lower back and upper thighs where the disposables touch at the edges, also the disposables make her little tush really red. So I had been looking into cloth diapers, and to be honest FuzziBunz wasn't a brand I had researched or even knew of (I am still new to the cloth diapering world, lol). So the story goes like this- I looked at BumGenius One Sized online and read reviews and all that good stuff and the next day I set out to The Littlest Birds (the only store anywhere around my area that sells anything other that Gerber prefolds) with one thing in mind, my daughters comfort! So I was on a mission to buy a BumGenius One Size Diaper. When I got there and gave the BumGenius a once over I saw these two hideous velcro tabs INSIDE the diaper at the back! Right beside the BumGenius diapers were the FuzziBuns, so I looked at them and saw that the inside is SUPER SOFT, the outside is flexible and silky soft, and there is absolutely NO VELCRO to be found!! Thank goodness I insist on checking every product out in person before buying it or I would have made a huge purchasing mistake! I brought her Daisies Lavender print Fuzzi Bunz straight home and tossed it in the wash, as soon as it dried I adjusted the legs and put it on her, by the time I changed her again the redness on her bottom was completely gone! And that was when I fell in love with Fuzzi Bunz! Also I gotta tell you how great the independent adjustments are for the legs and waist because my baby girl has full figured legs and they don't leave any red marks from rubbing or pinching her legs like disposables, and I am able to make the fit %100 custom (the elastic is at the 3 setting in the back of the legs and 2 in the front) the back is always where it wanted to gap on her with other diapers but pinch and pull on the front of her thigh. I have been telling everyone about Fuzzi Bunz and how amazing they are, also I have decided that Fuzzi Bunz is what I will be giving as baby shower gifts from now on! Oh and by the way- my baby girl had completely stopped taking naps when she was about 2 months old (unless we were driving, but she would wake up promptly when the car stopped) but sense we have started using Fuzzi Bunz she gets so comfy in them that she takes naps again!!!!! And if it wasn't for that, my mound of clean clothes that just needed folded and put away would still be growing :) !!"          

Do you have a testimonial you would like to share? Let us know why you love your FuziBunz.                                                                       

Mailbag Mondays and Fuzzi Fridays!

We are starting a new giveaway that will be called "Mailbag Mondays and Fuzzi Fridays."  The way that it will work is that the first Monday of every month, we will solicit questions from you that you would like Tereson to answer.Whether it be a personal question (ex. Why did you invent Fuzzibunz? How do you manage your time between work and home?) or maybe a troubleshooting question (What is the best detergent to use for FuzziBunz?) 

We will choose 2 winners and their questions will be answered in a short video from Tereson.  One winner will be randomly chosen the other will be the most creative/interesting question.

The winner of the creative question of the month will win 3 FuzziBunz and the winner of the random question will win 1 FuzziBunz - so make your question count!

We will do this once a month to start, and if we have a good reception, we might do it weekly. 

Here are the rules:

1.  You must be a public follower of this blog

2.  You may only ask one question per month - so make interesting!

3.  The winners will be announced on Fuzzi Fridays during Tereson's video 

4.  You must leave your email address in your comment so I can contact you when you win

5.  You have until Thursday at 11:59pm to submit your question.

6.  Make it fun!

Short Clip from Sundance Channel "Big Ideas for Small Planet"

We will post the full version as soon as we get it :)

Big Ideas for a Small Planet – Update

FuzziBunz was featured on the Sundance Channel's "Big Ideas for a Small Planet" on October 27.  It will be re-airing so check your local TV guide for times! We will be posting a clip of the show as soon as we get it.

Here are a few comments from Tereson on the FuzziBunz Eco Diaper that was mentioned in the episode:

First I have to say that that episode was filmed a year ago last October and was scheduled to air in April.  I was, and still am, patent pending on a pocket, polyester diaper that is biodegradable made from bio-plastics rather that petroleum based plastics. 

In my year of research, and successful research I might add, I have found that some issues with bio-plastics are not so favorable.  This was discouraging but also validating at the same time.

One thing that we all must consider when manufacturing, buying and using a product, is the manufacturing process that goes into that product.  Myself personally, as a business and eco-product producer, take that very seriously.  That is why I looked so heavily into the “eco-pocket-diaper.”  Why?  Because “organic cotton” has been the “eco” fabric of choice in diapers….until the pocket diaper came along with well…..different properties than cotton could provide.  

While this eco-diaper product can be produced, and may be produced for resale very soon, I have found through much debate and research, that what we are doing now, using virgin polyester to produce a product that is virtually indestructible (especially now with the One Size that has replacement parts)  is truly the greenest option. 

Yes, it is a petroleum based product.  Oil is going to be produced for quite some time.  Face the fact.  I want to see renewable energy just as much as the next green activist does.  But it is not happening today or tomorrow.  We can act today…..and plan for tomorrow.  Today, I am taking a by-product (fleece) of a product that is currently being made(oil) and making something useful and sustainable out of it. 

It is proven that polyester will last at LEAST 7 times longer than its cotton counterpart.  It needs less energy to wash, to dry, no bleaching, less detergent to get clean, and I could go on and on. 

FuzziBunz in their current form, is currently the greenest alternative.  We will continue to research, develop and plan for the future.  That is my job.  The search is not over.  I want to provide a product that LASTS!  Not something that you can use for 2-3 years and disintegrates and you have to buy and produce again. 

I am a huge frowner upon greenwashing.  I will not put a product on the market that I do not believe in, stand behind or trust for our environment.  But I will continue to innovate and move products and people to the next level….but only in a responsible way. 

Stay tuned.

How many for your FuzziBunz Stash

Recently the issue of how many diapers you should have in your stash for cloth diapers has been raised. Some say 24, some say 36 some say only 12.

I can not speak, nor have I ever spoken for other diaper brands. I can only speak for FuzziBunz diapers. We have been a leading cloth diapering brand with a "different" approach to diapering called the "pocket diaper" which is different from traditional cotton cloth diapers. Not better, just different. Why? Because they use fleece and other progressive fabrics that keep a baby dryer longer than cotton and also washes and dries in a shorter amount of time.

What does this mean? You use less. You need to change less often although we still recommend every 3 hours during the day, the same recommended time for disposables due to sanitary reasons.

But due to these two key factors: keeps baby drier longer and quick wash and quick dry issues we only recommend 12. The most economical amount.

A baby goes through an average of 8 diapers per daytime use - and with FuzziBunz when doubling up on an insert before night time you can go all night with no diaper change because baby feels dry and does not wake due to a wet diaper. So we don't feel that 12 is an unreasonable number for full time diapering. I wash clothes every day of my life, I have three children and me in the home. Washing another load of laundry is not that big of a deal when it comes to cost savings.

By making washing your FuzziBunz part of your routine, you will save time (the diapers are washing while you are sleeping) and after your babies morning feeding or breakfast (drying time) you will have a fresh load of laundry with some still in the clean diaper pile.

By using a Diaper Sprayer you will save the time of a "pre-wash" truly letting you wash while you sleep. Rinsing poop off of your used poopy FuzziBunz literally takes less than a minute. Drying a load of FuzziBunz is 20-30 minutes at most in a regular dryer. Invest in a $12 pack of 3 extra inserts and you are set in case the inserts are not dry in time. But FB themselves will dry in 15 minutes. No need to waste energy or time on the drying time.

Yes, we are in the business of selling diapers. But I also have a strong desire to see parents save as much money as possible. I don't recommend buying any more than is totally necessary.

When I diapered my babies in FuzziBunz, I never needed more the 12 and I had free diapers at my disposal!! I owned the company!!!! But I only recommend 12 FuzziBunz unless you don't want to wash every day to day and a half. If you want to go 2-3 days between washing then more than 12 would be recommended. But I do not going longer than that without washing due to smell and deterioration issues.

Again, I can only speak for my own brand, not any other brand or cloth diapering in general. As a former penny pinching, very poor family I am passionate about not seeing people spend more than they need to. It is my own personal issue.

Moral of this blog - don't spend more than you need to. Make a short daily washing routine. Save money. Reduce your stash (if you can) and stay true (as we do) to the Green Mantra "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" this blog would fit into the "REDUCE" segment of that mantra.

For more information on FuzziBunz diapers go to www.fuzzibunz.com