Why Giving Diapers Makes Sense to Young Children

EcoBuns is sponsoring a diaper drive for Nestlings Diaper Bank of West Michigan.  For more information on the diaper drive, click HERE.

Diapers are a basic health necessity for babies but are not provided by government assistance programs. Keeping a child in a clean diapers should not depend on how much money you have.

Families with financial struggles and children living in poverty continue to be a growing problem in Michigan and while there are wonderful organizations that feed, clothe, heal and house children, an adequate supply of disposable diapers is an ongoing critical need that is often unrecognized and unmet.

Diaper banks exist throughout the country and successfully serve their local communities but Nestlings is the first diaper bank in West Michigan. Nestlings is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing awareness of the ongoing need for diapers and designed to be a centralized source for collecting, storing, and distributing diapers.

Diaper Drives are a great way to start talking to young children about helping others.  Children as young as 2 can grasp the idea of helping others.  Giving diapers makes sense to children because they are either in diapers themselves, remember being in diapers, or have younger siblings or cousins in diapers.  Children often care for babies in their imaginative play and understand that all babies need diapers.    

TIPS AND IDEAS FOR TALKING TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT NEEDS:  

Below are some ideas for talking to your children about need and the diaper drive.  Many of these can be mixed and matched.  You know what will work best for you child.  

*CLOSED* Win A Lifetime Supply of Diapers from Thirsties

EcoBuns is sponsoring a diaper drive to benefit Nestlings Diaper Bank of West Michigan.  

Win a lifetime supply of cloth diapers from Thirsties for donating to the diaper drive!!! Receive one entry for each disposable diaper you donate! 

You will also receive one entry per diaper donated to win a gift card to EcoBuns and a prize pack from Smart Bottoms Diapers.  

Babies go through a LOT of diapers in their first year of life! Help EcoBuns collect enough disposable diapers to diaper one child for one year. Our goal is to collect 3,200 diapers. 

Diapers can be dropped of or mailed into EcoBuns (12330 James st - suite B65, Holland, MI 49424). EcoBuns is open Tuesday-Saturday 10am-8pm. 

EcoBuns has partnered with Nestlings | Diaper Bank of West Michigan to help provide education and support for their new cloth diaper program.  Read more HERE.  

The diaper drive will run from August 1st-14th. We are accepting disposable diapers of all kinds, opened, or unopened packages. 

On August 17th, come visit EcoBuns and see all the donated diapers. It's truly amazing how many diaper changes one baby will go though in one year!! When we are finished with the disposable diapers, they will be donated to Nestlings. 


Let your friends know that you are participating in the drive by sharing this blog post, or posting on the Facebook event HERE.  

You can also support Nestlings Diaper Bank by purchasing a gift card to off of their registry.  The registry name is Neslings Diaper Bank.  Password: Nestlings

Tips for Bringing Baby to the Beach

It finally feels as if the warm is here to stay!  Here in West Michigan, we love to go to the beach!  Either at Lake Michigan, or at one of the many inland lakes.  No matter where you decide to go, adding a baby to the mix is a competently different experience than going with a group of friends.  I've put a few tips together to help make going to the beach with a baby a little easier, and hopefully even enjoyable!

1.  Ditch the stroller.  I feel so bad watching parents try to drag a stroller through the sand.  Trust me, it's much more work than it's worth.  Get yourself a great baby carrier instead.  Boba Air is great for the beach because it's super compact, and the sand will brush off the nylon super easy.

Boba Air

2. Protect the littles (and yourself) from the sun.  The only thing worse than pushing a stroller through the sand is dealing with sunburn on a child.  Use a good sunscreen that is designed for babies.  (We love Keeki Pure and Simple - Avaible at EcoBuns)  Bring along a hat for them as well.  We have both the Bummis and Planet Wise wide brimmed and floppy hats in the store.  We also have UV T-shirts and tankinis.  Beaches are full of sand and sun, so bring along a big umbrella to stick in the sand to protect you and little ones from the sun.

Bummis swimmi, hat, and sun shirt

3.  Bring plenty to drink.  It's really easy to assume that because your kids are wet that they don't need to drink anything.  It's very easy to get dehydrated at the beach.  Pack a cooler with ice and stash more drinks than you would normally go through at home.  If you are breastfeeding, offer to nurse more often than usual.  Pack water in an EcoVessel triple insulated sippy cup or water bottle to keep it cool longer.  (EcoVessel available at EcoBuns)

4.  Dress your kids in bright colors.  This will make it easier to spot your toddler that has wandered away from the beach towel.  It will also help a life guard spot them in case of an emergency.  Don't forget your baby's swim diaper.  A swim diaper is a MUST!!

The bright colors of the Bummis swim line are perfect for the beach.  

5.  Wear your swim suit.  You're at the beach.  You're going to get wet.  Shorts and t-shirt are uncomfortable wet, besides when (and trust me, you will) you get wet, what are you going to wear on the way home?  You look fabulous, wear your suit.

6.  Embrace the sand.  Going to the beach can get a bit messy.  Add a child to the mix, and you may experience a sand storm or two.  Just go with it, you are making memories.  If you are really anti getting any sand on you check out this list from GRKids.com for a list of splash pads and water playgrounds that won't be as sandy.

7.  Don't worry if your baby doesn't love it.  Some will freak out over sand, some won't step foot near the water.  This is all new for them.  Just because they don't love it this time, doesn't mean they won't next time, next week, or next year.


Enjoy the summer!  Do you have any tips to share about going to the beach with baby?   Leave us a comment!

FREE Piggy Paint with Qualifying In Store Purchase

Stop into EcoBuns to receive a coupon for a FREE bottle of piggy paint!  Coupons can be redeemed anytime during the month of August.  You may stop in as many times as you want, but it is limited to one free bottle per order.  Hope to see you soon! 

This promotion has eneded

Buns Boot Camp

Navigating the world of cloth can be overwhelming and intimidating, we know that here at EcoBuns, so we have designed a class that will help you decide if cloth diapers are for you. Buns Boot Camp is approximately 60 minutes long and will cover topics such as reasons to use cloth diapers, styles and options of cloth, washing instructions, do's and do not's of cloth, accessories, what you can expect from us as your cloth diaper resource and finally how we can help you get your stash started at little to no cost to you!

Register for your class today by clicking HERE!  Registration includes your spouse or significant other. After completion of the class, you will receive a $25 off a $75 or more purchase to use at the store the day of class. 

If the dates of the scheduled classes do not work for you, email Marissa (at) EcoBuns (dot) com to schedule a one on one class.  

Bums Boot Camp is taught by Marissa Berghorst.  Marissa is one of the co-owners of EcoBuns and a cloth diapering mom.of two.