We strive to be your source for healthy, fun products to support your natural parenting decisions, as well as supply you with unique Alaskan products and gifts for the whole family. Please take a minute to look around to browse our parenting tips, product updates and news on local events, or jump right over to the online shop to see what we have available.

This section of our site is set up for important articles on cloth diapers, babywearing, community support and natural parenting issues. Is there a topic you want us to cover? Let us know! We are here for you.

*We are experienced mamas, but we don’t know everything- we welcome advice and opinions from others. We will do our best to keep you informed so you can make healthy decisions. We do not give medical advice, and no comments on this blog should be construed as such.

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Doulas and birth support services

provide education, support and advocacy for expecting families. Training and offered services vary by provider. Blueberry Baby does not endorse any particular provider, and we recommend potential clients interview available doulas and care providers to ascertain suitability for your own unique needs.

Cloud 9 Doula Services

Georganne Hampton, 456-2229 (456-BABY), doula1@alaska.net , http://www.angelfire.com/realm2/1stimestar/

Family Doula Services

Angela Davis, 322-8416, angela.davis@gci.net , http://familydoulaservices.webs.com/

Gentle Beginnings Doula Service

Ashleigh Norville, 347-4847, anorville@alaskabirthcare.com , www.alaskabirthcare.com

Katey Hilpert

Katey Hilpert, 451-6356, 687-2042

Loving lotus Doula services

Tristan Wagner,   206-755-6708 banyanworship@gmail.com
Birth doula, post-natal birth doula, placenta encapsulation

Lunar Baby Doula

Katie Garrity, 451-0297, lunarbabydoula@care2.com

Mary Mader

452-5957, 347-9821

Simple Birth Doula

Kate Parks, 978-5160, simplebirth@gmail.com , simplebirthdoula.com

Sweet Pea Baby

Katie Mader, 590-1018, http://www.fairbanksdoula.org , aksweetpeababy@yahoo.com

Parvati Physical Training, Doula & Placenta Encapsulation Service

Jessica Christenson, 907-347-9916  Parvatibirth@live.com

in home prenatal/post-natal physical training, birth support in pregnancy and labor, education, arromatherapy, herb therapy, birth plan advocacy, placenta encapsulation for either fresh and frozen placentas.

Shilo Hargrave

907-456-4521 http://www.asianabh.vpweb.com

Asian acupuncture, bodywork, and herbs.

We’ve just made it easier to find out! We just put together some complete diapering packages over at the web store with everything we could think of to get you from birth to potty training, with a few extras thrown in. Complete packages (diapers, covers, wipes, liners, even the detergent & diaper cream!) range from $587 to $1245.

Laundry costs (water, electricity, wear & tear on the machinery) will depend on the efficiency of you washer/dryer and your personal laundry habits, but should range from $150-$300 per year. Cloth diapered babies potty train at 18-24 months, on average, as opposed to the 30-36 month average of children in disposable diapers, at an average cost (in Fairbanks) of $1200 a year.

Some children (like my first 2) average only 12 months.

Going by the national averages, best case scenario for cloth: $812 and potty trained at 18 months.

Best case scenario for disposables:$3000, potty trained at 30 months.

Multiply that by 4 kids (sure we’ve bought pricier diapers from time to time, but we’ve reused a bunch for more than one child too!) and our family has likely saved over $8,000! How many violin lessons and dance classes does that cover? Not as many as I’d like, but it’s a good start!

Bathtime Revolution

(The TummyTubs are here!)

Every once in a while we come across a product that really blows us away. Baby slings, fitted diapers, reusable menstrual products– this ranks up there with items we wish we had known about a long time ago! The new Tummy Tub really is a bathtime revolution. No more traumatic bathtimes, trying to keep baby warm in an awkward tub, trying to keep baby from eating the water faucet in the sink, trying to keep baby from slipping around a plastic bin or bucket or dealing with a screaming child. The Tummy Tub is a molded plastic tub, designed to mimic the shape of the womb. It covers a baby up to its shoulders with warm, comforting water while offering real support to make bathtime a safe, relaxing experience for everyone involved!

I was among the skeptical when they first came in. As with many of our products, our clients & friends were clamoring for this product, but to me, it looked like a bucket. For a bucket, I must admit, it looked a little pricey! Then I tried it & I can honestly say there is NO comparison, not only with a simple bucket, but with any other bath tub or container I have ever used! With 2 month old baby Ava, it was our first non-screaming bath ever. Bathtime went from a chore and an ordeal to a truly delightful time of exploration, play and bonding, and at 7 months, Ava is now a confirmed water baby. We put her in the tub just to calm her down! Check it out & let us know what you think. We think you’ll be impressed.

There are great resources for parents available in Fairbanks. We’ve gathered some here.

If there is a resource you would like us to list, please send the name, service description and contact information.
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We’ve collected a list of local parenting classes from babywearing and cloth diapering to financial planning and fitness.

If you have a regularly scheduled class you would like us to add, please send it to us at service@blueberrybaby.org.
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© 2008, Lara Lotze

Diaper rash is the generic term for a skin irritation in the area generally covered by a diaper and can have several causes. A few culprits include heat rash, chemical sensitivity, bacterial infection, food allergies or other irritating substance.

Please be aware that eczema, psoriasis and other skin conditions can look like diaper rash, but are treated differently and should be handled by a medical professional. If your child has persistent, chronic outbreaks, please see your health care provider for diagnosis.

Using cloth diapers is a great first step to avoiding diaper rash since they allow air to circulate, are free from unnecessary chemical irritants, and tend to get changed immediately rather than allowing urine to stay next to the skin for long periods of time. With disposables and pocket diapers, please remember that even if the moisture is wicked away and the diaper feels dry, the bacteria is still held against the skin, and there may be pH issues as well. Change early, change often, no matter what style of diaper you use!

With proper hygiene and diaper care, outbreaks should be rare and continual use of a barrier cream should not be necessary.

If you are having problems anyway, try these things first:

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Why cloth diapers?

Cloth diapers can be

  • Good for you
  • Good for your pocket
  • Good for the environment
  • Good for baby

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Babywearing

Lara and Betsy with our kids back in 2004

One of our favorite things here at Blueberry Baby is to teach people how to carry, or “wear” their babies.  We gladly offer a lifetime of lessons to every mama, daddy, or grandma who comes into the shop to try out our baby carriers and slings.   From birth to toddler, there is a comfortable way to carry your child, encouraging bonding, communication, and giving you freedom to go about your day knowing baby is close and content.

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First of all, don’t worry if you forget to do some of these things some of the time.  It’s really OK and your diapers will probably be fine.  I  only wished someone had written all this down for me with our first baby!  Second, this might seem like a lot of information to process- but in practice, it only takes a few minutes to actually do what we’ve outlined in such detail here.  Feel free to email us or leave a comment below with additional questions…
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