i play

For the past 9 years, the week before Memorial Day has been designated as Recreational Water Illness and Injury (RWII) Prevention Week. RWIs are caused by contact with contaminated water in swimming pools, hot tubs, water play areas, and even lakes, rivers, and oceans.  Recently the CDC released results from a study of 161 Metro-Atlanta public swimming pools stating that 58% of the public pool samples tested positive for E. coli. Click here to read more about the results.

RWI prevention is an issue that is close to our hearts here at i play., Inc. We have 20 years of experience making our patented i play. Ultimate Swim Diaper to prevent solid waste from leaking into swimming areas. We are proud to say that our Ultimate Swim Diaper design is trusted by many swim schools and water parks to help keep their pools clean.

The i play. Ultimate Swim Diaper is snug around the legs, which helps contain any solid accidents that occur while swimming, and features a waterproof layer to prevent leakage. Plus, if you are looking for style, these functional diapers also come in lots of prints!

Learn more here about Recreation Water Illness and Injury Prevention Week!

We want to learn from parents like you!

Starting this month i play. will be holding an ongoing monthly focus group here in Asheville, NC. If you are a parent of a child 4 years or younger and you are interested in sharing your opinions please send an email to marketing@iplaybaby.com for more information.

i play. photo shoots are always a blast with so many adorable children to photograph and this photo shoot  for our fall green sprouts and i play. collections was no exception. From green sprouts bibs and feeding time to swimming wearing reusable i play. Ultimate Swim Diapers in the pool a great time was had by all.

We were so glad to have Jenny Wilson with us taking photos.  She has a real knack for getting sweet smiles in photos.

Graham showing off a green sprouts Pocket Bib

Thank you to all of the local parents who brought their little cuties to play and model!

We had a wonderful time at the i play. store supporting cloth diapering with the help of enthusiastic parents and these local companies: Smarty Pants Diaper Service, Mod Sprog, Peaceful Beginnings, and Busy Bottoms Diaper Service.

How cool are these signs that some of the participants made?

The Great Cloth Diaper Exchange takes place to raise awareness about the benefits of using  cloth diapers over disposable diapers. Not only are cloth diapers a way to decrease your carbon footprint, they save you money in the long run. By using a cloth diaper your baby isn’t exposed to harmful chemicals that can be in a manufactured disposable diaper. They also reduce waste by 50 percent for families, and they reduce cost with the average savings of 2 thousand dollars per child. They are soft for babies bottoms and come in a variety of patterns. Once you have bought the cloth diapers, you don’t have to buy more; you simply pop them in the laundry. In its third year with over 226 sites in 15 countries, The Great Cloth Diaper Change event will attempt to break last year’s Guinness World Record™ of 8,251 cloth diapers changed simultaneously.

This year i play. is showing support by sending goodie bags to stores who are holding events and holding an event in our home town, Asheville.

i play. Goodie Bag

The i play. store has combined forces with other local buisnesses: Smarty Pants Diaper Service, Busy Bottoms Diaper Service, and Mod Sprog to host the event on Saturday, April 20, 2013, two days before Earth Day. The event will take place at 10 a.m. EST at the i play. store, 233 South Liberty Street, Asheville, NC, 28801. In addition to the Great Cloth Diaper Change world-recording setting activity, there will also be an introduction to cloth swim diapers, family-friendly activities, refreshments, and goodie bags.

For more information or to participate in The Great Cloth Diaper Change in Asheville, please contact the i play. store manager, Krista Gamble, at (828) 575-2617 or sign up for the event on the i play. Store facebook event page. If you are not in Asheville visit www.GreatClothDiaperChange.com and click on the map to find information about your local event.

Check out this list of stores who sell i play. and/or green sprouts and will be participating this year.

The Little Seedling Ann Arbor, MI; Mother Earth Baby Oswego, NY; Recycled Sallys Baraboo, WI; Squishy Tushy Blissfield, MI; Baby Blossom Fairfax, VA; Eco Baby & Home; Over the Moon Diapers Germantown, TN; fresh & fluffy Hamburg, NY; Hop Scotch children’s store Grand Rapids, MI; The Giggling Green Bean, Inc. Golden, CO; ChapmanHill Baby; Grow, Learn, Discover Dubuque, IA; My Simple Baby Fort Worth, TX; Diaper Lab North Cambridge, MA; GoGo Natural Chandler, AZ; Cotton Bottom Baby Salina, KS; Best Loved Baby; A Mother’s Haven Boutique & Educational Center Encino, CA; Women’s Health and Wellness Boutique Chapel Hill, NC; Apple Blossom Baby Chico, CA; In Bloom Boutique Pasco, WA; Little Padded Seats West Des Moines, IA; Pure Beginning, llc Dayton, OH; Cutie Poops and Bottoms Orland Park, IL

We hope even more stores will join next year!

On April 6th Start From Seed,  with the help of local sponsors including i play., hosted a wonderful event which included a screening of Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and the Farm Midwives and a panel discussion which included Ina May Gaskin!

The event was packed and lots of people came by our table to take a look at our products and hear about the i play.  store.  The film was inspiring and the energy in the room was truly moving.

Krista and Julie at the i play. Table

Film Synopsis

“The feature-length documentary BIRTH STORY: Ina May Gaskin and The Farm
Midwives tells the story of counterculture heroine Ina May Gaskin and her spirited friends, who began delivering each other’s babies in 1970, on a caravan of hippie school buses, headed to a patch of rural Tennessee land. With Ina May as their leader, the women taught themselves midwifery from the ground up, and, with their families, founded an entirely communal, agricultural society called The Farm. They grew their own food, built their own houses, published their own books, and, as word of their social experiment spread, created a model of care for women and babies that changed a generation’s approach to childbirth.” -excerpt from the Birth Story Website

Film Trailer

We love this feature on us in Capital At Play. http://www.capitalatplay.com/posts/seriously-playful/

Making fresh baby food gives you peace of mind when feeding your baby. You can be sure your baby is not eating any fillers or preservatives. Plus it’s a lot easier and quicker than you may think. With just a few simple tools like the green sprouts Baby Food Mill, Baby Food Cubes, and simple ingredients you can make many servings of baby food and store them for quick meals.

It can also save you money! Just think of all of the packaging that it takes to keep individual servings of food fresh during shipping and shelving. Buying a pack of rice or one butternut squash makes a lot of servings and you can store them in reusable cubes or pouches.

Last week you met Sales Manager Jaime Putnam’s daughter, Lainey, and this week we’re delighted to introduce you to Wyatt, the bouncing baby boy of our Customer Service Guru, Krista Gamble! Wyatt was born just before Christmas–the day before Krista’s birthday–(talk about the best gift ever!) and is now close to 6 weeks old. We caught up with Krista while she’s away on maternity leave to find out how motherhood is treating her and to learn more about her precious son Wyatt. We also asked her to giveaway her favorite i play. or green sprouts product to one lucky ready. Read on to find out how to enter!

Name:  Wyatt Warren Gamble

Birth day:  December 19, 2012 – the day before my birthday!

Birth weight: 8lbs. 6 ozs.

Birth time: 2:24 in the afternoon

Present age:  Wyatt is 5 weeks old now

Tell us about your birthing experience.

I got up around 3 am to go to the bathroom and my water broke.  However, I wasn’t 100% sure that’s what had happened.  So I woke up my husband, Griff, to tell him and decided I would lay there until my doctor’s office opened at 8:30 am and have Dr. Moore check me out.  HA!  About an hour later I started having extremely painful contractions, however they didn’t feel like “textbook” contractions (back to front or top to bottom pain).  Griff joked that maybe it was from all the spicy food we had been eating  to move things along!

Anyhow, the pain got worse, and the contractions got closer together so I showered and got everything ready. We headed to the hospital about 6 am.  That was a heck of a drive and we only live about 5-10 minutes away!

When we arrived at the hospital I was 7 cm dilated and the nurse joked  that most women do not wait until 7 cm to come to the hospital when having their first baby. I didn’t know!!!  And it happened so fast!

How did the delivery go?

Delivery was a breeze. I was in my room by 7 am and climbing the walls in pain.  I couldn’t get comfortable, I wanted to stand, sit, squat, walk…and finally, I said, “I’m ready for the epidural.”  My goal was to see my pain tolerance, and I found it!  Luckily I’ve never broken a bone, or sprained anything, have never had stitches, or even an IV, so all of this hospital stuff was new to me.  After the epidural, we just hung out, and about 1 pm I started to push and he was here by 2:24 pm!

What was the moment like when you first saw your new baby?

I think Griff and I both were in shock that he was actually here now, on my chest, ours, our baby. We both just kept looking at each other and then at him.  I had a mixture of giggles and tears flowing. It was the most amazing moment of our lives!

Who was at the hospital with you? 

Just my husband Griff.  As soon as we got to the hospital and knew that Wyatt would be making his appearance, we called our parents and they jumped in their cars from Florida and drove straight to Asheville.

What does it feel like to be a (new) Mom?

AMAZING!  I love spending every moment with him catching all his expressions, sounds, and even his toots! Really, people say it all the time but it’s a love I’ve never known, and am so happy I do now.

What’s been the biggest surprise?

How laid back he is, and that he is a pretty darn good sleeper. (I hope I didn’t just jinx myself!) But, considering he came from me and my husband, it’s fitting!

I’ve also learned that that stay at home moms really do have a full-time job working over-time!  I have managed to shower every day, but some days that is the only chore that gets accomplished.  I try to set one goal for myself for the day….laundry, sweep, go to Target, etc., and make sure I get that done.  But there have been some days where all we do is eat, burp, nap, diaper change, eat, burp, nap….you get the point!  And next thing you know Daddy is home and the day is gone.  But that’s okay.

What’s been the biggest challenge so far?

BREASTFEEDING!!!!!  People don’t talk about how painful, emotionally draining, and frustrating breastfeeding can be. I would go through labor and delivery again if I could make breastfeeding work without any issues. It is getting better, though….we just keep trying!   I did have to supplement some formula and I’ve tried every measure to relieve the pain and produce more milk. I’ve also been extremely lucky to have an amazing support system from my husband, local moms, and friends and family.  We just keeping working at it!

What are you most looking forward to?

My best friends meeting Wyatt. And just watching him grow and learning his personality.

::GIVEAWAY::

What would you like to give away to one lucky reader?

Well, the thing I’m using the most right now are the Glass Storage Cubes. We’re not using them for storing baby food just yet, one day we will, but recently we have been using them to hold a pacifier, nipple shields or an ounce of dry formula in the diaper bag.  They are the perfect size!

Enter to WIN!

For a chance to win a four-pack of Storage Cubes, like and share the link to this post on our Facebook page here.

For a BONUS entry, leave a comment below for Krista–your experiences, tips, and advice with breastfeeding would be especially welcome.

We’ll announce the winner at 5 pm EST on Monday, February 4th. Good luck!

Last month we introduced Sales Manager Jaime Putnam, who was expecting her second child in mid-December. In this special follow-up, we catch up with Jaime and hear how life is going for the mother of two, and hear the amazing (and fast!) story of how little Lainey made her stunning debut into the world. Plus, we’ve got a special giveaway of one of Jaime’s must-have favorite green sprouts products after the jump. Enjoy!

Name: Lainey Renee Putnam

Birth day: December 20, 2012

Birth time: 6:15 pm

Birth weight: 6 lbs, 15 ozs

Age: 5 weeks

Will you share the story of the day that Lainey was born? 

I was home when my contractions started coming about 2 – 3 minutes apart.  Luckily, my husband Eli had the foresight to only let me labor for 30 mins at home before he said we needed to head to the hospital.

We had to drive about 30 mins to get to the hospital and it was raining cats and dogs. I hoped we’d get there safely and that our baby girl wasn’t going to be born in the front seat of my car. My contractions were a minute apart by that time and I wished I could get in the back seat (dang those 2 car seats!). The passenger seat isn’t the most ideal place to go through full-on labor!

How did the delivery go?

It was fast and furious–35 mins from hospital doors to Lainey’s arrival! We had to wait on the doctor to arrive for me to actually push. Needless to say, there was no time for an epidural. I labored for 36 hours with Oliver, so a 2 hour labor took us completely by surprise! I wonder if the way she came into this world will be any indication of her personality?

What was the moment like when you first saw your new baby?

There are no words to describe the first time you lay eyes on the precious baby you’ve been carrying all those days and weeks and months. It’s the most joyous feeling in the world to finally meet them face to face…to hold them, to know they are healthy. It’s like time stands still for a few minutes.

What was that moment like for your husband Eli?

Honestly, I think it was a moment of relief–ha! He told me later he was really concerned that he was going to have to deliver her in the car or on the side of the road. He was wonderful and supportive during the whole wild ride!

What does it feel like to be a mother of two?

It’s really been wonderful! Lainey has been a dream baby; she nurses and sleeps well. And Big Brother Oliver has been such a sweet boy. He’s very loving and concerned with “his baby.”

What’s been the biggest surprise?

I’ve been surprised at how much smoother of a transition it’s been to go to two kids versus our first. I guess we are already in the “parent” zone, as we’re used to little sleep and all the demands of having a little one around.

What’s been the biggest challenge so far?

Not being able to monitor my very active 2 year old while I nurse the baby. I have to shut doors and barricade areas to contain my wild boy.

What are you most looking forward to?

I can’t wait until Oliver and Lainey interact more. I can’t wait for them to make each other laugh!

What giveaway would you like to offer our readers?

green sprouts Sprout Ware Infant Spoons. They fit perfectly in Mom’s hand! Even when I’ve purchased them for other friends who are “experienced” moms—they LOVE them.