Charlie Banana® Cloth Diaper to hit San Francisco Maternity Ward

We here at Charlie Banana® have spent many of our dedicated hours toiling over effective ways to spread cloth diapering awareness. There’s social media, workshops, education, events and trade shows, and, of course, this here blog.

But all of that is great when you know about cloth diapering already. What about new moms and dads, who have never considered it. With that intention, we gathered up a big idea. What better place to seize attention than where there is a dense population of newborns? That’s right, the maternity ward! What if instead of leaving the hospital with a disposable diaper, we began a trend where our tiny newborns leave with a reusable diaper?

We want to show new parents that cloth diapering is, in fact, a viable solution, and, with this new goal, we have been met with enthusiasm! Today, we are thrilled to announce our new partnership with The Pacific California Medical Center and Newborn Connections where we will be sending every newborn home with one X-Small Charlie Banana® cloth diaper.

The Pacific California Medical Center is located in the heart of San Francisco. Delivering 60-70% of the cities babies (that’s 6,000 newborns) each year. We thought this would give us the largest platform to stand on especially since San Francisco is a forward thinking city where even it’s resident’s footprints are going green.

Our instincts led us meticulously this time. The employees at Newborn Connections, the hospital’s perinatal medical center, didn’t need any education about the advantages of cloth diapering. Their staff is made up of 25 people acting as administrators, educators, or lactation consultants.

They work together with Paula Sulkis, the supervisor at Newborn Connections who contacted us immediately with an emphatic, “yes, please!”

Paula is not just the dedicated supervisor at NC, she is also a Registered Lactation Consultant, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and a mother. The best part? She cloth diapered her Little One for three years and knows just how much easier and safer it is than people think.

As Paula wears many hats, so does Newborn Connections. It happens to be brimming over with adorable eco-friendly, fair trade, and locally made goods (including Charlie Banana®’s full line :) ), but it is also a never ending source of information for parents. It was a program started about 15 years ago to educate and aid in lactation and breastfeeding, and it’s continuing to expand with the needs of new parents and the world at large.

It offers a variety of programs like CPR and first Aid classes, breastfeeding class, prenatal yoga, and support in the emotional roller coaster after the birth of your baby.The list goes on.

It’s clear to see that this is a haven dedicated to supporting the mind, body, and spirit of parents and babies alike. We are honored to be in collaboration with such a cutting edge space.

Paula and her devoted staff, have seen thousands of parents come through their doors over the years, and, for the most part they aren’t educated about Cloth Diapers. It’s one of those things, Paula mentioned, that parents just don’t understand until they have their newborn in their arms.

People can give you all sorts of advice, or try to explain to you just how exhausting the first year is, but you don’t know until you experience it first hand.

Parents start considering Cloth Diapers after they see a rash on their newborn or some beads left on their babes vulnerable skin and think, “Wait? What kind of chemicals are in this disposable diaper after all?”. Paula says that most people only think about the “messy poop” factor until they are met with the realistic risks of using toxic disposables and that’s when they come in to Newborn Connections with open minds.

She believes that placing an adorable and stylish little cloth diaper in every discharge package will peak some interest.

We think so, too. This is the kind of change we want to influence. Even if it persuades just a small percentage of the 6,000 families, it will be worth it.

Today, we would like to encourage our readers to reach for one of your dreams, and to take one little step towards it. It’s worth the effort!

Charlie Banana® team