A new addition to any family makes for exciting times. We’re overjoyed with the response to our new line of Baby Care, and love hearing about how our new baby pampers yours!

In the June issue of American Baby, J.R. Watkins Baby Oil and Baby Lotion are included in the sweetest feature! Editors say our Lotion smells of “sweet flowers,” which can be attributed to the essence of fresh shea and rice flower. It is soft and gentle, just what you want for your little one.  

Blogger extraordinaire Kate at Retro Modern Mom put a handful of baby washes to the test on her two-year old little man. According to Kate, her little babe loves the suds (sulfate free, of course!) and finds the formula to be very moisturizing. Click on over to Retro Modern Mom to see how we measured up against the rest.

And, rounding out one of the most fun months we’ve ever had on Facebook, are the final results in our Baby Photo Contest. After four weeks, 174 adorable entires and more than 6,000  votes, we have our two grand prize winners! Congrats to the winners, whose adorable newborn babies will now be pampered with a gift basket of the entire J.R. Watkins Baby Care Line, J.R. Watkins Liquid Laundry Detergent and six natural cloth diapers from Chickaboo Baby!

Moms rule the world. In fact, we’re celebrating moms (and babies!) all month long at J.R. Watkins. We can’t think of a better time to give a special shout-out to the most important woman in our lives than the month of May.  We kicked off a special Baby Care promotion on our Facebook page with a call for cute baby photos. We want to celebrate mom’s pride and joy and reward you with our new arrival: a chance to win great prizes, including J.R. Watkins line of baby care products!

You have until the end of May to enter your cutie in our Facebook contest, but you only have a few more days to prepare for Mother’s Day. We tapped our team for some great gift ideas —- even asking new moms what they want most on Sunday, May 13.

1. Sleep. This should come as no surprise (especially for new, first-time moms!) Dad, this is the day (or weekend, if you’re being really generous) to let mom sleep in while you take care of the kiddos. Better yet, take the kids out for breakfast so the house is quiet and peaceful.
2. “Me time.” Yet another thing that moms graciously sacrifice every day. Gift your mom (or wife/sister/friend) with some bath soak, body cream and products she can use to unwind and relax. We recommend the J.R. Watkins Hand & Feet Retreat!
3. Homemade art. Make a card rather than buying one, and get the kids involved. Not only is it a fun activity, it will mean more to mom due to the personal touch!

Any ideas to share?

Melanie Beckmann is your average super mom. She’s got her hands full with two children and her work outside of the home as a dental hygienist. On top of that, she turned a passion for cloth diapering into a business when she started Chickaboo Baby. We tapped her to share her infinite knowledge on the art of cloth diapers and what life is like as a mom.

Clear Conscience Blog: How did you get started cloth diapering?
Melanie Beckmann: I had always been interested in cloth diapering, but was too intimidated by it to try with my first child. When my son was almost 2, I was pregnant with my second and my sister was cloth diapering a newborn. I was sick of buying diapers for my son because I was sure he was going to be potty-trained any day now (go ahead, you can laugh). I thought, if she can do it with a newborn, I can surely do it with my toddler. So I started with a $10 cover and a few “prefolds” (these are the old-fashioned white diapers people used to use with pins and plastic pants, though I never did any pinning). Once I got comfortable with that, I bought a few Bum Genius pocket diapers and I was a convert!

CCB: What is your advice for moms interested in cloth diapering but aren’t sure where to start?  
MB: There are many websites out there devoted to cloth diapering.  For example, Diaper Swappers is a forum for advice and ideas, but they also have a “marketplace” where people can buy and sell things they don’t want anymore.  Another great site is Jillian’s Drawers.  They sell cloth diapers and accessories, have info on washing, and also trial packages.   Also, Itsy Bitsy Bums has a great rental package for newborns as well as many trial packages and rentals for the non-newborn sizes.  

CCB: Tell us about your inspiration for Chickaboo Baby?  
MB: I started sewing my own cloth diapers for several reasons.  1) I was unhappy with the bulkiness of all my “one sized” diapers on my new baby and wanted something trimmer.  2) I wanted to save even more money by making my own. 3) I am always looking for excuses to sew!  I started out with a purchased pattern and eventually created my own.  I was sewing a lot for gifts for people and had several people tell me I should start selling them, so I did!

CCB: Where did the name Chicakboo come from?  
MB: It was sort of a cross between the oh-so-cute- “chickadee” and the word “peek-a-boo.”

CCB: What products do your little ones like at bath time?  
MB: At bath time, we like to use a mild and safe shampoo/body wash.  If their skin is dry from the winter or swimming lessons, we also put a little oil in the water or on their skin afterwards. One of the things I like about J.R. Watkins is that their products are safe for my kids and they smell yummy, but very subtle. 

CCB: What’s your favorite thing about being a mom?
MB: My favorite thing about being a mom is just watching my kids grow and learn.  Each day they show me something new:  a word, a “trick” or just seeing them playing peacefully together and maturing. There are days it seems as though they’ll never grow out of tantrums, and others where my four year old helps his sister get her dolly and uses phrases like “I don’t care for that,” instead of “I HATE this!” It’s pretty fun to see that all of the hard work you put in eventually does pay off.  So far.

Have you checked out our Baby Care Promotion on Facebook? Prizes include two gift baskets brimming with J.R. Watkins Baby Care products and modern cloth diapers from Chickaboo Baby. 

We’re celebrating a new member to the J.R. Watkins family: our Baby Care Line! And, guess what? We want to let you in on all the goodness! Tomorrow, May 2, we are launching a photo contest on the J.R. Watkins Natural Products Facebook page with a mission to find the cutest baby. Whether you have a tot with food all over his face, a miniature princess-in-the-making or a smiley newborn, we want to “meet” your kiddo.

The best part? It’s simple. Snap a photo of your kiddo (the cuter the better!) and upload it to the Baby Photo Contest tab on our page. Then, have all of your friends vote for your photo: that’s it! The top two photos with the most votes on May 30 win a baby care gift basket brimming with all the best natural baby products. Included in the baskets are the entire J.R. Watkins Baby Care Line (includes Baby Wash, Baby Lotion, Soothing Baby Balm and Baby Oil), J.R. Watkins Fragrance Free Liquid Laundry Detergent and six natural cloth diapers from Chickaboo Baby (and let us tell you, these diapers are the greatest thing around).

In addition to the grand prizes, one baby photo will be randomly selected every week to win a Soothing Baby Balm (the most versatile product from the line – it’s also great for Mom’s elbows, Dad’s hands and moisturizing hands, lip and face on the go!)

So, grab your camera and snap a few shots. We can’t wait to see your photos!

Our new line of baby care is the perfect addition to your little one’s bath time. But our Soothing Baby Balm should win an award for most valuable product in mom’s purse or diaper bag. The 100% natural, fragrance-free balm, made with a blend of oils and extracts from grapeseed, olive, sunflower, sweet almond, calendula and lavender, nourishes, softens and soothes minor skin irritations.

The convenient stick application makes this perfect for the mom on the go. Here are four ways to use our Soothing Baby Balm, beyond just for baby!

Windburn preventer: To help prevent dry skin, blend a layer of the balm on your cheeks if you plan to be outside. It will act as a barrier to the elements and moisturize your skin at the same time.

Lip color prep: Use this before you apply lipstick to smooth away any dry flakes or patches.

Hand softener:  Rub this straight from the tube on the tops of your hands and knuckles to soften skin. Apply your favorite J.R. Watkins Hand Cream or Lotion on top and you have a one-two punch for beating dry skin!

Face sculptor: Apply product on your index fingers and dab along your cheekbones to give a little glow. Bonus tip: Mix a little shimmery eyeshadow on your index finger first to give more of a highlighting effect.

Any tips you’d like the share?