Entering parenthood certainly creates lifestyle changes, and for many, this means reassessing finances — sometimes to make ends meet.
Such was the case for Melissa Huynh, owner, and creator of Lalabye Baby cloth diapers.
“I began using cloth diapers out of necessity when my first child was born,” Melissa said. “We had become a single income household, and we were doing everything possible to cut costs. Once I saw the health and convenience benefits of cloth diapers and realized how much less of an ecological impact we were making by using cloth, I was hooked!”
Over time this leads to the creation of Lalabye Baby, a company built with a true family effort.
“Everyone in my family has contributed to the success of our small business,” Melissa said. “My kids were my inspiration and motivation, my testers, and my little helpers. Most importantly, I had a lot of support from my family and friends. Without any of them, Lalabye Baby wouldn’t exist. I combined my love of design and our need for cloth diapers to create the diaper I had been searching for but hadn’t yet found!”
Now, she’s also leveraging her business to make a difference.
“We believe in being good stewards of the Earth, and so we believe helping to eliminate diaper need in a reusable and sustainable way is a perfect way to achieve that goal!,” she said. “Lalabye Baby donates several times a year to Jake’s Diapers because we believe in providing high-quality cloth diapers for babies all over the world, not just those who can afford to shop from our website or our retailers.”
The company inspects each shipment by hand as it arrives. Sometimes, a tag is upside down or a button is cracked from shipping, Melissa said. These items can’t be sold for retail, but because there is nothing wrong with the diapers they are fixed by hand and the overstock is donated to Jake’s quarterly.
“We love that Jake’s Diapers strives to meet the needs of all people: citizens of the world not just in the US, not only babies but the elderly as well, those who struggle with poverty and those who face devastation and loss after natural disasters. We are inspired and in awe of the compassion and love we see Stephanie pour into the organization time and time again!”
About this feature: We regularly share stories from our business partners in this Business Buddy Spotlight to highlight the great ways other organizations are doing good work alongside us. We appreciate these community partners and have a larger impact because of them. Is your organization interested in helping out? Contact Katie at [email protected].