Teeny Tears Frequently Asked Questions
How can I find a facility that needs my diapers?
#1. We have working relationships with thousands of hospitals and keep meticulous record of past and current donations. To make sure we are not doubling or tripling their supplies, or to check if a hospital or organization even accepts our items please email teenytears@gmail.com FIRST to find out if they are currently accepting diapers or if their facility has been recently stocked.
#2. If your local hospital does not appear on the list, email teenytears@gmail.com to see if they are “in process” behind the scenes.
#3. If your preferred hospital is not currently participating in our project AND is not currently in process behind the scenes and you would like to get them involved, we have a document titled “tips for making hospital contacts” that will help walk you step by step through the process of obtaining approval from the decision-makers as well as getting all of the necessary information to make a donation of diapers (for example, the number of losses the hospital experiences per year). This document can be found in the files section of the Facebook participation group. Please keep Teeny Tears headquarters informed regarding your arrangements. As we continue to expand rapidly, it keeps us from duplicating efforts and tripping over our volunteers. We keep a running diaper count and a master database of ALL Teeny Tears diaper donations. After you have provided headquarters with the approval and contact information for your intended hospital, we will record the information in our database and and mark you as the designated local volunteer on the front line for this hospital.
#3. If you would prefer to not contact a hospital for approval and would rather donate to a hospital that is already waiting, once you have a collection of diapers ready for donation, Teeny Tears can match you with a facility on our waiting list somewhere within the United States. Email teenytears@gmail.com for a match.
#4. Please join our Facebook participation group. Teeny Tears headquarters frequently posts hospital “adoption requests” for our volunteers. Many of our volunteers have donated diapers exclusively through the convenience of our hospital adoption program.
#5. If you are located in Utah, please be aware that most Utah hospitals are fully stocked at all times. Local Utah volunteers typically donate their diapers directly to our Salt Lake City headquarters for national and international distribution.
#6. We are always happy to accept your diaper collections through our headquarters for national and international distribution! They will be sent out in future packages to hospitals in need. They will be delivered with your personalized distribution cards just the same as if you had delivered them to your local hospital. The only difference is that they end up in facilities on our waiting list!
#7. We will also happily accept your diaper cut outs, flannel fabric, or monetary contributions through our headquarters for the families that we serve!
#8. If you are a seamstress sewing for another organization and would like to include diapers with your donations to them, please have the leader of the organization contact us for registration within our project. We are highly organized to avoid duplication of efforts and we log and track ALL Teeny Tears diapers donated worldwide, regardless of whether they are donated directly to hospitals or through our friends at other organizations. Please remember, Teeny Tears is a project, not a pattern! We enjoy very warm and rewarding, collaborative relationships with many dozens of other bereavement organizations around the world.
I am sewing for another organization and would like to include your diapers!
That's great! We work with many dozens of other bereavement organizations to help provide diapers for angel families across the world! We are able to personalize our distribution cards with their information and logos. We still count and track ALL DIAPERS as we coordinate with the many amazing bereavement organizations that are participating with our project. We will also highlight their contributions on our blog to bring awareness to the wonderful work they do for their communities. It is so wonderful to work in cooperation with so many good people in the bereavement community! Many hands make light work! Please also see #8 listed just above.
Where do I get the patterns?
Please email teenytears@gmail.com for your FREE Teeny Tears patterns, instructions, and project welcome packet!
Wooden Patterns?! Whaaaaa? Check out the beautiful, true-to-proper-size, long-lasting, professionally-cut wooden patterns that we have available for purchase! All proceeds go toward our continuing mission to provide diapers for angel families. http://teenytears.myshopify.com/
How do I get personalized distribution cards?
All Teeny Tear diaper sets are donated with distribution cards. So many of our current volunteers have come to our project because they received our diapers during their time of need and now wish to join the project themselves to pay it forward. The distribution cards helped them find us!
After you have sewn a collection of diapers and are ready to donate, please request your personalized distribution cards by emailing cards.teenytears@gmail.com and be sure to include the following information:
In loving memory of _______________ (or “angel babies gone too soon”)
Handcrafted by _________________ (including city and state if you like)
Please allow up to a week to receive these free, printable cards via email!
If you are sewing internally for a bereavement support organization, please include their logo if you would like it to appear on the distribution cards.
How many diapers do hospitals usually need?
It depends on the facility and every hospital is different. Some hospitals experience only 2 or 3 losses per year. Other hospitals have more than 300. And of course you will find everything in between. Please download the “tips for making hospital contacts” document in files section of our Facebook participation group if you are interested in determining the needs for your local hospital.
Anything else I should know about the diapers?
#1 -- we donate our diapers in matching pairs! This way, one diaper can remain with the baby for burial or cremation and the matching diaper can go home with the family in a memory box.
#2 -- be sure to use a full quarter inch inseam when sewing diapers. To be properly sized, you must use that full quarter inch! Please see our sewing instructions for anticipated measurements of finished diapers.
If I can’t sew, can I still help?
YES! Along with completed diapers, we also accept diaper cut outs, flannel or cotton fabric, and monetary contributions through our headquarters (paypal link here too). When providing cut-outs for our seamstresses, please also download the “sewing instructions” document with listed pattern measurements to be certain that your patterns have printed in the correct size.
What materials can we use?
Most of our diapers are made of flannel on both sides. However, some beautiful diapers have also been made with cotton on the outside and flannel fabric on the inside. As long as there is soft flannel on the side of the diaper that is against the fragile angel baby skin, cotton may be used on the outside of the diaper. We recommend against fleece, especially for the small diapers, because many of these angel babies have damp skin. Fleece fibers will stick to these particular babies.
Do I need to pre-wash my fabric?
That is up to you! Our diapers are intended for one time use and therefore, shrinkage should not be an issue. Some of our volunteers wash their flannel and many do not. The Headquarters Team does not typically pre-wash their fabric. With the less expensive flannels, they will often get "pilly" or faded and worn-looking after only one washing.
How many diapers can I get out of a yard of flannel?
Many of our volunteers can get approximately 8 small diapers and 8 large diapers out of a yard of flannel. You can find our cutting tutorial in the files section of the FB group.
What about blankets?
Please see our blanket recommendations and tutorial on our blog http://teenytears.blogspot.com/2012/05/blankets.html
What should I do first?
If you are on Facebook, you are invited to join our private Facebook participation group (different from our regular FB page). It’s a great place to share ideas and mingle with others participating in the project. Some members are making small, one-time contributions in their local communities. Others are diapering addicts. And everything in between! All are welcome.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/teenytearsdiapermakers/
What do I do after I have donated my diapers?
It is critical for our coordination and distribution efforts that we know exactly how many diapers are being donated to which facilities!! Please let us know where your diapers are being donated and how many are being delivered. As we continue to expand rapidly, it will help us keep from duplicating efforts and tripping over our volunteers. We keep a diaper count and a master database. Please provide your updates via email to teenytears@gmail.com
Additionally, we highlight the efforts and contributions of all of our volunteers on our blog, which can be found at www.teenytears.blogspot.com. We highlight each and every delivery made!
When you make a donation of Teeny Tears diapers, please submit the information for your blog post to blog.teenytears@gmail.com
What should I include?
We want these blog posts to represent you, the angel babies that may have inspired your contribution to the cause, and your generous efforts toward the families you are serving! Please be aware that it will take several weeks for your post to appear on the Teeny Tears blog once it has been submitted, but every donation WILL be highlighted on our blog and on our Facebook page!
Please be sure to include the following minimum information:
1. The name of the hospital or bereavement support organization that received your donation
2. The names of individuals or groups that participated in their creation, as you would like them listed (with or without last names, for example)
3. Name(s) of the angel(s) in whose memory you are sewing, unless you are sewing in memory of “all angel babies gone too soon”
4. The number of diapers or sets donated
5. Photos of your completed diaper collection
6. What inspired you to join our project (if this is your first submission)
Additional suggestions for your blog posts include, but are not limited to:
1. Photos of the diapers under construction, including participants, flannel messes, and diaper-making events
2. Photos of your angel, if you are comfortable
3. Your angel’s story
4. Photos and written details that represent your inspiration and your project
5. Photos of any other items that you donated with the diapers (gowns, blankets, hats, etc.)
6. Photos of your family as it stands now
7. Your experience participating in the diapering endeavor!