Page 69 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2016

OPPOSITE PAGE: Dexter Weinkauf with Melissa & Doug puppets available at Luna Babies. THIS PAGE, BOTTOM LEFT: Luna Babies owner Codie Weinkauf, left, shares the store’s offering of cloth diapers with customer Meagan Davis and her daughter Abigail, 6 months,
at the store in Gulfport. BOTTOM RIGHT: Weinkauf, with 2-year-old son Dexter, in a Tula soft structure carrier. VARIOUS: From cloth diapers to Ruf e Butts bloomers, from Happy Mats to a large selection of Melissa & Doug items, Luna Babies can suit all of your natural parenting needs.
baby wearing. The store also has
a playroom space with toys where children can play while parents meet other parents in events such as the monthly “mommy-to-mommy” group. Don’t be fooled by the name — the group is welcoming to dads and parents to be. Weinkauf and her friends participate in a baby-wearing group, meant to not only enforce the habit
of attachment parenting but also to foster relationships between the adults, which is sometimes difficult to do when parents have young children.
Luna Babies is attempting to do something far bigger than just sell baby clothes. Wienkauf explains her favorite part of the business: “We are not only
a store; we are here for the community.
We have a section in the store of used cloth diapers for those who don’t want to or aren’t able to spend full price but still want a natural option. It’s a place to meet up with other moms and dads. It’s a place to bond. As a mom, it’s hard to meet friends.” Her enthusiasm is infectious. This isn’t just a job for Weinkauf and Smith; this is a lifestyle.
In addition to the classes, Luna Babies holds an annual yard sale where people can buy gently used baby items, and they attend area baby expos such as the Gulf Coast Natural Parenting Expo — The Great Cloth Diaper Change at Edgewater Mall on April 23.
Luna Babies also has a “Luna Love” program that helps low-income parents who want to natural parent
by providing them with a starter stash of cloth diapers. Once the parents are finished with the cloth diapers, the diapers can then by given to another low-income family. It’s just one of the many ways Luna Babies is giving back to the community that is so important to them.
1820 Pass Road, Gulfport 228.357.5574 www.lunababies.com
FOR MORE REFLECTIONS OF THE GULF COAST >> www.smliving.net
April 2016 • SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living 69