Baby's Bottom Line is just like a pizza delivery service -- with diapers instead of deep-dish. When Seattle-area sleep-deprived parents want to order cloth diapers, Susan Cavanagh will hand-deliver a wide variety of prefolds, pockets, inserts, doublers, fitteds, all-in-ones, one-size-fits-all diapers and zebra-print covers to match.

She'll even help parents select a diapering system that works for their lifestyle and budget, or teach parents how to put ON the diapers, using her model baby doll (it's so model, it never cries).

Cavanagh is also the mom to four children (with a fifth on the way) ages 2 through 11, and lives on Queen Anne. I caught up with this busy mother to dig up the dirt on diapers, owning an at-home business and raising kids in the city.  

Q: How did you first get into cloth diapers?

We wanted to use cloth diapers for both health and environmental reasons. After our second baby was born, he began developing rashes and he has very sensitive skin. I did research, ordered some diapers online, tried them out -- and within the day his rash had cleared up.  

Q: Why did you start your business?

After our third baby was born I thought about opening my own diaper business, with the idea of having everything you would need for baby's first year all in one place. I started out with some different types of diapers and products for breastfeeding as well as baby accessories. Now, five years later, we've expanded our catalog to include organic diapers and clothes, products made of hemp and bamboo, baby carriers, as well as reusable items for your home.

Q. How do you balance work and family life?

Balancing the two is still hard. I usually wake up early and try to get some business done before anyone is awake. Kids are a 24-by-7 job; trying to chisel out time to do some work, let alone some mom time, is a hard thing to accomplish. Working from home with kids is more difficult than it sounds: You have to be structured in what you do. It is also more time-consuming than I ever imagined it would be -- keeping up the Web site, ordering supplies and packing orders.

Q. Is there a cloth diaper that's a no-brainer, for people like me?

Pocket-style diapers like Fuzzi Bunz and Happy Heiny's are easier to use, because you can adjust the level of absorbancy, but they are more expensive. Diaper choices are so individual; it really depends on your lifestyle. Prefolds and covers are the least expensive. The trend right now is toward one-size diapers, which fit babies roughly 7 to 35 pounds.  People like the one-size diapers because you don't have to buy small, medium and large sized diapers. If you have more than one baby in diapers you can use the one-size diapers on both babies, instead of having a separate stash of diapers for each child.  

Q. When you've had a killer month, where does your family like to go out for dinner?  

As a family of six and soon to be seven, Bucca di Beppo is our favorite place to go out to eat. The servings are very generous. Did I mention the serving sizes? They're huge! You'll have some munchies for the next day. We also go out for pizza, to Romio's or Olympic Pizza.

Q. What's that like, raising a larger family in the city?

We could buy a bigger house in the suburbs, but raising kids in the city gives them more opportunities along with more cultural diversity. We walk to Seattle Center and to the Olympic Sculpture Park. We have memberships to Woodland Park Zoo, the Science Center and the Children's Museum. When family asks what we want for Christmas, we always request more memberships.

Do you know a unique Seattle family? Perhaps you're living in one? Contact Lora at littlekidsbigcity@nwsource.com to nominate a Seattle family for a profile.

See previous blog pieces at http://littlekidsbigcity.com.

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