Cloth Nappy Blog: How I became a Fluffy Mummy

Jennifer is a mum of two who started using cloth with her second baby. Here she tells you why she loves being a fluffy mummy!

It was when I was pregnant with my eldest that I first looked into the idea of washable nappies, I’ve always been environmentally conscious and using cloth on my baby’s bottom really appealed to me, as well as the idea of saving some pennies! However money was very tight at the time and with all the other baby equipment we needed to buy there just wasn’t the spare cash to spend in one go, so it got put on a back burner and we started buying packs of eco friendly disposables with our weekly shop.

When I found out I was pregnant for the second time, there was a lot less we needed to buy as we already had most things from our then 3 year old. This time I was determined to use cloth on my baby’s bottom and do my bit to reduce the nappy mountains! I managed to convince hubby by tempting him with the thought of how much money we would save in the long term!

I have to admit though, I wasn’t really sure where to begin, so I started by looking at the cost options and found that ‘pre folds’ ( use a folded square nappy with a waterproof wrap) seemed to be the cheapest. I couldn’t believe my luck when at the supermarket one day I saw a ‘starter pack’ from a well know brand of pre folds at a bargain price, reduced to clear!

At first we used disposables at night and when out and about but when Elizabeth was a few months old we decided that if we were going to do this we should do go the whole hog!

So I started looking into other types of washable nappies and attended a Nappuchino event at a local café. Here I was fascinated not just by the choice of different styles available but by how pretty some of them were! The choice was immense and I have to say at first I was a little overwhelmed! But after chatting to some of the fluffy Mummies, I knew that I had to find a style of nappy that fitted in with us! I bought some ‘pre loved’ nappies to see what worked best for us and after just a few weeks I was sure that ‘pockets’ were the way to go! Easy to use, quick drying, available in some really funky designs and really simple to add more absorbency if required! I was really pleased to discover Baba + Boo and their range of pretty patterned pocket nappies at fantastically low prices!

I started to build up my collection of Fluff after this, buying some pre loved, some new and even being lucky enough to win some! I am now proud to be able to say that Elizabeth has not worn a single disposable nappy in over 3 months! Just think of the amount of disposables we have saved going to landfills!

Do be warned Mummies, Cloth Nappies can be addictive! I now have over 50 nappies (It’s recommend you have at least 20, I’ve more than doubled that!) And every time I see a funky new design I want more…

Win with Minene!

Win a gorgeous Layla Changing Bag from Minene to look as fab as your cloth bums do!

We are pleased that Minene are working with Baba + Boo to give one of our fans a lovely change bag to store your gorgeous nappies in when out and about!

Minene's revolutionary changing bags are creating quite a buzz. With a growing celebrity following their multi-functional changing bags are a must-have for all new mums. "As mums ourselves we understand that one changing bag isn't always going to cut it, so we came up with a range of changing bags that would suit all mums different needs. They even come with multi-wear straps so they can be worn as a traditional shoulder bag or as a backpack and even attach on to your pushchair" says Sharon Levy, one of the mums behind Minene.

Without looking like your conventional changing bag, the attractive Layla changing bag accommodates all your baby essentials whilst providing you with both style and comfort. The bag contains 2 large compartments divided by a large zipped pocket in addition to a generous sized detachable pouch which can be used to store all personal belongings. The pouch can also be used separately by attaching it straight to your pushchair for those days when you choose to travel light. There are 3 external thermal pockets, a stylish matching padded changing mat and insulated thermal bottle holder. The innovative design of the bag enables it to be worn in 3 different styles to suit your needs; it can be carried as a backpack, a shoulder bag or attached to any pushchair using the straps provided.

The Layla changing bag is now available from Babies R Us in black and sand for £65

Minene (my child) was established in Israel in 2005 by three mothers with a vision to create practical yet stylish products for the new generation of parents, babies and toddlers. Their range of products include: changing bags, cot bedding, activity mats, bibs, pushchair accessories, towels, muslins, baby clothing & more. All products have been meticulously designed with clever features to make parents lives as easy as possible.

Visit their website www.minene.co.uk to view the whole range.

To be in with a chance of winning a Layla Changing Bag simply fill out the entry form exclusive to Baba + Boo here .

Competition ends on Midnight Friday 16th September and a winner will be chosen shortly after.

Charity Tuesday

We are so excited about this...once a month we are going to be running a charity event on Facebook for our chosen charity BLISS.

It's gonna work like this - we add some photos of items in our Charity Tuesday album with an opening price and the p+p cost. It can be bidded on until midnight of that Tuesday, the highest bidder wins the item. We will email the winner confirming the total cost providing them with details of our Just Giving page where the money needs to be paid into. BLISS get the whole amount and we will pay for the postage to you.

The items up for grabs are products we've used for still photography and wouldn't sell to customers, plus a few other bits. We'll be throwing in some new items from time to time too...

Let's just see how this first one goes...I'm already a bit confused..

Who wants to go to The Baby Show?

The Baby Show have very kindly given us 2 tickets for The Baby Show in Manchester, which is next weekend 2-4th September. You can choose which day you go on too.

Have to admit, we have never been to the show before but heard so many good things about it. You can try before you buy on tons of products, get advice on pretty much everything, shop til you drop and pick up loads of goodies. For more details, look on their website www.thebabyshow.co.uk

We will be going, although we don't have a stand...hoping to next year though if I make it that far, manic doesn't even come close!!!

How to enter the competition, simply put a comment below saying 'I want to go to The Baby Show and add your email address. If you don't mind, I will then add you to my newsletter list which I send out special offers and news.

For an extra entry:

1. Put a note on our Facebook wall stating why you think you should win.

2. Follow @babaandboo and @thebabyshow on Twitter and tweet this sentence including the link: 'I want to go to @thebabyshow with @babaandboo. You can enter here http://tinyurl.com/3d55bs2 '

Good luck!!!

Our First Guest Post...

Kerry is a mummy blogger/reviewer who contacted me a while ago as she was really keen to try real nappies. She tried some Baba+Boo cloth nappies and now she is a total convert - yay! Kerry has kindly written a post for us about her journey to becoming a cloth nappy addict..

I was delighted when Eve approached me to guest blog for Baba & Boo. It is with thanks to Eve that I am now a Real Nappy Convert!

I am a mum to 2 boys on 2 year old who is fully toilet trained (And who loves his Baba+Boo cow print pants!) and a 10 month old. We started using real nappies about 2 months ago, before then I had honestly never used one or even brought one!

After using just 2 reusable nappies, I knew I was going to be a convert! I was amazed at how easy cloth nappies are to use, all that needs doing is a pre wash before use (I done this by 2-3 cold rinse cycles on a washing machine) Most nappies can also be tumble dried which makes things even easier!

There are so many patterns to choose from, unisex, girls & boys, I even use fleece liners in my son’s nappies as I still like to use nappy cream and the liners seem to offer more protection to the nappies rather than flushable liners.

When it comes to washing the reusable nappies, I have now got a routine of doing a nappy wash every other day, I have even done a nappy wash in with normal clothes without fabric conditioner if I have been running short on nappies to use.

The thing that attracted me to real nappies is knowing that they are better on my little ones skin, and that I am helping then environment. They also look adorable, with so many stunning designs you can match outfits, babylegs and shoes!

Cloth nappies can also vary on price, you can get ‘Internet Cheapies’ Some of which are not as high quality as better makes.

I have 18 nappies which suits us fine, we do get through more when my son is teething which then also means more soiled nappies!! Some which can be very interesting to clean but once you have found the way that is easiest for you (Mine is to flush the worst off the fleece liner, then rinse the nappy and liner in warm water and put into the nappy bucket) you manage to do it as quickly as a wet nappy.

I would certainly recommend anyone to try cloth nappies, they are no longer bulky looking like they were years ago, and once you have your nappy stash built up you do not need to spend any further money unlike disposable nappies, Reusable nappies can last from birth to potty which also means for more than one child, and for night time just add another insert (bamboo is a lot more absorbent so I use a microfibre insert and a bamboo insert), and of course without a doubt I would highly recommend Baba+Boo for their great selection of nappies, nappy bags, nappy bins and much much more including their outstanding quality items, their fantastic value for money and amazing customer service too.

I am a nappy convert and I hope this will help you become a convert too!!

A Big Fat Thank You..

Just a quick post and I promise I will stop going on about the award we won for Best Reusable Nappy...well maybe just for a short while.

We are running a special offer + competition this week to say thanks to all your votes and support during these past, very mad few weeks where I have become somewhat of a media junkie. I am taking myself out of the spotlight for a while, my nerves are shot to pieces..

Anyway, as I said, we have an offer and competition - if you enter AWARDWIN at the checkout, you will receive 15% off your order. This is running until midnight on Sunday. On top of that, any order placed will be put into a draw with the chance of winning a £20 Baba+Boo voucher code to spend in our boutique.

Thanks again

Eve

Ebay Cheapies...

During the processes for these awards which have been so prominent in my Baba+Boo world recently, I have been asked the question about what I have found tough and what challenges I have come against in business. Aside from the obvious struggles with juggling the business and family life, the toughest thing I have face and still face, is the criticism from mums who think my nappies are just 'ebay cheapies' at very inflated rates. I am a really sensitive person and criticism does hurt my feelings. I should toughen up!!!

'Ebay cheapies' as they are called are nappies which generally come straight from the factories in China and are what the say 'cheap' and you can get a nappy as cheap as £3. I really struggle with the fact that people think I get my nappies for a cheap rate and then sell them on for much more than other sellers on eBay. I actually stopped selling my nappies on eBay a long time ago to try and distance myself from the term 'eBay cheapies'. I realise that as long as Baba+Boo nappies are made the same fabric, I am always going to have comparisons.

My nappies are more expensive than eBay cheapies for a number of reasons. Main reason is the fact that I have import costs which the sellers in China don't have. As they come from China by air, I have a conscience about the air miles they travel and I pay to offset the carbon from my shipments.

I am really passionate about Baba+Boo nappies being a brand of nappies that mums trust and have confidence in buying. To ensure this, I spend a lot of money getting my nappies independently tested by UK labs to ensure that the fabrics don't contain nasty chemicals and I am very pleased to say that I have test certificates to show that they don't.

I spent a lot of time, choosing which factories made my nappies. Initially, I had my own policy which I sent over to them asking lots of questions about working conditions, working ethics and conditions. This was not the most ideal way to check initially but I wanted to show due diligence that I cared about the conditions they were made in. I now have had the factory independently audited to see that it adheres to the SA8000 international standards for social accountability. I am really pleased that the report shows that there is no child labour, no forced labour and discrimination. There are some things that the report showed which could be improved and I am working with the factory to improve these things.

Finally with the nappies, it seems people think that the are the same generic nappies from China with my label on. Again, this couldn't be further from the truth. I had several prototypes made and tested so I could perfect shape, performance and quality of materials. This process takes time and costs a fair bit of money.

I hope this shows that I do care where the nappies are made and also the costs I incur to have them made. There is obviously a profit margin in them, there has to be in order for it to be a viable business. I am in this for the long haul, not just to make a quick buck. I have said from the beginning that I am very transparent about where they are made and when I have had discussions with mums on forums about my nappies, I will gladly welcome any advice and guidance from those who are more knowledgeable than me about nappy production.

I am passionate about getting more babies bums in cloth and although I know I will never please everyone, I hope this piece will give you more of an insight into me and Baba+Boo nappies.