The story begins... Pregnancy
While pregnant, I spent many sleepless nights online researching, and for some reason cloth diapers were my favorite middleof-the-night surfing topic. I was amazed but overwhelmed by the multitude of cloth diapering options. There were so many different styles and brands to choose from -- it was hard to know which would be best. I think I read every review on Diaper Pin but it seemed that there was someone who loved or hated every brand of diaper.
Nathan's Birth ~ Diaper Delivery Service
I decided to start out with a local diaper delivery service. This worked great, especially in those early weeks when it seemed we changed Nate's diaper 15 times a day! It was sort of a fun challenge to use the prefolds and test out various brands of diaper covers. My husband and I traded diaper folding techniques to see which had the best "containment factor". I was surprised, however, at how Nate's Grandma and Bubby struggled with the prefolds. After all, they used them on us in the 60's!! I couldn't convince them that the Snappi was easier to use than diaper pins (it really is!!). I started to have doubts about using prefolds for the long-term. It was also starting to bother me that, while the diaper covers contained messes and leaks pretty well, the wet prefold sat against Nate's skin. I was ready to try something new.
Nathan at 6 weeks ~ Diaper Shopping
I stopped into a local consignment shop that carries a small selection of pocket and fitted diapers and decided to try a few. I also A LOT of pocket, all-in-one (AIO), and one-size diapers over the internet. After spending several hundred dollars and way too many hours online, I made a decision and plunked down $500 on my initial investment of 20 pocket diapers, a bunch of inserts, a couple of wet bags, some pail liners and some soap. It frustrated me that while the initial expense to test a bunch of brands was not exactly “wasted”, it could certainly have been avoided if I had been able to see and touch the diapers first and talk to someone directly about each product.
Nathan at 8 weeks ~ The "BIG IDEA"
Meanwhile, there I was, a new mom doing the new mom thing... joining new mom groups and going to the free classes at the hospital. Whenever I changed Nathan, there was always at least one other mom who would ask me about his cloth diaper. I began to realize that after all of my research and product testing, I had become quite an “expert” on cloth diapers and that other moms valued my advice and experience.
Thus… the "Big Idea”: start a business to explain the pro and cons of cloth diapering, conduct Diaper Demo workshops to let customers see and touch the diapers, and become a reseller of the best products on the market. Of course... when I had this "Big Idea", Nate was still sleeping most of the day. As the next few weeks passed and I rushed to put the business together, he became more alert, more fun, and more awake!! My goal was to get the website and business up and running before returning to my corporate job, and somehow I did it. I'm began offering my Diaper Demo workshops and they are definitely the most rewarding part of this entrepreneurial experience... advocating for cloth diapers and helping parents make the right selection for their baby! Check out the Diaper Demo page for the schedule if you live in the Boulder/Denver area.
"Two Under Two"
When Nathan was 19 months, we welcomed baby Jasper to the family. Wahoo... a new bum to test on! Jasper has worn just about every kind of diaper, especially as I wanted to test out how many of the one-size diapers really fit on a little 6 lb 14 oz newborn.
WAHMing It
Now here I am, with a 2.5 year old Nathan and a 10 month old Jasper, somehow trying to balance two kids, a wonderful husband (thank goodness he can cook!), a full-time job, AND my diaper business. The best thing is that I can work from home. I'm excited to be part of the Cloth Diaper Retailer Cooperative. This blog and our facebook page will be a great resource to parents trying to navigate the amazing world of cloth diapers. Please also feel free to email me at lisa@livingearthbabies.com if you have any questions.
Now here I am, with a 2.5 year old Nathan and a 10 month old Jasper, somehow trying to balance two kids, a wonderful husband (thank goodness he can cook!), a full-time job, AND my diaper business. The best thing is that I can work from home. I'm excited to be part of the Cloth Diaper Retailer Cooperative. This blog and our facebook page will be a great resource to parents trying to navigate the amazing world of cloth diapers. Please also feel free to email me at lisa@livingearthbabies.com if you have any questions.
Lisa Van Damme
lisa@livingearthbabies.com
Facebook page: Living Earth Babies
twitter: @livearthbabies
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