Cloth Diaper Retailer Cooperative: nappy shoppe

Showing posts with label nappy shoppe. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Washing Diapers -- It is simple!

Hi I am Sharni and I own the Nappy Shoppe in Allen Texas. We get a lot of people who come to the store or email me who want to use cloth for the various benefits but are concerned about the washing aspect.

It is easy! I promise you are not required to have a stream in the back yard with rocks to pound on the diapers. Your washing machine does all of the work! When I was washing diapers I was doing 2-3 loads of diaper wash a week, but on the other side of the coin, I was doing less clothing wash than I had with my previous baby in disposables, because I had far less blowouts and leaks with cloth. So I found that I was not doing many extra loads.

The keys to a successful washing routine are water and the right detergent. Diapers are dirty! Yes dirty! Someone just pooped and peed on cloth so they are dirty, and this takes water to clean out. So I ran a rinse before I did anything. I did a cold rinse, so I didn't set any stains with heat. Now I have removed the worst of the soil, I can then add my detergent to really clean the diapers.

I use an additive free detergent. There are several great brands on the market that are made for cloth diapers, such as Rockin Green, Thirsties liquid, Eco Sprout and Eco Nuts. And yes you can use these on your regular wash too. I found them to be comparable price wise so I no longer buy regular detergent.

I found I used far less detergent than I used to before I cloth diapered. One of the biggest mistakes that many make (including myself starting out) was that they use too much detergent. And the residue gets left in the fibers and reacts with pee and causes rashes. I found for my water, a tablespoon of Rockin Green worked the best for me.

Suds do not make for clean diapers. Suds mean there is residue to be removed from the water. The better detergents do not make suds. When you peek in your machine for the final rinse, suds is something you do not want to see. If you do, run a rinse cycle or full cycle again.

I use hot water for the wash cycle. My machine does a hot wash and cold rinse. This worked fine for me. Do not use the sanitise cycle on your machine, the water can be so hot it can ruin the elastics and the waterproofing of your diapers.

Do not use bleach or fabric softener. Keep it simple! These items will harm your diapers. All you need is water and your diaper safe detergent to wash your diapers. Do not use dryer sheets. Not only do these harm your diapers, but they also have harmful chemicals in them that are not good for you in general. Cutting out all these items keeps the cost of washing down too!

So keep it simple, a good detergent and lots of water, and your diapers should be clean.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Babyette Waterbabies Ring Sling

Guest Poster: Patti Dallhoff

Patti works at the Nappy Shoppe and is mother to Carson, 4.5 months old

Baby Wearing experience with: Ergo (used newborn insert as well), CatBirdBaby Pikkolo, Moby Wrap, and the Babyette Waterbabies Mesh Ring Sling.

Texas summers are already hot enough without having to strap on a 16 pound 4 month old while going about my everyday life. He rarely lets me put him down so I have been trying several different baby wearing options. The Babyette Waterbabies Ring Sling is so far my favorite. It takes up very little space in the diaper bag (it could ﬁt in a quart size ziplock with room), is light weight and doesn’t make you sweat. Plus, you can wear it in the pool! How cool is that? I just dropped it in my wetbag for the ride home.

If you have multiple children and are trying to have a pool day, this sling is a must. It is very hands free, light, and secure. It dries quickly and you are not left dripping everywhere.

Having never worn a ring sling before I had to do a little research. Time for youtube! Then a trip to the Nappy Shoppe to try it on. It was super easy to put on for the ﬁrst time with no direction and just the few pointers I had obtained on youtube. Carson loved the kangaroo carry that has him facing out and we walked around the Nappy Shoppe getting use to it. I also turned him around and did the tummy to tummy carry and he quickly fell asleep. Sold!

There is also the option of a back carry once he is a little older. This sling is really quick and easy to get Carson in and out. If for some reason he is SUPER cranky and doesn’t want to be in there, I didn’t waste forever getting him in.

All the slings at the Nappy Shoppe come in a standard size and many beautiful bright colors. I was a little worried this wouldn’t ﬁt my husband, who wears a 52 inch suit jacket, but I was pleasantly surprised. There was at least a foot left to work with.

The very best thing about this sling is we don’t overheat wearing it. My little guy puts off a lot of heat and we stopped wearing our Moby two months ago because of that. This material is light, cool and nice against the skin. It easily washes and dries.

Happy Baby Wearing,

Patti

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Sweet Pea One Size Diaper

Hi I am Sharni, I own the Nappy Shoppe in Allen Texas. If you are local to the North Texas area, please be sure to stop by to say hi, if not, stop by our Facebook Page and say hi :)

I stock quite a few brands of pocket diapers , and sometimes you have to wonder what makes one pocket diaper stand out from the rest. What feature makes the Sweet Pea pocket diaper worth stocking when I have others? This diaper has become commonly reached for diaper at night for us, and I do own more than one (which says something about a diaper when I bother to buy a second after I product test with the first and Braden has enough diapers to diaper triplets for a week without washing).

The Sweet Pea Pocket Diaper is a one size diaper. While I have not actually tested it on a newborn, or not necessarily recommend it on a newborn, babies are not that tiny for long, so even if it doesn't fit on that first diaper change, or even for the first couple of weeks, this pocket is an incredible value for money. If you are looking for a pocket to last through to potty training then this one will fit the bill for most babies. Braden at 35 pounds still has room to grow in it.

This pocket closes with snaps, and while my husband is not a fan of snaps, he has managed to put this one on Braden with success. Snaps are far more durable than hook and loop and will not need replacing. There is two rows of closing snap. I really like the way this diaper fits. Even when stuffed with two G-Flappers for night time, it is still trim looking. It has a good rise on it and a decent size pocket which allows for it to be stuffed for night time. Stuffed for day time use, it is a trim diaper.

So what makes this unique? Well it has a feature that I like about the Thirsties DUO Pocket diaper , and that is the fact that has openings at each end for the stuffers, and inserts will work their way out in the wash, so you do not need to unstuff this pocket before washing. While I love the Thirsties DUO Pocket Diaper for night time, it is only available with hook and loop closures, so when someone tells me they love the idea of the Thirsties DUO Pocket, but do not want hook and loop, I point them in the direction of the Sweet Pea Pocket. The other advantage this diaper has over the Thirsties DUO is that it is one size, not split into two diaper sizes. So this diaper will go all the way through from birth to training. I have however tested Size 1 Thirsties DUO Pockets on newborns and I know they do work from around 6 pounds. This diaper does say it will fit from 8 pounds though, which covers a lot of newborns. It has 4 size settings, which is more than some other brands.

What else do I like? This diaper comes in a colour not commonly seen in other brands. Yes it has the standard blues and greens, but it also had BLACK! While black on babies is not for everyone, for those who like it, this is one of the few brands that offers it.

The other thing that makes this diaper great value for money is the inserts. While most pockets at this price point of $18.95 offer two inserts, in general they are just microfiber. This diaper comes with a microfiber insert and a hemp insert. These two fabrics work great together, and for many babies these inserts would be sufficient for lasting the night. For those that need more, just add an all bamboo G-Flapper and you will find that will do most heavy wetters.

So when looking for a one size pocket, be sure to consider the Sweet Pea One Size Pocket. With its snap closures, no touch insert removal, and hemp and microfiber inserts, its great value for money.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Doing it yourself

Hi, I am Sharni, owner of the Nappy Shoppe. Nappy Shoppe was started with my making my own inserts. And it has since evolved into making my own diaper accessory product line that employs 4 other girls to help me do it. I stock a lot of brands, but I love the fact that when someone buys a product made in my store, it helps to keep several families in my community fed!

If you have the ability to sew, you can make your own diapers. Although I found that if you walk into your local Joanns and ask them for hemp fabric, they will look at you like you are smoking its close relative! So for many of you, the better diaper making resources will need to be found on line. Those local to the Dallas Fort Worth area, can get them from my store in Allen Texas.

There are many free patterns out there to make cloth diapers, but I found a couple of great patterns that really worked for me, and I now sell them because I know that the average sewer will find these patterns easy to follow.

The first is the Jalie diaper pattern. For the price, I think it is great value as it has 4 different kind of diapers that you can make on it. A cover, a fitted, an all in one and a pocket. Here is my son Braden wearing the first pocket I made from this pattern. This pocket was so good, it worked at night on him!

All that pocket took was some PUL, Microchamois, elastic and Aplix. It was very affordable to make. I already had inserts from other diapers, but you could easily buy absorbent fabrics to make your own inserts.

Another great line of patterns is the Little Comet Tail Patterns. I have made several of these and they have fitteds, trainers, covers, diapers and more.

Common Materials

PUL - The common waterproof yet breathable outer layer for diapers, trainers, wet bags and more. Can be tricky to sew with (see my tips below). I believe some fabric stores have started stocking it, but it can still be tough to find locally, so your best source is going to be on line.

Microchamois or microfleece - The stay dry inner layer. Be careful when choosing your fleeces as some fleeces actually are a water proof barrier, and make great diaper covers instead. For instance polar fleeces make great diaper covers.

Aplix/Hook and Loop - The regular velcro brand is going to be too stiff for diapers. I personally have not found this kind at my local big box sewing supplies store. I was only ever able to find it online. I stock by the yard and tabs that I had die cut.

Snaps - There are two common methods for applying resin snaps. A snap press which is a heavy iron press. I have two of these in my store because we apply a lot of snaps, so the cost made sense for us. Snap pliers are great for those who only apply snaps casually. They take up far less room too. Snaps typically used for diapers are size 20 and come in a wide array of colours.

Absorbent fabrics - Cotton, hemp, bamboo and microfiber are common choices. You can pick up microfiber cleaning cloths at walmart. It is rather thin, but it can work. Cotton towels and receiving blankets can be cut up for inserts etc. Organic cottons, hemp and bamboo are easier found on line. Whenever I have sufficient I offer it up for DIY in limited supplies, but another great source is Natures Fabrics.

Elastics - Regular elastic will work. I like polybraid myself, but your pattern may call for a different kind. In generally this is the easiest material to be found in a sewing supply store.

FOE - Fold Over Elastic - This elastic is a binding and elastic combined. It is nice and soft against babies skin. There are some great youtube videos out there on how to apply FOE.

So if you sew, give diaper sewing a try. It can be a lot of fun :)

This picture is newborn Rylan at 5 pounds wearing a pocket diaper made from the Jalie pattern.

QUICK TIPS.

Be sure when making cloth diapers to use polyester thread and not cotton thread. Cotton thread will wick moisture.
Use a finer needle on PUL like an 11 so that you make as small a hole as possible in the PUL.
Run your diaper through the dryer after making it, to help seal up the holes.
When sewing on PUL, try to put the shiny side down towards the Feed Dogs of your machine. The shiny side will stick to the foot of your sewing machine. If you have no choice but to sew with the shiny side up, use a walking foot or a teflon foot. If you have neither of those available, laying tissue over the top of the PUL will help and you can tear it away afterwards.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

The making of a new product ...

Hi my name is Sharni and I am the owner of Nappy Shoppe. At Nappy Shoppe, we don't just sell brands of cloth diapers etc, but we also make our own line of products. I started Nappy Shoppe with selling the G-Flapper, an insert originally designed to work in gDiapers. And the business grew from there. We added a line of wet bags, we started making organic wipes, breast pads, and mama pads. We also make custom diaper bags and quilts.

Recently a regular customer was in the store and was complaining about the lack of value in their nursing cover. They had paid $40 for a very flimsy piece of fabric that was less than a yard worth of fabric. I looked it over, I said I could make it better for the same money or the same for less.

So then started the process of making our own line of nursing covers. We had most of the materials already in stock from making things like wet bags and diaper bags. We made up a few demo models. We tried the single layer smaller version similar to the one that our customer had shown us. When customers who nursed came into the store we asked them to try it out. One girl who was on the larger side, said she didn't like how narrow it was as she felt exposed on the side. So back to the drawing board we went, and we made our covers wider so that girls of all sizes could feel covered.

Then another girl told us that single layer nursing covers flapped too much when she was watching her older child play soccer and the breeze would lift the cover. So we decided a lined product would be the way to go, to give the cover some weight. We did have some mums say that a cover got hot, but those that did got hot with a single layer as well as a double layer, so we decided that two layers were best as it made for a better quality product.

So the double layered, wider cover went out into the store for our nursing mums to test. And the feedback was great, they loved how it covered, they loved the prints, they loved the drape. Then one mum said, I would like the strap around the neck to be longer because I like to be able to stick my hand in the neck line to adjust my baby. So as the strap was something you could adjust to personal taste, we made it longer so that those who wanted it long could do so, and those who wanted it short could make it so.

Then we tested how big the curve of the boning around the neck would go. And we adjusted that until mums were telling us they loved the size of that.

So the end result? A well crafted, good quality, non flimsy, wider, longer strapped nursing cover in cute prints! We didn't get the price down, but we increased the quality of the product dramatically.

The proof was in the pudding when our original customer was in the store recently. We showed her the new product. And while her husband was checking out new diapers for her son, she tried out our cover. Later on, baby wanted another feed. She stepped outside to do it, and quickly came back inside, and instead of grabbing her own nursing cover, grabbed ours saying it was far better to use outside!!

We have a lot of fun at Nappy Shoppe making practical products for mums and babies. We hope you will stop by and shop with us. When you buy a Nappy Shoppe product you are buying something made locally in the US and help keep locals employed.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

And baby makes four ... or more ..

Hi, My name is Sharni and I run Nappy Shoppe Cloth Diaper store. I am the mother for 4 children, the oldest is 23 and the youngest is 2.

So you have brought home a brand new baby, and big brother or sister is not super thrilled to have to share your attention with this new baby brother or sister. They were so excited to be getting a baby brother or sister, but all it does is eat, sleep, cry and poop. It doesn't sit up and play. It just takes all of mum and dads attention.

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While I have never had a toddler when I had a newborn, I did have a very jealous 9 year old when my second came along. I was also a nearly three year old when my first brother came along and boy was my nose out of joint. He arrived on the 9th of December, and apparently I was not very nice to this new baby. So my mother was smart. She went and got me a baby doll, complete with bath and accessories. It was my Christmas gift that year. I actually do have memories of that Christmas morning, just before I turned three (my birthday is December 28th). I remember coming out to the living room and up against the wall in a big pink box with a clear plastic top was this beautiful baby dressed in pink.

From then on, when mum bathed my baby brother, I bathed my dolly. When mum changed my baby brother, I changed my brother. There was a lot less hitting from big sister, because big sister had her own baby to care for while mummy was busy.

When I was pregnant with my third child, my daughter who was then nearly 14, gave her then nearly 5 year old younger brother a bunny to care for. She helped him diaper and dress the "baby". She used the toy bunny as a tool to help him prepare for the new baby brother that would soon arrive.

A mother was in recently with her newborn, and she had visited me several times while pregnant with her one and a half year old. A very sweet little boy. When she came in with the newborn, she came without little Knox, and I asked her how was Knox doing with his baby brother. She said, Knox was rather jealous of the new baby. My suggestion a baby doll. Don't worry about if Dad thinks boys don't play with dolls. But baby dolls can help both sexes just fine. Giving them something to care for while you care for the baby can help the older sibling feel useful. It doesn't have to be a doll, it can be a stuffed animal. Just something that is something special for them to care for.

I have stocked toys for quite some time now, but after the visit from Knox's mother I decided that we should add baby dolls and accessories to our line up. We have a lot of older siblings come in with their mums to the store, so why not help them kit out their "babies" too. We also make cloth diapers to fit the dolls we stock.

So here are some of the items we are stocking at the store for the older sibling:

Annie is a 12 inch doll complete with a cloth diaper, pacifier, bottle and potty. Having a potty makes her a great tool for potty training too.

Baby doll diapers, made by the sewing crew at Nappy Shoppe. We make the diapers from the left over fabric from making Otter Puddle trainers. They close with hook and loop so little fingers can easily close them. (We did test out a snap version on my two year old, but he had trouble doing the snaps up, but he was able to do up hook and loop just fine).

Diaper bag changing set. Complete with a bag, diaper, and cream. Only available in pink though.

Happy Heiny doll diapers come in a variety of colours. They will fit a 14-20
inch doll. We choose the colour/print.

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An extra bottle and bib!

After all babies will drool .. especially when their little parent decides to share their morning snack with them.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Otter Puddle Training Pants

Hi, this is Sharni of Nappy Shoppe. My youngest Braden at 2 has been back and forth on training. I am a firm believer that they will do it at their own pace, so I let him decide when he is ready. So right now he goes a few times a day, opts to wear trainers a few times a day and opts to wear a diaper other times. So right now I have the best of both worlds as a cloth diaper store owner, he is testing both diapers and trainers!

So when Braden first showed signs of training, I pulled out the Happy Heiny trainers that I had been stocking since I started Nappy Shoppe. While he loved to wear the cow print one I had chosen for him, I thought them to be rather poofy and diaperish still. They are still one of my number one recommendations for night time and nap time though as they can be stuffed like a diaper for absorbency, but they can be pulled up and down like underwear. But I found I wanted something trimmer that looked more like underwear. So the applications to stock trainers started, and we have tried several brands on Braden, and the ones I stock in the store, we do like. But there was one that was an outstanding favourite for us.

Designed by Debby Reed of Otter Babies is the Otter Puddle. These trainers are the best we have found. They are trim, absorbent, and well made. These trainers are a day time option only. They are not for night time or nap time usage. They will hold an accident nicely and protect furniture and flooring nicely for one accident, but they are not designed to be left on as long as a diaper.

The ones we stock have snaps on the side (though they do make one that does not). I far prefer snaps on the side so that when a poopy accident happens, clean up is easy. We had a poopy accident in a pair of trainers that did not have snaps, and it was not a pleasant experience cleaning that up. The puddles can be pulled up and down like undies, and if there is no poopy accidents you do not have to undo the snaps.

The outside of the trainers is a cotton interlock (though some do have a bamboo french terry), so that they feel like undies. Some of the brands I sell have a PUL outer, which to me makes it feel like a diaper still. (These tend to be the brands that work great for night time and nap time though). The fabric helps the child transition to underwear, and the pants feel more like undies as a result.

The inner of the trainers is a soft bamboo interlock, that is comfortable to wear, but will make the child feel wet when they have an accident. You do not want a stay dry fleece in my opinion in a trainer during the day, as you need them to feel wet to learn.

The absorbent layers are two layers of hemp fleece, that is hidden between the inner and outer layer of the pants. This is backed by a layer of water proof fabric to prevent the bulk of the accident from coming through the pants. We have found that this is sufficient to hold the one accident and not had any leaking on to furniture. If you leave them on for another accident (ie you are not aware that the first has happened) then the outer of the pants will get wet.

There is an optional snap in pad. The pants all come with the pad, but the optional part is if you want to use it or not. It is great for the early days of training when accidents are more common, but it can be removed later on when accidents are rarer. The pad is one layer of bamboo fleece and two layers of hemp fleece. It snaps into the pants, and has an otter embroidered on to the front. Not only is the otter the logo of the brand of pants, but it can be used as a teaching tool. We tell Braden to keep the otter dry. (His little friend Natalie calls it a Kitty .... ).

The small sized puddles are great for those who EC. We do find that the most commonly used size is the larges and extra larges.

We love the Puddles, so much so that when Debby was unable to keep up with our demand for them, Nappy Shoppe crew came on board to help sew them. We really believe in this product, and they are a favourite of many of my customers who are training or have trained their tots.

Congratulations to Libby (15) who one our free otter puddle.

In these photos, Braden is around 30 pounds in a size large, and Natalie is around 27 pounds in a size large.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Cloth Diaper Storage Solutions

Hi, I am Sharni of the Nappy Shoppe in Allen Texas. Several months ago, I ran a little competition asking entrants to show me their cloth diaper storage systems. I am one who loves to be organised, Ikea and Container Store are places I love for their organisation systems. So I wanted to see how others had worked out ways to store their diapers. Quite a few people entered, and you can see them all on my blog under the cloth diaper storage category.

But I thought I would feature some of my favourites.

While it did not hold a lot of diapers, this one appealed to me because it made the diapers look like artwork. Daisy used mostly gDiapers with G-Flappers on her son Aiden, and this system did not require a lot of storage room so this worked for her. When changing Aiden, she simply had to reach up and grab a prepared gDiaper and put it on him.

She uses a regular trash can from a home improvement store with a Wahmies pail liner in it, right beside the change table. A small basket to one side contains creams etc for all those diaper changing needs.

I am sure you have seen those toy storage bucket shelf systems at Target etc. Melody had one of these and re-purposed it for her diapers. By tilting the buckets, she was able to see at a glance the diapers in the buckets. She said the storage system cost her $65 from Target. She has it placed right next to her changing table. This system also allows for the buckets to be stored straight, so if you wanted to hide what was in them, you could do so.

Chelsea took an over the door shoe hanging system and turned it into her diaper storage system. Over the door can work well for you if the door is convenient to your changing space. This system means that the diapers take up next to no space to store. The beauty of this system is you could have more than one on different doors in the house if you are someone who likes to change baby at different places.

Britney had a very limited space in her apartment, and needed

good storage for her two little ones. So she made good use of her wall space. She labeled canvas boxes so she knew exactly what was stored in them. These boxes are readily available at big box stores for less than $10 a piece. Simple white shelves store the boxes. As you can see the boxes store more than diapers, they store the kids clothes as well.

Do you have a space in your bathroom that allows for you to sit in a chair and do your make up? I do, as does Julie. I never use mine, and Julie didn't either. So she turned this space into the changing area. Using simple wire shelves, she turned the space under the counter into diaper storage, and put a changing pad on the counter. Doing this gives her ready access to water for changing. (I actually have a similar set up. We have the changing pad situated between the two sinks in our master bath, and my husband installed a shelf in the space beneath for diapers.)

And then you could go traditional. See how much

prettier cloth diapers look in a standard change table than disposables. They look like artwork here in the shelves under the change table. Such a system works until baby is mobile :) Rebecca found she had all her diapers within easy reach with this. Did you know that Ikea sells affordable change tables in this style?

And want to see my system? This hangs over the door of our master bath. As I said earlier, we have his change space between the two sinks in the master bath. When the bathroom door is open, it is a simple reach to grab a diaper from this. We got this one at Ikea, but I don't know that they make this particular one anymore, but they do have similar ones available. The top shelf of this dragon is reserved for diapers for daddy's use. Daddy prefers all-in-ones that close with hook and loop. He was not a fan of testing different brands on baby for the store, so we keep it simple for him. He knows any diaper in that top shelf is going to be easy for him to use.

And then we could all be honest about the way we store our diapers. Sara had a nice shelving system all set up for her diapers, but she said in general this was typically how she had her diapers stored. And if I was honest, often I am pulling diapers directly out of the laundry basket too!

I hope I have inspired some storage ideas. If you have a different storage system, I would love to feature it on my blog. Just contact me through the Nappy Shoppe website.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Blueberry One Size Minky Diaper

My name is Sharni, and I own and run the Nappy Shoppe. The kids in these pictures are Natalie (the blond), my son Braden (the red head), and Kinsley (the brunette).

Can a super pretty diaper be as good functionally as well? I was rather skeptical about the Blueberry Minky diaper. I mean this thing was made for looks, right? I have bought some diapers in the past that were made for looks, and I could not put them on my son at nap time, because they would leak, or I could expect to change them within the hour. Often when a luxury material is used on the outside, wicking can occur. So this is what I expected of the Blueberry Minky One Size diaper.

I decided to use them in a photo shoot we had, after all they are stinking cute diapers. They looked phenomenal on my son, and his little girlfriend Natalie. We got them with the bamboo inserts.

Well after the shoot, I decided to try this diaper out at nap time. And wow it did fine. That bamboo insert that it came with was trim and extremely absorbent. So then I decided to try it at night time. Not so well. We had leaks. I found I could not stuff it as well for night time use as other pocket diapers I have. But I figured, this diaper is wasted at night. It is too cute to use at night, so for daytime and nap time use, it is fine.

When I first tried this diaper out on my son, it retailed for around $34, making it the most expensive diaper I sell. But I could see the value in the materials, construction and the insert.

Then Blueberry decided to offer the diaper with microfiber inserts, with the option to upgrade to the bamboo insert, and that brought the price down dramatically to around $25 per diaper. Back in line with some of the better quality diapers that I stock in my store. A lot of the high cost of this diaper was the wonderful bamboo insert. So now we just offer the bamboo insert as an upgrade option. Is it worth doing the upgrade? In my opinion yes. Microfiber inserts can only absorb so much, and bamboo does a far better job. So if you can afford the upgrade, do it, you will end up with a diaper that functions better.

It is very hard to cover up this diaper. When I put them on Braden, I put it on with just a t-shirt. I can see the big advantage in baby legs with this diaper. Not really a baby legs person myself, but I can see the advantage in the cooler months to show off the cute diapers :)

The other thing this diaper does, is it leads to a rash of "butt patting". Braden's older brothers and myself cannot resist patting his cute super soft butt in this diaper :) It is also a great way to promote cloth diapering in general :) Even those who are very resistant to cloth diapering have a hard time resisting this diaper.

At the store we call this our "Cadillac" diaper. At least one is a must have in any stash. For dressing up baby in :) And those photo shoots :)

Sunday, September 5, 2010

The Jaxon mission ... impossible or not?

A new mum came into the store on the last day of August, 2010. She carried in her arms, little Jaxon, who was a month old. She told me that her husband was out of work, and they were living with relatives, so money was limited, and they needed to cloth diaper little Jaxon on a very very limited budget. Could I help? I said I would do my best! She said all she had in her purse was $240. And she didn't anticipate more funds being available in the future to buy more.

We started by weighing little Jaxon on my shipping scales. He came to 10 pounds, and that gave us a starting point for our mission. Our goal, to make these cloth diapers last as long as possible! And hopefully make the system easy enough for dad to use.

First off we checked out the Bummis starter kit. These kits are a great kit to get started, but there was one flaw. The smallest version would only fit little Jaxon until 15 pounds. Jaxon's mum asked me, how long till that. Well, how long is a piece of string? That was not an answer I could give. I told her every baby was different. My last one didn't hit 15 pounds until he was 8 months old, but other friends babies were that weight by the time they were 2-3 months old. Predicting weights is not something I can do :)

So then she said, what if she went with the next size up that started at 15 pounds. Could she stuff the cover to make it fit. I pulled out a medium cover off the shelf, and showed her just how big that cover was next to her tiny little Jaxon. No this would not work. Perhaps continue with disposables? I pointed out that the cost of disposables till 15 pounds, would be far more than the cost of the tiny baby starter kit, so she would be best getting both. However, funds did not permit her to get both.

So I sat down at my laptop and started to work some mathematical magic. I call it magic, because math is not something I am good at!

With some back and forth, we were able to come up with a package for Jaxon that even included detergent! And it would fit him until he was 28 pounds! And our package used an easy to use diapering system, even for dads. It was not just a simple cover and prefold system.

This is what we put together:

Item	QTY	Price/Each	Total Price
Monkey Doodlez Tuck and Go Covers - Size Medium	6	15.95	95.7
Bummis Prefolds Size Small/Infant	18	2.67	48
G-Flappers - Hemp/Microfiber/Microchamois	6	6.00	36
Bummis Fleece Liners	5	1.00	5
Bummis Bio Liners Size Small	1	6.00	6
Large Wet Bag	1	18.95	18.95
Gro-Baby Draw String Wet Bag	1	6.75	6.75
Rocking Green Detergent	1	14.95	14.95
Grand Total			231.35

So for around $230 we got her 24 changes, so she only has to wash every two days. She has plenty of covers to last that period of time. She also got detergent to wash her diapers with. The large wet bag was to store the soiled diapers in. Ideally at some point she would need a second, but she can get by with the one. The Draw String wet bag allows her to have a bag to put soiled diapers in while out and about. Her covers will fit her baby from 12 to 28 pounds, which is well beyond most baby's first year of life. The covers, are also good ones that hold the prefolds and G-flappers in place, which makes it easier for other care givers to change the baby.

So yes, you can diaper a baby on a limited budget and not have to settle for the cheapest covers. And you can make the system last through a long weight range too! And it can be simple enough for other caregivers too!

Would you like to win a Monkey Doodlez Tuck and Go cover in the size and colour of your choice? Very simple to enter. Just head on over to my blog and follow the directions on how to enter.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

The Nappy Strap Story

Well you have heard the phrase "necessity is the mother of invention" right? Well that has lead to a couple of the products in my store's line up, the main one being the G-Flapper diaper insert.

My name is Sharni, and I am the owner of Nappy Shoppe. My store not only stocks brand name diapers, but also products made by myself and my sewing friends.

The Nappy Strap is one of those items that was created out of a need. My husband prefers diapers that close with hook and loop. He does not like snaps at all. This man can be so helpless when it comes to anything with an ick factor. We have a little stash of AIO hook and loop diapers just for him. You can read about him in a previous post here.

But the biggest drawback to hook and loop is that it is not as durable as snaps. Yes it is easy to use, Yes it is better adjusting for fit on baby and so on, but fact is, that hook part loves to attract fluff, and loves to curl up. So over time, I end up having to replace the hook and loop on some of my son's diapers.

I had a few diapers that were in need of hook tab replacement, but I just had not found the time, so out of desperation, I went into the sewing room and grabbed a 5 inch strip of hook tape and laid it over the top of his hook on his bum genius diapers. Wala! It held the tabs in place, and we had no accidental diaper removals. But problem was the edges of the hook tape are rather sharp, and my son ended up with red marks on his thighs where they came in contact with the tape when he was moving around.

So then I went back to the sewing room and grabbed a scrap of minky fabric. Sewed it up and attached the hook tape to it. That way I had a nice soft edge where it came in contact with his legs, and no more red marks.

So when a local customer/friend was over complaining about her daughter doing the diaper strip, I made her one. And she said it helped stop her daughter taking her diaper off.

Well if the two of us found it useful for two different reasons, I figured others would want it too. So the Nappy Strap was born, and now I sell it on my website.

It works on any hook and loop diaper that has an upper tab of loop for the hook of the Nappy Strap to stick to. This includes diapers like the Bum Genius, Tiny Tush, Thirsties and more. It wont work with Happy Heiny and Drybees diapers as their hook and loop is covered up (and I find their hook and loop wears better because of this method of construction).

*Giveaway*
Congratulations to Mrs B and Heather A (27 and 38). Each of you have won a Nappy Strap!

Monday, July 5, 2010

Cloth at Daycare

Hi, I am Sharni of Nappy Shoppe. My youngest son, Braden, is still in cloth diapers. Although, at 2 he is starting to train. Recently he started going to a Mothers Day Out program at the local church a couple of mornings a week. He goes to the same one his older brother went to a couple of years ago. So when I called to book him in, I said, he is in cloth, is that a problem? Given that the coordinator is a good friend who has watched my business grow, I think she felt obligated to say that it was fine. I do wonder if she worried that it would be tough to do.

So given I had heard from others who had been told that they were NOT welcome to bring cloth to their day cares, I decided to make it as easy as possible for Braden's new caregivers. I didn't want them turning around saying that it was too messy or too hard to do.

So we raided Daddy's stash of diapers (You can read about Braden's Daddy here). Daddy's stash consists of AIO (All in One Diapers) with Aplix/Velcro closures. These are the simplest diapers I bel

ieve to use and remove. There is no stuffing before hand or afterward.

I then "purchased" a double wet bag for myself. I love these double wet bags. You can read my review on them here. But the big thing I wanted was a single carry bag for Braden's diapers, a change of clothes and dirties. This bag has two large pockets. Each closed with a zipper of a different colour. So I was able to tell them in the case of Braden's bag, that blue was clean and brown was for dirties. In the clean side I loaded up three diapers ready to go and a change of clothes. I hung a double wipes pouch to the bag (it matches by the way) and put several dry cloth wipes in the blue side. They have access to water there so they don't need to be made wet for them. But if I know I am going somewhere where I don't have easy access to wetting my wipes, I can pre-wet them and have them ready to go for the day.

So on our first day, off we went. Braden wearing his mini starwars backpack with his lunch in it (which included a stainless steel bottle with sippy adaptor) and with me carrying my double wet bag. The double wet bag is brown with blue paisley, so it looks like a decorative bag. We didn't need any other bag because the wet bag held all he needed for the day except his lunch.

I explained the zipper concept to the "teacher". She said it looked simple enough. So off I go to run errands without an active 2 year old in tow. And boy did I get a lot done!

Several hours later, I pick up Braden, who incidentally is having a ball playing with the other children. I asked his teacher, did all go well with the cloth diapers. And she says she was surprised how easy it was. How cute the diapers were, and that the bag system worked great!

The next time we go, he wet through everything however. I figure out they are so used to using disposables they are not changing him as frequently as I would at home. So I had to adjust the diapers that were being sent with him. I chose Monkey Doodlez AIO diapers. Because of the fabrics that are used in this diaper, they last longer than some of my other AIO's that only have a microfiber inner. It still closes with Aplix, still easy to use, just means that if they do not change him as often as I do, his clothes will not be wet through. The other thing I have sent is a Thirties DUO diaper stuffed for nap time with two inserts. And because I don't have to unstuff this diaper, I can just empty the wet bag into the pail without having to do anything else.

So its now about 2 months of going to Mothers Day Out for Braden at time of writing. And a new teacher started this week in the room next door, and I overhear his teacher is telling the new one all about these wonderful cloth diapers!

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Reluctant Dads

One would think that with running a cloth diaper store, that my husband would be a tree hugging cloth diapering guru. Umm not so much :)

W

hen I decided to cloth diaper, he rolled his eyes and said he would not do any more diaper changes. My first cloth diaper was actually the gDiaper, and we were using flushables, so there were no money savings, but my husband has always known he married the "environmental Aussie" and was not surprised when I decided to use a greener diapering option. I did most of the changes anyway, so I had a little stack of Nature Baby Care disposables for him to use.

Then came the cloth diapers. Once I decided I wanted to go full on cloth, he was soooooo not going to change any diapers. So that little stack of "green" disposables sat on the shelf for the rare times that he was going to have to change a diaper.

Eventually that little stack of disposables ran out, and there came the time when Mum was out grocery shopping and Dad had to change a diaper that was all cloth. I came home to a mess. He had tried to use the flip diaper that I was testing out first, and it fell to pieces on him as he was taking it off the top of the stack to put on the baby. So that was discarded on the floor. Then the next one down was a gDiaper, and he had thrown that one on the floor because he knew it had to be put on "backwards" and no way was he going to touch that one. Surprisingly the one he put on was the Otter Blotter, which I thought should have been on the floor with the rest, because that one has the design to prevent baby taking it off. But I remember him admiring the design of it when I showed him the diaper when I first got it in.

So after this little episode, we worked out a system. I have a three tiered diaper storage hanging device, and the top shelf is only to contain "daddy friendly" diapers. So what makes up the daddy friendly diaper shelf?

AIO diapers, including Monkey Doodlez, Bum Genius Organic AIO (old style with aplix), Thirsties AIO (sadly no longer being made). All of them close with aplix. I did put some snap closing diapers in there, but he told me that while he could do it, he didn't like to.
Pre-stuffed Pocket Diapers that close with aplix.

Since I implemented this system, my husband has been willingly changing the diapers. He no longer moans at me that he wants a stack of disposable diapers for his use. He even takes the diaper pail contents to the washing machine for me every couple of nights!

So if you have a reluctant spouse or other caregiver. My suggestion is to go with easy cloth options for them, with aplix closures. There is no reason why you cant have a stash made up of different kinds of diapers. I still test out all the different diapers on my son for the store, but unless I want my husbands opinion on one, he just has his little stack of AIOs etc for his use.

And now that my son has started mothers day out a couple of days a week, we send Daddy's AIO's off to there. We have had no complaints from his teacher there, just compliments about cloth diapers in general.

Sharni - www.nappyshoppe.com
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