"I don't want to do the washing, it's too much hard work"

Ah yes, I vaguely recall uttering some words along the lines of this when I was pregnant with my first. Of course, that was 8 years ago and in my youthful wisdom I knew everything about everything… In fact, I thought my friend (and now business partner), Michelle, had lost the plot when she told me she was planning to use cloth nappies!

It is a legitimate concern though for a lot of new parents-to-be. Having a baby is Big Business now. You only need to go to a baby expo or into a large nursery shop to see aaaaaaaallllll the stuff! So much stuff that is 'essential' for new baby and it is just overwhelming! Understandably for many, a gut reaction to the thought of cloth nappies, is no way, not adding more work to my life!

But here's the thing. For the vast majority of modern cloth nappy users (of all brands), they actually love washing their nappies and seeing the gorgeous brightly coloured things hanging out on the line, swinging in the breeze! 

Odd? Maybe…

I guess most people learn what I did when they first try modern cloth nappies – it's actually really easy to fill up the washing machine and press go and it's not much effort, maybe 5 or 10 minutes, to hang them out. It's pretty pleasing to know that such a small amount of effort has some amazing benefitsfor the baby, parents and the environment!

But it's much more than that though. Using modern cloth nappies on your little baby can create quite a powerful emotional response. I know that may sound a bit wanky or or over-the-top and I admit I have no independent scientific research to back up that claim, but ask any avid modern cloth user and they will agree wholeheartedly! 

When you make a conscious choice about the products you use on your baby, based on your own research, then I do believe it makes you feel closer to your little one. You're no longer in a reactionary position, a consumer, there is no more managing over-full trolleys, expensive disposables, stinky wheely bins or coping with leaky disposables or poo-splosions. On the positive side, actively deciding to use something you believe is best for your baby, can, oddly, make nappy changing feel like a pleasure! 

I've been wondering for years why so many of our customers become almost addicted to their nappies – strong advocates who tell anyone who will listen about their wonderful modern cloth nappies, so much so that some of them start their own businesses or join our team here! But now I think I have the answer. Actually, it was right in front of me the whole time in the shape of my gorgeous little girl Isobel!

A cushie tushie way of life

The past couple of months have been pretty intense for a variety of reasons, and today I find myself in a rather reflective mood. How did I get here? Why do I do what I do? I'm always looking for inspiration around how to enjoy life, how to squeeze the most out of it with the time we have available, so I thought maybe my story might be of interest to others too.

In July we buried our 98 & 1/2 year old Grandma (actually a happy occasion – she had a long, happy and full life, she was a 'doer', she cooked her own meals and did her own washing right up to the end, and was healthy up until the last few months!) and during the ceremony one of my Aunties told a long story about my Grandma's life. It occurred to me that my Mum and I are actually both quite a lot like my Grandma. (Yes I realise this shouldn't have been such a revelation but there was a lot about my Grandma's life as a child and young woman that I'd never known before!)

I grew up in a generation when it still wasn't common for Mums to work. (My Mum is a pianist – she's still working full time actually, at 72 years old!). She always worked from home, so she was always there for us as kids, but we were also fairly self-sufficient (I made my own school lunches from year 1 onwards, we were responsible for our own homework and had to cop the consequences if we didn't do it, that sort of thing).

I grew up with a Mum who always cooked from scratch. Quite frequently with home grown produce. She was brilliant at making food go a long way and using up all the left-overs. (That would have been a necessity in a family of 7!) She also had an innate understanding of nutrition – I consider myself extremely lucky to grow up with such a fantastic example set for me of what to eat and when and to learn how to cook from such a young age (not to mention the example of self-respect, confidence and positive body-image!). 

My Mum also recycled – always. Even the water from the washing machine – she would wash whites first, empty the water into the laundry trough and then syphon it back through the hose into the machine for the next load of darks. We always had a compost and a recycling bin and the 'normal' bin was virtually empty each week. Not sure if that was the 'done thing' back in the 70's and 80's Adelaide, but that's what she did.

So as you can imagine, I grew up thinking it was totally normal to recycle, to work from home after having kids, to cook nutritious meals from scratch. Managing to fit all these things into life as a working mother of three has become second nature – my Mum did it with 5, so it has to be possible, right? But in meeting other Mums, especially other working Mums, I know that this doesn't come easily or naturally to many people these days. I'm hoping that by continuing on like my Mum and Grandma, my kids will also grow up learning these skills and incorporating them into their own lives.

Perhaps it's the Scottish thriftiness that is my heritage (thanks Grandma!) or perhaps it's the long line of self-sufficient, independent women that I come from, but I guess it is almost like a pre-destined fate that in today's modern world I would end up using modern cloth nappies and starting a business around these wonderful eco-friendly, money-saving products, a business that enables me to work from home around the needs of my children!

There are many other resources available to help with time management, business planning, meal planning, and much much more. I'm always happy to talk about what works for me if you want to know! If you are a Mum in business or thinking about starting a business, there are now tons of resources and support available these days (very different from a decade or more ago!). One that I rate very highly is the AusMumpreneur Network, especially their national conference, which is an inspiring, informative and highly relevant event for Mums in business.

Why do my nappies smell all of a sudden?

Why do my nappies smell all of a sudden?

Around this time of year, most of this glorious country we live in is rejoicing in some warmer, drier Spring weather. What's not to love? You sure can't beat the lovely sunshine and slight breeze we've been having in Sydney every day this week for nappy drying effectiveness!

But something we do get asked around this time of year is: Why have my nappies started to smell lately? They don't smell after they've been washed and dried, but as soon as my baby pees in it, there is a pungent smell of dirty wet dog that is overwhelming!

Eww gross huh!

Well, first of all, you need to get strip washing and pronto! I often recommend two really good rinse cycles at the end of the strip wash too – plenty of plain water to rinse every last bit of detergent out of the fabric.

But why does this happen sometimes? Well let me tell you. It's actually quite simple and quite logical.

1. In winter, the nappies are not exposed to much sunlight. UV is a natural bleach and the warmth from the sun plus the dry outside air plus a natural breeze help to get the fabrics bone dry. Whereas, drying indoors makes it hard to get the fabric completely dry – any dampness in the fabric will lead to smells developing.

2. More so than point 1, though, is detergent choice. 99% of detergents contain ingredients that just seem to build up inside the fabrics, starting to coat the fabrics and lock in some of that dank smell. (If this is the odour-causing culprit you will really know about it because your nappies will also start to be less absorbent than they once were.) To avoid this situation, try to find a detergent that is not salt based and contains absolutely no additives (perfumes, softeners, brighteners or any other enzymes).

3. Last but not least, and this is a point that often gets overlooked these days, but you really need to use plenty of water in the wash cycle! What with the relatively recent invention of economic washing machines that use very little water, one could be forgiven for overlooking the potential need to use more than the machine's "standard" setting. But trust me when I say this – bamboo fabric will not rinse clean with a small amount of water. (The same will go for any absorbent towel.) Using more is not going to break the bank – you are still using way less than it would take to manufacture disposable nappies for your baby's nappy-wearing lifetime!

So there you go – that's my top 3 tips for smell-free cloth nappying!

Cloth solution a boon for bottom line

When Michelle Fowler's first son was born seven years ago, the new mother had made up her mind she wanted to use modern cloth nappies rather than adding to landfill by throwing away soiled disposable nappies well into toddlerhood.

But looking at the basic folded-cloth nappies snapped together by stretchy plastic available at the time, the former computer games designer couldn't warm to any of them, and decided to make her own.

Drafting them in the shape of disposables with funky colours and patterns, and using Velcro and fabrics such as hemp, bamboo and microfleece, she got going on her sewing machine.

Word spread, and she was soon making them for family and friends, including a fellow new mother she had met through an online pregnancy forum, Catherine Langman. Today she is Fowler's business partner in what has become a growing $600,000-a-year business, Cushie Tushies. Langman, a former advertising account manager, joined Ms Fowler in 2007, working out a business plan, taking on the marketing and investing some of her own money to help turn the start-up into a viable enterprise with a professional website and branding.

It was a steep learning curve for the two: as Fowler kept sewing some 60 nappies a week in her home, they struggled to find a factory that would mass-produce their nappies. Every Australian textile factory they contacted knocked them back, saying the product was too fiddly and costly to make. With the help of an agent, the two women eventually found a small factory near Shanghai that took on their first 1000-piece order.

''The first trip over there was a little bit of an emotional thing, seeing these lovely ladies sitting there with piles of our fabric and churning out nappies with our brand name on them,'' says Langman. But there was also ''a bit of a culture shock'' doing business in China, taking samples there to explain how the nappies should be made and negotiating over drinks and dinner.

Then just as the pair was about to secure money to fund expansion, the global financial crisis hit and banks that had previously been supportive went cold. ''All of a sudden the bankers thought, 'a modern cloth nappy, what is that?' '' Langman recalls.

Persuading them their product had caught the zeitgeist just as mothers were increasingly aware of environmental and health concerns took a ''stressful'' six months, she says. ''We had all this demand from customers but needed to sort out the finance to get production going.''

Word of their modern cloth nappies had been spreading through mummy boards and pregnancy forums on the internet. In 2009, the pair also started marketing their business at baby expos and through parenting publications. Soon, they had to shift from Fowler's double-garage to a small warehouse on the Gold Coast and get help packing orders to keep up with demand.

Today, Fowler and Langman - who have four staff - sell 2000 nappies a month, about half of those online and the rest through retailers such as nursery shops and pharmacies.

While the price of $35.95 apiece may seem steep upfront, Langman argues that parents will spend less than they would on disposable nappies.

Passion with a plan

Catherine Langman has this advice for other mothers wanting to start a business: ''You really need to have thought out what your business is going to be. And you need to be passionate about it.

''A lot of mums think it would be easy to do an online shop. But every business needs to be extremely well planned. You can't just go by the seat of your pants. You have to have your business plan done properly, and make sure you have professional advice from an accountant. If you're talking to banks, you need to provide [detailed] information to them.''

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/small-business/growing/cloth-solution-a-boon-for-bottom-line-20120909-25mb0.html#ixzz262L12Dzu

Why cloth sanitary pads are awesome!

When my business partner first suggested to me that she thought it’d be a great idea to start making cloth sanitary pads (in addition to our Cushie Tushies modern cloth nappy range), I have to admit I thought she had lost her mind!

This may be a little TMI, but here goes anyway. For 20 years I have suffered from extremely heavy, frequeng and long periods with the most jaw-droppingly painful cramps. Pain equivalent to pre-labour (not lying – I’ve had three kids so I can talk)!

So the thought of dealing with cloth pads on top of all this every 3-4 weeks just sounded like WAY too much hard work. I already use cloth nappies, so ‘I’m doing my bit for the environment’ was another initial cop-out thought.

But I trust her instincts so MamaMinx was born, and when our first shipment of these little beauties arrived I thought I probably should try them out myself. Given I was about to start selling them, I thought I really ought to be able to talk from personal experience.

Cue total amazement!

Turns out, bamboo velour is sooooo nice against one’s skin and is absorbent enough even for my overnight needs. Because we use a black bamboo there is no ‘ick’ factor or stains to deal with, plus the design of the pads makes it very easy to fold the used ones up, snap them in place and store them in a wetbag until wash day, without touching anything messy!

When I’m out and about, I take a small wallet-size wetbag in my handbag and have found dealing with my cloth pads has been a simple matter. Not to mention the joy of no longer having to lift the lid on the disposable sanitary pad bins in public toilets and gasping for air from the stench within….!!!

But, my biggest WOW factor for these pads is that I no longer experience the gut-wrenchingly painful period cramps! This was an instant reaction I experienced upon switching to cloth pads and totally caught me by surprise. This fact alone will see me NEVER return to using disposable hygiene products.

To make sure I wasn’t dreaming, I did a bit of research to see if others have experienced the same reaction.

Turns out, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did a study in 1996 that linked dioxin exposure with increased risks for endometriosis. Dioxin is found in all chlorine-bleached sanitary products (dioxin is a by-product of the bleaching process) and is highly carcinogenic to humans.

On a more basic level, using tampons (bleached or not), physically blocks the downward menstrual flow. The menstrual fluids then pool at the cervix or flow back into it, causing inflammation, bacterial growth and cramping.

Disposable pads and tampons are also a common source of vaginal itching and yeast infections (eczema and thrush). Plastic is used in feminine hygiene products, as a layer on the bottom of menstrual pads as well as in the form of a “mesh” on the top layer. These synthetic materials actually lock in moisture, causing the skin to sweat and leading to vaginal itching and irritation, as well as promoting yeast infection.

So now that I know these things, I’m even more pleased with myself for giving cloth a go! 

Do cloth babies toilet train earlier?

Over the past 40-50 years in Australia, the general advice towards toilet training has been to let children decide when they are ready. That by doing so, they will have fewer accidents, will train faster, and because they are mentally and emotionally ready, the child won’t experience any anxiety from the process.

But more recently, health professionals and parenting experts, such as author and childhood nurse Robin Barker, suggest otherwise. “The average age of children being trained has slipped from two to 2 ½ years to three or even four in the United States,” Barker says.

When I read a statement like that, all I can think of is how many disposable nappies a child would go through in 4 years. 6,000 nappies in 2 ½ years is bad enough!

To my knowledge, no research studies have looked at a comparison between the toilet training age of cloth wearing babies compared to disposable wearing babies.

Barker believes that the convenience of disposable nappies means there is less incentive for parents to train their children. There is also less incentive for children to learn because disposables keep moisture away from the skin, meaning tots no longer know what it feels like to be wet.

Despite modern cloth nappies such as CushieTushies being lined with stay-dry fabrics such as microfleece to draw the moisture away from babies’ skin, we must also bear in mind that a cloth nappy has a finite level of absorbency and once that is reached, the microfleece will not be able to keep drawing more moisture away from the skin so the baby will start to feel wet. Perhaps it is this sensation that teaches the baby the link between their action and feeling uncomfortable.

From my own personal and highly scientific research (on my own three very different children), I can say this: my eldest son was day toilet trained at 2 ½ and was completely trained by 3. He really didn’t care whether he was wearing a wet or soiled nappy, so for him it was more about socialisation and not wanting to be the only kid at pre-school not in undies!

My second son started training at 18 months and was completely trained by 2. I have been told this is an unusually early toilet training age for boys… But he just wanted to be like his big brother.

My daughter is only 20 months old and doesn’t much care to sit on the potty, unless I hand over wads of toilet paper so she can pretend to wipe! She can identify when she has done a wee or poo in her nappy though, so I think she is well on her way.

So maybe the motivation comes more from the parents of cloth-wearing babies not wanting to continue washing them for 4+ years?

Pregnany Babies and Childrens Expo at Soutbank

It’s Expo time again! – The PBC Expo is on at Southbank in Brisbane next Friday the 18th until the 20th of June. The show starts at 10am each day and runs till 4pm on Friday and 5pm Saturday and Sunday.

Our 20% off Show Special will be available across our entire range, and if you buy the Full Time pack of 24 nappies, you will also get all your accessories for FREE!

Please note that this discount is exclusive to the show only.

Click here to download your free ticket.