Oz Nappies Australia

The Turning Point of Parenthood & home business

Parenthood is a turning point.  It is a period in life when you reflect on priorities and make life-changing decisions that can impact your livelihood. 

Statistics reveal that after motherhood sets in, 70% of new mums seriously consider exploring home business as a new option. Not surprisingly, a large percentage of new parents (both mums and dads) actually change careers after the baby is born or multiple children arrive.  The primary motivation is so they can spend more time with the family. Perhaps you can relate.

Home cloth nappy businesses often arise to allow stay-at-home mums to juggle responsibilities and also to generate income to support their families. Oz Nappies and EcoBumba are two examples, and many others exist. The general message of mums with home businesses is this: identify what you love and its possible to create a rewarding business around that.

Notice  Where you are in your life and whether you are contemplating new directions for your focus of attention.  Is familiar work still a priority or is your perspective changing? Share your story. What do you learn about life and yourself? 

Cloth nappies and playtime

People are given choices about cloth nappies and advice on how to care for them, but when was the last time you and your child played with cloth nappies?  You might be surprised at how cloth nappies can nurture the imagination.

Take for example, the basic games of learn your colours or let’s go shopping.  Reusable cloth nappies give a whole new meaning to ‘what colour is your parachute’ (or your superhero cape) as you jump off the bed or sofa onto the floor.  Modern cloth nappies (mcns) also make great camouflage as you roll through the pretend jungle or swim through a make-believe coral reef.  Crawl along the floor and make noise as your favourite animal.  See how many mcns you can attach together to work on counting snaps and measuring distances. You are only limited by your imagination.  Share some of your game ideas.  

The Damage of Disposables Nappies in Australia

April 2013 was a big month for cloth nappies. Cloth Nappy Week came around again.  Residents of Hackney, U.K., organised a world record event to change the most babies wearing reusable nappies at the same time.   Imagine care-givers around the world in various time-zones doing this. That has the potential to be a lot of cloth nappies.  

As part of the media coverage, awareness is raised about the difference in environmental factors between using disposable and cloth nappies, such as:

• The average baby will need their nappy changed 4000 times before they are toilet trained
• Disposable nappies count for between 10-19% of landfill from domestic waste
• A disposable nappy will take up to 600 years to fully bio degrade (and this is only an estimate).

These points are enough to make anyone stop and think - the exact intention of events like Cloth Nappy Week and the Great Cloth Diaper Change.  One big advantage highlighted by such events over most other environmental initiatives is the money savings, not just warm fuzzy feelings. Consider possible four figure savings, especially when it comes to your second and third children! Imagine they all share the same reusable cloth nappies.  Now that is significant!

And with Oz Nappies offering comfortably designed cloth nappies Australia wide there is no more uncomfortable rough cloth stigma associated with the going reusable. The cloth pocket nappy is truly a modern cloth nappy.  You can be trendy with nappy patterns or stick with solid colours. The range offers something for everyone.

You may think your choice of nappies cannot make a difference in the bigger scheme of things.  However, it does.  Using reusable nappies part-time (with disposables) or full time (not using any disposables) makes a huge difference.  Consider an average of 8 baby bum changes per day x 365 days.  If you only use disposable nappies they will go into a landfill as garbage. Do the Earth and yourself a favour: make an eco-friendly choice.  Use fewer disposable nappies and discover unexpected benefits.

Get out of those nappies

Snap your fingers and presto! No more nappies, right? This is a parents’ dream come true. Many parents joke they would love their baby to arrive pre-toilet trained.  Does this sound like you? Wish this process was faster? While your child is still wearing nappies, reusables are economic, eco-friendly and handy, but while the mind is racing about how to be done with them, consider giving this approach a go:

Here is a little exercise for you and/or your child. Pretend you could recruit your child’s favourite storybook friends, cartoon characters or animals to help you with this toilet training experience. A stuffed animal may wear nappies alongside your child and share the process. How would your child like a companion to sit beside while on the potty, fertilizing the backyard lemon tree or peeing in the shower? Brainstorm ways to excite your child and have fun yourself too. 

It is common to have a family pet elimination training (outdoors) at the same time as your child is moving away from nappies. Encourage your child to talk to and share experience with the animals. Maybe you simply wish to ask a passing bird in the feeder for insight.  Ask your child how any little furry friend can be a teacher, an observer and a cheering section for all the great progress. Is it helpful when a bird dive bombs the window? Is it funny when someone misses the toilet and there’s a puddle to clean on the floor? Laughter makes every stage of life more light-hearted and enjoyable.

Know you are never alone in anything you do, child toilet training included. Notice it you have choices about how to engage your child and reward progress.  Using the creative imagination can make getting out of those nappies much quicker and more fun.  Know your child does everything at his or her own pace and your own enthusiasm and appreciation at every stage of any process is always helpful.

Imaginative kids love cloth nappies

Imaginative kids love colour.  You see in in their choices of playdough, crayons and clothes, in all that stands out for them.  Its not surprising that reusable cloth nappies in vibrant colours and patterns are popular with kids.  Parents are often glad to have access to clean supplies, but why not have fun?

You may not always feel compelled to match nappy colours with you child’s clothing, but the option exists to do so.  Sometimes kids go for contrast and here’s where prints and textures nurture pretending.  Feel like a tiger or a zebra?

A range of nappy options is great for parents who may prefer plain colours or who feel drawn to pastels or bright colours.  Notice which colours you are drawn to wear yourself an why.  Colour associations tell us a lot about how we feel.  Notice moods and meanings you link to a basic colour wheel.  Notice whether you like traditional colours for girls and boys, whether you mix and match, or purposely go against the grain.  Colours speak.  Read about a psychology of colours to explore possible deeper meanings for affinities to particular colours.

Ever notice some people match their hair colour to their clothes? You may not wish to go that far, but matching your baby’s hair accessories, socks or shoes to cloth nappies may feel satisfying. Its all self-expression.  Do what feels right.

Cloth nappy choices are teachers

As you contemplate modern cloth nappy (mcn) choices for your child, it may be surprising to discover that cloth nappies themselves are teachers. 

Many people do not realize that they unconsciously choose cloth nappies not for the products themselves, but for how these reusable nappies enable them to feel about themselves, life, their child and the world in general. 

Ask yourself if it feels good to be making Oz Nappy choices that are not only soft and chemical free on your baby’s sensitive bum, but also because you are making a choice that saves you money and helps reduce landfill waste.  Notice whether it feels god to be supporting a small family-owned business or another kind of company establishment.  All choices reveal values and priorities. All choices are teachers for yourself and anyone aware of the reasons behind them.

Cloth nappy choices can teach you other things too, such as life is not as hard as people would have you believe it is.  Notice whether you expect the care of reusable nappies to be simple or complicated.  Notice whether you expect your child to enjoy the colours, textures and becoming agile with opening and closing the fasteners. Discover you get what you expect. Share your cloth nappy story.