15 November 2011: Wool Nappies?

We had a blast at the Canterbury A&P Show. It was great to meet so many rural folk and the odd MP. Phil Goff was gracious and Materia Turei was hugely supportive. Kennedy Graham (Chch Green MP) invited me to speak to his newly formed business group, I'm more into listening at this point!

One question came up several times: why not make nappies out of wool? Apparently it absorbs up to 32% of its weight as opposed to cotton's 25%. This required further research and after several hours on the net, my diligent colleague Ijan came back with the facts. While wool is indeed more absorbent, it absorbs moisture from the atmosphere, so even though it feels dry to the touch, most of the time it's actually carrying about 16% of its own weight in moisture. This means that it can only absorb a further 16% of liquid. Drying it out doesn't help as the fibres become brittle and break. Cotton however can dry out completely without any problems and can therefore absorb the full 25% of its weight in moisture.

There is another issue, cotton nappies might sometimes get a wee bit smelly, but wet wool always brings back memories of damp winter days in school uniform... Also, wool is naturally water repellent, that's why sheep wear it. It takes a lot of chemical processing to overcome this quality, much more than for cotton. Bamboo is similar, lovely and soft, very absorbent, but also requires extensive processing.

All in all, it seems that the best nappies are made of... COTTON! What a relief!

Let me know if we've got anything wrong, I'm always happy to explore locally grown alternatives.

20 October 2011: Lessons From the Show

What a weekend! After 3 weeks frantic preparation we arrived at the Canterbury Home Show exhausted, excited and ready for anything. The stand looked great (if I say so myself) thanks to the tireless efforts of my wonderful family and friends.

Friday was grandparents day. Retirees were everywhere, grey definitely the predominant hair colour! It was actually wonderful to hear their stories. Wistful reminiscences of washing lines filled with fluttering white nappies... One lady had 5 children in 7 years and "Nappies were not a problem!" She bought a Mini Trial Pack for her granddaughter who just had a baby saying "I hate those foul paper things, so wasteful!" Granted, things were different in her day, she wasn't working outside the home and disposables simply weren't around. We have the option and expectation of convenience. We sold nappies to hopeful grannies in waiting whose children were "having fun trying for a baby". They wanted to be prepared when things finally started happening!

Mothers-in-law were tempted but often erred on the side of caution, taking brochures "to leave around the house". They were not going to interfere and feared that voicing their opinion in favour of cloth nappies would be overstepping the mark. It makes me wonder, what precious knowledge do new parents miss out on because we are so touchy about "interference". I'm not suggesting that everything our parents did was right, in fact contemporary research has found flaws in many of the widely held theories on baby care (scheduled feeding, controlled crying etc). But maybe we could do with a bit more communication? Are we really so sensitive and scary that our elders are afraid to let us know their thoughts at all?

I am delighted to say that the show was a great success. We met lots of lovely people and got a unanimous thumbs up for bringing back proper nappies, good old cotton, the best thing next to a baby.

29 September 2011: Yes, Cloth Nappies Are More Work!

We have all seen and heard cloth nappy retailers proclaiming that cloth is just as convenient as disposables and we all know it isn't true. Time to front up to it! As long as you have the disposables around you don't have to think about  how you're going to stuff the cover or fold the nappy, you don't have to plan for how many you have left, how many are drying and when you're going to do your next wash. And you certainly don't have to worry about where this particular nappy is going after you're finished with it - in the bin!

Yes, cloth takes more work. It means slowing down a little. It means thinking about where your baby's waste is going and how you are managing it. It means being an active participant in your family's waste cycle, deciding not to put inappropriate things into your waste bin and therefore the community's landfill (you know that you're supposed to shake solids off your disposables into the toilet right? Because human waste does not belong in landfill).

Using cloth nappies also means that you extend the care you give your baby to every aspect of their wellbeing. You know what's in their food because you choose it carefully, you know what's in the creams and lotions that you put on their absorbent skin because you chose them carefully, and you are not going to put a chemical cocktail next their privates when there's no way of knowing what's in it.

Does this sound preachy? Probably. Have I ever used disposables on my own kids? Of course! My eldest girls (now 16 and 18) never experienced a single cloth nappy because I had no idea they even existed. My youngest (now 2.5) was in disposables when I wasn't up to coping with the demands of family, business and laundry. But I did feel good about using cloth as much as I could, it was worth it!

Happy Nappies!

Marsha

22 September 2011: Introduction

Welcome to my first blog. Not quite sure who I'm addressing here, you or me...! I have been putting off starting a blog despite numerous business advisors swearing that its the best way to be seen by google. There must be better ways, I thought, than putting together some inane drivel that "happens" to incorporate your keywords and trying to pass it off as something worth reading. I didn't think I had enough to say, and didn't for a moment believe that anyone would bother reading more bumf.

Until. On Tuesday, Green MP David Clendon kindly made the time to meet me, in my own cracked Chch home. Having never hosted an MP before I fought all impulses to spring clean the entire property in the hours before he arrived, settling instead on taking some time to assemble my thoughts. I needn't have worried. David was gracious and kind, even sitting conveniently with his back to the undusted bookshelf that was tormenting my inner grandmother.

Of course, David was knowledgable, helpful and considerate but what really surprised me was how much I had to say. I couldn't stop talking! Just like my 2 year old, Rosie who won't let anyone leave the house without a dozen "Wait, before nu go..."s, I couldn't let him go without hearing just this one more thing... it was time to start a blog.

No More Guilt!

On sunny Sunday mornings, my intrepid business partner Ijan and I can often be found at the Riccarton Rotary Market. It's a neat place, hundreds of stall holders touting everything from well loved "antiques" to beautiful handmade garden furniture. We are there with piles of pure cotton nappies and covers  (yes, one for google!), a manic toy gorilla (you guessed it, wearing a nappy) and beaming great grins. My husband says I accost eligible people. Yes, shamelessly and in good fun. Few can resist meeting the dancing gorrilla and having a laugh.

I often start with the most basic question: what are you using (or planning to use?). The body language gives it away immediately. The head goes down and the answer comes in a barely audible mutter "disposables". Or the rapid head nodding that comes before a complete account of every cloth nappy they have ever tried and the results they got from each. Of course I like to know about people's experiences and love to show off my nappies, its the first bunch I feel sad about because I don't like making people feel guilty!

As parents, guilt seems unavoidable. Everyone, ourselves included seems to have some vague image of the perfect parent in mind that's impossible to live up to. The big decisions (breastfeeding, vaccination, yes even nappies) are so fraught! Everyone has an opinion and it's all so IMPORTANT! Your child's health is at stake! All true, none of it reassuring for new parents. Let's cut that stuff out. It's not useful.

Cloth nappies are not just for self-righteous hippie earthmothers and you can be a fabulous parent even if your baby isn't breastfed and sports the latest disposable nappy. Nevertheless, I will always tell you the "truth" as I believe it to be, so that you as parents can make your own informed choices - guilt free. If you think I'm getting too preachy, tell me. I always want your feedback. This business is my way of doing "something" in the face of scary and seemingly insurmountable global problems. I may not always go about it in a way that works for everyone, but hey - we're all works in progress!

Happy parenting,

Marsha