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By beansproutbubba, March 5, 2010 12:29 am

In my last post, I was running out of nappies (and clean clothing!) while travelling in Singapore due to the closing of laundries during Chinese New Year.

I had no choice, so I did something for the very first time: I bought a pack of disposable nappies.

44 + 4 nappies for S$16.40 at Giant VIVOcity, Mamypoko brand, size M (as suggested by a friend from Malaysia).

I found them slightly cheaper than Huggies, made in Thailand, very absorbant and best of all, none of the funny chemical smells everytime my daughter pooped or did a wee in them. Apparently, Malaysian and Singaporean mums rave about them, many using them for night time due to their absorbancy.

It was interesting going voluntarily from full-time cloth to full-time disposables on a toddler, even temporarily. I was in completely unfamiliar territory, having only used them while bleary-eyed with a newborn, who had been gifted a big carton of NB size Huggies nappies.

First impressions? They looked so ugly on her bottom compared to cloth! LOL

I guess I really had no choice this time, without a reliable laundry service @ soma-samui

However with time, I found them extremely convenient, not too expensive considering my daughter could use the toilet, and the leftovers were sooooo tempting to use in the first week back home, simply because I didn’t have the energy to do the laundry. (course I did go back to cloth! So pretty and effective   )

They were lightweight, disposable and my toddler didn’t seem to notice them very much.

I didn’t end up using too many of them, as my 16 month old would wee or poo on cue at the toilet by that stage.

But then again, if we didn’t use cloth in the first place my daughter may not have learnt to use the toilet, no?

Some days I only used 1 or 2 simply because she didn’t soil in them all day by using the loo. I had to throw out completely unsoiled nappies as well, when the elastic around the legs gave out from wearing them all day (what a waste of a good nappy!).

By the end of the week though I could see she was getting a bit lazy… Poo was easily disposed of using the Eenees flushable liners.

There was one evening she developed a very painful rash as she had done a poo and I didn’t catch it early enough. When we got back to the Y, it was very red and sore to touch. I had no choice at the time but to put her in a fresh new disposable nappy overnight and hope for the best, as the laundries hadn’t opened after Chinese New Year yet.

So relieved when the next morning her rash healed up and it was no longer sore.

Suffice to say she went back to doing it on the loo.

I continued using disposables after the Chinese New Year holidays were over, as

1. I had only used about 10 in 4 days and didn’t want to waste the rest
2. by that stage we were weary of travelling, and
3. we only had a couple of days left in Singapore.

One drawback I found with the disposables was, my daughter’s toileting habits went from being almost fully toilet aware to only toileting in the nappy within 5 days.

On coming back home I had to reorientate her mindset back into using the loo, which had been a very natural progression for her before Singapore. She picked her favourite cloth nappy and all was back to normal again.

My daughter's favourite nappy - 'flower nappy' (first prototype of ecobumba one-size pocket nappy)

In conclusion: would I do it again? Only in desperation and when I cannot wash nappies. I still prefer the look and feel of cloth nappies any day. I am a bit concerned about the long-term health effects of disposable nappies on my baby to think about using it as a permanent ‘waste collection’ system!

I won’t be able to find Mamypoko in Australia anyway

How about you?

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By beansproutbubba, March 4, 2010 12:18 am

So where was I? Oh yes, travelling and then running out of nappies! Let’s reverse the clock a bit to when I was packing to go to Singapore.

I had packed cloth nappies, mainly Bubba J, ecoBumba and other various pocket nappies and bamboo inserts for their quick laundry turnaround and a few hybrid pocket AIOs from Baby Beehinds coupled with DIY bamboo trifolds for night use. A pack of Eenees flushable liners for quick poo disposal completed the nappy packing.

Essential when travelling with nappies - do not leave home without them!

In the first week all was fine. I used cloth nappies just like I do at home and out and about.

The only problem was that nappy change rooms in Singapore were usually not attached to toilets, so throwing out pooey liners into the toilet had to be done stealthily, well-wrapped up in toilet paper (which they did provide) and visiting the nearby ladies to get rid of them.

This also posed a problem to my toilet-aware toddler, she would wee all over the change table once her nappy is off. Usually she goes straight on the potty or toilet before a new nappy is put on.

Laundry-wise: We stayed at the YMCA One Orchard, where laundry is charged PER PIECE like a hotel.

But we found a little laundry place very close by that was filled with shiny new washers and dryers (self-service S$5 per load), and a drop-off washing service at about S$13.90 per load, including washing detergent, washed, dried and folded!! Best of all, you can drop them off just before lunchtime when they open, and then pick up around dinner time on the SAME DAY. Gold I tell you, I could use their service everyday here in Bunbury myself *sigh*

…until Chinese New Year arrived!

In Singapore, Chinese New Year is equivalent to Christmas here. It’s a time where families get together and extended family meet each other. It’s a time when downtown Singapore becomes very very quiet like a ghost town. Most places shut down for 2-3 days, and the little laundry place was no different. Except that they closed for 4 WHOLE DAYS.

I panicked. I checked with other laundry places had next day service, or worse: only collect after Chinese New Year is over!

Saw this little laundy place in Little India that was open during CNY, but just couldn't bring myself to travel by train, then walk for 10 minutes to get here! @ preetamrai

I don’t have enough nappies to last to the next wash day, let alone our clothing! What should I do?

What would you do?

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By beansproutbubba, March 3, 2010 1:00 am

Did you miss me?

Ahem.

Yes, sorry to my regular readers, after the flurry of activity that were the Australia Day markets, we went overseas to Singapore for two weeks.

Our family visiting the Singapore Orchid Garden. And yes, the little treasure is s.l.e.e.p.i.n.g. in the ring sling, all 9 kg of her!

We then arrived back home via Perth and then via Busselton (yes, not quite straight away) and I promptly took another week off to recuperate. Travelling with two under 4 is a bit tiring to say the least.

In Singapore, we caught numerous trains, busses, ate lots of delicious food, got overwhelmed with city life and the masses of people as some country bumpkins do, and also nearly ran out of nappies at one stage…

…read Part 2 tomorrow

In the meantime, have you heard that we’re sponsoring the Great Cloth Nappy Hunt? For more info, click on the image on the line below.

Running from March 1-31 2010, Bean Sprout Bubba has donated a Bubba J Basics Pocket Nappy in ‘Hot Chilli’. We have a mini hunt that starts on the shop website. We also have 10% off Bubba J and ecobumba nappies and accessories, and spot specials along the way.

Register now for your chance to hunt and get yourself in the draw for some fantastic nappy and family-oriented prizes!

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By beansproutbubba, January 22, 2010 10:27 am

Quick one: Bean Sprout Bubba will take part in the City of Bunbury Australia Day Celebrations in the market stall/sideshow alley area.

When: 26 Jan (Tue) 1-10pm
Where: Grassed area in front of Bunbury Tourist Centre
What to see: Nappies and baby carriers

Brands: Bubba J new colours, and a very limited stock of itti bitti and Baby Beehinds nappies. Ring slings from Bear Hug Baby and Mama Patch.

After the market I anticipate restocking the store with any remaining items, and then taking some preorders for the above nappy brands if there is any interest.

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By beansproutbubba, January 18, 2010 3:58 pm

Here’s a quick look at what i have coming into the store in January 2010:

2010 Bubba J Basics Pocket Nappy Colours

itti bitti d'lish all in ones

Baby Beehinds Nappies

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By beansproutmumma, December 17, 2009 12:22 am

Do people really use wool as a nappy cover?

How does it work?

Wouldn’t it be too hot for the baby?

What on earth is lanolising? Sounds hard…

Some of you know exactly what it entails and are nodding furiously. But I can guarantee most of you may not have even heard of lanolising, let alone use wool as a very effective nappy cover.

If I mention about using wool as a cover over an absorbant cloth nappy, people would look at me quizzically, and wonder what I’m going on about. It works extremely well as a nappy cover, due to the properties of the wool fibre itself, plus the added lanolin (‘wool fat’) in the wool.

Wool absorbs up to 30% its weight in moisture without feeling wet. Great for heavywetters at night, they won’t feel wet unless they outwee the nappy and completely saturate the cover.

Lanolin neutralises odours and protects the wool fibre from the wetness. It makes wool a very low maintenance nappying item: it only needs a wash and lanolising (replenishing lanolin) every 2-3 weeks or if whiffy. In between uses it just needs to be aired like all wool items should be stored.

The fibres are also hydrophobic (‘water-repelling’) due to the lanolin, a bit of an oxymoron hey… therefore whatever moisture it touches and absorbs would be transferred to the area of lesser moisture. In nappy terms, a wool cover would absorb moisture from an absorbant fitted nappy yet not feel wet, then transfer whatever moisture that is touching the inner surface of the cover to the drier outer part of the cover.

This property of wool, plus the inherent breathability of wool due to the structure of the fabric makes wool covers a cool option, even in summer. In fact, from experience, on a hot day the nappy under a wool cover dries out really quickly and keeps baby’s bottom dry.

Alright, so now we’re full bottle on wool nappy covers and how it works with nappies.

How do we care for them? Simple.

Hand wash with a little wool wash and warm water, gently squeezing the solution through the cover.
Let soak for 15-30min, then rinse in clean water until it runs clear.
Next step is to lanolise: melt a little lanolin in hot water, dilute this with cool water to make a warm lanolin soaking solution. Squeeze through and soak your cover in it for at least 30min, then remove excess water by rolling in a towel and dry flat in the shade.

A visual learner? Here’s a video I made a few months ago, washing and lanolising a handknit wool soaker.

On the shop front: Currently I still have some Bubba J wool nappy covers in medium and in small. The large size is sold out, and I intend to make them again after tweaking the pattern a bit following feedback from previous customers (especially around the legs). If you are after any wool covers and can’t find the size you are after in the shop, simply contact me and I will do my best to make you one or two or three.

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By beansproutmumma, December 15, 2009 10:17 am

I made another video the other day, with a bit of help from my three-year-old.

One of our best-selling products is the Bubba J Pocket nappy. They dry quickly as the absorbancy unfolds to a maximum of 2-3 layers, and are easy to use and care for.

Pocket nappies are a really easy concept to understand, but if you’re new to modern cloth nappies it may seem difficult to understand from words on a webpage. Which is why the video was produced to provide this information visually.

Here’s the video. It is a bit rough around the edges, and I am thinking of getting it redone when I get some spare time around Christmas time.

Check out the feedback on the Bean Sprout Bubba Facebook page. Thank you ladies for your valuable feedback, not just on the video but on product issues, requests for nappy prints and of course the positive encouragement that you give.

If you have anything to say about the video, please join in the Facebook discussion on the wall, or shoot me an email on the shop contact page.

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By beansproutmumma, December 1, 2009 10:52 am

So I have been running this little Bear Hug Baby competition on Facebook where people could nominate the colour ring sling they loved and why.
Some people love the colour, others wanted to prepare for a newborn baby (awww… I really miss newborn cuddles in the ring sling!), still others would love to win the sling as a gift to a new mum.

I wrote down all your names in paper scraps and got Abi to draw the winner.

She was so excited that she drew and opened up TWO names: Brenda Y & Mandi M!

Brenda picked Purple Passion because she loved the vibrant purple hue. I have to admit, it is a wonderful colour. Made in super soft 100% cotton peach drill, the Super Soft Original Ring Sling (Ltd Ed) is a bit softer than the original BHB ring slings and comes in lovely shades of limited edition colours.

Purple Passion - BHB Super Soft Original Ring Sling

Mandi preferred the brown (String) BHB original ring sling, simply because it ‘looks fab’
Hope you’d enjoy using this on your little newborn!

String - BHB Original Ring Sling

To celebrate the end of the giveaway I have 5% off BHB ring slings using the code as seen on the Bean Sprout Bubba Facebook page.
Code is good till 7 December 2009 23:59.

Wondering how these slings work? Check out the instructions here: Ring Sling Instructions

To ensure that you don’t miss out on another giveaway, either subscribe to the enewsletter, become a fan on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.

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By beansproutmumma, November 28, 2009 9:35 am

One of the biggest barriers to using cloth nappies is the perceived ‘extra work’ cloth nappy laundry seems to be.

Disposable nappies are then generally touted as the most convenient option because ‘you can put it all in the bin and forget about it’.

I’m not anti-disposable, in fact I believe there is a place for disposable use, just as there is a use for disposable plates and cutlery at different situations.

Anyhow, when a baby does a number 2 in any nappy, have you thought about where the waste should end up?
In the bin? or in the toilet?

“But I use disposable nappies, I don’t need to worry about that problem.”

Ok. If you have a packet of disposables, please spare a minute, go and grab the packet or box, have a look at the instructions for use and disposal.
Where do they recommend the waste to go? Into the toilet, of course!

“Are you sure? Everyone I know just rolls them up and chucks them in the bin.”

Yeah I know that. However did you know that in most council and shire regulations it is an offense to dispose of human waste in the bin?

If the packet recommends flushing waste into the toilet, and the law is against throwing waste in the bin, why are we doing the opposite?

For most reusable nappy users, where waste goes is a no brainer as it all needs to be rinsed out with a nappy sprayer, or flushed down the toilet with a flushable liner, before the nappies are drypailed until wash day. Flushable liners are convenient when going out for all nappy users as there is no need to carry a dirty nappy around.

Disposable nappy users can also do the same by rinsing and/or using a flushable liner.
In fact by doing this, it keeps solid waste out of landfills, and it is good practice before deciding to switch to cloth nappies.

A friend of mine mentioned that she washed all pooey disposable nappies after her toddler had a messy incident with the nappy bin.
She remarked, “The bin actually doesn’t smell too bad any more, and definitely no more messes if the toddler goes into the bin again.”

What do you do? Does waste go in the bin or into the toilet?

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By beansproutmumma, November 13, 2009 9:31 am

After a spate of recurring illness in the Bean Sprout Bubba family in the last month, the air is finally clear of germs and we’re ready to move forward.
I’m still not completely out of  the woods yet, but I feel much better.

I have been testing a new modern cloth nappy design in the midst of all this, and it would be ready for pilot release at the end of November.
Initial feedback has been promising, more testing is required before I release it though.
Imagine that, a nappy that is designed in Bunbury!

Some cute little bubbas have now been featured in the new Bubba J nappies customer gallery in the Bean Sprout Bubba shop.
More photos are coming as I upload them over the next few days between sewing sessions.

New ring sling baby carriers have arrived from Bear Hug Baby, and I am hosting a giveaway for one of these wonderfully supportive slings on the Bean Sprout Bubba Facebook page.
These carriers can be used from birth to toddler in a variety of positions, go check them out.

Giveaway happening on Bean Sprout Bubba - one Bear Hug Baby Ring Sling, ends Nov 09

Also new to Bean Sprout Bubba are nappy sprayers from The Diaper Sprayer.
Made in USA, these sprayers attach to the toilet and helps make soiled modern cloth nappies or disposables easier to clean, especially when baby starts eating solids.

Nappy Sprayers are handy toilet attachments that make cleaning soiled nappies much easier

The flow control t-valve adjusts the water pressure in the nappy sprayer

Nappy sprayer attaches in between water source and toilet cistern

The even water flow from the nappy sprayer ensures all soiling is hosed off into the toilet

Other new product lines coming soon include toilet-flushable nappy liners for ease of disposing of soils, especially when out and about or travelling. Limited number of minky pocket nappies. And of course the new nappy coming at the end of the month.

Market News: The next market will happen in February 2010. Much as I miss meeting people face-to-face and promoting my nappies in the community especially in the lead up to Christmas, I feel it is a great time to hang back and take stock of what’s going on in my business, as well as spend precious time with my family.

I will write more indepth next time I blog. Gotta go sew some lovely minky reusable cloth nappies for Bubba J now.

For more frequent updates please visit the Bean Sprout Bubba Facebook page or follow me on twitter.

Bec