Real Mum Carolanne on Reusable Nappies

Carolanne drove all the way from Doncaster to see us, just shows how committed to reusable nappies she is! Her little one Zac was chosen to model for our matchy range (He was Pawfect!!) and we asked her if she would be up for featuring as one of our real mums and to share her reusable nappy story to help inspire others to give it a go. A passionate cloth nappy fan, she was well up for it and we had a proper natter about it all. Great-Granny came along with them on the day and we took the opportunity to ask her what she thought about the nappies too. Read on to see what they had to say about it all:

Why did you choose reusable nappies?

“It was a colleague who introduced me to cloth. I work for ZooLab and we are all about the environment. We go into schools to educate kids about the animals and the ecosystem they live in and I can see directly the impact that plastics have on the oceans with the work that the Zoo Lab Foundation does in Trinidad with Leatherback Turtles. It’s so shocking and I just couldn’t ignore it. I have to admit though I was initially quite dismayed at the idea of using reusable nappies. All I could think of were the nappies our Grannies used to use, I thought they were squares and plastic pants and you had all the faffing with boil washing. I find a lot of people still think that which is a shame. I really had no idea how amazing cloth nappies are.”

What type of nappies do you use?

“We have a mixed set of reusable nappies; during the day we use TotsBots EasyFits and some pocket nappies, but my husband’s favourites are the EasyFits. He absolutely hates poppers and just finds the TotsBots so much quicker and easier to use so they are our preferred nappies. At night I use TotsBots bamboozles with a waterproof wrap and I now boost them with hemp or bamboo inserts (but I didn't need to when he was younger the nappy was enough)” 

What did Great Granny think?

“Oh gosh I remember using terry squares and plastic pants on Zac’s Granpa. That was all we had in those days and we didn’t know anything else so just got on with it. I loved seeing the nappies on the line too, so satisfying. I just can’t believe how far nappies have come; all the colours and the designs, they are absolutely amazing. When Carolanne told me she was going to go with cloth on Zac I was so proud of her.”

When did you start using cloth?

“I bought all my nappies before the birth. But my baby came and I had a c-section. I felt completely overwhelmed and was a bit scared to use them if I’m honest, so we used disposables for the first few weeks, but Zac started to get nappy rash and I asked myself what I was doing…I had a kit of nappies right there so made the decision to commit to it and we have never looked back… and Zac has never had nappy rash since. I even use reusable wipes now!”

What advice would you give to people who are really not sure about the idea of cloth nappies?

“Newborn poo is easy, it’s not like grown up poo. Now that I look back, I wonder what all the fuss was about. I even use reusable wipes too now.  Washing is easy, you just push the button on the machine and go. It’s really no bother and doesn’t take much time.”

What advice would you give to other Parents choosing a brand?

“Buy the different types/brands secondhand and see what ones you like before you commit to buying your main kit. Reusable nappies hold their value too…if you don't use for another baby you can sell them on when you are finished with them. You can’t do that with disposables, gosh can you imagine.”

There you have it, we still can’t quite believe that Caroline was happy to come that far and with Great Granny in tow too, but we are really quite honoured that they did. We don't tend to see many of our customers face-to-face as everything is sold online, so it brightens up our days to be able to escape from days behind the screen and just hang out with our customers taking pictures and chatting! Carolanne was so so passionate about reusable nappies too, we would actually give her a job if she was closer!!

Once you fall in love with your reusable nappies you’ll see why though. And if you are reading this and thinking “That’s Me, I’m already there!” drop us a line and we might feature you as one of our cloth nappy parents; we give you a little set of reusable nappies and some pics from the day too as thanks.