The Beginnings of Bumpy Buns ...
Cloth Nappies in Australia.
My name is Sharon and I am in the depths of cloth nappies where ever I look. Managing 4 cloth nappy websites, doing cloth nappy parties as well as answering cloth nappy emails and telephone calls with advice and ideas.
How did it all begin? Well let me tell you........
I had one child who was completely in disposable nappies. Something inside me told me that it wasn't right but at that point in time it was all I could manage and besides, every body else was using them!
When I had my second baby I started out putting her in disposables too. But then I began to go through a real 'green' time when she was about 8months old. I was trying to reduce my waste amongst other things in my lifestyle. I kept carrying this bag of disposable nappies out to the bin each day and I knew there must be a better way. I decided to give cloth a try. I already had some terry squares and a few pilchers that a few good natured people had given to me. I put them on my baby and after she did her first poo, I think my words were,
"You have GOT to be joking!"
I lasted only a few days with traditional terry squares and that idea was done with.
Shortly afterwards I was wandering through Target when I saw some
Eenee flushable disposable nappy pads and some
Eenee pants to put them in. I was amazed that I hadn't heard of them before. I bought them and I was sold. I took them to my playgroup and held them up at 'messages time' to show everyone else what I had found.
Target was a bit inconvenient to me, I wanted to buy them from Woolworths or Coles or something. I was sure one supermarket must have them. I called Kuver Designs (the makers of Eenees) and asked them where I could get their pads.
"Do you live near Atarmon?" they said.
"No" I said.
Apparently Target were no longer stocking them and Atarmon was my next closest supplier (about half an hour away). So much for a supermarket having them!
It was then that I decided I would stock their products so that other people in the area would be able to get them too. I suddenly became aware of the cloth nappy world that was in existence.
I continued to use Eenees (both disposable and cloth) and then I registered my business
Bumpy Buns when my 3rd child was born. I started with a bag of used
Fluffies nappies on her that I picked up at a garage sale for $20. I then continued to try lots of nappy products, finally deciding on a product range for Bumpy Buns of those I thought were the best and I believed that the company was in a secure position to continually supply them. I opened an ebay store and a website.
http://stores.ebay.com.au/Bumpy-Buns
http://www.bumpybuns.com.au/
And I began doing nappy parties in Sydney.
However, of all the nappy systems I tried, nothing suited me completely. From previously knowing nothing at all I had now become quite the coniseur of cloth nappies. I wanted something that I could put on both of my girls (newborn and 2 year old), that could support cloth pads most of the time but could also support Weenees Flushable Pads when I needed disposables. I wanted them to look cute and be easy to use. With these ideas and the help of my sister-in-law,
AllStar Wraps were born.
These were perfect for me (and my sister-in-law). We were SO happy with them we thought that other people might be happy with them too. And so far it seems that they are! I wanted them to have a seperate identity to Bumpy Buns and so I created a website for them alone.
http://www.allstarwraps.com/
Here's my newborn when she was a bit older wearing her AllStar Wrap.
That's 3 websites now. You'd think I'd be done. But not yet!
Ebay stopped allowing the selling of used nappies. Yet I had started my third child on used nappies and was grateful for that opportunity. I now had customers contacting me asking where they might be able to sell the cloth nappies they had bought from me earlier as their children were now toilet trained. I started searching for them but I couldn't find anything totally suitable. So I decided that this was another way I could help out and support the cloth nappy world!
So, just recently
Used Nappies .com.au was created. A free service for the selling and giving away of cloth nappies and cloth nappying related products.
The response to this new site has been overwhelming. It seems that there really was a hole that needed to be filled and this site has helped to fill it.
And this is where we are up to now. I just received an email to list another nappy on Used Nappies .com.au while I've been writing this blog. I've just taken a couple of orders from my Bumpy Buns website just prior to writing this blog and I've been creating listings on Ebay today.
And even earlier today I was sewing some AllStar Wraps for stock.
I love cloth nappies. I feel good about myself when I put them on my children and see how comfortable and good they look. I feel great about the money I'm saving. And I feel like I'm contributing to a healtheir world. Not only that, but I'm helping other parents to have these same positive feelings in their life. I've never known anyone to love their disposable nappies, but I never run out of people who have a passion for their cloth nappies.
And now my new business venture is Earthy Girls - Cloth Menstrual Pads!
