We chat to two Dads, Jacob and Harry about Dad life and cloth nappies!
Tell us a little bit about yourself:
I’m a stay at home dad as of very recently, before that I was working at a local retail store that specialises in artisan honey. My wife has gone back to working full time.
How did you find out about Bear & Moo?
My wife who’s always on Instagram
What sparked your interest in using cloth nappies?
They are cheaper in the long run, and better for the environment.
What has been your favourite print so far?
Bees
If someone was thinking of giving it a go but wasn’t quite sure...what would you tell them?
Just do it. You’ll notice the difference on your wallet. We have bought one small packet of disposables in the last 2 months and that was only because we were going away and my mother in law doesn’t like poo in her washing machine.
Best piece of advice for a parent wanting to start using cloth:
Even if it’s not quite right and it leaks -you’re going to be doing washing anyway.
Best parenting advice you’ve ever been given?
I’ve just ignored it all.
Favourite cloth nappy trick/hack:
Get the next nappy on before he pees everywhere.
Your name: Harry Brown
Tell us a little bit about yourself:
I work full time, have just changed jobs to one that is work from home so that I can spend the 3 hours I would spend commuting per day at home with my family now. My wife and I also run a business from home so I try to find time to work on this outside of my day job. As a family we like to go out with the dog and find a nice park for Milo to explore nature and the dog to have a run around, in the warmer months we try to spend as much time at the beach as possible. Basically we just want to hang out with our family and let Milo explore what is all around us.
How did you find out about Bear & Moo?
We wanted cloth nappies so as to be kinder to the planet but we are also always looking to support New Zealand businesses where we can. My wife and I had decided that cloth nappies were something we wanted to try once bubba came along and Bear and Moo came up in our research, the videos and articles on the Bear and Moo website were a huge help in the early days.
What sparked your interest in using cloth nappies?
The environmental factor was a big influence in looking into cloth nappies, we didn’t really like the idea of throwing hundreds of nappies into the bin every month. After starting our research we soon learned that after the initial set-up cost of purchasing the nappies, it us then more cost efficient to use cloth rather than disposable. That was just an obvious win-win to us!
What has been your favourite print so far?
Pizzas! hands down. Although the print is now called “Pizza-bum” in our household.
What is your favourite thing about Bear & Moo?
Other than the cute designs? It would have to be the help that Bear & Moo provides. During our research we would get lost in questions like; “do I need to clean straight away?” “Which inserts do I use?” “What’s the best way to clean the inserts?” (I could write questions all day). Bear and Moo has great resources on their website and a supportive online community, both of which provide great answers to questions such as these.
If someone was thinking of giving it a go but wasn’t quite sure...what would you tell them?
I would tell them our story! Being our first child, we had a whole lot of learning to do. Fast. We started on disposables as we then had less washing to focus on while we learnt how to parent. The time then came to look at using cloth nappies. My wife and I reasoned with each other, “We will start with one cloth nappy a day, just to see how he takes to them and what it’s like to clean them.” I came home from work the first day and asked how it went, my wife said he has worn 3 cloth nappies already today because they are “just that easy”. Next day, “He’s had 5 cloth nappies on today, I think we need to buy more soon!” By the end of the week we weren’t just up to our goal of 5 cloth nappies a day, we couldn’t wash the nappies we had fast enough and so decided to stock up on more and we haven’t looked back since!
Best piece of advice for a parent wanting to start using cloth:
Just start. There’s great resources out there to help you and it’s not as hard as it sounds. Just do a couple to begin if you’re nervous and you will see how simple the process is. What has really helped us is having a system, find what works for you. Our system is: All nappies go in the bucket and then every morning is a rinse and spin before they are thrown in with the next full wash.
Best parenting advice you’ve ever been given?
Whatever you do, there will be pros and cons. If you do the opposite, there will also be pros and cons. Therefore you will not get it right, but by that same token, you will also not get it wrong. Just do what is right for you, because then it is probably right for your family.
Favourite cloth nappy trick/hack:
When bubba is having some play time on the floor, a clean nappy propped up makes an awesome open resource for them to play with. The beautiful designs capture their attention and the rigidity with the elastic allows the nappy to prop itself up.
