Pepsicles specialise in providing postnatal home help, and also have nappy hire kits available.

It’s a great way to try out the very popular Fuzzi Bunz pocket nappy system, and if you are using Pepsicles postnatal services, your carer will be able to wash and care for them during those first few weeks.

More Info: Visit the Hire Kits page at the Pepsicles website for full information on what’s included in the hire kit, costs, and terms and conditions.

Contact: Click here to email Pepsicles.

People Magazine published an article earlier this month reporting on celebrity musician Dave Matthews going green and using eco-friendly cloth diapers on bubba number three.

So I did a little more research and found quite a few more celebrities are cloth nappy buffs. Apparently Madonna has been spotted changing a cloth diaper on baby David, while Anna Belknap from CSI-NY is reported to be a Fuzzi Bunz fan. And earlier this year Mariska Hargitay from Law and Order: Special Victims Unit featured in a “Got Milk?” ad with her baby son August wearing a cloth nappy.

Closer to home, I’ve heard rumours that Petra Baghurst is a Snazzipants fan, while All Black Chris Jack was pictured holding a cute cloth nappy baby back in June.

In brief: a flawed cloth V’s disposables survey was brought to the media’s attention here in NZ due to going-on’s in the UK, presenting cloth in an unfavourable manner. A rebuttal press release from TNN and members was published. On a brighter note, the Wanganui Council have agreed to put in place a cloth nappy subsidy scheme starting later this month.

I’m not doing TradeMe picks this week, instead here’s some video’s from YouTube (enjoy)!!!

New Zealand Cloth Nappy Videos

• Time for a change (abridged version). View here. Short documentary style video.
• Real Nappy Week Segment on Good Morning. View here.

Videos of a promotional nature

• Fuzzi Bunz by Mother of Eden. View here. Great overview of pocket diapers.
• Happy Heiny’s 2007 Commercial. View here.
• Baby Cloth Diapers by Comfy Bummy. View here. Includes a $5 discount coupon code.
• How to Use: Frugal Fanny Flannels. View here. Quite possibly one of the fastest fitted cloth nappy changes I’ve seen with diaper pins.

Sew your own

• Make your own fitted cloth diapers. View here. This is only one of many ways to sew a fitted cloth nappy without a purchased pattern and is recommended more for beginners.

There are a whole heap of other video clips on YouTube. I simply got sick of watching them all to see if I wanted to feature them here on www.clothnappy.co.nz. But beware, searching for ‘cloth diapers’ or ‘cloth nappies’ can be hazardous to the contents of your stomach. Be wary of which videos you click if using these search terms on YouTube.

A press release from The Nappy Network has been made public on the Scoop Independent News Website. Here’s a few snippets:

Kimberly-Clark quote a 2005 UK study by the Environment Agency…this study has already been discredited ….

Even in its flawed state, it actually DOES show that cloth nappies cause LESS harm to the environment overall ….

Disposables are the single largest product category of household waste, costing Christchurch ratepayers around $600,000 a year to landfill just disposables…

Just one child in cloth nappies will save around 2 tonnes of solid waste from going to landfill.

You can read the article in full on Scoop here. Media releases from The Nappy Network can be viewed here.

Modern Nappy Options

An informative and interactive one hour session for parents and parents-to-be.

Kate Meads from NappyDays will discuss the different types of modern cloth nappies and give you information to help you decide which to use.

Come along and learn the difference between a pocket nappy, a pre-fold and a fitted nappy, see what a booster is and how inserts work, find out about liners and dry pailing.

View a range of nappy systems from different brands.

Time: 1.00 – 2.00pm
Date: 28th July 2007
Parents Place: 84 Boundary Road, Hamilton.

Gold coin donation

Sunday 19th August from 12 - 12.30 at Christchurch Parent and Child Show.

Nappies are the one item of clothing your child will wear everyday for the next few years. Kate will demonstrate what modern nappy options are available today and show you how to decide which one is best for you.

Presented by Kate Meads, NappyDays Ltd

Here’s a snippet from an article in the Wanganui Chronicle dated 11-Jul-2007 by Anne-Marie Emerson:

…Parents of babies born on or after June 1, 2007, will receive vouchers for a nappy starter pack worth $135. The packs contain cloth nappies and over-nappies with Velcro fasteners that do away with the need for safety pins.

Council spokesperson Carol Webb said the council had decided to set aside $25,000 for the scheme after Hawera woman Cynthia Cunningham made a submission to the Annual Plan asking the council to introduce a cloth nappy scheme…

The scheme will come into effect 23 July 2007, will run for a year and be reviewed by the Council in 2008. You can read the full article online here.

These are normally $19-95 to $19.99 each when purchased individually, and are currently on sale - 3 x PeaPods for $50. That’s complete with a pocket nappy and insert, and you can even shop online at www.thebabyfactory.co.nz.

Marie is a fellow West Aucklander who has moved to the warmer climate of Brisbane (while I, on the other hand opted for the cold deep south, and moved to Dunedin). She has recently launched her second WAHM business Wonderfully Made where she stocks NZ made Ecobubs wool pockets, and the Australian one size fits all hemp nappy made by Cute Tooshies. And for those clever knitters who like to make their own wool soakers and longies, Marie also stocks 100% NZ wool and stitch markers.

Hopefully, in the near future Marie will be able to fulfil her goal of opening a retail store on the outskirts of Brisbane. In the meantime, both NZ and Australian customers can visit Marie at www.wonderfullymade.com.au.

An article in the UK published in July this year is tittled “The great real nappy myth - they are just as bad for the environment as disposables, admits Minister” and you can read it here.

Here’s a few snippets courtesy of http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/…

…after a three-year campaign that has cost taxpayers at least £30million, it has been decided that the two types [cloth and disposable nappies] have the same impact on the environment.As a result, ministers at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have quietly dropped the lavishly-financed Real Nappy Campaign.

The decision follows a four-year research project which found that the impact of burying disposable nappies in landfill sites was matched by the energy consumed and greenhouse gases generated by washing reusables or transporting them to laundries.

Former waste minister Ben Bradshaw confirmed the end of the nappy campaign in a Commons answer delivered last week….

…..It is estimated that at least three billion disposable nappies are thrown away every year in the UK, creating a waste mountain which is costing local authorities more than £40million a year to treat. READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE.

If you strongly agree, disagree or have other thoughts about this article you’d like to share, feel free to email me or post a comment.