WAHM Interview - Amy of Denver Diaper Co.

Ever wonder what life is like when you own a diaper business? This month I was able to interview Amy of Denver Diaper Co. Keep an eye out... a storefront is in the works!

Q. How did you first get interested in cloth diapers? Did you always know you wanted to use them, or did you come around to them?
A. I did want to use them before I had my daughter. I needed to find a way to save money after she was born, because I wouldn't be returning to work.

Q. Tell me a little about the beginnings of your business. What made you want to sell cloth? Do you have a background in business?
A. At the time that I started my business, there was nowhere near me that I could go to get hands on experience with cloth diapers. I decided to fix that:). I really don't have a business background. I was in the medical field before this.

Q. How do you manage to run a business and balance family life?
A. Balance? What's that, lol?!? It's really hard and I don't succeed nearly as well as I would like to. I'm still figuring it out. I'm not sure that I ever will. I am trying to get better about prioritizing. So what if the carpets don't get vacuumed or the dishes done? As long as everyone gets fed, has relatively clean clothes, and gets teeth brushed I feel pretty good.

Q. If you had $1,000 and an entire day to yourself to do whatever you wanted, what would you do?
A. SPA!!! I love massages and all that girlie stuff, even though I'm really not that girlie, lol! Then I'd probably go raid Barnes & Nobles. I love reading.

Q. What is your very favorite part of being a WAHM?
A. I get to be with my daughter. I would have missed things if she had been in daycare.

Q. What is the hardest thing about being a WAHM?
A. I feel like I'm always working. There's always one more thing I could do before I quit. Since my office is in my house, I really can't ever get away from it.

Q. What is your favorite meal?
A. My husband is an awesome cook. He makes several things that I just love! His version of Applebee's Tequila Lime Chicken is soooooo good. Better than Applebee's actually (I know because I used to work there, lol!).

Q. In addition to being a wife and Mama, how many hours do you put in each week on your business?
A. Boy, I honestly don't know. It has to be full time or more. I work when she naps in the afternoon, several hours most evenings, and then several hours each day on the weekends while daddy watches her. I check email a lot during the day while she's awake and with me, too.

Q. What have been your happiest moments as a business owner?
A. When customers who came to me, either still pregnant or with a little one, with no cloth diapering experience and totally overwhelmed, tell me later how glad they are to be using cloth diapers. I like helping people figure out what diaper system will work best for them and their family.

Q. What have been your happiest moments as a mom?
A. Wow, there are so many! Lately, it's been when Morgan says new things and the way she says them.

Q. What do you have in the works at Denver Diaper Co.? Anything new and exciting?
A. We have some VERY exciting things in the works! We are currently working on opening up a storefront in the Denver area. We hope to be open sometime this summer.

WAHM Interview - Stephanie of CutieBooty Diapers

Ever wonder what life is like when you own a diaper business? This month I was able to interview Stephanie of CutieBooty Diapers! Despite several major life events being thrown into the mix, Stephanie has continued to cherish being a WAHM. Read on!


Q. How did you first get interested in cloth diapers? Did you always know you wanted to use them, or did you come around to them?

A. I started using cloth diapers when my first child was born in 1991. I used the Gerber Birdseye diapers with plastic pants and a few Gerber covers. As a young military wife at that time, I started with cloth because of the cost savings. As time went by, I actually enjoyed using cloth diapers. I never had to make a diaper run and there was just something I liked about folding a load of diapers fresh from the dryer. There are so many more options for cloth diapering now and it can really become an addiction. (All you have to do is take a peek at some of the posts on DiaperSwappers or Diaper Pin to see what I mean). I do love picking out which diaper I am going to use next. Its fun to match the diaper with an outfit or pair it with some baby leg warmers. Every diaper change can be a different look.

Q. Tell me a little about the beginnings of your business. What made you want to sell cloth? Do you have a background in business?

A. I first started thinking about opening a business when my 3rd child was born in 2005. I knew that I wanted to find a way to be home with my kids and also bring in some extra money. My background was in office management so I knew about the business side of things. What I was unsure of was my ability to effectively run a business without sacrificing my family time. So I started researching different options. Everything that I read about starting a business said to do something that you love. I loved cloth diapering my babies and wanted to share that with other moms. A cloth diaper business seemed like the natural choice. That’s when the first seed for CutieBooty Diapers was planted. During the spring of 2006 my husband was laid off from his job so I decided that was the time to get started. I had found a wonderful woman named Conley Roberts who was selling her business, Weeware Cloth Diapers. I purchased Weeware and combined the two

Q. How do you manage to run a business and balance family life?

A. I would like to say that I am one of those women who is totally organized, has a devoted work space, and has specific time slots for working, and everything is neat and tidy. That however is not the case. Right now my business and family life are meshed together quite a bit. At any given moment in a day you may find me sitting on the couch nursing a baby with my laptop beside me trying to answer emails, update my site, work on advertising, or ordering inventory. I try and work on things when my kids are napping or outside playing but things don't always line up like that.

My children are homeschooled which gives me the opportunity to involve them in the business. My 5 and 3 yr old love to help sort merchandise, pack orders and go to the post office with me. They are helping me and learning new things at the same time.

Q. If you had $1,000 and an entire day to yourself to do whatever you wanted, what would you do?

A. I would love to spend a whole day at the spa. Having my nails and hair done. A facial and massage the whole works!

Q. What is your very favorite part of being a WAHM?

A. My favorite thing is being able to do something that I enjoy and not be away from my family.

Q. What is the hardest thing about being a WAHM?

A. The hardest thing is that I am not away from my family. Sometimes it is hard to get things done when kids are running through the house jumping over paperwork or getting into the merchandise. It would be easier not to have anyone around while I was working, but not near as exciting.

Q. What is your favorite meal?

A. Pretty much any meal that I do not have to cook myself. I love seafood. I would have to say oysters are my favorite.

Q. In addition to being a wife and Mama, how many hours do you put in each week on your business?

A. I have never sat down to figure it out. I work when I get a chance and for as long as I can until someone needs me. If I had to guess, I would say at least 25-30 hours. Some weeks more and some less.

Q. What have been your happiest moments as a business owner?

A. My best moments come when I know that I have helped another mom. Introducing people to cloth or helping someone solve diapering issues makes me happy.

Q. What have been your happiest moments as a mom?

A. Watching my children grow and see the person that they are becoming. I am fortunate to be able to spend so much time with them on a daily basis. I hope that I can continue to teach them and learn from them as well for many years to come.

Q. What do you have in the works at CutieBooty Diapers? Anything new and exciting?

A. Since starting CutieBooty Diapers, we have moved twice, had a job lay off, and had our fourth baby. For 2009 I am looking forward to spending more time growing the business. We are looking into offering some local diapering classes and are currently researching new products. I would like to bring in an organic clothing line and possibly design our very own CutieBooty Diaper. Our main dream for the future would be to open a CutieBooty Diapers brick and mortar store. It would be nice to offer a local resource for cloth diapers in NW Oklahoma City.

FAQ - "What is your fave OS Pocket ? Sized pocket? "

SQUEAL! My very first FAQ submission!

This FAQ was submitted by Jenn. Thanks Jenn!

"What is your fave OS Pocket ? Sized pocket?"

I was asked these questions all the time as a retailer. Since I took it upon myself to try everything I could get my hands on, I can give an honest opinion about both.

Mandi's Favorite One-Size Pocket:


The winner is the bumGenius 3.0 One-Size Cloth Diaper.

I *love* this diaper. I've been using them since they came out (I used the 2.0's long before that), and they just have such a nice, trim fit. I'm generally not a huge fan of hook & loop closures, but the laundry tabs on my bG's keep the Aplix closed during the wash much better than any other hook & loop diaper I've tried. Mine are used in heavy rotation (no diaper is used "gently" around here!) and they've held up very well. I love that they come with a newborn insert in addition to the one-size insert. That means that even on a newborn there is a nice, trim fit.

I have quite the variety of diapers in my stash, but I always reach for my bG's in regards to a one-size diaper. They're just an all-around great diaper, very well-made, and relatively competitive in price.

Mandi's Favorite Sized Pocket:

The winner is Fuzzi Bunz.

These diapers have lasted over TWO YEARS of daily use, and still have life in them. Every baby is shaped differently, so preferences will vary on that front, but for my kids FB's are simply the best fit. They are super-adjustable in the thigh area, which has been really nice. My oldest was very skinny, and my youngest had thighs like the Michelin Man. Fuzzi Bunz fit them both perfectly. There is a great selection of colors, and I love that the prints are made of the same material as the solids.

You can see in the picture at right how trim Fuzzi Bunz are. This particular diaper was being worn during sprinkler time, and it even had the insert in it. That diaper was soaked, and look how trim it is!

A close second for my favorite sized pockets would be Knickernappies Disposanots. They are also fairly trim-fitting, and come in an equally adorable array of colors. The quality and durability of KNDs are top-notch, as well. The only reason they are my second favorite is that the sizes are a little smaller than the Fuzzi Bunz, and my little linebacker outgrew each size more quickly than he did in the Fuzzi Bunz. For my chub-a-lub I prefer the more generous sizing of Fuzzi Bunz... but if you have petite babies, I would actually recommend Knickernappies.

These are my preferences based on trying one of everything ever made (just about!). But every baby is different. My first and foremost recommendation to anyone starting out is do not invest in dozens of any one particular diaper until you have tried it out first!

Cloth and Carriers 101... What the heck is this?

Hi! I'm Mandi, the Mama who created, owned and operated Keen Bambino, an online boutique specializing in cloth diapers and baby carriers.

A few months ago, I made the decision to close Keen Bambino. Odd as it sounds, the business became too successful! When I opened Keen Bambino, I had no idea how quickly my business would grow. After a year and a half in business, I was exhausted. I have a 2-year-old, a 3-year-old, and one on the way. Because of how little my kiddos are, it was impossible to work while they were awake. So work (all 40-50 hours per week) was strictly done during nap time, after bedtime, and on the weekends. This left about 4 hours for sleep each night, and a pitiful amount of family time on the weekends. =-(

Since closing Keen Bambino, I have become a new woman! I am rested, un-hurried and able to focus 100% on my family. It's been bliss, and since I've gotten out of retail, I am more convinced each day that I made the best decision for both my family and my personal sanity. LOL

However, anyone who knows me knows that I need to have a "grown up" outlet. This idea came to me on a whim tonight, and it will be a perfect fit for me. I am very excited!

So what is all this? Well, I am insanely passionate about cloth diapers and baby carriers. But I also need a project that will not commit me to working full time. To reconcile my passion and the reality of 2 (soon to be 3!) small children, I have come up with a project that will truly be as much or as little work as I want it to be.

In this blog, I'll review, promote, and de-mystify all things related to cloth diapers and baby carriers!

Reviews - During my time as a retailer, I made it a point to try everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) that I carried on my site. This included dozens upon dozens of different "makes and models" of cloth diapers and baby carriers. However my ventures didn't stop there! I also loved to try brands which I didn't carry, including smaller WAHM-made goodies. I did this strictly because I felt that an informed retailer should be knowledgeable about the broader cloth diaper and baby carrier markets... certainly not because I have an addiction to cloth and carriers... wink, wink. So even if I never buy another diaper as long as I live (which ain't happenin'!), I think I could blog for about 45 years and never run out of material.

Promotion - As a former WAHM business owner, I know how awesome any advertising is! I will be tipping you off to my favorite cloth diaper and baby carrier shops, as well as learning about new shops an brands that come along. I will also be open to providing very affordable advertising and promotion opportunities to WAHMs. If you own a business and are interested, please email me!

De-Mystifying - As a former retailer, I know which questions are asked the most! I will be posting answers to some of the most common questions about cloth diapers and baby carriers. I'll also happily accept questions from readers! If you have a question, just let me know and I'll answer it for you! You can post your question as a comment, or email me.

So there you have it! After closing Keen Bambino, I felt this innate urge to continue promoting cloth-diapering and baby-wearing in some way. With this blog I can do just that, and still get a full night's sleep!