Saturday, July 7, 2012
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Interested in Using Cloth Nappies?
Choosing cloth nappies can be quite confusing because there are so many different styles available and a lot of conflicting information.
Come along and let me ‘The Nappy Lady™’ dispel all the myths, show you how they work and explain all of the things you could possibly want to know about nappies. I will show you how to choose the style that will suit your family and how easy it actually is to use cloth nappies.
Each couple will receive a free nappy trial pack valued at over $45 to take home.
Upcoming Dates:
Friday 11th February @6.00pm
Saturday 12th February @9.00am
Venue: Parents Place, 87 Boundary Road, Hamilton
Cost: $15 per couple
Bookings are essential: Please contact Kate Meads (aka The Nappy Lady) on (07) 5492955 email kate@nappydays.co.nz. There are limited spaces available and they book up very quickly.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Ask The Nappy Lady – New Zealand’s Cloth Nappy Expert

Monday, 23 November 2009, 11:32 am
Did you know that just one cloth nappy could replace over 400 disposable nappies (see attached picture)
While times are still tough and parents are trying to get by on only one income, many are still effectively depositing their hard earned cash into landfill. It has been estimated that New Zealand parents may be using around 1 Million disposable nappies per day which is a huge amount of waste from one singular product going into our landfills.
“If parents purchased just one cloth nappy, they could prevent hundreds of disposables from entering our depleting landfills” This is the message The Nappy Lady™, Kate Meads is getting out to new and expecting parents across New Zealand
„There are couple of common barriers that sometimes put parents off considering cloth nappies‟ says The Nappy Lady.
“The first is generally cost because of the initial outlay involved when investing in a cloth nappy system. The set up cost may be from $500 - $1500 depending on the style of nappy. However when you consider parents will spend thousands on disposables, the cost of cloth nappies is significantly less.”
“The other is, over time we have been led to believe that they are inconvenient and time consuming. When in actual fact, the only time consuming part of a cloth nappy system nowadays is making the decision regarding which nappy you want to use because there are so many to choose from.” Says Kate
Gone are the days of soaking, scrubbing, folding and pins! Today technology does all of the work. With the advancement of fabrics, washing machines and powders there is more time to spend with your family.
The Nappy Lady wants New Zealand parents to know that cloth nappies today are easy, super cute, better for the environment and can save parents thousands of dollars. They are not what most people expect, especially when they find out that there are even nappies being made from bamboo which is sustainable, antibacterial and great for baby‟s sensitive new skin.
Every day Kate talks to parents who are completely overwhelmed because of the amount of information available online. She decided to provide parents in New Zealand with quality, unbiased, unbranded information to help them on their nappy hunt.
It started with antenatal classes, then workshops for different regional councils, some TV interviews where she was originally given the title of The Nappy Lady and then quickly grew to include a dedicated cloth nappy information website www.thenappylady.co.nz .
The website has grown in popularity since it was recently launched and the number of parents emailing The Nappy Lady for advice is growing every day.
Now The Nappy Lady is being invited by different groups around the country to provide parents the opportunity to come and talk to an expert, touch, try and see the different styles of nappies available today.
“I have really embraced the title of The Nappy Lady over the past year, and apart from people thinking I am far older than I actually am, I love being able to offer expert advice to parents and helping them to succeed in using cloth nappies on their babies!”, says Kate
“Using cloth nappies makes cents and the dollars look after themselves.”
Thursday, April 30, 2009
kates interview on good morning
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/video_popup_windows_skin/2679331
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Have we had the wool pulled over our eyes?

Acording to a leading brand of disposable in New Zealand, the New Zealand Ministry for the Environment suggests that disposable nappies make up around 1.9% of NZ Landfill. On their website, this company compares this figure to that of Plastics and food waste. Obviously when you compare disposable nappies at 1.9% to plastics at 9.1% as shown in the graph above, this all sounds like it is nothing at all to worry about because nappies are only contributing 1.9% of all landfill waste after all.
However when I did the maths I was truely shocked. When you stop to consider that only about 4%* of our entire population** contributes one single product (disposable nappies) to landfill and that this one single product contributes a whopping 1.9% all on its own this figure is actually shocking! Think of every plastic procuct that could possibly end up in our landfill, the list would be almost endless yet all of these plastic products only contribute to 9.1% of landfill and 100% of the population would contribute to at least some of this plastic waste.
Then when you consider that disposable nappies are solely responsible for nearly 2% of landfill waste and only 4% of the entire population uses them, these figures actually started to make me think that we may have a serious nappy waste issue.
Does anyone stand around and wait for their nappies to dry?
What is really so hard about putting nappies in the washing machine and turning it on. With small babies, we all use our washing machines daily! The hardest thing sometimes is to get into a routine - many people simply alternate clothes washes with nappy washes and some people just throw it all in together!
Modern cloth nappies are shaped to fit just like disposables. Sometimes the wrap is separate from the nappy but one needs to dress baby in a number of items of clothing every day so one extra item of clothing makes very little difference.
Another common complaint is ’having to handle the poo when you using cloth’. I am amazed at the number of parents I have spoken to, who have not read the small print on disposables where it quite clearly states that any solids must be disposed of down the toilet. It appears that most parents just wrap up the nappy, poo and all, and dispose of it into the bin to go into our landfills – just because it is a disposable nappy. This is potentially very dangerous as there could well be tonnes of untreated human waste sitting in our landfills.
By using flushable liners in re-usable nappies, we don't have to deal with any of the nasty stuff, you simply just flush it away!
With our economy the way it is and with the price of disposable nappies increasing, disposables may actually cost your family more time than you think. Consider how many extra hours a parent may need to work each week just to pay for the $50 worth of disposable nappies their baby is likely to use per week. The amount of time the parent would have to work to earn enought to purchase their disposable nappies would far out weigh the amount of time it would take for mum to turn on the washing machine 3-4 times a week and to hang out 4 loads of washing.
Modern cloth nappies have become easy, low cost, eco friendly alternatives to disposables and will not cost a family any more time than what their daily washing routine already does.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Nappy Workshops in Hamilton
Overview of Nappy Workshop Itinerary for 2009
- 20th February at 7pm @ Parents Place 87 Boundary Road Hamilton
- 21th February at 10am @ Parents Place 87 Boundary Road Hamilton
- 27th March at 7pm @ Parents Place 87 Boundary Road Hamilton
- 28th March at 10am @ Parents Place 87 Boundary Road Hamilton
The cost of attending is $15 per couple or individual. Limited numbers available.
Huge interest and positive feedback from last year's workshops has led to four more workshops being scheduled for early 2009. Hamilton parents have raved about how informative these seminars are and how it totally took the mystery out of choosing modern cloth nappies.
Both workshops will be presented myself.
These have proven to be very popular especially considering parents want to learn the benefits of cloth nappies for their baby and also how they can save families $1000's and reduce their household’s carbon footprint.
To begin with there will be a 45-55 minute presentation. I will cover:
- The 5 Main nappy options available to parents today – Disposables, Pre-folds with covers, Pocket nappies, Fitted nappies with covers and All in Ones.
- Liners and boosters – what are they and why would you use one
- Fabrics – what modern nappy fabrics are available today?
- How to choose your nappies – Which one will be suitable for your baby
- Washing your nappies – You wash your underwear it’s no different
Then I will go through in detail the main styles of cloth nappies available in New Zealand. I explain what is involved in using each system and show how each brand and style is different.
Parents will then have the unique opportunity to try the different nappies for themselves on dolls supplied at 4 nappy stations and I will be open for questions through this time. Parents will be given tips on choosing which system will suit them and their baby.
Best of all, each pregnant mum attending will take home a free pack of nappies that has been supplied by one of the NZNA members and is funded by the Hamilton council. Each pack will be valued at around $70.00.
They will be fun, enlightening and educational workshops. You learn something new everyday so why not come and learn about nappies.
There is a limit of 10 pregnant women plus support person/partner per workshop so registrations are essential. To register please contact me on 07 549 2955 or 027 22 11 242.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Proven - Cloth are better for the enviroment
It's official. A new governmet report comparing the environmental impact of reusable versus disposable nappies has concluded that reusable nappies are up to 40% better for the environment than their disposable counterparts. The key finding of the report shows that the environmental benefits are achieved by following simple washing guidelines like:
avoiding tumble drying nappies
using A-rated appliances and
washing in full loads at no more than 60 degrees
These are all measures we recommend and are commonly used by parents . The report highlights that unlike disposables, washable nappies put parents in control of the impact they have on the environment. Parents using cloth nappies will also be financially better off. It has long been known that real nappies save parents hundreds of pounds and now this advice on washing methods, which are supported and promoted by the NZ Nappy Alliance, will help reduce fuel bills too.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Hamilton Nappy Workshops
Just a quick note to let you know that I have another 2 Hamilton Workshops coming up at the end of November. The date is the 29th and we have 2 sessions running, one at 10am and the another at 1pm.
Bookings are a must as there are only 10 spaces available per session and the cost is $15 per couple and each couple takes home over $70 worth of free nappies.
Go to the website and contact me for more details.
Have a nappy day
Kate
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Nappies Nappies and more Nappies!!
Thank you for taking the time to come along and look at my blog. I hope that the information I will pass on to you will help you make the right decision for you.
There is a lot to take in so it's often useful to have the information all in one place to refer back to.
Those of us who are familiar with cloth nappies often forget that the jargon can be very confusing and intimidating to start with. This can cause people to think that it is all too hard so they decide to stick with disposables. It pays to remember that cloth nappies are not harder than disposables, as some would lead you to believe, they are just different. We have been so educated through advertising media about the ease and convenience of disposables that the world has passed by the fact that cloth nappies have evolved and there are easy, convenient cloth options available. And as I have said today, there are huge benefits to using cloth nappies - your baby's comfort, the environment and your pocket!
In order to make the right choice you need to consider your needs and preferences. For example you may prefer your baby to be in nappies made from man made / synthetic fabrics or perhaps you would rather use more natural fabrics. Personal preferences are important to consider to ensure you get the nappies that will fit into your lifestyle. This information I am going to provide to you will hopefully help you decide what is most important to you when choosing a nappy.
If you have any questions you need answering or if you get overwhelmed please just ask and I will be happy to help you. Also if you have any suggestions or information you think I have missed out, please contact me directly as I would love to hear from you.
Happy Nappy Hunting
Kate Meads
NappyDays Limited
