Bottom Feeders
Print
Comment
Email
RSS
Twitter
Bottom Feeders
The recession has created a boom in the cloth-diaper business—even for used diapers.
Posted Monday, May 11, 2009 - 4:54pm
Jasmine Cianflone, a Diaper Swapper mother from Franklin Park, N.J., explains that she and her husband decided to cloth-diaper shortly after the recession cost them both their jobs. "We just couldn't afford disposable diapers every week," she writes. Using a combination of pre-folds, cotton fitteds, and SposoEasy All-in-Ones, Cianflone estimates that cloth diapers are saving her between $800 and $900 on her first child and will continue generating savings because they can be recycled on subsequent babies or be resold.
Jennifer Labit, founder and CEO of one of the most popular cloth-diaper brands, Bum Genius, says that "a person who's looking to start a business in this kind of market ... really [has] a huge opportunity." Her sales are double what they were one year ago.
In fact, Labit started her business during the last recession. Labit lost her programming job in the dot-com collapse, as did her husband, who was forced to take a job at Kinko's paying $8.50 an hour in order to get the family health insurance when their first son was born. Labit decided to start her baby-product business after a trip to Chicago, when several women on Michigan Avenue stopped to ask her about the sling in which she was carrying her infant. "I went home that evening and realized that if I had slings in my backpack, I could have sold them," she remembers.
Labit started a company called Cotton Babies in 2002 to retail that sling. She soon started retailing diapers and designed her own Bum Genius line in 2005. The Internet catapulted her from a WAHM meeting customers at the local Starbucks (SBUX) to deliver products to a business owner with 50 employees and an additional work force of 500 in factories in Denver and Egypt. She now has a 15,000-square-foot store in St. Louis and plans to open a second later this year.
Mark B. Milstein, director of Cornell University's Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise, corroborates the conclusions Labit has drawn from her experience. "Without a doubt," he says, "the recession creates an opportunity for entrepreneurs to cater to thrift-conscious consumers." There is money to be made off shoppers who are reducing their overall spending, and not just in diapers. "Their decision to reduce spending in some areas may translate into spending in others (albeit at net lower levels)" in search of better value for the dollar.
So if you've been wanting to go into business, Labit counsels, don't let the downturn discourage you. You just have to be willing to look in some unglamourous places. Diapers hold this wisdom for entrepreneurs, she says: "Look at what people are still buying, and be ready to take their money."
Photograph of a cloth diaper by Donna Day/Photodisc/Getty Creative Images
Comments
We love cloth!
I started using cloth on baby #3 when she was 14 months, and loved it! When I had baby #4 this last year, naturally we used cloth diapers. Parents decide to use cloth for many reasons and saving money is big one. I have parents tell me all the time that they are spending $50 or more a month in disposables (double that if there is more than one in diapers). Cloth Diapering can save thousands per child! I opened Diaper Style to be a resource for parents making the decision to use cloth. I offer free phone and also local consultations to help parents through the learning curve with cloth. ~Skye-Owner www.diaperstyle.com
Not what your mother used
I cloth diapered my first baby 21 years ago. There was not alot of choice back then, it was prefolds, pins and plastic pants.
When I had my latest baby a year ago (yes that is a 20 year gap between first and last), I didn't even consider cloth diapers until I tripped over the GDiapers website. I was suprised at how far diapers had come, and how simple they are to do now, and how CUTE they are. Then I had to try out all the different diapers there are out there.
I became so addicted that I started my own business last year www.nappyshoppe.com and I was suprised at how well it took off. I get to meet some wonderful parents on line who want to do the best by their babys, the environment and their budgets. To me there is no negatives to cloth diapering, only positives.
Sharni
www.nappyshoppe.com
Cloth Diapers are the way to go
We've used cloth diapers exclusively for almost 4 years and we've saved so much money. A mixture of Fuzzi Bunz, Knickernappies, SnapEz, and Happy Heinys are what we use the most. I've sold cloth diapers through my website for over 3 years and each year more people are interested in cloth. A year ago it was the environment and carbon footprint. This year it's the economy. Whatever the reason, people are discovering how easy cloth diapering can be and how economical it is. Heather www.ClothDiaperOutlet.com
Cloth Diapers and Elimination Communication are cost effective!
It's great to see an article letting parents know how using modern cloth diapers is an increasingly popular activity. As a sponsor of the Great Cloth Diaper Hunt myself, I have seen the growing interest in using cloth, and people are always interested in ways to enter into using cloth without a large outlay - starting with just one cloth diaper is a great start, as each time it is used a single-use dispopsable is kept from the environment, AND savings begin to grow! My site is Part Time Diaper Free, http://www.PartTimeDiaperFree.com - which shows mothers how to reduce the washing load of their modern cloth diapers with some Elimination Communication (EC), perhaps the leading edge in environmentally friendly and sustainable diapering practices - using diapers more casually and keeping them drier for longer! It certainly works for us and pooey diapers to change are uncommon. Charndra at Part Time Diaper Free!
Cloth diapers are easy to use and cost-effective
I've been selling cloth diapers for three years now, and I do see an increase in the number of people interested in cloth diapers. We have used cloth diapers exclusively on our 7 month old since she was still in the hospital. I find them easier to deal with than disposables - really! I never run out of diapers. I never have to drag my baby to the store to get more. I don't have to budget for diapers every week and we don't have piles of smelly used diapers sitting around until garbabge pick up day. By using cloth on our baby we will keep 6,000 disposable diapers out of the landfills in just her first two years. While cloth-bottomed babies tend to potty-train more quickly (disposable training pants keep them feeling too dry to notice when they go), we will also save money and trees by using cloth training pants. One washload every 3 days keeps my baby in soft, eco-friendly diapers with minimal effort from us. We have already saved hundreds and the diapers she has now will last through potty-training as well as through a second baby. Most stores, including my own, offer a trial pack of some kind so you can try cloth without making a huge commitment. I find that once families try good cloth diapers they love them and want more. Julie Holland www.littlefornow.com
diapers
Cloth diapers are absolutely the best! My first child was born during the Internet bubble and we used cloth diapers back then even though cost wasn't a big issue. And used ones aren't nearly as unpleasant sounding as you might believe: Think diaper service and lots of bleach. Of course, diaper services don't advertise: sign up with us and we'll deliver you freshly laundered used diapers!