Love Nappy Ever After giveaway #rnw2014

Show the love for Nappy Ever After! Come into our shop during Friday 25 April and Saturday 3 May (during our extended opening hours of course!), take a photo of your favourite product that we stock, post it on our Facebook timeline (you can tag us but Facebook doesn’t let us see these tagged posts so make sure you post it on our timeline) and you could win a prize! Over the last few months, we’ve been adding loads of new products to our range – have you seen the MioSolo pocket nappies (new prints on their way!), the new Tots Bots Binky nappies and the organic clothing by Pigeon Organics and Little Green Radicals. We know what we’d pick, what about you?

Loads of nappies to choose from

Image courtesy of Mamma italiane a Londra. Only those photos we can see on our timeline will be eligible to win (see above). We’ll select one winner on Tuesday 6 May and will let the winner know on Wednesday 7 May. Depending on how many entries we get, we’ll give away one or more products!

Remember to ask us about #passportpursuit and the other #realnappyweek competitions this week!

Try out cloth nappies this #rnw2014

We’ve updated and discounted our super popular Nappy Ever After trial packs this Real Nappy Week! #rnw2014 #realnappyweek

We know that people want to try cloth nappies to decide what best suits them and their lifestyle. We know that the different types can be confusing. We’ve simplified the options so you can try different types of nappies with ease. All of the nappies in our trial packs work exceptionally well and you will continue to use them, whatever nappies you prefer after the trial.

Each pack contains eight nappies which is enough for around 24 hours depending on whether you’re starting from newborn, from six months, or anywhere in between or beyond.

• Flat nappies – organic cotton prefolds
• Shaped/fitted nappy – bamboo shaped nappy
• Pocket nappy  – choose from two recognised name brands
• Waterproof wraps for flat and shaped nappies
• Disposable liners to suit your baby’s age

All nappy trial packs are available for instore pick-up only. Visit us this Real Nappy Week as we’d love to demo the nappies for you.

Newborn, infant and older baby trial packs can be see here. Prices are 20% off the RRP for the individual items so a great deal too! These packs are our suggestions but when you come into the shop, you can pick and choose what you like best.

See you this Real Nappy Week 28 April to 3 May!

Real Nappy Week 2014

Real Nappy Week 2014

We’re opening the shop for extra hours during Real Nappy Week which runs from 28 April to 4 May.

Friday 25 April – 10am to 6pm
Tuesday 29 April – 2 to 6pm
Wednesday 30 April – 10am to 6pm
Friday 2 May – 10 to 6pm
Saturday 3 May – 11am to 4pm

We’ll be at the Great Cloth Nappy Change London event on Saturday 26 April from 10am – see here for more information and how to book! Booking essential to meet the Guinness Book World of Records rules.

More Real Nappy Week news and special offers to come!

 

Hope to see you during Real Nappy Week!

Review by Mamme italiane a Londra

The lovely Alessi from Mamme italiane a Londra visited our Central London store recently and wrote a fab review for us to share: English first, then the Italian for our Italian mamme.

I discovered this gem in the heart of Camden:

NAPPY EVER AFTER, 96 Chalton street, NW1 1HJ

This little shop in Chalton Street specialises in washable nappies (reusable nappies, or those made of cloth – you know the type) as well as other eco-friendly products. It’s the only reusable nappy shop in Central London, or so says its Facebook page Nappy Ever After and I can also confirm that to be true. Before Greta was born, I wasted time and energy to try to get my hands on what for me had become a mirage: the washable nappy that seemed to exist only on my computer screen.

You could buy everything on line (and I did), without trying anything, trusting the reviews first and then the instructions. But a cloth nappy costs between 10 and 15 pounds and, for that price, it’s best to figure out the right system/brand from the very start. How do you find out if your little being is a ‘bumGenius’ baby or prefers the folding nappy by ‘Bambino mio’, or the ‘Bamboozle’ shaped nappy? Let’s all go to Chalton Street!

Nappies on display!

I read on their Facebook page that the shop began in order to help London parents (excluding those in Hackney who already know everything!) discover how easy washable nappies can be…and in true Camden style, all in the form of a non-profit organisation.

Crossing the threshold, you find yourself in front of shelves piled with washable nappies in thousands of shapes, colours and sizes, all neatly folded. On the left, there are mountains of nappies stuffed in transparent packaging. Then I found out that Nappy Ever After also offers a laundry service for cloth nappies, similar to that used by hotels for their linens. As it turns out, not all dirty laundry needs to be washed at home.

Nappies for NEA’s laundry service, photo credit Alessia Antonelli

That would be enough for me right there, I’m as excited as a six-year-old on a first trip to Disneyland, but my gaze continues to wander and I discover more nappy wraps, liners, washable swimming nappies, olive oil soaps, sanitisers, reusable breast pads made of silk (of SILK, who knew they existed), bottles for refills from the boxes of Ecover eco-friendly laundry and cleaning products, finishing with some Nordic-style clothing lines (much to the joy of Enrica who takes care of our Saturday column) in organic cotton of which I recommend the Disana clothing.

Shop for breast pads, eco-friendly washing powders and clothing, photo credit Alessia Anotonelli

All of this is going on, while, beside me, they are carrying out personalised fittings of a baby sling to suit you and your baby. An expert gives you specialised advice and then the option to hire your sling before buying it (as an example, £6 for two weeks).

I share my joy with Su, the Nappy Ever After shop manager, and can’t stop squeaking with pleasure. Then a dark thought crosses my brain. Once upon a time, similar bursts of enthusiasm came from the perfect pair of shoes, or the dress that made me look much thinner and I’m there, there to get depressed. Then Greta looks at me, grabs the first nappy off the shelf, throws it on the floor and makes a hilarious grin that makes bystanders smile. I look at my shoes and think…well who’s going to see them behind the pram anyway.

************************

Ho scoperto una gemma nel cuore di Camden..

NAPPY EVER AFTER, 96 Chalton street, NW1 1HJ

Questo negozietto in Chalton street e’ specializzato in pannolini lavabili (pannolini riciclabili, di stoffa o comunque li conosciate) e prodotti ecologici affini. E’ l’unico negozio di pannolini ecologici in Central London, cosi’ e’ scritto sulla pagina facebook Nappy Ever After e cosi’ confermo io. Prima che nascesse Greta ho investito inutilmente tempo ed energie per cercare di toccare con mano quello che per me era diventato un miraggio: il pannolino lavabile che sembrava esistere solo sullo schermo del mio computer.

Si potrebbe comprare tutto online (cosi’ feci io) senza provare, fidandoti delle reviews prima e delle istruzioni poi. Pero’ un pannolino in stoffa costa tra 10-15 sterline e a quel prezzo sarebbe meglio indovinare subito il sistema/la marca giusta. Come scoprire se la vostra creatura e un “Bumgenius” o predilige il pannolino pieghevole “Bambino Mio” o la mutandina “bamboozle”? Tutti in processione a Chalton street!

Leggo sulla pagina Facebook di NAPPY EVER AFTER che il negozio nasce per spiegare ai genitori mortali (quindi tutti esclusi quelli di Hackney, quelli sanno gia’ tutto) quanto possa essere facile utilizzare pannolini lavabili…ed in vero stile Camden, tutto sotto forma di associazione NON PROFIT.

Varcando la soglia ci si trova davanti scaffali colmi di mutandine lavabili in mille colori, forme e taglie, tutti ordinatamente piegati. Sulla sinistra si stagliano montagne di inserti assorbenti di stoffa (nappy) imballati in buste trasparenti. Cosi’ scopro che Nappy Ever After offre anche un servizio “lavanderia” per econappies che somiglia molto a quello utilizzato dagli alberghi per le loro lenzuola. A quanto pare, non tutto il bucato sporco deve sessere lavato in famiglia.

A me basterebbe cosi’, sono eccitata come un bambino di sei anni per la prima volta a Disneyland, (o a Fiabilandia, per la compagine romagnola) ma lo sguardo continua a vagare e scopro altre mutandine, liners, swimmers lavabili, saponi all’olio d’oliva, polveri sterilizzanti, coppette assorbenti di seta (di S E T A…manco sapevo esistessero), taniche per la refill di ECOVER (ecologia al quadrato), finendo con qualche linea di abbigliamento in cotone biologico dal gusto Nordico (per la gioia di Enrica che cura la nostra rubrica del sabato) tra le quali mi senti di raccomandare DISANA.

Tutto questo accade mentre di fianco a me si eseguono fitting personalizzati sul “tipo di marsupio piu’ consono a te ed al tuo bambino”. Un’esperta ti consiglia dandoti l’opzione di noleggiare il tuo marsupio prima di comprare (6 sterline per due settimane).

Condivido la mia gioia con la manager e non smetto di squittire di piacere. Poi un pensietro tetro mi attraversa il cranio. Un tempo simili slanci di entusiasmo accadevano davanti al “perfetto paio di scarpe”, o “al vestito che mi fa sembrare molto piu’ magra!” e non erano certo causati dalle coppette di seta o dai pannolini lavabili…..e sono li’ li’ per deprimermi. Poi Greta mi guarda, afferra il primo pannolino che trova sullo scaffale lo getta per terra e fa una smorfia buffissima che fa sorridere gli astanti. Io mi guardo le scarpe e penso “ma si…tanto chi vuoi che me le veda da dietro il passeggino?”

Alessia per mamme italiane a Londra

Thanks to Sharon Singleton for the translation.

September Events

We have so many events scheduled for September from sling meets to movies to antenatal classes and discussions. Plus our regular weekly nappy demos and monthly Hackney/Saturday nappy sessions. Check the full listing on our website/FB page.

Our recent toilet training/EC chat

We had a toilet training and EC chat last Saturday afternoon in our Chalton St shop. Joy’s summed it up below!

Thanks to everyone who came and participated in the ec/toilet training discussion on Saturday. I was a bit nervous about how it would go with people who were doing EC, people who were about to potty train and people who had potty trained.

It turned out to be a great sharing of experiences and learning from each other. I talked about some of the Triple P strategies around preparing children for trying something challenging, clear communication, realistic expectations of ourselves as parents and of our children. The question of ‘do rewards work’ came up.

I’m going to do it again. It’s just about bringing people together so they can share experiences, gain knowledge from other parents and then use it to inform what feels right for them and their child. The main ethos is listen to your child and work with your child, gain their co-operation. I hope you all got as much out of it as I did!

Joyx

We’ll hold another of these sessions soon. We’re setting up new events and workshops all the time (Herbal Medecine workshop for mothers and mothers-to-be coming soon!) – see our new Events & Workshop section on our website.

One Week Only! EARLY Autumn/Winter 2013 Disana clothing orders taken now!

After the HUGE success of our last pre-order of Disana organic woollen clothing, we’re offering our customers an opportunity to take advantage of a new VERY EARLY pre-order date.

(We know it’s hard to think about autumn and winter 2013/2014 but bear with us!)

Any orders placed with us before April 15 will be delivered between mid-July and end-October.

Disana has just released a new range of ‘Melange’ knitwear. It’s made by knitting together threads of different colours to create new colour effects. This knitting technique is distinguished by large stitches that keep the heat from escaping and make the fabric soft and stretchy at the same time.

Disana’s new ‘Melange’ range of knitwear – jumper and hat

You can see the Disana’s new clothing items are on the Disana website www.disana.de (catalogue link http://www.disana.de/engl/pdfs/prospekteengl/disana_katalog_englisch_privat.pdf, winter items from page 30) or you can call into our shop to view the catalogue in person. Sorry because of Real Nappy Week activities we don’t have time to host an open shop afternoon as we’ve done in the past.

We keep down the price by taking pre-orders and pre-payment. This way you get high-quality organic merino wool and silk clothing (for babies, children and adults) at about 50% of the cost you would pay normally. Looked after properly these clothes are an investment; they last for ages, and baby and children’s clothes can be passed on.

We do this because we want to give business to the companies that continue to make these truly magnificent products but also we want you to have the experience of wearing them. We only discovered woollen underwear for our families after being introduced to it by a Nappy Ever After customer; now we’re hooked. We look forward to the cold so we can wear them.

Disana’s new ‘Melange’ knitwear range

In the past, customers have ordered knitted jumpers, knitted leggings, boiled wool overalls and boiled wool blankets.

PLEASE NOTE: Discounted prices are only available on pre-ordered items, not our usual stock lines. Prepayment is required. All orders are taken at the customer’s risk however we can advise on sizing. There are no returns or refunds on pre-ordered goods.

Make the Change this Real Nappy Week 2013

Our plans for Real Nappy Week 2013

Birthday wishes

Our 10-year birthday party is planned for 24 March at Coram’s Fields – more details on this post. We would love to see you there!

Some of our invitees can’t make it on the day but we wanted to share their well-wishes with you:

Happy Birthday! We would have loved to join you but have already arranged to hold J’s 7th birthday party that afternoon.  B is now 8 1/2 so we would have been among the older of your past clients too so it is a shame. I do hope that you are continuing to go from strength to strength and that you have a great day on the 24th (and not too many cards wishing you a ‘Nappy Birthday’…) Helen

Thanks for the invite and congratulations! Emma

Congratulations on your 10th year; please give my sincere apologies as I will be out of the country on that date. I was involved in it [Nappy Ever After] being set up as a director of London Waste Ltd so my thoughts will be with you all that day. Cllr Roger Robinson

Cllr Roger Robinson, thanks to Camden New Journal

I’m so pleased to get your email and many happy returns. I bought nappies and used your nappy laundry service 7 years ago now, my daughter’s birthday was this week. Nina

We won’t be able to come unfortunately. We have moved back to Paris. We have a second child now and we are using for the second time the nappies we bought from Nappy Ever After. So thank you very much and all the best for the future. Enjoy the party! Jessica and family

Best wishes and thanks for all your hard work over the past three years that we’ve used you. Clare

Thanks for thinking of us: it is truly amazing that as you have stated that 10yrs have gone by since the launch of Nappy Ever After. My daughter turned 6 last week and is a bright child doing well in year 1 at school. Rita

I’d love to come; I’m now living in Brighton – a very good place to start up a nappy laundry service if you are interested. Hope you are well and congratulations. Neil

Wow how time flies! So good to hear from you… I will do my best to attend with my 2 Nappy Ever After babies who are now 8 & 12 years old. They love baking so will do some cakes to bring along… Kerrol

I still remember you coming to our Camden flat almost nine years ago – A is nine on the day of the party! – and showing me how to use the nappies for the laundry service. We worked out pretty quickly that they were so easy to use, we bought some for ourselves and started home-washing. We used to pop in and see you for liners before and after J&S were born, until that fateful day I wandered in, to drop off my very used prefolds for recycling and I decided I wanted to get more involved with Nappy Ever After. We’ve had some good days and bad days but above all it’s been a fantastic experience. I believe in what Nappy Ever After is all about and I know it will continue to thrive as others realise how great an enterprise it is. Sorry we can’t be with you on the day but we will be there in spirit. xx Katrina

Happy cloth-bummed 1-year-olds!

Feel free to share your best wishes to us on here, on Facebook or at the party on Sunday!

The last 10 years & party plans!

As you heard from Joy yesterday, Nappy Ever After turns 10 years old on 28 March 2013.

Nappy Ever After shop in the early days

We started as a very local cloth nappy laundry service in 2003, with the Chalton St shop premises taken on in May. As our customers moved to home-washing, we added more nappy brands and accessories to the shop, always on the look-out to stock ethical and organic items. In 2008 we started distributing Bummis, a Canadian ethical brand of cloth nappy, in the UK. In 2010, we launched our online shop. We’ve run Nappuccinos in Hackney, nappy demos all over Camden and Islington and started a nappy agent scheme for Londoners. And in the past year, we’ve begun to offer casual yet informative parenting classes for Londoners.

Nappy Ever After Nappuccino postcard

We promote waste minimisation, green initiatives and familial parenting – all this while continuing to provide face-to-face cloth nappy and parenting advice every week.

Over the last 10 years, we’ve adapted and changed our offering to meet the needs of the parents who come through our shop door or who we meet over the phone. In doing so, we’ve bucked the trend and continued to service the cloth nappying needs of Londoners and indeed some further afield.

Come and celebrate with us on Sunday 24 March from 11.30am to 2pm at Coram’s Fields. There will be a cloth nappy fashion show at 12noon; email alice@lcrn.org.uk for details.

Arthur Potts Dawson supporting cloth nappies at a Climate Week nappy fashion show

Bring yourself and your children, something to sit on and some food to share. There will be food and drinks but any contributions of salad and cakes will be welcome. Please let us know if you’d like to run an activity session for children such as football, yoga, music-making, circus skills, etc.

We have booked the band room so there will be lots of space for games and if the weather’s good we can play outside too.

We would love to see as many of our lovely supporters from the past 10 years, especially our almost 10-year-old real nappy babies!

If you can’t come, we want to thank you for your support. Without you, we couldn’t have done it!

Joy and the NEA team