This week we’re celebrating Australia’s multibrand cloth nappy retail businesses. We’ll introduce you to some business owners passionate about reusable nappies, sharing their wide knowledge and experience. A multibrand retailer is a great place to start if you’re new to cloth nappies, as they have a wide experience of different brands and knowledge across all areas and can help narrow down the options to suit your family.
Hi, I’m Laura, the owner of One Little Sprout in Sydney. I’m a Mum to Stevie, a curious, happy and adventurous 2.5-year-old who always knows how to make me laugh (and keep me busy!)
Before Stevie was born, I spent 3 years travelling, living and volunteering around the world. My background is in counter-trafficking and human rights, so I spent 6 months volunteering at a rescue shelter in Guatemala City for girls (and their children) who are victims of human trafficking or sexual violence.
My passion and commitment to human rights is reflected in the central value of my business – only stocking ethically made products. I carefully select the businesses that we work with to make sure they are the perfect fit for our values and that the makers share my passion for making a positive impact. While I understand this may mean the products I stock are a bit more expensive, it also means customers know that the people making each product are working in fair conditions.
Each year my customers select a charity and I donate at least 5% of profits. This year, I have my own print that I designed with Chloe from Barkaarts and released in collaboration with Monarch. The print is called ‘Growing’ and represents the different stages in a child’s life. I am donating $1 from the sale of each item to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. I am very proud to have released such a beautiful print designed by a very talented local Indigenous artist.
My experiences and values are shaping the direction of One Little Sprout. It is very important to me to create a welcoming and inclusive space within the cloth community, so I am working hard to improve the accessibility of me resources. I am learning Auslan and have taken Easy Read training courses so I can try to write in a way that is simple and easy to understand for everyone. I am increasing our range of cloth nappies in larger sizes to make sure there are reusable options for children with disabilities should they choose to use them.
I absolutely love cloth nappies and the little cloth nappy community that is online. I was so sad when Stevie toilet trained (I bet only cloth bum parents say that!) but I am still so happy seeing cloth nappies online and when we are out and about.
I partner with several local councils to spread the love of all things cloth through free online workshops and am leading a pilot cloth nappy program that I hope will result in more cloth bums in my area!
I have recently been named as a finalist for the sole trader category in the Local Business Awards and I’m so proud that I can bring more awareness of cloth nappies within my local community.
