Poo Smell Nappy Issues

Ok... so it was a long time in coming, but I have finally written that post on how to fix poo-smell in nappies! So here it is! You will need to have read our previous post on Strip washing so that this all makes sense... you will find that HERE!

If there is a Poo-smell complaint after the nappies have been washed, this is an issue that needs to be addressed in the same way as the Ammonia/Wee-smell issues covered in the previous post, with the introduction of a few additional tools. Poo-smells are bacteria based smells (Wee is sterile and doesn’t contain bacteria, whereas poo is riddled with it!). Extra chemicals need to be introduced into the strip wash method to ensure that the bacteria which has setup a breeding ground there can be killed.

Unfortunatly, we haven’t yet been able to determine that hot water alone kills this bacteria as the hot water used in wash cycles is rarely at boiling point, and if it is, it isn’t there long enough to ensure that the bacteria will all be killed. These sorts of temperatures also are not good for the nappy fibres or the elastics in the covers of the nappies and will lead to elastics stretching out and the fibres in the nappy inserts “loosening” and the nappy inserts thinning faster.

We suggest the following wash tools to help kill the bacteria.

1.                  Detol – This anti-bacterial and anti-fungal antiseptic liquid is a cheap and readily available liquid that rinses clean out of nappies. It is also a good addition to wash cycles when babies have had viruses as it’s germ killing capabilities can take down viruses too which may spread through faeces. This goes for things such as Hand, Foot and Mouth disease which are highly contagious through faeces. Simply add 1 cup to the last wash cycle in the strip wash process so that it isn’t having to fought through any solids or build up on the nappies so that it can do it’s job of killing the bacteria!

2.                  Canesten Hygiene Rinse – This is another option which can be used instead of Dettol. It is slightly more expensive but is specifically designed for in-laundry uses. It can break the cycle of re-infection and cross infection (Both of the child and the nappies themselves!) by helping to eliminate fungal spores that can remain in your clean washing increasing the risk of re-infection. Canesten Hygiene Rinse can be used in cold or hot wash. The downside of this product is that it is not as readily available as Detol and can usually only be purchased through a chemist. The advantage that it has though is that if your baby is suffering from thrush, this will help break the cycle of the nappy rash part of it faster than the Dettol.

3. 100%  Eucalyptus oil – While we encourage the use to water soluble eucalyptus and tea tree oils in our regular strip wash, sometimes the use of 100% Eucalyptus oil is warranted if issues with Detol and Canestan exist for your child or family. Adding 2 caps to the final was cycle of a strip wash process will ensure that the bacteria and fungai are killed and the nappies will be given a great fresh smell. Brands like Bosito are readily available through Coles, Woolworths and IGA.

If after the addition of one of these products, the poo smell still exists, and a full strip wash has been performed beforehand, examination will need to be made of your water source and the cleanliness of your washing machine.  

Really stinky nappies...

We've had a few enquiries of late about stinky nappies.. and having just moved house, we have learnt first hand how just the smallest change to the eco-system of your washing routine can throw things out... So here is something we have chucked together as we work towards a more in-depth troubleshooting manual for dealing with all sorts of stinks and stains. This will then become a part of the instruction manual that goes out with all our new nappies and will be available for download on the website!

There is 2 main stinks that emanate from newly clean nappies over time. The nasty poo type smell (Which we will cover in another post) and the ammonium smell of wee!
This post we will just look at the ammonium issue because it is big enough in itself to sort through!

The smell is caused by a build up of ammonium crystals in the nappy. The strip wash instructions that we give on our website should have gotten rid of them, but if the inserts and/or pockets weren't washed perfectly clear of the detergent, you just create a magnet for them to re-enter your wash routine... and you probably won't notice much of a difference. To review our strip wash guide please see HERE.

There are some determining factors to how successful a strip wash will be...
-Doing a cold pre-rinse first. You need to make sure that your nappies are "soil free" before you start a strip wash. Otherwise you are trying to get rid of what is on the nappies as well as what has built up inside them, and you won't have the time in the strip washing process to effectively do both. You don't have to use detergent, you are just trying to shift the majority of any soiled stuff off the nappies to make your scrubbing job easier!

-How hot your water is and how long it stays hot for. You need to soak those inserts in the hottest water you can for as long as you can. I am mega lazy, so I just refill my washing machine and let it do the work for me. I set it to fill, turn it off when it is full of hot water and then leave it till it cools and run the water out again. Do this BEFORE you do your scrubbing steps. We will be updating our instructions to reflect this step.

-How much water you can get into your washer. If you have a super efficient front loader, a strip washing in the machine, even at the high temps they can achieve, won't solve the issue of ridding the inserts of the ammonium crystals. If your only option is a front loader or a machine that weighs the clothes (Like a Fisher and Paykel Top loader) and therefore uses less water, then use a couple of cheap buckets (or your baby bath) and empty them 2-3 times as they get cold (Because being in a plastic bucket will cause the water to cool at a faster rate than the machine cools the water at).

-How many nappies you are attempting the strip wash at once. You need to be aware that the power of a rinse is only as good as the concentration of things you are trying to put through it. If you are soaking 20+ nappies in one small washer, chances are you will need to refill more times because the water will become more highly concentrated with the contaminants you are trying to remove, meaning that more of them will be left of the nappy fibres every time you empty that water. Try only filling half your washer and using the highest water setting, or empty your buckets more regularly to give yourself fresher water. It is the water after all that is carrying away the contaminants for you! This goes for both the soaking and the scrubbing steps in the stripping process...


-How clean your machine is. According to Choice.com.au, long term cold water washing of all your clothes and stuff you put in your machine actually causes a waxxy build up in the machine itself. It is worth running a hot water clean through your machine before attempting a strip soak or washing in it. Check out Choice's website for how they recommend doing it. We are pure cold washing people so we need to do this!







 
If you've tried all these things and it still isn't working for you, I have a few suggestions to add to your strip wash arsenal as well as your regular wash cycle methods...
 
1. You can use the water soluble eucalyptus oil or Tea Tree Oil (MUST be water soluble for this to work). Eureka brand is pretty reliable and affordable and you can get them at Woolworths and Coles. Put 1 tablespoon in a load, make sure there is only about a half load of nappies and full water level. Leave to soak for 1-2 hours at least. Do this in your soaking step, after the prewash. 

This will help draw some of the ammonia out of the inserts and will help break down the residue of the detergents that are in the nappies.The water soluble version of these oils will ensure that the oil won't waterproof your nappies further and will aid in disinfecting them (Also dealing with the poo smell!) and getting rid of stubborn stains.

After you've done the soaking step, do the scrubbing and rinsing step This works best with a top loader machine because of the volume of water that is able to be used in each step to help effectively wash the "oil" and the detergents out... At the end of this process you shouldn't have any more ammonium smells in your nappies.

2. We have heard good things about Rockin Green's Funk version of their detergent. This is to do your strip washes in, though you can buy versions to do every wash with every type of water (And we are testing them at the moment so we can give a more thorough review of it's properties). It is a detergent that actually helps break away all that crap. They have fantastic info on their website too. We don't sell it, but our buddies at Bear Bums do and they are actually our local stockist here in WA.

If you go this route, I would strongly suggest following the Rockin Green info to the letter. The only bad things I have heard about Rockin Green are to do with when it isn't fully washed out of the nappies. Here is a great place to begin: http://rockingreensoap.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/How-to-Wash-Cloth-Diapers.pdf and then follow that up with: http://rockingreenaustralia.com.au/information

3. As the Rockin Green articles suggest... sometimes you need to make allowances for your water and your washer. Allowances include pre-washing you regular washes (Not just when you are strip washing) with no detergent and possibly doing an extra rinse at the end to ensure that the water runs clear. The other thing is the combination of washing powder amount used (We recommend starting at 1/4 of the recommended dosage and working up from there till you find what works. For us, this is a full cap of the cheapest and crappiest washing powder from Woolies. Home Brand! Not the "Own" version they also sell. We recommend this for the absence of perfumes, Enzymes and other nasties).

Experimentation will help you work out what combination will work in your everyday washes for you. Look at how many nappies you are adding to the wash and how often you are washing... in dry pailing are you inviting the nappies to dry out before you have a chance to wash them properly? If so you may need to work out a different wash routine. Maybe soaking night nappies that already start to dry in the night while they are on and then emptying the lot into the washing machine come wash time, or washing every 2 days rather than 3? All these things will help prolong the space between strip washes needed...




Hopefully something from all of this speaks to you and gives you some more tools to try and rectify the issue. It is solvable! Please let us know if you have any issues and we will work hard to help!

More to come soon!!! :D

Yellow Nappy Day... 6th May 2012

As many of my blog followers would know, on the 6th of December we lost a tiny Love Bug of our own... a little girl called Lilly-Anne Joy. Her due date was set for a few days time on the 1st of May.
At around the same time a wonderful organisation called "Angel Nappies" kicked off on Facebook. It is run by some very caring and beautiful mums who gather newborn, prem and doll nappies to distribute to organisations such as SANDS Australia. These nappies have a set destination and purpose... to clothe babies who have passed away before or soon after birth.

From first hearing about Angel nappies, we have wanted to do something to help. To honor the memory of our own angel baby, but also to help parents who are in that position by giving their child some level of dignity in their passing. Currently there is no stand alone commercial product that caters to the needs of families in this situation and babies are often dressed in whatever other charitable people have created for them. But nappies are a hard one... Unless it is something purpose made, chance are it is going to swim on the baby, adding to the parent's distress at not being able to see their child grow to fill it...

This is where we, as a Modern Cloth Nappy company, want to step in and help. It is something we can actually do!
We have a newborn-premmie nappy that we havn't released commercially because we were able to develop the Mach 2 nappy which caters for most 3kg+ babies. But given that the babies in this situation are normally smaller than this, we are able to release this nappy design for use by SANDS Australia and other groups to offer for FREE to grieving parents.

To help us fund this, and because we want the public to be more aware of infant loss in our community, we are starting Yellow Nappy Day. This coincides with "Bereaved Mother's Day" which you can read more about HERE. We chose the 6th of May because it was so close to our Baby's due date but also because it allows enough time for people to hear about what we are trying to do and to join in.

The proceeds from the sale of any Yellow Nappy in our Plainz collection will be matched by us to create 5 Angel nappies for donation. Photos of the nappies themselves will be up in coming days. In the mean time you can start purchasing yellow nappies HERE or you can simply purchase a nappy but put the words DONATION in the delivery instructions section to let us know that you want to have 10 Angel nappies donated to the cause instead.

If you have any enquiries, please contact us at admin@beetlebugz.com.au

The Mach 2 Nappy... a Sneak Peak!

The outline of the new Mach 2 nappies can be seen below...
The design is a Modern Cloth Nappy Pocket. It has internal gussets, PUL and Suede Cloth lining, 4 rows of rise snaps (We calculate it will fit from 3kgs and up), crossover snaps for easy roll-up and sealing when full and each nappy will come with 2 Coolaboo Inserts. You can read all about Coolaboo on our website www.beetlebugz.com.au
HAPPY VIEWING! :D

WANTED - New Nappy testers for the Mach 2 Nappy!
We are going to be releasing the Mach 2 Nappy on Monday and are after some testers to help us kick start the review process. If you are interested please your name to admin@beetlebugz.com.au

All testers will be supplied with 1 new Mach 2 Nappy and will be required to place a review on the Nappy Reviews Website.

Silicone, Silicon and Silly Cones... Spelling makes all the difference! :D

Spelling makes ALL the difference...
Did you know that there is a HUGE difference between Silicone and Silicon? I am an engineer and I never picked up on the importance of this till one of my VERY switched on customers pointed it out to me...

Although it may appear that the words silicon and silicone can be used interchangeably, there are some significant differences between them. Silicon is a natural chemical element found in great abundance on Earth, primarily as a major component of common sand. Silicon is generally found in a crystalline form. Silicone is a man-made substance derived from silicon and other chemicals, and it may be a liquid or a rubber-like plastic polymer.

                                                                                                                              From HERE...

That might sound like alot of gobbildigook, but what it boils down to is that these 2 difference substances do 2 very different things! They have different jobs and functions and different properties.
It is important, as we'd all know, to have the right thing for the job. Well the SILICONE that we have been using via Cherub Baby has been sleeved over their glass bottles and acts as a temperature dependent colour change cover. It takes a few hits and looks great all at the same time sparing babies from harmful chemicals such as BPA and lead!

We have been selling Cherub Glass bottles for a while, but have only just upgraded to the Colour change covers for all the colours in the rainbow!

A review of the was recently done HERE at Kid Independent... 

A cool feature of these silicon sleeves is their ability to change colour to alert you if the bottle gets too hot {above 42 degrees celsius}. Big thumbs up all around for this feature… also makes a fun experiment for your older kids {…think flashbacks to the hypercolour era}.

We have been running an ongoing competition with these bottles over at the Beetle Bugz Facebook page! If we can reach 700 likers we will be giving away a 2 pack of 240ml bottles. If you get some of your friends to like us and mention that you sent us, you can get extra entries also!
This is an open ended competition and will be drawn once we hit the 700 liker mark. Everyone between now and 700 that likes is automatically entered into the draw!

So get sharing!!! http://www.facebook.com/BeetleBugzAustralia

In response...

I recently ran across a review on the Nappy Reviews website about our Love Bugz Nappies.
I love our nappies and it always disapoints me when people get the wrong image of our brand. I am open to criticisim and welcome correction where needed, but there are a few home truths that I really have to set straight. I didn't feel invading our customer's own forum and airing them there was appropriate... so I will test the waters here...

This is in response to the review here: http://www.clothnappyreviews.com.au/love-bugz-suede-cloth-inner-coolaboo-osfm-pocket-nappy/

Hi there - Kirsty from Beetle Bugz here...
Just wanted to set a few things straight regarding something from a previous poster (Bec).
We aren't selling ALVA nappies. We are selling the original design that the factory that manufactures ALVA then switched to. The factory we use also manufactures ALVA nappies, hence why we have access to the fabrics that these people use in their outer PUL Pockets also. The PUL quality can't be beaten in it's sustainability and affordability.

Additional to that, our nappies don't use the same inserts material as most Chinese imports do. We have a fabric milled for us (That a few other nappy brands have recently also picked up for use in their own designs) which is called Coolaboo. This is the premium option and is more expensive than the Bamboo Terry (Actually Reyon Terry, not 100% Bamboo in most instances) and is why our nappies are slightly more expensive.

Love Bugz Nappies are a growing brand. We make compromises in our use of fabrics that are available on the open market and run the risk of other companies (including the factory itself!) copying our designs and attempting to under cut us on price. At the end of the day we are working to create a premium brand for an affordable price for people to be able to build a predominantly work horse stash.
In doing this though, one compromise that we won't step away from is Fair Trade, and while simple importers of Chinese nappies mostly don't have a clue about the origins of the nappies they are selling, we have Fair Trade certification on ours. And that is another cost factor on us. Some aspects of quality are deeper than appearances and price alone.

The Business of being Mum...

As many of my customers are friends, they know that I'm a mum... Anyone who has read my "About Us" tab on the website would quickly see that the face behind this business is only there because of the kid that got me into it in the first place! That little person changed my life in the most dramatic of ways and does so everyday. We try to protect him and nurture him as much as we can, but as I discovered yesterday, sometimes you can do everything possible and they STILL get hurt. And I've met enough wonderful mums who have been through freak happenings that I know that worse things can happen, even when your back isn't turned.

This was yesterday's effort when a swing hit Ayrton in the face in our own backyard:

The moment this happened though, my heart stopped beating. There was blood everywhere and I didn't yet know whether this was a serious injury or not. My mum says "The longer the pause of silence before they cry, the worse it is..." and she was right. There was a good 10+ second pause before the screming began...

But I guess my reaction to this was also tainted by what else has happened in our lives recently. I've been tossing up whether I should share or not. But in the interests of having a transparent business, where we admit our failings and our achievements, I thought I needed to say something.
Last month we lost our 2nd child.

As a result we closed up shop for Christmas early and tried to deal with it as best as we could. To try and make this little glossy front for the business where it looked like we were all in control and nothing was wrong. But deep down, something really is not right. Our newest Love Bugz isn't coming any more and I hate having to tell that to people more than actually living without my bump anymore sometimes...
It is really hard when I completley stuff something up (Like when I don't update the right part of the website when we've sold out of something and then I sell another one and have to explain... or I post the wrong product because my eyes didn't read the order correctly!!!).
But how to explain?

How do I tell my customers, who don't buy my issues and life story when they make a purchase from my beloved little store, that the reason why I've stuffed up their order is because I am trying really, really hard to be normal and sane and calm...?
I can't. People don't buy into that when they decide to make a purchase from a store. But that is life being a WAHM. A Work at home mum. Your business is your home and your home is your business. It is linked and there is only few places where they aren't.
I'm not a huge department store. I have no one else on the staff who I can call to come and take over while I have the down time I need. I have to keep going. Even when I'm falling over myself...
This isn't how I want my customers to be treated. I love each and every one of them and I LOVE putting their orders together and pray that they love the products they have purchased as much as I love sending them out... 

So here I am... committing to soldiering on. Getting orders out in an acceptably speedy amount of time... it being the RIGHT products... Having up to date and clear information on our website. And most of all, continuing to provide the right kind of service that our customers expect... even of a little WAHM business like us...And at the end of the day, it is my customers who are doing me a favor by giving me something to keep my hands busy... So THANKYOU for sticking with us... even when you didn't know there was something wrong.

We're back onboard!

Well, we're open for business again in 2012!
We hope everyone had a wonderful break, a Happy New Year and a Merry Christmas! :D

We have LOADS in store for 2012 and we can't wait to share it all with you. The first thing we'll be doing though is putting the finishing touches on our New design of Modern Cloth Nappies for the Love Bugz Brand.

Below is our logo image and some samples of labels we've been getting made. It is SO hard to find a manufacturing factory that can pull of the job of doing our labels! Wishe we could find the last company that did them again but they've fallen off the radar and it isn't like they are in the White Pages!
Anyways, we've also put these images below so that other manufacturers vying for the privelidge of making them for us can see what we're after! :D

Closed for Christmas...

Its Telethon time!

We are Perth-ites these days (Though I'm originally from New South Wales, born in Newcastle, grew up in Sydney and Uni-ed in Wollongong... and hubby is from Perth but we met and married down in Busselton). And as such we are well aware of our proximity to the Princess Margaret Children's Hospital. WA like most states makes a concerted effort to support their children's hospitals (In Victoria it is the Royal Children's Hospital, in New South Wales it is Westmead Children's Hospital). But here in WA we have quite a unqie setup...

WA is the largest land-mass state in Australia. It has the most geographically strewn capital city also. In a sentence, we're spread out! And as such, when something happens that necessitates a child's transfer to the Children's Hospital, they come from far and wide to get here. From Broome to Albany and everywhere in between! Needless to say, they have a big job to do when it comes to co-ordinating the hospital's ability to do that as well as all the referrals and appointments that come with a specialist hospital like that.

We've had plenty of contact with PMH in the last year. Our little fella, Ayrton, has had an operation as well as having to have a sleep study and repeated follow-ups with the respiratory clinic... we actually have an appointment with them tomorrow! We have alot to be thankful for there. The surgeons have helped us make sure that our son could develop the ability to crawl and walk, and the follow up teams that looked into his sleep apnoea have at least helped us to keep tabs on where Ayrton's development is at.

After the operation... little man quite wiped out!

In preparation for the sleep study... nothing wrong, just trying to hold all the wires in place!

This weekend is Telethon weekend. We were a bit slow on the uptake this year (Side tracked by minor illnesses in the household!), but we want to commit something to this year. So we're having a sale and all the profits will go to Telethon. EVERYTHING in our Baby Safety department will go on special from 1pm WST on Sunday and will stay on sale until Saturday 1pm WST. 

This will include some great products like the Cherub Infrared Thermometer (Gives and ear or forehead digital reading in 1 second with fever alert!), our huge range of baby gates as well as our Baby Hearing protection. 

All you have to do to claim this promotion is checkout. There is no special codes and the adjusted prices will be shown. We just want to get some money for the kids!!!

If you have any enquiries please don't hesitate to contact us! admin@beetlebugz.com.au

If you would like to make a direct donation to Telethon, please go directly to their website: http://www.telethon.7perth.com.au/

The importance of Infant and Children's Hearing protection

"Hearing is a gift most people take for granted until they start losing it. Because the chronic din of ordinary life is higher than ever, reducing excessive noise can improve your hearing health, no matter your age. Make protection of your hearing part of your everyday lifestyle."Simon C. Parisier, MD, co-director of The Cochlear Implant Center at The New York Eye & Ear Infirmary and founder of The Children's Hearing Institute.

My parents and In-laws are great. I love them. Super suportive... but they still have some ideas that are quite different to my own when it comes to child rearing. My own parent's words of wisdom when our son came along ALL centreed on de-sensitising him to noises when he was sleeping. My own father went outside and mowed the lawn as soon as I was brought home from the hospital. It was his way of saying "We have a baby, we don't need to give up our loves and tip-toe around our children..." Whilist I have to agree with him in part, I don't believe that it needs to be carried out to the extents that some parents do. They expect babies to sleep through rock concerts (Literally!), still work and visit Drag Strips when 8 months pregnant (Fine if you are in the insulated corporate box.... not so fine when you're on the side line with a helpless infant in your belly!)... some even expect their children to be able to handle the same levels of noise exposure that they subject themselves to. The fact of the matter is, infant and children's ears are MUCH different to our own. For more information on this and how hearing damage is propogated, check out this FACT SHEET from the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communicative Disorders (NIDCD).

Below is a table that outlines different noisy activities and the exposure times until hearing damage.

	Average decibels	Exposure time until hearing damage
Gunshot	165db	Immediate
Rocket launch	180db	Immediate
Power tools	100db	15 minutes
Speedboat	110db	2 minutes
Lawnmower	90db	2 hours
Personal stereo system on max level	105db	4 minutes
Chainsaw	110db	2 minutes
Jackhammer	120db	15 seconds
Average Rock concert	110db	2 minutes
Chainsaw	110db	2 minutes
Firecrackers	140db	Immediate

In utero even an Infant's hearing can be damaged due to the simple fact that sound travels better and further and faster in water... and what do babies live in for the 9 months before they are born? Anywhere from 18-24 weeks onwards a child's ear and the parts in it are being developed and become active. They can hear us speak... so why wouldn't we expect that they'd equally be able to hear other loud noises and be damaged by them, just as they are outside of the womb?

Unfortunantly when you are pregnant, there isn't alot you can do except avoid those situations where noise is excessive (In my case, working as a Junior engineer on the floor in a Rail Yard, I had to take a desk job from 24 weeks onwards for this very reason!). In infants and children though, we have access to some great products that will even have the KIDS wanting to look after themselves! Beetle Bugz are proud distributors of Em's Ear Muffs and we focus on industries such as Motorsports to make sure that even the smallest members of the family are able to participate!

Designed in Australia, Em's 4 Bubs use a headband to hold the earmuffs in place, which helps disperse pressure more evenly around the skull of your baby. With a 22dB noise reduction rating, Em's 4 Bubs are the world's smallest hearing protection earmuffs, designed just for infants. These are also the ONLY earmuffs recommended for use in under 6 month olds!

Like Em's 4 Kids earmuffs (Please see our safety section for these!), they can be used in a wide variety of settings - from concerts and car races (Where we use them!) to sporting events and shopping centres. We've even used them when renovations were going on around us. Use them to protect your child's hearing or to help settle them when disturbed by a noisy environment.

Em's 4 Bubs headbands are available in three sizes:

* Small (newborn - 6 months) * Large (6 months - 18 months) * Extra Large (18 months and up)

For the slightly older kids, we stock Em's 4 Kids Earmuffs! Weighing only 190 grams, these earmuffs are light but sturdy. They can be folded up to fit in the palm of your hand, making them easy to carry with you, or store away.

Like Em's 4 Bubs earmuffs (Please see our safety section for these!), they can be used in a wide variety of settings - from concerts and car races (Where we use them!) to sporting events and shopping centres. We've even used them when renovations were going on around us. Use them to protect your child's hearing or to help settle them when disturbed by a noisy environment.

These are best for use for 12 month olds and up. If this is your first earmuff purchase for your 1+ year old, skip the Bub's earmuffs and head straight for these!

For more information on these or any of other Baby Safety Products, please check out our website! www.beetlebugz.com.au

Welcome Baby Belly Indo!!!

We are VERY proud to announce that we have added another brand to the Beetle Bugz Stable... Baby Belly Indo!

We have recently started wearing the brand (Ok... me Kirsty... not the boys!!!) to accomodate my "growing bump" (Which is due May 2012!) and were so pleased with it that we just HAD to stock it! I've found the clothes to be affordable, beautiful and of such great value. I'm so happy with these ideals and how they fit with what I wanted Beetle Bugz to be about (Affordable stuff making for sustainable families!) that I am beaming with pride at being able to bring them to people! :D

Baby Belly Indo is a brand which was designed by an Australian Mum for ex-pats living in South East Asia and Australia. All garments were made in a Fair Trade facillity in Bali, Indonesia. Her designs centred on generous maternity clothes, cut so that tops were longer to cater for growing bellys that inch up normal shirts, as well as side gathering to ensure even the biggest bump could be housed comfortably.

The designer chose fabrics that breathe and stretch to accommodate your changing figure, as well as ones which could be layered together to create new and different looks without introducing too much fabric, or having to change too much of your existing wardrobe.
Some of Baby Belly Indo clothing can be worn after baby has arrived or doubles as a nursing top.

Yep, the days of dowdy and frumpy maternity wear are long gone because today is the era when hordes of hip moms-to-be are celebrating motherhood by wearing trendy clothes that enhance the beauty in them and their new role...
Motherhood offers thousands of ways for expectant women to be themselves.. so why shouldn't your clothes reflect who you are and who you are becomming?!

The full range of tops can be seen at: http://www.beetlebugz.com.au/category.php?SC=11

And their Nappy bags are GREAT too!!! We have the only other Faux Leather one (In Red) and it goes EVERYWHERE with me... even when I don't have the baby! It is so roomy and beautiful and just plain USEFUL! I can't wait to share these with other mums and mums-to-be to help them in getting their lives whilist out and about ORGANISED! :D But even if you are the fashionably lazy like me... they just do the work for you!

The Full range of Nappy Bags can be seen here: http://www.beetlebugz.com.au/category.php?SC=9

Can't wait to see what everyone else thinks of them! :D

Have I told you that I Love you?

Hi there... I'm Kirsty. The Mumma behind Beetle Bugz.
I thought I'd take a short step outside the regular business posts and just take some time to write about my family.
They are the reason why I started this business in the first place and are the ones who support me even when I neglect them to pursue it!


My husband Spud is my rock. He has been SO fantastic in letting me pour my time (and housekeeping) efforts into this business. He has recently changed jobs and had had many other pressures. But he still takes the time to tell me he loves me, does the washing up and looks after Ayrton in the evenings so that I can get as much "work" stuff done as possible. I just want to tell him "I love you too babe!" :D

And Ayrton. My little guy who "waits" when I tell him to wait for me to finish things at "work".
For an 18 month old he really is the most patient and loving kid. He doesn't take me seriously when I say "Don't touch that! Stop!!!!" as I found today when he fell down the back stairs while I was hanging out the washing. But he is learning! But most of all?
He is teaching me! I am SO thankful for him. When I got married I thought that was how I would be most shaped. I thought this person who is my soul mate would reflect all of who I am and will help make me better. That happened. But having Ayrton is like having a SUPER mirror with lots of flood lights shinning on me. He reflects all my good and bad habbits. He makes me look at myself and constantly want to be better for him.

He is sitting here watching Play School at the moment and loving every second.
While there are times where letting him do stuff like that makes me feel like an absolute failure. But there are other times where he does something that I have strived for months to teach him and it is like he just made it up! It makes me feel like there is hope for me yet!

So guys... I LOVE YOU! Just so you know...

Now lets resume services as normal ;) Whatever that is! hehehe...

We Love Mummies!!!

We love Mummies of every kind here at Beetle Bugz...
We provide products that meet the needs of all kinds of mummies too!
Breast or Bottle, we don't descriminate. There are products to enrich that period of your day and your life!!!

But in celebration of these women's show of support for one another, we're putting our Breastfeeding coverlets from "Pretty Well Covered" on a special sale!
Normally they are $30 but today only, they are down to $25!!!!

We believe that anything that makes you feel more confident and comfortable will keep you breastfeeding for longer, if that is what you want!
Find them HERE! There are 5 beautiful pattern and colour combos that will suit anyone's style!


THE PRETTY WELL COVERED BREASTFEEDING COVERLET INFO...

Enjoy convenient and discreet breastfeeding in public or at home. These are the "Pretty Well Covered" brand of Coverlets! They are made from stylish light-weight and breathable fabric. The sheer fabric enables you to enjoy eye contact with your baby whilst maintaining privacy.

• Invented by a mum
• Easy on/off garment without clips or ties
• Comes in three sizes to provide coverage for your back and post-baby belly
• Comes with a cute and compact organza drawstring purse
• Made from fabulous material that doesn't crease
• Wear it any time - anywhere
• Available in a variety of colours - Please see below and photos for more details!

Sizing:
Small suits 6-8
Medium suits 10-12
Large suits 14+

Colours:
Teal (S, M & L)
Purple (S, M & L)
Navy/Pink (S, M & L)
Black (small only)
Brown (small and large only).

More stock will be coming soon, so stay tuned!

Have a look at what some happy customers have already said about these!

"I always felt nervous about feeding bub in public. Then a friend of mine recommended the coverlet, and it's been fantastic. I can feed anywhere now!"
- Melinda

"I had a lovely floral/brown one of these when I was breastfeeding my daughter. It came in soooo handy when out and about feeding. Then it just fitted into my handbag ready to be pulled out at the next feed!"
- Louise

"These are great! Lightweight (especially good in hot weather) and simple to slip on & off without drawing attention to myself. I also like the fact that I could leave it scrunched up in my bag and it never came out creased!"
-Louisa

"So glad to find a cover that doesn't cover you from chin to knee, and is so light and small you can scrunch it in your bag without taking any space. Thank you!!!!!!!!"
- Jo-Anne

Good morning Bugz Loverz!!!

This weekend we took the WHOLE weekend off (Well apart from filling my addiction to making up some new products for the shop!).
We headed out to the Handmade Children's Markets in Melville/Booragoon and saw some GREAT WAHM businesses. Jump on and tell us about yourselves on Facebook if you were there!

ANYWAYS! It is Monday so it is time to get back to the "real" world and start slashing some prices again for you Bugz loverz!

Today's Product of the day:

	Bootiq Brijette Convertible Cot - White
	1 in Stock! Price: $360.00 $350.00 A stylish cot with hidden drop sides, the Bootiq Brijette Convertible 2 in 1 Cot - White features two adjustable base positions that will grow with your child. Once your child becomes mobile and can stand on their own, simply drop the mattress base position for safety and peace of mind. Once your little one outgrows the cots, convert this versatile sleeping option to a toddler day-bed. Two beds in one! Then you can also use it as a day bed lounge once the kids have outgrown it! SPECIFICATIONS: Cot dimensions: Internal mattress size: 1300mm x 690mm x 150mm (maximum mattress thickness) NB: Mattress is sold separately. Assembled dimensions: 1200mm (H) x 1360mm (L) x 750mm (W). Weight: 28kg. Weight Capacity: 18kg. Colour: white. FEATURES: Bootiq Brijette Convertible 2 in 1 Cot - White. 12 Month Manufacturers Warranty. Coverts from a cot to a toddler day-bed. Two beds in one! Hidden drop sides - one hand action. 2 adjustable base positions. 4 lockable castors - removable. Suitable from newborn to toddler. Cot dimensions: Internal mattress size: 1300mm x 690mm x 150mm (maximum mattress thickness) NB: Mattress is sold separately. Assembled dimensions: 1200mm (H) x 1360mm (L) x 750mm (W). Weight: 28kg. Weight Capacity: 18kg.

Too much news for just 1 entry!!!

GOOD FRIDAY MORNING EVERYONE! :D

We've just got so much on we've had to write another mini newsletter entry!

TONIGHT!
It's the grand debut of our ad on Speed FM tonight... To hear it though you'll have to sign up to their live feed. It's cheap and it's easy... It's FREE! Click HERE to go through to their site. Let us know what you think of our little ad!

While that is all going on we'll be driving down to Busselton for the Vasse Markets tomorrow morning! This is our first REAL market setting so we'll be using it as a real trial run for our bigger markets. But we LOVE Down South so we'll be making the most of it!


TOMORROW (Saturday)
Vasse Markets and held in the Vasse Community Hall on the first and third Saturdays of every month. We'll be there and so will our Mother-in-law (Organic Tomatos and seedlings!) along with a MASSIVE group of other things!!!


THIS WEEKEND - CATCH OF THE DAY
Because we will be away from the keyboard over the weekend, we are going to extend yesterday's catch deal which is 20% off the entire Love Bugz Range of products!

ROAD TESTERS WANTED!

Hello there Beetle-Peeps!
We are after some Road Testers for our Love Bugz nappies!
Are you interested?

You'll recieve a Love Bugz nappy in return for a (200 word limit) review and a photo of your bubs wearing the nappy! If you are interested, sign up for our newsletter! We will draw 5 lucky road testers and post you out your free sample nappy! You have till Monday to enter, so get clicking! :D

Entries Close MIDNIGHT AWST 30th May, 2011

To join our mailing list either use the form on our blog or HERE on our page!

Looking forward to seeing your opinions and sharing them with the MCN community! :D

Busy days for Beetle Bugz Australia!

Well it has been VERY busy here at the Beetle Bugz Australia Office!
We've decided to put together this little "newsletter" to bring everyone up to date!

20% OFF ON LOVE BUGZ PURCHASES OVER $50
To celebrate us reaching 250 Likers on our Facebook Page, we are honoring a 20% discount on our Love Bugz Products in store for purchases over $50. Upon checkout, just put your payment method as "Request Totals" and we'll discount your order and send it back to you for payment!

Why are we doing it this way? because our shopping cart software is having an issue publishing the discounts on Love Bugz products!


WELCOME Em's Ear Muffs!
It is a little bit old news, but we are now a dealer for Em's for Kids. Em's is short for Ear-Muffs and are something we LOVE! We have been using ours since Ayrton was 3 months old and this was because we are so involved in Motorsports that it was inevitable that he would be dragged along to something! He is loves them and we have lots of cute photos of him in them at the recent WA Round of the V8 Supercars!

In the meantime, enjoy these photos of the official Em's kid and see them IN STORE! They are under the "Baby Safety" Section of the Beetle Bugz store website.


SPEEDFM and Motorsport Mama Sponsorship
Because we love Motorsport and the people in it SO much, we have decided to sponsor a few events and services. Namely Speed FM (A radio station dedicated to all things Motorsport) and http://www.motorsportmama.blogspot.com/ (A Blog dedicated to parents and partners in Motorsport).

So keep your ears open at Castrol Edge Winternationals at Willow Bank Raceway in a few weeks as we are hoping to get heard and seen! But stay tuned for info on this as it arises! :D We're pretty excited!!!

Our Relationship with Motorsport Mama is making the odd product available for prize give-aways and writting the odd blog post for them.

Keep your eyes and ears open for future appearances with Girl Torque and The Australian Women's Motorsport Network too!


Finally...
We are working on making some new product relationship with other WAHM businesses to sell their products through our website and also sharing market stalls at the Perth Kids and Babies markets! :D

So all in all we're pretty busy. Everything is going GREAT with the website, so duck over there and have a look! It is always growing and changing!