A Refreshing Interview with Orange Diaper Co.

This is one of my favorite type of blog posts…have I said that before? I probably have.

I love getting to know the brain behind the businesses you and I support.  I am a relatively new fan to Orange Diaper Co. (formerly known as Scuttlebutts).

Remember my post on The Best Flat Cloth Diapers that included Stacy’s shout out to her favorite flats? Well, it was Stacy’s inclusion of Orange Diaper Co. that started my infatuation.

You’ve probably never been infatuated with something you haven’t physically touched or hardly seen, right? Figures, I’m such a weirdo.

I need to hurry this story up and introduce you to Jen.

Here’s me talking fast… One day I noticed on Facebook that she was stocking flats. “Hmmm”, I thought, “I should buy some because I’m sitting here in the car waiting for my husband and I have nothing better to do.”

Shopping on the iPhone is hard work so I emailed her and said,

I would like to purchase some [of your flats] but I’m on my phone and ordering on HC is annoying on it. Could you send me an invoice for 8 of them? All different colors and I’m pretty sure infant sized.

I wonder what she was really thinking when she read that? Probably, “Wow. Who is this princess?”

Thankfully, she was all smiles (I can see people’s faces through email) and said no problem. And eventually we found ourselves dating…I mean in a relationship…strictly professional.  I asked the questions, she answered.

I know you’ll love all things Orange Diaper Co. like I do, just don’t steal anything on her site that I want :)

Orange Diaper Co.

Who is the family behind Orange Diaper Co.?

Brad & I [Jen] run the business & do our best to run this crazy household too.   He’s a musician & owns a recording studio.  He also helps cut fabric and snap diapers, which all of his friends think is hilarious!

We have two boys:  Cole is our oldest, he just turned seven;  Luke is the baby, who’s now a big boy at age 3.  But don’t even think of calling him a baby, because he will tell you off!  He’s a big boy!  And his favorite color is…you guessed it, Orange!

And then there’s me, Jen.  If I’m not sewing diapers, you’ll probably find me chasing frogs out of our family room, fighting intergalactic battles, or building lego cities.  And in my spare time (ha!) I love to read.

When did you start using cloth diapers?

We didn’t cloth diaper Cole, didn’t even know about it.  One day, when he was about 2 ½ , I saw a box of cloth diapers at a yard sale.  It was my first encounter & I thought they looked amazing!   We were in potty-learning mode by then, so I sort of tucked that knowledge away for future use.  When we were pregnant with Luke, we knew we’d be using cloth.  And we did, from birth until he learned to potty.

Why did get into the business of making/selling of cloth diapers?

When Luke was born I was in grad school, getting my master’s in speech pathology.   I decided to take a year off from school to stay home with my new baby but, since we were using my grants & loans to help pay bills, I needed to do something to bring in at least a little money.

I was making cloth diapers for Luke & a few local mamas, and pretty soon after I started selling them on eBay.  Then I moved to HyenaCart & things just sort of took off from there.

I’ve been incredibly lucky to have so many loyal, wonderful customers.  I love what I’m doing & I hope to keep doing it for a long time.   It’s thrilling to meet so many terrific moms from all around the world, hear about their pregnancies, meet their newborn babies, and then watch them grow.  All while wearing something that I made.  What a privilege!

What makes your product(s) unique? Why should a buyer choose your product(s)?

There are tons of options out there for cloth diapers, but we really do provide a unique & special experience.  Each of our diapers is hand-crafted to the customer’s specifications.   You get to pick the print, the inner color, the snap color…we let you be the designer!  It’s fun!

We always have 50+ prints to choose from for custom diapers, plus some in-stock diapers that are available for immediate shipping just in case you need to get your fluff fix fast!

If you are a designer, do you have more products coming out soon?

I’ve always got something rolling around inside my brain.  Whether or not it makes it out of the initial “hmmm, will this work?” phase is another story!  But, yes, we’ll definitely have something new coming out this summer.

What is your go-to advice for parents new to cloth diapering?

Don’t sweat it.   Cloth diapering can seem intimidating, but it’s actually really easy.  It’s just diapering & laundry.  There’s really no “wrong” way to do it.   And I’m always an email away if someone needs help J

Website: www.orangediaperco.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Orange-Diaper-Company/124366774247550

Jen has generously offered a discount for all of you!! When you check out enter the code ‘AACD‘ and receive 10% off your order thru July 15, 2011.