S U N D A Y   M A G A Z I N E
VOICES NORTH
VN SECTION   ×    PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE   ×   SEPTEMBER 7, 1997

Dawn Ferrell of Pine sings the praises of cotton diapers, which she sells along with other products, over synthetics.

Diaper search led mother-to-be to found business

    After she became pregnant, Dawn Ferrell of Pine started a quest for information about a natural cloth diaper she thought would be suitable to use on her baby. Her search led her to found the home-based Avery Baby Care, a business that carries some hard-to-find baby products, including a form-fitted, absorbent cloth diaper.
    Before becoming a mom and a business owner, Ferrell worked in customer suppport and quality assurance at a small computer software company. When she learned she was going to have a baby, Ferrell discovered a Canadian company that makes cloth diapers and baby accessories. In 1995, she formed her home business to sell the company's diapers, and has since expanded to a line of baby and nursing-mother products.
    Ferrell named her business after her son, Thomas Avery, 2, who serves as her product tester. Ferrell says she enjoys staying home with her son and being able to help out new moms.
    In a conversation with correspondent Jennifer Kissel, Ferrell talked about diapers and her baby business.

  Even before I become pregnant, I was on a quest for a business I could run at home. I wanted the flexibility of working in a home environment.
     Because of my pregnancy, this business just kind of fell into my lap. I had no idea it would be so hard to find cotton diapers. I spent months looking for ones I wouldn't mind putting on my baby's bottom.
     I saw a brochure in my obstetrician's office for a brand called Indisposables, and I made an appointment with a consultant to see the diapers, but that day was the day my water broke.
     Still, I was so anxious to see these diapers that I told the consultant we'd stop on our way home from the hospital.
     Everyone thinks of cloth diapers as the flat, square pieces of fabric. This diaper curves into a U-shape, and is made to be form-fitting. It's 100 percent whitened cotton flannelette; the tan-colored, natural cotton also is available. It has an elastic waistband and legs with reinforced seams, and a form-fitting shape, which helps with containment of the bowel movement. It has a pad in the middle to make it more absorbent.
     Pins aren't used with these diapers. They come with either Velcro or snap closures, which makes closing and opening quick and easy, similar to a disposable diaper, and pullup pants or wraps are used with them. Most companies make waterproof pants, but Indisposables also makes a breathable pant, to help promote dryness.
    The diapers come in three sizes. A good fit is important, especially in the first six months, when the baby is on an all-liquid diet. The life expectancy of the diapers depends on how many you buy and consequently how many washes they go through.

    Some people think parents who use cloth diapers are crazy. In fact, cloth diapers make up only about 10 percent of the market. But I believe cloth diapers are healthier for the baby. There are no synthetic fibers or gels that could cause allergies. With most disposable diapers, there's less breathability, even though there are a couple of good disposables that recently have come onto the market. Cloth, even wet cloth, breathes and helps get air to the baby's bottom. If a baby gets a diaper rash from wearing cloth, you're probably not changing him often enough.
     From age 6 to 9 months is the biggest time for diaper rash to occur. We went on trips with my son, Thomas Avery, when he was 4 and 9 months old, used disposables exclusively, and he got bad rashes. When we switched to cloth diapers, the rash cleared. Often, doctors will recommend that babies with yeast infections wear cotton diapers until the infection disappears.
    Cloth diapers are much cheaper in the long run. In a 1995 price comparison conducted by Indisposables, it was found that the cost of using disposable diapers for one child for 2½ years is about $1677, not including tax. To diaper a child using 60 Indisposables and 28 pull-up pants for the same amount of time costs about $550, plus about $225 for laundering costs.
     Many cloth-diapered babies will potty train faster because they don't like the wetness against their skin. We also sell training pants with great "kid designs." Thomas is anxious to wear his dinosaur pants and knows he has to stay dry to wear them.
    When I tell people that I use and sell these diapers, a lot of them say, "Do you have to wash them?" They'd rather toss them in the trash. People fail to realize that there's fine print on disposable diaper packages that the diaper should be clean of solid waste before it is thrown away. It's the waste that shouldn't go into landfills - human waste is incredibly toxic. The waste contaminating the landfill is far worse that the diaper being there, which is bad enough. So cloth diapers are better for the environment.
    A lot of people mistakenly think bleach must be used on cloth diapers, but that's the worst thing for the diapers and your babies skin. When a mother uses a diaper service, she has no idea who wore the diapers last or what the diapers were washed in. Some services don't even require parents to rinse the diaper before throwing it in the pail.
     The 30-something age group seams to be more conscientious about the diaper choices that are available and more often, these parents will seek out the better diapers. The younger parents seem to be much less aware that there are more financially feasible options than disposables.
     When I was looking for diapers, I knew there had to be something natural out there with a good fit. I didn't stop looking till I found it.
     I wouldn't have thought of selling the diapers if the answering message at Indisposables hadn't invited me to leave my number if I was interested in becoming a consultant. That's how I got started in my business a little more than two years ago. I had been in the corporate world for years, and then spent time at home for a while. When I become pregnant, I became involved in this business.
     Everything I sell is because people can't seem to find the products they need. For example, a lot of people don't know that breast pumps and accessories exist. Some women actually believe they'll have to stop using breast milk when they return to work. When they realize they have this choice, they are thrilled.
     Nursing bras are one of my biggest sellers. Some women are desperately searching for lanolin to reduce soreness because of breast-feeding, and we carry such a product, called PureLan 100. Something as simple as that makes such a difference to a new mom. I also carry a beautiful cotton sling that is really comfortable for the baby and mom.
     Every baby product I use has been tested on Thomas or me. If I don't like it, I won't sell it.
     I have customers in Buffalo, N.Y., and Brooklyn, N.Y., and in other states and cities. A great deal of my business is done by mail orders, and many people hear about the products through word-of-mouth. I have customers who call and say, "My friend told me about these diapers and said to not even bother trying anything else."
     I show products at La Leche League conferences and at baby fairs. On Oct. 18 and 19, I'll be at the Baby Faire in the Pittsburgh Expo Mart in Monroeville. People need to see and touch these products to appreciate them.
     If you had told me two years ago I'd be in sales and I'd be discussing breasts and bottoms so much, I'd definitely have laughed. But now I can tell who's in sales for the money, and who's doing it because they love the work. My love for the products and the babies started my business, and it just took off from there.

     For more information on Avery Baby Care, call (724) 934-2238.

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 Avery Baby Care