Little Lamb is a well-known washable nappy brand. The Littlelamb bamboo fitted nappies accommodate newborns from 7 lbs to 40 lbs. Keep in mind that the nappies are very small fitting when ordering and sizing.
Best known for their fitted bamboo nappies. The bamboo nappy is available in three sizes. They’re soft, light, and absorbent. Their most popular bamboo nappy is fitted and requires an outer wrap. It’s also a favourite of ours. Designed to suit from birth until toilet training, these nappies are easy to use and may be sent to childcare. Nappy fit (slim or bulky) is bulky yet can be used day or night and is easy to use.
Back in 1997, when the concept of reusable nappies was still new, there was a great need for an inexpensive alternative to costly disposables.
The founders, Esme and Nick, aimed to introduce a high-quality cloth diaper variety to the public market. Reusable nappies were too expensive back then! They have some of the softest fluffy fleece liners I’ve ever touched as well as terrific value disposable liners.
Except for the OSFA (One Size Fits All), their diaper systems are designed to fit certain weight ranges. A size one nappy fits from birth to 9 months, a size two nappy fits from 20-38lbs, roughly 7 months till toilet training, and a size three nappy is available, but most children will potty train while still in the size two range. They’ll lose their baby fat and their birth-to-potty or size two nappies won’t appear so snug once they’re on their feet! Size three nappies are ideal for children who are not yet dry at night but have outgrown birth-to-potty or size two nappies, or who have special needs.
Little Lamb Nappies – The Story Behind the Brand.
We can’t quite remember exactly when we started to stock Little Lamb nappies, I think it was about 2006 so we’ve been selling them for about 14 years. We’ve met their manager Vicky a few times. She’s lovely and we worked together on the Real Nappy Alliance many years ago, helping to build a nappy alliance to take on the might of the disposable nappy brands. But unusually we have never met the owners, Nick and Esme Pfaff. The reason, well that’s part of the fascinating story of Little Lamb Nappies – the owners now live in New Zealand!
The Pfaff family were in manufacturing and retailing since 1908. Nick worked for Levis for many years (interesting fact, I have been to lots of Levis factories in the UK as I used to do their tax for them!). After a while, Nick left and set up his chain of Jean stores, some of which were managed by Vicky and her sister Michelle.
When Esme had her first son, she could not afford disposable nappies, so along with her mom, a seamstress), she designed and made some very basic nappies from the terry squares she had, just to make life easier when their 2nd and 3rd babies come along. The terries were simply cut and elastic added to them. The idea of selling them soon took off once they added in their waterproof wraps as well.
Little Lambs Go Online
Little Lambs were actually one of the first online stores in the UK, waaaay back in the day. I remember their early days and as our store, online shopping was a novelty. We were the first retailers of cloth nappies online in Ireland and about the fifth in the UK! I look back on my first website and realise how dire it was, but hey it got the job done and like Little Lamb, it helped spread the word about using cloth nappies.
Vicky and her sister Michelle took over the distribution of the nappies whilst the sales soon outgrew Esme and her mom. Nick, being in the trade, soon sourced a fantastic factory in Turkey to help with production and thus the boom for little lambs really began.
Esme & Nick, being avid travellers and now with 6 children, packed up their camper van, left Vicky to manage the business and went travelling. How idyllic! After many years of travelling, they settled in New Zealand in 2007 where they still live today with all 6 children.
Little Lamb nappies have changed very little since we first started stocking them. They are a simple fitted nappy which comes in a range of fabrics, although they are best known for their bamboo fitted nappy.
Esme and Nick have always wanted to make reusable nappies that were affordable for everybody. They have worked hard to keep washable nappies within the price bracket of most families and often donate many nappies to local hospitals in Wales. Vicky, 25 years later, still works for Little Lamb nappies and if you ring up, she’s super friendly to have a chat with!
This article was written by: Gian MIller – Full-Time Writer, Baby Whisperer & Dad of 3.
Gian spends a lot of his time writing. A self-proclaimed baby whisperer, Gian has been through it all with his own children and is passionate about sharing his hard-won wisdom with other parents. When he’s not writing or changing diapers, you can find him playing the guitar or watching baseball (or preferably both at the same time).
