Tell us a little about yourselfGreat! Thanks so much Crystal, it's been a pleasure getting to know you and your company! Crystal has been wonderful though this whole process and I hope you (my readers) check out her site and leave her a little love!! It's totally worth the look, and maybe even a purchase! :)
Well I'm mom to 3 boys, and an owner of 3 companies (besides Wee Ones I also have Easy to Bum Diaper Service & FOE Your Diaper) so life is BUSY! I love to read, have recently taken up jogging (on my treadmill as it's soooooo bitter cold and icy outside) and I have a HUGE addiction to shoes. I paint my fingernails, love cinnamon scented candles, and occasionally drink a Mike's Hard Lemonade. Oh and did I mention I love shoes??
Have you always been a cloth diaper advocate?
Ever since I started using them yes. Before that I knew that I always wanted to try and use cloth diapers but I never really told anyone until I had my first child. Once I started using cloth I never looked back.
What got you interested in cloth diapering?
First the money we would save by using cloth diapers was the initial attraction, secondly it was healthier for my baby.
Before JaJoC what were you using as cloth diapers?
I use a few different brands of diapers I started off with Flatfolds & pins (which I hated and figured if it had to be like this then I couldn't do it) so then I started to do some research and found Kushies so I switched to those (didn't fare any better with them unfortunately) by this time I was sold on the idea of cloth diapering I just had to find some that would work for us. I tried Fuzzi Bunz which I wasn't a fan of, and then switched to Wonderoos - those I stuck with for a little while but in the end I had a few WAHM diapers I used for night and mostly the Wonderoos for Daytime.
What was the reason for creating your own diapers?
The reason I started making my own diapers was I was disappointed with the diapers I'd bought (absorbency / trimness wise), so since I knew I could sew I decided to throw my hat into the ring and give it a shot. After a lot of trial and error (lots of errors!) I finally found something I liked and then with a few tweaks here and there I find myself now with a full line of cloth diapers.
What is the process involved in creating one of your WeeOnes? (Where are they made? By who?)
The initial first round of Wee Ones Diapers were actually Soul Mother Diapers - I bought a cottage license from her and we arranged that I would be able to sell them under the name Wee Ones. They were all made by me, but it wasn't long after (about 6 months) that I realized that I wasn't quite happy with the fit of the diapers and they were still too bulky so I let my cottage license run out, and I started over from scratch with a ruler (to make straight lines) a pencil and a lot of paper (oh and erasers).
What other products does JaJoC create?
We've designed some other products over the years that include - diaper bags, baby sling & wrap carriers, teethers, wet bags and just recently we started making suspendz and mittz clipz.
Where can we find these products for purchase?
A lot of our products can be found in stores across Canada (Baby Ware in NFLD, Klassy Kids in NS, Glow Maternity in ON, our own Home store in Whitby, ON. Of course we have the online store (www.weeones.biz) and we also have a couple of stores in Norway and in the USA.
Does your family thrive to be eco conscious? If so, what other aspects of your life are eco friendly?
Hmmmm good question, I'll have to say no - I've got a house full of boys and the only time they ever want to turn a light off is when they are trying to scare someone in the dark! I run around all day long turning lights off (or so it seems). We do recycle everything possible, and we have a food waste as well as we use napkins (or wipes) rather than paper towel whenever possible, but over all I would say no we're not overly eco-conscious.
When and how did JaJoC become a full fledge business?
Oh this is a question that I'm not quite sure I know the answer to! I started in about April of 2004 making the diapers but I'm not sure when I would say it became a full fledge business. To me I guess that wouldn't have been until about 2008, that's when the company really started to take off running (with me trying to catch up). It's grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years and so to me once it actually showed true growth is when I would consider it becoming a full fledge business.
Where did the name JaJoC come from?
This was my sister's doing. When I first started talking about creating a "store" I knew that I liked the name Wee Ones but it was a bit too generic and it has similar company names already and I wanted something unique. So my sister calls me one day and says don't laugh (this is almost always followed by laughter I'm still not sure why she bothers to say it!) what do you think of Jay - Joe - See?? I was like hmmmmmmmm that's a cool name where did you get that from - it came from Jasmine, Johnathan, Clarissa (her two daughters at the time and my son), and so JaJoC was born - no it's not pronounced Jay-JOCK.
What was your biggest misunderstand about cloth diapering in the beginning?
FLEECE - this had to be my biggest mistake and misunderstanding. There are so many different types of polyester (and cotton) fleece out there at first it was very easy to fall into the oh this is a cheap fabric and it's fleece it'll work - NOPE not a chance.
Any exciting things we should be looking forward to from JaJoC?
Well Mighty Nights are through the testing phase and so they will be launching as soon as I can get some more fabric to make them. We're also transitioning the inserts in our diapers to be all one-size inserts (small diapers will come with the inserts, medium & large diapers will have the option to not get inserts with them). We found that by moving away from sized inserts people could save even more money, get more use out of their diapers and the inserts that they've already worn in and are now super absorbent will keep babies happier (which in turn makes mommy & daddy happier).
If money wasn't an issue, what would be your dream vacation?
ohhhhhhh I'd be on a private beach somewhere soaking up the sun and enjoying the sand between my toes
If you were having a special date night with hubby what would it include? (favorite restaurant, etc)
Well dancing would have to be right on the top of that list, in some really hot shoes.
Favorite book? and favorite movie?
My favorite books would be The Host, City of Glass or anything by JR Ward or John Grishman. Favorite Movies - I'm an action or sci fi girl - I loved Farscape and Stargate (all 3 series), and other ones that topped my list are Gladiator, My Best Friend's Wedding, The Matrix Trilogy & The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
Stay tuned tomorrow for a review of the WeeOne AIO diaper by JaJoC! By the way, Crystal has been so kind as to sponser a giveaway! So check back tomorrow and find out how you can win! :)
I had a lot of fun with this and really hope that I can some more WAHM companies interested in doing interviews, reviews and giveaways! It was tons of fun and get's your name out there! If you're interested e-mail me here
Very interesting. Great interview! When I used cloth diapers on you and your sister they were just flat folds and we used the safety pins and rubber pants. Stinky old diaper pails and hand rinsed them in the toilet to clean them before putting them in the diaper pail. They've come a long way baby!!!
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