The Cloth Mama Spotlight: Issue #7

A Monthly Newsletter Celebrating All Cloth Diapering Mamas in Singapore

March 2022

Meet The Mama

Though E-van may appear small at 148cm, this 32-year-old cloth mama is definitely living a big life! As an actor, host and a make-up artist, E-van used to work at the Universal Studio Singapore as a character host for almost 9 years before becoming a mother. She reveals, “I am also a stilt walker (a very short one), a bit of an aerialist and a puppeteer too!”

In fact, theatre was how this multi-talented Singaporean mama met her husband, Terry. She smiles, “Terry was a fan of mine. He studied in Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts while I was in Theatre. He watched my shows and was smitten with me until I scolded him in another show in a different character in which he thought I was yelling at him for real. Long story short, we met up years later, got together within a week and had never been apart since.”

With such a bubbly and fun-loving personality, it’s no wonder that E-van managed to keep her 2.5 year-old son, Raphael, entertained and amused in the house!

Speaking about the toddler, E-van shares, “Raphael has a lot of strong likes and dislikes. No one should get in the way of it unless we are ready for meltdown city. He’s very independent and will not ask for help unless he’s at his wits’ end.”

She recounted an unforgettable incident when she was in a big argument with Terry. As things got more heated and voices were raised, Raphael suddenly stepped in with a “stop” sign between them and said, “Ah yo, SOP ERRYBODY SOP!!!” They immediately stopped.

When I found out that E-van was tie-dyeing clothes for babies, toddlers and adults, I was intrigued. She explained that she just wanted to tie-dye her own flats in the beginning. However, as she progressed to dye Raphael’s clothes, she realized how much people liked it and began with commissioned pieces. She laughs, “I started to open orders and then close them when it gets a little too overwhelming!” Follow E-van on her Instagram channel @merchindyes for the latest updates.

The Cloth Diapering Journey

E-van is no stranger to cloth diapering, having sold cloth diapers when she was just 17 years old at an expo fair. She knew all about the cloth diapers and its positive impact on the environment, except for a proper washing routine. She laughed, “The brand didn’t really give good washing advice but I believed in it so much that I helped to sell so many packages at their expo stall! Pity that it wasn’t on commission!”

E-van started cloth diapering Raphael when he was 2–3 months old. The cloth diapers came from AliExpress and were too bulky and big for him. Looking back, she wished that she knew more about good newborn-sized diapers back then!

Her family members questioned if cloth diapers are too warm but she reassured them that modern cloth diapers are not as warm as disponsables, and they’re not only well-made, but are also super soft and comfortable.

Challenges of Cloth Diapering

There was a lot of mom guilt when E-van discovered friction burn on Raphael’s thigh. She lamented, “We had an elastic mark that was burned into his right thigh for almost a year! He wore a diaper through the night and woke up with a mark which I thought would go off in a day. But no, it turned brown and stayed on for many months. I learnt that I didn’t put enough boosters and elastics got soaked.”

Another challenge would be keeping up with the laundry. Terry has been very supportive of cloth diapers ever since he saw the amount of disposables they would have used if they hadn’t used cloth. However, as the family does not have a helper, it can get a little overwhelming for Terry as he’s mainly in charge of the family’s laundry. E-van pointed out, “When he’s up to his neck at work, household chores can really get too much. I will then cut down on cloth and help as much (if Raph allows me)!”

Favourite Diaper Systems & Brands

Currently, E-van’s current go-to diaper system is Fitteds 90% of the time. When they they head out, they would switch to pockets because they are slimmer and less bulky. She continued, “We love our flats! Unfortunately, you really need the toddler to be lying down to get a snug fit with a snappi. So as of now, our flats are either used as inserts or just recently, personal picnic mats! They’re just so versatile!”

Unfortunately, the school doesn’t allow for cloth, so they are cloth diapering part-time.

So what are their favourite cloth diaper brands?

“Lilly & Frank! The prints they bring in and the bum placements are always on point. They are really soft and have stretchy but gentle elastics.”

“The second one is Max & Cher. Our local shops will always have a special spot in my heart as they are so well-made from fellow Singaporean cloth mamas. I especially love the AWJ inners. It feels great in our hot climate because Raphael has pooped in many of them after a few minutes of wearing. And we all know that it means that it’s comfy or it could be that it’s new and he wants to ‘mark his territory’!”

“Tiny Warriors Co. These are made with the best materials and the sewing skills are really amazing. I’m happy to share that Raphael has marked his territory on them after few minutes of wearing too!”

E-van mentioned that she has two diaper stashes; one at home and one at her parents’ place. She replies, “Safe to say that we have more than enough for one bum!”

Raphael is currently not ready for toilet training and E-van has no plans in rushing him too.

Advice to Newbies

E-van shared that there are many concerns around cloth diapering from her mummy friends. The typical ones revolve around wash routines, smelly diapers and night diapering solutions.

She clarifies that even if cloth diapers are from AliExpress, it doesn’t mean they are not good and they can still work well!

She says, “There’s some pre-conceived ideas that cloth diapers are unhygienic and tedious. It’s hard to convince someone if they’ve set their minds. I believe that determination is key to prove them wrong.”

For new families starting out to adopt cloth, she advises, “Try it out first and see if you can handle it. It’s not something that works immediately — but if you have the determination to make it work, you will. When parents who use disposables ask me how I do it, I say I just do. You just have to do it one step at a time! Furthermore, there are many mummies and some dads in CDSG who are super helpful if you need help!”