We’ve come a long way, baby: The environmentally conscious, Aussie company giving parents back more of their time

Those early days of parenthood go past in the blink of an eye. If there’s one valuable commodity that parents need more of, it’s time!

Every now and then people come along who see a problem and address it, and in doing so they change the landscape in a positive way for everyone who comes after.

That’s exactly what happened when expecting Sydney parents, Nat and Mo became concerned about the footprint their journey to parenthood would be leaving on the planet. With a huge concern about the abundance of environmentally harmful plastic nappies on the market, it was their desire to create a disposable that would be both gentle on the planet and on their baby’s skin.

Their solution, Comfy Koalas, not only managed to address the environmental concerns of new parenthood, but also managed to alleviate another issue that all new parents face, the increasing mental load.

Time to meet Comfy Koalas

Comfy Koalas offer Australian parents a range of affordable and eco-conscious nappy and baby wipe solutions, wrapped up in home compostable packaging and delivered straight to your door with their subscription service. And they’ve been doing it now for more than half a decade.

“I was working at Greenpeace Australia Pacific and pregnant when we created the concept,” Comfy Koalas Co-Founder, Natalie Tsirimokos tells Bounty Parents. “’The problem’ came to me in the form of a video – that it can take up to 500 years for the average plastic nappy to break down in landfill. As overwhelmed expecting parents, we were appalled, to say the least.

“At the same time – I was suffering from prenatal anxiety, and the thought of washing cloth nappies or even leaving the house to buy nappies was overwhelming.”

The plant-based nappy that works

“New parents shouldn’t have to choose between plastic disposables or committing to reusables – but there were no other options on the market. So we took the leap and partnered with a bamboo specialist to create a nappy that performed as well as plastic disposables, but using predominantly plant based materials instead,” says Nat.

“Because I had such a rocky prenatal and postnatal experience emotionally, our desire to make life a little easier for other parents was strong – making our automated ‘subscription’ service an important feature.”

Comfy Koalas is an impressively designed plant-based nappy that actually works. So well, in fact that hospitals, including The Royal Hospital for Women, Randwick, have chosen the Northern Beaches-based Aussie nappy brand as their nappy provider to deliver more positive outcomes for vulnerable babies in special care.

For the team at the Royal, switching a disposable nappy made from hypoallergenic and sustainable bamboo, and moving away from ‘mostly plastic’ nappies, just made sense.

Combine the sustainability and function with a home delivered subscription service and it’s easy to see that Nat’s mission, ‘to rid the world of plastic nappies, one poop at a time’, is on the right track. 

Comfort and convenience don’t have to cost the earth

When it comes to looking after planet earth, nappies and wipes may be a necessary evil, but there’s no reason for them to not be better, and that’s a concept that Comfy Koalas are striving to make a reality.

“Today, parents are demanding better, safer, and more sustainable products in general, but especially for their babies,” says Natalie. “We know – we’re parents! We exist because we want a better world for our babies to grow up in. 

“When creating Comfy Koalas, using sustainable materials was a non-negotiable for us. Many readily available nappy and wipes brands use cheap and often irritating synthetics. We’re proud to use sustainably sourced bamboo and FSC-certified wood pulp in our nappy core. Combined with high-quality Japanese SAP, our Eco Nappies aren’t just more sustainable and safer, they’re also super absorbent, holding up to 730ml.”

Comfy Koalas is also addressing another issue in the eco space – all the beige! The world is full of colour, and Comfy Koalas believes the eco world should be too. A belief that is reflected in the super fun, super vibrant, eco-packaging that pays tribute to the Australian roots of the company. 

“The Instagram-perfect ‘ideal’ of having a baby is damaging for new mums. So we don’t do that. We’re committed to embracing and platforming the chaos that is parenting – the hilarious, the tough and the poop.”

The Comfy Koalas subscription service is just what Aussie parents need

Comfy Koalas’ easy size guide helps you to pick the perfect fit based on your baby’s weight and age. And they offer a Perfect Fit Guarantee that eliminates any risk, because if you get the wrong size, or they don’t fit as you hoped, they’ll exchange them, free of charge.

Want one less thing to worry about? Their Monthly Subscription Boxes and Bundles make the load a little lighter. Comfy Koalas deliver nappies and wipes to your door every month, with free shipping, so you’ll never run out of nappies again.

Scroll down to shop Comfy Koalas products – and use your discount!

10 simple ways to reclaim time when you are a new parent

1. Learn when and how to say no 
   Set boundaries when it comes to things like entertaining houseguests and social obligations. If there is ever a time when people are understanding, it’s when you are a new parent.
2. Learn when to say yes too!
   Accept ALL the help, it’s being offered because people understand that being a new parent is a lot of work! The help offers dry up eventually, so grab them while they are hot.
3. Take advantage of subscription services that make life easier
   Outsourcing saves you so much time and when you find trusted sources that will take care of the little details, your mental load becomes lighter. A Comfy Koala subscription allows you to say goodbye to late night trips to the supermarket, because your nappies and wipes come straight to your door as often as you want, so you’ll never run out!
4. Turn cleaning time into playtime 
   It’s Murphy’s Law that your infants will find the box the toys came in more entertaining than the toy, so it makes sense that they’ll find joy in mundane daily tasks too. Singalongs as you load the laundry, counting games as you unpack the dishwasher and tummy time while you make the beds all contribute to killing two birds with one stone.
5. Meal prep and outsource!
   Staring at the fridge night after night while trying to figure out how to turn ingredients into a meal is mentally exhausting. If you can find motivation to meal prep, go for it, otherwise this is a task that can be easily allocated to all of those people offering you assistance in point #2! 
6. Prioritise self-care 
   Repeat after me: “I am important!”. While we might be talking about squeezing extra time out of your day, we don’t mean you should be finding time for self-care. Self-care is on the not negotiable list. Looking after your own essential needs, like showering and eating, is just as important as looking after bub.
7. Make a relaxation-only rule for when your baby is sleeping
   Your to-do list is not going anywhere. Hustling to check it off when bub is napping is only going to cause burn-out. When you are rested and recharged the rest of the days tasks are so much easier, so allocate bub’s sleep time to do only tasks that look after you. 
8. Book services that will come to you
   Mobile hair stylists, mobile mechanics, home doctors and mobile beauty services will give you back time in your day. Travel time and waiting room time are a thing of the past when you opt for the convenience of having the services you need come directly to your door.
9. Be flexible and cut yourself some slack
   Perfection should not be the goal in the early days of parenting. Things are not always going to go the way you thought they would, when you are flexible it allows you to release expectations and find contentment in the way things are actually turning out. This saves you wasting time worrying about things that can not be changed.
10. Organisation, lists and ruthless priorities 
    Point #9 doesn’t mean you can’t make any plans! Lists, schedules and prioritising your to-do list can help with the brain fog of the early days of parenthood and make sure that you are spending your valuable time on the things that really matter.

Keen on trying a Comfy Koala subscription? Here’s where to find them …

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