About Baby Tooshy

Baby With Diaper

When our oldest (Remy) turns 9 this year (2017), I would then have been changing diapers for 9 years straight, with no breaks. That’s because we had all five of our children really close together. Then, we doubled up the diaper duty over the last few years because we had twins (Reece & Heidi).

9 Years later, I think I can change a diaper in my sleep.

Diapering is not a hard thing to do but it’s no fun – even when you’re an expert at it. I have streamlined the process so much that when I’m about to change a diaper and I can see it’s a poopy diaper, I automatically start breathing through my mouth. I think most moms probably do that but I’m a little obsessive about it.

I mean – look at YOU – you’re reading the website that I’ve created, that’s entirely about diapering.

I have a system for everything and by now I have an answer for everything related to diapering.

And I don’t use just any products either. In fact, the diaper caddy I use today must be the umpteenth one we have because I’ve tested them all. So too also the diaper changing mats, wipes, travel cases, diaper bags, etc. What I have now, is what stuck because it’s been the most practical for me.

I use cloth diapers and disposable diapers.

For the really hardcore cloth diapering moms, it must sound like blasphemy. I can hear them whispering, “she uses disposable diapers.”

But, I have five children and I work. Therefore, I’m always trying to find the most practical way to run our household and if disposables work sometimes, I use it. For example, when we’re traveling I cannot be bothered with hand washing diapers – we are on vacation after all. However, when we are at home with no added pressures, then cloth diapering is often the most practical and efficient.

The Baby Tooshy Brand

As I mentioned above, I test a lot of products until I find the ones that do what they’re supposed to do. Sometimes I’m lucky and find great products on my first try. Sometimes, I never find it and in those cases, I try to create it myself. That’s how the brand Baby Tooshy started and I reckon it will persist until all our specific diapering needs are met.

I do put a lot of effort into the sourcing of each product and I personally use it too. Once I’ve tested it on my children and it works for us, I then introduce it to the market. I am always super excited when we introduce anything and these products are like my ‘other babies’.

These ‘other babies’ have been good for us and our family. They’ve made our lives easier. I hope they do the same for you and your family.

So what’s the back story?

My name is Gioula Chelten. I’m an Author, Entrepreneur and hands-on mother of 5. (4 boys + 1 girl).

I’m also a mommy blog reader. I love mom blogs. I read them all the time and then I go implement the advice they give me. If it works, I’m happy and I share my newfound wisdom with everyone who is willing to listen. If it doesn’t work, I tweak it until it works… and then I write about it on my blog. I consider it a community service of moms helping moms. So I do hope that anything you read here on the blog will be helpful to your family and your household.

Me?

I am originally from South Africa but moved to the USA in 2002.

When people hear I’m from South Africa, they’ll often say something like this: “Oh, South Africa is so beautiful. From which part of South Africa are you?” After all these years, I still don’t really know what to say because I grew up in Cape Town, but spent my adult years in Johannesburg, before I came to the USA. 

So basically, I am from the two parts of South Africa that most people know.

What I usually don’t share, is that I also spent a lot of time in Swellendam, which is in the rural part of the Western Cape. 

My mother was born there, and much of my family still lives there. In fact, my grandma’s sister – I call her “Mamma” – still lives there. To the rest of the community, and you, she is “Aunt Ellie”.

This is her 4 room house. (Two bedrooms, living room, kitchen – no bathroom. The toilet is outside in the outhouse).

I speak to my Mamma regularly – almost weekly, and I love to hear the stories about how she raised her 8 children in this house.

Can you imagine? 

They didn’t have electricity – that only came in the mid 80’s. I still clearly remember sitting at that wood stove and burning candles at night. (I miss the wood stove, not the candles).

Mamma had to bake two breads per day, EVERY DAY, in her wood stove, and do her washing outside in this sink (on the left). If there were disposable diapers, they certainly couldn’t afford it. She used flat diapers – like those we sell right here on our site, and she had to wash them at this concrete sink. No washing machine or dryer. Then it was hung to dry.  (I move laundry from the washer to the dryer and I press buttons). So on days when I feel that I don’t have it in me to do what is expected, I think of Mamma. I think of how she and Pappa raised 8 kids without the luxuries that we are used to. It must have been hard but they accepted it and figured out how to do it. If they could, then so can we.

 As you can see here, the sink is fairly damaged now after all these years but till today, it is still used. (That’s the outhouse just behind the sink).

I asked Mamma where the kids were when she was doing her chores. She says that she’d throw a blanket on the grass, under the tree. For hours, they would play there and fall asleep in the shade when they were tired.

I said that would never happen with my kids, and she agreed. She says the kids of today are different. I’m going to agree and I think it’s all the sugar in our foods, but that’s another story.

Thanks for taking the time to read about us and Baby Tooshy. I hope we can serve you well.

If you have any questions or concerns or comments about anything on this site, just drop me a note. My kids keep me super busy but I do check email regularly. If I can help, you can bet I will.