Candice Wagener
Nicki Maynard.
New parents and those expecting might want to take a look at more than just their carbon footprint, and evaluate their “bottom” print, so to speak. According to the EPA, the average baby will go through about 8,000 diapers — which last for centuries in landfills.
After giving birth to her first child in 2003, Nicki Maynard was committed to using cloth diapers, but wanted to wash them herself instead of using a diaper service. She had a hard time finding the kind of cloth diaper she wanted in Madison, so she started ordering them herself in bulk. This quickly caught the attention of other moms.
Antimicrobial wet/dry bag
That’s how Maynard wound up being a large-scale producer of cloth diapers and other reusable items. “I never really meant it to be a business,” she says, though her background was in business administration and finance.
But her ad hoc diaper distribution grew from reselling diapers to manufacturing diapers and accessories and supplying a wide variety of products under five different brands. The company is owned by Maynard and her husband, Jesse, and operated out of a 12,000-square-foot facility in New Glarus.
The original brand, Nicki’s Diapers, offers a variety of reusable diaper covers and cloth inserts, as well as swaddle blankets, all made in the New Glarus facility. The brand participates in a “Buy One, Give One” program where, for every diaper purchased, a baby item is donated to families in need.
The Planet Wise brand specializes in reusable wet/dry bags, snack and lunch bags, and garbage bags, all of which have a waterproof lining patented by Maynard.
Best Bottom diapers.
Imagine Baby includes even simpler versions of cloth diapers, training pants and other accessories.
Best Bottom Diapers are the simplest version of the cloth diaper. Invented by Maynard, they feature an insert that snaps right in. She also designs prints for various fabrics.
Finally, the My Swim Baby line specializes in reusable swim diapers.
Items are available through the company’s website (and at many stores throughout the country). A west-side retail shop gives customers the chance to touch and feel items, as well as seek advice from knowledgeable staff, all parents themselves.
Nicki’s Diapers
739 N. High Point Rd., 608-836-1211, nickisdiapers.com, 10 am-5 pm Tues.-Sat., noon 4 pm Sun.
