When Anuradha Rao became a mother, she looked for stuff that would “make my child comfortable as most modern moms do,” and by default reached for disposable diapers in the supermarket. She was born and brought up in Bengaluru, but lived in the US for a short while.
Enlightenment struck when she returned to the IT city. “The sheer number of disposable diapers that went out of my home horrified me – a minimum of eight to 10 per day! As we have garbage segregation in Bengaluru, this reality struck me real hard as I knew wet waste would get composted and the dry waste recycled, but this big chunk of waste would just sit in the land fill,” says the young mother, who now manufactures reusable cloth diapers for babies called Bumpadum.
“Cloth diapers are not only eco-friendly, but are also easy on the baby’s skin. It is also an economical way of diapering children,” she beams.
Bumpadum, is a Bengaluru-based company that designs and manufactures reusable cloth diapers. It was started in 2016 and Anuradha says her products are, “economical, environment friendly and an alternate to traditional cloth diapers as well as disposable diapers. They also help create safe, chemical free and comfortable diapers for babies.”
She adds that Bumpadum diapers are, “leak proof, do not stink and will keep the baby’s skin dry and comfortable as they are made from hemp and organic cotton.”
Bumpadum is available in four variants —duet stay-dry diaper, Aviva organic cotton diaper, neo newborn diaper and potty training pants —and come with adjustable snap buttons that can be used from infancy to toddlerhood.
Having worked as a financial analysist Anuradha did her own market research. “Priced at Rs 699 per piece, Bumpadum diapers are 49% cheaper than disposable diapers in the long run. For instance, over a period of 0-3 years, a child requires about 5,600 disposable diapers costing up to Rs 56,000 (Rs 10 per diaper at a minimum) whereas the number of cloth diapers required is only 30 costing upto Rs 28,500.”
Bumpadum products also come with waterproof bags and clutches that can be used to store cloth diapers.
These products are sold across Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore and parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.
