In the first of my meet the maker interviews, we meet Rita from Singapore-based Bumwear. You'll find Bumwear nappies and training pants in the Nappies area, hats in Clothing, and wetbags in Accessories. Made with hand-printed batik from Bali and sewn by work-at-home mums in Singapore, Bumwear actively supports mums who want to earn income while continuing to breastfeed.

Click here to visit the Bumwear website.

Describe your family
I am mom to 5 kids. 11 year old Kieran is bookish, 10 year old Gilian is outdoorsy. Keagan at 8 is a whirlwind of energy. The 2 babies are Meghan (2+) and 7+ months Kenan. Meghan is a little mischievous imp who’s got her daddy around her little finger. As for Kenan… all of us just think he’s the cutest baby in the world. The first 3 are avid sailors. My husband has been an absolute pillar of support in this amazing journey.

What inspired you to become a work-at-home-mum (WAHM)?
Basically I wanted something to occupy me after I quit my full time work. I know that if I deal in what I love, it won’t seem such hard work. I love cloth diapering my son and at that time in 2002, the cloth diapering scene in Singapore wasn’t very happening, if you know what I mean. I basically offered the diapers that I had for my son to the Singaporean moms. The response was overwhelming and very soon, even moms overseas started asking me for them.

How do you balance your business and family commitments?
Family always comes first. In the first few years it was more difficult because the kids were still very young and I run Bumwear single handedly. Now it’s better in that I have a few girls helping me at our retail outlet and they also give me a hand with the online and wholesale orders. So, in that sense, now business can go on even if my kids are not feeling well.

What dreams do you have for your business?
I would like to see moms the world over, have at least a few cloth diapers in their baby wardrobe. Doesn’t have to be Bumwear diapers (would of course be nice, if they are). More cloth diapers mean less disposable being used and ending up in landfills.

What is one thing you cannot do without as a WAHM?
I cannot do without the support of my husband. I bounced my ideas around with him and I can tell him what’s happening with the business and he will listen non-judgementally. Sometimes, he gives me brilliant ideas too !!