If you had asked me in 2021, where I saw Kinder in five years, I probably would have laughed. I never could have imagined that Kinder would become what it has. What started as a simple wish, to create cloth diapers I’d be excited to buy and put on my sweet baby girl, has grown into something much bigger than I fathomed.
Five years (and two more baby girls later,) Kinder is a business that now supports five full-time team members and a handful of amazing part-time staff. Together, we’ve turned a tiny-spare-bedroom-idea into a thriving operation fueled by creativity, community, and a whole lot of heart. We’re a brand by parents, for parents. We’re making beautiful diapers, but it’s so much more than that. We’re building memories.
I’d love to take a moment to share some of my favorite highlights from this past year and reflect on the incredible growth we’ve experienced, thanks to your incredible support. In no particular order…
1. The Busy World of Richard Scarry adorns our best selling pocket diapers
Last year, the team at Random House reached out to ask if we’d be interested in collaborating on one of their licensed properties, Richard Scarry’s Busy World. Being trusted by Richard Scarry’s family to create a whimsical, joy-filled cloth diaper collection, featuring the iconic art and characters from Busy World has truly been one of the highlights of our year. I grew up reading Richard Scarry’s books and playing the Busy World computer games on my family’s kitchen Dell computer, so getting to work on this collection was a smidge surreal.
Behind the scenes, Bree and I read through the entirety of the Richard Scarry library to pull together moments and magic to craft the Kinder mini collection. “What Do People Do All Day” is my favorite — although I may be a little biased. The collection launched earlier this year with five Kinder Exclusive Prints »
2. Kekoa joins the Kinder family <3
Over the summer, Alexis from Kekoa emailed all of her wholesale partners (including us!) to see if they might be interested in purchasing Kekoa, the business. I was immediately intrigued, and while a little skeptical at first, Gannon was willing to entertain me and my crazy ideas. We had started carrying Kekoa at Kinder in the fall of 2023, and it quickly became a customer favorite. While our wholesale offerings ebbed and flowed, we kept restocking Kekoa. Kekoa is a premium, thoughtfully made cloth nappy collection that’s easy to fall in love with. And honestly, Alexis’s warmth and charm made the brand even easier to adore.
Once we hopped on a call with Alexis, we discovered that all three of us shared a special connection to Gannon’s and my hometown in central Pennsylvania, which made the whole business partnership feel meant to be. As we talked through the possibilities, Gannon and I realized there was a lot of overlap between Kekoa’s core lineup and our Kinder’s essentials line. After some brainstorming, we decided that purchasing the premium range and bringing it under the Kinder brand made the most sense for everyone involved. Alexis could keep the heart of her brand while giving her finances a helpful influx of cash, and we gained what we really wanted: the chance to offer these beautiful, premium nappies as a permanent part of the Kinder family—which we have lovingly renamed, Renew.
You can read more about Kekoa and Renew here »
3. Pre-Flats are added to our absorbency options
It’s not a secret that I have been searching for the perfect pre-flat cloth diaper supplier since the very beginning of Kinder, and dare I say, I think we finally found it. Soft, stretchy, and most importantly, super absorbent, our brand new Kinder pre-flats are made in Turkey with a bamboo, cotton, and lycra blend for comfort and flexibility. For an even more thirsty overnight option, we also sourced a highly absorbent Zorb fabric to use as a booster layer that adds extra peace of mind for those longer naps and overnight stretches.
4. Kyra comes on board for the summer
Kyra joined the team remotely during the summer months as our Graphic Design Intern. She brought a fresh perspective, motivation and a willingness to ask questions to the team. While mostly leading the charge on social content, Kyra also designed a few print collections for us, including Mother Hen, Chickadee and Over Easy.
Check out Kyra’s Prints Here »
5. Bree joins the team full-time! (Finally…)
While we’re on the subject of Interns, Bree joined the Kinder design team as a winter intern way back in 2022. We enjoyed having them on the team so much that we maintained a freelance working relationship with Bree long after the internship ended. Bree has designed some of your favorite collections here at Kinder, including the Wild West collection, Woodland Wonderland, and the more recent Spellbound collection. This summer, we had the opportunity to transition Bree to a full time, remote member of our design team. Bree brings a fresh gen-z perspective and an “I can figure it out” mindset that adds incredible value to our small and agile team. We can’t wait for you to see what Bree has coming for 2026.
Check out Bree’s Prints Here »
6. Tiff takes lead of all things operations at Kinder
And last but certainly not least, in July we added Tiffany to our full time crew here in Pittsburgh. Tiff joins Kinder as our Chief Operations Officer. A former Kinder cloth diapering mom, she comes to us with a resume of leading operations for start ups much larger than ours. Like Bree, Tiff brings a fresh perspective to our intimate team. Gannon and I have been attempting to wear all of the hats here for so long, Tiff’s forced us to delegate and let go of some of the control in an effort to scale operations. All of that to say, we have a big wish list and we can’t wait to see how Tiff tackles it. (Spoiler alert… she’s already blowing us away.)
7. Amazon footprint expands into Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA)
Kinder launched on Amazon in 2024, but this year we began using Amazon’s internal fulfillment services. This is a fancy way to say that we finally have a prime badge on some of our products! We hope that in 2026 we can bring Kinder to both Amazon Canada and Amazon Mexico. Having the Prime badge means faster, trusted shipping, and it helps get our products in front of more customers that may otherwise have not heard of Kinder.
8. Luxe adds double gusset options to our beloved pocket diapers
In February, we released a new product line “Luxe by Kinder” which features the patented inner gusset technology that we have licensed from Kanga Care, another cloth diaper brand. The double gussets provide an additional layer of protection against leaks and blowouts—especially for babies who are exclusively breast fed. In addition to the inner gusset technology, the Luxe Pocket diaper is manufactured in Turkey using post consumer recycled textiles, so you’re getting something that’s both super high-quality and good for the planet.
9. Our Pride Mini Collection supports the mission of SisTers PGH here in Pittsburgh
This year’s Pride Print, “with Love” benefited SisTers PGH. 100% of the sales generated from all “with Love” items at Kinder were donated to support the mission of SisTers PGH here in our local community. Sisters PGH supports trans and nonbinary people with housing and supportive services so they can achieve stability, safety, and thriving futures. Thanks to your generous support, we were able to donate $429.34 in September. Another donation will be made once the collection has sold out. This is our second contribution to SisTers PGH, a $500 donation was made in November of 2024 to support trans and nonbinary people in our community of Pittsburgh.
Shop ‘with Love” here »
10. Gently used Kinder returns continue to support the mission of the Cloth Option
In September, we donated six large boxes filled with new and gently used cloth diapers and accessories to The Cloth Option, a volunteer-driven 501(c)(3) organization serving families nationwide. The Cloth Option supports parents who want to cloth diaper but don’t yet have access to their own supply by providing free starter kits. Thanks to this single donation, the organization was able to give complete diaper stash kits to 40 families.
Give to the Cloth Option »
11. Supporting the mission of the Western PA Diaper Bank throughout the year in various ways
One of our favorite local organizations to partner with here in Pittsburgh is the Western PA Diaper Bank (WPDB). With their support, we assembled 100 cloth diaper starter kits, which the diaper bank distributed to families throughout our community. Each kit contains 5 Essentials Pocket Diapers, 5 Cloth Diaper Inserts and a Small Wet Bag. We also provide the diaper bank with rolls of disposable bamboo viscose liners for families that may be interested in using them. This fall, we also joined WPDB at their Hill District Sprinkle, where we provided free cloth diapers, change pads, and cloth diapering education to local families experiencing diaper need.
Give to your Local Diaper Bank »
And just for fun, here's a few behind the scenes images from this last year at Kinder. (In no particular order…)
