Dgnait is the manufacturer of an Israeli cloth diaper brand outside of Tel Aviv. They are possibly the only Israel cloth diaper company manufacturing locally. 

The first thing she said was “yuck,” and didn’t think cloth diapering was for her. But she kept thinking about it and started learning more about it. There wasn’t any information in Hebrew at the time, but there was a Facebook group. There are more resources. 

She visited her friend and fell in love with cloth diapering. She purchased a stash of 24 Kawaii diapers and Alva Baby and Charlie Banana. She slowly started to understand which kind she liked and disliked. Then she explored some of the bigger American brands but she still didn’t find the diaper she really wanted. 

Everything was “not quite right” – says her husband, Gilad. 

She bought a sewing machine, fabrics from the USA and started to sew her own cloth diapers. They weren’t so pretty but she improved the patterns and made it work and now they look very nice. 

A near death situation in the hospital after a routine surgery created a moment of needing to do something and that’s how Baby Koala came to be into action. 

The Israeli textile industry has moved elsewhere and finding resources has been hard. This lady has a workshop with a dozen sewing machines and Dganit has a dream of that workshop being full of seamstresses. Baby Koala is motivated by dreams. 

Check out this podcast episode with Emilie from Les Confections Lili in Quebec. 

Cloth Diapering in Israel – there is a community of cloth diapering parents in Israel, but everyone mostly uses disposables over the years. They would love to widen the community and reduce the waste. The high percentage might be because of the high birth rathe (4 babies per family) and because of different cultures of waste. These are just thoughts and not facts. 

What does Gilad do for the business?

He says he invented the closure snaps on the diaper. Early morning diaper changes were difficult and he needed something different. 

Help her do her dream by taking care of the children and providing some insight into the things she asks. 

And Dgnait, what are you today for Baby Koala?

She’s primarily doing other things like managing the business and developing products for the brand. She is the designer of the pattern, chooses the prints, and hires the designers to make their own special prints. 

What is your biggest challenge right now?

1. The awareness phase of cloth diapering that there is a hand sewn cloth diaper in Israel. There is an Israel Cloth Diaper Brand that isn’t made in China. 
2. Producing a diaper in Israel while maintaining and attractive price is challenging because all of her textiles are imported as there isn’t anything in Israel like PUL or hemp or wicking jersey. 
3. Working alone and doing everything herself is a lot to manage. 

What does the Baby Koala Diaper look like?

It needed to be economical so one size (3.5kg to 18kg) was the way to go. 

It is a PUL exterior. All material has CPSIA certification. 

It has one row of waist snaps for the simplicity of fastening onto baby. 

The pocket opening is at the front of the diaper and not the back. The back is where the poop is and removing the pocket from the front is easier for some families. 

The lining of the pocket is with an athletic wicking jersey. Microfleece looked very hot for Israel families. CoolMax is their go-to choice for the Baby Koala cloth diaper. The CoolMax stays cool and dry for the baby. It’s dry and works great in the climate. 

It’s a wider diaper like the bumGenius but it gives a nice fit still. There’s still ways to have a trim fit on baby if that’s really important. 

What is your biggest piece of advice for new moms starting cloth diapering?

Before you buy a big stash because you got a recommendation from a friend or Facebook group, start by trying a few different brands to learn what is your style and what you love. 

What are your dreams an ambitions for Baby Koala?

We would love to start selling around the world their made in Israel Diapers. 

Find Baby Koala – Facebook – Instagram – Website & Etsy.

Professional Cloth Diaper Educator

Bailey brings 5+ years of cloth diapering experience and conversation to the cloth diaper space. She's not just your every day mom blogger sharing her experience - Bailey is immersed in the cloth diaper community learning from other parents and growing as an individual. She wants to find the cloth diaper solution that truly works for you.

Bailey believes we need to stop and listen to cloth diapering parents. We need to recognize our own bias and preferences and focus on solutions that work for you, not us. The Cloth Diaper community needs to recognize the privilege of being able to cloth diaper, and provide spaces for more conversations and stories.

Cloth diapering is not about rules but about our own strength as parents to do the best we can for our children with the resources available.

About the Cloth Diaper Podcast

The Cloth Diaper Podcast is a somewhat regular podcast sharing stories from cloth diaper parents, brands and retailers from around the world. 

The Cloth Diaper Podcast is not affiliated with any school of thought of diaper laundry but instead focus on the power of peer-to-peer story telling to empower you to make your own cloth diaper journey. 

Cloth Diapering is not this or that, but rather many different experiences.