I am in awe of the many incredible Mum’s out there, doing a fab job of running their own successful businesses whilst simultaneously holding down the fort at home. I’m fortunate enough to have ‘met’ many of these ladies online and can’t wait to introduce you to some new faces and their awesome entrepreneurial endeavours. If you would like to get involved and have your business featured, please say hello!melissa@thebestnest.co.nz
I kind of get the feeling that in years to come Mud Mates may be one of those companies that becomes a kiwi institution; one of those products that everyone will remember wearing as a child and then go on to purchase for their kids in the future.
Owner Alana, got in touch with me and I jumped at the chance to work with her because, um, NIXON! Crazy baby is crazy, and he needs to be covered head to toe in plastic at all times. Some don’t find that acceptable however, so instead, there is Mud Mates. Thank goodness.
Alana is a Hawkes Bay mum of two, who developed her awesome products out of the frustration (desperation?) that I’m sure every Mum has felt as a result of the constant washing and often ruining of clothes that can result from letting your kids be kids and get dirty.
Mud Mates has been going strong for a couple of years now, continuing their awesome commitment to producing their products at home in New Zealand, Napier to be exact! Reserach and design has seen the introduction of a new fabric to the range; coveralls, overpants and shoe covers are now made from water-resistant and water-repellent fabric. This is a breathable, polyester, PVC-free fabric with a polyurethane (PU) coating on the inside and a 3M Scotchguard water-repellent coating on the outside. The fabric is soft and lightweight (yet durable and hard-wearing) which means the garments are comfortable and easy to wear without restricting your littlies movement.
I am a mother of two boys.
Two full on, balls to the wall, dirty, grubby, stained and scuffed boys. I love it, and them. An unfortunate side effect of having feral children and failing to rein in their dirt-ambitions is that I have allowed plenty of ‘nice’ clothes to be ruined. I refuse to tell my kids they aren’t allowed to get dirty. In fact I don’t think that particular phrase has ever left my mouth! Needless to say, I had never really considered the need for some coveralls. Never until I actually tried them out!
I may be down with dirt, but one thing I’m paranoid about is letting my kids get cold. Easter weekend brought amaze weather, it was so, so hot up in Waipu at Mum’s but the mornings were very shivery and cold with heavy dews. The end of Daylight Saving also added super early wake-ups to the holiday weekend {arghhh!} so we were up and at ’em before the sun had a chance to warm up the chilly autumn mornings. Nixon was gifted a pair of Mud Mates Coveralls and lawd I was stoked I remembered to pack them! They proved themselves as soon as the little guy settled on the water-logged sand-pit as his play location! He was able to splash around in there, doing his roadworks, burying and excavating tractors and I didn’t worry a bit about him getting wet and cold – ain’t nobody got time for a sick toddler!
One important thing to note here; these are not lined, which I love. Here’s why; last winter I purchased a pair of lined overalls with shoulder straps. They were gorgeous and thick and warm, but they were so thick that when popped over clothes Nix could barely move in them. Working around this meant that I had to strip Nix’s pants off before and after play time which was a little bit chilly at the beach mid-winter! The shoulder straps fell down constantly and the plastic buckles didn’t hold their position, so again I found a workaround by tying knots in the straps- again, less than ideal. When I saw Nix was heading for the water, I busted out a deft intercept, zipped the coveralls over his clothes and he was good-to-go. They pack down super-small as well so you can always squeeze then in your diaper bag and make the most of those random, muddy, FUN opportunities. I absolutely love these coveralls!
Mud Mates coveralls are so low-maintenance I’m thoroughly recommending that all babies and toddlers should wear them 100% of the time FOR EVER. Just kidding. Sort of. Every Mum should be so lucky to have a pair of these in their arsenal, these would be the most useful and appreciated first birthday gift ever!
If you would like to win a pair of the amaze Mud Mates coveralls, head over to our Facebook page and follow the instructions on the competition image. Competition closes Sunday 26th April 10pm. If you just can’t wait, purchase a pair here
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