Our Story

a little round of introductions, our story and how it all began

Our Story

Hi and welcome!

If you’re reading this, you might also be a mom or just like me looking for a loving, sustainable and needs-oriented relationship with your child.

I am Britta Alps, founder of the “Dachskind Shop” and live with my small family, our dog Frieda, the 4 sheep, 3 ponies and a handful of chickens on a small farm on the edge of the beautiful Lüneburg Heath.

How it all began

When I got pregnant in 2019, I quickly realized that just because you do it that way, I didn’t want to do it that way. I didn’t want to do it as advertised or as it is in today’s fast-moving society. So I started my baby studies, read a book here and listened to podcasts there, because until that date I had almost no touch points in the practical handling of babies.

As a biologist with a PhD, I also quickly realised that I wanted to follow the sustainable and environmentally conscious path, paying attention to scientific and behavioural biological aspects. So I soon came across the subject of diaper-free or elimination communication, lovingly called potty teamwork (“TöpfchenTeamwork”). Potty teamwork sounds so much nicer and more freely, because I somehow associate the term “potty training” with coercion. As if the child had to be trained to use the toilet obediently, reliably and as quickly as possible.

By paying attention to certain signals that my child sends, I can give my little miracle the opportunity to relieve himself outside the diaper. I can still use the diaper as a backup, but it doesn’t have to be used to catch the poop. This saves garbage and deepens the bond with my baby – we become a team.❤️

Do we really need disposable diapers?

That’s what I was wondering. We parents pay attention to signs of hunger, abdominal pain and tiredness, go to sleep and cuddle with our baby, but thanks to the modern disposable diaper we overlook the natural need for excretion. The baby’s got to go? No problem, it all goes in the diaper and then it ends up in the garbage.

Simple, right?

The fact is, however, that babies give their droppings in a controlled manner and are born without a diaper. A child wrapped full-time in diapers needs up to 6.000 diapers in this period. This accounts for 8-10% of residual waste in Germany.

When I read about how much waste is produced by diapering with disposable diapers and what a great way elimination communication is, it sounded totally logical to me. I wanted a close bond with my baby and no chemistry on my child’s sensile skin. It doesn’t need a plastic diaper!

So we used cloth diapers as backups at first, but the ultimate was not there. Something always slipped or was too cumbersome, to be able to practice elimination communication with my child quickly. I was dissatisfied because I wanted to follow this loving and sustainable path! At least I wanted to try. Absolutely!

Our way

So I sat down at the sewing machine and made practical clothing for my daughter out of rejected pullovers. Wool sweaters were cut up, sewn and sometimes all the material was unraveled again until finally the first prototype of the ttBux was completed.

The ttBux, the PottyTeamworkBux (In German, Potty means “Töpfchen”. This is how the abbreviation TT for TöpfchenTeamwork comes from.), which combines diaper backup, pants and kidney warmers. A simple 3 in 1 system, made from a renewable raw material.

Wool is a miracle material that lasts a long time with good care, and when greased has moisture repellent and self-cleaning properties. It works wonderfully as a diaper release garment and I really love it.

I wanted and want to bring the topic of “elimination communication”, “toilet learning” and “diaper-free” into the world together with the ttBux and recommend to other parents the wonderful benefits of “potty teamwork”.

The “Dachskind Shop”

Thanks to the active support of my husband and some testers who put the ttBux through their paces, I registered an online shop for diaper-free clothing in autumn 2020. In the “Dachskind Shop” there was initially only the possibility to choose a ready-made ttBux from the warehouse or to let an existing sweater enchant.

In the meantime, the shop has become a place of meeting and sharing, and with the help of my apprentices Vanessa, the portfolio of wonderful products that make your diaper-free life with your child easier is constantly growing!

Our range

From various diaper-free clothing items in different sizes, colors and fabrics to practical diaper-free accessories – you can find everything in our shop.

Here in our shop you will now even find the only German-language diaper-free picture book!

We are pleased that our products are also well received in Switzerland and Austria.

All this is under the umbrella of sustainability, because our garments are all made from second-hand wool sweaters or residual materials regionally. “Because the most sustainable substance is the one that already exists!” (Elisa Louis). With the help of our wool care products and the ability of our ttClothing to grow along for about 3 sizes, we ensure that resources can be used for as long as possible. By the way, we only ship our products in used boxes.

For a world of tomorrow, for our children!♡

We are very pleased that you have found your way to us! This is our story and a little look back at how it all began. If you would like to know more about “Elimination Communication” or have any questions, please send us a message using the contact form:)

We wish you a lot of fun trying it out!

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