New Nappy Cake

cupcake-queen

Hi,

I have posted before but haven't had a read in quite a long time. Have a couple of queries,

Firstly, with regards to TS and the suitable from birth soft toys, surely you cover yourself by leaving the tags on? I usually go for 'suitable from birth' soft toys but sometimes when you get a special request like a Tatty Teddy which I've had recently too there aren't a lot of options.

Secondly, how do things stand with including alcohol in gifts? I only ever add a bottle of wine to ones I'm making for friends as I'm unsure how things stand. I'm not a big nappy cake maker at the moment as I'm on maternity leave so have dropped things for a while until I go back to work (scared of the tax man if things were to pick up!) but have seen alcohol included in lots of others on Facebook. Hoping to get stuck in again soon and am unclear on so many things

Also - have had my first real order of the year and it's being sent to Germany - God I hope it gets there in one piece

Sweetpea32

cupcake-queen wrote: »

Hi,

I have posted before but haven't had a read in quite a long time. Have a couple of queries,

Firstly, with regards to TS and the suitable from birth soft toys, surely you cover yourself by leaving the tags on? I usually go for 'suitable from birth' soft toys but sometimes when you get a special request like a Tatty Teddy which I've had recently too there aren't a lot of options.

I thought that was the case too and I always leave my tags on the toys, but I know that Janey21 has spoken to TS. I have looked at some that I have got in stock and one particluar cute little bear says on the removable tag " not suitable for children under 3 years due to small parts and components"..... then on the washing label it says " please remove all tags before giving to a child under 3 years".

Now, does this actually mean that these toys are OK for under 3s as long as you remove the tag before giving it to a child, as it is more or less saying that the tag is the reason that it would be unsafe?

Anyway, I don't have many bears in stock at the momentso will be buying safe from birth now just to be on the safe side!

zangels

Feeling a little bit down today and wondering if to still do the craft fair. It seems, when I have looked on the craft fair website there may be possibly three other people doing the same sort of things a me at the fair. The craft fair organiser at firts said no others are doing the same but then when I explained more said as I sell more than one type of item they would take bookings from others who make them. Im not sure what to do now, it would be my first craft fair and its only a smal town and fair local to me. Any advise? Do others go to craft fairs where peple are selling the same thing as you? I know all crafts are individual but 3 stalls selling nappy cakes, sock cup cakes and baby clothes bouquets and other in a hall that has only 50 stall is surely too many?

neenaww

Hi ladies!

I have just found this thread again (I know! I should be more observant!)
I've just got an order for a ladybird themed nappy cake & wondered if any of you ladies have seen anything ladybird related on your shopping trips?

Hope you don't mind me asking!!
Fab cakes by the way!! X

Janey21

zangels wrote: »

Feeling a little bit down today and wondering if to still do the craft fair. It seems, when I have looked on the craft fair website there may be possibly three other people doing the same sort of things a me at the fair. The craft fair organiser at firts said no others are doing the same but then when I explained more said as I sell more than one type of item they would take bookings from others who make them. Im not sure what to do now, it would be my first craft fair and its only a smal town and fair local to me. Any advise? Do others go to craft fairs where peple are selling the same thing as you? I know all crafts are individual but 3 stalls selling nappy cakes, sock cup cakes and baby clothes bouquets and other in a hall that has only 50 stall is surely too many?

Hi Hun
Try not to let that get you down sweetie, totally out of order, the craft fair organizer has let you down, personally I wouldn't do it and would ask for my money back, it's one thing having a few jewellery stalls etc as there are many styles, silver, beads, same with clothing and other items etc but nappy cakes are very unique and to have 3 stalls doing the same is bad planning, she's obviously desperate to fill her 50 stalls, I always ask when I book my stall if there are or there is going to be anymore sellers doing the same as me if there is I don't do them.
Where are you based? I'll look on stallfinder for you to see if I can find you some venues xx Keep smiling xx Janey

Janey21

Hi Girls and welcome to the forum.
with regards to baby soft toys, leaving the tag on is not acceptable according to TS, these are baby gifts and marketed as baby gifts, not for 3 yr olds, when TS came out to inspect my cakes before I started my business a few years ago, there was 2 things that they stipulated, firstly the soft toy being safe from birth and the second was to do with the nappy's themselves, they told me to include a label with the nappy ingredients on because some baby's are allergic to disposable nappy's believe it or not, once the nappy's are removed from the packaging you are removing them from the maufacturers instructions so that made sense.
Because the market is now flooded with nappy cake sellers, I called TS again to recheck the guidelines, and they repeated the above and more, no pins to hold things in place, no dummies with bling added to them, no dummy clips with beads etc, they really clamping down on all those things apparently. At the risk of repeating myself, please please, if you are thinking of setting up your own business especially selling to the public, ring TS yourselves and check, and remember to get public liability insurance in place. Janey x

zangels

Thanks Janey. I'm wondering if its still worth doing for me. I live in the small town where the fair is, the other two people live around an hours drive away so I was thinking it would be good to advertise what I do for local people. The organiser is being a bit clever really and saying no one else who does nappy cakes is booked in yet but as you said you do personal gifts if somone who only sells nappy cKes wanted a stall they could book as I do more than one thing. Iv looked at the pages of the other people and one mainly does bouqets frm different things and the other mainly cakes. But both do bits of each others if you see what I mean? I was going to do cakes for different ocassions such as peppa pig , Ben 10 , pamper cakes and other small mainly easter related gifts and take nappy cakes mainly to advertise.So confused now of what to do.

cupcake-queen

Fair enough with regards to TS and thanks for sharing. Great I have one pinned up ready to go, I don't usually use pins but this one has to go Germany so wanted it extra secure.
.
I've been offered a regular slot, once a month at a crafters market and don't know whether to take it up or not. It's £15 but close to city centre and in a nice part of the city (mixture of professionals/students/families) and kind of know it as I lived there in my student days. I was thinking of checking it out before taking the plunge but am a bit worried about spending if I get no return. I went to a few fairs last Spring/Summer and it was dire but they were school fundraisers etc.

zangels wrote: »

Feeling a little bit down today and wondering if to still do the craft fair. It seems, when I have looked on the craft fair website there may be possibly three other people doing the same sort of things a me at the fair. The craft fair organiser at firts said no others are doing the same but then when I explained more said as I sell more than one type of item they would take bookings from others who make them. Im not sure what to do now, it would be my first craft fair and its only a smal town and fair local to me. Any advise? Do others go to craft fairs where peple are selling the same thing as you? I know all crafts are individual but 3 stalls selling nappy cakes, sock cup cakes and baby clothes bouquets and other in a hall that has only 50 stall is surely too many?

Personally I wouldn't go to one were others were attending either, I've had to pull out before. In my experience most organisers only take bookings for one of each type. How frustrating for you.

notgotenough£

Evening ladies.

I know I have read somewhere who people use for their public liability insurance, can you remind me of the name with the 265 pages of this thread I have got time to look through it all lol!!

I am doing a charity event next month and they want to see a copy of our insurance, never been asked before so tbh I have been putting it off!

Thank you very much xx

moonpenny

Janey21 wrote: »

Hi Girls and welcome to the forum.
with regards to baby soft toys, leaving the tag on is not acceptable according to TS, these are baby gifts and marketed as baby gifts, not for 3 yr olds, when TS came out to inspect my cakes before I started my business a few years ago, there was 2 things that they stipulated, firstly the soft toy being safe from birth and the second was to do with the nappy's themselves, they told me to include a label with the nappy ingredients on because some baby's are allergic to disposable nappy's believe it or not, once the nappy's are removed from the packaging you are removing them from the maufacturers instructions so that made sense.
Because the market is now flooded with nappy cake sellers, I called TS again to recheck the guidelines, and they repeated the above and more, no pins to hold things in place, no dummies with bling added to them, no dummy clips with beads etc, they really clamping down on all those things apparently. At the risk of repeating myself, please please, if you are thinking of setting up your own business especially selling to the public, ring TS yourselves and check, and remember to get public liability insurance in place. Janey x

Hi Janey, I think it's a bit confusing what TS say about what's acceptable and what's not.

I use "from birth" soft toys but have a few I bought a while ago that are 6 mths +. I do leave all labels on but it seems this makes no difference.

The thing I am puzzled about is dummies and clips (with bling etc). I can understand the concern with beads etc but surely these have been passed by TS to be able to sell them in the shops. Maybe they get passed if they have an older age group label on them.
I do use dummies but from birth.

Also, pins! I wouldn't dream of putting pins in a cake but I do occasionall use safety pins to attatch Booties. Is this not acceptable either?

What about Nappy Pins? It doesn't make sense! I can see the potential harm if a baby got hold of things (even toiletries) but it's the mother who is using them, not the baby.

Do you think TS are going over the top a bit? Will have to look at the contents in Baby Gift Baskets in Stores to see what they put in or rather don't!

Thanks! anyway for the tips :T