Mama & Papa Series: Shannon Yap

This post is part of a series called Mama & Papa, which is here to highlight the wonderful parents making informed choices to live more sustainably and who are supporting the brands (like Hauptli Haus Kids) who are taking all the measures to provide better and safer products for ourselves and our children, and ultimately for our earth!

SHANNON YAP FROM MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

@DR_YAP

What are your children’s names and ages?

My husband Liam and I are the lucky parents to our 16 month old son, Patch

What is the best part of parenthood for you?

The best part is just being with my favourite people in the world - my husband and our son. We are a little team. Life is so full and fun! From a personal development perspective, I have been surprised at how enlightening motherhood has been. I have learnt so much about strengths and capabilities I didn’t know I possessed. How patient I can be, how deeply I can love, how well I can function on very little sleep! 

What does your family do to be more sustainable? Do you have any tips for families looking to be more sustainable or how to teach their kids to be eco-conscious? 

Sustainability is an aspect of our family life that we are striving to improve.

Our family motto would have to be ‘buy well’. To us this means buying the best quality we can afford, buying ethically, buying to last.

Hyper-consumerism is something we are conscious of. We try to buy based on need rather than novelty. 

Children learn by example, so if we want them to care for the earth and all the people on it, we must show them how through our daily choices and actions. 

What is a typical day like for you? Or, describe your perfect day!

I am a working mother, so my days are often spent away from my son. I am a dentist and can work long days, leaving the house around 7am and returning around 6pm. My husband and I are very fortunate to have my mother close by to care for Patch. She is an angel and Patch adores her. 

Our perfect day together as a family doesn’t involve much at all. We have a Sunday morning ritual of heading to the South Melbourne Market for coffee, pastries and fresh produce. Then it’s home to spend the rest of the day playing with Patch. Throw in a walk with our Schnauzer and some time at the playground on our street and there we have it!

What is your favorite thing to do with your family? 

We absolutely love spending time at our family farm. My husband’s parents have a beautiful 60 acre property in the green hills of Gippsland, which is a two hour drive from us. We try to get out there as often as we can. It is a special place that holds many fond memories for us. It is where my husband grew up and where we got married. We love watching Patch explore the farm. It won’t be long before he is riding around the paddocks on a little motorbike with his cousins.

What do you think is the most important thing we can teach our kids? 

Two things. To work hard and to be kind. 

What is your favorite (or most unexpected!) way to use our Nuscheli?

An excellent and unexpected way that we use our Nuscheli is as a dummy/soother chain. We first did it out of necessity when our son learnt how to throw his dummy out of the pram and it has stuck ever since.

Which is your favorite Nuscheli color (sage, marigold, coral, boysenberry, charcoal)? 

Oh it’s such a tough choice! I love marigold and coral equally. 

If we launched a new set of Nuscheli colors, what would you like to see? Or who would you like to see a collaboration with!

Forest green or Terracotta clay would be beautiful. 

There is a wonderfully talented Australian artist and poet named Tess Guinery (@tessguinery) who I think would make magic with Hauptli Haus.

If you could change one thing in this world today, what would it be?

It is somewhat of a cliché but wealth and healthcare disparity between first and third world nations. We are incredibly lucky here in Australia, while there are many who are not so fortunate.

Anything else you’d like to mention here?

Thank you for creating a beautiful product with sustainability at the heart of your business. We only have one earth, it is our home and we must all protect her.