When I was pregnant with my first child in 2004, our birthing teacher introduced a bright colored cloth diaper during our Birthing From Within class. The idea was foreign to me. I had never even changed a baby’s diaper at that point in my life, much less known anyone to use cloth diapers. I wasn’t buying it.
Then I had my second daughter, and I had two children in diapers at the same time. That’s when the cost of buying disposable diapers became something I wanted to avoid. By then I had become a member of the Holistic Moms Network and found support being around other moms who made using cloth diapers look easy, and even stylish.
It is so important for moms to have the support of each other. Which is why I want to help spread the word about The Great Cloth Diaper Change being held this Saturday, April 21. Across 16 countries, in 305 cities, mothers and caregivers will team up as they attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the most cloth diapers changed at one time. The current record was set at last year’s cloth diaper change when 5,026 bums were changed, across 127 locations in five countries.
To find one of these events happening near you, visit The Great Cloth Diaper Exchange site under Find a Location. To participate in our Knoxville event, click here.
The event is part of a weeklong effort called Real Diaper Week. The goal is to bring awareness to cloth diapering and raise funds for the Real Diaper Association, helping more families find and use reusable cloth diapers.
According to this cost breakdown by Mothering.com, it costs $3800 to use Seventh Generation diapers during the total time a child spends before potty training – compared to spending $458 on a recommended cloth diaper stash. This is just one example. Other brands are listed at the link. But the savings can be huge. I enjoyed the added convenience of never running out of diapers or needing to buy disposables at the store.
According to The Great Cloth Diaper Change site, environmentally, cloth diapers reduce waste for families with children in diapers by more than 50 percent. And since solid waste gets flushed down the toilet, there is no poop filled diaper pails, or expensive disposal systems that require their own refill bagging systems. I always hated those things.
Once we started using cloth diapers I really loved the softness and natural fibers being used on my baby. It gives a mama a good feeling.
Just recently my third daughter became potty trained, and we donated our cloth diapers to a friend for her baby. For the first time in seven-and-half-years, we don’t have any babies in diapers.
Even if your babies have outgrown wearing diapers, please help spread the word about this event to other parents who use cloth diapers and those thinking about it but need to be shown how easy it can be. I can’t think of a better place to get advice than from a room full of caregivers changing cloth diapers all at the same time!
Whether you are a veteran cloth user or pregnant and have never even seen a cloth diaper – venture out to The Great Cloth Diaper Change in your area and learn more about it.
It will be fun and you’ll help make history!
