Dirty Diaper Laundry is again sponsoring a carnival. Everyone gets together and submits ideas, experiences, etc. This time it’s about how to raise awareness of cloth diapers.
I have been kicking around 3 ideas. One is to contact the hospitals I could conceivably deliver future children at and be sure that they would allow me to bring my cloth diapers with me instead of using the disposables they provide. Perhaps even asking them to advertise that they allow this? The second is taking advantage of the ‘editorials wanted’ section of our local newspaper and write a pro-cloth diapering entry for them. I know there HAVE to be other cloth diaperers around here, but I haven’t seen any other kids with them. Bummer. Maybe there would be a few converts, though? The third is doing some giveaways on my blog. I’ve been lucky at winning, and occasionally end up with some ‘extra’ items floating around. I just am not really sure where to start!
Things I already do:
-harass my friends, to the point of taking a tote full of newborn diapers to my friend a few days before her child was due and leaving them, after explaining the finer points. So far I haven’t seen any fluffy bum pictures, but I have hope that once she’s out of newborn diapers that they’ll at least give cloth a shot!
-take my child out in just a tshirt or dress and diaper. Be sure to coordinate diapers with outfit(s) when we travel in order to show off the cutest combos possible.
-tons of pictures, linked on facebook and my blog.
-advertise giveaways and events for my online friends who cloth diaper.
-write on my blog about our experiences, of course.
-offer information to pregnant women or those with babies on my facebook ‘friends’ list. I even spotted an entry on a friend’s page about her friend who had problems with pampers. I piped up about cloth, and now have a new friend, who went the next day to a nearby store (I researched the nearest one for her), and who is saving a ton of money and loving it (she was putting $90 worth of special un-disposables on her baby’s bum a month)..
Basically, I have very little ‘power’ in my REAL LIFE situation, but I have the guts to spread word of mouth online, and it’s become a hobby of mine.
Stylin' and stackin'
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Did I write this post? Your brain seems to work the exact same way mine does. I have done all of those same “real world” tricks to promote cloth diapers and I have had all of the same thoughts for new ideas. I am a L&D nurse at our local hospital and I have been trying to gently introduce cloth (in childbirth class) and my next feat was going to be to introduce the potential for CDing at the hospital. I know most hospitals do not care if you bring your own, but I am hoping that some hospitals will switch to cloth. The cost over time HAS to be less. It would also be better for babies, better for the environment, and it would help introduce new mommies and daddies to cloth from the get go…maybe kill some of those stigmas out there!!!
What we need to do is get our kids together in their fluff while the weather is still nice enough to let them run around and show off their awesome fluff at the park. These are some terrific ideas!
Thats sooo funny! Me too! I do the same things!
Cloth diapers? Really? Seems to me more pain in the butt than it is worth. I wouldn’t even know where to begin in putting them on my wiggle worm without stabbing him with a safty pin and then I know my husband (who is one handed) would never again change a diaper because, well he wouldn’t be able to. I applaud your efforts, but when kids get on solids and their poops become incredibly disgusting, what exactly do you do to launder them?? Do you toss them in the machine poo and all?? or do you have to rinse them in your sink?? You didn’t mention the disgusting parts and I am really curious. I would love to save the money I spend on dispossables, but I am too scared to try this!