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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The Great Cloth Diaper Change!


The results are not yet in, but so far, based on reports from six countries (Australia, Canada, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and United States), there are already over 4900 participants confirmed. Were you part of it?

Photo by Jen Meyercheck
Part of what? If you don't know what I'm referring to, well, in an effort to set a world record with Guiness, mamas and papas across the globe changed their babies' diapers simultaneously on Saturday, April 23. The thing is, however, the diaper had to be a cloth diaper ... a commercially available cloth diaper at that! In other words, homemade diapers didn't count. And yes, people do actually make their own diapers. Really. Oh, and people actually use cloth diapers. People like my daughter, Bethany, who participated in the event with her son Lincoln, at Happy Baby Company in Pittsburgh.

Photo by Jen Meyercheck
I attended the event for a couple of reasons. One, I wanted to support Bethany and the other cloth diapering folks in the area. Two, I wanted to support Adam and Lilli Cannon, the gracious hosts of the event and owners of HBC. And the third reason I went was to meet some of you, the wonderful people who make up the GG Community here in Pittsburgh.

Photo by Jen Meyercheck
My 30-month-old granddaughter, Laura, came along with me to the event, even though she is no longer in diapers. She seemed a bit overwhelmed by the amount of little ones all around and she was not her usual happy little self that day. The wonderful photographer, Jen Meyercheck, couldn't even get a smile out of her!


Photo by Jen Meyercheck
From what I understand, the rules for the event were comprehensive and somewhat difficult to decipher. But the Cannon's played it by the rules and 60 diapers were successfully changed at 12:30 p.m. As soon as the cloth diaper was securely on, via velcro, Snappis, snaps or pins, the babies and toddlers were hoisted up into the air by their proud parents.

Since I had Laura with me, I had to turn down Adam's offer for me to be a judge, so I wasn't actually in the room when the change took place. Can you imagine? Sixty diapers being changed at once. From what I hear, there was only one slight delay, as a mama tried to put a prefold on her newborn. That can be a bit of a challenge!

Photo by Jen Meyercheck
I wonder what all the little ones were thinking as they looked around! Of course, they didn't understand that they were all part of a worldwide event that would not only set a record, but would increase awareness of the cloth diapering option. So many times over the last couple of years, as I've stood in a restroom changing a diaper, people have said to me, "I didn't even know they still made cloth diapers!" Sad, isn't it? For our family, we didn't even consider another option.

So, the event, which purposefully coincided with Earth Day, is over. The counts are coming in and the record will soon be announced. Many of you participated throughout the world. I'd love to hear your stories! At the Pittsburgh event, there was food, awesome prizes (won by some of you in the GG community!), and a camaraderie that was encouraging amidst a culture of throwaways!

And check back on the blog tomorrow when I'll be posting an overview of cloth diapers by guest blogger, Renee Lanman. Review It Wednesday is all about reviewing various types of cloth diaper options this week, so if you know someone who is considering cloth, refer them to the blog tomorrow. Renee does an excellent job of sorting through it all.

Keeping it green,

Hana


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