Are you throwing money away?

Real Diaper Week is here!! The DFW Cloth Diaper Group is so excited to be participating in the Great Cloth Diaper Change again this year! For those of you who don't know, the GCDC is an event to raise awareness for cloth diapers. This year we are attempting to break last year's World Record of 5,026 babies simultaneously changed into a cloth diaper around the world.

We are participating in the Real Diaper Week Blog Hop!

This year, Real Diaper Week was introduced to help YOU advocate for cloth diapers in your local community. The theme is "Real Simple. Real Diapers." Each day this week we will focus on the daily topic, and we encourage you to share this with your friends and family!

A little over 2 years ago we had 2 kids in diapers.  That was expensive.  I was hoping that our oldest would potty train before his little brother was born, but alas, that did not happen.  He was 2.5 years, and Eli was 2 months old, when a friend asked if we had considered cloth diapers. 

"Oh, hell no!" was my initial reaction.

Then I clicked on the link (to see what craziness she wanted me to take part in), and instead of old prefolds and plastic pants, I saw the most adorable things a child can poop in!  I wasn't on board just yet... after all, I hate laundry.  But after doing the math, I decided it might be worth a try. 

$40 a week - $160 a month - was going in the trash.  But only after our kids pooped on it.  For us, that was a LOT of money.  We sure could use it for other necessities.  So I started my research.  I decided to only dip my toes in, and bought 3 diapers.  I was still skeptical, so I didn't want to jump in until we were sure.

But with the first diaper, I was hooked!  I knew we could do it.  I convinced hubby, and we slowly built up a stash big enough for 2 kids.  I was thrilled the first time I went to the store and did NOT have to buy diapers! 

I was standing in line at the store one day behind a young mother, with her 2 small children.  She placed the small amount of food on the counter (we were in the 20 items or less lane), and a package of diapers.  She didn't have enough money for all of it.  I told the cashier to just put the food that the woman put back on my bill, that I would pay for it.  But the cashier ignored me each time I said something (I was getting more than annoyed with her).  I tried to quickly pay for my items, planning on adding the left-behind food, but the young mother rushed out of the store before I was done.  She was gone.  I knew cloth diapers could have helped her so she wouldn't have to make that decision between food and diapers.

Source: jenniferlabit.files.wordpress.com via Brenda on Pinterest

I couldn't help that mom, but I wanted to help others.  I reached out to a local non-profit, but was quickly shut down.  They didn't think their families would be committed.  But they didn't even give those families the chance to decide for themselves.

I wasn't going to stop there, though I did put it on the back burner as I was starting up the DFW Cloth Diaper Group.  And then there was the motorcycle accident my husband and I were in.  But last summer, we took the right steps to start the DFW Cloth Diaper Project!  We collected diapers, stripped them, organized them, and finally, in November 2011, we were open for business! 

It has been so wonderful to be able to help local families!  The cost of diapers was once a major hinderance for us.  I know what it's like to not pay a bill, or cut down on groceries, so you can buy diapers.  We were "better off" than many other families (and have a very supportive family), but we still struggled.  I don't want other families to make that choice between food and diapers.

How YOU can help:

• Donate (diapers or money) to the DFW Cloth Diaper Project, or other cloth diaper charities.
• Help lead a class on how to make your own cloth diapers (coming soon to the DFW area; see HERE if you would like to help!).
• SHARE this post to raise awareness.

DFW Great Cloth Diaper Change

University Christian Church

Fellowship Hall

2420 S. University Dr

Fort Worth, TX 76109

Vendor Expo and GCDC Event!

10:00 - 1:00

Visit our website for more information!

My house no longer smells like a landfill.

Real Diaper Week is here!! The DFW Cloth Diaper Group is so excited to be participating in the Great Cloth Diaper Change again this year! For those of you who don't know, the GCDC is an event to raise awareness for cloth diapers. This year we are attempting to break last year's World Record of 5,026 babies simultaneously changed into a cloth diaper around the world. 

We are participating in the Real Diaper Week Blog Hop!

This year, Real Diaper Week was introduced to help YOU advocate for cloth diapers in your local community. The theme is "Real Simple. Real Diapers." Each day this week we will focus on the daily topic, and we encourage you to share this with your friends and family!

Want to know what 5,000 disposable diapers per child looks like?

Source: everythingcloth.com via Brenda on Pinterest

I was reminded of the awful wet disposable diaper smell at our church on Easter Sunday. We helped in for the toddler room, so I had to change some diapers. Two poops and one pee. The poopy ones you would expect to smell bad. It's poop. But I almost forgot just how bad the chemicals in the disposables smell when they mix with pee. I used to work in daycare (and had 1.2 kids of my own in disposables) and was once accustomed to the smell. But after 2 years of using cloth, it was not a pleasant aroma.

One of the things I love the most about cloth diapering is that my house no longer smells like a landfill. We used disposable diapers on our kids until Riley was 2.5 years and Eli was 2 months. We tried a Diaper Genie (but ours wasn't as fancy as this one) and the Diaper Champ, but our house still smelled like pee and poop, mixed with the chemicals in the diapers. Not to mention the cost of the refills for the Diaper Genie. They get expensive, especially on top of the cost of disposable diapers.

More and more money went in the trash. The smell in our house was a constant reminder.

Pail deoderizers, room fresheners, sprays, candles, bleach.... nothing worked. My hubby took the trash out every night. We thought we just had to deal with it until our kids were out of diapers.

Disposable diapers generate 7.6 BILLION pounds of garbage each year. Each child in disposables contributes 2,000 pounds of garbage in only 2 years.

I could throw out a ton of facts about how bad disposables are for our environment. But instead I will link to a post that I read this weekend, because they did such a great job. The eco-living blog Small Footprint Family did a wonderful post called Why Disposables are Dirty and Dangerous. I have been cloth diapering for a little over 2 years, I've done all the research, I run a local cloth diaper group, I know the numbers. And yet it still grosses me out.

One of the points I frequently share when people ask about the environmental impact of disposables is that it can take at least 500 years for just one disposable diaper to decompose in a landfill. At least. That means the first disposables ever invented are still on this earth.

I know this. But the Small Footprint Family's blog post put it in a way I haven't thought of before:

In other words, if Christopher Columbus had worn Pampers, his poop would still be intact in some landfill today.

That's not the environment I want my kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids to grow up in.

I want a safe, healthy world for my kids to grow up in.

We started using cloth diapers to save money. The other benefits (environmental, health, cute-factor, fewer-to-no leaks, fewer diaper rashes, better smelling house) were all just a huge bonus. However, we continue to cloth diaper for so many reasons. Environmental being a big one. I have always been a stickler for recycling, but now I find new ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle in our home. Now it's just a bonus that it saves us money.


Visit What A Waste and the Real Diaper Association's website for more information on how disposable diapers are impacting our planet. It's not pretty.

How can you help reduce disposable diaper waste?

• Ask an environmental group, municipal waste division, or government representative to support cloth diapers.
• Make the switch to cloth diapers, if you haven't already.
• If you use disposable inserts in your hybrid diapers, try replacing them with cloth inserts.
• Share this article with your friends and family.
• Take the Change 3 Things Challenge.

Source: change3things.com via Brenda on Pinterest

DFW Great Cloth Diaper Change

University Christian Church

Fellowship Hall

2420 S. University Dr

Fort Worth, TX 76109

Vendor Expo and GCDC Event!

10:00 - 1:00

For more information on our local event, please visit our website.

This post was written by Brenda.  She has an awesome hubby (for 5.5 years) and 2 energetic boys (4, 2; pictured above).  She is the founder of the DFW Cloth Diaper Group and the DFW Cloth Diaper Project.

Real Simple. Real Diapers: Outreach

Real Diaper Week is here!!  The DFW Cloth Diaper Group is so excited to be participating in the Great Cloth Diaper Change again this year!  For those of you who don't know, the GCDC is an event to raise awareness for cloth diapers.  This year we are attempting to break last year's World Record of 5,026 babies simultaneously changed into a cloth diaper around the world. 


We are participating in the Real Diaper Week Blog Hop! 

This year, Real Diaper Week was introduced to help YOU advocate for cloth diapers in your local community.  The theme is "Real Simple.  Real Diapers."  Each day this week we will focus on the daily topic, and we encourage you to share this with your friends and family!

Different types of cloth diapers.  This was for 2 kids in cloth full time.

Today we will focus on Types of Cloth Diapers.


Back in the day, cloth diapers were basic, without options.  Prefolds or flats under plastic pants were basically it.  Let's not forget about diaper pins!

Today, you can choose from pockets, AIO's, fitteds, prefolds, flats, contours, hybrids, synthetic or natural materials, wool, PUL, snaps, hook & loop, pins, Snappi, Boingo... so many options!  And that's not even getting into all of the brands or accessories!!

One of the things I hear the most from those researching cloth diapers is how overwhelmed they are by all of the choices.  I always tell them to a) take a deep breath, and b) to know that you don't have to commit to one style/brand of diapers.  Try what you think you will like, and go from there.

Pockets and AIO's (all in one's) are great for those who want a quick diaper change with an easy to use diaper.  These are also very user friendly for those who may be unfamiliar with cloth (such as grandparents, sitters, and daycare).

Hybrids (aka: AI2's - all in two's) are great for those who wish for a system where you can reuse the outer shell, but use a new insert.  These are a good alternative to prefolds.

Fitteds, prefolds, and flats are a great option for those who want more natural materials against baby's skin.  Under a wool or fleece cover, this is a fantastic, breathable night time diaper!  Prefolds and flats are also the most economical choice of cloth diapers.

Accessories.  Really, the only accessory you need is your baby.  However, there are some things that will make cloth diapering easier.  A wetbag for using cloth out of the house, a diaper pail to store dirty diapers at home, and wipes to clean them up (I love my cloth wipes more than disposable wipes!).  Any other accessories are optional.


HERE is a complete list with descriptions of the types of diapers, as well as a video made by Amanda of Old School Cool cloth diapers (a local wahm!). 

What does this have to do with outreach?  Easy!  SHARE this with your friends and family to let them know that cloth diapers aren't what they used to be! 

I have converted several friends to cloth by doing these basic steps:  Use cloth.  Share articles.  Be available.  Who knew it could be so easy?! 

If you are looking beyond the basics, here are a few more ways you can advocate for cloth diapers.  I challenge you to try at least one of these things:

• Wear a cloth diaper advocacy pin!  "Real Simple. Real Diapers." or "Ask me about cloth diapers!"  Available here and here. 
• Host a Cloth Diaper 101 class with your mom's group, at a hospital or birth center.  We are here to help you with this, and will hopefully be organizing classes in the coming months!
• Invite a friend to one of our monthly meetups.
• Invite a friend to the Great Cloth Diaper Change, and let them borrow a cloth diaper (or three!) to use. 

DFW Great Cloth Diaper Change!

Saturday, April 21, 2012

10:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Vendor Expo and GCDC Event!

University Christian Church

2720 S. University Dr

Ft Worth, TX 76109

For more information about our local Great Cloth Diaper Change, visit our website. 

This post was written by Brenda, founder of the DFW Cloth Diaper Group and the DFW Cloth Diaper Project.  She is wife to Ryan (5.5 years), mommy to two boys, Riley (4.5) and Eli (2).  She is looking forward to attending the GCDC for the first time, even though it is her second year planning.  She has been instructed NOT to get on a motorcycle again until after the GCDC.