Baby's First World Record - Reflections of The Great Cloth Diaper Change Event

Nunu Baby ready for his diaper change at the Great Cloth Diaper Change Event!

Today, Nunu baby and I participated in his first Guiness World Record Event!! We attended the Great Cloth Diaper Change and MAN it was fun! I absolutely LOVED the vibe of being surrounded by like-minded parents! I loved all the babywearing mamas and papas, the other moms who were nursing right along with me, the babies crawling and toddling around with their amber necklaces on while wearing their cute fluffy colorful cloth diapers! Nunu baby (who usually stands out like a neon sign with all his "weird natural hippy baby stuff") was right in his element and absoluetly basking in all of the love and attention and fun! We won an awesome Babee Greens Organic Cotton/Hemp one-size fitted cloth diaper, a Boobie beanie, and that swag bag was awesome!  I could not believe how many moms and babies showed up to the event! From what I hear, there were 11 times more parents this year than the number that showed last year at that location!

I think back to when I first started cloth diapering my older son 4 years ago, and I literally did not know a single other cloth diapering parent. I felt "strange" and alone, with so many unanswered questions. Luckily, there was a wonderful online community, but it was definitely a headache sifting for hours through webpages trying to find the answers. The modern cloth diapering community seemed 'underground' and foreign to almost everyone I knew. But I loved it and I continued cloth diapering despite the odds. I made my share of mistakes and "cloth diapering no-nos" but learned and grew. I knew that I would be cloth diapering all of my children from that point on.

Today, as I am cloth diapering my youngest, I am so proud to say that I know MANY other cloth diapering parents, and the cloth diaper industry has absolutely BOOMED!

I feel geeky when I say this, but I get SO much joy from cloth diapering. It's more than just knowing that I'm keeping my baby healthy and away from harmful chemicals, or keeping 8,000 non-biodegradable and harmful diapers per YEAR out of the landfill, or saving $1500 a year on something that would literally be thrown in the trash...

To me, it's more of a collection! It's having the cutest fluff that absolutely makes me happy when I see my baby toddling around in them. It's not dreading diaper changes, but instead being excited to find cute diapers to match his outfits. It's trying out different brands and different types and experimenting with different combinations and washing routines, and acquiring as much info as I can so that I can pass my knowledge onto other moms who may feel lost and overwhelmed with the massive amounts of choices that modern cloth diapers offer today! Yes, I have a huge cloth diaper stash, and plenty of $ has been invested in our cloth diaper collection, but (unlike disposables, which literally turn $ into trash), I can continue to use these diapers through multiple children (I've already used some of the diapers in our stash through 2 children from birth to potty training) and even still get $ back when I am done cloth diapering babies, by reselling them! And years from now, once the cloth diapers have absolutely been used to their very last of their abilities, some of them can once again be reused around the house as rags!

I guess what I'm trying to say through all of this rambling is that it warms my heart to know that mother-by-mother, inspiration and information has been kindly spread so that an entire movement has grown to make healthier choices for our babies and toddlers, planting the seeds to seek healthier options in every aspect of our family's lives. I am absolutely thrilled that I no longer feel "alone" in this decision that I believe is one of the best decisions I've made as a parent. It is my hopes that within a few years, disposable diapers will be almost history, and cloth diapering will be the norm!

Love,
Boheme Mom

This is a picture of my "Rookie Stash" about a year ago. Many have been bought, and plenty sold and traded since this pic.