Great Cloth Diaper Change 2013

Heather and her son get ready to join the
crowd inside.
(Photo provided by H. Graham)

The Great Cloth Diaper Change (GCDC) was held on the 20th of April.  The GCDC, for those who haven't heard of it, is a worldwide event to break the Guinness World Record for the number of cloth diapers changed.  Previously, all of the changes happened simultaneously, but this year, the changes took place at 11 a.m. local time at each location. 

Several of our members opted to participate in the GCDC.  Heather Graham and her family drove up to participate in the Denver event, which was being held part of the Kanga Care Natural Parenting Expo.

"There was babywearing everywhere you looked," she said.  "My mother-in-law thinks we are kinda crazy because we wear both babies every time we go somewhere. (She thinks it is 'easier' to use a stroller.) She came with us to the GCDC and was amazed at the sheer amount of people wearing their babies. It seemed like every parent was either wearing one baby or each spouse was wearing a baby each."

While the venue was packed, Heather noted that the atmosphere was still a very pleasant one.  

"As my husband put it, he has never seen a group of more beautiful woman most very natural with little to no makeup, breastfeeding in public with no cover and no feeling of need to cover, and overall very peaceful loving vibes could be felt through out," she said.


Of course no big event would be complete without some great prizes and great company.  Raffle prizes included several baby carriers, full sets of cloth diapers and diaper bags.  Participants were also given goody bags with nursing pads, a limited edition Rumparooz, and various samples and coupons.  They also had the opportunity to mingle with some well-known people at the Expo/GCDC, such as Jessica of The Leaky B@@b and The NYC Baby Guy. 

Denver GCDC participants get ready to change their babies!
(Photo provided by H. Graham)

Sarah Theriault opted to attend the GCDC event at the Chapel Hills mall.  Local sponsors such Cloth Diaper Market and CJ's Unique Boutique were present and there were also some demonstrations and activites, such as a Diaper Derby for crawling babies.

"The change was pretty wild," she said.  "They checked all diapers to make sure they were publicly available brands.  They gave us anklets for the babies so they made sure we walked out with the right ones."

Sarah described the GCDC as fun and said that it was "great to be in the midst of so many like-minded mamas!"  She noted many babywearing parents in attendance, but admitted to being too shy to say hello to them.

The event also helped convert a friend she brought along with her.  She hadn't been cloth diapering, but the GCDC provided a free cloth diaper for moms like her that still wanted to participate.

"She loved it so much she wants to start cloth diapering!"  Sarah said.  "She learned a lot about how much money it could save and how much healthier it is for the planet." 

**Written by Paula R.