The Great Cloth Diaper Change 2013

This was the first year I attended The Great Cloth Diaper Change on April 20. What it is is a grass-roots movement to bring awareness about cloth diapering. It is an event that happens all around the world where an attempt is made to have the most cloth diapers changed. It started in 2011 and the 2012 turnout broke the 2011 Guinness record for most cloth diapers changed at one time.

Here are the guidelines for participation:
 Each participant (adult over the age of 18) must be paired with one child 39 inches or shorter. 

 Each child must be changed into a cloth, reusable diaper that can be purchased online, at a brick & mortar store, or is offered through a diaper service.  It does not matter what type of diaper a child arrives in.

 At the sound of a loud start signal, all participants must remove their child’s diaper and properly put on a 100% reusable cloth diaper.

 Before the signal to start, each participant should hold the clean diaper they will change the baby into high in the air.  The photographer should take “before” shots.

 At the signal to start, each participant should change his or her child’s diaper.  No photographs or video should be taken at this time. 

 When the diaper change is complete, each participant should hold their freshly changed child in the air.  The photographer should take “after shots”.  The timekeeper may determine when all diaper changes have occurred.  There is no set amount of time within which the change should take place.

 Any participant who does not properly complete the task must be deducted from the total.

At our Syracuse location, put on by Basic Baby in the Shoppingtown Mall in DeWitt, there were 48 participants. It was really exciting to see all the other parents cloth diapering and wearing their babies around the mall. I don't get out much and I don't encounter other parents often so it was really nice to see other parents with similar values. I even spotted a couple babywearing daddies. In addition to the change, it was a baby expo. There were lots of vendors for new and expecting parents. We even picked up a new pocket diaper to try by Anibums. (if you click the link, it's the flames diaper!) The woman at Basic Baby assured me it was one of her favorites. It's locally made in Cicero, NY.

Unfortunately, the official numbers for the Guinness record won't be completely totaled until Friday.