This post is part of Cloth Diapering Bloggers’ and Dirty Diaper Laundry’s Cloth Diaper Carnival VIII: Cloth Diaper Awareness. Please visit the other bloggers participating by following the links at the end of this post.
I asked everyone to write about ways they envision spreading awareness of cloth diapers or work they have already done to do so. While I would like to think that just my blog does something in this area, I know in reality most of my readers came to me after already beginning cloth or after they had made up their mind to do so in the future. So what more do I think I could be doing?
One idea that came to me many weeks ago was that perhaps I could volunteer to teach a Cloth Diapering class in conjunction with my local WIC office. I did contact them but have yet to get a response back. I will call again very soon when life isn’t as hectic. Not sure when that will be since it has been for a while and will be for the foreseeable future! I think speaking to families who are looking for assistance is a good idea. I recently wrote that maybe we should stop expecting low income families to cloth diaper and start focusing on the middle class. I still believe that is true. But for families who own a washer and dryer but who are struggling to buy food and diapers every month, why not show them that they can ease the strain on their wallets by using cloth diapers?
In conjunction with a class of this nature, getting a local or online retailer involved who would offer a discount is a good idea. It would help the families save money while promoting a business and potentially gaining a loyal and repeat customer.
I have already put myself out there in my local Mom Groups as the “go to” person if anyone is ever in need of help. While I have only had one person accept my offer, just being out there is always a good thing! I proudly wear the “Ask Me About Cloth Diapers” pin I got from the Real Diaper Association on my diaper bag and hope someone does.
Online, I of course run this website and the Cloth Diapering Bloggers network. Behind the scenes I get lots of emails from people who come across my website and want advice about starting up, or what diapers they should buy. I do my best to get to everyone in a timely manner and answer their questions honestly. Being a neutral party is a great thing. I can suggest any diaper, from any brand, that fits their needs. I hope that I have been able to help a lot of families with their cloth diaper journey in this way.
Sadly, I don’t think I will be able to do Fluffy Christmas again this year. With a baby being born in October, then my son’s birthday in November, and then traveling to North Carolina for Christmas, I don’t see a way to make it work. It took a lot of planning, and packing time last year. I was able to get enough donations from many different cloth diaper companies to send 10 families nearly complete cloth diaper stashes who needed them. I know The Cloth Diaper Foundation does this all the time, but it was very special to do this myself with the help of those companies. If anyone has the ability, this is a great project to undertake, even if you can just sponsor 1 local family and send them diapers to start out with.
In the grand scheme of things, we all know that marketing cloth diapers like the disposable companies market theirs, is the next frontier. I have worked for many months on getting cloth diapers on The Ellen Show with my “Operation Fluffy” project. I think it was very successful. There were tons of people involved, many of you reading this I am sure, who sent videos, tweeted, posted pictures on her Facebook, etc. The box of goodies I sent to California will be hand delivered to Ellen once her show begins filming again in a few weeks! I sure hope this does something! I will definitely let you know if it does! Getting cloth on TV is what needs to be done. And it will, I am sure of it. Other people are working just as hard, granted, they are the brands themselves. But any brand featured is great, it is exposure for all brands in a way.
I feel very priveleged to belong to this community of caring people who are so passionate about cloth diapering. I have met a lot of friends just by starting this blog and sharing my love of cloth diapering. Even in the past 2 years I have seen the rise of cloth, and it will grow even more in the near future.
Now, I want to hear what you had to say! If you joined the carnival, don’t forget to add your link to this post.
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