Join the “I Want Cloth Diapers on The Ellen Show” Facebook group!
Share your enthusiasm for the cause by joining the “I Want Cloth Diapers on The Ellen Show” Facebook Group! It was just created today and already we have close to 150 members! Once you sign up be sure to tell the friends you think might want to see them on the show too!
And, on Twitter I am asking those working on #operationfluffy to change your avatar to one of the pictures I have photoshopped of Ellen in cloth diapers. If you want a picture of your baby with her face, tweet it to me and I might be able to do that. Wouldn’t that grab your attention?!?! Thanks to The Eco Chic for the idea!
And, if you have a blog, take a moment to grab this button to share the love! Right click to save the image then you can link to: http://dirtydiaperlaundry.com/index.php?s=%23operationfluffy I am not going to try doing to code this time, it was a disaster last time! Gos Speed!
Get Cloth Diapers on Ellen and Get Diapers
Are you competitive and live on Twitter? Then it might just be your lucky day!
Rumparooz, makers of the adorable One Size G2 diapers, has offered something pretty extraordinary.
This was taken from the newsletter:
This is all you have to do:
Join us on Twitter and tweet about cloth diapers and how cool it would be to see them on Ellen.
Use the tags @TheEllenShow, #operationfluffy,#rumparooz and#clothdiapers in your tweets.
(For example: “@TheEllenShow Why I want to see #clothdiapers on your show _______ #operationfluffy”)
15 tweeters that mention Rumparooz in their tweets will in a Rumparooz One Size Diaper
If Ellen features cloth diapers on her show and Rumparooz are on, EVERYONE who Tweeted will receive a diaper!Be sure to tweet daily (and multiple times!)….anything and everything that crosses your mind about Rumparooz and cloth diapers that you would like to tell Ellen!
Did you see that? If clothdiapers make it on the show and Rumparooz are mentioned, everyone who tweets gets a diaper. That is so far, 108 people!
And…… If you visit Kelly’s Closet’s Facebook Fan Page you can enter their drawing for a 250.00 Gift Certificate to any of their stores once The Ellen Show responds. You will need to follow their instructions, but this involves tweeting as well.
#operationfluffy Stats
I have been scouring the interwebs trying to figure out how to find out how many times we have tweeted to Ellen.
While figuring out how many times we tweeted @theellenshow is pretty impossible, searching for the hashtag #operationfluffy is possible. Remember folks, use the hashtag! It will enable me to search your tweets, and Ellen’s people when they finally decide to give in!
So… want to know how we are doing?
108 people have tweeted #operationfluffy 587 times!!!
So, @TheEllenShow has received almost 600 tweets about cloth diapers. I think that is pretty darn good! But, we can’t stop there! Remember to keep tweeting. Take pictures of your baby in a cloth diaper every time you change it, and tweet it. Take pictures of your laundry basket full of diapers, the diapers on the line, anything you can think of. We can’t slow down, and we need to speed up. Have you seen how many people tweet to Ellen? Thousands….. even at our high point on Monday night we were only every few tweets to her. Now we must only show up every few pages.
I have some more ideas up my sleeve about how to grab her attention, but it involves supreme coordination. I will flesh it out and announce it soon.
Here is the leaderboard, for now. Anytime you want to check your stats go to hashtweeps.com and search #operationfluffy.
You are all working hard! I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the time you are taking out of your day to support #operationfluffy.
Want to do more?
I need members of the many Cloth Diaper Message Boards to post about our mission. Babycenter, Diaperswappers, Cloth Diaper Nation, Bliss Tree, Mothering, etc etc… Put the word out. Let them know they don’t need Twitter to be involved.
They can:
Join the twitter blitzkrieg using @TheEllenShow and #operation fluffy tags.
Blog about it and link up to the MckLinky in the carnival post.
Write to Ellen using the submission form on her site. Make sure they mention #operationfluffy. We need to be a united front!
Send videos of their baby dancing in visible cloth diaper to me using yousendit.com.
Or, have them come up with ideas!
Again, thank you for all the work you have already done!
Cloth Diaper Carnival VI- Get Cloth Diapers Featured on The Ellen Show
I am a little late on this (last) month’s carnival. The topic this go ’round is: Get Cloth Diapers Featured on The Ellen Show. Write your post, link it here, and tweet a link to @TheEllenShow with #operationfluffy #clothdiapers tags.
Ex: “@TheEllenShow Why I want to see #clothdiapers on your show. http://as89o.th8.us #operationfluffy”
How the heck do we do that? We already dropped the Fluffy Bomb on her Twitter account last night. We tweeted to her hundreds of times.
That is Phase 1, which continues as long as it takes. We can’t lose steam on this. We will reconvene next week, but not during the #clothdiapers chat. While it was the best way to get the word out, I don’t want to take it over again. I truly appreciate everyone’s passion and zeal last night. ALL who particiapted made me so proud to be a cloth diapering mama! Anyone have a time/ day suggestion for the next #operationfluffy?
The next step of Phase 1 involves taking over social media to bombard Ellen. All blogs, big or small, will write a post about Why Cloth DIapers should be featured on Ellen. That is my post today.
Phase 2 Will be a video of babies dancing in cloth diapers. Email me a 20 second or less clip of your baby dancing in just a cloth diaper, to dirty diaper laundry at gmail dot com or kdrosas at gmail dot com using yousendit.com.
Phase 3 Has just been determined. I am having a diaper made with Ellen on it, in some way. Ideally, the “laugh dance conquer” flag. We will mail the diaper around, take videos with it on the babies, take photos of the babies wearing it in front of a landmark or town name, to help Ellen Conquer The World.
Now for my reasons why Ellen should have cloth diapers on her show, in a letter to Ellen.
Dear Ellen,
My purpose writing you this pretend letter on my blog is to kindly ask if you would feature the Modern Cloth Diaper on your show. Maybe it isn’t really your type of thing. It isn’t. You interview celebs, play games, have performers come on, and have some human interest stories. This is very much in the interest of all humans!
I could bore you with facts about the waste produced by disposable diapers, the chemicals they contain (same chemicals outlawed in tampons), the raw resources involved to make the diapers, and even the fishy tactics used by the big disposable companies to keep parents buying them.
Without mass media exposure, something the mom run diaper businesses simply cannot afford, we can’t really let the moms of the world know that there is a better way. Mention cloth diapers to a room with 100 new moms, and maybe 10 would have heard of the Modern Cloth Diaper. The rest would think of pins, rubber pants, and stinky wet pails. The internet is full of niche cloth diaper communities, but we are preaching to the choir! They already know the benefits of cloth. The mom who watches your show every day doesn’t. She might recylce, buy organic food, compost, and drive a hybrid, and still use disposables. Why? Because she has no idea how easy they are. I have actually met people who are very green, and still use disposables for that reason!
The Twitter ladies came up with fantastic ideas to make this a fun show. Here are some of the best.
- Have a Cloth Diaper Fashion Show
- Play a game where contestants try to put on an “old school” cloth diaper the fastest.
- A medley of babies dancing to a version of “Poker-Face” but “Fluffy Butt”
- Have Sumo Wrestling in Giant Cloth Diapers
- Something to do with poop, because poop is always funny
Please, I can’t find the tweets, I just remembered them. Claim your idea and I will edit to give you credit!
Ellen, we are just going to pester you until we see cloth diapers on your show. We picked you for a reason. That reason is two fold: You respond to fans who bug you and I have a girl crush on you you have a very relevant audience.
Look who else wants to see cloth diapers on your show.
Non Wordpress Users (though I always use with on mine and it works)
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Get Cloth Diapers Featured on The Ellen Show using Twitter
Have you dreamed about seeing beautiful fluffies on a major television show? Yes, they have been on a few morning shows, local and nationwide. But who is up that early?!?!
How many of you watch The Ellen Show? I do. I stay at home with my son, and I watch it whenever I can. My son, 14 months, loves it and claps when the audience claps and dances when the music plays!
Today I decided we need to campaign to have Ellen feature cloth diapers! Now, I need your help.
At 8:00 pm EST we will begin “Operation Fluffy Bomb” on The Ellen Show.
Here is how you can help:
Phase 1
First, follow @TheEllenShow on Twitter. Don’t have a Twitter account? You should! Every monday we have a #clothdiapers chat. Join us!
Then, think ahead. Upload some photos of your adorable baby in #clothdiapers to a twitter photo sharing account like Tweetphoto or Twitpic. Choose great pictures that really showcase how easy, modern, and fun cloth diapers can be!
Then, at 8:00 pm begin bombing The Ellen Show with photos of your babies in #clothdiapers. I ask you to please be courteous. Don’t demand, or pester their account. While we want attention, we want it to be positive!
Also let Ellen know that we want to see #clothdiapers on her show! Think of the thousands of moms watching. How many know about the modern cloth diaper? Not many! The internet dominates the culture, we are preaching to the choir!
Make sure to @TheEllenShow in your tweets and include the #clothdiapers and #operationfluffy hashtag.
We will continue “Operation Fluffy Bomb” until we get a response. Whenever you think about it, tweet to Ellen.
Phase 2
I have a vision. I see a YouTube video of clips with dancing babies in only cloth diapers, strung together, to a funky beat! I want it to go viral! Starting now, try to film your baby dancing in a diaper. Send me (kdrosas at gmail )your video using yousendit.com. Please keep the length less than .20 seconds. I will take the best ones and edit a video. We will tweet this to Ellen as well. If she doesn’t respond to photos, she will definitely respond to DANCING BABIES!!! Hello, she loves to dance!
Stumbling into Babywearing
This post is part of “All About Babywearing” Month on Dirty Diaper Laundry.
While I was pregnant I researched the crap out of cloth diapers. Before my baby was born I knew all of the acronyms, how to wash, how to prep, all of the major brands and some of the not so major, the places to find info, etc.
While on that journey I noticed that most of the moms who cloth diapered also wore their babies in different carriers. Many of whom referred to themselves as “babywearers.” I wasn’t hip to that lingo, and so I started off researching babywearing as I did cloth diapering. What I found was a world full of strange terms like “didy” and 5.2 meters (hello, lets not confuse the Americans with the metric system, please), and ring sling, and mei tei, and more that I don’t even want to get into because I still don’t understand.
I never intended on becoming one of those mothers. One of those who wore their baby in a sling or wrap all of the time. In truth, I thought it was kind of silly. I also assumed it would get pretty hot being wrapped in yards of fabric and having a human heater attached to your chest. That statement does still have some truth to it! I had also never really seen anyone wear their baby, except in a Baby Bjorn or a Kelty like backpack carrier. I never saw a mom sporting a beautiful woven wrap with a baby snuggled inside, or a child cradled in a sling. I was clueless.
A part of me wanted to wear my baby because it was the culture I was getting into, but I honestly didn’t think it was for me. I decided that I would buy a ring sling for the newborn stage. I had read that using a ring sling and the cradle position (where the baby is basically cradled in the sling like you would hold him in your arms) was a nice way to transition them from the womb. Plus, it was possible to breastfeed while wearing them this way. Win.
Unfortunately, my idea kinda bombed. Even after watching a trillion You Tube videos on how to use the cradle position, how to adjust your ring sling, how to thread your ring sling, it wasn’t working. It was never tight enough, baby was always crying, he either sensed my discomfort because I was nervous about putting him in, or he genuinely did not enjoy that position.
I now know many mistakes that I made in those first few weeks. I had the ring sling threaded improperly, making adjustments nearly impossible. The fabric would bunch together and it didn’t slide through. It took my husband to pull it through to tighten it, which should have been an obvious sign that something was amiss. I was also terrified of harming my fragile newborn baby. I lowered him inside of the sling oh so gently, but never the right way. All of it was wrong. How I wish that I had tried a stretchy wrap back then. I know for my next baby we will be wrapping from day one.
I left my ring sling to collect dust for a couple of months. It was winter and we transported the baby to and from the car inside of the infant car seat. In stores he stayed in the car seat. At home I had to hold him constantly. Why wasn’t I wearing him? Because I assumed wearing babies was for running errands and shopping, not for around the house when you could just hold them. Again, I wish I could have told myself how stupid that was. I tried the ring sling ever so often but it failed.
Eventually I picked it up again and tried the tummy to tummy hold with his legs tucked in. This was successful, and I started wearing him around while we shopped and occasionally around the house when I needed to go downstairs to wash diapers.
Ring Sling and Kangaroo Hold
Next hold we tried was the kangaroo hold. This was where he sat cross legged inside the pouch, facing outward. He enjoyed this one the most, and he looked so adorable too!
Soon after I purchased my Ergo. This was when I finally “got” babywearing. The Ergo was so easy to use because of the buckles. I put it on without ever reading instructions, and got it right. Fletcher fit in so comfortably, and I wanted to wear him everywhere I went. This really saved my life. He was not happy riding in the stroller, and so I had not gone out much. He would cry the entire time and I ended up holding him. Now, the weather was warming up and I was more comfortable wearing him, it became an everyday thing. I started wearing him while I shopped, while I went for walks, in the home, out to dinner, and everywhere.
Then, I wanted more. I wanted to try a wrap, so I did. I wanted to try a mei tei, and did. I even dusted off the ring sling and started using the hip carry as my son got older. I finally learned how to nurse in my Ergo, and that was also a revelation. You haven’t lived until you’ve walk around the State Fair with a baby hooked onto your breast amidst thousands of unknowing passersby.
I started wearing my baby for practical reasons. He cried, I wore him to free my hands and cease the crying. I wore him to prevent taking a stroller in the store or to the amusement park. But, I also enjoyed the closeness. I could kiss the top of his head, pat his butt (which I do way too much when I wear him, it is like an addiction), bounce him to sleep, and feel his hot little breath on my chest. I could wrap my arms around him for a hug and not have to physically support him. He was, and still is, completely safe in my arms.
I only wish I knew then what I know now. I would have been able to make myself lunch while wearing my baby instead of being stuck on the couch holding him. Next time I am going to have an arsenal of carriers for my every whim. My baby will be worn from day one, and I won’t have to call my husband to come home and make me a sandwich!
I asked some of my twitter friends how they got into #babywearing. Here are some responses:
@carareed said: colicky babe, 2 kids close together, babe who needed/wanted to be held constantly
@thegreenpair said: Seen some of the moms in my AP group #babywearing and checked into it. Saved my life-only way she wouldn’t cry/I get stuff done!
@nicolemarr (who designed my lovely button!) said: the desire to hold my little girl and never let her go made me buy a hotsling. Never did figure it out tho. Have a mei tai now
@rbrinner said: couldn’t bear to put my baby down. wanted to hold her too much, but still had to do things like, you know, eat. oh, and pee.
@marybethrabon said: I saw other moms #babywearing long before I got preggo, knew I wanted that. Then, DD required being held for 3 weeks.
@Upstatemomof3 from Our Life Upstate said: my baby needed and wanted to be held all the time and that started me on #babywearing
Vegas Baby! ABC Kids Expo Here We Come!
As you are reading this we are on our way to Las Vegas to attend the biggest juvenile trade show in the US. ABC Kids Expo showcases the newest and biggest names in the Children and Baby industry. Many of the exhibitors are Cloth Diaper manufacturers and Baby Carrier Companies, which are of the most interest to me. I have already announced that Bum Genius is going to be showing off the Econobum at ABC. They also have one more product coming out, which you and I will find out about soon!
I am going to be tweeting the Expo live when I can, so if you want to learn about Fletcher and I’s adventures in Vegas follow me on twitter. I will be using the hashtag #ABCKids, which everyone else is using if you want more views from ABC. Wednesday is the RDIA- Real Diaper Industry Association Keynote meeting, which I am planning to attend. Press is going to be live tweeting this meeting, so to join in via Twitter search for the hash tag #rdia09.
I know there will be lots to see and do, and this blog will be updated with the coolest new diapers, carriers, and eco-friendly baby gear. If you want more, I will be covering regular baby gear as well on MamaNeedsThis.com.
So, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and get all the latest from ABC Kids Expo!
Twitter-”You have twittered enough… get a life”
Ok, so they didn’t say that. But it was along those lines. Last night, Monday, was the #clothdiapers chat on Twitter. Basically, fluffy bum baby mamas get on twitter, use the hashtag for clothdiapers, and talk about, what else? This is the second one I participated in. It is an ongoing event, every Monday evening at 9:30 EST.
The amazing thing was: we were able to get #clothdiapers to #6 on the trending list. For you non twitterers, this is a list on the homepage of twitter displaying the most popular topics being twittered about. That is a pretty amazing accomplishment! This was also a great way to bring cloth to the minds of people who had never heard of it, or thought it was still a flats and pins sort of thing. Once we were on the front page, strangers were popping in. Some were making positive comments like, “I will have to look into this for my first child.” And some were just being trolls, “Ewww yucky, why would you want to touch poop?” Or other negative/ ignorant comments.
I decided to get onto twitpic.com and upload pictures of my son in his adorable fluff. I thought it was a great way to show the strangers who joined in how cute cloth diapering can be, and also how modern they are.
Then, after a few pictures, I noticed my tweets weren’t showing. Hmmm… So I opened a new window outside of my tweetgrid. I got a message: “Don’t you think you have twittered enough? You have reached your limit for the hour.”
Wah wah. So, instead of tweeting with my new fluffy friends I went to my bed to begin my book, “The Diaper Free Baby.” So far, it is great. I can’t wait to read more.
So if you are cloth curious, or you already cloth diaper, join us all next week on Monday at 9:30 EST to tweet about cloth diapers. You can ask other moms advice, and even tweet @Bumgenius!
Experimentation and Poll
For first time visitors: ignore 
For anyone who has been visiting the past few days I have made some changes and will continue to make changes. I am still getting the hang of this “blog” and ways to enhance it for readers and myself. I will be customizing the look further; I have a really cool photo shoot planned. It may happen today even!!! I did get the ads started but I don’t think they detract too much from the overall appearance. Do you? I have recently added Google Friend Connect; you can become a follower of my blog by logging in under your Google handle, Yahoo ID, or AIM username. If you have none of these- sorry. I also put my twitter up. I can’t promise I will have any exciting updates but follow me and you will be updated as soon as I post a new blog. This is a great way to keep up to date with the blog.
Like I have stated before, my next video review will be a comparison of Gro Baby Diapers and G Diapers. I think this will be very helpful for some of you who are new to cloth and can’t decide a good “on the go” diaper. Cloth is bulkier than disposables. For the space you can fit 2 regular cloth diapers or around 10 disposables!!! G Diapers and Gro Baby offer a solution for that. Keep an eye out for the review.
What diaper would you like to see a review of?
[memedex: pollid#489360]
If it is other leave a comment for suggestions! Thanks!
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