Cloth Diaper Basics: How to ask for Cloth Diapers at your Baby Shower
There is a ton of misinformation around how to cloth diaper and the benefits of doing so. All of this lack of education and accessibility, can lead to a lack of support from your loved ones when you express an interest in cloth diapering your baby.
When we made the decision to cloth diaper our first baby, we heard it all. Our parents told us that they'd be using disposables at their house. And at my baby shower, my neighbors actually laughed out loud at me and said "Yeah right! You'll be using disposables in no time!"
At that moment it felt like a huge lack of support from my primary support network. The people I love most reacted in a way that made me believe that they thought my choice for how to parent my child was a joke. Now, I know that their initial outward lack of support was their way of showing that they weren’t able to contribute to the conversation, because they didn’t know anything about modern cloth diapering. And in the end, after they saw my successes, they came around.
Let's start with how to ask for cloth diapers at your baby shower.
The most important thing is to make it easy for your friends and family to shop for cloth diapers for you. Your aunt can't just pop into walmart and grab a set of pocket diapers off the shelf—you're going to have to guide her in the right direction. We recommend babylist.com.
Babylist.com allows you to add items from any website to one singular registry. This means, you can add things like baby soap and toys from target, books from that mom and pop bookshop you love so much and diapers from your favorite family run shops, like Kinder Cloth Diaper Co. By adding specific diapers to your registry, your shower guests will be more inclined to purchase them for you.
In addition to making it easy for your friends and family to shop for cloth diapers for you, here are a few extra tips for asking for cloth at your baby shower.
1. Be vocal. Start spreading the news early on that you're going to be using cloth diapers. Post about it on social. Share how excited you are about your decision. I found that sharing my interest with my close friends and family let them know that I was serious. And it gave me the opportunity to tell them that I didn't want disposables as gifts and it gave them the opportunity to ask questions and learn about modern cloth diapers.
2. Have a diaper raffle! Put a spin on the traditional diaper raffle and ask your guests to bring at least one cloth diaper. Every diaper gets an entry in the raffle. Feel free to use one of these diaper raffle cards with your invitations!
"Hi [loved one], We are so excited to welcome our new baby into this world and are thrilled to have your sharing in this journey with us! We have decided to cloth diaper and request that guests do not bring disposable diapers to our shower as they will not be needed. Thank you for supporting us and we can't wait to see you soon! With love, [Your Name]"
This short note shares your intentions and thanks them for their support. Really setting the expectation that if they do support you, they'll honor your request and not bring disposables to the shower.
Some families are okay with getting some disposables at their shower. Remember that if you do get more than you need, you can pay it forward and give them to a family in need, or donate them to a local charity.
4. Cloth Diaper Fund. A cloth diaper fund is a great way to ask for cloth diapers but take the responsibility off your guests. Ask guests to make monetary contributions to your stash. This will allow you full control over diaper purchases and ensure that you're getting exactly what you need.
