How would you feel if you could save a family thousands of dollars? Would you do it? Chances are, you would. And a friendly talk about cloth diapering could help make a difference for a family.
You have often heard me write on here about my fear of sounding just as passionate about diapers as one may be about a religion. Because of this, I tend to try to be cool and take it easy, not tackling someone in the middle of an aisle as they reach for a box of disposables. So in honor of it beat Real Diaper Week, I came come up with some Do’s and Don’ts to help you in your cloth diaper advocacy based on what has worked/not worked in my experience.
Do: Use Cloth Diapers While in Public
Sometimes I have been tempted to just load up the disposables when going out and about. I may be low on diapers, a wet bag, or whatever. But I always make it a HUGE priority to resist the temptation because every time I lay my baby on a changing table, I have an opportunity to share with another person how they can save money and help the environment. Chances are, SOMEONE will almost always say something. I personally have the most talk when I am at church. Someone will say, “I’ve been thinking bout cloth diapers” and we engage in a conversation. I also pack cloth diapers when someone watches my kids, so they can actually USE them.
Don’t: Start the Conversation
Always work off of something else someone said. Obviously there may be times when it is perfectly normal to start the fluffy talk, but I often find the most effective way to talk about it is by building off of something else. For example, if someone is talking about rashes their baby has, you could (if applicable) say, “I had the same issue. I ended up switching to cloth diapers and had fewer troubles.”
Do: Be Casual
I know. The moment someone talks about cloth diapers you want to go CRAZY and ramble off a ton of stuff. I am terribly guilty of this. I tried to tone myself down by taking a deep breath and I avoid eye contact while I just carry about my task. Obviously I look at them occasionally, but doing something else prevents me from looking creepy-eyed at them and saying in a hypnotic voice, “YOU WANT TO USE CLOTH.”
Don’t: Stalk People
Guilty as charged. One time, I overheard a mother in Target talking to her daughter on the phone about what Gerber prefold to get. I confess: I stalked her throughout the store,waiting for her to get off the phone so I could tell her about the other diaper options. Epic fail. She left the store (why? Probably because some CREEP was following her) (I swear I wasn’t that obvious). Just be casual. And, on a side note, I do kind of stalk fluffy people. If I see fluff popping up from pants, I totally want to approach that person, but I always chicken out!
Do: Give them Resources
Just today I met a parent who was just starting cloth diapering and was having TONS of resources. I was disheartened to hear that they had never heard of my website, or All About Cloth Diapers, Dirty Diaper Laundry, Diaper Swappers, Kelly Wels, and the many other cloth diaper websites that are so invaluable to someone cloth diapering their baby. Give them a website name so they have somewhere else to go (suggestion, Padded Tush Stats *wink wink*).
Don’t: Complicate things
I can’t remember where I found this information from, but supposedly phone numbers are only 7 numbers long because that is all our brain can store. So what would you squeeze into a quick conversation? Here’s the basics I cover:
* It saves you money (over $1,000 if for one kid)
* It is easy to clean by using liners and diaper sprayers
* It’s more modern than what you may be used to (I talk about how the closures are even velcro for many)
* Give a website name for more info
* If a baby is exclusively breastfed, you can just put it in the machine, poop and all and it rinses out.
* You store diapers in a sealable, waterproof bag that you can just toss into the machine
Do: Put Yourself Out There
Just this week I put on Facebook “Have a cloth diaper question? Hope you know you can ask me. You can diaper your baby from birth to potty training for less than $200. I’d love to help save you money so please ask.” and I was SO excited that a few people asked me some questions. If the people who asked me questions decided to cloth diaper, then I just saved a total of $3,000 for my friends. Not too shabby! Also, offer to lend a diaper to a friend. Strip it for them and explain that it is sanitized for them. What’s ONE diaper going to do to hurt you.
So this is my challenge. This week, I want you to put yourself out there. Post on Facebook, lend a diaper, talk about fluff. Do something. I will pick a winner at the end of the week and that person gets a diaper for their baby, and then a diaper to give to a friend. I trust that everyone will be honest here, what a great way to spread fluffy love!
(The Eco Chic is hosting a great Blog Hop This week in celebration of Real Diaper Week, so head on over here for more great posts)
