Fond are the memories I have of carting off one of my prized belongings with me to kindergarten for “show and tell.” Not much has changed since then! Every two weeks I pack two big bags full of cloth diapers (all in one’s, pocket diapers, one size diapers, fitted diapers, prefolds, flats, diaper covers, fasteners, liners, wipes, wet bags, etc…) essentially a *sample* of my stash and bring them with me for the San Diego Real Diaper Circle meetings.
Real Diaper Circles, a part of the Real Diaper Association, are local groups organized to provide cloth diapering support and advocacy on a local level. The Real Diaper Association itself is a “collective non-profit organization in which parents and small businesses take the lead in creating a cultural shift to increase the use of simple, reusable cloth diapers. We connect current cloth diapering parents to the long history of cloth diapering. Cloth diapers are real diapers. The Association organizes local advocates and activists for cloth diapers through a member-supported resource center which plans campaigns, trains organizers, distributes educational information, supports local groups, and connects users to the U.S. Cloth Diaper industry. Local Real Diaper Circles reach users face-to-face with knowledge and tools to make cloth diapering accessible and acceptable to U.S. parents, who have the power to change the 
world one baby at a time.”
world one baby at a time.”My cloth diaper passion is very real and I thoroughly enjoy sharing my love and experience with others! We all gather and talk about all about the fluffy stuff! We share tips, tricks, recommendations – as well as troubleshoot problems such as fit, leaking, laundering, etc… oftentimes we will have an expecting mom join the meeting- which is great because I know people feel more confident about cloth diapering when there is a support system in place to rely on (much like nursing mothers have the support of La Leche League).
Most appreciative are the mamas to be able to see and feel the diapers hands-on… and oftentimes I like to highlight the pros and cons of each diaper while sharing my personal favorites and making recommendations for others based on their individual situations. The Kiwi Pie fitteds have received a lot of love from my local group! I’m also personally willing to loan my diapers out to test/try – as many of you know there’s nothing more frustrating than ordering a bunch of diapers only to discover they just don’t work for your little one!
It was through this wonderful group where I learned how to use diaper pins (thanks Arynne for showing me how) – because when I tried to figure it out on my own I couldn’t get the pins through the prefolds and I thought I had a defective set of pins … turned out I needed to lubricate the pins first. DUH! Since then, I’m a pinning queen!
In addition to our regular bi-monthly meetings we try to participate in events where cloth diaper advocacy would be ideal. For instance, for the second year in a row our group participated in the annual San Diego EarthFair celebration; the largest Earth Day fair in the world. More than 70,000 people gather for the event; complete with a children’s parade, artwork, entertainment, and more than 400 exhibits!
Thanks to the hard work of a number of volunteers, our fantastic Diaper Circle Leader Heather, and the support of our local and online cloth diaper businesses (including Kelly’s Closet) our booth was a great success! Some parents were even willing to participate into changing their little one into a cloth diaper right on the spot!
Cloth diapering communities all over the world are steadily growing online; however we could use a bit more effort and advocacy in our local communities! The more parents are informed about their diapering options, the better prepared they will be to make a decision instead of believe that there is only one way to diaper a baby.Why not consider starting your own Diaper Circle? Contact the Real Diaper Association as a resource for getting started with your local cloth diaper advocacy! Make some new friends all while spreading your cloth diaper love! After all, don’t we all wish there were more fluffy bums in the world?
Kelly’s Closet also offers an affiliate program where you can earn 5% commission on every sale you refer to Kelly’s Closet. Click here for more details.
References: Real Diaper Association Mission Statement
27 comments:
We do not have one in our area. :( I am so sad = it sounds like tons of fun!!
I would love to start a cloth diapering circle where I live. I love encouraging moms and moms to be to cloth diaper. I just had my first convert last week!
I tell every mom I talk to if we talk about kids or baby I tell them how great cloth diapers are now adays!! A lot of people still think of the old way of cloth.. I wish cloth diapering was advertise on t.v. so more moms would use cloth. I wish we had shows down here in alabama and tenn.
I wish there was a group like that in my area. Sounds great to meet other CDing people, see products in person before buying, etc.
mjones_82 @yahoo.com
That is so cool. I do not know any one in my area that uses cloth diapers, this is not even a cloth diapering shop closer then 4 hours.
The RDA sounds wonderful! I wish there was a local chapter in my area that I could join. A number of my friends use cloth, so we could almost be our own chapter. :)
How great. I currently live in an area where I am seen as a freak for cloth diapering. I get negative comments about how dirty cloth diapers are. How I wish I had some kindred spirits!
Oh Man! This is Amazing! I wonder if we have on in our area. I am going to research this
That is awesome, love the booth!
I will visit the Real Diaper Association site and look into the diaper circles. Sounds fun to spread the love of cloth! =)
What a great post! I looked and there is a circle about 40 minutes away from me! I may have to check it out and see what its like. I never would have guessed there was such a thing as a cloth diaper circle.
Thats so awesome. I'm going to do some contacting about a group in my area. Thank you!
Every community needs a program like this!!!
Wow! How awesome would that be if there were groups like this everywhere!!! I wish there were one near me - b/c this would be great to meet other moms in the area that use cloth. I often times feel like the only one around that does and have to resort to the internet to talk to other mom's about cloth diapers. I am definitely going to check out your link about starting a group up around here : ) Thanks for the info!!
This is SO neat! I'd love to do something like this. i'm going to go look at the links you posted about right now.
How neat! I loved learning about the Real Diaper Association! Off to check out their site!
This is so awesome. I wish there was something like this close to me, I would have been using cloth from the beginning!
I would love to have something like that in Orange County! People are always asking me about cloth diapers, and I usually direct them to a few websites, but that can get confusing and overwhelming for them sometimes.
wow that is so awesome i did not know that could be a local thing too :) the set up at the fair looks awesome !! great job !
The RDA (Real Diaper Association) is a great organization. The diaper circles are wonderful as they are great support group and a nice way socialize with other parents who use cloth.
Loved the post! I'm Heather, the now-famous :) leader of the San Diego Real Diaper Circle. I am now also the Executive Director of the RDA and in charge of the training program for leaders. If you don't have a Circle in your area, consider starting one - I'll help you through the whole way...
Mamas - stop wishing and make it happen!!! You can have a group in your area. I looked into becoming a Real Diaper Circle "leader" and the process is pretty straightforward (much simpler than when I applied to be a La Leche League leader - that's for sure).
So if you truly believe there's a need for something like this in your area - try to help make it happen! Oftentimes you can find a local venue where they will allow you to use their space for a meeting (we use a local kid/family friendly coffee house called Java Mama). If you're setting up the meetings - you can choose and day/time that is most convenient for you and then once things get started you can always re-evaluate the needs/situation of the group.
Oftentimes our meetings practically run themselves!
I'm in the San Diego Area!!! I saw the RDA and I told my husband about the diaper service, and we were so bummed because we didn't know about a service around here. We've already invested money into our own system, and it works out great! I'm thinking about joining your chapter!
I guess I wish I had a shop like yours nearby. No one in NYC seems to use cloth diapers and if they do, they seem to give up on them and sell them on craigslist.
I didn't realize you carried those cute fitted diapers!
How wonderful! This sounds right up my ally! Once we move I'm going to start a circle. :)
UPSTATEMOMOF3: From what I could tell on their webpage, if there is not one in your area you could start one. :)
How cool! I wonder if there is a group in my area, and if someone had a booth like that ans was selling diapers I would be in heaven (and buy so many).
Thanks Heather for taking the time to post and encourage others to get involved in RDA and possible leadership opportunities for RDCircle meetings!
Fluffy bums unite! =D LOL
Serena, I'm in San Diego! I'll have to see when you all meet to see if I can join you!
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