Changing Minds About Cloth Diapers

This article was published in The Times Money Saver put out by the Shreveport Times newspaper.  This little paper comes in the mail each week along with the sales papers for our local grocery stores.  This article was on the front page a week or so ago and I wanted to share it.  We used cloth diapers with our boys for several different reasons and though it did take a little work, it wasn't hard to do, even with a busy schedule.  I am typing the article and have no idea if the article is published anywhere online to actually link to it.  Hope I have sited it correctly!  A link to the website of the author referred to in the article is listed at the bottom of this post.  Read on for the article!!!!

"Cloth diapers are hard to use."  "Cloth diapers are inconvenient."  "Cloth diapers don't fit my busy lifestyle."  These are some of the many reasons expressed by families about why they don't or won't cloth diaper, according to author and cloth diaper advocate, Kelly Wels.
   Wels is a determined mom of three who will stop at nothing to get moms to open their minds about cloth diapering and stop the excuses.  "I find that many moms are unsure about cloth diapering their babies, but if they knew how easy it was and how much money they would save, I think they would give it a go," says Wels.
   In her mission to change minds, Wels wrote a book, "Changing Diapers.  The Hip Mom's Guide to Modern Cloth Diapering," where she lists five reasons why a parent might choose to cloth diaper:
          1.  Cloth diapers are best for baby.
          2.  Cloth diapers can save a family a lot of money.
          3.  Cloth diapering is eco-friendly.
          4.  Cloth diapers are convenient to use.
          5.  Cloth diapering is fun.
  After years of selling cloth diapers direct to consumer through a dotcom, Wels hung up her hat so she could spend more time with her family.  She sold her multimillion dollar cloth diaper retail business and took a much needed break.  That's when she began focusing on writing and publishing a book about modern cloth diapering.  Wels says the word "modern" is key to the book's title.
   "Modern cloth diapering requires fewer resources than cloth diapering of the past.  Modern cloth diapers like bumGenius and Rumparooz fit just like disposable diapers except instead of a tape closure, modern cloth diapers use durable snaps or Velcro-like closures to secure on the baby.  This means less time securing pins and plastic pants like moms did decades ago," says Wels.  "Modern cloth diapers also are easily cleaned at home in a washing machine and require no soaking, swirling or any of that icky stuff of yesteryear.
  Wels says she couldn't wait to share her love of modern cloth diapers with others around the world and help them save money in these trying economic times.  "Disposable diapers can drain a family's wallet, forcing them to spend $25 or more each week on diapers.  With cloth diapers, a family only spends a few hundred dollars upfront and is set for their baby's entire diapering years," she says.  "The savings really adds up when you factor in the costs of a second or third baby using the same cloth diaper stash as baby No. 1."
   Wels adds that families should be aware of other "costs" too.  "Our natural resources are so few and so precious.  Disposable diapers, no matter how you slice it, require natural resources to make, package, ship and haul away to the trash dump every week."  With cloth diapers, she adds, "You buy your diapers once and you never have to worry about buying again.  Many busy moms use disposables strictly out of convenience, buy I'm here to tell them that having everything you need to cloth diaper your baby in your home offers all the convenience needed."  She adds, "If I can get just one more mom to become more open-minded about cloth diapering and maybe even encourage her to give it a try, I would consider my mission a success."

For more on Kelly Wels and cloth diapering, visit her website www.kellywels.com