How to Tell Others We are Doing CD???

ShalomLani

First, a small side story: So, about a month ago, I finally convinced DH that CD is much better than sposies. Hooray! I showed him the price comparison of CD vs. sposies. Now, when we go look at the baby aisle, and there is a "sale" on sposies, his reaction is, "Geez! That's still expensive! And that's on sale?!" It makes me smile. I'm excited that he's on board now, and we received our first fluff mail this past weekend. DH even has a couple favorite prints already! Baby boy is currently due in July.

I have only been asked by one person (one of his aunts) if we're doing cloth or disposable. I told her cloth. No issues. I also told my parents. Had to explain to my mom how new CD are different than the ones with pins. She's on board. My dad is a little hesitant, but he'll come around. I need to tell my MIL soon, as she will be watching him when I have classes a couple days during the week. Now, how do I tell other people that we are going to strictly CD unless absolutely necessary? I know some people have mentioned that they want to buy diapers for us. This was before even I had looked at CD. I don't want to be saddled with tons of sposies, and then they go to waste or feel as though I HAVE to use them because they were gifts. I have added some CD to the registry on Amazon (can't find CD stuff on Babies 'R Us), but I know it doesn't guarantee that people will see that.

Please HELP!

TIA,

Lani

Laceyrm06

Not much to add on how to tell people that your using CD - everyone looks at me like I've lost my mind when I tell them. Lol.

I just wanted to say that we were able to add cloth diaper items to our Babies R Us registry through their website. One of the Babies R Us stores near me had the BG detergent and a G-Diapers starter kit in store too. I scanned the detergent in store, but everything else was added online - diapers, wipes, etc.

mrshudson618

Just tell them if it comes up, register for stuff online. If someone throws you a shower, make sure the host knows. Unopened packs of diapers are easy to return if you still get them as gifts. 

JEPES1348

I had absolutely zero kickback. Everyone I told; friends, family, co-workers, were entirely supportive. Hell, my mom helped me spend hours researching! But she cloth-diapered her 3 children 30+ years ago, and she was so impressed by how far cloth has come. And just wait until they see the cute fluffy bottoms!

Isn't it funny that we feel we need to "come clean" when it comes to telling others we're using cloth? I didn't have to tell most, actually, as they could see from my registry. And I actually had plenty of people buy us cloth and accessories for our baby showers, which was so nice!

countrycotton

Other than the people who will be actively involved in changing the baby's diapers, I wouldn't make a point of telling people. Put cloth on your registry, if people buy it; YEAH! If not, no big deal.. You may actually like haveing a few sposies around. I didn't want to spend money on a newborn stash, and actually ended up with just enough sposies to get me through till her cloth fit. Even if you tell everyone you plan to use cloth, you will have those who buy sposies because "once you figure out the smell, how much work, ect, she will want these disposable." If you get them and don't use them, women's shelters, food banks will happily take them.

JEPES1348

We didn't get too many packs of disposables as gifts, but a few. We donated them to a local diaper bank for those who can't afford any kind of diaper. I know the lady who runs the bank, and she's told me some stories of families calling in desperation. Very unfortunate situations, like wrapping their babies in newspapers just to get by.

Chichigo

I am overwhelmed with size two days pampers from my shower. They give LO a rash. I've been giving them away to friends and donating to a local crisis pregnancy center.

RachelCA29

I knew we were going to CD before I was even pregnant. So when we told everyone we were pregnant (family) I mentioned that being due in May was great because I could line-dry the cloth diapers over the summer - I've always been big on line drying everything else in the summer.

My husband's family kind of thought we were nuts, but no out right comments were made, I mean, I have to wash and change them. My family was fine with it, my mom cloth diapered all 3 of us (including washing them herself for my younger sister after the cloth diaper services in the area shut down in the early 90's). My older sister had looked into cloth diapering when she was pregnant, but she had twins and the start-up cost was too much for her for 2.

I registered at a cloth diaper store (but it was online only) and that information went out with the shower invites my SIL sent, but we didn't receive any cloth diaper stuff from my showers. We received a couple of smaller packs of disposables (newborn, and 2 size 1 packs). The newborns were from my mom because she knew we needed some to take the hospital so we didn't have to take our cloth). I returned one pack of size ones to Walmart for money on a giftcard because I didn't have a receipt. I kept the other pack because they are always good to have on hand, just in case.

I've mentioned it at work and to friends, only because I'm like obsessed with the cuteness of them. A couple of people at my work actually CD, so they are great for advice and stuff. None of my friends have kids (some don't want kids) so they really don't have an opinion on it. My best friends doesn't want kids but loves that I am going to CD because the money savings. She is just shocked at how much disposables cost when she baby shops with me, knowing how much I've spent on my CD stash.

sarenu1

I did nothing and didn't register for disposables. I did register for cloth on all of my registries.

I got some newborn disposables, but I didn't start cloth diapering until 2 months with my first.

runningyogimama

There's no need to tell anyone who will be watching LO. If they ask, tell them, but most people won't ask. And I don't know if it's a regional thing, since a lot of people are so concerned with receiving lots of disposables at showers, but no one around here gifts diapers.

KimberlyR1002

I told everyone I talked to and put a note on the invitation and I still got a mound of disposables.  Maybe people have no faith in me lol.  I plan to give most of them away to someone else who I know is pregnant.

Rrrrrachel

Food banks or dcfs etc may also take them. I agree that you don't need to notify people. Maybe a note on your shower invite. I got a total of one pack of disposable diapers despite not publicizing cloth diapering.

TugboatSheila

Hi! Are you on my BMB? (I am due in July with a boy too!), I really had issues with the flack I was getting at first until I realized that apparently from the moment you get those 2 pink lines until your last breath everyone now has an opinion on what you do with your child.  I'm talking about the things that don't affect anyone or anythng, people just love to harp on! 

I don't really think you need to go out of your way to tell anyone. I posted a few photos on Instagram of my stash because I was excited and it sparked conversation about CDing, it was kind of a passive way to say "hey this is what I'm doing". I completely understand the struggle because when you are into something there are always people who love raining on parades and telling you you're doing it wrong. 

Danielle2482

In the notes section of our BRU registry along with "It's a boy" we put "We're using cloth diapers".  Nobody really mentioned it.  My mom thought they were super cute and ended up buying half of them and a friend got us one.  We ended up with 1 open pack of diapers because my aunt really wanted to make a diaper cake which we didn't mind, we just donated it.  No other disposables were given as gifts.

nanabanana06

With my first we made a last minute choice to CD using a service. We tried telling everyone no diapers, but we ended up getting 2 cases anyways. We ended up using them when she got home while I recovered from surgery. Those 2 small cases didn't last very long at all. With my son we told the hostess we were planning on CDing and asked for no sposies. It was up on the registry and the invites. No diapers were recieved.

emmylou78

I only mentioned it to a friend when she offered to do a diaper raffle.  Also, my mother who watches the baby, but she is fine with it.  I think you are overthinking it. I wouldnt mention it unless asked.  I got a diaper cake of NB dipes and one box of diapers, which I use on random occasions.  The NB were nice for the first week while I was adjusting. 

Brandiewine11

It's not like you need a press release or something. 

I just mentioned it if I was asked or someone offered to give us diapers. My shower hostess included a little note in our invites along with registry info. I ended up getting TONS of CD's off my registry and no sposies. If you do get some, just return them or donate them, or keep a few as backup if you need them.

Lild09

Honestly, we've only told my inlaws and a couple close friends, one of who CD's just because it hasn't come up otherwise.

 In terms of your baby shower....we didn't put any wipes or sposies on the registry and we didn't get any! 

RockiesNugget

Like PP have said, I wouldn't make a big announcement. We didn't decide to cloth diaper until LO was 3 months old and the only sposies we received were newborn and 1's in a diaper cake. I would just let anyone hosting a shower know so that they don't do a diaper raffle.

ShalomLani

Thanks, ladies! I'll ask my hostess to include that we plan on CD when the invites are prepped. And if we end up with a bunch of sposies, I'll donate most and keep a couple packs as a just in case.

I've had a few people mention that we need to stock up on lots of sposies since I posted this. I did tell them we were cloth diapering after they said something and received the strangest looks. I almost felt as though I needed to defend our decision, but DH came in and rescued me. He also encourages me almost daily now about how excited he is about CD our LO when he arrives!

I looked online and found CD options on the registries we have for stores. Don't know why I didn't think to look there!

jess9802

I had CDs on my registries, but only one person really bought any of those items. However, I didn't get tons of disposables, either: just one large package of size one diapers and some disposable wipes. And you know, those disposables came in really handy when I was totally overwhelmed with breastfeeding and exhausted and did not have the mental capacity to figure out folds for flat diapers. We ended up using all of those gifted disposables and buying a couple more packages before making the switch to full-time cloth when DS was eight weeks old. Even now I keep a couple of disposables in the diaper bag, because on more than one occasion I have been out with DS longer than anticipated and have run out of clean covers or diapers. Disposables are really helpful in that event.

ThereBeDragons

We put a nice sized list of CD stuff on the Amazon registry and told people when they asked about the baby and clearly wanted something more interesting than my morning sickness to gossip about. Not everyone thinks we will stick with it, but they're also not shoving disposables at us. (Now if you want to talk about people being pushy- lemme tell you about the giant box of various shampoos, baby bath soap, and not-CD-friendly butt pastes we have acquired from everyone)

 Received zero disposables at the shower, one pack of Gerber prefolds from a family friend (it's the thought that counts) and my friend bought us a bundle pack of covers. All in all, with less than a month to go- we only have one pack of newborn swaddlers from my mom. And she 100% supports cloth diapering- she just wanted to make sure we had a little safety net in case I feel too tired to do laundry one day

I've actually got more formula cans and samples "just in case" breast feeding doesn't work than I do disposable diapers. but I'm more worried about breast feeding working long term than cloth diapering.

Rrrrrachel

Who gives an expecting mom a can of formula?!?! That is surely regional. Or maybe I am only friends with dirty hippies.

ThereBeDragons

Rrrrrachel said:

Who gives an expecting mom a can of formula?!?! That is surely regional. Or maybe I am only friends with dirty hippies.

Nah, friends/family pick up sample packs for me when they go to the GYN or pediatrician- some local practices just set all the samples out in a pile first come first serve. So they bring me packages from the manufacturer that come with coupons and ready to feed bottles and sometimes a can of powder or a lunch box keep cool type bag that it comes in. Very nifty, actually. I'd probably side eye anyone who just showed up with a random can of formula though. But I've gotten enough of those random sample packs that I could probably feed the new baby for a week if push came to shove lol.

TugboatSheila

ThereBeDragons said:

Rrrrrachel said:

Who gives an expecting mom a can of formula?!?! That is surely regional. Or maybe I am only friends with dirty hippies.

Nah, friends/family pick up sample packs for me when they go to the GYN or pediatrician- some local practices just set all the samples out in a pile first come first serve. So they bring me packages from the manufacturer that come with coupons and ready to feed bottles and sometimes a can of powder or a lunch box keep cool type bag that it comes in. Very nifty, actually. I'd probably side eye anyone who just showed up with a random can of formula though. But I've gotten enough of those random sample packs that I could probably feed the new baby for a week if push came to shove lol.

Yeah, my OB has given me 2 separate huge bags full of coupons, formula and accessories. I am fairly certain we have the entire line of Infamil products. I'm really not sure what to do with it. 

Rrrrrachel

I guess grabbing samples for someone makes more sense, and mapleme getting some for yourself jic is a whole other thing to getting some for someone else, jic, to me. I've only ever gotten one small sample between my two pregnancies. I'm on the wrong lists.

slh6363

Most people just look at me like Im crazy...but I don't really see a need to explain it to them or a reason. It is our choice and that's that. I did register for some BG from BRU, they sell them online just not in store. That being said, no one bought any lol...but I think it did help bc I didn't get many sposies.

ShalomLani

ThereBeDragons said:

We put a nice sized list of CD stuff on the Amazon registry and told people when they asked about the baby and clearly wanted something more interesting than my morning sickness to gossip about. Not everyone thinks we will stick with it, but they're also not shoving disposables at us. (Now if you want to talk about people being pushy- lemme tell you about the giant box of various shampoos, baby bath soap, and not-CD-friendly butt pastes we have acquired from everyone)

 Received zero disposables at the shower, one pack of Gerber prefolds from a family friend (it's the thought that counts) and my friend bought us a bundle pack of covers. All in all, with less than a month to go- we only have one pack of newborn swaddlers from my mom. And she 100% supports cloth diapering- she just wanted to make sure we had a little safety net in case I feel too tired to do laundry one day

I've actually got more formula cans and samples "just in case" breast feeding doesn't work than I do disposable diapers. but I'm more worried about breast feeding working long term than cloth diapering.

Congrats on your upcoming LO! Very happy for you! And hooray for supportive mommy!

Mandmeesh

Rrrrrachel said:

I guess grabbing samples for someone makes more sense, and mapleme getting some for yourself jic is a whole other thing to getting some for someone else, jic, to me. I've only ever gotten one small sample between my two pregnancies. I'm on the wrong lists.

In my head, I thought if we had formula "jic" then bfing would have gone wrong. I know that's totally on me. But if you put it out there, it'll come true. But that's just me. Lol

Mandmeesh

Yeah. We never received formula samples from our hospital or even my OBgyn.