Diapering Today: A Comprehensive Guide To Cloth Diapering Review And GIVEAWAY! 11/30

As you all know, I love cloth diapering. Not only is it better for the environment by keeping chemical laden disposable diapers out of our already overflowing landfills, I truly believe that switching to cloth has been better for my babies as well. Cloth diapers are free of irritating chemicals like chlorine, fragrances and dyes, and they are also made of soft, plush fabrics that are more comfortable against my babies' skin. Who wants to sit in a scratchy, soggy paper diaper? I know if my babies could eloquently voice their opinions, they would definitely favor cloth. One of the things I love most about cloth diapers as a mom is that they're stinkin' cute! With so many colors, fabrics, and prints to choose from, cloth diapers make a statement all their own. I am guilty of basing entire outfits around which diapers the babies happen to be wearing on any given day. This must be a tell-tale sign of a true fluff addict!

But good looks aside, there are more benefits to choosing cloth diapering as well. For us, the initial decision to make the switch was entirely financially driven. We had just had our daughter Sophia, and 3 months later found out we were pregnant again, with our son, Xander. Now we're a 1 income family raising 3 children. Can you imagine the cost of keeping 2 babies in disposable diapers? Eeek! It would mean taking on a part time job for me or making my overworked husband get a second job. That just wasn't going to happen! Sure, choosing cloth may seem like a huge initial expense. But when you consider the amount of money you have to spend on disposables, cloth diapers pay for themselves in just a few short months. They also have a resale value so you can recoup some of your costs once baby has been potty-trained.  So for us, the switch to cloth diapering was a necessity.

I have to admit, when we were first faced with the decision to make the switch, I was more than a little bit leery. After all, there are so many stereotypes surrounding cloth diapering. I have visions of squeaky, plastic pants, oversized pins, and giant prefolds. Not my idea of fun or convenience. I also assumed that cloth would be hard to wash, leaky, and would smell terrible because they are free of perfumes. I was delighted to learn that modern cloth diapering is nothing like that at all. Modern cloth diapers look and operate much like disposables, making them convenient and easy to use.

But what kind of diapers were best for my babies?

As I started doing research about cloth, I was utterly overwhelmed by the vast amount of information out there. There were so many terms that I didn't understand. AIO...AI2...Hybrid...PUL...Stripping...And then there are all the types of fabrics and inserts that are used in cloth diapering. It was enough to make my head spin! In my part of the world, cloth diapering is not the norm. The vast majority of parents in my area are still using disposables. So it's not like I had a great deal of people to turn to for advice regarding cloth. I had to educate myself, and that in itself was a very confusing and time consuming task. There are plenty of message boards online with info, but it seemed that there were very few places where all of this information was consolidated in one place, so I had to bounce around from place to place, trying to make sense of it all!

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That's why I was so very excited to learn about the new DVD set, Diapering Today, which was created by Catherine Bolden, founder of  both The Willow Store and Reusable Future. Diapering Today is the comprehensive how-to video about what it’s like to cloth diaper today. Included are the basics of how and why reusable is the way to go, how to get started and so much more. You’ll get everything you need to be part of the modern diapering community, whether baby is on the way or you have been using cloth for a while. Even if you're a fluff-loving veteran, there is always something new to learn!

Diapering Today is packed with tips and tricks for reusable diapers and makes it easy to share the world of cloth with everyone. In this unique 2 disc set, there are real parents, babies in tow, talking candidly about their cloth diapering experiences. They share great tips and tricks that will ensure that your transition into the world of cloth can be seamless and frustration-free, including how to take care of the inevitable "diaper funk" that can occur on occasion! I know people who encountered this problem when using cloth and actually gave up cloth altogether because they didn't know how to fix the problem at hand. Well these DVD's give many possible solutions for this and other common cloth diapering dilemmas! And the best part? The parents in the DVD aren't actors reading from a script. They are real cloth diapering parents with real babies sharing their experiences in detail. It doesn't get much better than that!

I absolutely love Diapering Today. It is easy to navigate and is separated into convenient sections for easy reference. From an intro to cloth and its benefits to the environment (and baby!) to comprehensive talk about stripping, washing, types of diapers, and more, Diapering Today takes all of the guesswork out of cloth diapering. Switching to cloth diapering can be rather intimidating with the vast amounts of info one needs to absorb, and these great DVD's have all of the necessary information in one convenient, easy to understand series. I especially enjoyed the glossary of cloth diapering terms. This was my biggest source of confusion when making the decision to switch to cloth. Here, everything is laid out and explained in a way that makes perfect sense!

I showed Diapering Today to a neighborhood friend who is currently expecting her first baby. She had never considered using cloth diapers before, and was honestly grossed out by them. She would tease me about my obsession with cloth a lot, because she couldn't understand why I would want to use reusable diapers. Well, after watching Diapering Today, she has had a change of heart. All of the common myths and stereotypes about cloth that she had been holding onto had been debunked, and she has now made the decision to use cloth diapers when her baby is born! After the DVD was over, all she could say was "Wow...I didn't know that cloth was so easy and so much better for my baby!"

Since she was visiting, I took the time to show her my stash and demonstrate changing the diapers on my babies. She was shocked at how simple they are to use, and she also fell in love with all of the vibrant colors and adorable prints available. I also got the chance to show her how to rinse the poop off, thanks to Xander! After watching Diapering Today, her whole opinion of cloth diapering was changed. We then hopped online and I helped her place her first fluffy order, a 6 pack of BG diapers!

I think people tend to poorly judge things they may not understand. With a little bit of knowledge and education, outlooks tend to change. There are so many people who shun the idea of cloth diapering, and it's due to a lack of education regarding cloth. Diapering Today is a wonderful resource for anyone who may be on the fence about cloth. All of the common questions are answered in plain English by REAL parents. Since all of the topics are conveniently separated, this also makes a fantastic easy to reference guide for experienced cloth diapering families as well. I truly believe that Diapering Today is a must have DVD set for any family with babies, and I wish it were available when I was pregnant. This is so comprehensive, I would almost refer to Diapering Today as "my cloth diapering Bible"! Thanks so much to Catherine Bolden for putting together such an amazing resource for families everywhere!

BUY IT:

You can purchase Diapering Today on The Willow Store website.

You can also follow The Willow Store on Facebook and on twitter to stay on top of their latest products and promotions!

WIN IT:

One very lucky follower will win a copy of Diapering Today of their own!

Please use this handy Rafflecopter form to enter!

This giveaway is open to US Residents 18+ and will be open until 12:01AM EST on 11/30/2011. Winners will be chosen at random and will be announced here, tweeted, shared on Facebook, and contacted via e-mail. The winners will have 48 hours to reply and claim their prize. If I receive no response, I will be forced to draw a new winner.

***Disclosure: I received a complimentary product to facilitate my review. No other compensation was provided, and all opinions are 100% honest and have not been influenced in any way.***

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