Ann Arbor area babies diaper up to help set a world's record

Posted on Sat, Apr 23, 2011 : 4:52 p.m.

Ann Arbor area babies diaper up to help set a world's record

By Lisa Carolin

Jackson resident Resha Willis, left, changes the cloth diaper on her 13-month-old son, Leethan, during the Great Cloth Diaper Change Guinness World Record event at Forsythe Middle School in Ann Arbor on Saturday.

Angela J. Cesere | AnnArbor.com

Nearly one hundred babies from the Ann Arbor area bared their buttocks Saturday for the sake of supporting Earth Day and setting a new Guinness World Record.

The Great Cloth Diaper Change 2011 took place around the world beginning at 12:28 p.m. Eastern standard time. The goal: To set the world's record for the most cloth diapers changed simultaneously.

Locally, the venue was Ann Arbor's Forsythe Middle School on Newport Road, where nearly 100 parents and 100 babies were organized into four quadrants in the school gymnasium to make the event official.

Resha Willis came from Jackson along with her 13-month-old son Leethan, to participate.

"This is the closest location for us, and I want to spread awareness about cloth diapering," said Willis. "We use gDiapers that are biodegradable and better for his skin."

gDiapers, which are colorful, resusable cloth diapers, make the claim that 50 million disposable diapers enter landfills each day where they sit for 500 years. "I use cloth diapers because they're economical and align with my values," said participant Gloria Jones, an Ann Arbor resident who came with her 17-month old daughter Isla. "We got a good education about cloth diapers at The Little Seedling."

Molly Ging, owner of The Little Seedling, a maternity and baby goods store located on Zeeb Road just south of Jackson Road, in Scio Township, offers free cloth diaper workshops the first Saturday of every month. It was Ging's idea to get involved in The Great Cloth Diaper Change 2011.

"There are many misconceptions about cloth diapers," said Ging. "The technology has changed and we offer home laundered cloth diapers, which are more affordable then using a diaper service."

Ypsilanti resident Michelle Hill, center, holds up her cloth diaper for a photo along with about 100 other participants during the Great Cloth Diaper Change Guinness World Record event at Forsythe Middle School in Ann Arbor on Saturday.

Angela J. Cesere | AnnArbor.com

Ging started the business in her basement more than seven years ago when she couldn't find cloth diapers for her children and says the business has grown tremendously. At Saturday’s event, Ging blew a whistle at exactly 12:28 p.m., and parents removed their babies' diapers and had two minutes to replace them with cloth diapers. There were a few squeals from the younger set while parents worked with great efficiency. At exactly 12:30 p.m., Ging asked every parent to hold up his or her freshly diapered baby, and she congratulated them for setting a new record.

Professional photographer Michelle Massey Barnes volunteered to take the official photo of the event for Guinness.

"I used a very wide-angle lens and took the photo from up on a ladder to get everyone in it," she explained.

Because it is the first event of its kind, The Great Cloth Diaper Change 2011 will inevitably set a Guinness World Record, but GIng advised the committed crowd that the challenge will come next year when it's time to set a new record.

Comments

Sun, Apr 24, 2011 : 2:44 p.m.

@Leah Well, as long as you have the prefold kind. There's no dusting with a bumgenius! However, the resale market on Craig's list is great!

Sun, Apr 24, 2011 : 2:21 p.m.

Good god. We are still debating cloth vs. disposable. God help us all.

DDOT1962

Sun, Apr 24, 2011 : 12:54 p.m.

Another recycle use for old cloth diapers is to dye them and use them as washable dinner napkins. A great conversation starter! ;-)

5c0++ H4d13y

Sun, Apr 24, 2011 : 12:35 p.m.

After your kids are done with clothe diapers you use them as soft cloths for washing your motorcycle.

Leah Gunn

Sun, Apr 24, 2011 : 2:52 a.m.

@Torey - you are absolutely right - cloth diapers not only last through multiple children, but make great dust cloths when the kids are (finally) done with them. I am glad to see them back, having raised my kids before disposables were invented. I love this!

Torey Madura

Sun, Apr 24, 2011 : 1:54 a.m.

Also, I think adults would find it ridiculous is we suggested they wear disposable underwear instead of something "woven from cotton" and washed after each use.

Brad

Sun, Apr 24, 2011 : 11:17 a.m.

If I regularly did to my underwear what babies do to theirs, I think disposable would sound pretty good. That's a silly argument. Adult diapers do exist, and as far as I know, they're all disposables.

Torey Madura

Sun, Apr 24, 2011 : 1:46 a.m.

With modern washing machines (and dryers if you care to), the amount of water and energy used is minimal. It takes water to make disposable diapers, and the estimated time it takes for a disposable diaper to break down is over 100 years. Did you know that ALL babies used to be cloth diapered? And somehow the landfills never filled up with them. Interesting. It costs around $1,000 per year for disposable diapers, and those prices are going up as petroleum goes up. An EXPENSIVE set of cloth diapers (and accessories) is AT MOST $1,000 and lasts not only for more than a year, but through multiple children.

joe.blow

Sun, Apr 24, 2011 : 12:25 a.m.

Seems like a good BUSINESS, nothing more. Pay for mass produced disposable diapers which take a bit of oil and take awhile to degrade-vs-cloth diapers, which have to be woven from cotton, only last a few dozen uses and require massive amounts of water and detergent to clean. This is a fraud.

Torey Madura

Sun, Apr 24, 2011 : 12:39 p.m.

Anyone who uses a cloth diaper service is using used diapers. As long as you bleach them once before use, they're perfectly fine to use.

ViSHa

Sun, Apr 24, 2011 : 4:11 a.m.

interesting to hear how much one can save using cloth diapers, but i must admit i'm a little "icked" out by the idea that their is a market for used cloth diapers ;)

Jennifer Crooker

Sun, Apr 24, 2011 : 1:20 a.m.

"Only last a few dozen uses"? Apparently you've never used cloth diapers. Cloth diapers last for years-- My first set of 30 diapers lasted for two children over five years. My second set lasted for two additional children and are still going strong-- I will probably sell them. I calculated that I saved over $3,000 by using cloth, and that was INCLUDING the cost of extra hot water and detergent-- cloth diapers only added two extra loads of laundry per week. You don't think the production of disposable diapers uses water? What about all the chemicals that went into them? And where do they get the materials to make them-- over and over and over again each time? I didn't get into cloth diapering for the environmental impact-- I started because I was so allergic to the fragrances in the disposables that I got severe sinus headaches and itchy eyes every time I went near them. I switched to cloth at the time out of necessity even though I lived in an apartment and didn't have my own washer and dryer. The benefits (and the savings) soon became apparent and we never looked back.

julieswhimsies

Sat, Apr 23, 2011 : 10:55 p.m.

Hahahaa!!! I LOVE this!

Steve Pepple

Sat, Apr 23, 2011 : 9:40 p.m.

The story has been updated to better explain what the event's goal was.

spj

Sat, Apr 23, 2011 : 9:36 p.m.

World record for what exactly?

molly

Sat, Apr 23, 2011 : 9:39 p.m.

The most cloth diapers changed simultaneously. Over 400 host locations around the world all participated at the same time!