Using cloth diapers is easy. But sometimes, it can be difficult to convince others to feel the same.
When it comes to persuading people to WANT to use cloth diapers, what is the biggest challenge? Is it the poop? Is it the misconception that cloth diaper systems haven’t evolved over the last 20 years? Is it the thought of endless laundry? The upfront cost?
Whatever it may be, the reality is that modern cloth diaper systems like bumGenius are just as user friendly as disposables and also provide a ton of benefits.
Real Diaper Week begins April 19 and we want you to help spread the word that Real Diapers Make a Real Difference.
To get more people aboard the cloth diaper train, three people will win a bumGenius 4.0 and a Change 3 Things T-shirt in this week’s giveaway.
Want to enter? Share what you think the biggest hurdle is when it comes to “selling” cloth diapers to someone.
PS: Cloth diapering IS easy. Don’t believe me? Just try it.
Eligible entries must be posted no later than midnight Eastern time, Wednesday, April 16, 2014. U.S. residents only. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win. Winners will be drawn after the close of the contest and notified via email. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. We hereby release Facebook of any liability.
About the Author
Brittney is a social media coordinator for Cotton Babies. She has three sisters, loves pizza and enjoys listening to obscure bands no one has heard of. Outside of posting on the Cotton Babies Facebook and Instagram pages, she babysits a few cloth diaper-wearing kids and likes playing with her dogs.
Comments
121 Comments
I don’t trust people. Too many “sob stories” and people who was perfect diapers for through the wringer price. I’m afraid to sell farther than local.
I don’t think there’s one thing that stands out. Most people today have the idea of everything being toss away.. Poop, washing, carrying them when out… Misunderstanding that they are not more time consuming or work than disposables. I think it really comes down to being open to trying it. Once you get it, you get it.
Poop in the washing machine. I have to preface all talks about cloth diapering with a “look, I don’t put it in my washer. That *is* gross. I rinse it off like one should” statement. Just another case of assuming something you don’t understand.
The “gross factor.” People don’t realize that everything that’s gross about cloth, is just as gross (if not worse) with disposables.
I’ve just started cloth diapering my 4 month old. I love it! Bum genius is my diaper of choice .
The hardest thing I’ve run into is assuring them I can still go out and about! It’s carrying the poop around that upsets them.
poop in the washer
I think the extra time and the poop are big hurdles. It can be just as easy as sposies if you allow it to be. Cloth diapering is fun for us! (:
the fact that they think it will be so time consuming
Most people who I’ve talked to who don’t cloth diaper don’t understand how much money is actually saved! They think we spend more than with disposables!
Definitely the poop. They just don’t get it 😉
I haven’t sold any of my cloth diapers yet but if I were to buy used I would wonder about the detergent and wash routine of the seller. Non cloth diapering people worry about runny poop and do not even want to try CDing.
cleaning poop, cost, and hard to find I think are reasons people avoid CD
The biggest hurdle for comvincing someone to cloth diaper is dealing with poop and that it’s not that much work in terms of laundry
The poop! And the added time/”hassle” of laundry.
Finding a committed buyer
I think most people are scared about “dealing with the poop” and poop in the washer. Time is also a factor. No one has the time to do that.
Dealing with poop and all the laundering.
The poop. Definitely the poop.
The upfront costs
The startup cost!
That the cost of a cloth diaper does pay for itself before kid #2. And dealing with the diapers is simple.
I think a lot of people just don’t want to deal with the poop and laundry. For me, cutting down on disposable waste is worth the extra time, and I work in healthcare so I don’t have a queasy stomach.
People always ask me how I get them clean and seem weirded out by the idea of poop in the washer.
People think of cloth diapers as old school towels their grandmothers used. They don’t realize all the easy and great options available today
i think the idea that they’re gross and too much work. most people dont know that they’ve changed massively since pins and plastic pants!!!
Absolutely love the 4.0s! We just ordered 2 on sale for our little man and fell in love! Id love to add another to our stash 🙂
Not to sound mean but most moms are just to “lazy” to consider using them. The think it it too much “work” and won’t get past that.
Cleaning poop was always what made me stay away from cd.
Hands down the “what to do about poopy diapers” is the biggest challenge.
I think the biggest issues are dealing with poop .
Finding a place to sell them
They really don’t believe that it is cheaper!
The biggest hurdle to selling cloth diapers is when people want to give you much, much less than they’re worth. I’ve had people offer me an insanely low amount for diapers.
Poop lol
I think the biggest hurdle is getting people to realize how easy washing cloth diapers is and how it’s really no different or harder than any regular load of laundry.
Finding a great place to sell them where you can trust people.
It’s hard to convince people that the extra laundry is worth it. I know that it is! (I also enjoy doing laundry)
I think the hardest thing about selling diapers to someone is coming up with a fair price that both parties agree on. Only the seller knows the truth conditioner diapers and having to convince someone especially a stranger
I can’t wait to try to cloth diaper my baby boy that is due in June!
I think the hardest thing to sell is that it really is easy enough to do. It is only as hard as you make it and it really does save so much money!
I think the biggest hurdle when selling cloth diapers to someone, is convincing them that it will not be that much work, they can do it, and that they work!
I think the hardest part is people think cloth means a TON of extra work. Disposables are throw away and DONE, whereas cloth is a few more steps, but so many more rewards
So many people automatically think “gross”, when I mention cloth!
I think one of the biggest hurdles is showing them that i hardly ever touch poop. I get more poop on me when we had to use disposables than when we use cloth.
I can’t really comment on this because I have never sold a cloth diaper, I only buy 😉
The upfront costs (it isn’t feasible without a full stash and that costs money …and what if one spends several hundred dollars and hates it? Or it leaks constantly with their baby?
I think the biggest hurdle is the time for laundry. Many parents say disposables are more convenient but I disagree with that because we always had blowouts and leaks. Cloth is more reliable.
it would be about how to wash them and explaining about the poo diapers lol they always give me a funny face
Honestly, just figuring out what to price them at really baffles me. People sell used ones for almost the new price and they weren’t just used once or twice either, crazy!
I’ve never sold any, so I don’t knowQ
Looking forward to trying cloth diapers with our first baby in October!
I think the biggest hurdle in deciding or convincing people to try cloth diapers is the fear of it being extra messy and lots of extra work.
I think the biggest hurdle is the laundry–but it’s really not that bad!
That it’s not an old fashioned idea, and yes you can get the stains out, and no they don’t smell.
The washing routine…every 2-3 days.
The poop factor! Everyone thinks that the poopy diapers are going to be gross. That and probably how much you do laundry.
people think its gross to have to clean poop, and that it will make your washer gross. but hey, it saves so much money, reduces waste, and is great for his bum, so I am all in!
I had to convince my husband we would actually be saving money. It took a couple talks to get him on board with the start up costs.
I think people are horrified by the extra laundry. But once you do it, it’s not so bad! I love stuffing pocket diapers, I do it twice a week while catching up on a little TV and having a nice glass of wine. It’s very relaxing!
People are so scared of poop!
The hardest thing to do is convince people that it is not “gross” and it is not “inconvenient”. If I could just get people to try it for a week, I bet they would change their mind!
I get to excited and dive into all the types too fast and can leave my friends a bit overwhelmed. I have to remind myself to slow down and explain pockets, covers, and AIO’s after I have them hooked on cute prints.
The poop. Definitely the poop.
getting them to realize the laundry and poop ‘handling’ really isn’t that horrible
I haven’t tried selling any CDs yet so my hurdle would be knowing how/where to sell for the best price.
I haven’t sold anything yet
I think people are scared that cloth diapers are like the old fashioned flats with pins. When I decided to CD my baby (my third child, but first to CD- I saw the light!) my mom was very against it and said I would never stick with it. I think her biggest concern was all the laundry and handling the dirty diapers. I’ve stuck with it and feel a great sense of accomplishment when I stuff those clean stacks of diapers!
We think the biggest hurdle selling cloth diapers is the old fashion way of thinking. Cloth diapers have come along way since we were cloth diapered as babies. It is no longer flats and diaper pins with plastic covers. The ease of use was a big selling point for us.
I think the biggest hurdle into getting someone interested in cloth diapers is that it isn’t so gross. Really, poop can be something we have to clean up as a mom. I have a three week old and I have been pooped on multiple times already, from either him being in a sposie (do those even contain anything!!!) or from changing a diaper too slow or taking a bath with the baby (totally ruined that bath!!!). But when he is in a cloth diaper I have not had poop leak out of the diaper. I can breastfeed in peace knowing that nothing will leak out! That to me is a big bonus! I feel like I touch less poop cloth diapering than I do when I use a sposie.
One of the biggest challenges of “selling” cloth diapers is convincing just how easy they are to wash.
I just sent my sister in law about ten pocket diapers and she says she wished she had started with them sooner. Her youngest will be two later this year.
Dealing with poop
Honestly, the biggest hurdle for us was building a stash. With the cost of one cloth diaper being about the same as a large box of disposables, it took us a while to get there. I understand that there are cheaper options, but those didn’t work for us. Once we get our stash built up, it was easy peasy from there.
I have been using my flip and econobums cloth.diapers for 11 months and i love it. However, I haven’t been able to convince any of my friends to try it. The two usual excuses are 1: the upfront cost and 2: cleaning out the poop. Evevthough I have shown them my 11 month old.diapers (they are immaculate), and shared money saving tips they ste still reluctant. Their loss. :0(
That they have to wash them. People I’ve talked to think it’s gross and that it is too much work.
People think it will be gross and smelly. And lots of people think it’s a lot of extra work.
I haven’t actually bought any used diapers, but I would assume that it would be trusting that you will get paid or really being able to describe the condition of the diapers to a buyer
The biggest hurdle to “sell” cloth diapers to my husband is the extra laundry and him thinking he will be touching poop 24/7.
I think the biggest issue in selling cloth diapers to someone is not knowing about modern cloth diapering, with the misconception that it’s all prefolds/flats, pins, plastic pants and spending all day with your hands in a toilet swishing poop.
My biggest hurdle has been convincing people the poop is no big deal. That seems to be my friends’ biggest hangup.
They do not want to pay you as much as you want and the fear of a paypal dispute.
The hardest part of selling cloth diapers is the gross-out factor over poop!
I think the hardest thing is being fair but still getting something for them.
Definitely the idea of poop. But we don’t have blow-outs in cloth the way we do with disposables.
My biggest hurdle with my husband is that he doesn’t like dumping the poop into the toilet and rinsing the diaper off.
The biggest hurdle when it comes to “selling” cloth diapers to someone has to probably be, the poop.
How do you get it off the diaper and how do you wash poopy diapers.
The hardest thing about selling cloth is the handling of poopy diapers! Some people just can’t get over the poop!
The easiest thing is showing them off… people LOVE the colors and prints!
The biggest hurdle for me is taking good pictures. I really need to make a light box.
For me, the biggest issue when selling diapers is the poop! People don’t want it in their washing machines (though obviously they never thought about blowouts with ‘sposies), and they don’t want to deal with getting it off the diaper. I try to explain all this but… some people just won’t try.
Unfortunately, I think the hardest thing is the extra work involved…I mean, I know being a mom is hard work already, I have five little ones (all of which are/were cloth diapered!). So I understand. Yet, I see cloth diapering as not only good for my baby, but also good for his/her future. I don’t want to leave more trash for them to deal with when they grow up. I wish more people felt enough conviction to do the extra step of washing diapers (it really is so easy!) rather than just throwing each one in the trash. Thank you, cotton babies, for continuing to make this mission more attainable for more families!!! 🙂
I feel like the biggest challenge in getting people to even consider using cloth diapers is the extra work they might feel is involved.
The seemingly large initial expense, as well as all the different types of diapers – AIO, pockets, prefolds… it’s so confusing! If I could do it all over again, I would just get 20 BG 4.0’s and be done and perfectly happy 🙂
I think the biggest challenge selling clth diapers to someone has to be convincing them they are worth it. Worth the upfront higher costs to save in the long run, worth the extra time it takes to wash/dry/stuff diapers, worth it to keep as many chemicals and plastics away from their baby and out of landfills, worth the perceived scrutiny by others who think you only cloth because yor poor.
It is worth it!
People tend to think cloth diapers are gross (they aren’t!!). They don’t want to touch the poop and think it will contaminate their washing machine.
Finding someone who actually goes through with a sale after saying they want them multiple times. ugh frustrating!
The hardest thing for me so far is convincing people that cloth can be done at daycare, and if daycare refuses, part time is better than not at all!
Ease of use
I love cloth diapers!
I love cloth diapers. I wish I would have done it with my older two.
I think lack of knowledge is the real barrier. Most moms just don’t know enough about cloth diapers to understand how switching would be practical, and never take the time to educate themselves enough to consider it.
its a big hurdle to find someone who doesnt want the diaper for almost free. thats not much of a problem if you have a very sought after diaper but if you have just a regular diaper, a lot of ppl dont want it unless its almost given to them,
Oh, and by far the hardest thing about “selling” the idea of cloth diapering to someone is convincing them that it’s not all that gross after all. I mean, sure, we handle poop and whatever, but we should be wringing poo out of our disposables, too. And the up-front cost can be intimidating. I’m saving money over the life of my diapers, though, and you can’t sell used disposables! 😉
Of course I would love to win this! I looove my 4.0s and love the “Change 3 Things” challenge. 😀
It seems like people think its time consuming and gross.
We live in a disposable society. People tend to not want to do any more work than necessary. I believe the biggest challenge of laundry and people thinking of having to wash that poop. Also, I believe there is a lack of awareness to the diapers themselves and their benefits. The disposable manufacturers of the world like it this way. The same goes for breastfeeding. There is a lack of awareness among many women that there is both purpose and benefit. I do both, which makes the first challenge (laundering) a breeze–and happily tell every mommy-to-be that I know–which coincidentally helps with challenge two!
Convincing them that it isn’t that bad. The poop isn’t that scary and the washing isn’t that hard/time consuming 🙂
People question the amount of laundry when in reality we have sooooo many less leaks and blow outs that we do about the same laundry. Plus, I know I will be doing a load every evening instead of unexpectedly having to wash bedding or a carseat due to a disposable disaster.
When I talk to people about cloth diapering, the biggest issue they seem to have with it is dealing with the poop! Some people think they will have to touch poop if they want to cloth diaper. That’s when I introduce them to the diaper sprayer!
I think the biggest hurdle selling cloth diapers to someone is the poop! Getting them over the idea of putting poop through their washing machine (EBF poop) or spraying it off when its not EBF poop! 🙂 Diaper Dawgs have helped!
A lot of ppl have a misconception about cloth. They think it’s “gross” to put diapers in the washing machine. They don’t understand how to eliminate toddler poop before washing. They just don’t know and so they don’t want to try and understand.
I think the washing routine, including dealing with poop, is the hardest part to sell!
Hardest part is convincing that the laundry is not that bad and yes, they get clean!
I think the biggest hurdle I’ve had to face was getting my friends and family to realize that cloth diapering has come a long way. It’s not just flats and giant safety pins anymore! They are absolutely shocked when I show them a BumGenius diaper.
Peopke have different views on condition of diapers.
I think the thought of dealing with poo in cloth diapers is a hurdle for many!
I think the biggest issue people have is that it takes SO MUCH extra time and energy to do cloth.
they think it takes too much time
I think poop is the biggest hurdle… right now all I have is ebf poop, but I am a little worried about when it starts to stick!
When I tell people all about cloth diapering, they usually get hung up on the frequency of laundry.
Everyone always asks “what do you do with the poop?” It’s a hurdle 🙂