Group out to set mass diaper change record
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on April 20, 2011 1:46 PM
If you're a baby in Wayne County and show up at Herman Park Center on Saturday, rest assured -- a change is gonna come.
At noontime, the Real Diaper Circle of Wayne County will attempt to break the Guinness World Record known as the Great Cloth Diaper Change.
The local group, which meets monthly at the Partnership for Children of Wayne County, is affiliated with the non-profit organization the Real Diaper Association and advocates for the use of cloth diapers.
Disposable diapers contain chemicals known to be harmful, not to mention they make up an estimated one-third of the nation's solid waste and take years to decompose, points out Heather Bradley, a local leader with the Real Diaper Circle.
Converting to cloth diapers can also be cost effective, she said.
"Using disposable diapers for two years can cost a family around $2,000," she said. "Using cloth diapers for the same amount of time can cost as low as $300. Modern cloth diapers are nothing like the cloth diapers our grandmothers used. They're fun, fashionable and much easier to maintain."
Beyond providing education and encouragement to use cloth diapers, the group hopes to elicit support for Saturday's event, which will be a literal diaper-changing opportunity.
"The goal is to change as many babies at the same time into cloth diapers," Ms. Bradley explained. "I think there are over 400 locations worldwide doing this that day."
"(According to) Guinness World Record regulations, in order for it to count for our location, we have to have at least 25 participants."
The public is invited to attend the event, which will be held in a meeting room at Herman Park Center from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. A educational class will be held from 11-12, Ms. Bradley said.
Then promptly at noon, there will be a simultaneous diaper change.
"Every participant will change their diapers at the same time, even if they don't need changing," she said. "The goal is to set the record for the most diapers changed at one time."
For more information on the event, visit the website, www.greatclothdiaper change.com.