Guest Blog – Stephanie

Unexpected Perks of Shopping with Cloth Diaper Retailers

You made the decision to jump into the fascinating world of cloth diapers for your baby.  Congrats – and welcome to the cloth side! 

Now that it’s time to actually purchase your diaper stash, where’s the best place to go? 

There are lots of options, and the best choice will depend on your circumstances and diapering goals, but generally you can find cloth diapers in three places;

  1. at small specialty retail stores,
  2. some large online/ Big Box stores
  3. or by purchasing gently-used.  

If your intention is to purchase your cloth diapers brand new, it might seem very convenient to pick from the few you see at the place where you registered for your baby crib or to toss some into your online cart when you’re grabbing other non-baby things.

But if you’re serious about cloth diapering and want to give it a real shot, there’s some distinct advantages to buying this baby essential at a store specifically dedicated to cloth diapers.

– Enter the Cloth Diaper Retailers –

A cloth diaper retailer is a small business that specialises in carrying a wide selection of many different brands of cloth diapers. 

First Perk: A cloth diaper specialty store will have way more selection than anywhere else all in one place.

It’s much easier to compare different styles, get access to a full color selection and find high quality, ethically made products at a diaper retailer compared to other places that might only carry a brand or two of whatever is most readily available.

Second Perk:  you can easily get tips and advice, and product suggestions from staff or even the owner.

Many have used cloth diapers personally to help you choose the diaper style that will work best for your lifestyle and budget.  This increases your chances of having a successful and fulfilling cloth diapering experience with diapers that will fit and perform as you expect.

Third Perk: cloth diaper retailers are very invested in both their passion for cloth diapers and in providing customer service that is 110%. 

Don’t have a physical retail store near you?  That’s ok!  Most have a robust online presence and you can securely shop their websites anytime.

In fact, the person answering your email question or live chat is probably the owner themselves. Talk about individual attention for your specific family needs! Retailers ship anywhere just like any other online store and some even have registry options or interest-free delayed payment options like Sezzle to help you spread out your baby purchases if you need to.

But above and beyond that, shopping with a small business means extra perks.  Things like access to teaching, long-term support for troubleshooting, FAQs, fit and washing tips, and even warranty.

Fourth Perk:  and this one’s important, joining a cloth diaper retailer’s Facebook Page, Group or Instagram links you up with other cloth minded parents who can encourage you and support you in your decision to use cloth (even if your family, partner or friends don’t share your sentiment). 

Being on a retailer’s newsletter for example can often grant you access to helpful information, sales, promotions or events you otherwise wouldn’t know about. 

Retailer run Groups and Instagram pages will share helpful tips and hacks, instructional videos, ideas and inspiration. Small family-run stores might even pop in a surprise freebie or coupon to your order here or there and it’s lots of fun when retailers offer special diaper prints that are exclusive (can’t be purchased anywhere else). 

It’s a unique niche community to be part of when you’re a new or expecting parent and every new parent can benefit from cheerful friendly encouragement – whether you ultimately choose to cloth diaper or not. Being part of these communities also makes it easy to find lactation consultants, midwives, doulas or other resources if you need them.

Fifth & Final Perk:  supporting a cloth diaper retailer often means that you’re helping support the greater community too. 

The money you might spend there makes a larger and tangible impact. Small retailers are generally involved in the community, both online and locally wherever they are located.  It’s common to see charity initiatives, environmental betterment and community presence from a small retailer that you won’t see with larger or chain stores. 

For example, here at Cloth Diaper Kids we’ve planted trees in Costa Rica correlated to sales of our exclusive diapers and been active for many years at tradeshows answering questions for new parents.  We teach Cloth Diapering 101 Classes at the local library (or on Zoom for free) and we support diapering of babies in need in our city and overseas by helping get pre-loved diaper donations into the hands of families that need them most.    

Having a baby is a life changing and exciting time and all parents want the best for their babies. 

If access to product selection, advise and customer service are important to you and if you feel as though meeting supportive like-minded parents and being involved in making the world a better place would be helpful on your parenting journey, then search up a cloth diaper retailer and see what they have to offer.

Choosing to cloth diaper your baby is choosing to be part of a movement. And we can’t wait to meet you.

 

Stephanie

Owner of Cloth Diaper Kids

Cloth Diaper Kids is a family owned online specialty boutique selling all kinds of cloth diapers from all your favorite brands.  In business for over 10 years, we’ve cloth diapered our own four kids and thousands of customers too.  If you have cloth questions, we have answers.