There are so many decisions to make when a baby is on the way…and so many preparations.  It’s tempting to follow the crowd and plan to use disposable diapers… most people do. Here’s an option: a new Brookside business, The Diaper Society, now offers you a convenient alternative to consider. Why fill your home with boxes of disposables when you can have cloth diapers picked up, laundered, and delivered back to your home?

Justine and Ryan Richard started The Diaper Society this year as a side business; both work full time and have two children ages 4 months and 3 years.  When pregnant with their first child, Justine was very interested in using cloth diapers.  Both are environmentally conscious and research shows that the average child uses 5000-7500 disposable diapers during the first few years of life.  After using a small local cloth diaper service, they decided to open their own and spread the word about this convenient disposable diaper alternative.   Justine spent a full year researching cloth materials, soaps, cleaning supplies, e-commerce and route optimization.  “When you are an expectant mother, so many products are pushed at you for the baby.  Many of them contain forever chemicals.  I wanted to do all the legwork so we could operate a service that is convenient for parents yet using safe products for the child.“  This process includes a “closed loop” for cleaning the diapers:  each soiled load is washed separately so that your child’s laundry is  individually washed and not with another child’s soiled diapers. 

Cloth diapers have changed quite a bit since the old days. Design innovations have done away with sharp pins!  Cloth diapers are now easily fastened with hooks; and the plastic pants worn over the diapers come in adjustable sizes to fit a growing bottom.  Also offered are separate pad “inserts” to for extra absorbing.   The Diaper Society offers  three levels of service to choose from, all described on their website.  They can provide the diapers, inserts, cloth wipes and delivery service; or if you have your own diapers, they will launder them for you.  There is a rental option available as well.  If you are interested in learning exactly how the program works, Ryan will come to your home and give you a demonstration of how the diapers fit and the service options. 

Another couple of services to note here:  Ryan and Justine participate in the TerraCycle program: this is a company that recycles certain items that can’t be recycled (check the website for details).    They also have an online shop, full of various all natural baby products you can order and have delivered with your diapers. Gift cards are available!

During our visit in their Brookside home (diapers are not laundered here FYI), I was impressed with this operation and how it works.  Most families with two full time working parents and two young children do not have time for a side hustle!  However, Ryan has always had an “entrepreneurial bent” and both of them want to do what they can for the environment. Using the cloth diapers for their own children turned out to be pretty easy and at a similar cost to disposables. Starting The Diaper Society is one way this couple can have an impact and bring along others with them.  Find them on their website and Instagram.