You’re expecting—congratulations! This is such an exciting time. You might be feeling like you have a million things to do right now. Or, you might be feeling like there’s nothing to do but wait. You might even be thinking both thoughts at the same time! One item you can tackle no matter where you are in your pregnancy, though, is your registry.
But, if you’ve decided to cloth diaper, knowing how to add diapers and supplies to your registry can be difficult. Since cloth diapering hasn’t quite hit the mainstream, getting cloth diapers on your registry tastefully can be a challenge. Luckily, we have the breakdown to help you tactfully register for your much-needed cloth diapering products.
How to Tactfully Register for Cloth Diapers
Step One: Confirm You Want Cloth Diapers on Your Registry
Having cloth diapers on your registry is a great idea for most. You save a ton of money choosing to cloth diaper over disposable diaper, and you save even more money if those diapers are gifted to you!
Plus, if you are firm about not wanting to use disposable diapers, registering for cloth diapers is a good way to make it clear you don’t want to be gifted a box of Pampers. And, if you follow the steps on this post, you can make it super easy for your guests to buy your ideal diapers.
However, if you are very particular about your cloth diaper selections from styles to prints to sizes, you might want to refrain from registering for them. Guests might accidentally order the wrong size, grab prints you don’t like, or take other frustrating liberties. Additionally, if you have a family that’s not supportive of your cloth diapering journey, you might opt to politely take the disposables, use them for sitters, and grab cloth diapers with your baby shower money.
The choice is yours! But, you’re definitely allowed to register for cloth diapers. It’s not taboo. It’s not distasteful. You have the right to choose how you diaper your little wildling, just like you have the right to choose how you feed and raise your baby. Feel free to do as you please!
Step Two: Use the Right Registry
If you are going to use cloth diapers, make sure you use the right registry. If the cloth diapers and accessories you want are all on Amazon, an Amazon registry can totally suffice for all your baby needs.
But, if the products you’re looking for are across multiple sites, it’s best to choose a registry that allows you to add items from multiple shops. Guests won’t have patience for registries across many different stores. Instead, they’ll flock to Amazon or other big stores they’re familiar with.
Babylist or MyRegistry allow you to add products from everywhere. They’re super user-friendly for your guests and you can keep track of all gifts in one place. They even allow you to add non-traditional gifts like babysitting, meals, and cash funds. If you’re pulling products from lots of different sites, use Babylist or MyRegistry for your registry needs.
Step Three: Include More than just Diapers
Remember, for cloth diapering you need more than just diapers! Make sure you add items like a diaper sprayer, wipes, cloth safe diaper cream, pods, and wet bags. These items are often less intimidating for guests unfamiliar with cloth, and you’ll need to buy them, anyway. Might as well get them at your shower! If you want to know what accessories you’ll need, check out this post.
Step Four: Register from Small Shops and Big Stores
Ordering from small shops like Alaskan Wildlings is great. You know you’re getting quality products with stellar customer service and an unbeatable community. (Join our tribe!) But, some guests might be hesitant to order from small shops. So, it’s a good idea to register at both small shops and big stores like Amazon.
If you register at both, your younger friends and family can help you support small businesses, but others who want something super easy and familiar can just use their Prime account. Even if your ideal diapers aren’t on Amazon, you can register for other accessories and storage solutions there!
Step Five: Be Specific
You might have guests that are totally freaked out by the notion of cloth, so the more choices THEY have to make, the more stressful the process becomes. Make sure you choose your ideal items EXACTLY down to the style, size, print, and brand. Registering for multiple diaper sprayers or linking to a massive page of various pocket diaper types could really turn off a gifter. So, add the exact items you want to your registry.
Step Six: Don’t Go Overboard
Don’t go crazy! It can be tempting to grab all the diapers you need from birth to potty training, but a lot can change once your little wildling is born. Maybe you like pockets way more than preflats and covers. Maybe you decide to go part-time cloth diapering. And, maybe you decide not to cloth diaper altogether. Life happens!
Because of all that can happen after your child is born, get just enough diapers to get you through the first 6 months or so. This will give you the chance to experiment with different types and different techniques and refine your process. No wasted money and no wasted products!
Step Seven: Make Your Stance on Disposables Clear
Not every cloth diapering family is all or nothing, and that’s okay. And, sometimes family and friends think you’re only cloth diapering out of financial necessity. When they think this, they buy disposable diapers anyway, believing they’re helping you out so you don’t “have” to cloth diaper.
Additionally, you might choose to use disposable diapers until your child fits in one size diapers. This is common, and totally okay! But your guests might not know that plan.
Whatever your stance on disposable diapers, make that clear to your guests. On some registry sites you can leave a memo for guests, but not everyone will read this! It’s a good idea to put it right on your invitation. Put something like, “We have chosen to breastfeed and cloth diaper, so no need to gift disposable diapers or formula-mixing necessities.” People still might miss it, but this will hopefully prevent you from getting loads of diapers you won’t use!
Step Eight: Don’t Expect Buyers
Even if you do everything right, friends and family might still opt to buy things they’re familiar with. They’ll jump to the products that saved them when they were new moms or choose to give simple cash gifts.
That’s okay! It doesn’t mean they’re not supportive. It just means they don’t want to get the wrong thing and mess up the gift somehow. This is out of love. Don’t sweat it! You can use cash and gift cards to buy your cloth diapers instead.
Step Nine: Use it as a Checklist for Yourself
Even if you don’t get much off your registry for cloth diapers, you can use the registry as a checklist for all the things you need to buy before baby gets here. You can even keep the registry for their first birthday or Christmas, and send it back out to guests. You might snag more diapers on the second go!
It’s totally okay to register for cloth diapers, just follow these steps to do it tactfully and effectively!
We’re so excited to be on this cloth diapering journey with you. Make sure you join our Facebook community and check back with our blog regularly. We have all the info you need to make your cloth diapering journey peaceful and empowering. Alaskan Wildlings, for one, support your decision to cloth diaper and register for those cute diapers! If you’re ready to get started building your registry, start with our shop!