Changing Diapers - The Hip Mom's Guide to Modern Cloth Diapering Review

I have never written a book review before, so this is uncharted territory.  But if ever I was going to do a book review, this is THEE book for me to review.  Recently, I was contacted to review Kelly Wel’s new book “Changing Diapers The Hip Mom’s Guide to Modern Cloth Diapering" and I was thrilled to have this opportunity to check out Kelly’s new book!

To put it simply, this book is a MUST for every parent who already cloth diapers, who is thinking about cloth diapering, or someone who knows nothing about cloth diapering and you want to show them how easy it is.  Kelly did an amazing job of taking the TON of information associated with cloth diapering and broke it down piece by piece into understandable language and concise sections.  Her tone throughout the book is friendly and she writes as though she is sitting on the couch next to you sipping a cup of coffee.  You completely forget that you are reading a book…let alone a “how to” book.

Kelly perfectly entwines reasons for cloth diapering, key points, how-tos, and a bunch of quotes and hints from moms like us.  Kelly also does a wonderful job to not put down disposable diapers.  She does not speak out negatively about disposables but rather gives information on how and why cloth diapering can be beneficial to your family, your child, your wallet, and the environment.  The book is factual and informational without being negative toward disposable diapers or parents who chose to use them.

The book is also put together perfectly into chapters that make sense and the book flows easily from topic to topic.  As I read the book, I would think of something that I thought she should have added only to find it later in the book.  I cannot think of a single thing that she left out or forgot.  The only thing that I might add would be a more thorough list of diaper brands in the back of the book, but with the enormous volume of brands and WAHM’s out there, you have to stop at some point so I can completely understand why she only mentioned the few that she did.

Any parent considering cloth diapering would find this book easy to read, easy to follow, and complete with every piece of information you need to know to start cloth diapering.  We have all struck out on the internet with a question or a quandary only to find 10,000 different sites and even more opinions or tips.  It is hard for even an experienced cloth diapering parent to sort through all of that information.  Kelly has worked to create a concise, to the point, easy to read, and even easier to understand reference book that answers any question you may have about cloth diapering.  And as an RDA member and experienced cloth diapering parent, you know you can trust what she says.

The best chapter in the book to show any newbie cloth diaperer, is Cloth Diapering 101 where Kelly discusses and gives examples of the different types of cloth diapers; All in Ones, Pockets, One Size Diapers, All in Twos, Flats, Prefolds, Fitteds, Hybrid Diapers, and Covers.  I think this is the hardest part for newbies to understand and get past to start diapering.  The overwhelming amount of choices can make anyone’s head swim and can turn many people off from cloth diapering right there.  Kelly broke this down into very understandable and manageable sections so that it is not too overwhelming.

Overall, I love this book!  Anyone can learn from it whether they have been cloth diapering for years or are just starting.  The book helps to make decisions on what cloth diaper to buy, explains what all you need to buy to cloth diaper, explains accessories, discusses wash techniques as well as troubleshooting in the wash, and discusses the benefits of switching to cloth.  This book is the whole package; the whole cloth diapering package that is!

Total Stars:  ★★★★★

Miss A doing a little light reading during a diaper change...

As a special treat, I also had my husband read the book.  He proclaims to not understand cloth diapering and it seems that anything I tell him goes in one ear and out the other.  All he knows is to get a diaper out of the bin, put it on Miss A, take it off when dirty, put it in the pail, and put a clean one on.  Terms like Pockets, AIO’s, AI2’s, Hybrids, One Size, etc absolutely elude him.  Diaper on and Diaper off…that’s all he knows.  When we first started using cloth diapers, if there were disposables in the house, he would just use those rather than use the cloth.  I soon realized this, and stopped buying disposables!  Ever since, he has been so supportive of the cloth diapering and has not complained…much!  So I asked him if he would read Kelly’s book and give me his opinion.  He read the book cover to cover in an evening and then excitedly reported his thoughts.  I was surprised to have a very long conversation on the finer points of cloth diapering and find that he is even more in love with it now that he understands more!  When I asked him to write a paragraph or two for the blog, all the color drained out of his face! LOL!  He has a PHD and had to write a gazillion page thesis and yet a summary of his thoughts on a Cloth Diapering book make him nervous!  Anyway…after a long while of staring at the laptop, this is what he had to say!

My first response to my wife after reading the book was, “why the h**l don’t we have a diaper sprayer!?” since scraping poop off with toilet paper was my main deterrent in cloth diapering!  But seriously, I was surprised that the book answered any and all questions that I had about cloth diapering (e.g. how to wash diapers, different types of diapers, benefits of each, how many diapers to buy).  My wife often tries to explain the different types of cloth diapers but it was not until I read this book with the diagrams that it seems to have stuck with me.  As a visual person myself, I would have liked to seen a chart comparing the pros and cons of each of the major types of diapers but since it was clearly described in the passages I guess that it was not necessary.  Also, while I respect that everyone is going to have different preferences in diapers and that one diaper may fit your baby better than another, I would have liked Kelly to give more of her opinion as to what diaper brands are the best for the money, if there are any brands to stay away from, and what types of diapers would she buy if she knew what she knows now and had to do it all over again.  But whether you know absolutely nothing about cloth diapering or you have been cloth diapering for years, you will definitely learn some things you did not know from reading this book. ~Ryan (Mr. TMG)

To this I said…I will order a diaper sprayer tomorrow! J  The only reason why we do not have a diaper sprayer yet is the fact that we are trying to sell our house and I did not want to hook it up only to move.  Plus, I did not think that my husband would appreciate having to hook it up and then have this contraption on the side of our toilet.  But, since I have wanted one forever, and now my husband is on board too…bring on the diaper sprayer!  I also love the fact that now my husband truly understands what I am talking about when I go on a cloth diapering rant!!!  He can’t play dumb anymore!  And now that he understands how to wash diapers…hmmm…he may have a new job!

I snapped this when he wasn't paying attention...hehe!

This book is available for pre-order now and will be released on October 1st 2011.  Kelly's book is also available for Nook pre-order (love my Nook!) and I have heard that it will be available for Kindle as well.

If you would like to pre-order this book now, you can purchase here.  Please use the coupon code "MOMMY" for 50% off your purchase!  That was no typo...it is honestly 50%!!!  Coupon is valid through Sept. 30th!  The link above is also my affiliate link (plus the button link to right).  By purchasing through this link, you earn me a commission.  Additionally, each time I earn enough commission to purchase another book, I will give it away on the blog!  The number of books that I give away is ENDLESS it all depends on how many you guys buy!!!  Happy Reading!  PS.  All pre-ordered books will be autographed by Kelly Wels...how cool is that???!!!

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