Saturday, February 25, 2012

Day 56: Donated Diapers


It is scary how quickly my daughter is growing. Although it is cliche, it seems like only yesterday she was a newborn that I could easily hold like a football. Now, she is in the 85th percentile in weight and height, and it seems like she doubles in size every week. One of the ways that we have been able to tell how big she is getting is by how quickly she goes through diaper sizes. We have purchased a number of diapers for her, and she has outgrown them before we could ever use them on her. We primarily use cloth diapers for her in an effort to stay Eco-friendly, but have a bunch of disposables left over from the ones that we use at night time and for emergencies. Rather than throw all of these diapers away, I figured there was something we could do with them.

Using disposable diapers for a baby can cost upwards of $100 a month. Although it is a more inexpensive option, cloth diapers are many times not feasible for families that do not have access to a washing machine because many laundromats don't allow them to be cleaned there. Also, for working parents who utilize day care, these facilities typically require disposable diapers. After doing some research on what I could do with our many unused diapers, I came across Bundle of Joy, which is Chicago's first and only diaper bank. It is their goal to make sure that every Chicago family has access to clean diapers. So today's random act of kindness was to donate our unused diapers to a church which serves as a drop off location for Bundle of Joy. I am sure the diapers will definitely be used by a family in need, and my hope is that others will also find a way to donate their unused diapers. And, in the amount of time it took me to write this post, I noticed (actually smelled), that Isla is in need of another diaper, so I must go attend to that.

13 comments:

  1. I wish I knew the right words to applaud this gesture and this endeavor of Bundle of Joy. All I can say is that this little gesture will bring smiles to so many faces.
    Warmest regards,
    Ruby

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  2. Wow, it will be so cool once you get to 366! Keep going!

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  3. Your gesture probably took very little time but will be so appreciated by the parent who receives the diapers. Cudos to you!
    One of things I was SO happy to see my children grow out of was the need for diapers!

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  4. As a mom of 5, I know how expensive diapers can be. (There was a time when we had THREE kids in diapers at the same time!) Bundle of Joy sounds like a GREAT service!

    I am loving your blog so far. You are doing such a great thing.

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  5. Your blog is the most inspirational thing I have come across in a long time. I am so glad that i stumbled upon it :) Keep up the great work!

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  6. So inspirational to read about.
    I hope day 366 will come soon~

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  7. I didnt even know there was a diaper bank! This morning I bought a case a size 6 diapers for my son with ease...but when he was just 4 months old my husband and I were in more difficult times and I remember having to ask my Mom to buy diapers. Things are so much better now. I just made a donation of a case of diapers to Bundle of Joy to further spread the kindness. Thanks for the inspiration and helping me to remember how fortunate I am.

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  8. I am loving your blog so far. You are doing such a great thing

    I would like make same on my little blog : NiceVintageFrance
    best
    vincent G

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  9. it will be so cool once you get to 366! Keep going!

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  10. You've got a great concept going here. Random acts of kindness is something I think about a lot, and do occasionally, but I need to give it more deliberate thought, as you do.

    Just a comment about the diapers. The diaper bank sounds wonderful, and I know many folks must benefit from and appreciate it. But...when my kids were in diapers, I used cloth diapers and because we didn't have a washing machine and were too poor to use the laundromat, I washed them by hand each day. Kind of an interesting concept, don'tcha think? Wonder why more people don't consider that...

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  11. when my now 17 year old daughter was born she weighed in at 4 pounds and 4 ounces and could fit into the palm of my hand !

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