Lined up in rows of 10 on the floor of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church’s rectory, 49 babies, some squirmy and some still, had their bottoms simultaneously changed into cloth diapers as part of a Guinness World Records attempt on Saturday in Salem.

The Great Cloth Diaper Change had at least 305 locations registered around the world. Each location was required to have at least 25 babies changed to count toward the total. The current official record is at 5,026 from the 2011 event.

Two local moms, both in their 20s, organized the event at St. Paul’s.

Nicole Mutter of Roanoke started using cloth when her first child was 8 months old and had sensitive skin. She helped with the Lynchburg event in 2011.

“He is actually allergic to the [disposable] diapers and he was breaking out in hives,” said Mutter. Lucas is now almost 2 and a half, and the same cloth diapers he uses, his 6-month-old brother, David, also can use. “Between the two kids, we’ve saved at least $3,000 to $4,000,” she said, with an initial $400 investment.

The Real Diaper Association’s website states that cloth diapers can save a family about $2,300 over the course of a child’s pre-potty-training years, if the family launders the diapers.

Katy Hening met Mutter after reading her blog about cloth diapering. Her fascination with reusable diapers started with “the cuteness factor,” she said.

To read the rest of the article by Miranda Beck from Sunday’s Roanoke Times, click here.

So Salem columnist Emily P. Carter wrote a story about The Great Cloth Diaper Change pre-event. Here’s the link.