Saint John — If you noticed that the normally “dirty ocean smell” of the Port City wasn’t as pungent as usual on Saturday, that’s because parents in the city were attempting to be a part of a new world record for diaper changing, which actually made the city smell much better than normal.
As reported by CBC, Saint John was one of 19 Canadian cities who were working together to attempt to break the record for most cloth diapers ever changed simultaneously.
“What a great day,” cheered Marcie Pollington of the city’s west end. “The sun was shining, the birds were singing and there was an unusually pleasant scent of baby poop in the air — it was simply fantastic.”
Event organizer Lorraine Ackerman told The Manatee that there were more than 200 babies registered to have their diapers changed on Saturday, and there were hundreds of spectators who stopped by just to enjoy the fresh air.
“The day was a huge success,” she said enthusiastically. “We had so many soiled diapers, I was told you could smell them all the way to Grand Bay — I had dozens of people sending me notes on Facebook thanking me for the change in odour in the city.”
The rules of the event stipulated that all babies registered must have had performed a “number 2” in their diaper, and have a before-and-after shot taken of the diaper changing to be confirmed by representatives of The Guinness Book of World Records at a later date. Coordinators also had to ensure that only cloth diapers were used in the changing as the event was being used to bring attention to the more environmentally friendly method.
“I love using cloth diapers,” admitted Barney Butler, a father who brought his 9-month-old to the event. “I use old Alpine T-shirts that have too many holes in them so I don’t have to throw them away. And, it lets me save money that I’d normally have to spend on Huggies, which lets me buy more Alpine and get more shirts in specially marked cases of Alpine — it’s cyclical, you see?”
Mayor Mel Norton championed the event, saying that he’s pushing to have this become a monthly staple in the city to increase tourism.
“I think we should do this one Saturday every month,” he suggested. “People might be more willing to come here on those days if they know our city will smell like baby poop rather than what it normally smells like — Saint John.”
Results of the worldwide event have yet to be announced, but Ackerman is confident that the city will continue to try until the record is broken.
“It was so amazing to see the smiles on the faces of our residents here when the walked out and smelled something so pleasant,” she said. “I wish I could make our city smell like baby poop every single day.”