The clock was ticking and the undeniable aroma of a dirty diaper hung in the air.

When the clock hit 10:30 a.m. Saturday, 257 babies — enough to coat the floor of the large room at the Denver Temple Event Center — each received a fresh cloth diaper. At more than 302 locations in 16 countries babies were getting the same diaper change, all part of an effort to break the Guinness World Record for the most cloth diapers changed at one time.

The Real Diaper Association, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the use of reusable diapers, organized the Earth Day event. In the one minute it took parents and guardians to change their babies’ diapers in Denver, 867,00 disposable diapers went into landfill, the group says.

On average, cloth diapers can save a family more than $2,000 per child, said Jule Ekstrom, who owns Kanga Care and sponsored the Denver event.

Several parents switch to cloth diapers, she said, after they become frustrated with disposable diapers that leak and can mimic “pooping on a Slip ‘n’ Slide.”

Chelsey Bardgett changed her 1-year-old daughter, Caitlin, during the attempt to break the record. Bardgett said she has used cloth diapers for both of her children.

“It is way easier than people think,” Bardgett said. “It’s not as intimidating as they might think.”

The official results of whether the group broke 2011′s record of 5,026 diapers changed will not be available for a couple of days, Ekstrom said.

Jordan Steffen