Note: This is a long (I'm serious...I can't help it. It's just how I am.) story to go along with a basic review of Gdiapers. If you don't want all the "backstory," skip to the "REVIEW" at the bottom...which is also very long:)
I'm the type of person who, when I spend money on something, will use/wear/eat it no matter if I LOVE it or not. I'm pretty easy to please that way (you're welcome, Pack). So I had been making do with the diaper choice that I made back when Penn was a baby (disposables, mostly the cheapest I could get that did the job). I researched cloth diapers a little bit when I was pregnant with Penn, but honestly didn't even consider it fairly. After all, I knew NO ONE that cloth diapered and that's a pretty big jump to make without having some support or advice.
When I was pregnant with Jude, I had several friends who began cloth diapering and I was seriously considering doing it with him. I found out about
Gdiapers, which are basically a hybrid form of cloth diaper with a thin cloth cover, a nylon snap-in liner (which is waterproof...that's important), an an insert (a flushable, biodegradable,disposable insert or a hemp/fleece liner--which I didn't know about then). I basically concluded that using Gdiapers was going to be a pretty steep investment since the flushable liners generally cost 14-15 dollars for a 30 pack...so we wouldn't be saving any money by using them. Not only that, but my dear husband was NOT. ON. BOARD. He basically said that as an active diaper changer, he felt he could throw in a veto card. I conceded without too much of a fight.
Months went by (a year and nine months to be exact) and I began thinking of ways that our family could make less waste as part of my
New Year's Resolution. I also had a friend that started cloth diapering her toddler at about the same time. I asked her a lot of questions and then found out that she was going to a cloth diaper buy/sell/swap at a local cloth diaper store in Carytown, so I asked her if I could join her. A lady there sold me two Gdiapers for 10 bucks! That may seem like a lot for two diapers, but I figured that I would use them and get my money's worth out of them no matter what (see paragraph 1). I felt a little silly being a new cloth diaperer (
possible made-up word alert) and buying them for my 20 month-old, but I figured this wasn't that much of a risk and (hopefully) no one judged me.
That night, I went to the store and bought the flushable liners. I wasn't totally impressed with the disposibles and chalked it up to "I'm glad I didn't get these brand new...lesson learned." But then I did some research and found out about the cloth inserts. Since I had an Amazon gift card, I ordered a pack to try.
LOVED THEM! It was way easier than I thought it would be! Jude loves them, he looks adorable in them, and I've collected a total of 23 diapers (size small--for the future--to large). I also bought another pack of cloth liners because what child only goes through six diapers a day??? Here's the review so you can see why I love them so much and why I regret not doing this two babies ago!
REVIEW
- The Gpants (cover). Really. There is something just adorable about their simplicity. I love the bold simple colors, and I've been known to try to match the diaper to Jude's PJ's at night. They actually come in several patterns (even ruffles for a girl!!!), but the solids are still my favorite look. They are also very thin and not cumbersome at all. You can barely tell he's even wearing a diaper most of the time, so his 2T clothes fit him a little better. Also, unlike most diapers, these velcro around the back and decrease (although theY do not eliminate) the incidence of baby pulling on diaper tabs to remove it (UGGGGGHHHH!). They are also simple to clean. You can toss them in your regular laundry because they don't (shouldn't) come in contact with poo!
- The Nylon Liner. This is where the magic happens. This thin little layer that snaps into the cover forms a seal that protects the cover from getting wet/poopy, although you must first learn "the tuck." If (when) the liner gets dirty, just snap it out, snap a new one in, and you're able to reuse your cover. If the diaper was just wet, no problem, wipe it out (if you want...I usually don't), put in a new insert, and you're ready to roll. All cloth diapers should be this easy. (Note, as if I know anything...gdiapers are the ONLY cloth diapers we've used and we're happy with them...I've found that people are VERY passionate about THEIR favorite brand of cloth diapers.)
- The Inserts. Like I said earlier, I was a little disappointed with the flushable insert. It was very absorbent, which is the most important feature, I guess, but the disposal was the disappointing part. It was a little messy because in order to flush it, you have to rip it apart, swish it around, and (in my case) let it sit in the toilet for 15 minutes before flushing so it won't clog the toilet. Not only that, but these babies are expensive and that still bothered me a lot. The cloth inserts, on the other hand are the exact opposite. They fit so nicely in the liner and are a cinch to clean. I "dump" in the toilet and whatever doesn't come off, goes in a hot wash (prewash, hot wash, followed by extra rinse, to be exact), and come out looking BRAND NEW! And (in case you're wondering), I have had to deal with every...ummm....consistency of poop that my sweet Jude makes, and they passed the test:). Not to mention, right before I started using them, Jude (unusually) came down with a diaper rash, and once I started using the cloth inserts, it got better IN THE SAME DAY. I was sold. Oh yeah...and these babies will pay for themselves QUICKLY!
- The Verdict. Gdiapers with cloth 4eva!!!!! Well, except at night when we use the disposable liners (because they really are absorbent!), and disposables when we are at church. It's what's working for us and even my "conscientious objector" is into them now! Who would have thought...
The bottom line is to "never say never." I am trying a lot of new things that I never thought I would be into before (including cloth baby wipes!), and I've found that convenience isn't everything. There's something rewarding about living a more self-sustainable lifestyle where I don't need to rush out and buy things new that I could be making/reusing myself. Not only that, but I honestly don't spend THAT much more time dealing with diapers now than before. Thank goodness I was offered a deal too good to refuse. I only wish I had done it earlier...
