Cloth Diaper Challenge Day #1 - gDiapers

Cloth Diaper Challenge Day #1 - gDiapers

What better place to start, than with the diapers I started with. I heard about gDiapers while I was pregnant, bought a few starter packs and these were the diapers I used faithfully at the beginning of my cloth diaper journey.

Lets start off with discussing the company behind gDiapers. gDiapers was founded by Jason and Kim, who were concerned with the impact of disposable diapers on our planet and wanted to make a difference. They found an Australian company that made flushable diapers, and brought the idea back to the USA with them. In 2005 they opened the front doors of their home office in Portland and it has grown ever since!

I love their philosophy, "fair dinkum" which means being genuine and real with everyone you encounter. The staff at gHeadquarters are great. I have had quick email responses from them with any questions or issues I have had with their diapers. They are quick to respond to their facebook page if someone has a question, and they share their weekly "going-ons" online so you can see what it is like at the gHeadquarters. They even have staff yoga sessions, what a cool place to work!

Now onto their diapers.

gDiapers are a three part system. The gPant is the outer

bit, it is made of soft cotton in a ton of adorable patterns and solids with equally cute names. Go Fish Blue is our favourite shade of gPants. Inside the pant is the waterproof nylon snap in liner. If the liner gets a bit of poop on it, just unsnap it and snap in a new one and you can reuse the same cover. Then you need to decide if you are going to use the gCloth or the gRefills inserts. The gRefills insert, which can be flused or composted, are a great option if you are traveling or camping. If you are just not ready to make the leap all the way into cloth, this is a good stepping stone. You are still being environmentally friendly. We used infant prefolds in ours at the beginning and now use gCloth, which is trim and made of hemp/cotton and microfle

ece.

I started using these when my son was a week old. He was born at 8lbs 8oz, so he was a good sized baby. He did lack the "chub" on the legs to make a good seal with the diaper, so we did experience a few leaks at the start. I found gDiapers had a learning curve to them, unlike other cloth diapers we have used. You don't want to put them on too tight, or the liner will gap around your babies leg and cause a leak. I was very cautious at the beginning to check and make sure I had "a perfect seal."

We moved from the size small to medium at ar

ound 8 months old. My son can still fit in a small at 16 months old, but he is on the tiny side. If you have a bigger baby, it seems they outgrow the largers and there is no bigger size ... yet. gDiapers just released their Tiny G's, made for 5-10lb newborns. I can't wait to try these on my new baby. Just last week gDiapers introduced gStyle, a matching diaper/tshirt combo, one for boys and one for girls! They keep growing and growing, and I am crossing my fingers they make a training pant in the near future.

Here is a basic price list for their products (prices are in US dollars)

Little gPants range from $16.99 - 18.99 each and include 1 nylon line

Everyday G's 6 pack is on sale for $70 right now, regularly $101 and includes 6 gPants

New Baby Bundle is $159.99 and include 12 Tiny G's, 6

Small gPants and a case of gRefills

2 Pant packages are 29.99

gRefills are $14.49 or $57.96 for a case

gCloth is priced at $29.99 for a package of 6

Next up, my pros and cons. Remember, all diapers fit babies differently, these are just a few of my personal pros/cons to the gDiaper system (and I have been using them off an on for 16 months)

Pros

• Being able to switch between using cloth and the gRefills can make it easier for families wanting "the best of both worlds" I used the gRefills while out shopping and had my diaper bag stocked with them, until I took the leap and went all the way to cloth
• Velcro does up at the back, making it difficult for babies to undo, and easier for diaper changes with babies on the run
• Breathable pants so you avoid rashes
• The outerpants are such a nice soft cotton, they feel like underwear
• Being able to unsnap the liner if it gets messy and keep reusing the gPant
• All the cute colours and patterns! I can find a gPant to match every shirt in my son's closet

Cons

• The velcro wears out - no matter how careful you are it eventually starts to curl and stick to everything other than the diaper
• The cotton pants become very "worn" looking after a lot of use. Just like clothing, all the wear and tear shows on my gPants that have been used for over a year
• The nylon snap in liner looses it's waterproofness. They need to be replaced every 6 months, and shipping to Canada is so expensive, I have yet to replace them and my pants now become damp if the diaper is on too long
• The learning curve, if I am in rush I can put the diaper on too tight and cause a gap and I get a leak along Luke's leg, I never get that with other diapers
• They bunch up at the front when the baby pees. It has happened everytime with either the gRefills or the gCloth. I need to make sure he is changed after each time he goes, or else it will cause a leak because it has bunched up. It didn't happen so bad with the prefolds we used

I love the company, I love the colours and patterns and the gCloth, and I have converted many people to using gDiapers in the past. I didn't use them for a while, I preferred other cloth diapers, but now my son is an active toddler, gDiapers are easy to put on when you are dealing with running diaper changes.

I hope you have learnt a bit about this great company and product. Visit their website for more info - www.gdiapers.com or visit their facebook page

My favourite thing about them? All sorts of fun photoshoots in matching gDiapers!