Cloth Diapering: Introducing gdiapers

After doing some research and in-store browsing, we're getting our act together and giving cloth diapering a try. Thankfully we kept our eyes open for great diaper deals while I was pregnant, and we are 10 weeks in and haven't had to buy any diapers. As our collection of disposables dwindles, we did some number crunching and decided to invest in a cloth diapering system.

I had an idea of what I wanted. I wanted a non-plastic cover that was re-usable without having to be washed every time. I wanted something that wasn't bulky and something that didn't have a lot of snaps to do up. After looking around, I came to gdiapers.

When gdiapers first came out, they were intended to be the "best of both worlds" in that they have a cloth shell, with disposable inserts that you can flush or compost. This made gdiapers particularly pricy, with 40 inserts running at a hefty $26.00 at my local health food store. They've recently come out with cloth inserts which have made gdiapers a little more affordable and that is what made me decide to give them a shot.

The gdiapers consist of three parts: a fabric "little G pant" with velcro tabs, a plastic snap in liner that catches any dribbles and stray poop (these liners wipe down and dry quickly, but each diaper comes with 2 liners so you can swap in a clean one right away), and an insert which acts as the absorbent part of the diaper. The disposable inserts are plastic free and biodegradable, and the cloth inserts have a hemp core with a micro fleece fabric to wick away moisture. We bought a starter kit with two diapers and a few disposable inserts for $40 and gave them a try. They didn't leak, Liam seemed comfortable and they were easy enough to use. (Not to mention adorable.)

Once we were satisfied that they would work for our family, we ordered 6 more little g pants online and a few packages of cloth inserts. I was impressed by the customer service the company offers. They have how-to videos posted on their website to show you how to use the diapers correctly in order to prevent leaks, and if all else fails, there's the option of calling the company and having an employee walk me through the process. I watched the videos before I tried to use them and the main thing they stressed was to make sure the liner is in the crease at the top of baby's leg after you put it on. It wasn't that tricky to figure out and Liam's even been able to wear them for fairly long naps (though I have not yet tried them at night).

The only down side to cloth diapering that I can see is that they seem as though they might be hot to wear in the summer. Maybe I just have to compensate by dressing him in less clothing. Perhaps an experienced mom can comment.

I also enjoy having the option of disposable OR cloth within the same system and have purchased one bag of disposable inserts "just in case". I can see these coming in handy if we're on a day trip and don't want to tote around dirty cloth inserts all day. So for those of you who are in the research stage as I was not long ago, this is what's working for us (so far). Good luck!