A Product Review of GDiapers

After a few short weeks, I decided cloth diapering wasn't for me. Defeated, I returned to disposables, but couldn't help but feel guilty about the environmental impact they had. According to Diaperhyena.com, 18 billion disposable diapers are used each year in the United States, and they account for 30% of the waste in our landfills. The average baby who wears disposables for two years contributes almost one ton of waste!

When my son was about six months old, I discovered a starter kit of gDiapers at a Fred Meyer store. I had heard of this flushable diaper, but didn't understand exactly how they worked. The starter kit seemed a wee bit expensive at $24.99, but a shameless victim of flashy advertising techniques, I threw the cute package into my cart.

Once we were home, I put the first diaper together. The starter kit included two vibrantly colored covers, four plastic liners, ten flushable liners, and a swish stick for easy flushing. The plastic liner snapped easily into the cute cover. It took a little practice to get the flushable liner positioned properly in the plastic liner, but once I had it down there was no turning back. The covers, or "gPants" have adjustable velcro straps that conveniently close in the back so prying baby fingers can't undo them.

When it was time for the first change, I wasn't sure exactly how to go about flushing. It was quite simple. Once the gDiaper's off, you pull out the flushable liner by a corner and rip down (don't worry, it's perforated) both sides of it, letting the contents fall into the toilet. Drop in the remaining liner, and use the swish stick to make sure all pieces of the liner are separated. A quick flush and a wash of the hands, and it's done.

My son is a fairly heavy wetter, but has only had two leaks out of a gDiaper. These were blowouts that probably couldn't have been contained by a snug chastity belt, so I don't blame the gDiapers. We have yet to use them for overnight wear, but I am happy with their absorbency during the daytime. I have also been impressed by the breathability of gDiapers- after a short bout of diarrhea left my son with a horrible diaper rash that wouldn't clear up in disposables, I switched to gDiapers full time during the day. This, combined with plenty of bare booty time, cleared the rash up within just a couple days.

As previously mentioned, I found my gDiapers at a Fred Meyer store. They have a feature on their website that helps you search for retailers in your state, and you can also purchase them on line at the website.

No review is complete without one disadvantage. Alternatives to disposable diapering are often praised not only for their environmental impacts, but for the pocketbook impact. Unfortunately, with gDiapers, this is not the case. In addition to the initial investment of the covers and plastic liners, the cost of the necessary flushable liners is comparable to keeping your little one in the major disposable brands such as Huggies or Pampers.

One of the most important advantages to gDiapers is the environmental benefit. I am far from being the world's biggest tree hugger, but this is a simple way to reduce your environmental impact. We don't use gDiapers full time, but I like knowing that every diaper I flush is one less diaper festering in a landfill for the next 50 years. Wet gDiapers can even be composted to use in your garden, but this is something I haven't attempted yet.

If you are considering cloth diapers or want an Earth-friendly alternative to disposable diapers, definitely take gDiapers into consideration.