gDiapers– we have all heard of them. Many of us have used them at one point in our cloth diapers career or those new to cloth are wondering if they really are a better solution than disposable diapers without the hassle of washing cloth diapers. I’m not going to battle the “are hybrid inserts as good as cloth if you consider the water and electricity used to wash” because my review is for the function of the cover and the inserts.
I will say that as a cloth diaper advocate I am not anti-hybrid diapers. For the record my stance is that hybrids are a fine way to dip your toes into the alternative world of cloth or a good alternative to disposables while traveling. I can count many, many families that started using gDiapers and then went to full cloth diapers in a matter of time. Yes, others stick with G’s on a full time basis but this isn’t an affordable option for most families considering gDiaper inserts do cost more than using plain disposables and certainly more than using cloth diapers full time.
Finally- I will add this story: I was attending the ABC Kids Expo in 2011 and went by the gDiapers booth. I met the fun loving owners 2 years prior but this time they were out but other reps were there. I asked one rep (forgive me for not remembering her name) what the company thought about the high rate of conversion from families who start with gDiapers and make the switch to cloth diapers after. She responded that they were just happy to see families using cloth diapers even if they converted and no longer used their products. I’m not a perfect judge of character or truth but I really felt her response to be genuine.
Ease of Use ✩✩✩ I won’t go into details and explain the features of the diaper itself because that is why I make videos. The ease of use for gDiapers is really dependent on how you dispose of the flushable inserts, if you are using those rather than cloth. gDiaper inserts are flushable but the company recommends you use the swish stick and tear them a bit before placing in the toilet. I have used gDiaper inserts but have never felt comfortable enough to flush them and risk a costly repair to my plumbing. Since I didn’t want to use too many disposable inserts for testing I only chose to use them while out and about (like many people do instead of going full cloth) and here and there around the house. I even tried them overnight. If I were comparing them to disposables I would say they are more tedious to use because you have to carefully stuff that insert into the liner and I was always like “what the heck, how do I hold this wet insert” between throwing it away and putting the new diaper on. I’m almost never changing a diaper in a bathroom, I choose the back of my car or benches. With a sposie you roll the diaper into itself, same with a cloth diaper in many cases. Out of the dryer if you leave the piner in the diapers can come out a twisted mess so be aware of that too.
Bang for the Buck ✩✩✩ Using the hybrid inserts is a choice that is probably better than disposables but the price can be much more. Many gMums will say you can always find coupon codes and deals. Same can be said of disposables but not every parent is willing to do so. Even the individual gPants are pricey considering that they are mostly cotton. However gDiapers have some of the most adorable designs seen in the cloth diaper world. The new Chevron has me drooling. Unlike PUL/TPU cotton is easier to make in these designs so they have a lot more freedom than traditional cloth diapers. I’ve also heard amazing things about the gDiapers work place and how they treat their employees.
Performance ✩✩✩✩ The first time I ever used gDiapers I wasn’t impressed. I was also new to babies and cloth diapers. I used them on my first son when he was a few months old and had several leaks and lots of wicking. My impression of them wasn’t great. I was asked to review them officially and decided to try one more time for the sake of having them in my video library. This time I feel like I was more aware of how to get the insert in the liner *just right* and this made a difference in how they performed. I only had a wicking issue (wicking means moisture has traveled from the saturated insert to the outside of the diaper- in this case the cotton pant which will absorb) 2 times and both could be explained by a very wet insert that needed changing. The inserts are absorbent abd do have some SAP gel, though less than a disposable diaper. The other times I used the diapers I chose my own cloth inserts or pad folded flats and these worked just as well, if not better, than the flushable inserts and can be reused over and over. Overnight I used just one flushable insert and found my son woke up with dry pajamas. To be fair he isn’t a heavy wetter, but I was surprised with this outcome.
Fit ✩✩✩✩ I’ve tried the size Medium gDiapers on Fletcher when he was around 6-8 months old, and I’ve used the Medium on Everett at 18 months. Both fit as they should in a baby that age. My only issue with both was how the wide elastic band around the stomach could sometimes gap although this was mainly an aesthetic issue and had no effect of the performance. They also now offer adorable newborn gPants and if I ever have a another baby I will have to try a few, with some preemie prefolds or small flats. My biggest issue with gDiapers is how the snaps for the snap-in liners are exposed. The snaps are flat but they almost always leave red marks on the baby. Not all red marks are painful but I guarantee you that many parents stop using gDiapers due to red marks. I keep thinking there has to be a solution to this issue and wonder why they haven’t re-designed their diapers to solve the problem.
Overall: As a cloth diaper gDiapers aren’t my favorite and I would rather use a true waterproof shell just to avoid any chance of wicking. As a hybrid the G’s are really good at what they so and make a lot of sense. They can be washed with regular laundry and parents don’t have to be concerned about delaminating or elastic wearing out due to typical laundry additives so non cloth diapering parents can wash away. I even noticed that they have improved their laundry tabs and velcro tabs since I first tried them 3 years ago. They used to come undone very easy and create awful diaper chains but these are holding strong so far. They come in handy for travel, even if you are using flats and handwash them and wash the g pants in the coin laundry or handwash those as well. As I said before I am all for families embracing cloth diapers and even gDiapers have a place in this world. The cute factor reels them in (especially since they are found in most mainstream baby stores and even Big Box Stores) and then the families get tired of spending so much on inserts so they buy cloth inserts or switch to a different brand. I’m pro-cloth and pro-saving money.
Where to Buy The Ultimate Green Store sells gDiapers and provided 2 gPants and a package of inserts for me to review.
