One of our readers wrote in to The Green Baby Guide asking us about flushable diapers. Neither Joy nor I has ever used gDiapers, but we’re hoping our readers have. Have you tried them out on your babies? Why did you choose gDiapers over cloth diapers or regular disposables? Did you love them? Hate them? Please post a comment and give us your honest opinions!
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July 11th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
I received two gdiapers from a friend who was not using them and I love to put folded flat cloth diapers in them instead of the flushables. They are pretty trim and super cute. I love that they are cloth and sooo soft, with a detachable waterproof liner that is really easy to clean. A folded prefold or flat fits in it perfectly, but I prefer the flats. These are what I use when I am out and about because I can pre-stuff them and they are really easy to take off and put on a squirmy baby. I just wish they were cheaper so I could buy all the cute colors!!!
July 11th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
I have used gdiapers with my newborn. Great concept, but we have had problems with leaks and poopy blowouts. Maybe I’m doing something wrong, but I have not loved these diapers.
July 11th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
I wanted to love the G-diapers, but they leaked every time. We changed his pants alot, waited for him to outgrow them, and switched to cloth.
July 12th, 2008 at 7:38 am
Thanks for the comments so far! Amber, I have seen a lot of the gDiaper covers for sale at consignment shops. It sounds like many people try them and give up, so you should be able to find all the colors.
Kara, I don’t know how you could be using them wrong. From what I’ve seen, the absorbent area (just a pad) is quite small compared to a cloth or regular disposable. That would make it hard for everything to stay contained in the diaper.
Nicole, that’s good to hear that you transitioned to cloth! At least you had some cute covers to use!
I’m looking forward to hearing from more gDiaper-users. As Kara said, the concept is good. . . .
July 13th, 2008 at 2:59 am
I love my gDiapers. I use them with flushables and with cloth prefolds. In the beginning, we had lots of leaks but once we got passed the learning curve they have been great. I use them a lot with caregivers, I can preload them, roll them and I know they will have no problems. Part of our initial problem was being slightly between sizes, as my son has grown into his mediums our leaks have decreased.
My advice- have faith, keep using the g’s and if you have any questions call the gDiapers company, they are very helpful from what I hear.
July 13th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
I used G diapers and I had the same thing happen, they would leak almost every time. I wanted them to work so bad because I love the idea. But I have also givin up and gone to cloth.
ps. I have read that a lot of people who do use g diapers and like them say they use prefolds or flat fits in them.
July 13th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Ultimately, it should be said that gDiapers actually INCREASE the amount of energy and waste in the end of the product. It will be “safely” flushed down the toilet, where it will go to the treatment facility. All the paper and other soild waste will then be filtered out, dried, and then taken to a landfill. In the end, you will have used more energy to reach the same destination as your other diapers would have been: the landfill.
On the up side, there are cloth diapers, which will allow you to have roughly 37% (treehugger.com) the footprint of the conventional diaper (which takes 200-500 years to degrade in a landfill). I can’t say for certain how long it takes a gDiaper to degrade in a landfill, but just that fact that it ends up there is disturbing.
Another route is compostable diapers, but you must not throw them in a landfill, because they only compost under normal compost conditions, not landfill conditions. Use a compost service, which can turn through large batchs of compost, as the average home compost pile cannot support all those diapers (around 6,000 on average from birth to toilet training).
Hope that helps!
July 14th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Joshua, thanks for the information about gDiapers ending up in the landfills; that’s good to know. An environmental advantage gDiapers have over regular disposables is that the waste gets processed by the sewer system. Many people (probably most people) who use disposables do not flush the waste down the toilet as per the instructions on the package. This contributes hazardous waste to our landfills, which then seeps into our water supply.
Also, gDiapers ARE compostable diapers. The unsoiled inserts can be home composted. Unlike regular disposables, they are not coated with plastic. So I think that environmentally, they are certainly better than normal disposbles.
July 15th, 2008 at 9:28 am
i have used gdiapers for a few months now (1 year old) and i only have leaks if i let them go too long. once the insert is saturated then it kind of bunches up and the pee has no where to go and then just runs down the leg. they have to be changed as often as cloth (more often than disposable). I started using them b/c my husband was not all about the cloth but was willing to compromise with these. the company is very helpful and propmt if you have any problems. overall i personally prefer an AIO cloth diaper (fuzzi bunz are our favorite!) but this is a good alternative to the traditional disposable for dads or caregivers who aren’t comfortable with cloth or for travelling. they are kind of expensive but you can reuse the outside and liners for other children.
July 21st, 2008 at 6:58 pm
I have been using g-diapers with cloth prefolds (we use the disposable inserts on trips and double up prefolds at night) on my 10 month old son for 9 months and we love them. The trick, change often, then there are no leaks. Yes we have had blowouts, but what’s that saying….oh yea, poo happens! I see that happening with both cloth and disposable.
My son gets around good in them and has never had diaper rash.
They get an A+ in our book!
August 4th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
I have been using g-diapers for several months. I agree, you do need to change them more often than disposable diapers. When we’re home I use a cloth prefold in place of the liner. The liners are only used when we’re out and about. The best part is that when we are out shopping or at a friends or traveling anywhere, we never have to worry about leaving a stink in someones garbage! Its WONDERFUL to never have to be embarrassed about the stink your baby leaves behind!
August 6th, 2008 at 8:00 am
I tried gDiapers and like so many people, experienced a lot of leaks. I then started putting some prefolds in that I had be using for burpies and they worked great and rarely leaked. I figured since I was using them so often that I might as well pick up some real cloth diaper covers (that way I can wash larger loads, I had only 2 gDiaper covers). I bought a few different cloth covers, but I don’t like any of them as much as I do the gDiaper covers. They are easier and have way less leaks.
August 14th, 2008 at 5:46 am
I just bought my first starter kit of g-diapers for my 17 month old. I have used disposable up until now, and my conscience has felt so guilty! I’m kinda pre-trialing these for some of my friends and sister who is pregnant with her first.
I really like them so far. They are easier to clean up than my cloth diaper experience 8 years ago. My daughter seems comfortable in them. Her bowel movements are very routine, so it is easy for me to change her before there is a problem, and my husband is fine with using them if I preload them.
I think I will use the cloth insert idea I read here for mornings when I know there should be no poo to clean up. I’m definitely going to buy some for my sister, and recommend them to my friends as a great alternative to disposable. Thanks for the tip on covers at consignment shops. I will check some next time I am in the city.
August 29th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
My son is now four months old and we have been using G-diapers while he is at home, and chlorine-free for caregivers. I preload for my hubby, too- we both think the covers are super cute.
I must say that I did have some issues in the beginning since my son was a little small for them at first. Once I got the hang of it and he bulked up a little, it was pretty easy to do. I bought the starter and one extra cover- I would just rinse out the liners and dry them in the sun for next time. It held most of his breastmilk blowouts, but occasionally leak on the inside of the covers. I have only had them really leak once. I will now be getting a the mediums as he is getting bigger. They work really well for night-time, too- I just fold a second insert as suggested and he stays dry through the night.
The company is pretty cool, too. They send tons of coupons and info for you to give to other moms, and just sent me a cute canvas grocery bag. If you shop at Whole Foods they give 10% off if you buy four packs of the liners at a time.
August 31st, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Ugh! G Diapers! Gross! Politically, the company is not being up front, and is in the ‘green busiiness’ (so sad how it’s a catch phrase now) to make a buck! At the emotional expense of families. They are made in Vietnam, and the same factory that makes Nikes in China. How is that for eco friendly? Why can’t they pay local people in Oregon to make their diapers? Do people not need jobs there?
Then, sure, they are cute, but what does that matter when they do not compost, I’ve tested them, at 5 months they are still the same in my composter, they do not flush (in my toilets, sorry, my house is 100 years old)
Then, on top of that, the leaks were incredible! My daughter was waking up, and thereby everyone in the house up because she was waking up with a soaking, exploded diaper. And, based on all of the accounts of so many many people experiencing the flooded, exploded g’s, did they not test them? Can they not improve them? My daughter also had terrible rashes with g’s that she did not have with cloth or disposables. After 5 months, and a lot of money, we gave up on g and donated them. P.S I WAS TOLD BY G DIAPERS CUSTOMER SERVICE TO USE A DISPOSABLE DIAPER AT NIGHT, OR TO DOUBLE UP THE INSERTS! ECO FRIENDLY? Disappointed all around!
August 31st, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Jessica, that is interesting to hear that the gDiaper inserts are not properly composting, as that seemed to be one of the main environmental advantages of gDiapers. I find it interesting that gDiapers use superabsorbent polymers (SAP) just like conventional diapers. This is a petroleum product–yet supposedly it is harmless in your home garden compost. This sounds suspicious to me, but perhaps someone with a background in chemistry can explain how this works.
Thanks to everyone who has commented on the effectiveness and putative eco-friendliness of gDiapers so far! Keep the comments coming!
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:53 pm
I love the gdiapers covers, but we are using them with cloth. I have used the gdiaper inserts and have not had any trouble with leaks, but at the medium size. We experienced leaks in the beginning (sz sm) and with the older style of pants. Now, the only cloth setup I have used that does not leak is the prefold/flat stuffed in the gdiaper.
Rebecca - to comment on the SAP (I;m a chemistry teacher)
diapers are made up of sodium polyacrylate as the SAP. Currently, sodium polyacrylate is being used and is approved to be used in the soils surrounding plants grown commercially(it is huge in agriculture, I have even used it in my home gardens in the past). The SAP absorbs water in the soils and holds it in place around plants. It has greatly reduced the amount of irrigation necessary in drier areas, as water is much better retained in the soils rather than evaporating or flowing through soil to the groundwater table. Thus, it does have some environmental benefits in terms of reducing water consumption. However, some environmental chemists/biologists are skeptical about how safe the compound is, due to the fact as with all chemicals, it does enter the water supply. It is unclear if the polymer is filtered/processed out by water treatment centers. It is known that even the teeniest grains of polymer do expand significantly when placed in water (I’ve observed 20-50 times their size in the pure form, the novelty kids toys made of this stuff tend not to grow as much). So, for this green mom, jury is out. I will say, that I have reconsidered putting this in my garden. Unfortunately, I had the best vegetables the year that I used it.
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Wow, Rebecca, that is excellent information about SAP. I had no idea that it was used for agricultural purposes. I wonder if gDiaper-composters are finding that they need less water on their gardens with their SAP-enriched compost. This would actually be a problem in the Pacific NW–I wouldn’t want to flood my crops!
September 12th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
I started using gDiapers last spring with my then- 15 month old daughter and enjoyed them immensely at first for all the obvious reasons–they’re super cute, and I felt like I was doing something good. I bought some microfiber cloth inserts from BumGenius which fit well inside the liners and made it sort-of cloth diaper. It got to be annoying to assemble the whole package, though–find a clean liner, snap in all four snaps, fit in a microfiber cloth, and top with rice paper (since microfiber shouldn’t go directly against baby’s skin). Too much work. A cousin gave me a set of Fuzzi Bunz which are much simpler. Last week I brought the gDiapers out again to give them a try (I’ve had them for 8 months now) and have noticed that the liners leak like a sieve. Not leaking out the side of the leg, but they are simply not waterproof anymore. The minute she pees or poops, the whole pant is soaked. So disappointing! I checked the website and it states under FAQs that the liner is coated with waterproofing, like a jacket, and this waterproofing only lasts 6 months. I wish I would have known this before I invested in 6 additional diapers! I emailed customer service to see if there is anyway to restore the waterproofing, and they suggested I buy more liners ($5 for 2), which will again only last for 6 months. My recommendation is to just go for cloth (Fuzzi Bunz or Bum Genius)–much easier and less maintenance.
October 2nd, 2008 at 1:41 pm
I think the gDiaper is a great invention. I mean think about how many diapers are used everyday, then thrown into the trash. Think about how much trash that is going into our landfills. The fact that the gDiaper is biodegradable makes these a great option for those that care about the environment.
October 5th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
We got a starter kit as a shower gift. They are super cute, and fit well, but they are a disaster with poops (we have a 3 month old, breastfed baby). My cloth diapers don’t ever leak out the top/sides like these do. The liners and the pants get dirty, and the liners aren’t washing clean either. We’ll retire them once we go through the starter pack. Wished they worked better—they’re a great idea for traveling with a cloth diaper babe.
October 29th, 2008 at 8:02 am
Love your blog. I know this is an older post but I just found you today and have been reading it backwards
Some friends of my parents used gDiapers until the second time they ended up paying a plumber to fix someone’s toilet - incidentally, my parent’s. They were here for a large party and the half bath used for the guests (about 70 of them) was clogged up when they tried to flush it. My parents ended up with toilet water everywhere in the middle of a party for their friends and clients. They had to send people upstairs to a different bathroom that hadn’t been stocked with extra supplies and it caused a huge amount of stress for both of them. The friends couldn’t applogize enough and when they came back the next year for the party, they were still embarassed and had switched entirely to cloth for their son and newborn daughter.
Not a personal experience, but I thought if someone came across this it would pay to know that flushing them at a friend’s house may not be a great idea!
December 7th, 2008 at 9:24 am
Here is a great site that compares out of pocket, how “green” the options are, and much more info. Hope it helps!!
http://www.our365.com/Wisdom/Green%20Baby/How%20Green%20Is%20Your%20Diaper,-q-,.aspx#eco
December 14th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
I love gDiapers and have been using them for years. I discovered them when my oldest son was about a year and will admit that in the beginning I had some problems with leaks. I watched the how to use video on the gDiapers website and once I got them on him the right way, I never had a problem again. I have also used them with my now two-year-old from birth and recommend them to anyone I know. They are so great because it is so much more environmentally friendly than disposable and cloth diapers. And I feel they give a much better fit too.
I also want to respond to Joshua’s comments and say that the paper may get filtered out and sent to the landfill when the diapers are flushed, but it breaks down very quickly much unlike regular disposables. Disposables are made of plastic which is what causes them to stay intact in landfills for hundreds of years. gDiapers are plastic free so they breakdown in a matter of weeks.
December 14th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Great info! I will be starting after March and will let you know how it goes!
January 5th, 2009 at 11:14 am
I have been using these since my son was about a month old. We tried them when he was smaller than the recommended wieght and therefor a few leaks occurred. After that, there is NO OTHER product that I’ve found that works better! LOVE them!