I’m excited to say that we’ve been using BumGenius cloth diapers now for several weeks with Little Sir, and it is going well. I’ve discovered I do need to use extra inserts during the night to avoid leaks, and that I really shouldn’t go more than 2-3 hours without changing to prevent diaper rash and leaks, but those things are do-able.

We did have to use gel-free, chlorine-free disposables for the first 2-3 weeks when Little Sir was still too small for cloth. During this time, I had several people ask me if I had considered gDiapers as an alternative. I had heard about gDiapers, but I have to admit that I was put off by the price. Just this week, I was given a leftover starter kit from Chirky, whose daughter outgrew the small size before she was able to use them. With the price barrier removed, I was excited to try them!

gDiapers are a hybrid of cloth and disposable, they are similar to prefolds in that they have a vinyl washable cover, but the insert is flushable or compostable (compostable with pee only – never compost human waste). The starter kit comes with 2 covers and some inserts, plus a stick that is used for stirring the insert in your toilet so that it disintegrates completely. I would recommend visiting their site for more information on their environmental impact.

There is a lot of controversy out there regarding where gDiapers fall on the scale of environmental impact, though. I first read about it in this excellent post, which points out that although the inserts are flushable or biodegradeable it is also important to consider the manufacturing cost of the covers and the amount of water used to flush. What’s interesting is that the owner/creator of gDiapers chimes in on the post in the Comments. I think it’s a great discussion.

So far, I rate the gDiapers as “fun”. They work a lot like pocket cloth diapers, operationally. I haven’t had any leaks. The fun part is that you rip the liner in half and stick it into the toilet – I think it is fun to watch it completely dissolve into nothing! One disclaimer: Little Sir’s room is what was originally the guest room in our house, so it actually has its own private bathroom. Therefore, the changing table is about 2 steps from a toilet, making it really easy for me to flush the liners. I could see how this might be more problematic for someone who might need to walk a ways to get to a toilet.

As for how it looks, I like that the gDiapers are less bulky than BumGenius (no offense, BumGenius, I still love you). I think they look nice and streamlined. I hear you can get gDiapers in various patterns, but I am not that picky about those.

For us, we have already invested in cloth so we will definitely keep using cloth for the majority of our diapering. But, I think the gDiapers are fun and I might consider using them when I am waiting for my cloth diapers to dry or when we are going out somewhere or traveling. I wouldn’t say they would be 100% great for traveling because you’d still have to carry them around with you until you found a toilet, which I imagine would still require carrying a wet bag. But I carry a wet bag anyway for cloth diapering, so that’s no trouble.

I give them a thumbs up! And gDiapers people…if you happen to read this…I can always use coupons!! Or samples. Or would host a giveaway!