To toss, flush or wash...That is the question...
My younger sister runs a daycare and is expecting her third child. Tonight we had a discussion about diapers, and if anyone knows diapers, she does. Carter is only 5 months and I never really babysat so I defer to experts here. I've been reading about different types of diapers out there and although I would love to be greener and do my part in making the world a better place for my children and future generations, I have to admit that chucking the Pampers Swaddlers into my Diaper Champ and calling it a day is pretty easy.
But it's still expensive. Diapers run upwards of $0.20 each. Carter doesn't complain when he's wet or dirty, but that doesn't give me permission to let him sit in it. So we change him. That's the right thing to do, right? I'd be curious to know how often other parents change their babies. We go through 6-8 diapers a day. Is that normal?
Anyway, that wasn't my question. My question is: how hard is it to use these cloth diapers? And which one is the best? If you haven't looked into the new diapers out there, boy, you are in for a treat (yeah, pathetic that I think diaper shopping is now a treat, but any shopping makes the list since the little guy was born.)
They've done away with pins and all the old fashioned stuff that made them hard to use. And, these things are now a fashion statement!
For example, you know the stylized type "g" that Garth Brooks used as his logo? Well, there's these new "G-Diapers" that use the same "g" on the diaper and come in great colors. Boy, are these things cute!!! http://www.gdiapers.com/
Now despite being cute, these things DO require insert "refills" as they aren't cloth - they have flushable liners. That sounds good - unsnap, drop in the toilet, swish until dissolved and flush the smelly messy stuff right away and the plastic doesn't end up in the landfill! But...the liners are expensive. More than $0.40 each. That's double what the disposable diapers cost! But, there's no laundry (except for the outer diaper but not every change...maybe shell a day?) Oh, and they must have read an email from someone in my mom's group recently - she was begging for ideas on how to get her child to stop taking off his dirty diapers and smearing...it...all over her walls (the horror!) G-Diapers fasten IN THE BACK! Ha! Take that, terrible two!
Today I may have found the answer: BumGenius 3.0. http://www.bumgenius.com/ It's a one-size diaper (says it fits 7-35 lbs...hmmm...not sure how that will work but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt...)
The diapers are about the same price as the g's for the outer shell (about $18) and the liners run about $4 each...but they are meant to be washed for reuse. BumGenius has a 14-day return policy (my sister said...I have to verify) so if I don't like them, no harm done, right?
Now, I'll admit that I am NOT a nervous parent when it comes to exposing my baby to things. I washed his clothes in Dreft the first two weeks. I figured someone would report me for child abuse if I didn't. But that was a lot of work, so then I washed his clothes with our clothes in Dreft for another week or so. After about 4 weeks, his clothes were washed with ours in regular *gasp* scented detergent and he never had a rash or bumps or anything. He doesn't seem to mind, and neither do I. Now, the wash instructions on the BumGenius website are pretty...complicated. How much money will I save overall if I have to watch these inserts 3 TIMES?
So, my plan is: I will buy a starter pack of the g-diapers and a BumGenius 3.0 or two with some inserts and try them both out. I'll keep my Swaddlers nearby for when we are on the road or if I need added convenience. Or if I just decide the heck with all of this! But, if I am already spending about $45 a month on disposable diapers, I figure one-month investment to try to save the environment a little bit is worth my own sanity.
I'll report back. In the meantime, anyone have any suggestions or comments? I'll be bargain hunting this week before ordering...
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