G-dipes: The Cadillac of bums.

Ok, for those of you who have asked how the g-diapers are faring, here is a brief chronicle:

First off, I didn't buy the newborn sizes b/c I never imagined I would have a baby that would fit into the newborn sizes. Skylar was 8.6 at birth and Grey was measuring bigger than her! However, being two weeks early, at 7.9, he would have fit the newborn dipes perfectly. :) It took a good three weeks before he was big enough for the size smalls that I have. And it wasn't a matter of how big his belly was, the issue was that his little thighs were too small. He has little chicken legs. :) However, even given that I had to wait a while to start, I still wouldn't have paid the asking price for a newborn bundle, b/c three weeks just wasn't long enough to justify the $150 price tag. Even with the 6 size smalls you get with them.

Currently, I have 16 shells, about 20 liners and 30 cloth inserts. I haven't used any of the disposable inserts, but I do have a pack of them. When we go out, I just take extra dipes and throw the used ones in a small wet bag to go with the rest of the laundry.

So, around 3 weeks, I started using the g-dipes and realized a few things off the bat:

1. I needed to get some cloth wipes. As all booty-changing people out there know, when you use a wipe on your babes bum, the most natural thing to do is wrap it up in the dirty dipe you just removed and throw them away together. Well, the same is true with cloth. However, its an icky-gooey mess to wrap up a disposable wipe in with a cloth diaper and then what? Go through the laundry and try to pick them all out? Nooo thanks. So, I did some research and got some cloth wipes, a wipes warmer and whipped up a batch of wipes solution. Now, I can throw both dipe and wipe in the wetbag to be laundered together. :) And, according to Ken's mom, Grey has the Cadillac of bums :) With a nice soft cloth wipe that smells like baby shampoo and is perfectly warmed to wipe his butt, he certainly doesn't complain at changing time anymore. p.s. I do use disposable wipes for the diaper bag. Its just too much fuss to worry about keeping cloth wipes and solution in the diaper bag at all times. I'm not exactly the Cadillac of moms here...

2. The fit is key. In order to get maximum protection, I really have to make sure that the g-dipe is perfectly positioned on his bum. Sometimes, the cloth insert will get bunched up on one side of the liner and when he pees, it just goes straight through. Its especially not fun when he is nursing and all of a sudden my side gets very warm... I reach down hesitantly and sure enough, there's a big wet spot. :( I have to make sure that the insert stays flat when I pull up the front of the diaper or else I will be changing both dipe and clothes in a few minutes time. Usually, once I am assured of a good fit, there are no problems.

3. I have no more (and no fewer) "accidents" than I did with disposables. Especially with Grey. In the first few weeks when we used disposables, we had constant issues with them falling off of his butt. Literally. We would put a diaper on him, and sure enough within an hour, the back would have slid down so that he was showing crack. It happened time and again, no matter how tight we strapped them on, how high we pulled them up, nada. And that is obviously not an exceptional coverage method, let me tell you!

4. They are more work. And I don't mean the laundry, cause seriously, what is one more extra load when you have to do laundry for four people!! The extra work with the g-dipes comes after the laundry is done and I have to sit there and snap in the liners and then put in the inserts. I usually do this after they are washed before putting them back in his changing table, b/c it is much easier to just grab a ready diaper out to put on instead of having to put it all together as I'm changing the current one.

5. I was wrong in thinking that the shell would stay clean most of the day. Nope. Instead, I'm lucky if they make it through one change, much less two or more. Typically, the insert, liner and shell all have to be changed.

6. They aren't made of the best material. Some of velcro on the g-dipes has already come off and I will have to sew it back on before I can use them again.

7. They hold up much better than I thought they would overnight. I just double up on the inserts and they hold up great! I have yet to have a blowout overnight- which was a constant thing with disposables. :)

So, overall, as long as I keep up the laundry and am assured of a good fit, I really like the g-dipes and will continue to use them as he gets older. But, I do wonder how they add up to other cloth diapering systems...