Comments on Crunchy Chicken: gDiapers - Plugging up the shitter

Even if you toss them rather than flush them they&...

2010-03-08T15:34:42.983-08:00

Even if you toss them rather than flush them they're more eco friendly than disposable diapers. Regular sposies are estimated to take around 500 years to finally break down and gDiapers break down in 90 days. We alternate...when home we use cloth (wahm gFlappers made out of bamboo) and when we're out and about we use the disposable inserts (which we toss).

We've used cloth for both kids. Before gDiaper...

2009-12-07T12:50:04.038-08:00

We've used cloth for both kids. Before gDiapers were around, the only time we used disposables on kid #1 was when we were traveling. But I found gDiapers to be a great alternative to disposables when traveling with kid #2. The liners and covers were easy to wash in a hotel sink (and dried fast). But we stopped flushing them after having a few issues with our own plumbing. Now kid #2 is potty trained by day and only wears a (cloth) diaper at night. Yay! Also, we've never used a diaper service. I found that 2 loads a week were all that was necessary, so no biggie. The key is to get enough diapers to make full loads (better efficiency) and have enough to diaper with while you have a load in. We also used all-in-ones in daycare. If it seems like I have alot to say about cloth diapers, it's because I do! In fact, I wrote a whole booklet on the different options. Feel free to email me to request it (it's free). dawnDOTsDOTmartinATgmailDOTcom

We used mostly cloth with our first daughter and a...

2009-12-05T17:09:17.211-08:00

We used mostly cloth with our first daughter and although much cheaper, it was a heck of a lot of work. (We don't have access to a service here.) With my 9 month old twins I've been using disposables because there's no way I could manage the cloth in addition to the usual chaos of three kids three and under. The disposables are infinitely easier for me but I still cringe everytime I throw them in the bin. Thanks for posting this about the g diapers-- I've been feeling guilty for not buying them because of their reputation for being somewhat earth-friendly.

and to second Rob - everyone who ever flushes ever...

2009-12-05T10:38:24.428-08:00

and to second Rob - everyone who ever flushes everything should read Barbara Outwater's really wonderful book, Water.

It's about north american ecosystems, will teach you more about beaver than you ever imagined, and is great on wetlands & buffalo too - but she started out a treatment plant engineers and her page-long rant about tampon applicators in the sewage system are CLASSIC.

Any solids you put into the system up the amount of chlorine & other chemicals they have to use to kill germs. Period. Totally aside from whether it clogs up your pipes.

1 child, 90% cloth, with disposables when he was t...

2009-12-05T10:32:28.461-08:00

1 child, 90% cloth, with disposables when he was tiny (preemie, cloth diapers we had were too big), when we were traveling, or for emergency out-of-diapers situations.)

Ruchi - for me, the cloth were WAY easier as long as I was home with him, but there are no childcare centers that do cloth that are near my home - once I started working, we wanted him in a licensed center and the only one that would handle cloth we would have had to drive to, which is dumb (we mostly walk to the daycare - it's half a mile from home.)

The other thing for us was that as soon as he started wearing disposables (18 months) he much, much preferred them - the cloth ones wadded up between his legs & he didnt' like them. We had poo pockets, and I wanted to try making some with narrower crotch areas, but I'm not the person around here who sews, so it never happened.

Cloth\washed and hung out on the line...or in the ...

2009-12-04T11:00:45.295-08:00

Cloth\washed and hung out on the line...or in the basement in winter....just call me eco-mama. At the time I was just plain too poor to do anything else so don't need any pats on the back!

Know nowadays many moms have kids in daycare and they require disposables.

We have a septic system and then only thing that goes down our pipes is TP and what toliets were made for. Our hope this summer is to build an outhouse,yes, an outhouse as we are outdoors so much and hate to stop and track our messes thru the house to use the BR. DEE

One more comment then I will shut up: Septic Syste...

2009-12-04T09:49:57.642-08:00

One more comment then I will shut up: Septic Systems (at least here) end up in a sewage treatment plant- (ever wonder where the magical pump truck that pumps out your septic tank takes the waste- the sewage treatment plant!)

Cloth with n#1 (I love baby diaper service!!) and ...

2009-12-03T18:56:12.323-08:00

Cloth with n#1 (I love baby diaper service!!) and cloth during the day, disposables at night/away from home with the other two. I tried to rationalize that my impact was minimized because all 3 of my kids (girls) potty trained before they hit 2 years old.

Mostly cloth, I thought they did a better job.

2009-12-03T14:15:02.156-08:00

Mostly cloth, I thought they did a better job.

With baby #1 we used regular disposable diapers. F...

2009-12-03T14:13:59.659-08:00

With baby #1 we used regular disposable diapers. For baby #2 we have been using cloth diapers exclusively since he was a week or so old (after the dreaded meconium period was over). We started with a diaper service, and then moved to washing our own.

I am happy with cloth diapers, and feel that they are the best compromise for me in terms of cost and environmental impact. Nothing is completely neutral, of course, so we're just making the best choices we can for our situation.

I am intrigued by what @Beth says regarding G-diap...

2009-12-03T13:15:52.149-08:00

I am intrigued by what @Beth says regarding G-diapers, the swish stick and them breaking down. We were gifted a box of G-diapers when our son was born and so I used them: my only complaint is that a few diapers started to breakdown when he was still wearing them! I also swish sticked them and they did indeed break down, so if entire diapers are ending up in the system, folks must not be using them right.

We used cloth diapers from day one with my son, except when travelling (we did take them on a few overnight trips, but not plane trips). This summer we switched to disposables as we moved and stayed with my parents for 5 weeks, but we also started potty training at that time and so he now wears one disposable per day at night time only.

Also, @Farmer's Daughter, the cloth laundry is really not bad. One load of laundry ever 48 hours is nothing compared with the laundry you will do as a result of spit up on shirts and or leaks and or food or dirt on clothes! And, if you are concerned, maybe do a diaper service for the first 3 months. Prefolds are super easy to use and wash. With our next kid I think I will do prefolds with snappi closures for the entire time.

With that said, I think I am the ONLY person I know who dumps poopy disposables (the poop part) in the toilet, before wrapping the diaper up for disposal in the trash.

Forget diapers alltogether! My kid pees and poos d...

2009-12-03T12:53:41.512-08:00

Forget diapers alltogether! My kid pees and poos direcly on my lawn outside. Of course, my kid is a dog but now you're just quibbliing with details.

I was a cloth diaper kid, with safety pins! Not velcro. But I think my mom used disposables when we traveled.

we looked at g-diapers when considering cloth, and...

2009-12-03T12:14:21.982-08:00

we looked at g-diapers when considering cloth, and i have to say: why would you go with them? there are SO MANY FABULOUS cloth options out there! we love our kissaluvs, and there are AIO, pre-folds, etc etc etc. there are one-size, multi-size, pocket, etc. Ours have gone through 2 kids and as they younger is outgrowing them, we're giving away and selling the too-small.
there's just no good reason to use the gDiapers. as somebody else mentioned, if you don't want to touch the poopy to send it down the toilet, you can always use a diaper liner, which have the same impact as toilet paper.

Very interesting about gDiapers. I looked into th...

2009-12-03T11:36:46.123-08:00

Very interesting about gDiapers. I looked into them but for the expense I'd rather buy reusable cloth.

DD wore disposables until I became obsessed with cloth when she was almost 2. Then she did a combination of prefolds, flats, and finally pockets (stuffed with flats, not microfiber) until potty training (with washable trainers) at 33 months. DS started in disposables for a few weeks and then went to prefolds, and is now in pockets (since DD is no longer wearing them). We'll probably do the same if/when we have a third.

I wash them myself every other day with a top-loader purchased used (and super-cheap) just for diapers. Yes, it uses more water than our front-loader but they just weren't getting clean otherwise. I figure I still use way less water than a diaper-making factory. I dry them on the line in warm weather. I use Planet and occasionally peroxide bleach.

For trips we often take the cloth and the pail liner, but if it's more than one nite the bag gets a little rank. This xmas we're taking disposables - might try an eco brand.

I've heard a waste official from Portland say ...

2009-12-03T11:34:00.879-08:00

I've heard a waste official from Portland say the exact same thing about gDiapers. They are a nightmare for the already overtaxed sewage system! Boo.

We used disposables for the first 2 months until h...

2009-12-03T11:05:23.057-08:00

We used disposables for the first 2 months until he was big enough to fit into the one size cloth pocket diapers we bought. They are super easy to use - velcro on just like a disposable - the only extra step is putting an insert into the pocket. You can put two in for extra absorbancy for nights, etc. The laundry isn't bad - we're washing enough clothes anyway due to spit up, etc that I pretty much have to do one load a day and just alternate diapers and clothes. Of course, I hang everything to dry.

"The biodegradability and compatibility with ...

2009-12-03T10:24:52.638-08:00

"The biodegradability and compatibility with both septic tank and main sewage systems enables them to be used in the manufacture of disposables. Recent trials have shown that in the sludge digestion plant where sludge is held for about 3 weeks for cleanup and stabilization prior to disposal, the rayons biodegrade totally within a week."

http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/Cellulose/Rayon-Fiber.htm

gDiapers says right on their website that you are ...

2009-12-03T10:09:35.092-08:00

gDiapers says right on their website that you are only supposed to compost the pee diapers. You use a handy little swish stick after tearing down the sides of the gDiaper and it is literally just like toilet paper and breaks up before your eyes. Check out the video: http://www.gdiapers.com/gdiapers101/watch-the-videos

Perhaps the Vancouver study is based on actual use of the diapers which maybe some lazy folks out there are not tearing them down the side and swishing them properly which I could see causing problems, but I honestly don't see the tampon vs gDiapers logic. They are completely different. I wonder if the waste treatment plant reps have actually seen a gDiaper or are just stating the nothing but toilet paper and waste argument, because the gDiaper is cellulose which is plant and so is toilet paper.

Also, the "not worth the expense" is misleading too. More expensive than one - disposables? Anyone interested in gDiapers knows that the cost of disposables is much higher in the long run for everyone. gDiapers are really relatively comparable in price after the initial investment in the cloth covers and you have to pay for garbage around here. We compost the pee diapers and flush the poo ones and we don't have fantastic water pressure. You can even flush them with a septic system.

No, I'm not a sales rep, just a tried and true frequent user of gDiapers. By all means, cloth is far superior for the environment and your budget but gDiapers is an awesome in-between.

We used cloth with both of our kids, except when t...

2009-12-03T10:07:14.674-08:00

We used cloth with both of our kids, except when travelling and for daycare, which required disposables. We washed them ourselves and line dried them whenever possible.

We used one set of cloth diapers for both kids and then handed them down to someone else. Even after two kids, they were in fine shape.

Disposable diapers are easier in one way, at the moment you're changing them. But they're not easier in the long term, given that they're still likely to be in the landfill when our children's children are born.

We use cloth, I bought one-size diapers so I didn&...

2009-12-03T09:42:03.421-08:00

We use cloth, I bought one-size diapers so I didn't have to worry about them growing out of them. I was myself every other day and its not so bad. We just switched to disposable at night, just couldn't find a cloth solution that worked.

Here's the deal: You're supposed to empty ...

2009-12-03T08:59:51.315-08:00

Here's the deal: You're supposed to empty poop from disposable diapers into the toilet. It says so on the package.

So why not just dunk a cloth diaper in the toilet in the first place? Use a flushable liner if poopy hands upset you too much.

We use Kissaluvs fitted diapers.

regular single use paper diapers (there is no such...

2009-12-03T07:12:24.370-08:00

regular single use paper diapers (there is no such thing as disposable garbage) switched to cloth when he was a toddler for child #1. Paper single use diapers for child #2, switched to cloth when he was a toddler. Child #3, cloth all the way, diaper service at first then washing our own. Child #4 and child #5 were also cloth diapers all the way. We did get the ocasional week of diaper service at the grandparents house while visiting when we had several in diapers.
We did at least one long distance driving trip with our van and the diaper pail. We also camped with kids in cloth diapers.

I don't mind doing laundry, had 4 kids under 6 so lots of laundry was a given. IMO, it's the same as using cloth menstrual pads, you have to have enough and then you get in the routine.
Some of the boys were potty trained early and some were later.
You didn't mention the elimination method which is gaining in popularity and means many less if any at all diapers.

Diapers are a thing of the past now I wash cloth pads for my daughter and myself instead:)

I used cloth during the day (washing it myself) an...

2009-12-03T06:38:18.783-08:00

I used cloth during the day (washing it myself) and disposable Moltex at night (so she can get 12 hours straight without feeling too wet). When we started daycare at 12 months, we had to use disposable all day (but we are still using cloth during the weekends).
It takes more time to put on a cloth diaper because there are two steps (the diaper and the cover), but they now sell cloth diapers all-in-one so it should be the same as the disposable. I don't mind the washing.

Glad you posted this. I asked the director of ope...

2009-12-03T05:43:49.789-08:00

Glad you posted this. I asked the director of operations at the wastewater treatment plant my class visits every year about gDiapers (about a year and a half ago) and he said the same thing, NO!!!!!! Don't flush anything but toilet paper and waste. Had to say the kids in my class were appalled that everything labeled "flushable" like tampons/applicators and wipes would be sold under false pretenses. Ah, intro to how advertizing works :)

I'm considering gDiapers for our baby, but I'd NEVER flush them, since we haven an engineered septic system that cost us upwards of $30,000 when we built our house. Yeah, I'm not screwing with that! I need to look into the cost of gDiapers vs. other biodegradable diapers and that will help me decide. Also, local availability is important.

I'm pretty sure I've ruled out cloth diapers because of the increase in laundry. Anything that increases how much laundry I have to do it a huge negative in my book. (Kind of like how the lack of bottles to wash is a huge pro for breastfeeding, to me).

cloth diaper service 95% of time with 1st child, ...

2009-12-03T05:36:49.547-08:00

cloth diaper service 95% of time with 1st child, 2nd child got rash with cloth, tried washing myself with all types of detergent etc. with no luck so switched to disposables. As long as I stuck to a generic brand had no problems with rash.