We are in what we HOPE is the last stage of potty training. Jayden is at the point where if he even gets a little tinkle on his training pant, he doesn’t want to wear it anymore! It’s so frustrating because we are TIRED of buying and wasting training pants! Ultimately, what we want is to be able to trust him in his “unnies”. But for some reason, when he wears them, they cause him to regress.

To cut down on purchasing training pants, we still use cloth diapers. After all, they are supposed to encourage potty training since they don’t separate the moisture from the bum and diaper. And what kid wants to walk around with a wet bottom? In addition to cloth diapers, we’ve been using a cloth training pant sent to us by Charlie Banana. Their absorbent training pants are made of organic cotton and fit like a comfy pair of underwear. They aren’t quite “unnies” but Jay still feels like a big boy while wearing them. They are a little thicker than I had imagined, but I guess I should consider that larger accidents do occur. As for price, I am unsure. There is one listed on eBay for $15.99. Since it is made of organic cotton, it is a tad pricey.

In addition to the training pant, Charlie Banana also sent over a 2 in 1 One Size Orbit diaper. It is one of my favorite cloth diapers, not because of its cool spaceship design, but for how it fits. It hugs around Jayden’s thighs perfectly (to contains leaks) and is sort of low rise so it doesn’t go all up his back. The leg elastics are adjustable to fit leaner or chunkier legs. Another neat feature of the 2 in 1 One Size diaper is the front flap opening for easy access to washable or disposable inserts. Charlie Banana includes not one, but two reusable inserts.

Charlie Banana 2 in 1 One Size diapers are are designed with a series of aplix snaps (I prefer these over velcro) so that I can get the perfect fit according to the width of Jayden’s waist. The one size diapers fit newborn up to toddler, so when we’re done with it, we can put it away for the next baby. Charlie Banana diapers retail for $19.99, which is not bad considering that they are well made and come with two inserts.

Charlie Banana carries other diapering essentials such as cloth wipes and mattress pads, and feminine care products such as cloth panty liners and nursing pads. And you can get their products at common retailers like Target, Amazon, and BabiesRUs.com. Charlie Banana will donate a percentage of all sales worldwide to Operation Smile, so you can feel confident knowing your purchases will make a difference.

© Sophistishe 2011 | Permalink | 3 comments - Let's chat!

I’ve gotten quite a few questions about gDiapers, so I’ve decided to share my experience with them.

I had been infatuated with gDiapers for quite some time, but I couldn’t justify the price of buying cloth diaper covers and disposable inserts that may not even flush properly down our toilets. I didn’t understand combining both disposable and cloth. It’s one or the other. I thought I may as well continue using cloth diapers with cloth inserts and Seventh Generation disposables. The disposables weren’t biodegradable or flushable, but they were easy on my little guy’s bum and the price was right.

A friend of mine had mentioned using cloth inserts with her gDiapers, so I figured I’d give them a try with cloth inserts if I could get a good deal on the little gPants. I wandered onto the gDiapers Facebook Fan page. Low and behold, they were having a competition where participants were issued a personalized $30 off discount code. Participants who generated the most sales won products from gDiapers; there was also a grand prize trip thrown in the mix.

By using one of the participant’s codes, I was able to purchase the large everyday g’s six-pack, which was on sale for $70 (still is), for $40 excluding shipping! What a deal, what a deal. Since gDiapers were all out of cloth inserts, I purchased a 6 pack of med/lg cloth inserts from Cottonwood Baby‘s Ebay store. I chose to purchase from her Ebay Store because shipping was $2.50 cheaper.

So I’ve been using gDiapers with cloth inserts on and off since last July. Not because there’s anything wrong with them, but because disposables keep making their way into our house and Greg prefers them over cloth.

So lets take a look at one of our gDiapers gPants and a cloth insert.

GPants are like little cotton under pants with plenty of room for baby to breathe and little room for blowouts to escape. There’s a removable snap-in nylon liner that attaches to the gPant which keeps the gPant from getting soiled. If you’re lucky, you can swap the liners and inserts each change and continue using the gPant. If we end up with a soiled liner, I just toss it in the wash with the gPant and insert.

The cloth inserts that I purchased from Cottonwood Baby consists of three absorbent layers of organic hemp/cotton fabric topped with a layer of “stay dry” fleece. I fold them 1/3 down, then I insert the insert into the liner, blue stitching facing up.

Since the cloth inserts are part hemp, they were a bit stiff when they arrived. After boiling for 15 minutes and washing numerous times (it can take a total of 8), they softened up and started to absorb better. We mainly gDiaper during the day, but we have used them overnight a few times. I’d advise doubling up on the inserts for overnight use.

Strapping the gPants on is a little awkward, but the design works well for babies who like to rip their diapers off. Unlike traditional cloth and disposable diapers, you strap around to the baby’s backside, so the side with the letter “g” sits on the bum.

So there you have it, my experience with gPants and cloth inserts. I think they are cool, literally. They are a less bulky alternative to cloth diapers. And you can reuse the gPants instead of having to toss the entire diaper after a pee or poop.

If you’ve collected all of the current gPants or if you’re looking for a more unique pattern choice, there’s an Etsy seller who makes mock gDiapers; there’s even a tutorial on Baby Center so that you can make your own!

Have any questions or commentary? Leave them in the comments :).

gDiapers everyday g’s 6-pack: Retails for $101.94, now on sale for $70. I bought mine for $40 using $30 discount code. Shipping to my location was $9.66 via Fedex.

6pk med/lg cloth inserts @ Cottonwood Baby’s Ebay Store: $27.50 + $6.45 USPS shipping

6pk med/lg cloth inserts @ Cottonwood Baby’s Ecommerce Store: $27.50 + $8.95 USPS shipping

© Sophistishe 2010 | Permalink | 6 comments - Let's chat!