I walked into a trash can this weekend

Leaving Target, carrying the diaper genie elite in the box, I was reading the description and walked right into a trash can. Just one more misstep in the trials and tribulations of diaper disposal. When we found out we were expecting I asked around about the best way to dispose of diapers and from most people I heard that putting the diapers in a regular trash can and then tossing the bag daily outside is sufficient. So, I returned the diaper genie elite that we had registered for, along with all the special bags (which was the big downfall of the genie I heard) and bought the diaper pail instead. It takes regular bags but has a little piece that turns over so you don’t see the diapers.

Baby arrived and we started off with the diaper pail. Problem was you put the diaper in the top and turn the handle and you get poo on internal pieces that are impossible to wash. Howevere, in trying you put wipes in the top and find out that wipes get stuck somewhere in between and you have to pull them out, getting poo on your hands. So, the diaper pail went out the window.
Diaper Pail rating: Nissan Murano

We moved on to a large step trash can. After about 3 weeks of emptying it daily we noticed the smell remains and you see the pooy diapers every time you open it. So, the trash can went out the window.
Trash Can: Ford Focus

We moved on to the diaper genie. It was pricey so I chose the diaper genie II, rather than the  elite to save $10. It was good for lack of smell, but you have to open the lid (one hand opening, one hand holding baby on table, one hand holding diaper… wait that won’t work) and you have to push the diaper into the disposal by hand. Just one day with a baby will tell you that newborn poo gets everywhere. EVERYWHERE. Somehow you have it on both hands, up the wall, on your shirt and almost always on baby’s foot. Do you really want to be pushing it through a small opening by hand? So, the diaper genie II went out the window.
Diaper Genie II: Cadillac Escalade

We have worked our way from bottom to top. The Diaper Genie Elite has a step, is tall enough that I don’t have to bend down (I’m not lazy, I just want to be on the same level as my baby on the changing table) and has a mouth opening that opens each time I step on the step. Bingo. No smell, no touching or pushing poo, no residual poo on the receptacle.
Diaper Genie Elite: Aston Martin DB7

So, if you are looking to save money, don’t do what I did and avoid the special diaper bags. I spent approx $25 on each that did not work out and $30 on the Diaper Elite. $60 down the drain to save money.

The truth about cloth diapering (Gdiapers)

It’s been five weeks now of cotton diapering and we’ve graduated from xsmall to small and have also been supplementing with pampers sensitive that we got as a gift. Here’s the highly scientific findings:

1. disposables are much easier to carry in the diaper bag. Keep a small box around for that use.

2. gdiapers are much cuter on than pampers

3. gdiapers are much more cozy. Obviously I can’t speak for wearing them (they won’t fit, otherwise I’d try. Anything for science), but they seem more comfy and they are cozier when you hold the little one too.

4. Gdiapers are about $10 cheaper than pampers, but you have to watch where you buy – the shipping can ruin everything.Using the cloth inserts makes it much cheaper and messier.

5. Gdiapers are no more work than regular diapers until it comes to assembly. It takes 15 minutes to put all of ours together each laundry day, between the snap in liner and then the insert. But it’s for my baby and I’ll do almost anything for the little guy.

6. The gdiapers are bulkier so he’s pushing out of newborn clothes when he wears them. That’s not so bad though – not many people buy newborn clothes so we have a ton of 0-3 and 3 month outfits that I’m dying to get to!

7. Most importantly – the gdiapers leak less. For pee (especially at night when you avoid changing for fear of waking), the jammies aren’t wet, whereas the pampers will leak through and cause a change of clothes as well as change of diaper. And that means a waking and that can keep you up for hours. I’d actually pay more for the extra sleep. For poo, the g will hold it better but the change can be messier when it’s a blowout because you’re not tossing everything, so you have to handle the messy insert and sometimes you have to do a liner rinse or even the whole thing has to be rinsed. Once you’ve changed the baby a handful of times though, touching pee or poo is no biggie.

Overall, I prefer the Gs, but the cost difference is very little and they are slightly more work.

 

How to Save the World without Washing Diapers

I decided pretty early on that I wanted to do cotton diapering when I found out that diapers last at least 500 years in landfills (see my previous post), so I visited a cotton diapering store in St Louis while we were there to see how it was done. I took my mother in law. I walked out completely confused and she walked out thinking I was a looney tune. There were so many different versions of cotton diapers and all of them entailed wet pails and soaking of poopy diapers. I love the earth and all, but my gag reflex is stronger than superman (or weaker? Point is, I gag at poo.)

I did some research and found gdiapers. These are cotton diapers that do not entail washing of poo filled diapers (I’m sure there are some accidents and some leaks just like with disposables). Basically, they are these cute little diapers that you put a disposable insert into; when poo happens you can throw away the insert or… get this… FLUSH it!! They are biodegradable (you could even use them in compost if you were crazy like that!), they break down in just a matter of weeks and actually provide nutrients to the earth that help rather than hinder the world! Even the outer layer that you don’t toss is biodegradable. Here is a video from the nice folks at gdiapers showing exactly how their products break down. I can’t vouch for their use (I’m gonna feel like an idiot if they turn out to be terrible after all of these blogs!) quite yet, although they did fit the teddy bear very well when we tested, but the cat wouldn’t sit still long enough. I plan on giving cotton diapering a try and so did these celebs.

If you have any questions about gdiapers or cotton diapers in general, shoot me a message and I’ll do my best to find the answer for you.

Upcoming posts on this subject will include:
How to use gdiapers.
Cost analysis of gdiapers vs. disposables.
How to get ’em cheaper.