Diaper Plan Revised

Are you tired of reading about cloth diapers yet? Sorry. I remember how little I cared about this topic until I really opened my mind to it. Now that I've dragged you into this, though, I feel obligated to keep you posted. Don't worry, I will move on to different topics soon :).

Even before receiving my new gDiapers in the mail, I've decided to return them. I love the concept and have heard great things about the brand, but one feature has kept nagging at me ever since I clicked "Purchase". As I mentioned in my last post, the gDiapers have a cloth cover (not waterproof), a snap-in plastic lining, and a stay-dry cloth (or disposable) insert. You can rinse out the plastic liner if it becomes soiled and re-use along with the cover.

Similarly, the Flip Hybrid (waterproof) cover can be wiped and reused with each diaper change. It's basically the same concept, except with fewer pieces...a waterproof cover (plus insert) versus a cloth cover and plastic lining (plus insert). Fewer pieces = More husband-proof (am I right?).

I originally decided on the gDiapers because I thought that their fitted sizes would give a less bulky appearance than the Flip's one-size design. After reading TONS of positive reviews, though, everyone seems to be raving about the Flip's trim appearance. In fact, I've read very few complaints about the Flip in general, while gDiapers tend to get mixed reviews.

I am going to dip my toe in the water by buying one "Day Pack" to start with ($49.95). It includes two covers and six cloth inserts, and if you order from www.cottonbabies.com, they will throw in a free pack of disposable inserts and free shipping. If I decide to stick with the Flip system, I'll just need to buy another Day Pack for the toddler and eventually two Day Packs for the new baby, with some additional inserts. This is one of the most affordable cloth diapering systems available.

A couple more advantages of Flip:

• The disposable inserts are cheap (remember, you choose whether to use a cloth or disposable insert. We'll use disposable inserts when traveling and possibly when I know Nick will be changing the next diaper, until he becomes more comfortable with cloth!). Flip disposable inserts are $0.28 each. The cheapo disposable diapers I currently use cost about $0.27 each. The gDiapers disposable inserts are $0.41 each if you buy a case.
• The Flip disposable inserts are "dye free, fragrance free, and the only disposable insert that has achieved Oeko-Tex certification", containing only 3g SAP (in other words, better for Baby and for the environment than regular disposables). They're also compostable, but I'm not sure if I trust my compost pile that much!
• Toddler and Baby will both be wearing the same diapers because of their one-size design. With gDiapers, I would have to organize my stash into small, medium, and large. Once Toddler is potty trained, Baby will have a huge stash of diapers all to himself, meaning less laundry for me.
• The Flip cover can be used with any type of insert, prefold, or fitted diaper underneath. Just in case we find that the Flip cloth insert (or two) is still not enough to last my 12-hour-sleeper through the night, I could always buy a few fitted diapers to use under the Flip cover (something like this Kissaluvs contour diaper):

So that's the new plan! I'll keep you posted, whether you like it or not :).