SUSTAINABLE LAWRENCE: Mom finds green alternative to diapers

By Scott Bentivegna
   Melissa Clark of Lawrence has found a product called gDiapers that seems to be an environmentally-friendly alternative to plastic diapers. I caught up with Melissa recently and asked her a few questions about her experience with the diapers. Rebecca Abma, Melissa’s sister, was also kind enough to add her experiences to the article.
   Thanks for stopping by the Sustainable Lawrence booth at Community Day. You had mentioned that you use a product called “gDiapers”. Can you tell me a little more about what these are, and how they work?
   Melissa: gDiapers are flushable diapers that biodegrade into the water. They are an alternative to using disposable diapers, and cloth diapers.
   I saw that the two parts you had with you; the outer cotton pant and the inner liner. How do these stay on the baby or toddler?
   Melissa: There is a Velcro pant that gets strapped on the back then inside the pant is the cotton liner and disposable diaper.
   Do they have different sizes? Can the pant and liner sizes be different?
   Melissa: There are two sizes (of flushies) – small up to 16 pounds and medium/large 17-34 pounds. I think the liners are the same size as the pants.
   Rebecca: The pants come in three sizes; small, medium and large. The liner and flushies come in two sizes: small and medium/large.
   I can’t help wondering if there are issues with fit. It seems that typical diapers come in a large range of sizes. How good a fit have you found these to be?
   Melissa: The gDiapers are a good size because of the elastic band on the back. They adjust for when the baby grows.
   Rebecca: Sometimes fit can be an issue, and nighttime can be especially rough for leaks, that is part of why I went to cloth for the overnights.
   Do the two parts make it more difficult to change the baby?
   Melissa: I don’t feel like it takes more time to change the baby as disposables would take. I would say about the same amount of time.
   How often do you have to wash the cotton pant?
   Melissa: I have four cotton pants and change them once a day unless it gets wet.
   So, once the kid is changed, what do you do with the liner?
   Melissa: I can either flush the liner or just throw it away. If you throw it away it will biodegrade in 90 days instead of 500 years like disposable diapers take.
   If the diapers can be flushed, composted or tossed, which do you do and why?
   Melissa: I have been flushing and tossing them. I am just a little worried that it might clog the drains so I toss some of them.
   According to the Web site, how long does a traditional diaper last in a landfill, as compared to the gDiaper?
   Melissa: Disposable diapers last 500 years in a landfill and gDiapers will biodegrade in 90 days.
   What prompted you to look at gDiapers? How did you find their Web site?
   Melissa: My sister recently had her first child who just turned a year old. She found out about them and give me the cloth pants because her child just grew out of the old version so she passed them along to me.
   Rebecca: I would just add for me, I found them because my son had a horrible diaper rash that wouldn’t go away and my doctor suggested trying chlorine free diapers
   Did you consider other brands of “green” diapers?
   Melissa: We tried the chlorine-free diapers. They were OK but I feel a lot better about using the gDiapers.
   How long have you been using gDiapers? What did you do before then?
   Melissa: We have been using them off and on for three weeks now. My sister has been using them for seven months. I was using disposable diapers which I used for our first child all the time.
   How would you compare the cost of gDiapers versus traditional plastic?
   Melissa: The starter kit was about $20 which gave you two pants, four liners, and about 15 flushable liners. The next package with just the flushable liners are $12.99 for 32 liners. Once you have the starter kit the prices are not that much different from disposable diapers.
   Some people recommend using cloth diapers? Is this something you considered and if so, is there a reason you choose not to use these?
   Melissa: Cloth diapers would be just too much time and commitment that we are not ready to do.
   Have there been any issues with leakage or quality, or other surprises that you wish you knew before hand?
   Melissa: So far so good.
   If someone were interested in buying these, where could they go to get them?
   Melissa: You can either get them from the Web site or locally Wegmans or Whole Foods both sells them.
   Rebecca: You can also buy them at some Babies-R-Us stores and of course on the gDiapers Web site (www.gDiapers.com).
   If the readers have a question, where is the best place to get more information?
   Melissa: I would go to the Web site (www.gdiapers.com) which is very user friendly.
   Rebecca: There’s also a Yahoo group for more information and a lot of helpful moms on there to problem solve.
   Anything else you can think of to tell someone who is looking to choose between plastic, cloth and gDiapers?
   Melissa: I think you just need to make the right choice for your family. We never tried gDiapers with our first child and then when my sister recommended trying gDiapers out we were open to trying it out. I tried to recycle and take care of the earth. I want the same place for my children to grow up in like I had growing up.
   Find further information at www.sustainablelawrence.org. Contact Sustainable Lawrence at 609-895-1629 with questions or suggestions for additional eco-tips.