Uh oh, false marketing on G diapers!!!??????? - Page 9

[Pepperdove]

nak

neither here nor there -
i tried gdiapers, liked them ok for traveling but prefer my cloth.
when i called the company to ask a question, i got kim, one of the owners on the phone. she just happened to be answering phones. it was great. we talked for a really long time. they had recently moved the company and their family from australia to portland, or to try and make their business work on a larger scale. she said it was insane but things were looking up. she was friendly, kind, helpful, and super nice.

let's remember that we are talking about people, not evil empires. they may have different ideas, opinions, points of view than you do. but they still want their kids to be provided for. they sill are searching for happiness. and they are working really hard for something they believe in.

compassion is what will save us all. please try not to hate these nice people.

[Talula Fairie]

Originally Posted by kittywitty

1-2 loads of dipes a day? Really? I have a small rotation of dipes and I only wash them every 6-10 days!

Do you have two kids in cloth? My kids go through at least 12 diapers in 24 hours, each. Usually more. That's 24 diapers, plus wipes. I used to do about 1 load of diapers a day, sometimes two loads if their covers needed to be washed too (as those I used to wash in cold because I used mostly wool). I've never had enough diapers to go 6 days, much less ten! Not even when I had only one kid in cloth. I think the most diapers I ever had at a time was like 40.

Unless you're not changing your kid every few hours during the day, there's no way you could go 6, much less 10, days on a "small rotation" (I'd consider a small rotation to be 24 diapers or less).

Also, the reason why I said 1-2 loads a day is that the washers where I live are about half the capacity of a normal washer. So imagine your usual diaper load, cut in half. It definitely would take me 1-2 loads a day, every day. I know, because I tried it. Sure, I could buy a huge huge huge HUGE stash, but that would be a lot of $$$, and when you factor in the cost of washing, all totaled, I'd be spending about double what just buying disposables or g diapers would cost. I can break down the costs for you if you want. I've done the math.

Oh, and one more thing: remember how I said at this apartment complex there are four families to one washer? That's right. There is one small washer for every four apartments, it's set right next to each cluster of apartments. And in the block of apartments I live in, everyone has multiple kids (5, 3, 3, and my 2). So even FINDING a washer that's free is a chore. Half my clothes are dirty because of the expense and inconvenience of it all.

[Talula Fairie]

Originally Posted by mehndi mama

OK, here's where they talk about not wanting to waste water on washing cloth diapers:
http://www.gdiapers.com/fair-dinkum/how-it-all-began

That's like, one sentence from a whole huge site all about the diaper's benefits. I hadn't even seen that before, and I thought I read that site. I definitely wouldn't say it's one of their main marketing points. And yeah, I think you are definitely right that the only way to really save water with these diapers would be to compost all the wet ones. Otherwise if you're flushing every single one, well, that's equal to what it takes to wash cloth.

[Talula Fairie]

Originally Posted by pamama

When I had 2 in diapers I only did 1 load of diapers every 2-3 days , so that's only a couple extra loads a week, definiely cheaper than sposies if using a pay laundry, not sure if it's cheaper than g diapers as I've never priced them. We actually didn't wash more frequently with 2 in dipes, just did bigger loads. As for water useage cloth can't take that much water to wash since our water bill never inceased, or at least not enough for us to notice. We've never needed to do extra rinses and I've not ever stripped my diapers in over 6 years of using cloth. Dh checked, believe me.

Now I do generally use sposies for trips. We go away so infrequently and never stay away for very long. I don't want to waste any amount of a short vacation finding a laundry mat to wash. Our summer beach trip is usually about 5 days, the longest we've ever been away from home. We don't have the money to go away every year.

If I had a normal capacity washer, I could definitely go 2 days. Sometimes when I had my own washer and a larger stash, I would go two days. I often washed every day so I could use my favorite diapers and not have to break out the prefolds, LOL! But the washers that I am dealing with right now are like, TEENY TINY. Like half the capacity of a normal washer. Nevermind trying to find a time when no one is using it.

The closest laundrymat we found was even more expensive than our apt. complex and the washers were just as small. Nevermind how hard it would be to take my two kids (ages 3.5 and 2) to the laundrymat (Omg two toddlers in a boring place for hours???!?). Maybe I'm just not dedicated enough to cloth. *shrug*

[AdinaL]

Hey folks, let's be nice to each other. This isn't about who is better for using what, this is about what we think about marketing on G Dipes.

Cloth diapering can be hard. There are reasons that sposies were invented, .

I have met the G Diapers folks to (in Portland, used to work for a cloth diapering store) and they are nice. I have no beef with them, they are putting out a product that is better than your traditional disposable.

My beef is that the marketing tries to sell it as not a disposable. And if you don't throw it in the washer and reuse it, it is disposable. I flush toilet paper, and certainly think it is disposable. It does still end up in the landfill. Someone scrapes it out of the filter in the water treatment plant and throws it away, and then *they* take it to the dump. It is better than all the plastic in a regular sposie going straight into the trash? Yes.

But it is still going to the trash, just not straight from your house.

I don't think they save water, I don't think they are better than cloth for the environment.

I do think they are marginally better than regular disposables.

[Talula Fairie]

I totally agree with you Adina. I don't really see g diapers as non-disposable. They're not a reusable product (unless you're using the covers with cloth diapers), so...they are disposable. I don't think they save water. I do think they are better than traditional sposies.

[bergstsa]

Positives

While there may be a few drawbacks to Gdiapers they are far better than using the traditional disposables. For a family who does not use cloth diapers for various reasons, they are a great alternative and MUCH better for the environment than disposables.

I don't think it is a good idea to discourage people from exploring alternatives to cloth diapers when it can only help the environment in the long run. Yes, cloth is best ultimately, but many (as evidenced by our grocery stores and landfills) families take the easy route and use disposables.

[Becken]

gDiapers have their place...

...they helped me bridge the scary gap between Pampers and full on cloth.

I now use the gDipe covers in emergency situations (when I forget to put my diaper load into the dryer!) and stash one in the car just in case. But I stuff them with prefolds, not the paper liner (which didn't even hold one toddler-sized pee!)!

For someone who is resistant to (or scared of) cloth but wants to be more ecologically minded in their diapering, I think gDiapers are quite good. For one thing, they'll be flushing the poop instead of tossing it into a landfill to contaminate our groundwater!!

[ziggy2]

Gdiapers

I use these diapers and love them. I have always used cloth diapers at home and disposables when I am out. For someone like me they are great. I can use one diaper cover and put a cloth liner in at home and a flushable one in when I go out. Plus they are much more trim than other cloth diapers so you can fit pants over them nicely. Cloth diapers are great, but if you are going to use some disposables, I think this is a great option.

[Sharlla]

That's not true. Have you ever used pay laundry? I've totaled up how much it cost me to use cloth at $3.50 a load (which is how much it would cost), 1-2 loads a day

I cloth diapered at a laundromat, cost me $2 a week ($1 to wash, $1 to dry) I did one load per week. All wool items I washed by hand.

[Talula Fairie]

Originally Posted by Sharlla

I cloth diapered at a laundromat, cost me $2 a week ($1 to wash, $1 to dry) I did one load per week. All wool items I washed by hand.

Wow, I would like to have your washers. It costs me $3.50 (1.50 to wash and 2.00 to dry because they don't get dry in just one run with the dryer). I'd have to do at least 4 or 5 loads per week, because the washers are so darn small, and also I think diapers get a little gross if you leave them for longer than 3 days.

I'm also curious as to how you fit a week's worth of diapers into just one load.

[Bimmergal2005]

Why I like gDiapers

I use cloth diapers 95% of the time...prefolds and bswws...for my 26 month and 3 month old sons. The rest of the time, when we're travelling or under some of my son's slimmer pants, we've been using Pampers. I tried Seventh Generation diapers and found them to be ill-fitting and leaky. They also kept my infant son too moist "down there" and his skin was irritated.

We are getting ready to transfer from Alaska to Indiana. While in-transit, we'll be staying with my inlaws and much to my disappointment, she is not on board with my diapers in her washing machine. Whatever, it's her house so I'll be respectful of that. I'll be able to wash the covers by hand or in with my own clothes so that's no big deal.

That said, I have opted to give gDiapers a try. Will I use them once we're all settled into our new place? Who knows.

I DO know that I love the covers. When the kits came, I tried them out for a day to see if they would be a good option for us on the road. The covers fit beautifully, especially for my chunky thighed infant. The bswws tend to rub his skin and irritate it and these gDiaper covers have a higher rise on the thighs and they don't leave red marks on his waist.

I wanted something that would be the best of both worlds. I wanted the convenience of a disposable but I also wanted the cuteness and environmental benefits of cloth. gDiapers seems to fit those requirements for me.

[keanansmom]

Uh Oh G Diapers are made in China...

..and Vietnam in un-inspected factories. How green is that? G can't honestly say that they are green when their product comes from factories they've never seen. Why aren't their eco diapers made in The US? How huge of an impact does it make on the Earth to produce and ship diapers? Are their workers treated humanely? Are they children?
To say that their campaigns are misleading is an understatement. Fair Dinkum? They do what they have to to make money... and, they use children, environmentalism, and families to show what they want to show, and to shelter themselves from criticism.
I for one will never buy or use another G Diaper! My daughter woke up soaking wet from their ill fitting lining which did not really flush anyway! Back to cloth.

[bluegrassgirl]

Originally Posted by Adamsmama

I know there have been some other threads on here about those. I've heard they don't flush well. What stores are they being sold in?

I've seen these G-Diapers (kits and refill liners) at the local food co-ops, Fred Meyer, QFC, and at Safeway in their natural health section. Never tried them, but really have no interest in them. Its just easier to use a cloth diaper than to fiddle with putting a disposable liner in a cover.

Jessie
(single mommy to Angela, 3 years:and Emma, our angel in heaven)
::::::flow ersforyou:

We are a pro-nursing family!:::

[coyotemist]

OT-but...Adina, where is there a cloth diaper shop in Portland!!!???!! The shipping is just killing me, and I need a few more prefolds for the upcoming new baby. I'd love to know what to hit, because at this point I'm starting to get desperate and may just cave and buy Gerber...

[octobermom]

Originally Posted by Talula Fairie

Wow, I would like to have your washers. It costs me $3.50 (1.50 to wash and 2.00 to dry because they don't get dry in just one run with the dryer). I'd have to do at least 4 or 5 loads per week, because the washers are so darn small, and also I think diapers get a little gross if you leave them for longer than 3 days.

I'm also curious as to how you fit a week's worth of diapers into just one load.

Kinda old post but wanted to respond. I used to CD without owning my own washer much like you where we lived had a small communal washer honestly we like never bothered using it for any of our laundry instead we did regular laundry Mats. I could use one of those large front loaders I could easily wash dozen diapers and 8-10 covers doublers ect in one load and likely would have had room for another dozen diapers. The cost was $2 to wash .75 to dry but really needed $1.00-$1.50 to realy dry.
I often washed CD by hand at home really it wasn't a big deal I could wash out the diaper after a use hang to dry while it often take over a day to really dry since I just washed as I went (or bassically at the end of the day) It was rare to run out of diapers. Every so often though I'd head to the laundry to "deep clean". I still used sposies at times and latter used one at night consistantly. It was more work than having your own washer but it was deffiently cheeper when I did sposies full time (illiness and such) it cost me around $60 a month for one child. Even going to the laundry Mat twice a week (which I did before discovering hand washing cloth) averaging 3 loads each time (a diaper clother and towel load) about $9 a visit.. around $45 a month but really only around $15 for the diapers... In the end you have to do what works best for you just saying how we managed to do coin laundry and CD on a budget.

[AntoninBeGonin]

Originally Posted by sarahbay

Ok,

Thank god, I thought I was going insane, all these people raving about this product, just because they claim to be environmental on their website.

Me, too! I'm glad I found this thread because I was starting to feel like the only person who has no interest in trying these. My daughter's fuzzi bunz work just fine, and honestly, are even simplier to use and better for her health and the environment. I'll stick with them .

[dani76]

Originally Posted by coyotemist

OT-but...Adina, where is there a cloth diaper shop in Portland!!!???!! The shipping is just killing me, and I need a few more prefolds for the upcoming new baby. I'd love to know what to hit, because at this point I'm starting to get desperate and may just cave and buy Gerber...

Not Adina, but there are a few places to buy cloth diapers in Portland.

Mother Nature's Baby Store
Milagros
Boomba Toomba (Vancouver)
Zoom Baby Gear
Babyworks

[Sharlla]

Originally Posted by Talula Fairie

I'm also curious as to how you fit a week's worth of diapers into just one load.

1 prefold at night, then about 5 dipes per day plus flannel wipes and micro cloth for inserts. Wool covers are washed by hand so those don't add room to the wash. A lot of the time only the cloth insert would get wet so I could just replace that, not the whold dipe.

[coyotemist]

Thanks Dani, I had no idea those stores existed!