Recycled Toys

I don't know what it is but my daughter loves toys that are at least 10 years old and previously used by another family member. I could buy her a brand new toy and she will pass it over but if a relative brings her an old toy that is chipped, stained or simply worn out she will not put it down. Were toys made better back then or is it the Velveteen Rabbit syndrome?

A few of her favorites are a radio shaped music box from Fisher Price that plays somewhere over the rainbow. I think this may have belonged to my brother who is now 25. She is fascinated and frustrated by the Tupperware Shape-O which I believe was actually mine. She also loves the Johnson and Johnson Stack and Fit School which I was unable to find an image of. I think I will be buying all of her future presents by searching for "vintage toys" on ebay.

gDiapers Test - Part 2

We have gone through 50 gDiapers now and I have to say I am pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to make the switch from disposables. Sure there is a little extra effort involved since you can't just toss the dirty diaper in the pail and walk away. But after a few changes you develop a system and the whole process becomes very easy to manage.

What this experiment has made me wonder though is if we would be better off switching over to cloth diapers. gDiapers are expensive and even though I live in a major city, they don't have great distribution at the stores closest to our house. Now that we have gone through our first pack of inserts I have switched back to disposables simply because I would have to drive 15 miles to pick up a new pack. Sure I could order refills online but my daughter is on the cusp of switching to the next size so I don't want buy bulk packs until she switches over. Plus am I really doing the Earth any good if I have to drive 15 miles or have a package shipped to me on a regular basis?

If you are considering switching to gDiapers I encourage you to buy a starter kit and give them a try. You may find that they are easier for you than cloth and they certainly are better for the environment than disposables. If they don't end up working for you, then you can always sell the diaper covers on ebay. I have found that they have an insane resale value and you will probably recoup your costs completely.

Baby Gear Pros

• Absolutely adorable - the colors are great and I can picture my daughter running around in just the covers this summer.
  
• If you flush the inserts, then it is better for the environment than throwing away disposables.
• After a few diaper changes the flushing process becomes very easy to manage.
• Did not experience any leaks or blow-outs, even when used overnight.

Baby Gear Cons

• Expensive
• May be hard to find depending on where you live
• Not great if you are traveling as even though the liners decompose faster than disposables will it really matter if they are inside a garbage bag?

Update: I have been researching cloth diapering over the past two days. The amount of information available is mind boggling to the point that I am unable to make a decision on what diaper style to use. The one thing I have learned is that washing cloth diapers takes about two wash cycles which makes me wonder if they are better for the environment than gDiapers. Consequently my husband and I are making the 15 mile trek to our nearest gDiaper retailer today to restock.

The gDiapers Test - Part 1

After much debate, my husband and I have decided to give gDiapers a try. If you haven't heard of gDiapers, they are the happy medium between cloth diapers and disposables. Given that disposable diapers, like Pampers or Huggies, take 500 years to decompose in a landfill, we thought we at least owed it to the Earth to give gDiapers a shot.

We first learned about gDiapers this summer while I was still pregnant. Having changed a few diapers in my life, including really messy blow-outs, I thought that gDiapers sounded like too much work. I just couldn't imagine having to take a poop-filled diaper to the toilet to shake out and stir around before flushing the remnants down the toilet. My husband however was sold on the concept and kept pushing the issue until I broke down and agreed to give them a try.

We bought the gDiapers starter pack at Whole Foods for $24.99 and a 40 pack of refills for $9.99. Normally the 40 pack of refills is $11.99 at Whole Foods but everywhere else they run about $14.50 for a 40 pack. At about 11 cents more per diaper this whole experiment could really add up over the course of the year but I guess that is price you pay for trying to save the environment.

As of this post we have made it through about 5 changes using gDiapers including one overnight. So far I have no bad news to report, there haven't been any leaks and the whole process isn't that much extra effort. The diaper covers are also really cute and fit my daughter great. I am going to report back at the end of the week and let you know if my opinion changes but as of right now I am felling good about the switch.