Here comes the G - our first try of the gDiapers

Hello fellow greenies,

I am here to save the planet, one diaper at a time. Well, maybe I won't quite be able to save the planet, that's Al Gore's job, but I hope to make a small impact with my choices as a consumer and a mother.

This whole green thing started my realization that diapers generate a fantastic amount of waste. So, naturally, when I was pregnant, I did research about cloth diapers (I even attended a very long and very boring seminar). We finally bought about $200 worth of cloth diapering supplies, which included fantastic wool diaper covers. These worked for about 3 months, at which point Golda developed a heat rash from all the extra layers of cloth and wool and I had to admit defeat. Not to mention the diapers impeding her ability to move.

Fast forward 2 months later - about 300 disposable diapers are being moved to local landfills.

What to do? What to do?

Thankfully, a friend had tried the gDiaper and since it didn't work for her son, it was available and ready for me to try, which I did today with my daughter. These work pretty well, with some minor issues like the fact that the clips press into her skin and leave scary looking red marks. I think that we can solve most of these by upgrading to Mediums, since she is getting too big for Small and I love the fact that I don't have to empty the trash every day in her room and that we're doing a small thing for the planet.

If I were hired to help the folks at gDiapers improve their product, I would suggest the following:
1. Get rid of the clips (these hold the waterproof layer onto the cover). Replace them with Velcro or some other brilliantly sticky idea. Perhaps even a piece of elastic.
2. Make the bands around the legs tighter. My kid's super chunky thighs were still not quite filling the bands on the Smalls. Imagine what poor little skinny babies have to go through.
3. Include more covers and plastic shields in the starter kit or sell them separately in stores (which they don't do) or online (for cheap - right now, the covers are $17 online, which is about the cost of a super microfiber diaper like BumGenius and thus, is too much). I am also a big believe that you ought to make the money on the inserts - NOT on the covers. Think of printer companies who make money on the cartidges and only scant profit on the printer itself.
4. People love to get fun stuff - like their kid's name on the diapers and different colors for different sizes. I happen to be lucky, that my baby's name starts with a G, but others might like their kids' initials on the diapers as well. You can be the Williams Sonoma of the diaper world.
5. These things have a learning curve. You really need to have some people do demos. Like the Tupperware parties, we'll have diapering parties. Get some experienced moms who have done this, give them some demo equipment (like a bucket to simulate the toilet for a proper flushing demo) and set them loose. An hourly rate plus some commission based on the amount of starter kits they sell. If anyone from gDiapers is reading this - just send a note, I can help.

P.S. If you lose your swishstick (used for turning the insides of the diapers into toilet soup), disposable chopsticks work just as well.