Over all, we have been quite pleased with our diapers. I did end up having the velcro converted to snaps using the Snap Conversion Program because over time, the velcro tabs started to curl and would not attach well to the diaper (not good). I would send in two covers at a time and have them converted. I like the snaps SO much better. I wish I had just gone with snaps from the start. The other thing we did was buy a few more booster pads so we would have one for every diaper. Lily is a heavy wetter, even wetting through disposables when we've used them while on vacation. The boosters help a lot.
Here is a photo with the booster:
Unfortunately, 2 of the green covers did have the elastic fail around the leg, but I called the company that makes them (The Natural Baby Company) and they immediately sent out replacements along with an envelope to return the faulty diapers. One of the inserts also get a run in it, which caused it to start coming apart and they happily replaced that too, no questions asked. You can't beat that kind of customer service :)
It should be noted that in order to extend the life of the diapers, we never dry the covers. We just hang them over the back of a chair and they dry in about 2 hours. I wish I could try the inserts outside as well, but with working 40 hours per week, it just doesn't happen as much as I would like. Drying them outside in the sun really helps get rid of stains and also residual "stink".
Speaking of stinkyness, it should be said that cloth diapers in general can hold on to odors. They do not contain all those odor blocking chemicals, so to me, a little stinkyness is to be expected and I can handle it. That being said, when I feel notice they are starting to smell a little even after they are clean, I'll throw in 1/2 cup or so of vinegar and do an extra rinse. This really seems to help. I've read where some people say that vinegar helps and some say it makes it worse. It seems to depend on your water, but it helps for us. Another thing that helps is using a cloth diaper safe soap such as Charlies. Detergents hold on to odors. One other thing, diaper ointments can ruin cloth diapers! Be sure to use cloth diaper safe ointments.
Another thing we have purchased is one of those sprayer attachments that hooks to the plumbing on the toilet. We got ours on eBay for about $20. This makes for quick and painless poopy diaper rinses in the toilet. I leave a bucket next to the toilet and when I've got a poopy diaper, I rinse it off in the toilet and throw the dripping diaper in the bucket for the trip back to the diaper pail. Works pretty well for us.
The main worry we have with out GroBabies is that Lily might grow out of them before she is potty trained. She is quite big for her age and these diapers run a little small, even on the largest setting. We shall see! If she does grow out of them, I think what I will do is get some old prefold cloth diapers (like everyone used back in the day) and use G Diaper covers. G Diapers are meant to be used with biodegradable disposable inserts but my friend Lex has been using them with prefolds and snappies to secure them with great success.
Hope this helps somebody. If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the comments.
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3 comments:
Our green ones are also failing, so I am definitely going to call them, it's good that they have such great customer service.
As far as the odors are concerned, we were also using Charlies, but then out of interest I ordered some of their Tiny Bubbles detergent that they make specifically for cloth diapers. I've only used it twice so far, but already I think I notice a difference. They seem to be a lot fresher already. I believe on their website you can also order a trial pack to give it a whirl before forking out for a big pack.
I'm also a huge fan of the Magic Stick diaper ointment they sell- it's all natural oils in a solid block a bit like a giant lipbalm, so no messy hands when applying. It lasts for AGES too, we're still using the same one we got 4 months ago. If my boy gets a bit rashy (e.g. after a really really long car ride, we use the Method diaper cream which is cloth diaper safe and we've been pleased.
Oh one more thing, I follow them on facebook and from the sounds of it they're bringing out a refined version of the diaper shell which fits a little bigger- they sent them out for trials about a week ago so they should be available fairly soon so if anyone is thinking of using Gro Baby in the future it might be worth waiting a bit.
Overall, I'm really pleased with mine too. Thanks Brook for recommending them all those months ago, that's how I found out about them :)
Thanks, Virginia, for those great tips. I'll try Tiny Bubbles next time!
We love using our Gro Baby diapers as well. If you do decide to go with prefolds, the Thirsties covers will go to 40 pounds and have a great fit. The Duo Wraps fit well on skinny babies, but if she is really that big for her age, I'd go with the large regular Thirsties diaper covers. I use prefolds and covers on my little girl about half the time and they really are easy to use once you get the hang of them.
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