Cloth diapers have been my goal since I first learned I was pregnant. I know that we live in a desert; therefore, disposable diapers are supposed to have less of an environmental impact. However, I do not believe it. How can something that goes to a gigantic landfill and "never" decomposes be better for the environment than something that you can was and reuse? Even in a desert where water is at a premium. Besides, the water used to wash the cloth diapers can be cleaned, recycled, and reused.
All that being said, I didn't actually start using cloth diapers until about 3 weeks ago. It was really a vanity issue. Jane looked so funny with these humongous cloth diapers on her bum! Now that she is bigger, the giant bum didn't bother me as much. However, I decided to try the gDiapers because they looked trimmer. The inserts are super expensive, and I have tons of cloth prefolds. So I decided to look for patterns to make the inserts out of the prefolds I have already purchased.
I found a pattern for the inserts on Pinterest. The website is: http://seekatesew.com/handmade-gdiaper-cloth-insert-tutorial/
The tutorial is nice and easy. But I just used the pattern and my prefold cloth diapers. The ones I have are the unbleached OsoCozy prefolds size 1. I was able to get three from each one. After I tested them out, I found that one layer was okay, but it got totally soaked. So I sewed two together. That gave me two layers of protection. That is one layer less bulk than if I folded them and stuck them in the covers I have (I also have a bunch of the Thirsties with snaps).
So far they have worked great for me. They work really well in the Thirsties too. They look a little small for them but I have not had any problems yet. I do have a hard time getting the gDiapers to seal correctly around the legs. But I still like using them.
I decided that, since babies are more likely to get diaper rash in cloth diapers when they sit in them wet for extended periods, I would use disposable during the night to save my baby's bum. Hopefully that will keep the diaper rash away.
We have been doing this for about 3 weeks now and all is looking good. Maybe if I get a chance I will post a picture of the inserts I made.
