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We use the gDiapers with cloth inserts when we're home and the flushable ones when we're out, plus Seventh Generation when we're on an airplane or somewhere else that storing a potentially soiled gDiaper isn't an attractive option.

Our son is 14 months old. We've tried g-diapers, seventh gen, fuzzi bunz, kushies, swaddlebees, kissaluvs and finaly Bum Genius in the last year. All of these diapers have positives, but since using Bum Genius we've completely given up disposables of any sort (even when camping last week!) and in fact we haven't purchased a package of disposables since May (and we used our last sposies up in July).

The BumGenius diapers are made in the USA and the now offer an organic cotton option -- more spendy, but they really are as easy as a disposable to use, so they end up saving more (money) in the long run IMHO.

I would however caution that it may be best to start with a handful of prefolds and diaper wraps plus a "mixed starter" package to see what fits your baby and your personality best.

Our son is long with thin legs, but a high rise, so the Swaddlebees and G-diapers never fit him well and always leaked. Fuzzibunz fit well, but we found it a bother to stuff the diapers.

For us Bum Genius has been the best green option that allows us to use 100% cloth 100% of the time. We've also started using a cloth liner when we expect poo (and shake it in the toilet) then wash it with the diapers. And, on nice days we dry them outside for a little bleaching and air purification. We use a pocket Bum Genius at night with 3 liners and the all-in-ones during the day.

Personally, I believe that cloth is the most eco friendly way of diapering. You do have to factor in a slight increase in water usage, which trips some people up.

We use pocket diapers for overnight and daycare, but when we're home, we use fitteds. The elastic can wear out in pockets quickly, it seems, but it is pretty easy to replace.

With the length of time you can use the same diapers vs having to buy new packs of disposables every few weeks, I think the costs even out. But, I think cloth - whether that's gdiapers with cloth inserts, pockets, fitteds, or prefolds - wins in the eco friendly arena.

We are big Gdiaper fans here in our house. The flushables give us the peace of mind ecologically but also the convenience of a "disposables".

While the "green" disposables on the market are a small step in the right direction MOST contain plastic (except Natures Baby Care and Gdiapers).Disposables with plastic can take up to 500 years to decompose! Plus, plastic in diaper is one of the main causes of diaper rash. With our g's we've had little to no rashes!

As CJL mentioned we love the flexibility of gdiapers- you can use cloth OR flushables in them. You can also compost the flushables if you want to be even greener! :)
We've been using them for about 16 months without the major blowouts our friends get with disposables.

BUT if you REALLY want to get green - you should look into practicing EC (elimination communication) with your little one. It's been great fun and our daughter loves the potty time. It's safe, fun for them, and cuts WAY down on the cost and time in diapers. Most of the world does it so check it out. It doesn't take extra time and is totally worth it.

good luck and congrats!

green me-
...just a quick tip on the g's-
often people treat g's like a disposable or other diaper and if they do get a leak they will tighten them more like you would with other brands. this can break the seal on the liner and actually CAUSE a leak.
gidiapers has a great video on the website that explains how they work and how to get a great fit. Plus their customer service dept. has always been stellar for us so i would try calling them if you have questions or ever give them another shot :)

Thanks everyone! So cloth it is. Now it looks like I have a million other options to explore. Thanks for the input!

7th Generation are still disposables, and take just as long to break down in a landfill as any other 'sposie (500 years).
Although all-cloth, all-the-time may be more eco-friendly, gDiapers are more accessible to first-time cloth users. gDiapers are sometimes called the "gateway drug" to cloth. People start out using them with the flushable inserts, and then they use cloth prefolds.
We've used g's for over one year now, and we love them. My son is allergic to common disposables, but we've never had a rash with g's.

We're a big fan of the gDiapers at our house. I started using just the disposable/flushable inserts that are sold with the gDiapers but have recently decided to try cloth inserts along with a combination of cloth diapers. It's been a lot of trial and error in finding what works well. I love the slim and trim fit of the gDiapers compared to a lot of other diapers, and that you can easily wash or wipe clean the liner if it gets soiled and not have to wash the entire diaper. Even my daycare lady likes using these and doesn't find it any more of an inconvenience than disposable diapers.

Keep in mind that every baby is different and what works well with one baby won't necessarily work with another - be prepared to try different things and have patience. The staff at the gDiaper company are wonderful with tips and help and will gladly answer any questions - there's even an entire Yahoo chat community dedicated to gDiapers where you can find all sorts of information.

we use gdiapers with my daughter they are really the best of both worlds, at home we use cloth inserts and on the go we use cloth or the g-flushable witch is flushable or compostable. i used cloth with my son and it was a little too much for my husband, this system he actually likes; and its simple enough for a babysitter.

We used Wonderoos, which I loved because the same 12 cloth diapers lasted from infancy to underwear. Not many people can say they spent $200 for their lifetime supply of diapers (lasted through two kiddos).

Yep, there was water/power usage. But they say (they being the cloth diaper companies, I guess) that there's more water/power useage just in the creation of a disposable diaper.

I strongly encourage you to use cloth. We have used all three, disposables (disliked), g-diapers (good for travel, convenience), and cloth. Cloth diapers are far and away our (yes, my husband's too) favorite. There are hundreds of options out there and it is best summed as; if you want convenience in laundering, use pre-folds and covers, if you want convenience in diaper changing, use all-in-ones (AIO's). If you want the ins and outs, I would encourage you to head to your local cloth diaper store and pick the owner's brain, or go to www.diaperpin.com or www.diaperswappers.com. I would also encourage you to pick up a copy of Mothering Magazine March/April 2008, (http://www.mothering.com/shop/index.php?target=products&product_id=29895) as it gives a good overview of cloth diapering options. Good luck and congratulations!

i have used every diaper out there it seems ;o) and i have to say i really love gDiapers the best. i have used them with cloth liners, but for me the flushies work great and i don't mind the price, i just order a case from diapers.com. Compared to cloth, you can get away with owning fewer covers, whereas cloth you have to have enough to get you through a few days without doing laundry. I can usually get through a day with using only one gDiaper cover. So i really don't do extra laundry. We also use the Nature Babycare disposables, the only disposable that is biodegradable and compostable. I started using these because DS started preschool and they wouldn't use the g's. I also compost the "pee pee" G flushies & NBC disposables to make them even greener! in my experience you really have to do a lot of extra work for cloth, and extra rinses and special detergents, sprayer attachments on your toilet, etc... using g's is so easy, it requires nothing extra. The company really cares about the environment and being socially responsible, with the production of their products, they are also the only company to have a cradle to cradle rating. Best of all, they are the cutest on the bum!

I researched all the various diapers from Pampers and Huggies to Seventh Generation and G Diapers. I spent hours reading customer feedback, company info and cloth diapering websites that offered info on how to use and launder cloth diapers. After being completely shocked by the fact that cloth diaper options were more expensive than Seventh Generation diapers, not including the amount of time and energy spent cleaning cloth diapers/g diapers...I chose to go with Seventh Generation and am happy with how they fit my baby girl. No problems with rashes so far. I feel it is completely unfair to ask parents to spend extra time and money (esp if you live in an apartment in the city with no clothesline or laundry room) to save the planet! I chose to go with a more eco friendly disposable diaper choice in the hopes that these companies and perhaps our government will see the financial gain of manufacturing a healthier, biodegradable disposable diaper ASAP! I believe the solutions for our planet are only to be gained collectively and while us little folk scramble to do our best, big brother, China and the wealthy elite sit back, relax and create more waste than I could ever dream of in a lifetime! As a little folk...I am choosing my battles...I'll just have to live with the fact that my baby's estimated 6,000 diapers will be rotting in a landfill for 500 years...at least they are chlorine free and made by a company that has better eco practices than most.

Cloth diapers hands down. They work great and don't use very much energy - we even dry ours outside. I used gDiapers for several months and in the end switched to cloth because I just felt they were green hype. Didn't work very reliably and they still involve a lot of energy use to manufacture something that is still meant to be tossed out after one use. On top of that they still involved washing the liners that ALWAYS got poop smeared in them. Using cloth in them was only slightly better and if you're going to the trouble of having to wash whatever you put in them, you might as well just use cloth diapers that are more reliable for fit and leak proofing that costs way less that the trendy g's.

I feel it is completely unfair to ask parents to spend extra time and money to save the planet!

Funny, I thought that as parents we'd more naturally see the bigger picture and have a longer-term focus. Myself, having a new daughter makes me think a little differently about what a little time and money are worth, especially when she'll have to pay some of the cost of the choices I make. Actually, with a 500 year lifespan for diapers in the garbage, so will her great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandchildren.

Oy, CJL, lay off. You have a laundry room and a lawn for composting. Please imagine living with neither, and trying to use cloth diapers when the nearest laundromat is a few blocks away. We are all doing our best here.

It's not that I don't care...If I really didn't care why would I have spent so much time looking into the logistics of doing cloth diapers in NYC without my own washer/dryer or clothesline...it's pretty wasteful in terms of water and energy too unless you are a hardcore environmentalist or live in a remote village without power where you wash your dirty diapers in the river! Come on, let's not get high and mighty...we little folk can all contribute to a better world for our children in many different ways and my soap box moment is about requiring manufacturers to change their process and create a biodegradable diaper that can be recycled or composted! I would if I could but I am no scientist with mega buck backing! I'm just a first time parent trying to do her best and my comments were intended to alleviate some of the pressure other parents feel ; )

We have a preemie (3lbs. 6oz. at birth) since he has been home. We started with kissaluvs with fleece covers. And at night we use bum genius with an insert. When he is a little bigger we have good mama stash. Plus do not forget to buy cloth wipes. One does not work without the other. Plus there are plenty of work at home mom's that you can support buy purchasing your covers and wipes. Also alot of the mom's make custom covers and wipes for next to nothing. Have fun.

Cloth is where it's at and it doesn't have to cost a bundle if you keep your eye out on craigslist - we got our diapers there and other second hand places and they've held up well. We only bought a few new. Did we have a washing machine - not before kids, no, but we decided to buy on when bub was born, to accomodate the cloth diapers, largely. Was it an expense? yes, but worth it (and even _with_ the diaper expense it was cheaper than 3 years worth of disposables. It's a front loader, low flow machine and very efficient. We didn't get a dryer and hung our diapers to dry or occasionally took them to the laundromat for drying.Benefits, besides the earth that is, ease, they're always there, they travel reasonably well, no chemicals and no diaper rashes, no poo escapes or explosions (not a single one with cloth; only problems we had with explosions were with disposables on long flights), and earlier (and easier) toilet training. And our daycares were able to accomodate cloth without a problem. It worked brilliantly for us.