To Genie or Not to Genie?

In almost every house I walk in, there are diaper genies.  It goes with the territory.  In almost every case, upon walking into the children’s room, the parent says,”Oh, I need to change that diaper genie.  It smells in here!”.  It doesn’t matter if it needs to be changed, or was just changed, the diaper genie has a hanging odor that can be nauseating at times.  If you want to avoid this, I would purchase a regular old trashcan, line it with a kitchen bag, and wrap up those poopie diapers in a plastic bag.  The room may smell for a short period, but at least you control when to dispose of those diapers.  Additionally, taking out the baby “garbage” is much easier than changing a diaper genie!

Changing Table Pad vs. Changing Table

If you looking to save some space and eliminate the items you toss when baby is grown, consider swapping that changing table for just a regular old dresser with a changing table pad on top.  These ergonomically designed pads ($25) can fit most dressers.  A suitable dresser dimension to fit a changing table pad is 30Lx16W.

These easy to find pads can be found at your local Target or Walmart.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Go Cloth!

My first choice for a cloth diaper  is aptly named “Bum Genius” (www.bumgenius.com).  Their cloth diaper is the first cloth diaper to feature stretch -to-fit tabs Complete with Velcro or snap options.  Two new products have hit the market with great success: The One Sized Diaper that fits infants from 7-35 lbs ($17.99) and their award winning All-in-One Cloth Diaper which retails for $15.99.

Pros: Cost effective and Eco-friendly.

Cons:  As a nanny my hands are wrapped around these Bum Diapers frequently.  One of the biggest drawbacks is they are a pain to wash.  Two cycles, one spin, to different temps which means visiting your washer twice in a 50 minute period.  And when your child gets to eating more solid food, they recommend you throw the waste in the   toilet and then throw the cloth diapers in the washer.                                                

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Go “G”!

My nannypick is not cloth, and it’s not disposable!  gDiapers (www.gdiapers.com) are unique because you can flush, compost, or toss them.  Yes, you read that correctly! Once I stumbled upon these I decided to make and exception.  gDiapers, which stands for green diapers, consist of a washable, cotton outer ‘little g’ pant and a plastic-free flushable diaper refill. They are made of breathable material just like sports clothing.  They have also received a Gold for using the Cradle to Cradle Design principles.  For more information on Cradle to Cradle, check out their website at www.c2ccertified.com

gDiapers range from $12.99 to $18.99 and come with to “snap in” plastic inserts which guard against extra leaks.  A box of refillable liners will cost around $15 for 40 of the small liners (same price for medium/large but for only 32 liners.  A case costs around $52 and contains 160 of the small liners and 128 for medium/large.