photo by jessica lambright

photo by jessica lambright

So if you’re here, it’s either because you went the choose your own adventure route from our troubleshooting post, or because you used that handy dandy search feature off to the right. Either way, it sounds like you’re having some frustration with leaks while using cloth inserts.

First, let’s look at fit. There are some similarities with leak issues for using either gRefills or gCloth. Rather than insert them all here, feel free to peruse these pro-active tips for ensuring a good fit.

On to the task at hand: tackling leaks with cloth inserts. Are you using gCloth or a different cloth insert? The reason we ask, is because gCloth are specifically designed to fit inside the little gPants. They’re trim and don’t require any folding. We’ve heard from other parents who have used other brands of cloth inserts with success, and we think that’s great! Bottom line is we want you to have a functioning cloth diaper that’s easy on everybody. But! If you’re using a bulky cloth insert that requires a lot of folding, chances are it’s not going to fit inside the little gPants very well. It will add a lot of fill to the inside of the snap-in pouch and lift the trim of the pouch off of baby’s skin, breaking that oh-so-important seal. That’s one way leaks can happen. So. Please make sure that the cloth insert you’re using fits inside the snap-in pouch and does not compromise the seal.

Another question. Are you using any type of barrier cream? It doesn’t matter if it’s all natural or straight up vaseline, do NOT use a barrier cream with cloth inserts. This is not specific to our brand, but is true for all cloth diapers. If your baby requires the use of a cream, be sure to use in conjunction with a diaper liner (like our flushable cloth liners). These lay on top of the cloth insert and will protect your cloth inserts from the damaging effects of creams.

Moving on. Let’s make sure your cloth inserts (we’ll assume they’re gCloth at this point) are at peak absorbency. If you begin to see a performance decrease in your gCloth or if you find your gCloth doesn’t smell so fresh, even after washing it’s time to strip them. Stripping cloth simply means you wash them in a way that removes build-up from detergent and/or diaper cream. It gets them back to absorbing the way they should, and helps tackle any ammonia smell. Check out our blog post on stripping gCloth inserts.

gCloth inserts (or other cloth inserts) will not be quite as absorbent as our gRefills. It’s just the nature of cloth. Since babies are all different and require different diapering needs, you might need to adjust the frequency of diaper changes to accommodate the different level of absorbency.  It would be on par to need to change a cloth diaper every 1-2 hours, and a gRefill every 2-3 hours. Some tips we’ve gotten from our gMums is to:

1.  Use one gRefill and one gCloth for naps and overnight (use the gCloth beneath the gRefill)
2.  One of our gMums coined the phrase “hemp sandwich”.  She would use 2 gCloth inserts with the hemp sides facing each other and has great success with this method
3. Keep gRefills on hand for longer trips out of the house

Hopefully that will help you figure out those pesky leaks. If not, as always, give us a ring. Or check in with the super savvy cloth-diapering parents on our facebook page. Collective knowledge is pretty rad.