photo by Cheri Arellano

photo by Cheri Arellano

There are LOTS of diaper covers on the market that claim to be one-size. That would be awesome, right? Buy one type of diaper and ta da! done. Truth is, babies come in all different shapes and sizes, and while the one-size diapers might work for some, the feedback we’ve had here in diaper therapy (and from our own personal experience) is that they don’t work for most. Plus, they make for a heck of a hefty baby booty.

gPants come in specific sizes so that your baby will have an optimum fit at every age, they’ll go on easy without having to toil over which snap goes where, and those darling little hand-stitched pants you bought on etsy will slide right over baby’s bum, easy peasy.

The cute little orange size circles are guidelines. Here are suggestions by age, should you be keen to plan ahead:

N – this is the newborn size (the tiny gPant, available in the gBaby Bundle). You’ll want these on hand for day one as they are custom-designed for brand new babies. Some babies will stay in these for the first few weeks, some a couple of months, and some bigger babies will skip the tiny g’s altogether. If you bought tiny g’s and don’t get to use them, fret not, their re-sale value is awesome.

S – Small little gPants typically fit new babies up to about 5 or 6 months old. Long and lean babies might hold out in the smalls a bit longer. *hint* Get your tiny gPants AND your small little gPants together in the gBaby Bundle. One stop shop for brand new babies!

M – Medium little gPants have the longest wear time, from 5 or 6 months old to 18 months to 2 years. So if you’re thinking of stocking up, load up on mediums.

L – Large little gPants have a much broader age spectrum, typically starting at 18 months to 2 years and on up through potty training. Here’s a little note: some babies may chunk up quite a bit right before they start crawling. And those mediums you have may become snug, and you’ll be all “Wait a sec! It’s too early for larges!” And we’ll be all, “Totally okay. Use the larges for a bit and then go back to the mediums when baby starts crawling.” And then baby will start crawling and you’ll be all like “Whoa. Totally. Back in the mediums.” And then we’ll hug. Or high five. Whatever feels most appropriate given the moment.

XL – Not all babies will use the XL, which is why we don’t have it in as many colors and prints (gosh darn production minimums!). But for babies beyond 34+, it’s nice to have a little gPant that still fits comfortably. And for little ones who may need some help just at night, the XL can get them through. They’re bigger in the waist and roomier in the seat.

We’re just gonna repeat this (and you’ll hear it often, not just from us, promise): all babies are different. We’ve seen some 3 month old babies in larges, we’ve seen some 8 month olds in smalls, and we’ve seen babies shuffle up to large only to come back down to medium. So it’s a good idea to not pick a date on the calendar and say “on August the 12th I shall move my baby into size medium.” Cause, honey, that’s probably not what’s going to happen. Our babies teach us early that they’re unpredictable. Bless their hearts. We wouldn’t want them any other way.

As always, if you’re uncertain which size to get for your baby, give us a jingle. We’ll figure it out together.

Kelli McKee (also known as Kelli Martinelli) has been with gDiapers since 2006. Her work as blogger and communications manager has been to build and nurture a community of moms and dads across the vast expanse of social media. She also writes web content, press releases, her own blog Sunshine Daydreams and lunchbox love notes for her 2 kiddos. Follow Kelli on the gDiapers blog, google + and twitter.