GAD (Green Acre Designs diapers) are my second favorite brand of cloth diapers right behind Fuzzi Bunz. Green Acre Designs diapers are quickly becoming one of the top selling and best loved cloth diapers on the market. They are best known for there trim fit and endless color combinations. These pocket diapers are very well made and help keep babies bottom dry. There is something for everyone’s taste. Plus they have side snaps which
make diaper changing easy and convenient.
Price: @ $17.95 per diaper, if you buy in bulk you can receive special discounts! Also you can find them for cheaper on eBay or many cloth diapering forms. While a little more pricey then other cloth diapers out there, GAD diapers have a great resale value and may be sold up to the price you bought them at! Plus they also are such good quality they can last you through two kids or more!
Resale Value: It is excellent. If you choose to resell them. Diapers go for almost the price of new ones! If you keep your diapers in good condition some people will pay top dollars for these great diapers!
Laundering: After removing the dirty diaper from your baby, shake any solids off into the toilet. The suede cloth or micro fleece inners are great for releasing anything fairly solid. Remove the insert from the pocket and then rinse any solids remaining on the diaper in a sink or using your diaper sprayer. Store dirty diapers in a dry pail. On washday run the diapers through a cold rinse to remove any solids that may remain on the diaper and to rinse out most of the urine. Use liquid detergent, and only 1/2 to 1/4 the recommended amount. This is all that is necessary for a thorough cleaning. Amount of detergent used also depends on what type of water you have (hard or soft) and the diapers you are using. Amounts needed are generally one to a couple of tablespoons. What is important to remember is that less is more. You can always add soap to a load if you find that your diapers are not coming clean but getting extra suds out is a lot harder to fix. The detergent you use should be as plain as possible. Those containing fragrances, enzymes, fabric softeners, bleach or other whiteners are not recommended. These can weaken your diapers, cause them to repel, coat them resulting in repelling and easily build-up which leads to diaper rashes and stink issues. Some good detergents are: Charlie’s Soap, Allen’s Soap, and Tide Free. An extra rinse is helpful in getting some extra soap out. Small amounts of vinegar and/or baking soda may be useful if you are having issues with urine smelling diapers or they aren’t getting clean enough. Tumble-dry them on HOT, new information says this is actually good for the PUL. PUL was invented for the medical industry and is meant to hold up to the really high temperatures of the sterilization process used in the medical industry. Once dry let your diapers cool off before you stuff them. If you stuff the diapers while they are still warm it can cause the elastic to break. When your diapers are cool stuff the diaper again so it is ready for the next use!
Things NOT to do to your GAD: Don’t use any bleach products, bleach is a strong chemical and will break down the fibers in the diapers. Bleach may also be very harsh on your child’s tush and is a major no no for children with sensitive skin issues. To remove stains, hang or lay your diapers in the sun, it works wonders! Or put a few drops of lemon juice on the stains and then sun them. Or for a quick stain fix, a drop or two of hydrogen peroxide is a safe and easy stain remover. Don’t use fabric softener. It will coat the diapers making them water repellent and will cause leaks! Be aware that if you use dryer sheets in your dryer for other laundry this can coat your dryer and transfer to your diapers. Then you have the issue with stripping your diapers till they are free of the coat of softeners.
Ease of Use: GAD diapers are very easy to use. These cute cloth diapers can either be stuffed with a GAD insert, any pocket diaper insert that fits side to side or a pre-fold, or used as a cover over a trim fitted. Each diaper has 3 adjustable snap settings on the back wings and is side snapping. Just stuff the pocket of the diaper with your favorite insert and snap onto your child; adjusting the snaps on the sides for a perfect tight fitting fit.
Absorbency: Since GAD brand diapers are a pocket style diaper you can adjust the absorbency to meet your child’s own personal needs. Just add more “stuffing” into the diaper for a heavier wetter and less for a child who is a light wetter.
Special uses: GAD diapers may also be used as a diaper cover over a trim fitting fitted diaper or a pre-fold diaper. Some parents are even using an unstuffed GAD diaper as a swim diaper at their local pools.
Comfort on child: GAD diapers are very adjustable and come in varies sizes for extreme comfort on all types of children. You can buy GAD diapers in both microfleece or PUL outers. The microfleece is a great choice because it allows for the diaper to breath and makes an excellent nighttime diaper choice. PUL is easier to maintain and comes in various colors and prints. It looks as great as the day you bought it even after extended wear and use. The diapers also can come with soft suede cloth inners or fleece inners for even more build in comfort. They do not leave harsh red marks around the legs of your child like other
diapers are known for.
Cuteness factor: GADS come in every color under the rainbow and also some very cute prints. At the Green Acre Designs website you can even design your own personal GAD diaper! With many colors and choices to choose from no two diapers are alike and each diaper is as unique as the person who buys it! The stay-at-home mom who creates each diaper adds new colors and prints to the selection every so often so there is always something new to choose from.
Some Favorite Features: My favorite feature of these adorable diapers is the side snaps. As a mother of a toddler who recently learned to undo his Velcro diapers, snaps are a must have on his diapers, as I do not want to find any “surprises” left for me in his room or around the house. The side snaps are also very easy to adjust and fit even my extremely skinny and tall son. Another plus is how easy the snaps are during diaper changes. Everyone knows how hard it can be to get a diaper on a toddler who will not stop wiggling. These GAD diapers snap on in only seconds.
Yet another feature that I love about GAD diapers is that they come in many different sizes. Unlike some other diaper companies GAD diapers come in a Medium Long size to fit taller babies who are slimmer build and do not fit in the larger diapers waist wise. The owner of Green Acre designs has recently just came up with a new size diaper also called a Husky Medium. Husky Medium GADs are perfect for your chunky baby who has a short rise and a big tummy and thighs.
My Least Favorite Feature: My least favorite feature of Green Acre design diapers is that of the pocket size. The hole where you stuff your insert is thinner then other pocket diapers. It makes it harder for people with bigger sized hands to reach deep into the pocket to stuff in insert. My husband has a very hard time helping me stuff our GAD diapers, he can barely get his hands into the pocket and often you can find him cussing at the diaper after wash day.
Where to buy? Green Acre Design diapers can be purchased from their website at: http://www.greenacredesigns.com/ or from Middle Earth diapers at : http://www.middleearthdiaper.com/index.php . GAD diapers may also be found on various cloth diapering forms all over the internet. And may be purchased both gently used and new on eBay.
Rating: Overall, I would give GAD diapers 4.5 stars. They are an amazing cloth diaper and a must have for any diaper stash. With all their cute prints and a rainbow of colors there is something for everyone’s taste!
