bumGenius 3.0 One-Size Cloth Diaper
by bumGenius
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Category: Baby Product See more product details |
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Baby Products Reviews of bumGenius 3.0 One-Size Cloth Diaper
Customer Review: Cloth Diapering Tips
Summary: 4 Stars
I did a lot of research when I was pregnant in cloth diapering and ended up purchasing these diapers and have been very pleased with them. With our 7-month old still wearing these bumGenius diapers, they are holding up well, they are easy to use - even the grandparents love them! We call them "washable diapers" since people envision the old style cloth with pins when you say "cloth diapers". With velcro and sizing snaps, these aren't your grandma's cloth diaper. I'm glad we bought them, but here's a few things to consider before taking the plunge into "alternative diapering":
Pros
- Economical. Yes, there is an initial investment, but we've recouped that and then some in using cloth over disposible.
- These bumGenius diapers are all you need. Expect 8-12 dirty diapers a day, so buy 24 of them in a few different colors (we bought gender neutral colors so we could use them with future children). You don't need diaper covers, extra inserts, or anything like that.
- Fewer blowouts. On the occasions that we've used disposibles (vacations), we've had more messes than with these cloth ones.
- No diaper rash. The only time we've had diaper rash issues is when we've been switching between disposibles and washables (vacation).
- Point of discussion. If you are a "greenie", then you'll like the fact that people will see your diapers and ask you about them.
- Frankly, they are just adorable.
Cons
- Extra laundry. Expect to do a load of diapers every other day - and know that the manufacturer recommends two cycles (1st cold, 2nd hot) with an extra rinse for each wash. We typically skip the extra rinse. If you are buying cloth diapers to be ecologically friendly, know that the super-absorbant inserts that are included with the diapers take a long time to dry in the dryer...and even longer if you plan on air-drying them.
- Special laundry detergent. We bought a big jug of Allen's Naturally - I'm sure other reviews will offer other suggestions.
- Smell. The diapers don't smell, but they can get smelly. If your diapers smell, you'll need to strip them (check other recs for tips on this). We keep the dirty diapers in a covered recycling bin to help contain odors between washings.
- Extra diaper changes. It seems like our child is more aware of being wet with cloth diapers than with disposibles - although some say this may help with potty training in the future.
- You'll need an understanding daycare provider that doesn't mind keeping the dirty diapers in a plastic bag for the day
- When they get older, the diapers get messier. Get ready to scrape and rinse...
- Extra bulk. Your child will probably need to wear the next size up in clothing to accomodate the diaper.
Hope this helps anyone that's on the fence about it. Good luck and remember that the diaper you choose doesn't make you a better or worse parent - we all make choices for our own reasons. Happy diapering! :)
Customer Review: Okay, but not the best
Summary: 4 Stars
We've been using our BumGenius diapers for over 2 years now (was 2 years in August) and they have worked fine. They are definitely very easy for those new to cloth diapering, including husbands/grandparents/babysitters/aunts/uncles. I have also rarely had a leak in them (though it's happened, but could have been user error such as not stuffing enough at nighttime or not making sure the insert was laying flat in the pocket).
That's about it for the pros unfortunately. These diapers would NOT fit a newborn, at least not an average sized newborn. I haven't used them on a newborn yet but I am expecting again and compared to my newborn size diapers these on the smallest setting are still huge. On my 29lb 3 year old (who still wears diapers at night) they are a very tight fit and I too have trouble with the aplix actually staying in place. My 3 year old doesn't try to take her diaper off until she wakes up but there have been nights where it's come undone just from her movements. On the topic of aplix it looks awful, and did pretty quickly after buying them. I'm talking maybe 6-9 months, and considering these are supposed to fit birth to potty training that really stinks since babies use diapers a lot longer than that and one of the biggest money saving advantages of using cloth is being able to pass them down to siblings. Then there is the elastic, I have to replace the elastic in all of my BumGenius diapers, whereas my other diapers that were bought at the same time and gone through the same amount of wear/washing/drying still have perfect elastic. I'm lucky I can sew and fix the elastic and aplix for relatively cheap, those who can't sew might be out of luck there.
I haven't had any colors fade and I have the light pink, light blue, light green and yellow diapers. But if you lay them in the sun with their colors showing rather than the inner you might have some fading but that's just how the sun works.
Don't get me wrong they are good diapers, I would buy them again and I do in fact plan to buy 1 more, but I definitely wouldn't base my whole cloth diaper stash on them. Try several kinds before committing to a large amount of any one diaper, each person tends to like different things about different diapers and there are lots of one size diapers now many that actually fit birth to potty training, have cuter prints, are less expensive and don't show as much wear.
Customer Review: Bumgenius 3.0 Diapering Tips
Summary: 5 Stars
These are specific instructions for how we use this product. This is what works for us and the information I think is relevant. We've been using 15 of these almost exclusively for 3 months with no issues (we do wash every day).
1. You must use an approved detergent or the material will get a waxy coating and not absorb (leak). It must also have no additives. The detergent that works for you may depend on your water. We use Planet, a powder detergent available from Whole Foods. Our backup detergent is Country Save powder available at New Seasons Market or here on Amazon.
2. IMPORTANT - We use dried baby wipes (Costco brand) as liners in the diapers. This was a huge discovery in terms of cleanup. We can discard most of the waste on the soiled liner with minimal diaper rinsing needed. You can actually wash and dry wipes that have only been peed on with the diapers. When cleaning the baby of pee, I toss the used liner in the dirty diaper bin to be used as a liner later. When you do need to rinse, remove the insert first and leave the diaper in the pale wet. We have a handheld bidet (mini shower) installed on the toilet which makes rinsing much easier. These are easy to install and are useful beyond diaper cleaning.
3. We wash the diapers once in warm water with ¼ of the recommended detergent. Sometimes there is a faint stain but the stains don't usually survive the second wash. This is less washing than Bumgenius recommends but we want to minimize washing effort.
4. If the diapers start leaking after a few months, you may have a detergent build up. You can strip the diapers using one tablespoon of blue Dawn for a regular washer or ½ for HE in hot water. Rinse two more times in hot water (water only). You can also add up to ½ cup of bleach if you have a smell issue (we haven't yet).
5. We dry diapers on medium heat. We try not to over-dry to prolong the life of the diaper.
6. Be diligent about using the Velcro tabs when washing to keep your Velcro sticky.
7. Do not use diaper rash cream with these diapers. It will get through the liner onto the diaper.
8. Save your money on overpriced plastic diaper pail gizmos. Get a quality small metal step-lid can that will fit a plactic grocery bag. You will need one for washing and one for discards.
Customer Review: Easy and Excellent Diaper
Summary: 5 Stars
My daughter is now 11 months and we've been using these diapers since she was two months old. She was a small baby when she was born (5 lbs 2 ounces) and they were a little too big, so we couldn't use them right away. I really like these diapers, however. They are easy to use, easy to clean and they still look great 11 months on. I don't know how to fold a cloth diaper and since these are already in the diaper format, it's just like using a regular diaper. I also really like the fact that they grow with your child (the three snaps on the front allow you to change the size) and that they are environmentally friendly. We use them with flushable diaper liners which makes it really easy to flush solids. These diapers have never leaked, except for once when I didn't put the insert in properly. I've been pleasantly surprised with just how well these diapers have held up wash after wash. At first I used to spend time at night assembling the diapers (i.e. putting the inserts in), but now I just shove them all in a drawer and assemble as I change my daughter - its much less tedious. It just takes a second to put the insert it, so no biggy.
When my daughter went to daycare, we took a whole bunch of regular disposable diapers for them to use. She suddenly started getting diaper rash - we realized it was all the chemicals etc that regular diapers use. She never gets diaper rash when we use cloth diapers, so now we only use cloth or "green" disposables. We use regular perfume and dye free detergent to wash them. Do one wash on cold and the second wash on hot. When they begin to smell a little, I just put a capful of bleach in the first wash and they come out smelling and looking new (and the colors are still vibrant on the outer cloth - but don't do this too often as it can wear out the diapers). I also like letting them dry in the sun which bleaches them naturally. Even though you use water to wash the diapers, cloth diapers are still the most environmentally friendly option as "green" disposables do not biodegrade, and we love these. I've seen other cloth diapers in stores, but none compare to the quality of Bum Genius. I highly recommend them.
Customer Review: Couldn't be happier!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have used these diapers nearly exclusively on my now 14 month old baby. They are truly excellent. They are easier to put on than disposables.... my husband and "big" girls help with diaper changes when I'm lucky and they love them, too. They have been true to their advertised one size fits all 8 pounds up. When she was first born (7 pounds) we used disposables for just a couple of weeks to get around her cord and achieve a snugger fit around her birdy legs. Since then they have always fit just right. We have not had a single blow out or "up the back" scenario which I find amazing. Our baby has never had diaper rash with these diapers, which I owe to the "breathability" of the fabric. The colors (we have white, pink, green, and yellow) have all held up beautifully after many uses/washes. The white is a slightly grey white... as it was originally, so I prefer the other cute colors. I use an incredibly basic dry plastic pail (with no lid), which I keep in the cupboard under her bathroom sink counter (which is her "changer"). The pail actually fits into the mouth of my washer so I just dump them straight in. No expensive diaper pail needed, no fancy bags. Of course this works well with my set up in the bathroom and might not work if you had to have your pail set out in the open. Washing has been great, they come out looking nice and clean, no stains or odors. I have not needed to "strip" my diapers of detergent build-up. I dry them on a low setting. My washing machine lets me program cycles, so I have programed a diaper cycle which does a pre-wash, wash and extra rinse with all in a sanitize mode (I have a silver care machine). However, I think these diapers are "unfussy" and could tolerate a variety of sensible washing regimes. One reviewer felt her baby suffered in the heat in these diapers. I live in the Sacramento area i.e. summer temps often over 100F, I have never felt she was too hot/humid in these diapers, to the contrary I have felt they breath very nicely keeping her skin comfortable and healthy. I could not recommend these more highly. They are very worth their price.