Cloth Diapers - Part Three

Special Situations: bumGenius

Now I must confess that when I first heard of bumGenius I thought it was silly and crazy to come up with one diaper to fit a baby from 8-35 pounds. How can there be one diaper that fits a baby well for all those times??! However, we have often run into problems when we take Hadassah to the church nursery or have a babysitter over. While we had many people who had no problem using the diapers (I have never had someone tell me that they will not try the cloth diapers) I would often find Hadassah in some interesting combinations! On a few occasions I felt like they did not change her as often because her cloth diapers intimidated them. I finally decided to look into an easy cloth diaper that ANYONE could use! Insert bumGenius! It is made for anyone to use! Once I have them stuffed they go on and off just like a disposable diaper. We bought three diapers so that we would have enough for us to go out on a date or to have Haddie at church. We rarely ever go through more than 2 at a time but this way we always have an extra.

When you buy the One Size bumGenius diaper it comes with two inserts and a cover. The smaller insert is for a newborn and can later be added when your baby needs more protection or for at night. The longer insert has a snap on it that allows it to be snapped down for three different sizes that corresponds with the size of the diaper cover.

Above you can see the bumGenius diaper in all three sizes. The yellow is on the smallest size, blue is medium, and green is the the largest size. Each diaper has the ability to grow with the baby, hence the name One Size Diaper. Just snap down to the right size for your baby.

The bumGenius diapers come in many different colors. We have kept all of our diaper covers in gender neutral colors so that we can use them with all of our kids and not just Haddie. I have a bit of an issue with little boys going around in pink diapers (even though I think they would be really cute on a little girl)!

Simply stuff the insert in the pocket of the cover. The part that touches the baby's skin is made of a super soft fleece which helps wick moisture away from baby's skin.

Above is the diaper stuffed and ready to be put on!

Place diaper under your baby's bottom and pull up between legs as you would any other diaper!

There are velcro tabs the keep the diaper on! It is that easy!

Here is Haddie wearing the diaper! She has no issues with mobility while she wears the diaper. For the most part it is a trim option but I still usually need to put her in a size up for pants.

To clean the diaper you just throw it in the wash like you would the other cloth diapers and the liner will come out on its own. That makes it very handy to use. You may also choose to pre-stuff the diapers after you wash them so that they are ready to use when you need them.

Now...here are the few issues that we have with the diaper. I know many people who use the bumGenius diaper and love it. What I share is just my experience.

First of all, I plan on using the diapers we have bought for more than just Hadassah. Even though she used the diapers and covers (Kissaluvs and Thirsties) they are all still in great shape and are packed away waiting for baby number two (and three and four and five...)! While I do not know this for sure I have heard that in general, when you buy a one size diaper it will have more wear (possible for 2 years). By the time you are ready to use them on another baby you may find that you need to buy another set because they are too worn out to use again. With our Kissaluvs we will be able to use them for 2 if not more babies. They hold up well as you only ever use one size for a season as opposed to using the same diaper over and over for two plus years. Also the Kissaluvs have a lifetime guarantee on the snaps (we may have to buy a few more covers at some point as those use velcro like the bumGenius).

Second, I don't like that it doesn't have a double gusset. I did not use these when Haddie was younger and had runny BF (breastfed) poop but I can imagine that it will not hold it in like the Kissaluv/Prorap cover. We DID NOT have a single blow out diaper! For those of you who have had newborn BF then you will understand how amazing this is. Just a few weeks ago we had to change Haddie's sheets for the first time because they were wet (she broke a fever). Before this point I just changed her sheets to keep them clean. She has never had a leaky diaper. On one or two times with the bumGenius she has had wet pants because the diaper tends to leak a bit more.

Another issue that I have with bumGenius is the sizing. It takes a while for most babies to reach 12 pounds. While they say that the diapers work from 8-35 pounds Jillian's drawers says that in their experience it works better from 12-32 pounds (anyone want to share your experience??). While we used disposable diapers the first 2 weeks, we made the switch to cloth by week 3. Hadassah was 7 lbs. 14.6 oz when she was born. She dropped down to 7lbs 3 oz. She was 8 pounds by her first month and did not hit 12 pounds until sometime between her 3rd and 4th month. So while they say that this is a one size diaper you will need to be prepared to possibly find another option for the first few months. We could have started cloth diapers sooner but I found that I had enough to adjust to before I needed to introduce doing a few loads of diapers each week. That is why we waited until she was 3 weeks old. Also, Haddie is about 22 pounds (my guess) right now and I am not sure how much longer the diaper will fit her. Maybe it will be fine but I would not be surprised if she outgrows it sooner. We will have to wait to see.

The final issue that I have with them is that you always have to wash the cover. With the diaper/cover combo you can wipe the cover down with a wipe and let it dry and use it again. I find this helps keep the cover from getting over worn from the washing and drying. Because the bumGenius diaper cover has the soft cloth/pocket then you have to wash it after every use.

All this said, we have found bumGenius to be a perfect option for the occasional use. I specifically chose a one size diaper so that we would be able to use them from the time they are a few months old (about the time we put Haddie in the nursery at church) until they are a toddler. For what we are using them for I have no doubt that they will be able to be reused for multiple kids! Once a week is a lot different than daily use. I do not think I would choose this for my daily diaper but it works great for those who are not used to using cloth diapers or for those who have a nanny or daycare. There are many diapers like a bumGenius that you may want to look into. If I ever need to buy another I may opt for one that has all snaps and no velcro. Snaps just seem to hold up more. But for the price you can't beat it! bumGenius goes for $104.70 for a 6 pack and $203.40 for a 12 pack at Jillian's Drawers.

Answers to Questions:

1. Where do you get your wetbags??

I buy almost all of my cloth diaper stuff from Jillian's Drawers. They are a great company and until I find a store like that in Atlanta I will continue to give them business!

2. have you ever used "Rockin' Green" detergent? I've heard it's great for cloth diapers?

I have not ever tried anything other than Tide. Tide has always worked well for us and we can buy it at any store. For the cost and the quality I am happy with Tide. I am sure I could pick a better option for the environment but for now on our budget this works well for us! Let me know if you have a good experience with it! I hear that Charlie's Soap and Allan's Naturally work well. Both can be bought at Jillian's Drawers. South of Atlanta (where I live) we really do not have many natural options. We would really have to order something.