… or any velcro tabs for that matter! Most cloth diaper users encounter problems with their velcro tabs. They can lose stickiness, curl, and gather lots of fluff over the months and years of washing. When I first started using and washing my Bum Genius 3.0′s I carefully pulled any stray hairs out that I saw. That was when my baby slept the majority of the day. Now I hardly have time to stuff and put away my diapers. Sometimes they lay in a pile and I pick the pieces up for each change.
I first heard about using a snappi to clean velcro tabs a few months ago. I wish I could remember who I heard it from to give them proper credit. It was probably on the Monday Night Twitter #clothdiapers chat. Using a snappi is easy to clean the gunk out of the tabs. If you don’t own one you can also use a comb. I do caution you to pay attention as you do this. You could break the hoops in the velcro.
Boy was this a long time coming or what? I have used the Bum Genius 3.0 One Size Pocket since my son was a newborn. I bought these initially because they had the best reviews on Diaperpin.com. I also saw them in a store and thought they looked easy enough for my husband to figure out. It is rare that I review a diaper I have used since the newborn stage. Hopefully this review will give those looking for advice on these diapers some useful insight into the BG 3.0. These are perfect starter diapers. The beauty of them really is in the simplicity.
Ease of Use ✰✰✰✰✰ The BG 3.0 uses a velcro closure. Bum Genius has plainly stated that they will never make a snap version of this diaper. It is intended to be the easiest and most user friendly cloth diaper on the market. You can have the BG converted to snaps if you want, of you can buy a BG Organic with snaps or the new Flip. Before putting it on the baby you will need to stuff it with the microfiber insert. The pocket opening does require that you lift the flap, then insert the soaker, then fold the flap back over. I am always extremely careful when I stuff my diapers because if you don’t lay things down correctly you can get leaks. When you are done you need to either remove the inerst all the way or pull it out slightly to let the washer do the rest of the work.
Bang for the Buck ✰✰✰✰ In my mind when I do these reviews I always compare pocket diapers (and others) to the BG 3.0. The pricing is 17.95 and you get the shell, a one size microfiber insert, and a newborn insert/doubler. I have found plenty of other diapers that cost less than the 3.0, however they are usually not made with the same quality of materials. The BG also has widespread availability. If a pocket diaper costs more than this I look for materials like hemp, bamboo, and more options. It seems expensive but it is still on the lower end of diaper costs.
Performance ✰✰✰✰As of now I have zero leak issues with my Bum Genius 3.0. However, it hasn’t always been like that. I started using the diaper on my son when he hit 8 pounds. Leaks out of the back! As a new mom I thought my baby was sweating from being swaddled and I asked my pediatrician. She asked if I had his penis pointed down. Whoops. So we started pointing it down and still got leaks but not as many. Usually these leaks were up the back or through the leg openings. It really wasn’t tight enough on his legs. Online the majority of users said the BG fit their babies between 11-13 pounds. This was true for us as well. I stopped using them until that point and stuck with prefolds and some disposables, mostly at night. I used the newborn insert only for quite a while, then moved to the one size insert for more absorbency. We use them at nights on occasions now too and I don’t have leaks. I haven’t had any leaks at all for quite some time. I attribute this to getting a better wash routine. I was using Tide but now only use cloth diaper specific detergents.
Fit ✰✰✰✰I am not saying this diaper will not fit an 8 pound baby, because every single baby is shaped differently. I do know that as a member of online communities for cloth diapering that most moms say they don’t. Personal experience tells me that it didn’t work for my baby until 11-13 pounds. Once it fit him we still had some user error leaks cause by how we put it on or how we washed it. (When I say “we” I really me “I”) The velcro tabs overlap and the 3 step rise worked well for his younger days and now. He is 21 pounds and on the middle rise snap. We are on the verge of needing to move up. Babies change shapes so he may move back down too.
Overall- The majority of my stash is still made up of my original set of Bum Genius 3.0′s. Many of them have been converted to snaps. Those that haven’t have had issues with the velcro tabs getting full of lint and the laundry tabs have lost all stickiness. I will not go to the trouble of replacing them but you can have that done or do it yourself. The tabs also curl up. There are some fuzzies on the outside around the tabs where jeans rub. Yet, they still function well and I grab them because they are easy to use. My husband grabs for these the most because he is most comfortable with them. I think the BG is a great starter diaper. I have suggested them to many moms looking for something their husbands might be able to use. Hubbies so forget to attach laundry tabs and pull inserts out. Be warned! i had a sheet with instructions for him.
I am currently reviewing the newest diapers from Bum Genius, the Flip and Econobum. I have already reviewed the BG Organic AIO. Tomorrow look for a video showing how to clean the velcro of your Bum Genius.
Well, technically I didn’t start full time until he was 2 weeks old. I did use them occasionally until 2 weeks. Here are some tips, life lessons, and thoughts on the first year of cloth diapering.
DO NOT prep your prefolds by boiling them in a tiny apartment. Trust me.
Don’t show off your stash to family members. They don’t care. I excitedly showed my stash to my mother in law, only to get asked why I wouldn’t just use disposables. Didn’t you see the wool soaker with a whale on the butt? Hello!
Expect resistance from your SO. Be prepared to explain in detail every step of the diaper change. You most likely did all of the research, he didn’t. He doesn’t know the difference between wool, PUL, fleece, or that laundry tabs needs to be affixed and inserts need to be pulled.
Maybe climbing up and down 2 flights of stairs 2 weeks after a vaginal delivery to wash diapers isn’t a great idea. But husbands are not to be trusted with diaper laundry (mine atleast)
One Size diapers leak on tiny babies. Don’t give up! If this happens to you either try tweaking the fit or set them aside and try them again later. This is what I did. Some One Size diapers I had fit sooner than others. But my son wore them exclusively after he hit 12 pounds and we stopped using the prefolds.
Expect funny looks, ridiculous questions, and praise. When I either tell someone or they see the cloth diapers there are varied reactions. Why? How? What do you do with the poop? How do you wash them? Doesn’t it stink? Does the baby feel wetness? Or… Good for you. I wish I could do that. etc.
Never think you have stash nirvana (being completely satisfied) because you won’t! I used to think I would be happy with all BG 3.0′s but yeah. Different phases of babydom mean different diapers you will favor. Wriggly phase will mean velcro is awesome. Newborn stage you might favor prefolds.
Never say never. I thought I would never use pins. I thought I would never use fitteds. I thought I would never ever use wool. You might. And you might like it!
I have no idea where our journey will take us next. If EC goes well then we will be using less diapers. I worry about night time diapering as he gets older and might start having heavier pees. But I will keep all of my diapers for the next baby, who will be inheriting a very diverse stash of cloth diapers!
A photo journey of most of our cloth diaper photos!
This post has been submitted to the ParentingbyNature blog contest. I wrote this post and decided after the fact that it would be a perfect fit. I am really proud of this particular post, and when I wrote it I was almost crying! I hope if my post is selected as a finalist that you will vote for me. Thank you!
Many of you know that I attended ABC Kids Expo this year. Attending also gave me the unique opportunity to attend the RDIA‘s (Real Diaper Industry Association) keynote meeting as press. I live tweeted the event as much as possible, but missed quite a bit since my son was a tad cranky. We were out of our time zone and things were just difficult. The fact that Pampers has been slyly dropping “facts” about cloth diapers being bad for our babies (see this post) made me think back to Jen’s, creator of Bum Genius and Cotton Babies, outgoing keynote speech at that meeting. Jen was the Chairperson of the RDIA and gave the reigns over to Leah Carter who is the woman behind Better for Babies (Little Beetle cloth diapers).
Jen gets loads of credit for helping usher in the modern cloth diaper revolution. Without her Bum Genius 3.0, and now the supremely affordable Econobum line and versatile Flip line, some parents may have never even heard of cloth diapers or attempted them. I began with Bum Genius 3.0′s because of their rave reviews on Diaper Pin. I was able to convince my husband to cloth diaper after showing him the 3.0′s that I purchased in North Carolina. My first brand new cloth diaper purchase; it felt so good and I fondled them forever. I put them on a teddy bear while I anxiously awaited the birth of my son. My point is the Bum Genius is a household name for cloth diapers. Ask any cd’ing mama if they have heard of them and they say yes. You can find them at some Targets even!
In the speech Jen made she notes a few things that could be coming for the industry. First, that disposable diaper companies will be (and obviously already are) taking notice of the cloth diaper industry. This means a few things. One, that they will step up their efforts to slander cloth diapers by releasing either bogus and unverified scientific evidence about the healthiness of their diapers and the harmfulness of cloth. This is evident in the Pampers quotes. Two, that they may even try to fund (and influence) studies to back up these claims. This isn’t unheard of; already there are studies claiming that disposables are no worse or even better than cloth diapers on the environment. This study says the water used to wash diapers and the manufacturing of the diapers is just as bad as throwing THOUSANDS of diapers in the landfill. Third, that if they can’t beat them, they may join them. Meaning, big companies like P&G could begin making their own cloth diapers or buy out an existing smaller cloth diaper company. This one actually scares me the most. I shudder at the thought of a behemoth company making cloth diapers. I love supporting cloth diaper companies because the majority of them are small, family run, companies started by Stay at Home Moms. Even the larger companies like Bum Genius are still run by the orginal creator. Jen’s story is pretty amazing. She started her company from nothing and is now the most recognized cloth diaper brand. No matter what you think about her, her company, or her diaper you have to respect her commitment, business savvy, and ability to start so many families on cloth diapers. We were a Bum Genius family, and still use them as the workhorse of out stash. There are plenty of diapers I like more, and plenty I like less.
What I am trying to convey is that cloth diapers are making a come back. If P&G, a multi-million dollar company, is shaking in their boots about what this means for their profits then we know we are on to something. Getting the message out about our “real” diapers is crucial. The more they slander cloth diapers, the more we have to praise them. Think back to when you began researching cloth diapers. What if you heard that they weren’t really that great for the environment. Would you have believed that? Maybe. Or what if you were told cloth diapers would give your child a cold or impair their ability to learn. A little crazy but you didn’t know any better. Maybe you would have thought twice about cloth diapers. Just maybe, you would have picked up a box of Pampers. We have to spread the message more to combat these falsities and outright lies. If our community bands together and continues converting moms, aiding them in their research, showing off our diapers at play groups, changing our babies in public, putting our babies in baby legs and cute fluff, and evangelizing on Twitter, Facebook, Mommy Forums, and blogs, we can grow our grassroots cloth campaign. We are all onto something great that is bigger than ourselves. I know this sounds overdramatic, but I am extremely proud of our cloth diapering community. We help one another, we care about the earth, our babies, and the futire. We have begun a new era, but we have also come full circle. Our grandmothers didn’t have a choice but we do.
I want to quote Erin Kimmet, creator and President of Thirsties, who said this in a Q&A I had with her (not published yet but I have to share this now. I love it) “I hope that when my kids have kids of their own, and when my grandkids have kids, they will refer to the past 30 years in history as the diaper-dark-ages! And they can brag about how their mom was a part of the diaper revolution!”
UPDATE: Kelly’s Closet has generously offered to send the Flip and Econobum for review. I am very grateful to them for making these reviews happen. I know the videos will help parents who are trying to decide between the two, or who are wondering how the Flip/ Gro Baby systems differ. I am also so happy at the comments I have received to far. Thank you all for helping me decide, and to those of you who emailed or commented that you would allow me to borrow your own diapers for the video. I am really truly beyond amazed at all of your kindness. You all have assured me that keeping the blog going is the right thing to do as well. Though I may sometimes skip a few days, I am still here. But family is first! I can’t wait to bring you these reviews and the other diapers waiting in the wings. Plus, December is going to be amazing. I can’t wait to tell you what is in store. Just think Fluffy Christmas!
I am conflicted about doing a Flip and Econobum review. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the brands, these are new diapering systems from the makers of Bum Genius. The FLIP is a snapping cover with a snap down rise to make it one size, and you can use it with stay dry inserts or organic cotton or disposable inserts. The Econobum is meant as an introductory cloth diaper. It is 9.99 for a plain white snapping cover, and it comes with a one size prefold that is divided is squares to fold different ways for different sizes.
I aim to bring readers video reviews of diapers to help you decide what diapers are best for your family, and to help you compare them to others you may be considering. I have done reviews of diapers I own, and at this point, am usually sent the diapers to review. To bring you as many reviews as possible, I have to do this. Otherwise, I would spend more money than I have buying diapers for reviews.
Bum Genius doesn’t really send diapers out for review at this time. This is fine, not everyone does! But, I know a lot of you are interested in seeing a video of the Flip and Econobum. I was very close to buying them both last night but then I talked myself out of it, for good reason. 40.00 for them all. I am saving my money to buy the longies being knit for my son’s first bday.
If you want to see a video review of the Flip and/or Econobum, keep me in mind while shopping for diapers. If you are shopping at Kelly’s Closet, use my affiliate link. I made a percentage of the sale, which I can turn into diapers to review. Or, if you just happen to own a diaper store that carries these items and you are reading this, consider sponsoring the diapers to be reviewed.
There have been many diapers I have wanted to buy to review, but again, I have to be rational. Do I need more diapers? Absolutely not! Should I be pouring money into this website instead of my son’s birthday? No again. But I would still like to do my reviews!
Eco Baby’s Hut is a new online store offering the biggest and best brands of cloth diapers as well as cloth diaper safe creams and wipe solution. They offer free shipping on orders over 75.00 and even have package deals that save you 10% and a layaway plan to help you get your stash started. The brands you can find at Eco Baby’s Hut: Bum Genius, Thirsties, Baby Kanga, FuzziBunz, and Punkin’ Booty Bits. They are going to be expanding their store soon, so check back for even more brands!
One of the brands already sold at Eco Bbay’s Hut, Bum Genius, is the easiest cloth diaper to use on the market. The Bum Genius 3.0 is Dad and Babysitter friendly. It uses velcro tabs which makes diaper changes a breeze. It has a suedecloth liner to wick moisture away from baby’s bottom, and since it is a pocket diaper, it dries quickly!
Eco Baby’s Hut has offered a Bum Genius 3.0 One Size Pocket diaper in the color or your choice (from in-stock colors) to one lucky reader. Even better, they have offered DDL reader’s a coupon code to save 5% by using the code SUMMERFUN5.
To enter, first you need to go to Eco Baby’s Hut and peruse their items. Come back with a comment about which brand you like the best that they carry, or would like to try. This entry is mandatory!For extra entries do any or all of the following and leave a separate comment for each one you do.
Eco Baby’s Hut would like to know what brand you would be interested in them carrying next. Name one (or two if you please) and leave it as a comment.
Follow my twitter and tweet this giveaway. Leave the status link in a comment.
Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect or subscribe to my blog. Leave a comment.
Fav this blog on Technorati for 2 entries. Leave two separate comments and your username.
Blog about this Giveaway(or all of my giveaways and get an extra entry in every one!) and provide the link to your post in a comment.
Grab my button on the right hand side and post it on your blog. Leave a link to your blog in the comments.
The contest is open to residents of both Canada & the US. Ends Aug 5. Winner drawn using random.org. If the winner does not get back to me within 48 hours a new one will be drawn.
Today was yet another trip to Ithaca, NY. Yes, Ithaca is “gorges” hah hah. Now that that is out of your system I will continue. If you aren’t aware, Ithaca is a very “green” city. I love the fact that when I go there I am almost soggy compared to the general public. It gives me something to strive for!
My mission today was to pick up my Ergo backpack attachment for my Ergo Carrier. Since I am flying to Charlotte next week alone I am determined to lighten my load. Instead of carrying my son in the ergo and having to carry a diaper bag I just solved my problem!
Somehow I timed it perfectly. There was a nasty thunderstorm this morning, so we waited for it to pass. I picked up my friend and her daughter and by the time we made it to Ithaca it was drizzly. We both wore our babies, she used a backpack carrier and I put Fletcher in the Didy wrap I am borrowing from Woowoomama. I used the front facing carry and it was great. I am getting the hang of using a wrap and starting to enjoy it.
Our first stop was Mama Goose. This is a consignment store, but it also sells handmade items from locals. I was excited to see ES baby diapers there in the store. They are made by a mom who is local to me. She is quite talented and I love her diapers. In fact, my son is wearing a cover she made right now.
ES baby at Mama Goose
Next stop was Jillian’s Drawers!!!!! I can’t get enough of this store. I picked up my backpack and talked to a few of the employees. One of them joins in on the Twitter chats on monday nights about #clothdiapers. It was nice to put a face to the name. My friend bought 5 diapers and a pack of soakers. She found a fantastic deal on BG Organic AIO‘s which were used and in great shape. They were pink so I was not interested! Then she got on the Gro Baby wagon. She purchased a shell in Blackberry along with a pack of two soakers. So in essence she got 7 diapers!!! I had willpower and only got what I came for. On our way out I saw the International Breastfeeding symbol on the door. I was pretty excited about seeing one in person. Of course, I will breastfeed wherever I please, but I am happy to support any business that is pro-breastfeeding.
Our last stop was at the usual eatery. Amazingly the babies both behaved. No tantrums. I had to nurse Fletcher at the end when he got a bit fussy but it was cake. While inside, the bottom of the sky dropped and it started pouring. Somehow our timing was once again impeccable. By the time we were finished the rain had become a light drizzle.
So, I am back home where I am on the extreme end of crunchy.
Many people ask, what is the major difference between the Bum Genius AIO Organic OS, and the Bum Genius 3.0 OS Pocket. I hope you find this video review helpful to you in answering questions about the Organic AIO. It is my favorite cloth diaper that I have tried so far. I find that most people who are interested in cloth diapering do not have access to diapers in real life. This is why I started doing video reviews, to show the ins and outs of a diaper for moms who have read a million reviews but still can’t decide. If there is a diaper you wish to see reviewed, leave me a comment and I will try to make it happen.
UPDATE!
I am updating my older reviews to include the category Durability. I did not start using the star rating system until after this review was written/ filmed. I do still want to include the update since I believe it is an important aspect of reviews.
Durability ✰✰✰✰✰- The Bum Genius AIO Organic with SNAPS is still among my favorite cloth diapers. I purchased this diaper with my own money (a few actually) and still use them. I also purchased the Aplix version which has since been discontinued. The Aplix version would get a 2 star because everyone I purchased doesn’t stick anymore. The velcro is horribly fuzzy and the tabs were coming unsewn. The snaps version of the BG AIO Organic has held up wonderfully after almost a year and a half of constant use. These diapers get picked by me daily, and my husband. They get washed more than almost any diaper I own.
There are small holes in the cotton, but not the soaker. The cotton next to the PUL. These holes have occured around the legs and at the corner where the soaker is sewn in. I view these as a badge of honor more than a defect. After washing and wearing something this much I expect sign of use.
The PUL looks brand new, there is no sign of distress on the snaps or around them. The soakers are white (they are tan new) and I assume this is from washing and sunning them so many times. The cotton isn’t as soft as new, but I wouldn’t say it is rough.
I am very pleased with the durability and workmanship of the BG AIO Organic with SNAPS.
6 months ago I was petrified of my husband changing our cloth diapers. No matter how many lessons I gave him before the baby arrived he seemed clueless. ”This is how you snappi the prefold” as I demonstrated on Mr. Teddy Bear. A teddy and a baby are not exactly similar. My husband was not happy with my decision to use prefolds until our Bum Genius 3.0 One Size pockets fit. ”Why do you put the prefold on, and then a cover? Isn’t that twice the work? Can’t we just use the Bum Genius now?” Hah I wish. In my extensive research, most parents agreed that the Bum Genius didn’t fit well without leakage issues until the baby reached 11-13 pounds. I wasn’t planning on squirting one out that big so I bought prefolds in the meantime.
Surprisingly, my husband did change our son. He even used a snappi and prefold. But, as soon as the Bum Genius fit, this is what he reached for. Well, this created a new set of problems. Anyone who has used them understands there are a few steps when taking them off. First, you need to attach the velcro tabs to their laundry tabs to prevent a diaper chain when you wash. Second, you need to remove the insert before placing it in the pail. You could remove it as you wash but that is not my style. There were other things he was doing that weren’t making my life easier. Early on I was not using cloth wipes. For some reason my husband would always leave the wipes lid open. I would go in to change our son and half of the wipes were bone dry. Disposable wipes caused other issues for my husband, who could not seem to throw them in the trash, instead, they ended up in the wet bag and consequently were washed. The most annoying thing he did was let the velcro tabs fall into the poop. That was a pain to get poop out of velcro. After almost going hoarse from reminding him of these points, I made this sign:
This sign hung above the changing table, to remind my hsband of the “do’s” and “don’ts” of using cloth diapers.
Where the Daddy Check List Hangs. See my baskets full of fresh fluff laundry?
The removal of said list.
The throwing away of list. *** Except after this photo op I remembered to recycle it heh***
So there ya have it folks! My husband is officially trained, and no longer needs the Daddy Check List! I need to make him a Cloth Diapering Degree. He does not stuff pockets or do laundry, but he knows how to use snap diapers, velcro diapers, pockets, AIOs, prefolds with covers, “S” hook diapers, and how to tell a night time diaper apart from a day time diaper. He still has his moments (fitteds still confuse him) but I love him for trying!!! So congrats Daddy! You have graduated Cloth Diaper School with Honors!
