BumGenius 3.0 One Size Cloth Diaper Review

SAP's Story

When I "researched" cloth diapering before SAP was born, I was under the impression that there was a "best" cloth diaper. Now that I'm a seasoned CDing mama, I know that there is no single cloth diaper that will work for every child, just like no single disposible does! But there are ones out there that do stand above the rest.

So when I started getting into cloth diapering I purchased my first cloth diapers from online at a store called Cottonbabies.com, and I purchased 24 Bumgenius 3.0 one sized diapers, thinking I've made the best decision. These were what was recommended as the best!

Coming close to my due date, and continueing my research, I soon found out that almost everyone was saying the BG one size diaper wouldn't fit a newborn! Um ah oh, now what? Since I had little money but I didn't want to start out with disposibles and get into that rut of the easiness of throw-away spoosies, I started shopping around looking for more great diapers ... this time for a newborn!

I did purchase newborn diapers but that's a story for another time. The BumGenius diapers have been well worth their money in many ways, even if they didn't fit SAP at first, they've fit her for well over a year now! They finally fit SAP at 8 lbs and fit her without leaking at all by the time she was 10 lbs! These are the main diapers SAP uses, for many reasons.

Now, when i was looking for my "perfect" cloth diaper, my main concerns were expense, ability to use them at daycare, ease of use for myself and my family, and the ability for them to fit until potty training so I wouldn't need to purchase any more cloth diapers (ha ya right, I got addicted and kept buying them, or winning them online! lol). Those needs all seemed to be met by the BumGenius One size diapers, and the video online demonstrateing how the stretchy tabs help get the BGOS onto a squirmy toddler without problems was an immediate sale!

The diapers were immediately easy to understnad how to use, and the similarity to disposibles made it easy for even Nana to change SAP's diaper! By the time SAP fit these she was a couple months old and the newborn inserts were no longer absorbant enough, so we have only ever used the regular inserts in these diapers. The newborn inserts however came in very handy to be used as doublers until SAP got older and needed better doublers.
Around 6 1/2 months old SAP started daycare and we came about a problem: 24 diapers was enough for home, but now we'd be leaving 6 at daycare....we needed more diapers! Back to Cottonbabies.com, and they had fleece lined BGOS 3.0 diapers! I ordered 6 of those, and we now use them as night time diapers for her since they are easy to tell apart from the regular lining in the other diapers, so we know these are the ones with doublers. It is great that the lining is offered in fleece and the suede (I believe that's what it is) since I know some babies are so sensitive that they can't use the regular lined diapers and need the fleece.

The cloth diapers and their bright colors were always a big hit with everyone, from family and friends to people walking on the street, but after starting d
aycare we had a whole new reason to love the BGOS cloth diapers....the workers and volunteers at the daycare could easily understand how to use them without a great amount of instruction! With the turnover at the daycare since it is a university daycare staffed with students, it was important that it be easy to understand, and I was very satisfied with my choice to trust BumGenius from the start of our cloth diapering!

We have come accross some problems with the BGOS diapers, but nothing too noticeable. The main thing we dislike is that the diaper is not as trim as we would like. It has not interferred too much with her clothing sizes, but it does cause her some difficulties when learning something new, like rolling, or walking. It took her alittle bit longer and she always did better rolling or walking with a different diaper on. A little bit more bulkiness is always expected with one size diapers so that is a choice you would have to make as to if it is what is most important to you or less important than other things. We also had problems with the BGOS diapers leaking at night once our daughter learned to roll and would sleep on her side or stomach. Until she was older and this was no longer a problem we used prefolds and covers at night so that we wouldn't have to change her sheets all the time, but this was one thing that could use some improvement, if there were some gathers in front or something or if they came up with a night diaper with different leg gussets for side sleeping babies this wouldn't be too much a problem, but it made it so we couldn't use these diapers at night for a few months...now they're her main night diaper as well as day! Also, once my daugher was a few months old she got curious and started playing with the velro on the diaper, and you know what that leads to! Diaper off! This is something all parents will have to figure out with their babies. Velcro is great for adjustability and a great personalized sizing, it is also easy to use by many people, but babies can easily get it off if they don't have clothes on. BumGenius does however make this one size diaper in organic with snaps! So not only does the baby benefit from organic fabric but you benefit from not having a naked baby running around! If you don't want to go all organic you could get a few snap diapers and the rest regular, or whatever suits your family! But BG thought of it all!



Description:

• Type of cloth diaper: One size pocket diaper
• Size: One sized (small, medium, large)
• Ages/weight recommendation: Fits most babies from 7-35lbs (see actual fit sizes)
• Insert: Microfiber Terry, regular size with three layers of microfiber (adjustable to small, medium, large settings), and newborn size with two layers of microfiber terry
• How diaper works/features: The one-size feature of the BumGenius One-Size Pocket diaper is adjusted through what are called "rise snaps" on the front of the diaper. This enables the user to snap down to the smallest "newborn" setting, snap to the medium setting, or keep it unsnapped for the largest setting. The closure of this diaper is velcro, although this diaper is also made in organic with snap closure. The velcro closure has stretchy tabs to make fit adjustable. For laundry time, laundry tabs are located next to each velcro closure tab so that they will now catch on anything in the wash. This diaper is a pocket diaper, and so must be stuffed with an insert to be used effectively. The insert that it comes with is a microfiber insert by BumGenius which is quick and very absorbant, and should last the recommended 2 hours between diaper changes for a cloth diaper. A newborn insert/diaper doubler made of microfiber is also included. This can be used for newborns to reduce bulk when on the smallest, newborn setting, or it can be used as a diaper doubler for heavy wetters or nap time use of this diaper. This is a pocket diaper, and so it has a stay-dry layer made of suede material that wicks away moisture from the baby's bottom. This layer is also available in fleece with velcro closures on the diaper, or organic with snap closures on the diaper. I am reviewing the suede layer with velcro, and the fleece layer with velcro.

Style and Material:

• Material feel: Outer material is soft, not too much like plastic, but still completely waterproof. Stay-dry layer is soft against baby's bottom, in both the suede and the fleece.
• Materials used: This diaper is not organic, although another BumGenius design is offered in organic cotton.
• Keep-Baby-Dry Layer: This layer is made in the traditional with suede fabric, although you can also find it in fleece! Either fabric is soft and wicks moisture away from baby's bottom. Some families have problems with sensitivity to the suede fabiric, and so a fleece layer would be prefered at those times.
• Color/Aesthetics: This diaper is only available in solid prints. There are the traditional colors available that are white, blossom, butternut, grasshopper, and twilight, and the more recent solid prints that are more vibrant, which are Clementine, Ribbit, Moonbeam, and Zinnia. No patterns are available at this time. There have been special spring selections in the past where the tabs have been the opposite vibrant/traditional color, such as a grasshopper diaper had ribbit colored stretchy tabs, but this has only been offered for a limited amount of time. Other than that, this diaper does have a decent color selection, girly, boyish, and gendar neutral prints. The front closure seems to be a type of butterfly look and is not bad looking so to say. The rise snaps in the front for changing sizes may not be appealing to everyone.

Ease of Use

• Closures: The closures are velcro and so resemble very similarily to disposibles. They stretch to get the best, most personal fit to each baby and make things simple for user. They also are able to overlap so that tighter fits are possible. The tabs are also rounded so that it is more comfortable for baby and user. These are very simple to use without instruction. Laundry tabs are also available next to tab closures, they are square and are securely sewn to diaper. They do fray over time but they work well at keeping velcro closure tabs from catching on other wash items during laundry time, and so keeping velcro from fraying and lasting longer. I have had no fraying or loose/stray strings from the front velcro or the tab closures at all in over a year.
• Similarity to disposibles: I believe these are the closest type of cloth diaper style you can get to disposibles as possible without it being an AIO. The diaper is shaped like a disposible , the tabs are in the same place, and they attach the same way as a disposible would, with stretchiness and everything. Definatly a wonderful beginner's diaper for those converting from disposibles to cloth, keep it simple!
• AIO/pocket/fitted/prefold/hybrid/one size/cover: This diaper is a pocket diaper, and so requires stuffing and unstuffing of the insert. This requires minimal time, but it does require an extra step and a little learning process with how best to lay the insert in the pocket to best prevent leaks and bulk. This diaper is also a one-sized diaper, and so does require a learning of how to use rise snaps. This is an easy skill to aquire. However these two things make it so it is not the "most simple" diaper out there, but it is very much easy to use and easy to learn to use without instruction.
• How size and fit is adjusted: Size is adjusted through rise snaps in the front. This adjust for size of the diaper, but does not adjust for fit. Fit around the waist can be done with the stretchy velcro closure, however nothing adjusts for fit around the legs. Babies differ with skinny or chunky legs, and so something is needed to adjust for this that is not available. I have not had any leak issues since the beginning with this problem, and so it is not a big deal, but it should be noted if you have a skinny baby or a very chunky baby.

Fit:

• Trimness: This diaper is a one size diaper, and so trys to account for all sizes a baby will go through before being potty trained, and all different absorbancies. Due to this, it will be bulkier on a smaller child, and fit a larger child more trim. I have noticed these diapers are not as trim as other one-sized diapers, but these other diapers may not have the same absorbancy available. These BumGenius One Sized diapers have thicker tabs around the waist, and a thicker soaker area, making them not the most trim diapers available, but not the bulkiest out there either. SAP does fine with these diapers, but does improve with use of other more trim diapers for when she is more active. Trimness could be inproved but does not significantly impact child. I believe it is the style of this diaper that allows it to be a wonderful night time diaper without leaking, and thus for this feature trimness is not inportant and might compromise that feature if changed.
• How adjustable diaper is for size/absorbancy: Size is highly adjustable as it is a one-sized diaper. As child's body shape changes, they get bigger, thinner, chubbier, longer, older, etc., size can go up and down with easy use rise snaps. Absorbancy is also highly alterable as it is a pocket diaper and can be stuffed with what is needed. If wanted, a different insert could be used to make it trimmer, or a small one for a newborn, or a insert with a doubler for nap times, or even a folded prefold for long car rides or night time. This diaper can be stuffed pretty full and still not leak!

Performance and Functionality:

• Leaks: This diaper is very well leak-proof, but it does leak in certain situations. This diaper leaks when the size it is on is not correct, like when baby has grown and needs to be sized up. It also leaks for a newborn before they are large enough to wear it without problems (about 10-12 lbs for SAP). We also had problems with this diaper leaking when SAP learned to roll over and started sleeping on her side and her belly. She still does this but her body fits the diaper better now and so it does not leak in this situation any longer. As it is a pocket diaper, it also leaks after she has gone poo-poo. The poo in pocket diapers stays on top of the stay-dry-layer of the diaper, and if it is not changed soon after and baby pees again on top of it, the pee cannot be absorbed into the diaper since poo is covering the stay-dry layer. This can easily be fixed by frequent diaper chages, every 2 hours for a cloth diaper (any diaper in fact), or whenever you smell a poo-poo!
• Absorbancy: Absorbancy is excellent. The regular insert fit well and absorbed well for day use and nap time use. Night time use requires a hemp doubler. We have went 3-4 hours rarely without a leak with a single insert, but it is not recommended to leave your baby without a change that long, but the insert is absorbant enough for this to occur if the situation arrises, without leaks occuring. The newborn insert was not used for SAP as by the time she fit into these BumGenius One-Sized diapers she was too much a heavy-wetter and needed regular inserts, the newborn could not absorb enough. They do work well as doublers for nap time or night time until baby gets older though.
• Leg Gussets: The leg gussets are very simple on the BumGenius one sized diaper. They are nothing special, but they are very soft on the legs, and do not leave any marks on the baby. They have never been too tight on SAP, nor too loose.
• Nap/Bedtime use: These diapers are designed not for trimness but for leak-proof and userability, and they make the perfect night time/nap time diaper! You can easily stuff the amount of absorbancy you need for each situation and no matter the position you baby likes to sleep should not leak.
• If Fit is True: It is recommended that this one-sized diaper fits 7-35lbs, from newborn to potty training. However, almost everyone who has used these diapers from the beginning throughout and me and SAP included have concluded that these diapers will not truely fit an infant that small. They will be able to be put on your baby, but they will most likely leak alot of the time until your baby reaches from 10-13lbs. SAP started wearing these more often around 10lbs and fully without leaks at all by 12lbs. Each child is different in body shape and so it will differ for each child. For SAP, who is a small child and was born small at just under 7lbs, it took until she was 2 months to fit into these without leaks.
• How insert is removed: Insert does not remove by iteself in the wash and must be removed by user, either by pulling it out or flipping the opening open and shaking the insert out. This is usually not too much a deal but can be a bit yucky at times diapers can get messy.
• Wear and Tear: SAP is almost 14 months old now, and these diapers are still completely usable! The velcro, the closure tabs, the fabric are all in excellent condition and holding up, as well as the rise snaps. The laundry tabs could definaly need replaceing, as of about a year old, and the elastic might need to be refreshed after she is done with these diapers. The microfiber terry inserts have held up to being washed every 2-3 days wonderfully, the tags are unreadable and bairly still there but the fabric still absorbs and stays together like day one. Not as soft as day one but it does not touch baby's skin (and never should come in contact with babys' bottom with diaper on!) and so that is not a necessity. No fibers comeing apart and workign just as well.

Quality/Cash Analysis

• These diapers usually are about $18 new.
• The fact that these diapers are extremely dependable and very versitile and easy to use, plus the fact that the fabric and features save for the velcro laundry tabs has held up for 14 months thus far and still going makes this a high quality diaper.
• For $18 to get a cloth diaper with the quality and dependability of the BumGenius 3.0 One-Sized diaper is a steal! These diapers are also offered in discount packs of 3, 6, 12, and 24, and coupon codes and sales usually occur at many stores almost all the time for free stuff or a free diaper with purchase, or a certain % off. I definalty think that the quality of this diaper for the price it is sold for is more then worth it without any second thoughts.