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Bumgenius 4.0 Review, Comparison to 3.0

Jul 18,2010 / By / 1,124 Comments
bumgenius 4.0

I don’t usually post giveaways on the weekends, since the internet is closed on weekends and all.  <—-According to my Aunt Becky.  <—-Not my real Aunt.  I’m going to be a daredevil and do it anyway!

I forewarn you that this post has a lot of yapping and a lot of pictures.
 
Before I get started – I’m quite happy about the improved Velcro, but we’ll have to see how it pans out in the long run.  I was a little disappointed with all the hype about the “new” product. It had me panicking that my favorite diapers were being discontinued. I’m glad that it was just a 4.0 but mad at myself for getting caught up in all the speculation.

So here’s what was new:

  1. Slightly larger to fit bigger babies.
  2. Improved Velcro and laundry tabs.
  3. Snap closure option.
  4. More easily replaceable elastic.
  5. 3 extremely pale pastels.  Noodle (yellow), sweet (green) and bubble (lavender.)
I bought myself a 4.0 in Velcro in the “sweet” color.  A winner gets the same, plus a snap closure 4.0 in the “noodle” color.  I didn’t buy myself a snap closure diaper, so there’s no detailed review of it.  However, as you can see above, it looks nearly identical to the Flip.
I suspected that the sizing would be very similar to the flip, and it appears I was right.
As you can see in the above pictures, the colors (can’t speak about “bubble” since I didn’t buy one) are extremely light.  They almost look like an item made of two different fabrics that start out the same color, but wear differently over time.  Then after a while, they are slightly off. 
As you can see here, the contrast to something white (white paper, the white Velcro, white inner etc.) is what makes the diaper not look totally white.
The story is that many parents were asking for lighter colors that wouldn’t show through newborn clothing. I remember being annoyed by the characters on disposable diapers showing through pale baby clothing.
I find the color names to be a bit confusing, but that’s true for all brands.  I already had a hard time remembering which blue and green were which. I definitely agree that descriptive color names like chocolate, root beer, platinum, cherry, raspberry, watermelon and the like, are more appealing.  However, it’s also very easy to imagine what color you’re getting based on the name.  In fact, I would expect that root beer and chocolate may be slightly different colors!  Noodle?  Sweet?  Bubble?  What the heck!  I had to check 3 times before I ordered to try to make sure I knew what I was getting.  That was especially difficult since the website was barely working and most of the images weren’t appearing thanks to all the traffic.
OK now I have to apologize in advance for using a 9 month old diaper in my comparison shots, it’s kinda gross.  But, it also lets you see what a Bumgenius 3.0 looks like after 9 months!  Plus, if I had bought a new one just for this comparison, the winner wouldn’t be getting two diapers.
I had a very tough time photographing the change to the elastic.  it’s very hard to see in the photo, but in the 3.0, there is a horizontal line of stitching at the end of the elastic.
Can you see it?  Yeah, me neither.  But it’s there.  I just can’t get a good photo of it.
The 4.0 doesn’t have that additional stitching, which should make elastic replacement easier.
This was the improvement I was happiest about.  The biggest problems I have with the BG are the stinky microfiber, (easily remedied with an occasional dab of bleach with the inserts only-sorry to the bleach haters, but it works) the &^%^* laundry tabs and resulting curling closure tabs, and all the snagging that ends up on the front of the diapers.
A lot of people end up doing a snap conversion when the tabs bite the dust, especially since their little ones are discovering the joy of rrriippppp-ing the Velcro around that time anyway.  You can also buy refresher kits from Cottonbabies and replace them, but I’m no seamstress.  We prefer Velcro at our house because it’s easy and very adjustable.  We just can’t go pants-less with them anymore! 
The closures didn’t stick to the old laundry tabs very well.  The new laundry tabs actually have the Velcro loop for the tabs to stick on to.  They are quite soft, so I really don’t think they would irritate baby’s skin.
Hanging the shells to dry seems to do a lot to preserve the life of both the closures and the elastic.  However, if the tabs don’t stick well, they will still snag other diapers in the washer.
So what about the sizing change?  I think the changes are subtle.  I’m sure there will be a few people that will have problems with the new sizing, but I may not have noticed without a comparison.  The overall length/rise of the diaper is slightly larger, but it seems the front/wings of the diaper saw the biggest change.  I do think the fit seems to be very close to the Flip. 
I wondered what the size change would mean for the small setting, since a 4th/newborn rise snap wasn’t added.  The changes seem slight enough that I don’t think they will make much difference for most people.  We started out at about 14 pounds on the medium setting, and I’ve heard people say they don’t start to fit well until around 10 pounds.  So, most people will need to have some newborn diapers anyway.  *shrug*  edit: It took me a while to notice, but the rise snap was moved down slightly on the 4.0, I suppose to make up for the larger size.
Next I compared each size setting on the 3.0 vs 4.0.  This of course isn’t an exact science, but I measured each diaper folded, then stretched.  This is a little subjective since depending on just how you flatten/stretch it, measurements can vary a bit.  But, it should give you an idea!
3.0, small setting, folded.
4.0, small setting, folded.
3.0, small setting, stretched.
4.0, small setting, stretched.
4.0 small vs. 3.0 small.
3.0, medium, folded.
4.0, medium, folded.
3.0, medium, stretched.
4.0, medium, stretched.
4.0 medium vs. 3.0 medium.
3.0 large, folded.
4.0, large, folded.
3.0, large, stretched.
4.0, large, stretched.
4.0 large vs. 3.0 large.
I’m a big fan of Bumgenius pocket diapers.  They are always the first hubby or I reach for.  They fit well, they are super easy to use and they simply don’t leak.  They have their faults like any other diaper, but nothing that would keep me from using them.
I could have done without the email saying with “heavy hearts” that they are “discontinuing” their “highly acclaimed” diapers.  While that technically was true, (3.0s were discontinued in favor of the 4.0s) it was misleading.  Cottonbabies didn’t reassure people (like me) that the diapers they loved would still be around, reinforcing the fear that the new product was a big change.
4.0, medium setting, ~17.5 lbs
3.0, medium setting, taken the same day as the above
The only appreciable difference to me right now (since only time will tell if the new Velcro is any better) is a slight funky-ness to the elastic placement.  I guess it’s from the wider wings?  I noticed it as I was photographing the diapers, but thought it might just be the way it was sitting.  If you look at the 4.0, the elastic stops much further down on his leg.  I may just need to get used to pulling the new, wider wings more firmly or something, I dunno.  edit: I think the difference might be due to the rise snap being moved down slightly.
Flip, medium setting, taken the same day as the other 2 photos.
This diaper is not white!
Wait for it…
Riiiiippp…
Leaves little to the imagination, LOL

See the 4.0 on my newborn.


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Maria
Maria is an aspiring "fit mom" of 3 children, writing about cloth diapers, going green, and her life as a single mom. Maria works with many companies within the cloth diaper industry and beyond, providing social media management, product development, and other services.
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