Once the diapermoon is over…
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While reading one of my old blog entries, I realized that I feel quite differently about some diapers now, compared to how I felt when they were brand new fluff mail. Some things I didn’t like at first, I grew to love and vice versa.
Therefore, I’m going to do a quick summary (linking to the original blog post also) of some of the diapers I’ve been using for up to 6 months. I’ve also taken some photos of things I find noteworthy.
I warn that this post will be very long and somewhat rambling at times. 🙂
Since some people do refer back to the archives, I’m going to also figure out the best way to link this post to the original post, perhaps by just linking to this post to avoid a big glob of copied & pasted text at the end. Here goes!
Bumgenius 3.0 One Size Pocket Diapers.
The first 3 diapers I bought were Bumgenius 3.0s. I’ve had those since October, so just about 6 months. They’ve gotten some major wear and tear. Not only have I had them the longest, but when I first started out, I only had 3 BG, then 6, and I literally washed them twice a day to keep the sposies I needed to use, to a minimum.
The most common complaint I read (I think I read hundreds of reviews when deciding what to initially purchase) was that over time, the velcro curls, doesn’t stick and forms diaper chains in the wash. Some people have even done a snap conversion.
Well, I happened upon this Bumgenius Refresher Kit at cottonbabies. The refresher kits include three new pieces of elastic (back elastic, two legs) new tab closures and new laundry tabs. Each kit also includes instructions for sewing your diaper refresh kits into your bumGenius cloth diapers. Each kit is only $1.00! It seems well worth it to me.
That said, I don’t need any. The light blue diaper was one of the first 3 I bought and the one I reach for the most. It is the “worst” as far as tabs curling, and you can see it’s not really bad at all.
The velcro actually sticks to the laundry tabs, stays firmly attached, but isn’t too difficult to remove from the diaper or laundry tabs.
There are no functional problems at all. They may need a little refresher in a few more months, but who cares. I remember being so shocked at the price of $17.95 per diaper when I first started looking at cloth. Now I know, that’s cheap!! They’re one size, waterproof, come with not only an insert, but a doubler too, have a stay dry inner, and are actually one of the least expensive diapers I’ve bought!
They also have the “poop scoop” in back and a nice, wide pocket for stuffing. I’ve heard some people say they don’t like that, but I do. You have to fold the “poop scoop” over after stuffing to cover the opening.
I also adore that they have the PUL “stopper” on the front. You don’t have to be too particular about getting the insert just so, since that will keep it from wicking onto clothing.
Speaking of stuffing, it takes me seconds to stuff them now. I had a learning curve though. I don’t really think it’s something someone can teach you, you just have to get the hang of it.
As long as the diaper is on the right rise setting, stuffed properly, fastened properly etc, I don’t have any leaks or blowouts. These are my go-to diaper when we leave the house because I know I won’t be left “all wet.”
Happy Heiny’s Monkey Print and Peace Bears
I sheepishly admit that the prints are what made me desperately want these! I initially thought they’d be great for newborns since they had a “newborn” setting in addition to small, medium and large. They claim to fit 7.5 to 35 lbs. Many one size diapers have similar size ranges, but almost everyone tells me that they don’t really fit until about 10 pounds.
My son was born at about 8 pounds and was a bit over 14 pounds when we started cloth diapering at about 4 1/2 months. He has worn the “medium” setting on all of his other one size diapers since then, but we are still on the “newborn” setting on these!! We started out on medium and went to small, then finally newborn, in search of a secure fit.
Granted, he’s teeny at 16 1/2 lbs at 10 1/2 months, but I just can’t see how a 7.5 pound baby could wear these. I think the sizing is more like Small/Medium, Medium/Large, Large/Extra large and Toddler.
The aplix closure tabs do overlap, but I’m always left with the end flapping in the breeze for some reason. I’ve never tried a snap version.
When I tried to use the “small” setting, we had constant leg gap and he would pee right out the leg hole, leaving the insert bone dry. Even since we sized down, I have to be really careful about how I put them on or we get leaks.
Since there’s no stopper like the bumgenius has, I have to be careful not to stuff the insert too far into the diaper, but then it sometimes wants to hang out the back. The inserts also do not have the snaps for sizing like the BG have. They also want to bunch up inside and that also causes leak issues for us.
I have to use the foldover method for securing the tabs during laundering, they don’t stick to the laundry tabs for me.
They have a little bit of pilling here and there, but overall seem to be “aging” fine.
I will definitely hang on to them since they may fit better if he chubs back up, or might fit another baby (if we have one!) Solid colors cost $1 more than the bumgenius, but there is an additional surcharge for prints.
Fuzzibunz One Size Pocket Diapers
A very, very long time ago, long before I even had a baby on the way, I researched cloth diapers. I ended up liking FuzziBunz the best, but I was turned off by the cost of having to buy different sizes. My daughter was such a peanut that she was only about 24 pounds by the time she was fully potty trained. For her, we would have needed some newborns, smalls and some trainers. That would have been all. Oh, if only I could have all the money back (or even some of it!) that we spent on disposables for her. What a fluff stash it would buy!
In the beginning of my cloth diapering, I wanted only one-size diapers, so I bought this. Initially, I thought this was OK. Nice and trim. Then I realized that the way I had the waist & elastic setting wasn’t quite right. I found the elastic confusing and off putting, and the nice trim fit wasn’t as trim once the fabric was puffy from adjusted elastic.
I found the triangular snap configuration confusing and annoying and my husband hated it.
Since it’s one of the last I reach for, it doesn’t surprise me that it’s in pretty good shape! The cost was $1 more than the Bumgenius.
Again, I got suckered into a diaper because of the cute print! I had heard good things about Blueberry, but that their velcro was awful. Since I couldn’t find any of the prints I liked with snaps, I got the velcro, thinking that people were just anti-velcro.
Boy was I wrong!! This was the blog post that made me realize how wrong wrong wrong initial impressions can be! I hated the insert because I couldn’t figure out how to fold and snap it. Now I love it! It’s one size without adding much bulk, has microfiber and hemp both, is very trim, and is a loop, so it dries quickly. Definitely one of my most favorite inserts now.
I also thought the velcro was good. Bwaaahhhahahhahah!! Excuse me while I slap my knee and wipe a tear from my eye.
You be the judge:
It’s as though Blueberry velcro defies all rules of logic. It is im-freakin-possible to get off the dang diddly laundry tabs! Seriously, I work up a sweat trying to get them off, and this one is ripped almost completely off.
Put them in the washing machine though and it’s like the velcro thinks the laundry tab has cooties. The velcro sticks to everything BUT the laundry tabs. This means all my other stuff gets snagged, and the Blueberry velcro gets a bunch of gross fuzzy stuff stuck in it.
The inside is quite pilly, and seems to have stained more than others.
In general, it just looks much older than diapers that have been used much, much more often.
[…] Bear print diapers were some of the first in my stash. Within a few months, I figured out that they really didn’t fit my slender son well. By the way, yes I know my “reviews” were terrible when I first […]
Brilliant idea to turn them inside out! I love my BG 3.0 and 4.0 SNAPS. I was so very disappointed in the aplix that I sold them almost as quickly as I bought them.
Thanks for the post! Fb used to be my favorite. They fit my 2 month old perfectly and are so soft. As she has grown, the fit is just weird. I’ve adjusted the elastic and everything. Not to mention the pul has become so sticky that it’s nearly impossible to stuff. :(. Sadly they are the last ones I reach for too!
[…] writing my review, and if I have issues with it later and/or my opinion changes, I will write an updated opinion post like this one and update the original […]
>Extremely helpful post. Thank you so much!!Tiffany
>Stopping by from Follow Me Friday at Trendy Treehouse. I'm following you now! Hope you'll have a chance to follow me, too. :)http://tweepoppets.blogspot.comWhat a great, informative post! Thanks! And that picture of all the diapers hanging above the washing machine is adorable. 🙂
>got to go to bed, so no commentary, just thanks. 🙂
>Oh yes, I totally agree that you need to actually use them for a while. Even the first several uses don't tell you everything you need to know. But I do know if I could have tried the velcro and laundry tabs on some in a store, and seen some of the prints in the store, I could have saved myself some money, LOL!
>Owen's Mom- the bG refresher kits are GREAT. I like ripping out the laundry tabs and sewing the new ones down, rather than just sewing the new ones down on top of the old ones. I also LOATHE fixing the elastic. Hate it.Anyways, can I add my two cents? =) I agree with changing your mind after a couple of months. It's so true! But I don't think simply getting to touch and play with them will help as much as one might think. I mean, when I first got my Haute Pockets, I touched 'em and loved them. They were so soft and wonderful, I was in love. Yeah… that didn't last long. I HATE them. They leak ALL THE TIME. BAH.I also got some Dry Bees, and I grew to love the small ones eventually, but still haven't figured out how to make the big ones work.Hmmmm… maybe I should do a post like yours….
>Thanks for the review I stumbled across your blog and wanted to say hi. Take a minute an check my blog outI have lots of great giveaways going on.Thanks :)ethertonphotography.blogspot.com
>Love the first pic! We are getting ready to put up the same shelf in our laundry room.Yes, I promise the bumGenius diapers are fabulous but do not hold up well to all the usage. They were my first spendy dipes and I still love how they never leak overnight, but the tabs are so sad. Curled, pilled and sad. I will check out those kits you mentioned.Honestly, I would always recommend the Fuzzi Bunz. I love the new elastic adjustments at the legs (for my skinny son) and the snaps are just superior to velcro. I also trust those overnight.
>I've been cding for about 2 years now. I bought a dozen BG 3.0s and loved them for the first six months, too. But then, guess what? Yup. The velcro went bad. And when I say "went bad" I mean, they became practically useless. The curled edges would snag the inside of whatever my boys were wearing, and the laundry tabs were a joke. I sent my first set of covers back and rec'd a replacement. Those were also fine for 6 months … and then went bad. Yes, I know that the replacement tabs are available … but I really, honestly expected more. Now that I'm pg, I'm looking at increasing my stash. And you know what? SNAPS ONLY. That's my new mantra. SNAPS ONLE>
>That is a great idea. If it ever gets gross enough for me to give up on it, I'll take the inner out first! Someone did tell me to turn them inside out when drying and it does help! I only have one, I got it with the Bumgenius coupon and I haven't been using it long!Who do you usually order from? I've used Kellyscloset, Diaperjunction, Abby's Lane and a few others. Abby's lane is my fave because they're so fast & shipping's always free, so I don't have to wait to order until I need enough stuff to get free shipping!
>I love my BG AIO's! I cheated and took out the inner with a seam ripper and a 20 min nap 😉 I mostly did it for drying time, although someone I know said to turn them inside out in the dryer, which works okay, but I think I'll just end up taking out my other BG AIO inners in the end. And I wanted the reg. stay dry liner for my flip, but there was a mix up in orders and she let me have the organic w/o charge (which was nice of her)
>I haven't tried the organic, I prefer a stay dry inner, but the stay dry inner is pretty trim.The only other problem I have with BG is the inserts tend to get stinky, but so far, it's nothing I can't fix…plus, I can always get new ones! Not sure how well the BG AIO will fare though since it's attached to PUL (so bleach etc is out).
>Great post! I have to admit in the past 3 or 4 months that I've been cloth diapering (since sometimes in Dec09 and LO is 6 mos) I've favored my BG's 3.0 a lot. I tried the Tweedlebugs OS, but found that on her skinny legs I get a lot of wicking, the retailer that I got them from said that she didn't have the problem but her daughter is also a lot bigger weight wise then my LO. I tried prefolds and the Thisties Duo (size one) cover but that didn't fit at 6.5lbs (birthweight) and was too small at 12lbs (around 3 or 4 months) even though it said that sz1 goes up to like 18 or something…My last few orders of fluff DH told me not to fix what isn't broken so I ended up ordering a bunch more 3.0's. I figured I would buy the refesher kits when they start to die, because the snap diapers I've played with are just too hard to do which how wiggley this baby is lol. Although I have one Flip cover right now and I love it as a cover, but I think the insert (I have organic) is too boxey and thick, which makes it bunch a lot between her legs – does anyone have that issue too?