Bumgenius Elemental Cloth Diapers Old vs. New Style Comparison
I bought a Bumgenius Elemental in 2010 for my older son. I had only been cloth diapering for about a year at that point, but I was quickly figuring out what type of diapers I preferred. When my older son potty trained, my stash that felt like not-quite-enough-for-2-children, was a bit overwhelming for just one! I pared down my stash and donated diapers that weren’t my favorites, and this one didn’t make the cut. As I just posted this week, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad diaper, it just means it’s not my favorite. 🙂 I was definitely intrigued by the changes and wanted to offer you a side by side comparison, so here it is. Two spankin’ new Bumgenius Elementals; one old style, one new, compared. (side note, no idea what is wrong with my *&*^&* picture color. My white balance looks great on the camera screen, then on the computer…blue. Edit pictures?? Ain’t nobody got time fo dat! 😉 This post better shows what Dazzle actually looks like!)
Zinnia/pink is the “old” and Dazzle/purple is the “new.”
The basic idea of the diaper remains the same. It’s an organic cotton AIO with PUL outer and 6-layer loop style soaker.
The diapers both have snap closures and 3 size settings via a snap down rise. The new version’s sizing is larger overall; it is more similar to the cut of Flip and Bumgenius 4.0.
The change I was most excited about was the leg elastic, since I personally prefer encased leg elastic, and the old style sometimes gave me trouble by rolling out and causing wicking.
The soaker is still 6 layers of organic cotton, sewn in a loop. However, the old style diaper had the soaker centered on a lining of organic cotton (I believe it is 2 layers, I couldn’t feel a third layer.) The new style instead does not have a lining, rather the soaker fits on the PUL and the soaker extends fully into the front & rear of the diaper, and covers more width as well. Therefore you are losing 2 layers under the soaker, but you are actually gaining additional layers at the front & back and sides of the diaper. The new version does dry more quickly. It was dry after 60 mins in the dryer on medium, while the old style was still damp, particularly where the soaker meets the liner (this was always the last place to get dry when I line-dried my old one!)
The diaper is now trimmer overall, but the 6 layers of organic cotton will still be considerably more absorbent than microfiber. For babies who need more absorbency, you can easily tuck a doubler or insert under the soaker.
As I mentioned, the sizing has been tweaked to fit a wider range of babies. I’ve measured each size of the old (pink) and new (purple) diapers to show the differences. Bear in mind that this isn’t an exact science, but it should give you a good idea!
Small:
Medium:
Large:
An exciting change is that the Elementals are now made in the U.S.A., while the price remains the same (just under $25.) It may feel a little like “improved” peanut butter or spaghetti sauce packaging, where they add a dimple on the bottom, remove an ounce of product & leave the price the same. However, it’s clear that some cotton was removed, the removal still leaves the diaper with lots of absorbency, plus a trimmer fit and it’s now a U.S.A. made product.
Here’s the “old” style on my son, who is about 18ish pounds at 14 1/2 months old, and wearing the medium rise setting:
New:
The soaker bunched up about the same in both diapers. I don’t want to gross anyone out, so click the image below to see the diaper wet if you’re interested in seeing how it bunched.
I still prefer a pocket diaper with hemp insert and stay-dry inner, but I am pleased with the changes made to the elemental. I think this will be a favorite for families who want to use natural fiber diapers, generally use prefolds or covers, but want an easy “babysitter” diaper.
Shop for Bumgenius at Kelly’s Closet and/or shop for the new Bumgenius Elementals (available NOW!)
Are you planning to try a new Bumgenius Elemental?
I purchased both diapers myself at normal prices. This post contains affiliate links; if you click through and purchase, I receive a small portion of your sale as commission. If you make a purchase, thank you! Your support helps me publish posts like this one!
Maria wants to live in a world where cloth diapers are the norm and moms can make parenting choices without judgement. When she’s not chasing her 18, 14 and 11-year old kids around, you might find her checking out the latest gadgets, organizing something (again) or exercising in the fresh air. 
[…] I adore this diaper. It’s absorbent, my baby poops in it nearly every time I put it on so IÂ know he loves it and it’s made from organic cotton. I even prefer it to the OBGE style. The NBGE version revisits the lined shell that cottonbabies had in the original designed, I suppose bumGenius elememtan original (BGEO) and you can see the first version in this review from Change Diapers. […]
[…] Not Encased: (A.K.A. “rolled” elastic, thanks Kristi, I couldn’t remember that term!) Elastic is sewn end to end, but it not held inside a leg casing. Examples are Bottombumpers and the old style Bumgenius Elementals. […]
I have never quite settled on the best way to fold the inner layers on the old Elemental, which is the cloth diaper we use 100% of the time. I have them set to medium rise right now and I used to fold the absorbent layers to the back, and recently I’ve been folding them to the front instead. Either way I find it makes an annoying bulkiness. Does anyone have a better way? I read somewhere someone folds each layer separately, and I’ve tried it and it does eliminate the bulkiness, but it takes too long for me. I’ve thought about undoing the front seam, but not sure if that’s a good way to go.
I never found a good way! I just sorta shoved them under and closed the diaper!
Love the comparison! I loved the old style but I think I want a few of the new ones solely based on the leg elastic change!
Thanks for the comparison. I’d love to get one but not sure if it’s in the budget. I’ve been trying to sample everything though since there’s a good possibility this may be my last baby. That just might make me try it. I like the improvements you pointed out and that it’s made in the USA for the same price.
I think the new style looks like it has some great improvements! My Elementals wear out quickly around the legs, getting holes worn through the top layer. It seems to be common for organic cotton to do that when you use the dryer. It’s not a big deal because it doesn’t affect functionality, but the new design looks like it will eliminate that problem. I will say, though, that one thing I dislike about Elementals is that poop gets trapped between the soaker layers and it’s hard to spray clean without getting all up in the muck. I really have to get my diapers well sprayed out in order for my washer to be able to do a good job on them so this poo-trapping is a major drawback to me that would still be a problem with the new design. I just wanted to share that in case it would be useful for anyone else. Or maybe someone has a solution for that that I haven’t thought of!
Oooh, I like these changes! I didn’t like how the rise was too small for our 15 month old, I like that it would fit better now… Just need to get my hands on one 🙂
I have two of the old style and I do like them. But I think I would like this new style even more. I also prefer the encased elastic and I love that it is now trimmer too! I think losing all the extra seams that the old version had will make it comfier for baby. I’d love to try the new one!!
This is a great side by side comparison. I’ve seen so many negative comments b/c of the loss of the organic cotton lining so some mamas are saying they are paying “more” for “less” in terms of absorbency. Thanks so much for pointing out that the price is staying the same while the manufacturing is being brought to the US. I think that is a very valid point. The fact the price is staying the same and it’s still organic cotton is a big selling point overall.