Bum Genius cloth diapers

[finn's mom]

Ok, I remember a couple people saying they used these...are they really that awesome? I have seen them online, and they are about $20 a piece! I'm willing to go that route if someone can tell me what's so awesome about them. :) All I know is that they are cute as a button. :love:

[prechrswife]

I'll be the first to admit that I know nothing about cloth diapers, but I saw this site listed by a Facebook friend and thought you might want to take a look:

http://www.diaperswappers.com/

[finn's mom]

Just wanted to bump this up...thanks for that link, by the way! :)

[shepgirl]

I always used cloth diapers and didn't have the diaper service that goes with that. I've heard many moms complain that disposables give their babies rashes versus cloth. Also disposables seem to make it harder to toilet train the baby cause they don't feel the wet so it doesn't bother them.
I would still go with the cloth, hemp preferably from what I've heard about the softness and lack of rashes.
I know how easy and simple disposables must be and it saves time on laundry but I think the laundry is cheaper than the disposables.
Guess it all depends on what a mom needs most or wants.

[Nomilynn]

My BF's sister swears by them. She also decided to sew extra inserts, so wet diapers don't necessarily need to have the outer cover changed every time. She just went and bought the same type of material from the fabric store. She has said that they have held up very well, even with having to soak them. She doesn't use bleach though.. she uses a solution with Borax and I think vinegar, but I'm not too sure.

[Cookiebaker]

Hi Kari, I cloth diapered for about 15 months (with a couple month break in the middle). I have 2 bum genius in our stash, but they are not really my favorite. The tabs are pretty flimsy and tend to curl up and catch on the baby's clothes. I have heard that they sell (or maybe under warranty give) a replacement tabs that you can sew on yourself. I'm sketchy on the details on that because I haven't done it for my two diapers, but definitely look into that before purchasing.

That said, I LOVE pocket diapers, and for me that was the only way to go (I tried a few of everything before I settled on that). And my favorite brand is Happy Heinys. Lydia still fits in a size Medium, I paid about $15/diaper, and the tabs are wide and no problems.

I really love cloth diapers, and am so thankful that we chose to do it. The key to our success I believe is that I never felt under pressure to do it. If I got stressed and overwhelmed, I would take time off and go back to 'sposies until I was ready to undertake it again. Another key is routine! The routine that worked for us was to throw the diapers in at night, chuck them in the dryer first thing in the morning, and then dump them in the diaper basket when they were dry. If I had time and energy, I would pre-stuff them, and if not then I would stuff as I went.

Sorry this is a novel, but definitely if you have any questions let me know and i will try to answer! Best of luck and happy diaper shopping! :)

[finn's mom]

Awesome! I just have a hard time with paying $18 a diaper, it just seems crazy. Unless you can get by with 10 diapers for years. ;) I just don't know, I'll have to check it out, for sure...

[sirrahbed]

I am happy to read about this interest in cloth diapering. If any of you sew, you can make the pocket diapers yourself - and customize them with the features you like best. I eventually made one that looks most like the Happy Heiny brand with those features (big square tabs, velcro all the way across the front, fleece lining, wide pockets) I made the pocket diapers for my granddaughters and am sure we saved lots of money so far - plus they are so cute!! Each one took me about an hour to complete. Let me paste in a few of my favorite sources:
http://www.geocities.com/rew4birth/Diapers.html
http://www.diapersewing.com/hbpocketinstructions.htm
http://www.thenappynetwork.org.nz/pocket.php
http://www.thediaperhyena.com/reap.htm
http://www.sewbaby.com/shopbaby/index.php
http://verybaby.com/cloth-diaper-fabric
http://www.celticclothswholesale.com/
http://www.diapercuts.com/
http://www.acutabovefabrics.com/store/WsDefault.asp?Cat=PUL

If I remember correctly, I am thinking that the diapers cost me about $6-8 each for materials. This was several years ago. I think I made about 20 of them in two sizes. You can sew your own pocket liners, too. I purchased most everything online at one or more of these sites. I sometimes found cute fabric at Ebay, too. Hope some of you get inspired to stitch your own or get someone to do it for you (mom, grandma, etc) There are also some work-at-home moms (WAHM's) who can sew these for you.

PS: I am retired from home sewing diapers:o

[finn's mom]

Hope some of you get inspired to stitch your own or get someone to do it for you (mom, grandma, etc).



That is the best news I've heard in awhile! :) I will definitely look into this and commission someone to make them for me. It'll be so much cheaper than buying them brand new. Thank you for those links!

[BitsyNaceyDog]

I love the pocket diapers, like Anna said. I don't think I could ever do prefolds. BumGenius are my favorite. I love the Suedecloth lining, it's much softer and nicer then the fleece of my FuzziBunz. I don't have any Happy Heiny's, they have fleece lining like the FuzziBunz so I never bought any. As of yet I haven't had any problems with the tabs though I have read complaints about them.

The BG have always fit Nathan well too, the FB often leak simply because they don't fit his legs as well. A problem I've never had with the BG.

$18 per diaper is expensive, but they'll last. I have 2 dozen of them so I spent $432 on them. You'll spend that on disposables within the first 9 months. Like Debbie said too, you can make them cheaper if you can sew. Also if they're taken care of they may last through more than one baby. It doesn't cost too much to wash them and I dry them outside in the sun so I don't have the added expense of drying them in the dryer.

[lizbud]

We used a diaper service both times. I loved having one less thing to
worry about.:) I loved it.

[Cataholic]

One of my regrets was not using cloth diapers. :( Glad to hear you are doing it!!

[finn's mom]

$18 per diaper is expensive, but they'll last. I have 2 dozen of them so I spent $432 on them. You'll spend that on disposables within the first 9 months. Like Debbie said too, you can make them cheaper if you can sew. Also if they're taken care of they may last through more than one baby. It doesn't cost too much to wash them and I dry them outside in the sun so I don't have the added expense of drying them in the dryer.

I love drying things outside! I will definitely consider the BumGenius and the Happy Heiny. :) What size(s) did you get? They lasted your son's entire diapering time? If that's the case, it seems like a no brainer to go that route. I was looking at the "one size" diapers from BumGenius. I do plan on using disposables for outings and stuff, and we sell chlorine free diapers where I work, so I figure I'll give those a try.

[finn's mom]

One of my regrets was not using cloth diapers. :( Glad to hear you are doing it!!


Yeah, my mother is really excited that I'm going that route. I'm going to at least try to go a more natural route for everything, from bedsharing/co-sleeping to glass bottles and cloth diapers. Of course, I have no idea how I'll feel once little one is here. :)

[BitsyNaceyDog]

I love drying things outside! I will definitely consider the BumGenius and the Happy Heiny. :) What size(s) did you get? They lasted your son's entire diapering time? If that's the case, it seems like a no brainer to go that route. I was looking at the "one size" diapers from BumGenius. I do plan on using disposables for outings and stuff, and we sell chlorine free diapers where I work, so I figure I'll give those a try.

I have the one-sized diapers from BumGenius and medium FuzziBunz. The mediums fit Nathan when he was about 4 months old and they still fit with room to grow. I used Seventh Generation chlorine free diapers in the early months and really liked them. They're hard to find around here though so once Nathan was older I started using Huggies for the occasions I actually put him in a deposable. I'd probably still be using the chlorine free diapers if they were easier to find. My grocery store sells other 7th Gen. products, but not their diapers yet, I'm hoping they'll have them before I have another baby.

I use and love Seventh Generation wipes! I order them in bulk from Amazon. I may go with cloth wipes when we have another baby though, we'll see.

The inserts take a long time to dry so you may want to either buy or sew some extra inserts for the diapers. The diapers themselves dry pretty quickly.

Also the laundry soap you use on your diapers is important. I use http://Charlie's Soap (http://www.charliesoap.com/). I've heard good things about http://Allen's Naturally (http://www.allensnaturally.com/page2.html) too.

Also you can't use diaper rash ointment with cloth diapers so keeping disposables around incase of a rash is a good idea. Rashes aren't too common with cloth though! Nathan's really never had a diaper rash. He's gotten a little red a few times and we've put rash ointment and a disposable on him just so it didn't turn into a rash and it never has.

[finn's mom]

Thanks, Kari! I don't know what sizes we have at the store I work at, but we do sell the Seventh Generation diapers. They'll be easy for me to get. I haven't looked at wipes, yet. I'm sure if we don't have them, I can get them from somewhere else pretty easily. Or follow your steps and order them.

Good to know about diaper rash ointment, I didn't know you couldn't use it with cloth diapers. Thank you!

I use BioKleen laundry detergent, it's all natural, non toxic. I wonder if that is comparable to the ones you listed. Are the ones you listed specific for cloth diapers or are they just natural detergents?

[lizbud]

Also you can't use diaper rash ointment with cloth diapers so keeping disposables around incase of a rash is a good idea.


I am curious as to where you heard this.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

I use BioKleen laundry detergent, it's all natural, non toxic. I wonder if that is comparable to the ones you listed. Are the ones you listed specific for cloth diapers or are they just natural detergents? You don't want to use a detergent with dyes and perfumes on the diapers. You also want a detergent that will wash out of the diapers well and not leave a residue behind. I did a quick search and found this on the Cotton Babies (the maker of BumGenius) site- "Because of the fruit extracts in this [bioKleen] product, it is NOT recommended for the bumGenius One-Size Diaper or the bumGenius All In One Diaper." link (http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?products_id=326).


I am curious as to where you heard this.

On the official site of each brand and on the care sheet that comes with the diapers. You can use rash ointment if you put something between the cream and the diaper, I just always used a disposable to be sure none got on the cloth diapers.

From the FuzziBunz (http://www.fuzzibunz.com/faq.php#q11) site:

Q: Can I use diaper rash ointments and creams on my baby if s/he is wearing a FuzziBunz™?
A. Diaper rash ointments cause diapers to repel and not function properly. If you mistakenly get diaper rash ointment on your diaper, wash your diapers normally and then apply some dishwashing liquid, like Dawn, to the affected area. Scrub the affected area with a toothbrush or other bristle brush. While this is a suggested method, it may not always work. Diapers affected by diaper rash ointments are not covered by our warranty.

[lizbud]

Ok, maybe it just applies to the diapers from that company. I know my
babies both had a rash now & then, but I still used cloth diapers. They
only thing I did different was change them more often. The rash cleared
up within a few days. Thanks for explaining.:)

[caseysmom]

I tried cloth diapers with my first....it was awful!!!!!

[Cookiebaker]

Yes, definitely don't use diaper rash cream with cloth dipes! I learned the hard way....not only does it stain the diaper, but it doesn't come off and makes that spot "water-proof" and causes the pee to roll off instead of absorb in.