My love for Bumgenius Cloth Diapers

Kirk and I have been using Bumgenius cloth diapers since James was a few weeks old. I thought I’d pass on my review of them for any of you with kids who have considered cloth diapers and want to know more about them. This is all the stuff I wish someone would have told me so I didn’t have to spend so much time reading random forums online. If you're already bored, please feel free to just scroll down and look at the cute picture of James and forget the rest, I won't be offended. :) A lot of people have just been curious about how we like them so I thought I'd put my thoughts together for those of you that are. I know cloth isn't for everyone and that is totally fine by me, please don't feel like I'm trying to talk anyone into it.

I LOVE these diapers and find them way easier to use than I ever thought. If you’re picturing the old cloth diaper system with pins, check out the Bumgenius website, cloth has come a long way! We have the one size 3.0 diapers which fit 8-35 lbs because they expand with snaps. I just started using the 2nd setting for James this week.

I have 24 diapers and wash them every other day. This is how it goes: James gets that glazed over look and his face turns a little red...I know what's coming. Sounds that no child this small should make come out of his body and seconds later he smiles in relief. Dirty diaper. At his changing table I take out a clean diaper from the drawer of his dresser. I then take a gerber washcloth which we use as wipes, spray it with a solution we make (water, Dr. Bronners baby mild soap, and tea tree oil), and proceed to change his diaper like usual. I drop the wipes, diaper covering and insert into the garbage pail next to the changing table. In the pail is a washable liner. James and I go about our business.

When the diaper pail is full I take the whole thing out and put everything straight into the wash. I don’t even have to clean out his dirty diapers until he starts having solid food. For that, we have a diaper sprayer that fits on the back of our toilet. I wash the diapers twice with an extra rinse cycle both times. This is where it really helps to have a high efficiency washer. I dry the diapers for a short time and when they come out I stuff them with the inserts and separate the washcloths. Kirk and I have gotten pretty good at this process, and it doesn’t take long at all. we'll often do it at night in front of the TV.


What I love about them:

1. We save money. It’s an investment up front but you end up saving $ in the long run. trust me, I’ve done the math. Even if we only use them for 1 year we’ve saved at least $200, probably way more. If I had to throw these away after 1 year because they didn’t last I would still buy a new set if we have another baby.

2. The A&K Dahlgren landfill is considerably smaller than it would be otherwise. I’m not gonna lie, I feel good at the end of the day knowing this.

3. Cloth is better for babies skin. I need to do more research here to speak on this, but I’ve heard and read that there are toxic substances such as dioxin in disposable diapers. And Lord knows the Dahlgren family has sensitive skin as it is.

4. We are not constantly taking out the trash or buying more diapers.

5. I can feel good about changing him even if he’s only a little wet, it’s not like I’m wasting a diaper.

6. James looks really cute in them!

What I don't love about them

1. Really the only thing I don't like about them is that if James doesn't have clothing over the diaper, the edge of the velcro tab will catch on my clothes or rub on my skin. But he's normally clothed so this isn't a problem.

The bad reviews I've read online have to do with the diapers staining to which I say, "really? it's a diaper. Does it matter if it's stained?" And for the record, I've washed them as instructed and mine haven't stained. yet. Some people also complain that they wore out too much to use for multiple kids, but as I said, I'd buy another set if I had to.

Questions I had:

Do you use cloth outside of home?
Sometimes. I have a little washable bag I keep in my diaper bag to take diapers home in. If it’s hot out and we’ll be outside we normally use disposable. And once we start leaving him in the nursery at church we’ll leave them disposables.

How long can you use them?
My friend is using the same ones James is for her 2 year old girl. I’m sure not all 2 year olds could still fit in them, and at the rate James is growing I expect him to outgrow them after a year or so. I'll probably have to order some bigger diapers after that. Some people are able to use them for multiple children, as I hope to do.

What about other brands?
there are a bunch of great cloth diapers out there, I’ve not tried any others. From the research I’ve done, Bumgenius seems to be a favorite.

Can you use diaper cream?
No, it will compromise the absorbency of the diaper. However, I have not needed to once with James. I’ve heard there is less diaper rash with cloth because it is better for their skin, as I said above. If his skin starts to get red I just put some breast milk on his bottom, it works great! I’ve heard you can use olive oil too.

Do they smell?
yes, poop smells. But not nearly as bad as a pail of disposables would because I’m constantly cleaning them. They are not sitting long enough to get too bad.

Do you have to use cloth wipes as well?
No, you can use regular wipes, I just find cloth ones to be easier since I'm already washing the diapers. The gerber washclothes are the best in my opinion. Better than the Circo washclothes from target. And I don't see the point in buying the expensive cloth wipes from bumgenius or other places. If you do use cloth, there are many solutions you can spray on to them, or you can just use water, or whatever method works for you. The temperature of the water doesn't make a difference to James, but he's almost always hot.

If you’re still reading than you might actually be interested, email me if you have more ?'s. Obviously, I enjoy talking about it for some reason!