My Bum Genius Baby

Question: Do you find that your one-size bum genius diapers are adjusting well to your ever-growing son? How many did you start out with? Have any been ruined and if so, how were they ruined? How are they holding up overall?

Answer:

I started with 15. At first, I'd say this was enough for 1.5 days. Now, we get more like 2.5 days. I was very hesitant at first to buy all of one brand since I had no experience with them, but I just jumped into it. I remember I considered a couple of other brands and almost bought 1/2 Bum Genius and 1/2 of another brand. However, I remember that every chat board I went on, at least one mother was raving about how much she loved her BG's, so I just went for it.

They are adjusting well to my growing baby. There are three size options with these one-size-fits-all diapers. The small, medium and large sizes can be achieved with a series of snaps. I believe that they fit babies from 7-35 pounds. I know it seemed like we zipped through the first two sizes and got to the largest setting very quickly. I remember being really concerned and thinking we had invested all this money into diapers that were supposed to last forever and here we were less than a year in, and on the last setting.

Then I did some research. Mothers on chat boards said they had the same fears. Some said they even adjusted up to the largest setting and as their little one changed shape, they had to adjust back down to a smaller size. I still wasn't 100% convinced. Then, I found that Pampers wasn't too far off from this. Their size 3 covers 14-22 pounds and their size 4 is 22-37 pounds. If the leader in disposable diapers can cover 15 pounds with one size, I felt confident that BG could too.

Plus, they have an elastic-type back and elastic around the legs. In addition, the velcro version of the diaper has a strip of velcro all the way across the front and velcro tabs. So, you can make it as tight or as loose as you need to. All of this can be summed up by saying: every part of the diaper is adjustable - whether with elastic, snaps or velcro. Sometimes I currently look at them and consider going down a size to see how they fit. They sometimes look a little lose around the leg, but so far we haven't had any problems, so I haven't really had a reason to do it.


At roughly $17.99 a diaper I would be very upset if any of them were ruined. I remember when I got my 'instructions' from the company on how to care for them and was VERY overwhelmed! However, knowing these were the diapers that would hopefully get me through until my son was in underoos, I read it and paid extra attention to the wash instructions.

Basic Care:
- wash a few times before you start to use them (you know when you get a new towel how it doesn't absorb that well? same thing with these, it takes a couple of washes to get them to absorb well - and after a few more, they absorb like a champ)
-wash frequently - don't let the diapers sit more than two days (the urine and poo can harm the fabrics if they sit too long, too often)
- don't store in a sealed container (for same reason as above - it's best to let them breathe)
- use 1/4 of the amount of laundry detergent you usually would (the loads are much smaller, so there's no need for massive amounts of detergent. Plus, a build up of detergent can cause them to start to stink. If you an HE washer and dryer owner, this is especially important b/c your machine will be using considerably less water)
- wash on a double rinse cycle (this helps in getting excess detergent out)
- if they DO start to stink, you can put them in on a rinse cycle without detergent or lay/hang them out in the sun to get them back to normal (I have never had to do either of these although I've considered doing it for precautionary measures this spring when it gets nice out)
- always fasten the laundry tabs (this keeps the laundry tabs extra velcro-y, which keeps them on your baby's bottom)




I follow the instructions and by doing so, have not had any problems with them. I have however heard the most common problems are that they start to smell (even after they've been washed) and the velcro runs out of stick. After reading BG's web page it seems this is the result of people not caring for them properly. FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS

In addition, I spoke with a mother who said half way through baby number two her velcro was loosing some stick. She contacted the company and they sent her new velcro. After she stitched it on, they were as good as new.

I am not at all an expert on cloth diapers. I have never tried anything other than bum genius, but either way, I still say they are great. I'm sure there are others out there that are just as great and maybe others like them more, but my baby is without a doubt a bum genius baby.