Love my Bum Genius V3 (BumGenius 3.0 Cloth Diaper)

Member Name: sharonmanc

Product:	BumGenius 3.0 Cloth Diaper
Date:	28/09/09 (70 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to use

Disadvantages: need to check fit for slender babies

Bum genius is a pocket nappy, pocket nappies are the nappies most similar to disposables. They consist of a PUL outer (Polyurethane laminate is a breathable waterproof fabric) and come with a newborn insert and a standard insert with each nappy.

I started using these with my newborn from 5 weeks, they do say from birth (7lbs) even though my little one was 7lbs at birth these were still too big so I waited a little while.


Even at 8 weeks old these were still large on the waist think Simon Cowell. However these have been a great nappy, the only down side being that if your little one, like mine is slender, especially around the leg, then be prepared or a few nappy explosions, as the elastic around the leg fits better when baby puts a little weight on, but I did not find this any different than with the leading disposables that we used in the weeks prior.

Poo explosions are more so in breast fed babies. The BGs have contained messy poo really well, which surprised me. So I'd say from 4 weeks you should be fine to use them, as long as the elastic fits snugly around the legs to keep any mess in.

The other negative of these nappies is that if you do not use a drier like myself the inserts can take a long time to dry, however the outer itself dries very quickly. My remedy has been to buy more inserts, especially bamboo inserts/boosters as they are very absorbent for a heavy wetter.

Boosters are pads of material which can be inserted into nappies to increase their absorbency. This is particularly useful if you wish your nappy to last a night. They can be made of many different materials including, cotton, hemp, bamboo, and micro fibre.

To Wash

I dry pail in a bucket, lined with a laundry mesh, which has a locking lid to keep the smells in...When there are about 12 in there (I have a stash of 20) I bung them in the wash

I put a few drops of tea tree oil on a sanitary towel and stick it to the bottom of the bin lid to keep any potential smells at bay.

I wouldn't wet pail as these nappies have the waterproofing attached, and it can shorten their useful life. If you do want to wet pail, just wet pail the pads not the outer. It's the pads that get detergent build up anyway and not the outer.

A cold rinse followed by either 40/60 depending on how heavily soiled they are, se a non bio powder but not tablets as you only need about 1/4 of the normal amount you would use and that's for a full load (I personally use soap flakes as my daughter has sensitive skin)
Some people don't bother to rinse again, but personally i re rinse as soap build up on the inserts will reduce absorbency and result in leaks.

DO not be tempted to use stain removers on these nappies as it will reduce absorbency, the best way to get them white again is to simply line dry in the sun and i like me you do not live in a sunny climate (who does in the UK) simply hang to dry in the window on a clothes airier as the sunlight bleaches them back to being white, takes a little longer indoors, I did not believe it myself but have been doing it this way during our rainy summer

You can tumble dry the inserts but on a low setting, the only thing I would not tumble dry is my PUL outer as it can ruin them

Price -

Most websites have specials on Bum genius if you buy more. If you buy more than 15 they're approximately 13.64 each.

Council schemes - a lot of councils run nappy schemes (but not all) if interested in using reusable nappies worth giving them a call and asking
Mine runs

One month free trial with a nappy laundry service

Or

2 week trial using home laundry kit (can then claim a £30 voucher at the end of the trial to spend on reusable nappies- £30 returnable deposit or this option)

Apparently you save £600 from birth to potty using cloth. This takes into account washing costs. Can't remember where I saw this. Obviously the savings are more on second and subsequent children

The real savings come if you don't tumble dry. Washing machines are pretty efficient (especially modern A-rated ones), but tumble dryers are really electricity-guzzling.

If you tumble dry all your nappies, then there is still a small cost saving, but nowhere near as much.

Don't forget that kids raised in cloth usually get out of nappies a bit earlier than those in disposalbles too (they don't lose the association between peeing and being wet, so potty training is usually easier). There are savings to be made there too.

Summary: excellent, one of the best reusable nappies on the market