Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Our son just turned 14 months last week, and since he was born, my wife and I have only used disposable diapers. Cloth diapering was something we never considered at first, but over the past couple of months we started to get more and more interested in it. The two biggest reasons were to save money, since the cost associated with buying disposable diapers adds up quickly, and they are better for the environment.
I know many dads out there reading this are thinking "Dude, you're crazy", I know, I thought the same thing too. Why add another chore to the list, and another few steps to the diaper changing process?
Well, I'm here to tell you that it's really not that bad! If you have a little one and are using disposable diapers, read on and find out why cloth diapering is much easier then many parents expect.
First, let me say that I'm the type to do A TON of research before I make a major purchase or investment. I'll browse forums, read reviews, personal blogs, and anything related to the product in question. This definitely holds true to when we were considering cloth diapers. Between my wife and I, I'd say we did a total of 15+ hours worth of researching.
In the end, it came down to a couple different brands of cloth diapers, but we ended up going with the Bumgenius 3.0. The average cost per Bumgenius 3.0 is about $17-$18, so you can see why I wanted to do all that research and make sure this was the right diaper to invest in.
What I love about the Bumgenius 3.0 is that it's a one size fits all type of cloth diaper. You can adjust the size by the buttons on the front, and it fits from 7lbs up to 35lbs. Our son is about 22-23lbs, and we have the Bumgenius 3.0 set to the largest setting. I feel very confident that this diaper will still fit him as he grows, as there is plenty of velcro room left to adjust it as he gets bigger.
So how does this thing work? There is basically a pocket built into the Bumgenius 3.0 which is used to store cloth inserts. You get two types of microfiber inserts, the first is a newborn size, and the second is a larger, adjustable size, microfiber insert. During the day we only use the regular insert as we can change him as needed, but at night we put both inserts in the Bumgenius 3.0 to help soak up all the pee during the night. Out of our first week of use, we have had no leaks what so ever. The built-in lining of the Bumgenius 3.0 wicks away moisture and pee and transfers it to the microfiber insert. Everytime we have checked, the built-in lining was nearly, if not completely dry, while the microfiber inserts soaked everything up.
How about cleaning? Don't worry, this was one of the biggest questions I had as well. It's actually not that bad. If it's just a wet diaper, we take out the insert and throw both the insert and Bumgenius 3.0 diaper in the diaper pal (we actually use a wet bag to store these diapers, but either is fine). That's it. When our little boy does a #2, then I take the Bumgenius 3.0 over to the toilet, drop the poop into the toilet, scrap off any extra's from the diaper, remove the insert, and put both of them in the wet bag (or diaper pal, whatever you are using).
What about a messy poop? No problem! We have a removable hand shower that can reach over to the toilet. So if it's really messy, we hold the bumgenius 3.0 over the toilet and spray it off, then put it in the wet bag. Easy as that. It really only adds an extra minute or two to your regular diaper changing process, and after a weeks use it has become second nature.
When the wet bag gets full, or we run out of Bumgenius diapers, we throw all of the diapers in the wash. It is recommended that you do 2 cycles of wash, one in cold water and one in hot. Both times you only use 1/4 of the recommended detergent, and you should use detergents that are additive free. For our Bumgenius diapers we are using Purex Free and Clear. No problems at all. We also wash our wet bag with our diapers too!
One thing I did notice with drying these is that the microfiber inserts take longer to try than the Bumgenius diapers. So just be ready to let the inserts dry for a bit loner.
That's about it. A video game dad has moved from using disposable diapers to cloth diapers! We still give our daycare provider disposable diapers, but when our son is at home with us and on the weekends we stick to the Bumgenius diapers. We do keep disposables around the house and in the diaper bag though, you never know when you need them!
We started out by ordering 3 Bumgenius diapers from Mom's Milk Boutique to test the waters, and we loved it. We have ordered an additional set of 3 and expect them to come in later this week. Hopefully we can have another set or two ordered before the summer, since my wife is a teacher and she will be home with our son the whole summer. I've been completely satisfied with the service and products offered at Mom's Milk Boutique, two thumbs up!
Anyways if you have any questions or if something is unclear please let me know. I'll do my best to help you out. And if you currently use the Bumgenius 3.0 or any cloth diapers, I'd love to hear from you and your experience!
I know many dads out there reading this are thinking "Dude, you're crazy", I know, I thought the same thing too. Why add another chore to the list, and another few steps to the diaper changing process?
Well, I'm here to tell you that it's really not that bad! If you have a little one and are using disposable diapers, read on and find out why cloth diapering is much easier then many parents expect.
First, let me say that I'm the type to do A TON of research before I make a major purchase or investment. I'll browse forums, read reviews, personal blogs, and anything related to the product in question. This definitely holds true to when we were considering cloth diapers. Between my wife and I, I'd say we did a total of 15+ hours worth of researching.
In the end, it came down to a couple different brands of cloth diapers, but we ended up going with the Bumgenius 3.0. The average cost per Bumgenius 3.0 is about $17-$18, so you can see why I wanted to do all that research and make sure this was the right diaper to invest in.
What I love about the Bumgenius 3.0 is that it's a one size fits all type of cloth diaper. You can adjust the size by the buttons on the front, and it fits from 7lbs up to 35lbs. Our son is about 22-23lbs, and we have the Bumgenius 3.0 set to the largest setting. I feel very confident that this diaper will still fit him as he grows, as there is plenty of velcro room left to adjust it as he gets bigger.
So how does this thing work? There is basically a pocket built into the Bumgenius 3.0 which is used to store cloth inserts. You get two types of microfiber inserts, the first is a newborn size, and the second is a larger, adjustable size, microfiber insert. During the day we only use the regular insert as we can change him as needed, but at night we put both inserts in the Bumgenius 3.0 to help soak up all the pee during the night. Out of our first week of use, we have had no leaks what so ever. The built-in lining of the Bumgenius 3.0 wicks away moisture and pee and transfers it to the microfiber insert. Everytime we have checked, the built-in lining was nearly, if not completely dry, while the microfiber inserts soaked everything up.
How about cleaning? Don't worry, this was one of the biggest questions I had as well. It's actually not that bad. If it's just a wet diaper, we take out the insert and throw both the insert and Bumgenius 3.0 diaper in the diaper pal (we actually use a wet bag to store these diapers, but either is fine). That's it. When our little boy does a #2, then I take the Bumgenius 3.0 over to the toilet, drop the poop into the toilet, scrap off any extra's from the diaper, remove the insert, and put both of them in the wet bag (or diaper pal, whatever you are using).
What about a messy poop? No problem! We have a removable hand shower that can reach over to the toilet. So if it's really messy, we hold the bumgenius 3.0 over the toilet and spray it off, then put it in the wet bag. Easy as that. It really only adds an extra minute or two to your regular diaper changing process, and after a weeks use it has become second nature.
When the wet bag gets full, or we run out of Bumgenius diapers, we throw all of the diapers in the wash. It is recommended that you do 2 cycles of wash, one in cold water and one in hot. Both times you only use 1/4 of the recommended detergent, and you should use detergents that are additive free. For our Bumgenius diapers we are using Purex Free and Clear. No problems at all. We also wash our wet bag with our diapers too!
One thing I did notice with drying these is that the microfiber inserts take longer to try than the Bumgenius diapers. So just be ready to let the inserts dry for a bit loner.
That's about it. A video game dad has moved from using disposable diapers to cloth diapers! We still give our daycare provider disposable diapers, but when our son is at home with us and on the weekends we stick to the Bumgenius diapers. We do keep disposables around the house and in the diaper bag though, you never know when you need them!
We started out by ordering 3 Bumgenius diapers from Mom's Milk Boutique to test the waters, and we loved it. We have ordered an additional set of 3 and expect them to come in later this week. Hopefully we can have another set or two ordered before the summer, since my wife is a teacher and she will be home with our son the whole summer. I've been completely satisfied with the service and products offered at Mom's Milk Boutique, two thumbs up!
Anyways if you have any questions or if something is unclear please let me know. I'll do my best to help you out. And if you currently use the Bumgenius 3.0 or any cloth diapers, I'd love to hear from you and your experience!
4 Responses to "A dads experience with cloth diapers and Bumgenius 3.0"
May 12, 2009 at 9:34 PM
May 13, 2009 at 9:20 AM
May 14, 2009 at 11:08 AM
January 25, 2010 at 5:05 PM
Thanks
