Review of the “bumGenius V3” washable nappy
As I’m wedded to the pop-in nappies, I was curious to see how the Bumgenius would compare to those ones – I wasn’t looking to swap and was perfectly happy with the pop-ins, but I was very pleasantly surprised with the Bumgenius.
It’s a slightly different setup to other nappies as this is a pocket nappy – you get the waterproof outer wrap, and then microfibre inserts which slip into a slot in the nappy. The advantage of this is that the wrap can be used with Bumgenius inserts, or other inserts (and Bumgenius are brining out disposable biodegradable inserts soon).
The nappy is a good fit – it’s birth to potty, and has poppers to expand as the baby grows. The lining of the nappy next to the baby’s skin is lovely and soft, and putting it together was completely simple, just stick in the insert and go! It’s also a superb nappy – the first time I used it, without all the pre-washing necessary with some nappies, we got three hours and not a single leak. I then got adventurous and tried it overnight, and for some strange reason my baby overslept and so he did 13 1/2 hours in the bumgenius with only the basic insert. And he was totally dry in the morning – so this nappy works. I’ve also used it with the pop-in night booster, and it’s been such a success that I’ve bought more of the Bumgenius wraps to use as night nappies.
The only downsides for me are the fabric of the wrap – the outside is quite ‘synthetic’ to the touch, a bit like nylon or something! However, the colours are cute (but Bumgenius – please bring out a red one!) and they look really lovely on. Putting the disposable liner in is also a bit odd because the liners I use are quite wide.The nappies dry really quickly; the wrap air dries overnight (or in a few hours really if it’s a warm day) and the soaker part is just one strip of fabric. Both parts of the nappy can also be tumble dried, apparently, although I didn’t try this (this is not true of the pop-in).
I’d give this nappy 4/5, although the missing mark is only personal preference really.
Thanks for this review!!
1) What about the Bumgenius V3 in comparison to the Organic Bumgenius? And, 2) what about the Organic Bumgenius in comparison to the Pop-In?
Thanks soooooo much!
Hi Lydia
Please have a look at the bumGenius Organic reviews here. The V3 and the Organic bumGenius nappies are quite different to each other and to compare them is quite difficult. Many people want natural and organic fibres next to their babies skin so they would choose the organic bumGenius. The organic bumGenius nappy gives the slimmest fit – the bumGenius V3 dries much faster. The V3 is a pocket nappy and it is possible to ‘stuff’ the pocket with extra absorbency. The Organic nappy is a one piece nappy which doesn’t come apart for washing and drying. The Organic nappy has ‘snap’ fasteners combined with stretchy tabs which give a secure and snug fit. The V3 has ‘hook and loop’ fastners (similar to velcro) combined with stretchy tabs – again giving a snug fit but older babies are better at undoing them!
Jo knows more about the organic versus non-organic – I tried the Bumgenius V3.
Without trying the organic bumgenius with the pop-in, I can’t give you a precise answer, but I can do a quick comparison on V3 versus Pop-in.
Bumgenius better: 1. dries quicker, but I’m due to review the dream dri soon 2. less fiddly – all the poppers on the pop-in to attach the inner to the wrap are annoying but useful for washing, obviously.
Pop-in better: 1. Easier to put a paper liner in – it has to be scrunched up in the Bumgenius 2. The double gusset at the legs make it more secure (although I didn’t get leaks with the bumgenius – it just seems more secure) 3. More adjustment on the pop-in.
Is that any help? I’m happy to answer any further questions or do specific tests! :o)
Thanks a lot!!
Is there anyone able to give a comparison on the Bamboo Pop-In vs. OneLife nappies (www.onelifenappies.co.uk/CottonNappies/x362.html)
Thanks so much 🙂
Lydia
Hey…
One more question… Which one (POp-In or Organic Bumgenius) contains wets/solids better?
Thanks so much!!
Lydia
I’ve not used the onelife nappies so no idea, I’m afraid. They’re a bit more old-fashined in terms of being a nappy + wrap, I think; I’ve seen the wrap and didn’t like them, but that’s because I like my wraps to be more fabric than plastic, and with the bumgenius/pop-ins you have one size wraps which expand and are small on small babies, and they’re also not stiff or crackly. (I could be wrong though, maybe onelife have moved on. I don’t think they’re BTP?)
Containing wets/solids: with wet nappies, the bumgenius and the pop-ins are equal.
On solids, well, if it’s the early solids (breastfed baby, very liquid) the pop-ins win, I’d say; they have a double elastic leg opening so double security.
My baby has solid solids (!) and I have had no leaks with either the bumgenius or the pop-ins. I’ve used both nappies overnight (12+ hours!) and both are fine on wet leaks. I find that the bumgenius leak a bit in the morning once he’s running around, but that is the night nappy after a whole night so it would be very full – in an average wear neither the bumgenius or the pop-ins would leak.
Hope that helps! I’d advise you to buy a test kit of pop-ins and also bumgenius from babipur; then you’d have 4 nappies to trial. I think you would use them all no matter what, and then once you know which you prefer, you could buy a value pack. The more nappies you have the better, I find; I use the pop-ins during the day because I have the big pack of them, but the 3 bumgenius I have are used as night nappies. Although I was committed to the pop-ins, I would quite happily used them half and half with the bumgenius because they are neck and neck in terms of performance. Hope that makes sense!
p.s. I don’t work for babipur, I’m just a customer! But their test kits are really good value and useful – you need more than 1 nappy really to trial them.
Also – the new bumgenius out after Christmas with the disposable (and fully biodegradable) inner sounds like a genius and useful idea, and for me that would beat the pop-in.
THanks again!!! It’s so overwhelming to be having a first BB and to start cloth nappies at once…
I didn’t know Bumgenius will have new disposable liners. Where can I find more about them?
Lydia
It is hard – I was there not so long ago; my little boy is now 17 months.
There is a description of the new bumgenius nappies with the disposable liners on this very blog:
https://www.ethicalshoppingforbabies.co.uk/topics/washable-nappies/
It’s called the flip nappy. They’re also available to pre-order at babipur.
I bought all of my nappies before my BB was born, but some of my friends waited a bit, got a few nappies to trial, and then made a decision. This might mean that you have to use disposables in the early days, though. (Bear in mind you will be very tired unless you have an amazing baby that sleeps really well from the outset!) But in all honesty, you’re pretty safe with bumgenius and the pop-ins, and the bumgenius flip sounds fantastic. It’s not out until the new year though.
Thanks again 🙂
I think that the new inserts sound like the flushable biodegradable inserts that have been around? Like the ones usable in Pop-Ins and other nappies: http://www.babipur.co.uk/shop/p1142/Roll_of_100_Biodegradable_Nappy_Liners/product_info.html?osCsid=74700240af492407defbf7b55c06ba3c
I don’t live in the USA or UK, so probably I will buy a 20 pack of Pop-Ins from Babipur, and let them ship it…
I love that Pop-Ins will seeminly last for more than 1 kid, as the wrap is replacable for 7 BPD! 🙂
Finding the right nappy is a lot of ‘work’, but it’s very fulfilling too 🙂
Lots of joy & strength to all (cloth nappy) moms 🙂
Lydia
No, no, they’re different! With most cloth nappies you have an outer wrap, a soaker, and you also put in the liner.
With the Flip system, you have the bumgenius ‘wrap’ (outer bit), then *instead* of the soaker you use a disposable soaker, and also a liner to catch solids. (The disposable soaker is interchangeable with the washable one, so you would mainly use fully washable nappies, but occasionally – holidays, really bad weather! – use the disposable soaker.)
Babipur do ship to most places, I think! I bought a big pack of pop-ins (the 20 pack) and that’s what I use, but I now also use the bumgenius at night. The more nappies you have the better! It gets quite weird and obsessive, though, this nappy thing!
Hmmm interesting!
Before I thought of Gdiapers, but I found out they DO contain SAP (gel), which I don’t want on my babies tushy…
I hope these disposable ones don’t have any SAP…?!
For now I hope to start with the genius 20-ack of Pop-Ins! 🙂
I doubt the bumgenius flip would do – for a start, it’s biodegradable. The gel is evil!
But anyhow, I think the 20 pack of pop-ins will be fine whatever happens – that’s what I got and they are a superb nappy. Plus, one advantage over bumgenius is that they’re a British company; any problems whatsoever and Babipur can get in touch with them easily. (Me and my baby helped develop V2 pop-ins, which is what you’ll get; I’ve dealt with the company too.) I doubt you’ll have problems though – v2 are spot on and superb. I think I said in my review that I like the look and feel of the pop-ins a bit more. :o)
Buy from babipur – they are the best value around and a pleasure to deal with. :o)
Yay for Pop-Ins! 🙂
Sara – I’ve got a pop-ins and bumgenius too, and I’m interested in why you use the bumgenius at night – I find them if anything slightly less absorbent than the pop-ins. I’m still using disposables at night as my 11-month-old wets loads – even overloads night-time disposables sometimes. Also, how do you avoid leaking during the day? I change her every two hours but we still have a leak round the legs or tummy every couple of days, with both nappy designs.
I got a couple of sample wonderoos, and although they are big and bulky, they do really soak up the moisture well – best aborbency I’ve found.
Like Sara says, it’s easy to get a bit obsessive!
Hahaha, nappy support line here! 🙂
I should have confessed: I use a pop-in night time booster (the large folded one) with the bumgenius as a wrap! The main reason I was using bumgenius at night was because I couldn’t reuse the pop-in wrap he was in (he does a dirty nappy before bed usually!), and I was getting fed up of taking all my pop-ins apart to use them as night time wraps. But otherwise no real reason.
With leaks, I don’t think my little boy is a heavy wetter, and we almost never get leaks now. Do you use the booster in the pop-in (we do)? Try that, or add an extra booster – you could use the bumgenius one. If you’re still having problems, you could call the company – they’re very helpful, and often looking for people with problems (I had some problems; I helped develop v2! But often people just put up with stuff or give up, so they don’t mind hearing about problems to help them improve.)
And overnight, bulk it out! You can use the folded night thing (the large square) and fold it over the booster (the long narrow one) and even the normal soaker as well (the one with elastic on the sides, sort of hourglass shape). It makes for a fat nappy, and you might have to use a bigger popper setting, but it’s worth a try.
I used to be on the fence about whether I liked my Bumgenius v3s or my pop-ins better. Both were easy to use and clean and didn’t have any problems with leaks (as long as I made sure the liner was tucked in.) Pop-ins would have won because you don’t need to unstuff to wash and have a great double gusset on the legs, except the bgs were just a bit softer – the bamboo on the pop-ins always lined/radiator dried stiff.
However,I’m having to replace my pop-ins as my DS outgrew them at 11 months old! I’ve removed the mini booster which means I can squeeze them on him but also that he needs to be changed that much sooner. Anyway, must buy new nappies now as it’s not fair for him to be squeezed into anything – poor tyke.
Hey y’all,
Another Bamboo Pop-In question… are these bulky? Also, can toddlers move freely with them?
Thanks!!
Lydia
Thank you all for this excellent discussion. I’m seriously considering using washable nappies but as I’m currently pregnant with my first baby I can’t do a trial run yet. The advice above has been very, very helpful, so thank you!
Fiona
The pop-ins are definitely NOT bulky. I had some other (discontinued) nappies first, and swapped to the pop-ins – my BB was tiny at birth (6lb), and he could wear the pop-ins more or less from the beginning. The other nappies (traditional outer & wrap) were too big for him, and they were also bulky and he couldn’t move around because they came down to his knees.
He’s now a toddler, and can run and climb and play in them no problem – I even find I don’t need a bigger size in clothes for him. And this is even true of the night booster – that’s quite big, but it works and it’s still not as bulky as other nappies.
I’d say the bumgenius organic is a little bit bulkier (not much in it, though) because the inners don’t detach and you have no options. When my BB was little, he only had the soaker in the pop-in (no need for the booster) and that’s not even a centimetre in thickness. If your baby is small, you can fold over the front of the nappy to make it tinier. That means more bulk around the waist (but for a newborn it doesn’t make that much difference – in my experience they don’t tend to go anywhere! 😉 )
Yay, thanks so much!! It’s great to learn from experienced mommas! 🙂
Have since found out that I have version 1 pop-ins and that the version 2 (sold from June 2009) are roomier so just bad timing on my part I guess.
The pop-ins are definitely not bulky (except with the nighttime booster in which case I thought they were ginormous!) That’s another thing I liked about them. (They aren’t super slim line either, but I would put them on the slimmer end of the spectrum I think.)
wow what a great discussion! I was a bit confused as there is a Sara and a Sarah talking on here! 😀
Thanks for all the info on popins as well, I’m still tempted to buy a couple to try out for night time use. So much choice! At the moment I’m using Flip stay dry during the day and Flip organic at night and it’s working really well 🙂
thanks for this review. i have just started using cloth and heard great things about BG…i might have to try it out 4 myself tho.
Love BG nappies. My childminder will use them and so did my previouse childminder. This version comes with two boosters which is great for a heavvy wetter. Really conveniant when your out and about as only ione layer. Very impressed.