Deciding between Bumgenius AIO and GDiaper, please help!!! First time parents.

[betsyab]

Hi all, I've been searching these fantastic boards for all sorts of wonderful advice and am appreciate of everyone's time and energy. However, I haven't really found quite the answer I'm looking for, so I thought I would post a question.

We are first time parents, and looking at a more environmentally friendly, and more economical way of doing diapers. No need to get into how much water, etc. gets used, much research has been done on that and we are satisfied that both gdiapers and CD's will be about the same use. I know gdiapers are more expensive, but I'm wondering if the ease of use will make it that we are more likely to stick with it? I will be a SAHM, but am already amazed at the amount of laundry for the 2 of us, and I have heard that once baby comes it can easily double (even with their tiny clothes!)

So what is advice?? I really like the bumgenius AIO's as seem least scary of CD's for hubby, and my sister-in-law really loves the gdiaper. Thoughts? Use both (one for every day and one when out of the house)? Start with gdiaper for first few sleep deprived weeks and then switch to CD's?

Any thoughts are much appreciated!

[SnuggleBuggles]

I know that the AIOs are pretty easy but they are $$ and I think you have to do more laundry with them. Honestly, prefolds and covers are very easy and have a very small learning curve. They are less expensive because the prefolds are cheap and you don't have to wash the cover every time. With and AIO you have to wash the whole thing. For the newborn days you will need a lot of diapers.

I would try prefolds and a cover or gdiapers in the beginning. I have used gdiapers off and on with ds2 and have been ok with them but not wonderfully in love. I personally do not find gdiapers easier to use than a prefold and cover. Your AIO option would be the easiest, even if you have to do more laundry, but it is most costly.

Beth

[larig]

Have you considered a diaper service? We pay about $70 a month and have new diapers delivered every week--all I do is put them outside on Fridays. The service we use is very conscientious about keeping things sustainable and deliver in biodiesel fueled trucks and use environmentally friendly soaps. The diapers also are useful for many many children beyond my own, so they will have long lives and even when they are no longer fit to be diapers the company sells them as rags (oh are they great for cleaning!)

The drawback to using a service is that you have to buy diaper covers (most services use prefolds) and would likely end up being more expensive than AIOs, not sure how it would compare to g diapers cost (especially since they have covers too?)

When we are out and about and cloth would be too inconvenient (like when traveling cross country) we use seventh generation disposables. We saw a bill nye show that compared the environmental impacts of both disposables and cloth and he said that it was kind of up in the air which was less bad for the environment. But he did say that if you can use a product that doesn't use bleach (like 7th gen) that is beneficial for sure. I like cloth at home, because we all have sensitive skin (especially when it is hot), and I feel that cloth breathes better.

Sorry I didn't help you at all with your decision, but I'm so happy with our diaper service I thought I'd share that idea with you, even if you only do it for the first couple of months when sleep is hard to come by, you might consider it.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I should have mentioned that I used a diaper service with ds1. It was fabulous. :) Plus, I was able to lease the diaper covers or buy them. I leased when he was really little and sailing through sizes. I like the Prowrap covers and they are pretty cheap. :)

Beth

[joytiare]

I'm 7 months pregnant with our first, so you and I are in the same boat. I have a friend that works for G diapers and was turned onto the idea of the flushable for convenience, BUT...

Some other friends highly recommended the Bum Genius 3.0 One-size to use with a flushable liner (from Imvse Vimse or Kushies) for the poopy diapers. Lo and behold, I found a great video that convinced me to go the Bum Genius route - search You Tube for "Bum Genius diaper change"

In terms of cost-benefit, the BG 3.0 is a one time investment of ~$18 per one-size diaper vs. ~$19 for a G-pant, but you have to buy 3 seperate sizes (virtually tripling the cost!!) just for the pants.

We registered for (24) BG 3.0 diapers, (2) 12-packs of diaper doublers for night/travel and (5) 100-pack Imse Vimse flushable liners to start. Would love another opinion...

[amldaley]

Maybe it's me, but I just could not get the hang of G-Diapers. I couldn't get them assembled properly. I am not very good at that sort of thing - all thumbs.

I love pocket diapers (BumGenius is a pocket diaper because you stuff the absorbant part in to the pocket of the cover. A true "AIO" is all sewn together- they take forever to dry!) I have a few BumGenius and like them very much. But I found I prefered Tiny Tush Elites. Both the fleece and the aplix (velcro stuff) seem to wash better and live longer with Tiny Tush. I know others who swear by Fuzzi Bunz.

We only get to use cloth at home evenings and weekends as DD is in daycare and they don't allow cloth. But even when I was a SAHM, I never really found issue with the laundry required for diapers. We just made sure to have enough diapers to last at least three days, so that if I needed to beg off laundry for a day, I could.

And now that I do both 'sposies and cloth, I can attest to the cost effectiveness of cloth, even at the price of pocket diapers!

----

ETA: "One size" diapers, are notoriously inappropriate for most newborns. Just too darn big. I used 'sposies until her umbilical stump healed and then a few pre-folds and covers at first and a few fitted diapers. I also tried contours. That might work for you. It's like a sposie, made of cloth, then you put a cover on. Easier than folding and tucking etc etc.

[JBaxter]

I would say bumgenius OS. I have gDiapers but only use them for vacations and trips. I found bumgenius are much better overall. I tried the prefold route and I SUCK at prefolds I ated pins and I hated the snappi. I use a combo of fitteds and pocket diapers. Bumgenius OS, Haute pockets os, fuzzibuns (Im using petites now) and Happy Heinys OS. I suggest you get a couple of different kinds before commiting to buying a bunch of one kind and you deciding you dont like them.

I am not unhappy with the gDiapers but i would definately NOT use them for nights with my little guy we would have a wet mess.

Jack did fit into bumgenius at birth but he was 10lbs.
PM me if you have any other questions :)

[SnuggleBuggles]

I would say bumgenius OS. I have gDiapers but only use them for vacations and trips. I found bumgenius are much better overall. I tried the prefold route and I SUCK at prefolds I ated pins and I hated the snappi.

I never used pins or snappis- I just used a diaper cover.

Beth

[edurnemk]

I use both, Bumgenius most of the time and gDiapers for long outings and travel. I love them both, but there's a stage around 4-5 months where you get a lot of poopy leaks, and BG's are better at containing them. I've had the AIO (organic and not) and pockets. My son can't use the organic ones anymore since the damp cotton gives him a rash, but aside from that I love them and since they're one size, they're very economical in the long run. The pockets are great too, also one-size and I just use more inserts for nighttime. For a newborn, though, fitted diapers with a cover are usually a better fit.

I've gotten used to the diaper routine now, I wash them about 3 times a week, there's so much laundry that 2 or 3 more loads in a week aren't that noticeable, LOL.

BTW, when I researched, I found information about diaper services not being much more environmentally friendly than disposables, since they wash diapers about 7 times, and their delivery trucks use gas and all that. I don't know if they'll provide any kind of diaper or just prefolds. But washing them at home doesn't use as much water and energy. I do have to say that getting your washing routine down takes a few tries since a lot of factors come into play: type of diapers, water hardness, detergent type... check out the boards at www.diaperpin.com for more info on cloth diapers and washing them.

At first I wanted to use gDiapers full time, but it was too expensive, and they were harder to find when DS was born, that's why I tried cloth. Getting the right fit takes some practice, but once you learn, they're super easy to use. I love them.

I think the best thing is to try both options and decide which you prefer. I used the trial program at Jillian's Drawers, which is fabulous! And gDiapers also has a starter pack. Oh, and you can use a prefold or insert inside the gDiaper cover to save on flushable inserts (this I know because a lady at gDiapers customer service told me!). For the first weeks choose the easiest option for you since you'll be changing 8 to 10 poopy diapers a day, and getting little sleep. I used disposables the first few weeks.

Oh, and finally if you choose cloth, do get a diaper sprayer and/or use flushable liners when you start solids. It makes life much easier and less yucky! :wink2:

[carolinamama]

Seriously, I would buy a few and try them in conjunction with sposies if need be to figure out what works best for you. I started out with 4 Bumgenious Pockets to make sure that I liked their fit and that CDing really worked for our family and then bought more. I just did laundry virtually everyday and filled in with sposies. I prefer pockets to aios for the reasons others have said but I do have some fitteds and covers and like those too. As for gDiapers, I've never tried them but I will say that the people I know using them have poop leaks and I don't with my CDs. After all the explosive bf poops that DS1 had in sposies, I was very pleasantly surprised at the containing power of a pocket dipe with DS2.

I do like the fit of BG OS pockets and use them, but they are not my favorite. I have discovered that I much prefer snaps - and I would never have known this had I not tried different ones. My favorite are Snap-EZ and Blueberry OS in that order.

Happy Diaper shopping! It's fun!

[larig]

I've read conflicting information (http://www.dy-dee.com/html/environment.html) about the environmental impact of washing at home vs. diaper service--an impact study showed that...

"Commercially laundered cotton diapers use one-half the energy of home washed and one-third the energy of disposable diapers. Home laundering uses 2.5 times as much net water per diaper change than diaper service."

There's of course the cost of all this as another consideration. Certainly the cheapest way to diaper is washing your own, which for many will necessarily outweigh the environmental impact considerations.

[JBaxter]

Ive never used a diaper service but dont they have to use alot of chemicals or bleach to kill germs? I wondered about that. It is really no big deal to wash diapers ( IMO)

OH for those of you who used liners..... Got to JoAn's get some no pill fleece ( cheep thats on the sale table LOL usually seasonal prints) cut rectangles and they work GREAT. poop just dumps off they are cheep and reusable.

[edurnemk]

I've read conflicting information (http://www.dy-dee.com/html/environment.html) about the environmental impact of washing at home vs. diaper service--an impact study showed that...

"Commercially laundered cotton diapers use one-half the energy of home washed and one-third the energy of disposable diapers. Home laundering uses 2.5 times as much net water per diaper change than diaper service."

There's of course the cost of all this as another consideration. Certainly the cheapest way to diaper is washing your own, which for many will necessarily outweigh the environmental impact considerations.

:yeahthat: I've read so many different articles and studies, they all have different conclusions. Anyway, I chose to wash at home because I prefer Pockets and AIO's - during the "explosive poop phase", prefolds didn't work for us and DS gets rashes with cotton (but also with disposables). Also I'm terrible at folding them. And also I convinced DH to go with cloth because of the savings - I did an elaborate cost analysis on Excel, LOL, he's like that he has to see the numbers to be convinced, me on the other hand, prefer the more environmentally friendly option despite cost (hence the argument over why I buy everything organic). ;)

[betsyab]

Thank you so much. What great ideas! I'm eagerly awaiting what will work out best for us. It's such a hot topic. Maybe sposies will be the better way to start. My sis-in-law just loves the g diaper so much it is the only reason why I've been interested in them at all. She's never had a problem. However, her daughter was well into solids before she switched.

[kijip]

Different diapers work differently for different babies. I would not stock up on an expensive option till you try a few and see what works. That said, we had F in cloth from day one without any disposable use till he was older and we were away and then had a broken washer, so it is not needed to start with disposables. Prefolds and covers work well and the prefolds work as inserts for pockets if you end up not liking them on their own. Just start small and add more in once you get in the hang of it.

[kijip]

I've read conflicting information (http://www.dy-dee.com/html/environment.html) about the environmental impact of washing at home vs. diaper service--an impact study showed that...

"Commercially laundered cotton diapers use one-half the energy of home washed and one-third the energy of disposable diapers. Home laundering uses 2.5 times as much net water per diaper change than diaper service."

There's of course the cost of all this as another consideration. Certainly the cheapest way to diaper is washing your own, which for many will necessarily outweigh the environmental impact considerations.

I have heard this as well, but I don't buy it. For one, I always hear it from cloth diaper services, LOL. And two I think it factors in the diapers only being used for 1 baby or family if home laundered and using older washers as the metric for water usage. I got all of our diapers used and will pass them on for more families to use after us, and they will pass them on...till they are falling apart rags. And we own a HE washer that uses a tiny amount of water. We have not noticed even a slight upswing in our water bill since F was born, because he is only 2 loads a week and perhaps having a newborn has meant less diligently changed sheets and meant I wear only about 7 things I can nurse in, LOL. So it for us was an offset.

[Andi98989]

We're planning to go with Bum Genius 3.0 OS pocket diapers, but starting out with disposables for the first couple of weeks. I figure we'll have enough on our hands trying to figure out life with a newborn. :) I like the OS diapers because it's a one-time investment for them and they're very easy to use.

You might want to check this out - Jillian's Drawers has a 21 day trial program for $10 so you can test out some different kinds of diapers and see what you think of them and what will work best for you.

http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/products/clothdiapers/tryclothfor10/tryclothfor10

[eidean]

Some other friends highly recommended the Bum Genius 3.0 One-size to use with a flushable liner (from Imvse Vimse or Kushies) for the poopy diapers. Lo and behold, I found a great video that convinced me to go the Bum Genius route - search You Tube for "Bum Genius diaper change"

We registered for (24) BG 3.0 diapers, (2) 12-packs of diaper doublers for night/travel and (5) 100-pack Imse Vimse flushable liners to start. Would love another opinion...

Remember you won't need the flushable liners "to start." Newborn poop is water soluble, so you'll only need to flush the solids once baby starts solid foods (and then it gets interesting!)

I've only just finally gotten my butt in gear on the cloth diapering front at 7 months, but so far I've liked my Bumgenius 3.0s. THey're a bit bulky though, so make sure you stock up on roomier clothing (the next size up.) I really can't imagine them on my son when he was a 6 1/2 pound newborn, but now that he's bigger they work well.

[daisymommy]

With my son: used disposables until age 1 when I learned about cloth diapers (here!) and then switched to only using cloth until he potty trained (used a disposable overnight because he was such a heavy wetter).

With daughter: only used cloth, from day 1. Still use a disposable overnight.
Tried gDiapers just for kicks, and really disliked using them. Felt like it wasn't worth the effort. I think it's much-much easier to just use pocket diapers. I wash them myself 2 times a week, which honestly isn't a big deal at all!

So personally, I would go with cloth diapers--pockets if you want it to be really easy. I like BumGenius and Happy Heiny One-size.
For the first few weeks, maybe go with a "greener" disposable diaper (Earth's Best, Natural Baby Care at Babies-R-Us, Whole Foods brand, etc.). Then at around 10 lbs. the one-size pockets will fit.

Good Luck! and feel free to ask any other questions you may have!

P.S. Many online diaper stores have trial packages where you can try it out (like renting) and then return them. You may want to check it out! I think: Kelly'sCloset.com, Naturalbabies.com, Lilbunz.com, and maybe somewhere else?

[eidean]

P.S. Many online diaper stores have trial packages where you can try it out (like renting) and then return them. You may want to check it out! I think: Kelly'sCloset.com, Naturalbabies.com, Lilbunz.com, and maybe somewhere else?

Denver Diaper Company too:
http://www.denverdiaperco.com/

They also give free shipping for orders over $50. You can also set up a registry or ask for gift certificates. Amy is really nice, and even when the website says things are out of stock, she's always getting new orders in so I recommend calling.

[BayGirl2]

My NB is 1 week old so thought I'd chime in with my experience so far. I tried the Jillians Drawer's trial package and knew just from playing with the diapers that AIO's would be the way for us to go. Anything with 2 pieces just seems to complicated to me, and would be harder for daycare in a few months.

I like the BumGenius Organic 1-size AIO, so I started stocking up on them used, but they will clearly not fit until he is at least 12 lbs. I'll continue to buy these as I find good deals until I have a full stash. I like that they will last for a long time and for other kids if I take care of them.

I also got some Thirsties 2.0 XS size, although I worried they would only fit for a few weeks. He ended up being long and lean (6lbs 10oz at birth, and down to 5lbs 14oz at one point) so these are pretty baggy on him and may last a while (they say 12 lbs). We started using them as soon as the meconium poop was gone, but they seem to rub his umbilical stump. We're using disposables for a couple more days until it falls off.

Overall, our few days with the Thirsties and the washing cycle went well, and DH is a big fan of them too. I hate the feeling of the disposables, the Pampers feel so fake and plasticy, and the 7th Gen are like unbleached coffee filters, I would not want them on my skin!

[paulasue]

I thought I'd like AIO, but my LO did not like to feel wet. Sometimes LO may dictate what you use. Out went prefolds, fitteds and AIOs. We ended up using pockets. I tried BG's, HHs and a lot of others and we both hated taking out the inserts. We ended up loving Mommy's Touch. Mommy's Touch is a pocket with openings in the front and back, so the inserts agitate out in the wash. So we change LO just like an AIO. They dry quicker, I just have to load dipes. Plus Mommy's Touch come in about 20 colors.

[GonnaBJulymom]

Maybe it's me, but I just could not get the hang of G-Diapers. I couldn't get them assembled properly. I am not very good at that sort of thing - all thumbs.

I love pocket diapers (BumGenius is a pocket diaper because you stuff the absorbant part in to the pocket of the cover. A true "AIO" is all sewn together- they take forever to dry!) I have a few BumGenius and like them very much. But I found I prefered Tiny Tush Elites. Both the fleece and the aplix (velcro stuff) seem to wash better and live longer with Tiny Tush. I know others who swear by Fuzzi Bunz.

We only get to use cloth at home evenings and weekends as DD is in daycare and they don't allow cloth. But even when I was a SAHM, I never really found issue with the laundry required for diapers. We just made sure to have enough diapers to last at least three days, so that if I needed to beg off laundry for a day, I could.

And now that I do both 'sposies and cloth, I can attest to the cost effectiveness of cloth, even at the price of pocket diapers!

----

ETA: "One size" diapers, are notoriously inappropriate for most newborns. Just too darn big. I used 'sposies until her umbilical stump healed and then a few pre-folds and covers at first and a few fitted diapers. I also tried contours. That might work for you. It's like a sposie, made of cloth, then you put a cover on. Easier than folding and tucking etc etc.

I agree with the BG 3.0 one size pocket diapers, that way you can add however many inserts you need for absorbancy. I've also heard that the BG AIO takes forever to dry.

Why not start with gdiapers for your newborn, since the one size BGs are a little big at first. You can also save your gdiapers for outings.

So, short answer, both! :thumbsup:

[gotchagomo]

Just learned that gdiapers now make a washable cloth insert! No more flushing and the cloth makes the system MUCH MORE reasonably priced! I'm going to invest in gdiapers and some bumGenius AIO 3.0s to see which I like better. The gdiapers look like they will fit a newborn better (trimmer) and they are just so darn cute! My last name initial is "g" so I love them even more!!! "Monogrammed" diapers!!!

[daisymommy]

Sorry, I just saw this and wondered...what is the point then of buying gdiapers with a washable insert? Thats the same thing as any other cloth diaper?

[lizzywednesday]

I am so thankful for this thread!

While I'm only 10 weeks along with my (first) pregnancy, I'm already weighing the cloth/flushable/disposeable question out based on my own history - my parents couldn't use disposeables with my siblings or I because our skin was so sensitive - and the fact that I'm trying to be a bit more environmentally conscious as I go through preparations for our little one.

I will say that I purchased a baby-shower gift pack of the gDiapers for a close friend's shower back in March (her daughter is now 4.5 months old) and she & her husband use the gDiapers overnight with no problems and cloth diaper during the day...and found customer service & shipping to be prompt, friendly and reliable enough to allow me to continue to consider them. Their introduction of cloth liners has me curious ... even if they don't work so well, I figure they'll make OK burp cloths, no?

I intend on registering for at least one pack of 7th Generation disposeables, just to see if they will work for us (have another friend whose daughter got nasty diaper rash from them) but would really like to try hybrids like gDiapers and/or cloth in case 'Junior' has the same kind of reaction to disposeables that my siblings and I did. (Which would stink because we're relying on my s-i-l for daycare when I go back to work and she doesn't do cloth!)

Also, any opinions on Kissaluvs diaper potion for keeping baby's bum happy? (Grammar school friend uses it on her daughter with no prob's.)

The real-world recommendations have been wonderful, especially for liners versus AIO's ... thank you all for your honesty and experience!!!!

[JBaxter]

I used gDiapers on vacation and when we go away for a day. I dont find them terribly absorbant for over night. I use a mix of fitteds and pocket diapers for everyday/night use.

[betsyab]

Thanks for all the great advice!! We ended up taking a cloth diapering workship put on by Diaper Lab (great resource if in the Boston area) and we decided to get the Bumgenius AIO XS size for our newborn, and then do their trial once our little girl fills out a little more and we can see what fits her best. This was recommended to us specifically, and the workshop convinced us this was the best choice for us once we had our hands on all the styles of diapers.

We ordered 36 of the x-small size, so that we'll only have to do the diapers every 3 days. We just received our diapers today, and they are absolutely adorable. :)

[edurnemk]

Sorry, I just saw this and wondered...what is the point then of buying gdiapers with a washable insert? Thats the same thing as any other cloth diaper?

I guess it gives you versatility, since you can use the cloth insert at home, and switch to the flushable inserts for travel and outings. We actually used the gdiaper stuffed with a prefold for some time. I like my BG's and Happy Heinny's better though. But I do use gdiaper for travel.

We also used the Jillian's Drawers trial program and have been using BG's since then. I started out with the organic AIOs but DS can't wear cotton, the damp cloth gives him a rash immediately, so I sold them and got the fleece lined pockets. The fleece keeps the moisture away from his skin.

[BayGirl2]

Since this thread is still going, an update:

DS is 11 weeks old now and since he's long and lean, he still fits in the XS Thirsties! He can wear our BG OneSize AIO's too, but they are bulkier so we rarely put them on him. The BG AIO XS's were too small about 4 weeks ago. So the Thirsties XS will fit him for at least 1 month longer than BG, and still room to grow. Something about the cut just seems to work better.

I've found that the AIO's aren't enough for the night time, especially since I want to go as long as possible (including through feedings) without changing him. We've gone with Happy Heiny's fitteds with a wool cover for night.

Unfortunately the daycare we finally got into won't do cloth! (Every one I interviewed before said they would.) They will do Gdiapers so we got some of those too. Need to work out the kinks though, I put one on him last night and he ended up soaked after an hour, so I'm not doing something right!

Hope this helps other new moms. I'm still amazed by how little marketing there is for cloth diapers, considering how many great options we have now.

[lizzywednesday]

...

Unfortunately the daycare we finally got into won't do cloth! (Every one I interviewed before said they would.) They will do Gdiapers so we got some of those too. Need to work out the kinks though, I put one on him last night and he ended up soaked after an hour, so I'm not doing something right!

Hope this helps other new moms. I'm still amazed by how little marketing there is for cloth diapers, considering how many great options we have now.

Cloth is still considered a "niche" product ... for SAHM's and granola-crunchers.

All 3 of my sibs and I were CD kids, but that's because disposeables gave us diaper rash, so our poor mom had to CD. The leaps and bounds from our CD days with pins & plastic pants to all the awesome options out there are still amazing to me! (I am considering BG's bamboo line in addition to gDiapers, myself.)

As for your gDiaper problem ... if you haven't watched their website video, definitely do. If you still have trouble, they have on-call experts available on their customer service line, so definitely look into that. HTH!

[edurnemk]

I've found that the AIO's aren't enough for the night time, especially since I want to go as long as possible (including through feedings) without changing him. We've gone with Happy Heiny's fitteds with a wool cover for night.



Even when we used BG AIOs for daytime, we always used pockets with 2 inserts for nighttime. We still do. And there was a phase when even that wasn't enough since he started sleeping on his tummy (around 11 months), we had to get fitted diapers with 2 inserts and a fleece cover. Now we're back to using pockets for nighttime.