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Cloth Diaper Review: bumGenius 4.0

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bumGenius 4.0 One-Size Cloth Diapers These are hands down my favorite cloth diapers. Bum Genius 4.0 diapers are good old fashioned one-size pocket diapers with 3-snap rise settings and either snap or hook and loop closure around the waist. (We have bumGenius diapers with both.) They consist of a waterproof cover lined with a soft, sueded fabric that wicks moisture away from the skin and a microfiber insert that is surprisingly absorbent, despite being very thin. The diapers have worked for us from about 8 weeks–and Isla was small for her age at 8 weeks–to 26 months. The diapers don’t size down as small or size up as large as FuzziBunz, and I don’t know how much longer we could keep Isla in them, because they are a snug fit right now. However, 2+ years of use will cover the majority of your kids’ years in diapers, so the one-size claim holds true. They are easy to use, easy to clean, easy to get on and off, and seem to be very comfortable for Isla. The operative word here is “easy.”

Pros

  • Easy to stuff. Our bumGenius diapers are incredibly easy to stuff, thanks to the fact that they are wide through the crotch and the inserts are not very bulky.
  • Easy to adjust. These diapers are also easy to adjust up or down in size. They have a 3-snap rise setting, so you can easily move the diaper up or down a size that way in well under a minute. The waist either has snaps or hook and loop closures which, on the whole, are pretty easy to adjust. Hook and loop closures (velcro) are easy for obvious reasons, but the snaps are pretty easy, too. I like that there are only 2 parallel rows of snaps at the waist, which makes it quick to find the right setting.
  • Not bulky.  The inserts are fairly thin (although still absorbent), and the diaper itself isn’t bulky. This makes it very easy to get pants over them and for Isla to move around in. She’s very active, and these never leave marks around her legs or waist or cause any chafing.
  • Easy to wash. Granted, this is pretty much across the board for cloth diapers. The laundry issue isn’t nearly as challenging as I thought it would be. Still, it’s nice that I can pretty much just toss these in the wash without any prep work, run them through a hot wash, cold rinse cycle twice–once with detergent, once without–then dump them in the dryer and call it a day.
  • Cute colors. bumGenius has by far some of the cutest colors and patterns. I love our Albert and Lovelace diapers, in particular. I pretty much want every color they have, and unlike some of my other diapers, I don’t have any colors I wish I didn’t have to use because they are kind of ugly.
  • Minimal leaking. We used the newborn insert, which is very thin, without any issues with leaking up until Isla hit about the 8 month mark. After that, we started to notice some leaks, so we started using the larger bumGenius inserts. Problem solved. We will see pee leaking if we leave the diaper on a long time–3.5 hours or longer–but we’ve never had poop leak out of these diapers.
  • Now on Amazon. I buy pretty much everything on Amazon. When I was pregnant, it was hard to find bumGenius on Amazon (which is why I have so many FuzziBunz instead), but since then, they’ve become available on Amazon. My bumGenius stash has exploded, not only because they are awesome diapers, but also because with my Prime account I can have them at my house in 2 days without paying a dime for shipping.

Cons

  • Can’t use them for overnights. At least, not just with the regular insert. I’ve heard that doubling up the insert or using hemp inserts might help, but I didn’t bother with cloth diapering overnight.
  • Inserts don’t always agitate out in the wash. This doesn’t happen very often to any of my diapers, but if it does happen, it’s pretty much always with the bumGenius 4.0’s.
  • Velcro issues. On the diapers with hook and loop (aplix, velcro, whatever you want to call them) closures, I’ve had problems getting the velcro to stay stuck to the tabs you are supposed to stick them to when you put them in the wash. Instead, they come loose and stick to everything else, and then we get crap stuck in the velcro, and the velcro doesn’t stick anymore, so the diapers come off. I love velcro, because it’s so stinking easy…but then it’s not, and then I wish I only had snaps. So your choice: velcro that gets gross and stops working so you have to pick all the junk out, or 10 minutes of screaming while you try to chase your baby down and get her in a diaper with snaps.

bumGenius 4.0s make my life make the cloth diapering experience a breeze. I highly recommend them to any mom who is interested in trying out cloth diapers.

Original ran on January 4, 2013. Edited on June 16, 2014. Republished November 25, 2014.

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Comments

      • You’re not supposed to remove the inserts before washing? We remove them immediately after taking them off and they go into the washer separately.

        Also, massive +1 to snaps over velcro. It’s pretty certain velcro will get gummed up with stuff, but snaps will always stick together.

        Reply

    • I hope that is an acceptable comment! Lol! It really is my favorite thing about BumGenius! Just not the insanity that follows a new release!

      Reply

  10. My favorite feature of bumGenius diapers is that they are one size and easy to adjust. And now I know that they are available on Amazon – so glad!

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  12. I LOVE Amazon too!! …I have heard great things about these diapers…I just started cloth diapering and I want to try bumgenius! I would choose the snap setting :)…

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  14. I love my 4.0! It’s trim, it fits well, and it dries quickly. Also love the snaps, I refuse to use aplix due to it getting gross and not sticky.

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  16. I have several bumGenius 4.0s, and I find myself using them when I go out because even if I go a little longer between changes, I never get leaks. They’re one of my most bulletproof diaper choices.

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  17. I can’t wait to cloth diaper my preemie. I love that they can go undone in the washer and that they can be stuffed easily. =)

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  21. I love bumgenius because they are very well made and hold up after many washing’s, they also fit my little peanut from about 8 weeks old with no leaks 🙂

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  22. Haha. I love your comments about snaps vs aplix. I’ve started with all snaps, but I’m quickly beginning to see the benefits of aplix, and my LO is only a squirmy 10 weeks!

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  23. These are my go to night time diapers with a hemp insert. So far I only have 2 with snaps but would love to try their aplix/velcro to see if I like them as well.

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    • Just wanted to add that my son is only 10 weeks, so I’m hoping that they continue to work overnight. Right now he is not a super heavy wetter.

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  24. Bgs are my all time favorite cloth diaper i love the fit its not bulky very trim and they never leak or leave red marks there are so simple to put on and off i wish i could own more!!

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  26. My favorite thing about bumgenius is that the company started in St Louis, which is where I live. Buying from Cotton Babies is shopping local for me!

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  27. i love the cut of this diaper…it was our favorite diaper for our son, who was in cloth from 7 months-potty learning and never at any point did it not fit, or have an awkward fit. it was always out best fitting, most reliable diaper!

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  28. I love that they are not bulky. Sometimes with my prefolds and covers it is hard to get pants up over them.

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  29. i like how adjustable they are and that you could easily cloth two kids with an easy readjusment 🙂

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  30. My favorite thing about BG is the quality — I have some pocket diapers that we’ve used for ages and they are still working great and are in fine shape.

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  34. I like that they have the snaps to adjust the size…it seems a little easier than the buttons for FB.

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  35. bg4.0’s are my second favorite diaper and the one i have the most of! they’re so sturdy and reliable i love them!

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  38. I love the gentle elastic at the legs and back ,the roomy pocket so I can customize the absorbancy and the fit is great.

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  40. I like the snap configuration and the fact that they are a readily available brand that isn’t hard to find so it’s a good brand for people who have never used modern cloth diapers.

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  41. I have never tried Bumgenius 4.0 I have herd alot of good things about them. I love how trim they look!

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  43. My favorite thing about BumGenius Diapers would have to be the cut. They are trim, not bulky, and hold up really well. I will say my only dislike is the back opening/flap on the 4.0s. Maybe it’s just me, but I can’t figure out the right way to deal with that over the pocket opening! 😀

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  45. I like how trim these are! When I need to change my baby’s diaper, the last thing I want to be struggling with is a bulky diaper that makes dressing/undressing more time consuming!

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  47. My favorite thing about bumGenius diapers is that they are one size and very easy to use! It is one of our favorite brands of cloth diapers.

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  48. I love their print and color choices! Plus, the wider crotch area is great if you have to double stuff for heavy wetters like mine. 🙂

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  53. I love how they hold up. They have held up best in our stash. The velcro on them has actually held up better than the other and the laundry tabs are still working after almost 2 years.

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  56. I love that the pocket allows for customization of the absorbency, and that they dry more quickly than AIO’s!

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  61. BG are my favorite because of the great colors and fit. I never have a leak and I was able to start using them very early.

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  62. We started using BG 4.0s on my darling daughter around 6 months. They were my first pocket and have proved to be worth the buy! My favorite thing about them is the simplicity of the diaper, paired with quality craftsmanship, makes me say they are worth the money. They work well at night for my daughter of we use an extra insert. So far these are my solid nighttime diaper. I think we got lucky though, I know tons of CD moms have a hard time getting a good night diaper. Long live BG!!

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  65. A majority of my sizable stash is BG, although I don’t use pockets at all. I do like how you can control how fluffy these are tho. Also, I love all of BG’s prints and colors!

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  66. I am going to be honest and say I like that you can buy bumgenious on amazon. I like to buy from certain companies to support them but sometimes I don’t want to meet the shipping minimum especially if I just want one or two colors. I like that I can get free shipping through amazon for the smaller purchases.

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  68. Your right the best feature is how trim the diaper is. You can use them overnight and keep them trim with a thirsties hemp insert and a microfiber insert.

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  78. I love the large pocket openings, i honestly dont like pockets except 2 brands, bumgenius and blueberry due to the pockets lol and snap style.

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  86. I started out with all pockets now I like the freetimes but still use the others. I dont really have an issue with the cons you listed, I usually take my inserts out before I wash the diapers, I can also use them over nights. But Ive never tried the velcro, I dont like velcro because my toddler will just rip it off. lol.

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  89. I LOVE, love, love bumgenius except for the velcro issue you mentioned. I love the H&L (it is dad, grandma, and babysitter friendly) for my kid who hates to have his diaper changed, but it only lasts about 12-15 months before it needs to be replaced.

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  91. Your review was very helpful to someone (myself) new to cloth diapering. I have not used cloth diapers yet, but I have friends who use them and they all like BumGenius 4.0 the best. I am planning on attempting to use these diapers first and see how they go.

    Reply

  93. BumGenius is my absolute favorite brand of diapers. I love how stretchy their waist tabs are. It is so easy to get the perfect fit :).

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  94. BGs are a good ‘staple’ diaper, but we currently use ours with prefolds for increased absorbency. I like that the insert is microfiber and nylon and using the NB and the regular insert usually gives us good absorbency, unless for longer periods when I use a prefold too.

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  96. My favorite feature is who trim they are. I have narrow hipped babies and many other diapers tend to be too bulky on them.

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  103. my favorite thing about these is how easy it is to stuff the diapers! I don’t feel like I am going to tear them at the seams trying to get my hand and the insert down in them.

    Reply

  104. I have never tried them, but would lik3 to if they are trim as mentioned. That is important for cute baby clothes

    Reply

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