Review of the BumGenius Elemental

Overall rating: 4/5 stars.
The bumGenius Elemental is our workhorse diaper, mainly because it makes up the bulk of our stash and seems to be one of the easiest to grab, since its all one piece. It's also a pretty good option for grandparents and daycare and husbands, but they all have to have a few tips on getting the right fit (see below).

This is a one-size diaper, which means it will fit your baby from about 10 lbs to 35+ lbs. BumGenius claims a range of 7-35 lbs. I can't speak to the low end, since our guy didn't start wearing cloth until he was three months old and well past 7 lbs. However, he's now 33 lbs, and has plenty of room to grow.

The many combinations for rise and waist settings help get a good fit. Before hitting toddlerhood we were on the highest rise, and I was concerned we would outgrow these, but he has since slimmed down and we are on the medium rise again and still have plenty of snaps on the sides, too. There aren't any gussets, so its key to make sure there is no gaping at the legs. Also, you do have to take care to make sure all the cotton at the legs is rolled inside the diaper or you will get wicking (meaning the wet fabric will touch baby's clothes and get them wet, even if the diaper isn't full). The elastic in the back keeps in what disposables typically wouldn't with an explosion.

This diaper is really trim! Another mom once commented about just how trim they looked in jeans! In all honesty, though, a one-size diaper will be bulkier when your child is on the smaller weight range. The extra fabric that is folded under or otherwise hidden when in the smallest setting does take up space, and for a while we just sized up our little one's pants. But now he is in his regular size and these don't take up any more space than a disposable.

The Elemental does take a while to dry, and I have found that no amount of time in the dryer will really get it all the way dry in the seams where the inner is sewn in. Our general routine is one cycle in our (gas) dryer, and then hung up to dry outside for a day. This does mean they are out of commission until after the obligatory drying period, but this doesn't cramp our routine style, since we have about a day's extra worth of diapers in our rotation.

This diaper comes in a wide range of solid colors (half pastel, lighter colors, and half more vibrant options) and a only a few patterns at this time (but the Albert pattern is worth having in your stash even if you want to just try this diaper).

This isn't the cheapest diaper out there, but its pretty typically priced for an AIO (all-in one) at $24.99. Again, they fit for a solid two years, and my estimate (while there are other things to consider, I use a rule of thumb that a disposable diaper is about 23 cents, and that you would use a cloth diaper about twice a week) is that they pay for themselves in about a year.

Pros - easy (nothing to figure out for dads, grandparents and daycare - most like a disposable)
Cons - take care getting a good fit around leg openings, takes a while to get dry, especially near where the inner is sewn in.

Use for daycare: 4.5/5 - have to have good communication with them about getting the fit right, and the edges rolled in.

Daddy rating: 4/5 stars - "These could be better if they had the velcro of my favorite diaper [TotsBots EasyFit]. I really like the all-in-one part, though."




Front view: unsnapped (highest rise setting)

Inside

Front view: medium rise setting

On a 31 lb, 37" tall toddler (24 mos)

On a 31 lb, 37" tall toddler (24 mos)

Current Nighttime Diaper Fix

So here is the epilogue to our nighttime diapering dilemma in this previous post:

So far the new setup has worked. I would still like to add a staydry/fleece liner just so the wetness isn't against his skin all night, but he is comfortable enough to stay asleep all night!

I got a comment that this seems 'complicated'. Well, it certainly has been trial and error, but I am not sure its any different from figuring out how much coffee makes the perfect pot in a new coffeemaker? And in comparison to using a disposable, even one specifically designed for nighttime, they didn't hold in all the wetness either, and M woke up with wet jammies and little gel beads all over his diaper area.

Hopefully this suggestion saves you some time in your trial and error process!

Oh - the best thing about this 'new' set up is that I already had all the parts! I highly recommend having a cover or two, and some prefolds (we have six) on hand for backup. They are always the fastest drying and are very versatile. [I have a friend whose son needed several days to recover from a terrible diaper rash due to illness. While at home, she would put a prefold on him with just a snappi, so that he could still get air circulating, but not make a mess.]

So here are the details:



all the 'ingredients': a Thirsties duo wrap, an indian prefold, both inserts from a Rump a Rooz pocket, plus a bamboo insert.



Step 1, looks just like how I'd put together a prefold/cover combo (usually i am lazy and skip the snappi, and just tuck the prefold into the cover, folded just like this)



I snap together both of the Rump a rooz microfiber inserts. then I double over the bamboo insert and situate it toward the snaps, which I'll put towards the front of the diaper... which is where most of our wetness occurs...



I can't even add up the total layers of absorbency here! This combo is just tall enough that the gussets on the cover cover the insides. If they didn't we might still have a leak issue through any open gaps.



Top view. um... i think my diapers need some sunning... hope this isn't a turn-off for future cloth-diaper-ers!



The Nighttime Cloth Diapering Saga

Let me start by saying that this was how my diapering philosophy evolved, based on my knowledge and experience. Please chime in about what has worked for you! I scoured posts like these when I was researching, and begging for a full nights' sleep again!

When we first got started cloth diapering, we took home a small sample of diapers, which included a Rump a rooz pocket diaper. This diaper comes with two inserts. One is a newborn size, that you can also snap in to the regular size for extra absorption. We have always used both inserts as our night solution. The other thing that makes this a good night diaper is that the top layer is fleece, which allows moisture to pass through and keeps it away from baby's bottom, making it more comfortable, and less likely he or she will get a rash. This worked great for us, except that the Velcro didn't take long to start wearing out.

However, soon after our little guy turned one, he developed what I call a "toddler bladder," and started waking up again in the middle of the night. Ack! My internet research pointed to the best solution to this being a combination of a fitted diaper (especially the sustainablebabyish brand) plus a wool cover for "bulletproof" protection. I admit: I am intimidated by wool. It isn't cheap, and requires care I am unfamiliar with, so I am afraid "to go there". I also couldn't bring myself to make the investment, especially since the main reason I wanted to use cloth is to save money. The above-mentioned fitted is $20 a pop, and they are sized (which means you have to buy new ones, eventually, as baby grows). And we would need 4 each time. Wool covers are also pricey ( I found them to be $30-40 or so, and also sized so you have to get more as baby grows (and honestly, they are mostly kind of ugly) but I don't see why you couldn't use a PUL cover. I couldn't bring myself to make the investment when I had already invested in night diapers that I didn't intend to use for daytime purposes. However, I also know that sleep is priceless. Overnight Pampers can help, but our guy leaked out of those, too.

So I decided to go with adding an extra bamboo insert  that I fold in half and situate towards the diaper, for our boy.  Recently, at 21 mos, he has started waking up again. He goes back to sleep on his own, and still wet, but I feel bad for his discomfort and we are going through pjs and bedclothes like crazy. So again I find myself looking for a nighttime solution. A friend's baby recently turned one, and soon thereafter proved she had developed her toddler bladder. My friend, who had just finally come to enjoy full restful nights of sleep, was at her wits end. Her local diaper store suggested the ecoposh one size fitted plus a PUL cover (with good gussets, like Blueberry or thirsties, etc. Again, these are not cheap, and I am not sure I am ready to buy 4 of them (unless I really can't come up with another solution!... like potty training :) ), but if I were where I was a year ago, or even putting together a baby registry, I would plan to try these out!

So, first I decided to strip our diapers, by adding some blue Dawn dish soap to our normal load of diaper laundry. Meanwhile, tonight I decided to try an experiment. I started with a Thirsties cover (which we already had on hand and they are great! Love the gussets) I laid an XL pre fold in it, tri folded in the front, fanned and folded down a bit in the back. On top of that I laid the normal contents of our nighttime Rump a roo: both insets that come with it, plus our folded over bamboo insert towards the front of the diaper. I don't have any fleece liners, but laid a disposable liner on top hoping it would keep some moisture away from his skin. I slathered him with some Cjs BUTTer just in case. Fingers crossed for uninterrupted sleep for all of us!

I'll update this posts with pictures of my setup! Here's our current solution - and we already had all the parts!

What's your nighttime diaper solution!?!?

Whether you cloth diaper or not... find a cloth diaper retailer near you!

borrowed from Granola Babies' Facebook page - thanks!

If you are expecting or just received I highly recommend seeking out a cloth diaper retailer near you...

And I don't even want you to buy a cloth diaper there!

I was recently emailing with a friend who happens to be interested in cloth diapering her bun-in-the-oven, and mid-epistle, I thought, "She should just go to a cloth diapering store and ask them... better yet ask the moms that hang out for those mommy groups... more importantly go to a mommy group!"

Having your first baby is hard! And I don't mean the labor and delivery (that is a whole different post). I mean there is a blissful week or two where you are running on adrenaline and being super mom and dad dynamic duo. Your new baby has barely realized he is outside the womb and is so content. You go see a movie (yes, really, do that) and go to a trendy restaurant for whatever meal occurs at 3PM because you've just remembered to eat. Yay, parenting is easy! Then Hubby goes back to work and Grandma goes home and you are there with junior all. day. long. One on one.

Its awesome and its overwhelming. You had all these plans of all these things you were going to do while home with him, but somehow you can never even make it out the door! Insert mommy group here. I don't mean meeting up at the playground with a tight knit group and drink Starbucks while the kiddos dig in the sand. You are not there yet. I mean a place you can go where there are other moms at your very same overwhelmed stage, and some a few weeks or months ahead of you who can offer sage advice. And you'll feel like everybody knows your name.

This is the place where you can practice trying to be somewhere on time, with all the required supplies. Because if you are 'late' no one will mind. You will want a place to practice breastfeeding in public (even if that's not the route you're going, they probably won't mind extra's!). You will want to know its OK if your baby cries in public (hubby and I used to be mortified by M's tiny wails... ) and that tiny baby cries are nothing compared to the bigger varieties. You will want to know how exactly other moms do it... and survive in general. You will want to ask the occasional question and be comforted by others' questions and enjoy being around grown ups (that don't mind talking about poop all the time and have spit up on their clothes, too). You will want to come every week... at least...

Here is another post I wrote about the fabulousness of Mommy Groups.

And here are some resources to find one near you:
La Leche League there are meetings held all over the world, and there is bound to be one near you and at a convenient time... and probably in a cloth diaper store, but I also went to one that was in the cafe area of a grocery store, and one that was in a church meeting space.
BumGenius (they are probably the most popular cloth diaper retailer, so any brick and mortar store that carries cloth diapers, probably carries theirs... and probably also offers mommy groups. )
The hospital/birthing center where you gave birth or saw your doctor - the usually offer lots of prenatal classes, and many offer ways to connect with other new moms after giving birth, too (see... there is science behind this mommy group idea)

Google it. I bet you will find one. In fact, I have a friend in Virginia who swears there is never anything fancy going on in her town and there is a cloth diaper store that, in fact, has mommy groups. I just checked :)

Can I get an AMEN on mommy groups?

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Flying with a Toddler!

one way to entertain an 'infant in arms'

We just flew across country with our son for the third time, and we are starting to get the hang of it. I think we will only be getting one more in before he turns 2! If you are planning to take a trip by plane soon, and will be traveling with your toddler, check out our tips and experiences below!

The setup. Since we were going to need our carseat at our destination, we purchased this simple carseat- suitcase strap to attach it to a carry-on suitcase (M's, in fact, so that we could get to extra clothes and diapers if needed, and to be sure that his stuff made it to our destination). Attaching the seat can be a little frustrating, but its nice to have the seat with you, especially if you get lucky and the flight isn't full, you can ask at the gate to be re-assigned next to the empty seat and use your carseat. If the flight is full you can always check the carseat at the gate.

a blurry look at our carseat-carryon setup

I also dusted off our old, full size diaper bag to be my 'personal item' and filled it with toys, snacks, diapers (cloth ones! traveling with cloth can be another post altogether! but also a couple disposables that we always keep on hand for backup), headphones, my phone and wallet, etc. One other thing that we bring when we have room in our carry-on allowance is a trunki (we bought ours through Amazon). It is mostly useful during layovers (to ride, or provide a fresh set of toys or refill essentials), since its pretty unwieldy to be opening in your seat, unless the little one has their own, and even still... but it could make a good suitcase for short car visits and be an extra toy at your destination if you don't expect there to be others.

Also in preparation for our plan trips, we've been reading this amazing airplanes book. I am not sure M totally gets it yet, but he loves the page where the cabin crew are passing out snacks, and a doggie passenger is drinking a beverage with a straw. And he is sure to point out every plane in the book.

Oh don't forget your water bottles!! They have to be empty through security, but finding a water fountain to fill them up is an entertaining activity! M likes to press the button and drink from it, too.

Infant in arms: if you aren't buying a ticket (only allowed for kids under 2), you should indicate with your carrier that you have an "infant in arms". And be prepared to show proof that your kid is, in fact under two. The first several times we flew (on Delta), no one asked, but this last time Southwest wanted to see some ID A birth certificate or shot record preferred, but we had a MetLife ID card that showed his birthday that they accepted.

Wardrobe, please! There were two legs of our trip out and two changes of pants (one was needed during the security check). We went through 4 diapers on the first 3.5 hr, leg, and he was totally dry on the second, 2 hr, one. My recommendation is to pack twice as many as you think you'll need and have more handy in stowed carryon that you can get to in an emergency, or to refill your stash during layovers. On the trip home, I double-stuffed our cloth diapers and they lasted a bit longer. Each way we put a fresh one on before boarding if it was the tiniest bit wet. Depending on how risk-averse you are, you might pack and extra shirt  or outfit for yourself and other family members. One of the other toddlers on our flight got sick all over her parents. We definitely did this when M was still nursing, since the chances were much higher that some bodily fluids would be getting on us.

Food for flight. A friend recommended we pack 'double the snacks', which was good advice, since our flight was around lunchtime, and I was hungry too. It can be a while before they start cabin service and make those little peanuts available! And if its a short flight you might not even get that. So we packed some steamed carrots (from our farm visit), Colby-cheddar cheese sticks (one for each of us, and those went fast!), Cheerios in a self serve cup (which were consumed right after the cheese and right before a big nap), an apple-carrot baby food pouch (and packed two more in the suitcase - I am excited we are finally able to use these. I am glad we found organic ones and veggie combos, but I am bummed about the packaging waste... I will research some reusable options...), a whole apple, snack packs of cheddar bunnies, Lara bars, raisins and snagged a bag of Wheat Thins from the free Southwest snacks to keep with us over our visit. Be choosy about what you bring to avoid needing ice packs. We also bought some sandwiches to eat on the flight for ourselves, but I spied other families consuming homemade PBJ's. And, after M fell asleep on leg 2 we both ordered ourselves adult beverages! (one other note, our Delta flight did have whole milk available, but the Southwest one did not have any kind of milk. If you want to take milk try these milk boxes that don't need to be refrigerated - but be prepared for a pat-down in security if you carry them on.)

Ear popping. Our little guy sucks his thumb, which helped with ear clearing. But also we brought a sippy cup that requires some effort to extract its contents just in case. If your child still nurses then you have a built-in option, too. If its any consolation, I think the pressure change helps make them sleepy...

Time to play. For entertainment we played with a new peek-a-boo book about trucks, a mini can of Play-Doh, his Leap Frog Tag Jr. book reader and two books, iPad (with the newly loaded Pat the Bunny app, but also old favorites, Elmo ABCs app, Ink Kids flash cards app, and The Monster At The End Of This Book book). Other entertainment included sleeping, eating, looking out the window, and standing on our laps +  playing peek a boo with the other passengers. Other toys on deck include coloring book + crayons, a few small trucks, and more apps. And more snacks.

Rockabye. M is too big for our fabulous sling that we used last time. I brought an adult sized neck pillow, even though I have never successfully slept on one. But this flight it proved to be a great elbow rest while I had a 30-lb toddler in my arms. We had packed one of our muslin swaddle blankets to keep him warm during the chilly flight. On the second leg, it was bedtime, and we found out that our guy is pretty wed to sleeping on his tummy. After about 15 super squirmy minutes, he finally ended up with his head in hubby's lap, body across mine and legs dangling. And snoozing solidly. After we landed around 9:30 home time, he was awake, but sleepily and somewhat grumpily greeting his grandparents. We took the opportunity to change into his nighttime diaper and pjs. On our 45-minute ride to the house, he fell back asleep and transferred beautifully to his already-set-up pack-n-play at Grandma's.

And by all means, allow your little one to stretch their legs during layovers! They will have to sit still a lot so if you can afford to go slower and let them walk between gates, do it. And don't forget to ride the people movers or escalators, too. The afore-mentioned Trunki helps here a lot, too.

What are your air-travel tips and tricks?

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