Genius Series by bumGenius!

The first of the new Genius prints by bumGenius! have arrived!  This series will feature designs created by the Cotton Babies design staff, and named after famous geniuses.  I have been waiting a while for these to get here – I fell in love with them at first sight!  These prints are available in the 4.0 One Size Diaper and include a newborn insert, an adjustable insert, and feature a snap-down rise.

The Albert diaper is named after Albert Einstein.  It’s chalkboard doodlings design is a great tribute to the man most well known for his theory of relativity.

The Lovelace diaper is a whimsical design perfect for a little girl. Countess Ada Lovelace was known for writing a paper that looked ahead towards what we know today as a computer and computer programs... over 100 years ago.

Elaine is now potty trained so I didn’t have a model for the Lovelace print.  However, Nolan was more than happy to pose in the Albert diaper.  He has just started sitting up and crawling (army style) at almost-six months.  Take a peek at these great new prints!

You can order your own Genius print by clicking here.  It’s not visible in the pictures, so I also wanted to point out that the Lovelace diaper has four different colored snaps on the butterfly tabs – one in each of the four colors in the design print.  It really stands out nicely!

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Diaper Covers Compared

I have recently returned to using prefolds after my daughter outgrew several of our sized pocket diapers.  I have several different brands of diaper covers in my stash.  Now that I am using them more, I have definite favorites and preferences.  Here is my personal take on several major diaper cover brands.

Bummis Super Snap Wrap
sized diaper cover, newborn to large, 7-40 pounds

This cover feels very durable because of the thickness of the PUL.  I only use snapping diapers, and this cover only comes in white with a snap closure.  I do wish I could get more of the fun prints but still stick with snaps!  The quality is great, I have had no leaks or explosions that I can recall, and it washes well.  The downside to this cover is that it is sized as opposed to one size.  However, the newborn size is really great for a tiny baby.  A one size cover may not fit a newborn right away.

This was definitely my favorite newborn sized cover.  The small size also fit Elaine very well.  Now that she has outgrown the small, the medium seems a little too big in the rise, allowing the diaper to move around a lot.  If I use a Snappi fastener, this works great.

Kissaluvs Marvels One Size Cover
for babies 8-40 pounds

I won this cover in a giveaway.  It is not very high on my list of favorites.  I do like the double leg gussets and the overlapping waist snaps.  It features a snap down rise with three snap settings.  It was always a little big on a small baby, even though it is a one size cover.  I could only use it on Elaine as an infant if she was wearing a bulky fitted diaper for bedtime.  I only recently pulled it out of my drawer to begin using again.  I also find it a drawback that this cover only comes in five solid colors.  The cute factor is a big factor for me!

Thirsties Duo Wrap 
two sizes, 6-18 pounds, and 18-40 pounds

I really wanted to like this diaper cover.  I was excited when Thirsties finally became available in snap closures, and they also added several fun prints to their line.  The Duo Wrap system seemed like a great idea – to truly fit a newborn through potty training there are two sizes of cover, but each features three sizes using a snap-down rise.

I love the gussets on the Thirsties cover.  It is also made of durable PUL, though it is thin and flexible as opposed to the stiffness of the Bummis.  However, this cover has given me no end of frustration and grief!  I purchased the size 2 for Elaine although she was not quite 18 pounds.  Yet the rise snaps do not stay fastened.  When I am pulling the cover between her legs to fasten it, they always pop.  I try to snap them after the diaper is fastened, but then it is difficult.  I don’t know if I just got a bad cover, or if the snaps they use are not strong enough.  Elaine is definitely not ready for the next rise setting, so it is not a problem of being too tight.  It’s really too bad because the cover is so adorable!  (I have the Warm Stripes).

Flip One Size Diaper Cover 
for babies 7-35 pounds

This is it – my number one, absolute favorite diaper cover!  The Flip came out near the same time as Elaine’s birth.  The covers fit very well from the beginning (she was 7 pounds at birth).  She is still wearing them now, and we have four of this cover in our stash.

I primarily use the Flip diaper cover with prefold diapers.  When Elaine was smaller we always used a Snappi fastener to help contain the runny breast milk poo better.  Now that she is older, I just tri-fold the prefold and lay it in the cover, and then fasten the cover on Elaine. 

This is an example of a tri-folded prefold; this is a Thirsties diaper cover

The Flip diaper cover features three size settings with snap-down rise.  The stretchy tabs help ensure a great fit each time, and I really like the two rows of vertical snaps.  I feel like this holds the diaper more securely than a single row of snaps.

The Flip cover can be used with Flip Stay-Dry or Organic Cotton inserts.  I was not a fan of the inserts when Elaine was little, but they are great now.  The stay-dry insert is basically a microfiber insert with micro-suede topping to keep baby dry.  The Organic Cotton is an oh-so-soft large prefold that can be folded several different ways depending on the size you need.  There are also disposable inserts. I plan to go disposable on our next air travel trip.

 

How about you?  What is your favorite diaper cover?  Do you go for snaps or Aplix?  I would love to try wool, and also the GroVia system as I have heard great things about those two covers also.

Rumparooz new prints are here!

 

Last Friday Rumparooz introduced two new prints to their G2 One Size Pocket Diaper line.  The first is Eco Owl, and the second is Robotronics.  We are looking forward to more great Rumparooz products this fall – 12 new items in total!

The Eco Owl says “Whooooo Loves the Planet”

Robotronics is great for the little man in your life!

Order yours at Doable Diapers!

Rumparooz G2 One Size Diaper Review

guest post by Jessica Holm

Recently, we were able to avail ourselves of the opportunity to test a snap version, Rumparooz brand diaper.  This was the first occasion we had experience diapering with a pocket diaper style, and Rumparooz sold us on their product.  We were immediately impressed with the diaper for its wonderful softness and moisture wicking abilities. 

Fit 

After placing the diaper on our daughter for the first time, we felt at ease that she was crawling around in a truly comfortable fitting diaper.  Our daughter is 10 ½ months of age, about 28 ½ inches in length, and weighs about 17 lbs.  She has a very long waist that, at times, may be difficult to fit properly, but the Rumparooz accommodates for her length as well as her slimness in waist and legs quite nicely. 

Versatility

The versatility in the microfiber soaker, or 6R soaker, is a definite plus.  In addition, we were pleasantly surprised at how quickly the cover dried on the line.  The soakers also dried easily on one reasonable timed dryer setting.  Rumparooz is unquestionably a GREAT product that is worth the investment. 

Quality

As a seamstress, I recognize the quality job in the stitching from the double stitching along their signature inner gusset, to the attention to detail in elasticizing the end of the diaper to help it secure the soaker pad inside and to prevent the material from having to be tucked in at each diaper change.  There is no doubt that Rumparooz placed much thought into the design and functionality of their product.  Below are some qualities that we felt would be helpful for others  during my experience in using the diaper. 

Less Desirable Features:

• The snaps – I believe it would be beneficial if Rumparooz would add an extra row on the tabs for the initial positioning on baby.  It would also be nice if the snaps were a bit stronger in their hold. 
• Transferring of pee onto PUL material – the diaper did work well at night although I did notice that during an average of an 8-9 hour night, the pee pee would transfer onto the  PUL material on the front cover each time.  It didn’t seem to penetrate her clothes, but mostly remained on the cover. Our daughter is a heavy wetter.  So this must be taken in consideration.
• Fibers are not organic or all natural – this is what I prefer, but the downside is that you lose the great moisture wicking abilities.
• It is not grandparent/babysitter friendly – The awkward snaps make it a bit difficult for an inexperienced cloth diaperer

Most Attractive Features:

• Wonderfully soft
• Great wicking of moisture away from baby’s skin- no dampness on skin after all night and after naps
• 3 snap row settings – Has an extra row in comparison to other brand named diapers, this accommodates smaller sized babies
• Soaker pad – versatility in positioning it for girls, boys, newborn, heavy wetters, etc.
• Rumparooz comes in a snap version- much more difficult for baby to take off
• It contains wetness well at night and nap time
• The inner gusset – great in containing messes
• Great fit - It hugged her bottom quite slimly considering the bulk of the two soakers put together.
• Line dries fast – soakers dry quickly in the dryer as well
• No red marks upon taking the diaper off
• Love it’s “cute factor”
• Affordable – when examining the alternatives

Huggies Jeans Diapers

Have y’all seen the new limited edition Huggies Jeans diapers?  I had read about them on Cloth Diaper Blog here.  Apparently, the commercial promoting the diapers was pulled from most networks as being inappropriate.  It was a little crass for a baby product commercial. 

Read more about that and view the commercial by running a google search.  I have read that they changed the wording a little bit after the controversy.

When I was in Times Square a couple of weeks ago, I went into the Toys R Us.  There in the front of the store was this huge display:

Most of the shelves were empty.  So disappointing – there are so many people who don’t even know about cloth diapers! 

Here’s what I think about this diaper: I think that the disposable diaper industry has some strong competition from its cloth counterpart, and they are trying anything to generate more sales.  The top three reasons that I hear people give as to why they use cloth diapers are:

1. Cloth is better for the environment 
2. Cloth saves a lot of money
3. Cloth is better for my baby

However, another big reason why many people choose cloth is the cute factor.  Come on, let’s face it.  Cloth diapers are soooooo much more cute than disposable diapers!  I think Huggies has realized this fact, and they are trying to compete.

While the jean diapers may be more cute than regular disposables, the fact is that they are still disposable.  You are still paying money for a product that your are going to throw away.  The $11.99 that you spent on that package of diapers could buy a Thirsties or Bummis diaper cover which can be used for 2+ years on this baby, and with the next baby too!  Those limited edition jean diapers are still filled with chemicals and traces of Dioxin that are going to be touching your baby’s delicate skin.  And technically, you are supposed to remove the poo from those ‘sposies, just like you have to from a cloth diaper.

How can you compete with this cuteness?

 

  

What do you think?  I think you should choose cloth diapers.  They are so much cuter, even than the Huggies Jean diapers, and they will save you money and be better for your baby. 

Get your fluffy fix at Doable Diapers!