BEFORE
I have been a faithful fan of BumGenius one size pocket diapers for the duration of the 18 months of usage they have received at our home (read more about cloth diapering and my review here). It keeps my diapering simple, convenient and easy for everyone to use (even the grandparents)! My only complaint…the elastic around the legs of the diapers wore out relatively quickly, within the first year of use. Thankfully, Cotton Diapers (the manufacturer) offers a one year warranty on these diapers. They have amazing costumer service! I returned seven of my diapers within that one year warranty and received replacements in just two days. For more information on making returns/exchanges, visit here and check out the BumGenius FAQ page. Recently, the remainder of my stock was beginning to show wear in the elastic.
They remained in excellent shape beside the legs (velcro is working perfectly and fabric is still very soft), which was leading to more frequent leaking. I was not sure what to do, and was disappointed to think they were reaching the end of their life. Thanks to my friend, Chalon, my diapers have been redeemed! With the use of some new 1/4” elastic, small safety pins and a seam ripper (costing me a total of $2), I have been able to easily replace the elastic in my diapers and they now look brand new! Praise the Lord! You don’t know how excited I am! The Lord is providing all our basic needs…isn’t that awesome?
Find a step by step picture tutorial of the process of replacing the elastic here. The only requirement is very basic sewing skills, and then again, you can do it easily by hand as well!
AFTER
So if there is any other fellow BG diaper users out there, don’t give up too quickly! If you are considering cloth diapering, I give another vote to these diapers if you are willing to put a little effort into them (hanging them to dry is a good way to preserve their life as well). They are the second cheapest option for diapering beyond prefolds while remaining more convenient and softer on the babies bottom. I still have yet to see how well they fit on a newborn, as we started Karis on them at four months (thus the reason I have prefolds for our baby). They will fit your little one all the way through to potty training! Karis can wear one of diapers for at least 3 hours (often times up to 5 hours) without any leaking problems! I have tried a few other one size diapers (Happy Heiny’s, Haute Pockets), and BG diapers surpass them all!
Further Resources
Hello!
I was just wondering if your one-size BG’s fit your second while he was a newborn.
I am having our second in Dec. and I plan on buying more one-size BG’s to build up
my stash. But after reading how so many people prefer the Kissaluvs size 0.. I’m starting to wonder
what to do.
I would love to hear your thoughts!
Thanks,
Dawn
Anyway,
Actually, next week I am doing a series on cloth diapering and will be answering this very same question. I honestly did not like the Kissaluvs after all. The BG fit my baby at 8lbs…so it really depends upon the size of your baby. If you have an average baby, and you use disposables for the first little while during adjustment time, you should be able to fit into the BG or any other one size diaper pretty quickly. Stay tuned for more specifics next week.
Yea…. I had also thought of using disposables for the first month and then switching to my BG as soon as she fits them.
]
Thanks so much for your thoughts!
I’ll be looking forward to your series on cloth diapering. Perfect timing!
~Dawn
I used BumGenius one size on my daughter when she was a new born. The only down side is that she was a longer thinner baby (7lbs, but 21 inches long) so her thighs weren’t very chunky. She also liked to sleep sort of on her side, so we had some leaking when she was on her side just because she was so tiny compared to the diaper. To fix this problem we used prefolds for the first month. Once her thighs fattened up after a few weeks it wasn’t a problem. Bigger babies should be fine.
I don’t know how this will work to post my question (since this is an old post) but I am considering, for my 4th child, switching from all disposables to all cloth. I am confused though as to whether bumGenius are all in ones or if you have to “stuff” them with inserts!? I had thought (at first) that the inserts were more for “doubling” purposes, but the more I look at them I think they might be NECESSARY. I was totally sold on bG but now thinking I should keep looking. Also, how in the world can a diaper fit from 7 lbs to 35 lbs!??? That just confounds me!
These are Bum Genius pocket diapers that come in the one size version. They have an insert that comes with the diaper that is definitely needed, but yes, you do have to stuff them between washes. They also sell an All-in-one diaper that does not need any stuffer. I am not sure if the AIO is a one size diaper or not. Check out cottonbabies.com. After further looking, the BG is definitely the best one size diaper out there. I have tried the fuzzi bunz and others with fleece inside and found it wears down quickly. The microfiber of the BG is still holding up strongly after two kids. To find a diaper that has microfiber lining and snaps would be perfect…but so far there is none like this on the market that I have found. Honestly, the BG fits well from 7-25 lbs. I have heard Happy Heiny’s one size fits longer to the 35 lbs, but the BG does not.
I didn’t read through all the responses so someone may have already posted what my comment is!
I too have BG diapers and have used them now for about 15 months. I would highly recommend them to anyone. Cotton Babies replaced all 17 of my covers after just 8 months because the velcro was coming off. I decided not to out the covers in the drier anymore. They have done excellently and I think the will last much longer now.
I also use a pre-fold diaper around the liners are night to prevent leaking. I don’t see this as a flaw in the diaper; my daughter simply soaks a lot at night but my friend’s son doesn’t.
I appreciate your careful words in reference to Cotton Babies; they have been excellent to work with and we should seek to speak in a kind way of others.
Congratulations on the birth of Titus!
Just wanted to follow up by saying I order three of the Fuzzi Bunz ONE SIZE diapers about a week and a half ago. I never considered them before as getting One Size just seemed to make the most sense and be the most affordable.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE them! Just to be clear!
My biggest problem is that my four year old daughter still isn’t dry at night and although my 21 mo. old son fits great in our Bamboo one size Baby Beehinds, they are super tight on her, doable, but tight and occasionally a snap will pop and we’ll have to redo on the way up to bed.
But these new Fuzzi Bunz are awesome. She has plenty of room in them and UNLIKE the Bum Genius which I had tried on her and she leaked through (nothing like hearing, “Mommy! I peed frew my diaper!” at 2am
She’s had no problem leaking, I bought one of their super soaker pads on their website and that think is heavy duty 
On other nights I’ll stuff a couple of bamboo inserts in with the two inserts it comes with.
As for feeback on the sizing both my daughter and son do fine on the same setting. The adjustable leg and back elastic seems to be such a great idea for getting a custom fit. Also, they warrenty their elastic for 2 years and will send you a replacement within that time frame. If you know how to sew a buttonhole on your machine you could replace your own for pennies.
Just wanted to give that feedback, I like Bum Genius for convienence, like my Baby Beehinds for absorbability and for the fact that they are made of a renewable resource, and like the Fuzzi Bunz because of the ease of fit and the high asbsorbance ability.
Thanks for adding in the links for me!
Much appreciated!
Growing Daily, I’ve tried Kushies and I don’t recommend it! They may be cheaper, but you get what you pay for. They leak around the legs, and sometimes the waist. I had to do so much laundry because of those things- it definitely wasn’t worth it! If you like using a diaper and cover, rather than an all-in-one, I would suggest looking into Bummis or Mother-Ease for covers instead. A bit pricier, but very well worth it!
Thank you for letting me know!
I really like these covers for day: http://nickisdiapers.com/catalog.php?category=161
The wide velcro area in the front really lets you adjust the fit very well.
I also use BBeehinds wool covers for night. At first I wasn’t crazy about the fit, the leg holes seems a little tight but they stretched really well and I’ve never had a leak with my 21 mo. old and I also use the same size with my 4 yr old for night and she hasn’t had a leak either. I just lanolize every few weeks.
I just bought several Baby BeeHinds covers (they were on clearance at an online diapering store) and I really like them. I have tried Bummis, Thirsties, and Proraps, and I like these better than any of the other ones. They are more flexible – I guess you could say, softer – they seem like they will fit for a longer period because of that flexibility, and the laundry tabs actually stay in place (I’ve had troubles with the Thirsties and Bummis laundry tabs coming open in the dryer and sticking to things). Now, I’ve only been using them for 3 weeks, so I can’t speak to how long they will last, but I really like them so far.
Has anyone tried Kushies diapers?
Just thought I’d pass along this info in case you didn’t know about it. I just decided to order three Fuzzi Bunz – they are only a dollar more than the one size Bum Genius on Nickisdiapers.com it looks like.
I am ordering them because I could use a few more and although I love the bamboo Baby Beehinds that I use it is sometimes nice to have less bulk and not need a cover.
What impressed me is the adjustable leg elastic the TWO year warrenty on snaps AND elastic as well as the fact that they offer a kit to replace the leg elastic that requires no sewing and says will take less than 10 min. Thought it’d be worth a try and worth passing on the info…
http://nickisdiapers.com/catalog.php?category=578 is some of the info although they aren’t in stock yet, I ordered off of the Fuzzi Bunz website and they are free shipping over 45 dollar order.
I know a lot of people who aren’t happy with these diapers. I use Fuzzi Bunz. They are 2 years old and still in great shape. I don’t even take very good care of them, but they are work-horses for sure. No elastic problems or leaking.
I was comparing the purchase of FB and BG and couldn’t see it being any cheaper than using disposables to use FB. Even if the BG didn’t last through another child (which they will now due to replacing the elastic), it still would be cheaper to replace my current stash with BG than to purchase all the different sizes for FB’s. My current stash cost me $300, whereas three or more different sizes of FB would cost me three times as much. Considering they have 5 different sizes for the growth of your child, that could really add up. Would be curious to hear your thoughts.
I have a combo or Fuzzi Bunz and Bum Genius. While I do tend to like the Bum Genius a little better, I like the fact that the Fuzzi Bunz snap, although Bum Genius just came out with a one size snap version. But, Fuzzi Bunz also just came out with a one size option. Now looks like I can get the best of both worlds. Fuzzi Bunz medium size fit a large range. I started my daughter in the mediums at 3 months and at 11 months, we are only one snap out, so I think they should fit her for a while longer yet. I believe the range for mediums to be 15 to 30 pounds, although I would have to double check. And even spending $900 on cloth diapers is still saving you a lot of money when you consider most estimates are at least $2000 to diaper a baby to age two. The lowest estimate I have ever seen is $1500, so that is still a savings of about $600.
Oh my goodness thank you SO much for posting this! These are the diapers we use and I’ve had a few replaced, but the elastic is wearing out again so I’m really excited to try this!
Hello!
Thank you so much for your wonderful website. It seems as though you are constantly writing about issues that I also face every day! (I loved the questions from Donald Whitney, am enjoying the hospitality series and many of the recipes have become family favorites.) I have been using BG for several years and have repaired the elastic, which is great. I was wondering if you have had any trouble with an odor on the inserts? I can’t seem to get rid of it and would love to find a “cure”.
Monica
Have you tried stripping them? If not, check out my cloth diapering post for specifics. Adding a bit of vinegar to the rinse cycle may also help. I always spray my diapers with Bac-Out prior to putting them in the pail. This seems to help keep away any odors. and stains.
Thank you SO much for this post!!! I have BG 1.0s which I purchased on a great clearance sale several years ago, and I have the same problem with the elastic. I knew it would probably be an easy fix, but hadn’t gotten around to figuring it out yet . . . and that photo tutorial is awesome. I look forward to making my BGs almost like new again!
Ok, for my sanity, did you have a yellow diaper on this morning? (or late last nite your time?)
Hah hah…you got me! Yes, it was a yellow diaper from the tutorial guide, but I wanted to replace it with my own photos, but was not able to till this morning.
Ok good! It didn’t matter, but I was like wait wasn’t it yellow? I wasn’t sure, it was soooo early!
You simply amaze me with the stuff you do!!
I used these on my 8mo boy (now 2) and now3yo dd1 and I have a 5 mo that I was not able to use them on her until she was 3mo.. they just didn’t get small enough but the ones I have are v2.0 . They no longer fit my first 2 even though they are still small and both under 35lbs. They leak with them but not with the 5mo because I can’t stuff enough for them for the night. I use wool a lot now and prefolds for the 5mo since birth but I still like the BG’s I think they need the elastic replaced so I might try that. Thanks for reminding me of the tutorial for it!
I love Fuzzi Bunz and also my homemade version of Fuzzi Bunz! They hold stuff in for 4 hours and dry so quickly.
Thanks for the tips!
I have to tell that it would be much better to not use the dryer for the diapers, as it is I think the cause of the elastics turning bad.
Thank you for the review and the helpful link! Most of my cloth diapers are older (like four years old) so although I have not tried Bum Genius, I have several brands of pocket diapers (Fuzzi Bunz, Wonderoos, Happy Heiny’s, Ella’s Pockets, etc.) that now have shot elastic. I am glad to know that I might be able to save this stash with a bit of elastic and some motivation! And I have not heard very good reviews of BG, so I’m interested in your rave…maybe I will have to try some for myself!
We love our BG. The only set back we’ve had is night time soaking. My son is 11 months old and has been soaking through them at night for at least 3 months or so. We’ve been double stuffing his diapers for about the last 2 months. We’ve resorted to using vinyl covers at night. I can honestly say I really dislike the covers. Do you have any suggestions for alternatives? I’m also concerned that he’s going to out grow them sooner than the average child (he’s always been pretty chunky). Hopefully he’ll slim down now that he’s fully walking.
I found that using two Cotton Babies inserts and a hemp doubler on top was an excellent way of avoiding leakage at night. This worked well for that same period of time. We use disposables at night now to eliminate the risk of rashes, as she is pretty sensitive to getting them after being in the diaper for over 12 hours at night.
Have you tried a wool soaker over it? a lot of people do this. I too had problems at night with bg’s so I just plain went to fitteds and wool with a fleece liner but I have heard that using wool over the pocket diaper helps catch anything that might have leaked on to the bed without it there. Wool (and lanolin) have great natural properties to it and the most breatable diapering option there is other than Elimination Communication (EC) of course.
Lindsay, I’m also curious to know what your opinion is regarding elimination communication…I’ve been hearing more and more about it and the whole ‘attachment parenting’ movement in general. When you have the chance, can you let us know what you think about one or both of these things? Thank you!
Jessica
Yay for redeemed BG diapers!
BGs have also serve us well, but our little boy is such a super-soaker that I always have to double the inserts. (also using newborn prefolds as doublers) Nighttime was an issue, until we started using fleece cover over BG. Those fleece covers are a wonder!
In warmer months, I just hang all the diapers outside in the sun. In the winter, I put all the inserts in the dryer for a few minutes on hot setting before hanging them to dry. That way they dry much quicker.
BGs fit our little boy fine as a newborn. But we used the regular inserts, instead of the newborn ones- which served as doublers at night.
Wow, I’m really glad to hear about this warranty!! Thank you!!!! I’ve had mine less than a year, and they will leak within like 15 minutes!!! I’m not sure if it’s the elastic – that looks fine. I do use a few drops of kissaluvs lotion potion for a wipe solution, so I did the stripping process BG recommends and they STILL leak. I will try to get some new ones, but think I’m converted to FuzziBunz : ) [fyi gdiaper covers + flats are a VERY cheap/good way to go]
You may consider checking out this page: Why are my cloth diapers leaking?. I found that when they started leaking more it was time to move up in size with the snaps and that solved my problem. The Bum Genius FAQ page also has further tips on avoiding leaking.
Kissaluvs are great for newborns!
I also love BG but unfortunately I have been unable to justify paying SO much for the diapers! Instead I found Rita’s Rump pocket pattern online and I have been making the diapers out of 2 layers of fleece. They work great so far. I am knitting baby legs so my baby can wear only the diaper and the legs with a long sleeve tee during the winter (when we are at home).
I enjoy your blog!! It is good to see there are other who are striving to be Christ-centered mamas!!
I love my bum genius diapers! After reading one of your other posts about them, I started line drying. In the winter, with the heat running, they take almost no time to dry. We will see in the summer humidity, but I have definitely noticed they are way easier to stuff after line drying.
Have you ever heard of elimination communication? It’s the most “natural” way to go! The only time my child is in a diaper for three hours is at night.
I don’t like the fabric on BG. Too bad since others seem to really like them.
I recommend the book Diaper Free Baby!
Thanks for this! I have been recently questioning if our bumGenius purchase was worth it. I’ll have to look into the warranty. Do you know by chance if they cover velcro… that seems to be our biggest problem right now.
That is so great! I will pass this info onto my friend who uses Bumgenius primarily. I have one and although I didn’t choose it to be my primary cloth diaper for my son it is less bulky and that is nice since they don’t always make little one’s pants very roomy for a little cloth diapered bum
We put him in a disposable for church and we joke that it feels like he is wearing underwear when we pick him up!
One thing to mention, although every child is certainly different. Our middle daughter (at almost 4) isn’t nighttime dry yet and when we tried the Bumgenius on her were called into her room about 2am when she leaked through
We’d stuff it with some extra liners but a diaper cover might be in order for a larger toddler at night. My older daughter was night dry though much earlier so maybe that is just for children that take longer to be dry during the nighttime. 
Isn’t sewing fun!?
I find such satisfaction even in little projects!
I’m so glad you posted this! I have a few BG’s that the elastic is wearing out a bit. Right now BG’s are all I use and I definitely want them to last. How did you go about getting them replaced?
I added the links above which will help with getting them replaced.
I want to make sure I am understanding what you did correctly. Did you send 7 diapers to be fixed by the manufacturer but fixed the remainder yourself?
Also, how many BumGeniuses do you have (either in total or compared to other CDs) and how did you acquire your stash? Did you buy them all at once, and from where? Do you need to order them through the manufacturer to get this 1-year elastic warranty?
Thanks!
In short, yes. 7 of my diapers needed to be replaced within the 1 year warranty, whereas the others didn’t show this wear until later on, thus I fixed them myself. I have a total of 21 BG diapers. I purchased a package of 18 when we first started CDing with my first daughter, about two years ago. I added a few more later on. You just have to purchase them new in order to get the 1 year warranty. I purchased all of mine through Nicki’s Diapers and when they needed replacing I contacted the manufacturer (Cotton Babies) as linked to above and included my original receipt from Nicki’s.
If you are looking into pocket diapers, I would recommend you check out a sample of several new One Size pocket diapers that have been recently released on the market that I believe will be better options than BG, including Knickernappies (I love their individual size diapers and am eager to try this new one size), Fuzzi Bunz, and GroBaby. Happy Heiny’s also has a One Size that i have heard actually fits longer than the BG. My daughter pretty much grew out of the BG by the time she was 25 lbs. She can still wear them, but it is definitely a stretch. Knickernappies has a two year warranty on snaps and elastic. I believe FB is the same. They have better warranties than BG. Plus, I think the snaps will last you longer than BG velcro. My velcro is wearing down now after two years of use. Check out Nicki’s stash of One Size options here. Hope that helps!
Yay! We just started using BGs and love them! I started when my son was about 6 weeks old and they fit him pretty well on the small setting. He’s a bit of a bigger baby, but not excessively so. Let us know how they work if you try them on the new little one. Take care!
Oh, thank you so much for sharing how easy this is. We don’t have kids yet but I have already decided to cloth diaper. I love the idea of the all-in-ones but this was my main concern (wearing out quickly, thus making it a not-so-wise investment). Thank you for clearing that up for me!
thank you soooooo much for posting this!!! I have not had any problems with my bum genius’, but a friend has some that the elastic has died in and she asked me to fix them for her. I have been racking my brain trying to figure this out, thinking that it will be a huge project! I am so stoked that I can finish in a few days
thanks again! I am so excited to get this done for her!