Bum Genius All-In-One Cloth Diaper

My husband and I decided that we were going to try cloth diapering with our 3rd child. I had read other parenting blogs and read reviews of the different types of systems out there. I was a bit intimidated at first as there were so many approaches to cloth diapering. We decided early on that we wanted a convenient system that would work for us as well as anyone who was watching her. We weren't all that interested in the more traditional diapers or ones that required a cover on top of the cloth diaper. After a few months of research, we decided on the Bum Genius All-In-One (AIO) cloth diaper system.

The biggest appeal for me was the fact that these go on pretty much the same as disposables. When dirty, you secure the laundry tabs and simply throw the diaper into the wash. We chose to purchase the flushable liners that catch most of the solid waste; it makes for an easier clean up. We also have the diaper sprayer that attaches to the toilet. Clean up is a breeze.

The AIO diapers have velcro that goes across the waist with stretchy tabs on the side for a snug fit. The insert is integrated into the diaper and the outside is waterproof. The back of the diaper has a gathered band that prevents the blowouts from traveling up the baby's back. This feature has saved us from many clothes changes. The legs are gathered as well to provide side leak protection.

When I purchased the cloth diapers, I had a concern about the laundry tabs that were inside the back of the diaper. It is a rectangular piece of velcro that lays flush against the baby's skin, just above the buttocks. I did not particularly like the way it felt a bit rough. I called Cotton Babies, the company that makes the cloth diaper, and asked what I could do to soften the tab. I was told that they soften over time and that they have never had any issues with them. This is the part where I should have trusted my gut and not used the diapers at all, but over $400 later, and no refund available, I really had no choice. After a few weeks of loving the diapers and using them non-stop, I was cleaning my daughter when I noticed that she had broken and very red skin where the laundry tab lays. It looked miserable and explained why she was being fussy that day when I would put a new diaper on. The skin must have gotten bad within that one day, because I give her daily baths and did not notice anything before then. Of course, you have that moment when you feel like you're a horrible Mom and you've allowed something to hurt your baby.

I called the company who informed me that we were using the old style AIO diaper and the newer ones did not have the laundry tab. There wasn't much to be done refund wise because the diapers were used but the local company that we bought them from offered us a discount on new ones. We solved the problem ourselves and cut the laundry tabs out. It took her skin about four days to heal up. We are now using the Bum Genius 3.0 deluxe diapers which have no laundry tab, and have an open back to add more inserts as baby gets bigger and wets more. One thing you do have to watch for is the velcro that is in front of the diaper for fastening. If it gets folded down, baby can get irritated skin. My suggestion is that they completely eliminate the rough velcro from all of their diapers and use a softer strip for the side tabs to attach to. My personal favorite is the Flip system, which I will review next. We're much happier with these diapers.