First, here is a picture of an open bG with the microfiber insert beside it. Every diaper comes with an insert, which is really nice. With some other pockets that I've seen, you have to buy the inserts separately, so I this was one of the features I really liked about the bGs.
This picture shows how the insert works. You just stuff it into the pocket at the back of the diaper. I put my whole hand in, making sure the insert is filling the whole inside of the pocket. After stuffing the diaper, you are ready to go! The rest of it is so easy--goes on just like a disposable. It fastens with aplix (Velcro) tabs which are nice and strong, and seem very durable.
Here you can see a picture of the diaper, adjusted to its smallest setting. See how you can't see any snaps? That's because they are snapped down to make it a size small. :)
Now here I've adjusted it to a medium size setting, leaving one row of snaps showing.
And here you see it on the large setting, with all the snaps showing! This is the way it fits Julia best right now, because she is SO chubby. I found out today that Sam can also wear them adjusted to this size.
I bought these diapers from Cotton Babies, which is also the company that designed them. I had heard raves about their customer service, and I wasn't disappointed! I ordered these on a Weds. night (I think) and they were shipped the very next day. They arrived in less than a week. Because I ordered over $74.95 worth of diapers, the shipping was free. I did pay a little extra for insurance, just to make sure that I could get reimbursed if they happened to get lost or damaged in the mail. Cotton Babies has just come out with the bumGenius! 2.0, which is (from what I understand) basically the same design, just improved a bit. They are now made with a PUL outer layer rather than nylon, and they have a new color called Blossom. The ones I got are the original version, which were on sale for $14.95/each. Yes, I know that sounds expensive. But when you consider how much two to three years of disposables costs, even buying the cheapest brand, this will work out to be cheaper, and I like the fact that we're not going to be pouring as much money into something to be thrown away. We will still use some disposables, probably for church and sometimes being out and about, but I'm looking forward to not having to buy very many!
I also got mine with a fleece lining, and I believe that those are now all gone off the website. Apparently the new bG 2.0 will eventually be made with a fleece lining, but not at this time. They are currently made with a suedecloth lining. I personally prefer fleece; I have some other suedecloth lined diapers, but Julia seems to be a little sensitive to the suedecloth. The fleece is a bit thicker, so possibly the suedecloth version is a trimmer fit--but even with the fleece, they are the trimmest cloth diaper I've tried. They are still a lot thicker than a disposable, of course, but most clothes fit over them just fine. I had heard some complaints about the outer layer being made of nylon, but I have to say that I really like it. Even though it's more slippery-feeling than PUL, it's nice because clothing slides over it that much easier. However, the 2.0s are being made with PUL, so that must be what most people prefer. I'm glad I was able to get some of the nylon ones, though. With a stash of 20, I should hopefully be all set for a while! :)
If any of you are interested in finding out more about bumGenius! or other kinds of cloth diapers, I highly recommend checking out the Cotton Babies website. They sell a lot of great products and have a lot of helpful info. on the site, as well. There is also a forum with a lot of helpful questions and answers. Another thing I think is really cool is their Diaper Grant program, where you can donate gently used cloth diapers to missionaries. I thought this was a neat way to help missionaries, in a way that many of us wouldn't think of.
Well, I'm sure I will probably think of more things to say after I post this, but this is all I can think of to chatter about for now. If anyone would have told me a few years ago that I would actually enjoy using cloth diapers, I would have said you were crazy. But thanks to the new (and much easier-to-use) diapers that are available nowadays, I really am having fun with it. :)
