REVIEW: Bum Essentials Bumbino One Size Diaper

Posted by Becca on July 12, 2010

For a month now, I have used the Bum Essentials Bumbino One Size Diaper; I worked hard to make sure it was the first cloth diaper selected so I would have as much experience as possible before reviewing it.

I have to say, it is one of the most unique diapering systems I have ever tried! Comparatively, the Bum Essentials Bumbino One Size Diaper is closest to the GroVia One Size Diaper because of its interchangeable inserts that snap into a shell. There certainly are other similar systems, but they are simply not the same.

Absorbency

The Bumbino comes with two types of snap-in inserts.

One, the “Terry Towel” Bum Pad is a very soft terry towel made from a cotton/bamboo/polyester mix. I love how soft and pliable this insert seems to be no matter how many times it has been washed. It is gentle against my baby’s skin even when wet.

The other insert, the “Classic” Bum Pad is made of 100% all natural materials as they have omitted the polyester. This insert feels a little bit like a soft, thick T-shirt and gets very stiff when wet.

Both of the inserts are very trim; I was able to easily use the large and small insert together without my daughter’s diaper becoming too bulky.

Let me tell you, I never use two diaper inserts together because of the bulk! I always add a trim Hemp Babies doubler or GroVia Booster because they’re so thin. With the Bumbino Bum Essentials Bum Pads, I did not have to add any other cloth diapering accessory to make this system work; I was successfuly able to ONLY use what came with this diaper. The Bum Pads were also sufficiently absorbent. I used this diaper both overnight and on long car rides and did not notice any leaking.

Fit

The diaper fit pretty well, especially when I first put it on my daughter. It has snug elastic in the front and back of the diaper, and with the sturdy Velcro you can really get a custom fit around your baby’s waist.

I felt the legs also fit nicely when I first put the diaper on my daughter, however, as she wore the diaper over a couple of hours (or all night) gapping occurred in both the stomach and at the inner thighs.

I have to say, with the elastic at the stomach, there was less gapping than in most of my pocket diapers. Also, the gapping in the legs didn’t seem to cause leaks, but I was afraid if there had been a really messy poop, we might have had a problem.

Colors

The Bum Essentials Bumbino One Size Diaper comes in four bright colors – red, yellow, green, and blue. They are all very vibrant colors and I would love to own them all, but can’t wait for Bum Essentials to come out with more variety of colors, including some girly pinks and purples.

Ease

My husband and I really liked how easy the Bumbino was to use. We have traveled three times since owning the Bumbino and each time, we found it was our favorite to use for long car rides.

Changing a baby’s diaper in the confines of the front seat is difficult enough without having to switch out a diaper. With the Bumbino, we only had to unsnap one insert and snap in the next without having to remove the shell.

I like that you can use the same shell for multiple diaper changes before having to switch them. I would imagine if you went exclusively with this system, you could really save money that way. However, I’m not sure how I feel about having a diaper shell lined with fleece. On the one hand, it’s nice to have soft materials against my baby’s skin – still the fleece is underneath the bum pads, so it doesn’t seem to have any stay-dry properties. On the other hand, I like diaper shells/covers that wipe dry and I question whether or not I want to reuse a fleece-lined shell that might have some pee on it.

All Natural

I love how Bum Essentials gives parents an all-natural option with their Classic Bum Pad. I don’t often do it, but when I have the option, I love putting all natural fibers against my daughter’s skin. They often seem to prevent, and even cure, the mild diaper rash she gets every once in a while.

Last Thoughts

Over time, my husband and I have accumulated a very large stash of cloth diapers so its not always in our best interest to keep them all. If we find there is a diaper we don’t use often, I set it in the “to give away” pile. A couple of days ago I asked Dave what he thought about the Bumbino.

“Should we keep it or give it away?”
Without even pausing for thought, he said, “Keep it.”

He loves to keep easy-to-use, Velcro closure diapers in our stash. Ultimately the Bum Essentials Bumbino One Size Diaper is a very neat and simple cloth diapering system that is really worth trying out.

The quality Velcro closures and the interchangeable Bum Pads won us over. It is also a diaper I wouldn’t think twice about giving as a gift to new mothers. I enjoy giving moms-to-be the gift of a good variety of cloth diapers to choose from as they begin their stash because it’s nice to see all the different options out there.

The Bumbino is a good option and I would definitely recommend that others at least try it to see if it works for them.

As for myself, I think I’d like to get a couple more bum pads for the rest of the long car rides that await us this summer, and maybe I’ll splurge and get the other three colors as well .

GUEST BLOGGER

Becca is a part time Spanish Teacher, a part time Stay-at-home-mom, and the wife of the best husband imaginable. Becca’s absolute favorite thing to do is to spend time with her little family. She also enjoys doing anything crafty – from making jewelry, to writing, to sewing, to photography.

You can read more about Becca at her blog, Becca’s Cloth Diaper Blog.

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