pop-ins vs bumgenius

[sugarpuff]

hi, i'm new to reusables (and babies for that matter - still pregnant with first!) and was just wanting a bit of advice or just personal experiences.

i had originally decided on using bumgenius v3s but then i found out about pop-ins and now i'm all confused. i've heard that the bamboo pop-ins are excellent for night time use, but is it worth using them only at night with BG during day, or solely using pop-ins ?

or to make things more difficult... a mixture of bamboo and dream-dri pop-ins ?? agghhh, so confusing ! maybe the dri ones in day and bamboo at night ?

and another question..... depending on which selection i choose, how many of each kind would i need, based on doing a load every 2 days ? (i would prefer to air dry, but do have a tumble dryer if needed)

so far i have a bumgenius and a bamboo pop-in which i have been playing with (and tried washing) but obviously witout a baby there's only so much testing i can do ! i would prefer to buy in bulk in advance, although i'm aware that i risk spending a lot of money on something that might not suit, so would like as many opinions as i can !

many thanks kind ladies

 

[Rachel_C]

Hi!

I don't have any experience with Bumgenius or Pop-ins but just thought I'd add something as a new mum. I bought loads of different nappies to try out and only found one that really works. Some are ok but they're nowhere near as good as my favourites. I wasted loads of money on nappies that I don't like or leak or don't fit properly etc and it doesn't make much difference how popular the nappy is. My point is that it's very hit and miss, so buying only one kind in bulk could be very risky!

My advice (and what I would do if I did it again) would be to buy one or two each of maybe three or four kinds of nappy to try out, then bulk buy your favourite once you've tried them on your baby. It does depend how soon you want to use them though. I started on cloth once Leyla was 11 days old, so there would have been plenty of time for them to arrive if I'd ordered after she was born. Using disposables at first gave me enough time to practise being a mum and get used to the sleep deprivation too and I think most people would recommend that.

If you do want to buy now though, I'm sure lots of people will have some great recommendations for you though!

Ohh and to wash every other day, I think I go through about 20-25 nappies. I forgot when I was buying that you need enough for two days, plus enough for baby to wear while your others wash and dry. I air dry and although I have quick drying ones, it still takes a good 8 hours.

 

[Babyshambelle]

That is excellent advice. ^

I am a huge fan of both BGs and pop ins (though i haven't tried the dream dri), but I really would say that you are best to get one of a few kinds of nappy to try of your bubbs and then work out your favourites from there.

I think if you start too early, it's not great for a couple of reasons...one being ther volume of nappies you would need to cope with those newborn nappy explosions that seem to happen every time you put them in a new nappy! Also, newborn poos can be tricky to get off, and can leave bad stains. Also, in those first few weeks you really need every second of sleep and rest you can get! Another washload and putting them to dry etc etc would be a big drain on your precious sleeping time.

If you waited for a few weeks before going 'full time' with cloth, I reckon if you washed every 2 days you would be more than fine with about 15 nappies including a couple of night time ones. Before this, you could maybe use them some of the time, and fill in with disposables (they do some lovely soft eco/biodegradable ones if you can't bear the thought of landfill!) until your LO has established a good pooping routine!

Hope that helps

 

[ellie]

i wondered this too, I debated for ages and eventually my mum bought me a stock of both of these (the dream dri pop ins) although I also have some newborn eco disposables at the ready! I am just hoping now that they will be okay, although I'm also told that they both have a good 'resale value' (or swap value?!) if they don't suit?
This is great advice, thanks!

 

[Mary Jo]

I definitely agree about newborn poo and starting with cloth early - I waited till Adam was a month old, not just because of the poo itself but because it was an extra stress I couldn't deal with in the very early days. I bought my nappies about 3 months before he was born, I got pre-loved, mostly Little Lambs, and fortunately they've worked out for us. But I didn't spend very much - for £88 I got 22 LLs, in cotton and bamboo, and 8 wraps, plus liners and boosters, and have since bought 4 bamboo flats and 2 BumGenius V3s. I don't actually need to buy any more, I have never run out of nappies and I wash every 2-3 days. The most I've ever washed in one go has been 14, he goes through about 4 or 5 a day now, since he only poos once a day and we use disposables at night still (this is soon to change).

I do recommend getting a few spares that dry quickly - I love my bamboo but it does take longer to dry, and the BumGenius are quick to dry, as are the cotton LLs.

 

[sugarpuff]

many thanks for your help i'm so tempted to get some as i have a 20% off code at the moment which makes them a pretty good price... damn discount burning a hole in my pocket...!

even though i was thinking about getting them in advance, i wasn't planning on using them immediately - like people have mentioned, i'll have enough to deal with with a new baby without having to wash nappies

thanks again

xx

 

[Mary Jo]

what you could do is buy as many as you think you'll need but only pre-wash a couple of each kind. then, in case you try them and hate them, you have the other brand new nappies to sell and could get full price for them, or even a refund from the place you'd bought them.

this is what I did with my BumGenius V3s - I bought 5 (plus 2 Tots Bots bamboo liners) for £40 plus my Real Nappies for London discount voucher (Lewisham council gave me £30 to spend on nappies). the lady I bought them from - www.thewashablenappy.co.uk - said I could return and get full refund on any unused and unwashed nappies. as it's turned out I like the BGs so haven't returned them but was glad to have been saved an expensive experiment. It's one reason I buy preloved or popular nappies that have a decent resale value.

 

[codegirl]

I did a diaper service for the first 3 months. During the last month I tested out a few different diapers and finally settled on a fitted (Mother-ease Sandy's). Then I ordered them, washed them and had them already to go when I canceled the service.

Great way to stay with cloth without being overwhelmed.

 

[bellachic]

I do agree with the advice given on here. I didn't start using my nappies until DD was 4 wks because I have completely forgotten about them, although they have been prewashed already (10 times, I was that excited!). There's just so many things to deal with in the first few weeks. Also, those newborn gooey poop are difficult to remove and you do go through a lot it's not worth using reusable nappies at that time IMO.

I bought nappies in bulk (2 starter packs) because they were popular and thought they would work but I didn't get on with them so now it's just sitting in a corner

I only have BGs now (mainly V3s) and I do love them. They are easy to use, slim and very quick to dry. DD can go overnight in them without leaks. She is now 18 wks and I use about 18 nappies in 2-3 days. You'll probably need about 30 comfortably, although if you get extra inserts you won't need as much as I find that the pockets (outers) dry overnight in room temperature. The inserts take about a day & a bit in cold weather. I also think that the V3's are worth the extra money as I couldn't get a very good fit with the V2's on DD. Absorbency wise, they perform pretty much the same.

I haven't tried Pop-ins but I have heard good things about them. From past experience, I do find that bamboo takes a wee bit longer to dry but they are very absorbent. Not sure about the slim fit, though.

HTH