If you're a cloth diapering Mom or Dad {or plan to be}, you know that one of the most exciting things about cloth diapers is... Fluffy Mail! There's just something special about opening up a package of adorable fluff! I've teamed up with over 30 other bloggers to bring you LOTS of chances to get the best kind of Fluffy Mail - a Giveaway Win! So be sure to hop around to all the other giveaways at the bottom of this post before the event ends on May 15th!
Krazy for Kloth is offering a brand new bumGenius Elemental (BGE) to one lucky winner, provided by the awesome Jack Be Natural! I will have the full review and comparison of the new style BGE to the old one (which happens to be one of my personal favorites) coming in the next few days, but I didn't want to hold out on a giveaway for all you amazing readers! Make sure you stop back for your daily Twitter entries and read the full review!
MY REVIEW
My technology issues have finally been resolved and now I can bring you the full review of the new bumGenius Elemental (BGE)! I'll be completely honest when starting this, I have been in love with the "old" Elementals for quite some time now. Although B is skinny for his age, he still has good size legs making for a great fit on the old Elementals. I'll do a comparison of the two in case you're like me and want to see what the major differences are.
One of the reasons I adore the original BGE is because of the layers and layers of organic cotton. Not only are there two layers of organic cotton sewn into the PUL, but the inside of the diaper is also lined with organic cotton. Not the most fun diaper to prep (if you happen to be impatient like me ;)), but the more you wash and use it, the more absorbent the diaper becomes. This had become my go-to diaper for naps, or car rides, or extended errands where (unless #2 occurs) you may be going 3-4 hours before changing a diaper.
With the new BGE, perhaps the only difference is the glaringly obvious one. There is no inner layer of organic cotton lining the PUL. You'll still get two layers of organic cotton sewn into the PUL, but underneath that is basically a cover. The PUL is exposed everywhere the organic cotton isn't sewn. (I'll talk about some potential benefits to this later).
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| New BGE (left) and Old BGE (right) |
The fit factor:
The snaps on both versions are your standard bumGenius style of two rows across the band. Because of the natural fibers lining the inside of the diaper in the old BGE, the
legs holes naturally "roll in" creating a nice seal at the leg without having
to worry about gapping from snaps that don't fit "perfectly". I can
honestly say, I have NEVER had a leak in my old BGE's. Because of all of the layers of organic cotton, this tends to be a bulkier diaper. The stereotypical "fluffy bum" is in full force with the old BGE's and you'll most likely need elastic waist pants, or go up a size ;)
With the new BGE, since the inner lining of organic cotton is removed, the legs do not roll in like the prior version. This diaper fits more like a cover with the elastic being in contact with the leg. If you're familiar with the Flip diaper system, this fits similarly in my opinion, only you don't need to "stuff" it with your stay-dry or organic cotton insert the lining is already sewn in.
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| See how the leg holes roll in on the old BGE? The new one fits more like a single-gusset cover |
Extra Absorbency?
With the old BGE's I never felt the need for an extra insert for daytime or naptime. I did test it at night, and put in a Thirsties hemp/cotton doubler, and it lasted through the night just fine, but I was pretty nervous about the extra bulk creating gapping at the legs with my squirmy sleeping toddler. Since the inner organic cotton layers have a tendency to move you would have to use a material that safe to be in direct contact with baby's skin. (i.e. not microfiber) and you'd want a relatively thin one to be able to fit it between the inner layer and the sewn in organic cotton.
When it comes to the new BGE's, I did notice some changes from an absorbency perspective. After waking from a nap (a nice 3 hour one! It was a crazy day...) the diaper didn't leak, but if felt noticably wet on the inside. Almost like when I took the diaper off I was expecting a little pool in the PUL. It's something that I think over time as the diaper becomes more absorbent will become less of an issue, but for night time you would definitely need to add an extra insert-whether it be a doubler or prefold. The nice thing about removing the inner layer is that it makes an AIO diaper a bit more customizable. For daytime, if you'd like a trim-yet absorbent-diaper, this will be a good fit. If you want to be able to use it for longer periods of time, you can easily add as many inserts as you need because the space between the inner PUL and organic cotton is much more forgiving.
Cleaning:
This has been one of my biggest complaints with the old BGE. Because the layers are sewn in and there are so many of them, if you have a particularly messy diaper, there are plenty of "nooks and crannies" for the mess to become lodged. Spraying off the diaper is also an interesting experience because the cotton folds and sits in certain ways that allow for some nice ricochet moments. Definitely one you'll want to make sure the water pressure on your sprayer is low! Because of the natural fibers, it also tends to hold stains a bit longer/easier so sunning is a must if you are obsessive about pristine inner layers like I am. Unless you live in AZ like me, it can take a while for this baby to dry because of the organic cotton. Also, line drying can leave the cotton feeling a bit rough. Once they're about 75% dry, I usually toss them in the dryer to finish drying and soften the fabric back up.
The new BGE has some of the same cleaning complaints because they layers are still sewn in, but because the inner is PUL and not organic cotton, the cleaning is a bit quicker. I'd still recommend sunning these diapers because the natural fibers are the same and will have the same predisposition of staining, but they do dry a bit faster with that inner cotton layer removed.
The Verdict:
My overall opinion, is that while the new BGE is not dramatically different from the original, the changes that were made are significant enough to me to treat it like a completely different diaper. I was truly expecting to be disappointed and hate this new diaper because I have such a great admiration for the first one, but honestly, once I gave it a try, I can see how it would a great addition to a stash. It offers the comfort of natural fibers in a nice trim diaper. It gives flexibility to easily be used during the day, while still offering the ability to customize additional inserts for nighttime. The price on the new BGE is the same as the old one at $24.95, which is at the higher end for an AIO diaper, but it is comprised of organic cotton which is a more expensive material, plus you save on shipping when you order from Jack be Natural because shipping is always free! :)
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**I was provided the above item for review purposes. My opinions are solely my own and may differ from your own. According to Jenny, So Easy Being Green, the Blogging Mamas Network, and the Fluffy Mail participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations.**
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With the new BGE, since the inner lining of organic cotton is removed, the legs do not roll in like the prior version. This diaper fits more like a cover with the elastic being in contact with the leg. If you're familiar with the Flip diaper system, this fits similarly in my opinion, only you don't need to "stuff" it with your stay-dry or organic cotton insert the lining is already sewn in. 
On the original OS diaper, you'll see there are 8 snaps across the waist and 4 hip snaps. The snaps on the hip curve in giving a tighter fit around the leg for skinnier babies, and also helping with gaps that may increase the opportunity for leaking. The actual diaper itself is also contoured through the middle. This makes for a nice fit for B, but because it's a bit narrow, it does make stuffing the diaper a little trickier if you have broader hands or more than one insert.
The original OS diaper comes with 2 microfiber inserts. They are different sizes to accommodate the different sizing over the life of the diaper. I can't put my finger on it, but there's something about these FuzziBunz inserts that are different from all the other various microfiber inserts in my collection. They just feel different. The stitching around the edges feels strong and the insert itself just feels thicker and more absorbent. **Side note, with some microfiber inserts you can actually see the layers start to separate the more you use them. It doesn't seem to affect their absorbency, but it makes the insert appear puffier. I have never had this issue with the FuzziBunz inserts from the original OS diaper** Because the inserts are so thick and the diaper is so trim, stuffing both inside the pocket can be a bit tough. You'll really want to make sure the insert is entirely inside the diaper as microfiber is not safe for direct skin contact. 
The old OS Elite switched things up when it came to the inserts. The microfiber inserts were gone, and in their place were 2 super soft minky inserts. Ultra trim, yet still absorbent. The inserts are still two different sizes, but because they are so much thinner it makes it much easier to use both inserts and still keep the diaper trim. Because the inserts are minky, if they happen to "peak" out of the back pocket it will not harm or irritate the baby's skin. Minky material is completely safe to have direct skin contact. 
The original OS diaper probably has my favorite sizing. When you are looking at the inside of the diaper you can clearly see where and how to adjust the elastic. The elastic is labeled 1-7 and has buttons on both sides of the elastic. So, when you decide to adjust the diaper you simply match the numbers. It makes it a quick and easy adjustment by just going around the diaper and moving the elastic to the same number. This particular diaper also comes with replacement elastic. So after multiple children, or long-term use the elastic eventually fades. By already having the new elastic you can easily swap it out yourself and have a virtually new diaper. There are also little pocket holes next to each button to tuck the excess elastic in. It sounds silly but it's nice to be able to tuck that in and not have to worry about it poking or irritating baby. 
The old OS Elite kept the same numbered elastic sizing concept, but instead of having it accessible from the inner layer of the diaper, you now have to turn the diaper inside out to access the elastic. It's a bit more cumbersome to flip the diaper inside out and tug at the elastic to change it, but my guess is that having the buttons directly against baby's skin could be irritating to some children/parents and moving them to the inside would seem to solve that problem. **This is just me speculating, I have no idea why the buttons were moved to the inside part of the diaper** The diaper still comes with replacement elastic to make at-home repairs/changes quick and easy. This model also has those little pocket holes for tucking excess elastic in. 
The new OS Elite is completely different than it's predecessors. There are no numbers on the elastic, the elastic itself feels thinner and the buttons don't seem as sturdy. When I was sizing this diaper to match the sizing on the other two simply flipping it inside out caused the elastic to come off of the button, needing to be re-threaded. I'm a little worried that over time or continued washings would weaken the already loose elastic loop. I also noticed as I was re-threading the elastic that the seam between the PUL and the fleece was much weaker, I could see noticeable gaps with a simple tug of the fabric. On the prior two model, I would really have to pull to even get a small gap in the two fabrics, this Elite took very little effort to separate the threading. There are no pocket holes to tuck excess elastic in. This is just a personal preference of mine, and may not be an issue for you, but as this elastic is thinner, it has a tendency to curl, and over time this may become an irritant for some babies. Lastly, the sizing on this one is much wider so the setting I have it on is almost "too big" for B at this stage. This will help for those of you that feel the prior models were too narrow. You can see I can easily fit a few fingers between the leg of the diaper and B's leg. Sizing down solved this problem, but I wanted to show you how much larger than the other Elite, this diaper actually is once it's on. 
When I took it out of the wash, it looked identical to when it went in! The colors didn't change, the shirt didn't shrink, and the fabric was still super soft! I was impressed! Because B is thinner for his age I have no doubt this shirt will last through the summer and then some! I'm tempted to send it back at the end of B's use to try out their other clothes, but part of me wants to hold on to it for the next baby too! I can't wait to try out their bodysuits for the little one on the way. How cute would they be with a fluffy bum underneath and some baby legwarmers? Something this soft definitely needs to be next to a baby's skin! 