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The Bumkins cloth diaper is an option many people come across when starting their cloth diaper research. People may be drawn to it because of Bumkins reputation in the baby products world.
Are Bumkins cloth diapers a good buy? I’ve tried two of their diapers myself. Check out this review for the details.
What Is Bumkins?
Bumkins is the brand behind a lot of popular and handy baby products, from bibs to pacifier clips, to teethers and wet bags. They also happen to make cloth diapers!
One of their most highly rated products is their long-sleeved bibs— trust me, long-sleeved bibs are AMAZING. I highly recommend picking some up. Bumkins bibs are great, but I know Ikea has some, too. Anyway, I digress.
Bumkins is committed to upholding the highest juvenile safety standards for all of their products, and they have an emphasis on providing quality and beautiful products for all families.
Cloth Diaper Features
Bumkins makes diaper covers, swim diapers, and a “Snap-in-One” pocket diaper. They have made some improvements in their diapers since I was first introduced to them. The first Bumkins diaper I ever used was a simple pocket.
The pocket has now become a “snap-in-one/pocket”, and that is what this review will focus on primarily. This diaper has an outer layer of PUL with TPU that is stain resistant.
It has cotton velour inside and a detachable minky insert that can be snapped on the top.
The minky insert offers a stay-dry feel for baby. However, some parents prefer only natural fibers go against the skin (and some babies are sensitive to synthetic fibers). If that is you, you can tuck the minky insert inside the pocket, and the cotton will be what touches baby’s skin.
This diaper offers 3-rise settings to get an adjustable fit from early on all the way until potty training.
I have often said (and still believe) that almost all cloth diapers work well, and as far as the “best”… that all comes down to personal preference. I definitely have my preferences, but I can objectively look at a diaper and decide if it is an overall good diaper, even if it’s not my personal favorite. However, I will be honest… the Bumkins cloth diapers are just not one I would recommend.
That doesn’t mean you should automatically rule it out if you really wanted to use them, or maybe you found what seems like a good deal on a used set. Keep reading to learn the pros and cons to decide if these would be a good option for your family.
Bumkins Snap-in-One/Pocket Pros
Bumkins Snap-in-One/Pockets have a number of pros, including:
- The ability to choose between a stay-dry feel or a natural fiber against the skin in one diaper
- Detachable inserts make this diaper dry faster
- Two hip snaps help you get a very secure seal around the legs, which helps prevent leaks and blow outs.
- Available in velcro or snap closures
- Very soft feel
Bumkins Cons
These cons are not only my direct experience, but the experience of many others reflected in reviews in several places.
- These diapers run small.
- The rise is extremely short.
- They are bulky (probably because of how short the rise is).
- Some material seems thin.
- While the price is average as far as most cloth diapers go, I feel it is far too high given the qualities of the diaper.
My Experience With Bumkins Cloth Diapers
When my son wears this diaper, he is just the slightest bit away from a plumber crack. It would be very easy for a messy poo to escape. My toddler also rests his hand just on the inside of the back of the waistband on his diapers often, and if there was any poop, he would certainly dip his hand in it. It just seems like it’s asking for trouble!
I am also not a fan of the hip snaps. There are two of them, and while some people may think that’s a bonus, to me it just makes it tedious to put on. One hip snap can be helpful to prevent “wing dip”, but two seems unnecessary to me.
Given that it’s tedious to put on and doesn’t really fit him well, I pretty much never use this diaper.
Need an Alternative?
If you are attracted to some features of this diaper but want to avoid the cons, I highly recommend the Blueberry Simplex diaper. See my review on it here: Blueberry Simplex: The Best All-in-One Diaper.
This diaper is very similar in that you have the option for a natural material or a stay-dry material against the skin. However, the insert is an attached flap (making it an all-in-one), not a snap-in. But you still retain the drying-time perk with the flap only being attached at one end.
The Blueberry Simplex has a great fit, attractive prints, and is made with high-quality materials.
Have you tried the Bumkins cloth diaper? What do you think of it? Let me know in the comments!
Thank you for sharing this review and your experience with these Bumkins cloth diapers. Sounds like maybe they aren’t the ones for me, but I talked with my wife the other day about trying cloth in general and I told her that we could save a lot of money using these cloth diapers. My question is, with your experience using the cloth diapers, could I save money?.
Hopefully you can answer my question and convince my wife to try it.
Thank you
Hello! Yes, you can definitely save money by using cloth diapers. As with anything, it depends on your brand preferences and shopping habits. Some people will save more than others. Check out this post to learn more: Cloth Diapering on a Budget – Can Cloth Diapering be Done for Cheap?
This is actually quite interesting- I really like how you mentioned the pros and cons of the bumkins diapers, as well as your child’s experience with it. This can be very beneficial for those looking to find the best brand of cloth diaper for their children. Thanks for the alternative, too. It sounds like the Simplex may be a better fit for many.
Thanks, glad you found it helpful.
Hi; the description of the Bumkins diapers makes me begin to think twice about buying them, even when they are looking so beautiful and durable, It is not a safe thing for a baby to dip a hand into poo. As also the many babies that I know are sensitive to synthetic fibres.
As much as I prefer the cloth Diapers over Disposable Diapers, I would not encourage myself to buy the Bumkins brand. I will stick to buying the Blueberry and some other Brands of Cloth Diapers.
Is there any other brand of Cloth Diapers that you care to recommend to the public?
DorcasW
Hi Dorcas! I love so many brands. Blueberries, SmartBottoms, Grovias, even bumGenius…they’re all great! I suggest you check out my Cloth Diaper Reviews area and see if there are some that interest you!
Hi, Holly.
I like that the Blueberry Simplex All-in-One diaper gives me the option for a natural material or a stay-dry material against the skin. And that the insert is an attached flap (making it an all-in-one), not a snap-in. And also that the Blueberry Simplex has a great fit, attractive prints, and is made with high-quality materials.
I’d sure choose all these pros over the all too many cons of the Bumkin cloth diaper. Thanks for your honest review.
Thank you, I agree!