I received a product sample and compensation for this review. All opinions remain my own.
I am running out of creative ways to express my fondness for Bummis. Bummis is based in my former hometown of Montreal, Quebec. I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with founder, Betsy, and new co-owner, Amélie (of Mini Kiwi fame), including being a tester for products before they hit the market.
If you are brand new to the Bummis brand, the most important thing you need to know is that they are committed to North American manufacturing and material sourcing, and that they’ve been in the cloth diapering game since before many millennial cloth diapering Mamas were even born. That’s Betsy in the middle, in 1990!
Bummis is still the reference for prefolds and covers, the original “All-in-two” system if we’re going to get historical. Bummis prefolds and covers were exactly how I started cloth diapering Cub.
Look! It’s Cub in his very first cloth diaper!
Let’s just say that in the three short years since this picture was taken, both Bummis and Maman Loup have come a long way. I remember using my Bummis stash on Cub and wondering if they would expand beyond the prefold-and-cover line up. Who would’ve known that the answer to this would be: “YES, and YOU will be one of their testers, and YOU will run a blog all about cloth diapers!”
Well, you’re probably not here for a history lesson, so let’s get on with the show. What’s the deal with Bummis’ All-in-One cloth diaper? Why am I so excited about it?
Image courtesy of Bummis.
If we were playing some kind of cloth diaper dating game, the Bummis AIO would be the closest diaper on the market to my dream AIO.
On the outside, take note of the big, sturdy snaps. They’re larger and more robust than what you’ll see on most cloth diapers (they’re the same size as GroVia). You’ll notice there are two rows of closure snaps, which I love for staggering the fit (tighter at the hips, looser at the waist, so as not to dig into a tubby belly in the car seat, for example). Also note the soft piping around the leg casings and waist.
Naturally, the most important aspects of an AIO diaper are on the inside:
You can tuck the insert inside the pocket of the diaper, which is how we use it:
You can also lay the insert on top, which means the polyester stay-dry layer is against baby’s skin if your child is sensitive to wetness. ¨
The beauty of this kind of all-in-one design (tongue-style soaker, roomy pocket) is how easily it can be boosted for heavy wetters or for overnight without being overly bulky. Compared to an AIO where the insert is entirely encased, this style dries faster (especially if you turn the diaper inside out for the dry cycle), washes more thoroughly and is simply more versatile.
It will depend on your washing machine whether you need to unstuff the soaker before throwing your Bummis AIOs in the wash (assuming you are stuffing it inside the pocket). A traditional top-loading machine with a big agitator will typically cause almost any pocket diaper to unstuff itself. In the various HE machines I’ve tried, you do have to unstuff your diapers, regardless of brand.
The Bummis AIO is designed to fit from 8-35 lbs. I had it on Little Miss Cub as soon as we received our tester, but by then she was almost 14 lbs. On its smallest settings, it looks nice and tiny:
My one concern would be whether the lack of a cross over snap makes it too big at the waist for some newborns. It’s important to bear in mind that very few “one-size” diapers fit Little Miss Cub when she was 8 lbs.
I don’t have any complaints about the fit on Little Miss Cub, and the only time we have had a leak is when I put it on her not fully prepped. (It’s normal to need to wash natural-fibre diaper multiple times to reach maximum absorbency, I was just a bit trigger happy!)
You might notice that there is no middle rise snap. Many one-size diapers skip the middle rise snap, and it’s not something I’ve ever really noticed. Cub was so quickly on the tallest rise of almost all of our one-size diapers by the time we started using them! I know some users prefer a middle snap to avoid any bulging at the centre, but I don’t find it to be a problem on our Bummis AIO. Overall, it is a particularly trim AIO considering how absorbent it is!
We are able to get through about an eight-hour stretch at night in our Bummis AIO without adding a booster. And let me tell you, the pocket is nice and wide and roomy: plenty of room to boost as she grows!
The Bummis AIO retails for $31.95 CAD, and here’s why I consider this an excellent price:
- It is made in Canada with textiles made in the US & Canada;
- It is made with organic cotton;
- It is super absorbent as is (likely no need to purchase boosters for daytime use);
- It can be used overnight easily, since the pocket provides ample space to boost if necessary;
- It can be used with the stay-dry layer on top, or the organic cotton layer, depending on your needs.
The TotsBots V4 AIO retails for $26.95 CAD, but consider the extra environmental impact and financial cost of it being shipped over to us from Scotland. Also, the rise on the TotsBots AIO is too low for many toddlers, which shouldn’t be an issue with the Bummis AIO. The Blueberry Simplex, which is another of my favourite AIOs, retails for $32.95.
The only thing I would change about the Bummis AIO is for the insert to extend from the back of the diaper rather than the front. This is a pretty subjective preference. I like diapers to unstuff from the back (not the middle, not the front), but I’ve spoken to plenty of cloth diapering Mamas who don’t share this opinion!
The blue with white trim diaper in my pictures is a tester, so not available for purchase. Check out the first wave of prints and colours, available at your favourite Bummis retailer starting January 25!
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