Glow Bug Cloth Diaper Review
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I tried Glow Bug cloth diapers about a year and a half ago but have heard that they had made some changes a while back. When I was given the opportunity to review one I couldn’t wait to see the changes in action.
I wish I still had my first Glow Bug for comparison purposes but I did get some help from a few fellow bloggers who have reviewed the old version.
About the diaper:
Glow Bug cloth diapers have three sets of rise snaps for a more versatile fit. This diaper will adjust to four sizes instead of the usual three. There are also two sets of crossover waist snaps.
One of my favorite things about Glow Bug diapers is their wide variety of adorable prints. I didn’t get the choose the print that I was sent but it is the one that I most likely would have chosen. I love argyle diapers.
On the outside the new style doesn’t look much different that the old style. My Cloth Diaper Stash has some nice photos of the older style Glow Bug diaper and they look very similar.
The inside of the Glow Bug has always had internal gussets as you can see in this review from Mommy’s Favorite Things, but now they have what they call 360 gussets. The idea behind the 360 gusset is to minimize the chance of leaking out of the legs or blowouts up the back.
It also comes with two full-sized microfiber inserts which is great for those of us with heavier wetters.
There is a sleeve style opening so you don’t have to unstuff the diaper before washing. If you choose, there is a snap on the front flap so you can snap the insert into place. The openings have flaps of PUL on them to cover up the inserts so you won’t have to worry about microfiber touching your baby’s bare skin, which can potentially cause irritation and rashes.
Where are Glow Bug Cloth Diapers made?
Glow Bug Cloth Diapers are proudly made in China. How can we say this? Our diapers are made in our own facility, by our employees who are paid fair wages, who work in good conditions and who are extremely skilled resulting in a high quality product that is ethically made.
Ms. Shen and Ms. Han lead our sewing teams, Ms. Bao and Ms. Xu are in charge of the snap work, and Mr. Liu and his team make sure all the fabrics are cut. Our amazing production manager Hillary Ling makes sure all our teams work seamlessly together to create your Glow Bug Cloth Diapers.
My experience:
The first thing that I noticed is that the newer version of the Glow Bug is of better quality than the older one. The fabric feels more sturdy, the suedecloth inner is thicker and isn’t as pilly after washing, and the tabs fit flatter and I got a better fit overall in the front. As you can see in this review from Our Piece of Earth, the front tabs now have a smoother fit.
The front flap does come out a little on active toddler, but the flap used to come all the way out all the time on the older version and back then K was far less active than he is now. To me this is the biggest improvement. (I have had a few diapers with a front flap like this and all of them have come out at least a little bit)
With two inserts the front of the diaper has an expected amount of bulk but it didn’t bother K at all.
The leg elastics are nice and snug to catch any messes that the 360 gussets might miss.
We got a nice fit overall. Since we need to use two inserts this diaper is a little on the thick side (although I do have bulkier ones) but would be pretty trim if you only need one insert. I don’t have any problem fitting pants and jeans over this diaper though.
I like this version better than the older one and would recommend them to people who wish to build a stash on a budget. If you have an older one and thought that maybe it wasn’t for you, you may want to give this one a try.
We didn’t have any leaks with the inclusion of two inserts and the 360 gussets were tested and performed their job beautifully. Spraying poo out of gussets is kind of a pain but you need to decide which is more important: easier cleaning or less chance of blowouts. Even at 3-years-old (tomorrow) my son still rarely has a solid poo that can be dumped and flushed easily so the gussets work well for us.
I love all of the print choices that Glow Bug has to offer and they’re really affordable, too. For the price you really can’t beat them.
My one wish would be for Glow Bug to sell individual diapers, but if you need to start or pad a stash they are a nice option. You can buy packages of twelve diapers for just $150.00. That’s just $12.50 per diaper and for that price, these really are very nice. If you don’t need twelve, you can order six for $70.00. You may purchase directly from Glow Bug or you can purchase locally from several direct sellers.
Feel free to follow them on Facebook and Twitter for news on new releases, sales, and giveaways.
I received one or more of the products mentioned above at no cost to me in order to facilitate this review.
I just purchased these diapers, I knew i was taking a risk without seeing them first hand but after reading the reviews, i thought I would try them. Of course I liked the price too! My personal experience is not positive. I know it is little but having to pay shipping on an order over $250 made me a little upset, plus it is a “canadian company” but i had to pay in US dollars. Please read the return policy before purchasing these. I feel you get what you pay for with these diapers and the quality is reflected. I used other cloth diapers and I can notice a big difference. I wish I would have tried out one before having to do such a bulk purchase. I will be trying to sell some of mine to recoup some costs and purchase better brand name diapers. Some of the prints are cute but as you don’t get to chose some you just get stuck with, not a big deal deal but why can’t I chose what prints I want to suit my taste, it is my money I am spending. The diapers are soft though. Customer service advised me I could go to a diaper swap if I did not like them, sorry but with three children under 5 I don’t have time for that but thanks for the suggestion. I only washed ten diapers and one already had a broken snap and I had not even used the diapers yet, plus the stitching was coming out. I also do not see these being good for newborns, the inserts are too big and they become so big and bulky. They do fit my toddler nicely. My personal opinion is I would rather spend a little more and get something I can have more of a choice on, better quality, not made in china and better customer service.
I am sorry that you didn’t have a good experience. While I like the fit of this diaper on my toddler, most one size diapers don’t work well on newborns. A one size diaper usually doesn’t start fitting properly until your baby is at least 10 pounds. Canadian conversion is $1.09 for our $1.00 so you made out better paying in US dollars 🙂
You did touch on a few of the things that I wish were different though. I would like the option of buying only one diaper and it would be nice to be able to choose your own prints when buying a package of diapers. For some people the formula of buying packages works well and for others it doesn’t. It wouldn’t work well for me either since I like to have a lot of different kinds of diapers in my stash.
You’re diapers are adorable. I cannot wait to have my baby so I can try all the cloth diapers! Just curious; to all you experienced moms, do you find AIO’s better or pre folds?
It really is a matter of personal preference and I always recommend buying a few styles. My tastes have changed depending on the age of my child as well. When I first started I preferred pockets, now I prefer all-in-twos, hybrids, or a prefold folded in thirds and layed inside a cover. AIOs are easy for caregivers but take a long time to dry so they aren’t my personal favorite unless you get a tongue style like Diaper Rite, Tots Bots and Blueberry Simplex. It can be overwhelming at first for sure 🙂
the sleeve-style opening is fascinating me! i’d love to not have to remove the insert before washing.
Those 360 degree gussets are interesting. I didn’t realize they added those. I love the print you reviewed – it’s super cute.
I like the cute prints and the 360 gussets to keep all the mess in.
I like that it has the 360 design and that the inserts do not have to be removed before washing.
I have one of these 360 gusset style ones, and I think they are really quite trim with just one insert. I haven’t had to spray it out yet, but I am a little nervous about all those nooks and crannies. I guess it does come down to which is worse!
The internal gusset is really interesting! Definitely would love to add one to my stash one day to try out!
I have one of these in my stash and I’m excited to try it out.
That gusset seems like it would be great for containing messes. I love all the patterns these come in!
We have a glow bugs diaper and love it. I love the cute print.
nice apple comparison!!! clever! i love the huge gusset… seems like it would work wonderfully for breast milk poop!!
I think their gusset idea is very interesting. I like that they sell the packages at such a great rate, but it would be nice to able to purchase a single diaper to try first.
I really like the 360 degree gussets. Really great idea. Leg blow outs happen but up the back is the worst!
I hadn’t thought of the difficulty of getting the poops out of the 360 gusset. :/ We have one old style Glowbug that we really like, though.
I don’t find it any more difficult than the inner gussets on the older Glow Bug or Rumparooz. It isn’t my favorite thing to do though
I like that it has cross over snaps.
I really want to try a glow bug diaper! I love the 360 degree gusset!! I wish you could buy just a couple at a time, because I really don’t need a whole set 🙁
I’ve never tried a glow bug diaper but have been reading a lot about the, of late. I’m curious to try the 360 gusset and see if it’s worth the likely extra hassle of spraying off poop.
I really want to try these out, but right now I don’t know if I want to put down that much money at once. Anyways, I really love the 360 gusset design.
Im def curious to know how well the 360 gusset would work for us. Its a neat idea to have in a diaper. the prints are cute too
I have been wanting to try the Glowbug diaper because I’m fascinated by the 360-degree gussets.
I wish they sold them individually too because I would like to see how those 360 gussets work but I don’t want that many diapers
I have yet to try a glow bug diaper but I am loving reading all the reviews on these and their internal gussets
I love how big these get with the rise snaps! The prints are awesome too!
That gusset looks like it would contain everything, I wonder how hard it would be to spray it out though.
I love the four rise snaps. Would fit a little baby better. I would love to try out Glow Bug Diapers.
It looks like this diaper would do a great job of containing messes with the double gusset.
I like that these have 4 rise settings, my LO is really skinny and really tall so its hard to get a good fit around her legs, while still having a rise high enough
360 gussets are such a great idea!
The crossover snaps will come in handy when I’m blessed to have another little one.
Not having to unstuff the diaper is handy if others are helping with diapering!
I wonder if the 360 gusset is hard to clean? Maybe a flush able biodegradable liner would be a good option to make this diaper totally unstoppable and easy to use? 🙂
I like the idea of containing the mess with the 360 gusset. I wish these weren’t sold in only packages because I would like to check them out without making a commitment. I might try and snag one on Ebay so I can mess with it.
I would love to try then but wish they sold them individually since all fluff isn’t created equally.
Beautiful pictures! 🙂 I just got this diaper and absolutely love it! Those gussets are amazing!
LOVE the 360 gussett and I LOVE that argyle! I think I need that exact diaper!
If you use diapers like Rumparooz and some of the Alva or suspected rebrands then getting the poo off is no more difficult than any of those inner gussets. If those aren’t your cup of tea then these gussets might bug you. The nice thing is that these are so inexpensive that if you can find a local retailer, one diaper to try won’t set you back much.
love the material these are made of I hope to try them on Jace someday.
Argyle seems to be very in right now 🙂
I finally had a chance to try a Glow Bug (won in a giveaway) and I love it. You are right, the fabrics are so soft!!
I have one of the new Glow Bug’s too. I really like it and just recommended these to somebody who is just switching and was worried about the costs.
I will definitely recommend them now. I prefer the newer version much more.
I’m fascinated by the inside of these diapers and really want to try one.
I wondered if they would be uncomfortable but they don’t seem to bother K at all so I guess not!