Replacing Bumgenius 3.0 Aplix or Velcro & Laundry Tabs Without a Sewing Machine (Bumgenius Refresher Tutorial)

Yes, it can be done; I did it.  I have lots of pictures for you!
 
My cloth diaper stash started with 6 Bumgenius 3.0 pocket diapers.  I bought three in October 2009 to try, followed by 3 more about a week later.  Those 6 got a ton of use as I slowly built up my stash.  As I expected, after nearly constant use, the aplix started to curl, and the laundry tabs started to shrink.  Three of the six were replaced under the Bumgenius warranty, (Cottonbabies' warranty and customer service are superb by the way) however, the other three really weren't bad enough to be replaced before the 1-year warranty ended.
 



I have quite a stash of diapers in rotation now; I wash every other day, and diapers are used just a few times a week.  However, two of my Bumgenius 3.0s are still my primary night time diapers (I rotate 4, including a fitted/wool, but the BG are my favorites) so they are still used a lot.  You can see above that the laundry tabs are shrunken and the closure tabs are starting to curl.  They still stick fine to the front of the diaper, but they don't stick to the laundry tabs anymore.
 




On the other hand, one 3.0 that has been in my regular rotation still looks fine after 16 months.

Cottonbabies sells Bumgenius refresher kits for $1.00 each.  They include 3 pieces of elastic, two closure tabs, two laundry tabs, and ship for free.

The kits also include instructions for doing the repairs with a sewing machine.  I've adapted them to do it by hand!  Luckily, I didn't need to replace any elastic, so I've just done the closure and laundry tabs.  I decided to try this on a Bumgenius 3.0 AIO I got for free with a coupon code.  That way if I really screwed it up, I wouldn't be heartbroken!

First, I very carefully cut the ends of the closure tabs.  The instructions say to remove them with a seam ripper, but I found it much easier to cut the tabs first.  Of course, you want to be very careful not to cut the diaper!





After cutting the ends of the tabs off, it was easy to use a seam ripper to loosen the tabs and remove them.

The refresher kit included instructions on how to attach the new tabs of course.

Once I had placed the new tabs, I decided to put a couple stitches to hold the tabs together.  This way it was a little bit easier to keep the tabs in the right place against the diaper, and against each other.

As instructed, I started on the flat side and went around the tab twice.

When I finished, I realized the tab had slipped a bit as I was sewing, and ended up a little crooked.  It really doesn't matter, since the laundry tabs and front strip are quite large and forgiving!

The awesome thing about these refresher kits, is that they include the new, "4.0 style" laundry tabs, which (so far) seem to function and hold up far better than the 3.0 style.  Of course, if you are buying these kits from your favorite retailer, check with them first to see which style kit they have.

The instructions say to sew right over the old laundry tabs, but I decided to remove them.



It took a little longer to remove these than the closure tabs, but it was still pretty quick work.

I sewed around the edge of each laundry tab, then in an x through the middle, like the original tabs.



I didn't really worry too much about making my stitching perfectly even and straight, and I don't think it was noticeable on the finished tabs.



I am pretty happy that $1.00 and some time gave my diapers new life!

I'm not going to lie, this was definitely a little time consuming and tedious to do by hand!



The hardest part was going through the thickest portion of the tab where the diaper's stretchy tab was seamed.  I probably wouldn't sit down and try to refresh a whole stack of diapers by hand in one sitting, but I will do the others one at a time eventually!

I'm not sure exactly how long it took me; it definitely took me a bit longer since I was taking pictures as I went.  I'm sure the next diapers will go more quickly since I know what I'm doing now!  I want to order an extra kit to replace the horrid laundry tabs on my Blueberry diaper too!

My Bumgenius Warranty Experience

So, for anyone who inevitably says "tl;dr," (that is, too long; didn't read...and I don't blame you if you do!) here's the cliff notes version: I big puffy heart Cottonbabies customer service.

My first ever cloth diapers were Bumgenius 3.0s.  I bought three in October 2009, and bought three more maybe a week or so later.  Those 6 diapers have gotten a lot of use, since my strategy was to wash often, saving the money I would have spent on disposables.  I used that money to build my stash gradually, and it was several months before I finally had enough to go to every other day washing!

I knew from reviews that Bumgenius aplix didn't last very long, but after a few months, my diapers started looking like this when they came out of the wash!

These two saw the worst of it.  The laundry tabs were pilly, one was rather shrunken, and the closure tabs were curled.

I know that Cottonbabies sells refresher kits, but I don't have a sewing machine.  My Mom has an older one that she would let me use, but it's kind of awful (sorry Mom!) and would probably make a mess of it.  I was thinking I could just buy some white thread and try to do them by hand, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to check first, to see if this would be covered under the 1 year warranty.

I contacted Cottonbabies customer service on Monday, August 23rd and had a response the same day.  To my surprise, it indeed would be covered under warranty.  On the one hand, a product advertised to take your baby through potty training should last at least a year without needing "refreshing," but on the other hand, it didn't seem surprising to have aplix issues after nearly a year of lots of use.  I was pleasantly surprised!

I read on, and the other shoe dropped.  The email said I would need to include info on how I cared for the diapers, including detergent.  Dun dun dunnnnnn!  We went back and forth for a few days, since the insinuation was that my warranty would be voided since I used detergents that were not "5 stars" on the "safe" list.

Finally, on August 27th, I received word that it should be OK, and I could go ahead and send them in.

I filled out an easy form online, received an RMA number, and packed the diapers up with a copy of my receipt, info about what was wrong with them, and included the RMA number inside and on the label.  For the record, the RMA form did not ask me to include any info about how I cared for them.

Cottonbabies requires that diapers sent back be clean and stink free, and I think mine were.  They didn't say whether or not I need to send along the inserts and doublers, so I went ahead and put them in.  I sent them via USPS priority mail, printed online with delivery confirmation, at a cost of $5.05.

I put them in the mail on Saturday, August 28th.  I actually felt a little sad saying goodbye to these, since they are two of the three diapers that started me on my cloth diapering journey.  Am I weird or what?

On Monday, August 30th, I received an email saying that my exchange was processed, and that I'd be receiving another email when my replacement diapers shipped.  #1, hello, that was fast!  #2 how awesome that I was kept aware of every step!

On Thursday, September 2nd, I received a shipping notice with a tracking number.

On Tuesday, September 7th, I received two brand new Bumgenius diapers in the mail!! They were in the next town over the weekend, so I know they would have been here even sooner if it weren't for the holiday.

The surprise was that they are 4.0 diapers! Yay!! So that means I probably won't have any more problems with the aplix, though I assume replacement diapers don't come with their own warranty.

I am just beyond thrilled right now. Essentially for $5.05 I have two spanking new diapers, and got 10 1/2 months use out of the original diapers.

Awesome, just awesome! Especially when I think about the trouble I had with my Blueberry aplix after only a month or so, and the "too bad for you" response I received when I contacted them!

I have heard Bumgenius referred to as the "Wal Mart of Cloth Diapers" and while I do think they are a big name in cloth diapering, they didn't get there with poor business practices. They make an awesome product; I have lots of favorites, but BG are still the ones my husband reaches for (past others) and they have just been all around great for us! This is just icing on the cake for me!