Glow Bug Cloth Diapers Review & Giveaway plus Coupon Code!

Glow Bug Cloth Diaper Review

I received this item at no cost to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

I’ve been in the cloth diapering world for almost four years now, and I have to admit that I didn’t know a whole lot about Glow Bug Cloth Diapers. I’d heard of them and I’d seen their posts on Facebook before, but I’d never had one in my hands or on the bum at my house. I can tell you I was really thrilled when Glow Bug Cloth Diapers was interested in sending me one of their diapers to review! I really had no opinions on these diapers, good or bad, so it was great to get a chance to check them out for myself. You know what? I think they’re a pretty nice cloth diaper. If you’re a Glow Bug Cloth Diaper newbie like me, or maybe you’re a tried and true fan of the brand, read on to hear what I think about them! 

Details:

Glow Bug Cloth Diaper Review
Glow Bug diapers consist of a PUL outer and a SlimDry inner with a 360° gusset.

A Glow Bug cloth diaper is a pocket diaper composed of a printed PUL outer, and a SlimDry polyester inner. The SlimDry polyester inner has a stay dry effect so baby doesn’t feel wetness right against his skin. One of the key features of the Glow Bug diaper is a “Revolutionary 360° Gusset” designed to assist in preventing poop blow outs. It is a one sized diaper that fits from 7-25+ lbs. The size is adjusted with 4×3 snaps on the front of the diaper. The smallest rise fits from 7-10 lbs, the medium rise fits from 10-18 lbs, the large rise fits from 18-25 lbs, and the extra large rise fits from 25 lbs up. The waist is adjustable with three snaps on each tab, and the tabs can be crossed over to two size options for a newborn or small baby.

Glow Bug Cloth Diaper Review
Glow Bug diapers have four rise settings.

The pocket has two openings on the inside, one at the front of the diaper and one at the back of the diaper. There’s a flap of white PUL on the inside of the tummy panel of the diaper, and at the back of the diaper. This prevents wet inserts from wicking moisture up the front or back of the diaper. There’s a snap inside the pocket at the front of the diaper for snapping in the inserts if desired.

Glow Bug Cloth Diaper Review
Two additional waist closure settings with the crossover tabs.

Glow Bug Cloth Diapers come with a microfibre insert, but the inserts can be upgraded to bamboo. The microfibre inserts consist of three layers of microfibre and have a snap for securing the insert in the pocket. The bamboo inserts consist of two layers of bamboo around one layer of microfibre and also have a snap for securing it to the pocket. All the inserts can also be snapped together, so you can stack your inserts and use a combination of microfibre and bamboo, or more than one bamboo or more than one microfibre.

Glow Bug Cloth Diaper Review
Dual pocket openings with PUL flaps at the tummy panel and back inside the diaper.

Glow Bug Cloth Diapers are ALL PRINTS and they change them up every year. The print packages for 2015 were all really fun, and the prints for 2016 are coming very soon! Each year there are 36 new prints available! That’s a whole lot of cute diapers!

Glow Bug Cloth Diaper Review
Bamboo inserts shown snapped together and snapped into the pocket shell.

One thing that makes Glow Bug Cloth Diapers particularly unique is that they are sold in packages. Unlike other cloth diaper brands where you can just buy a single diaper if you want to try it out, Glow Bugs are only sold in packs of 12. This is a big part of what makes them so affordable. Each pack of Glow Bug Cloth Diapers comes with twelve pocket shells, twelve microfibre inserts, and six bamboo inserts. If you prefer all bamboo, you can upgrade all the inserts to bamboo.

How It Works:

Glow Bug Cloth Diapers sent me a diaper from the 2015 Explorer collection. It’s called Passport and is covered in pictures of all kinds of fun travel destinations. I think it’s pretty cute, and I’m keen to find out what prints Glow Bugs has in store for 2016. I was also sent two bamboo inserts to use with the diaper. One of the first things that I noticed about the diaper was the 360° gusset on the inside of the diaper. I’ve never really found that inner gussets were a necessity with a properly fitting diaper, but I was intrigued nonetheless. I’ll be honest. I was concerned that that gusset would just trap EBF poop and become a pain to clean. You know what? I was wrong! In true form, Petit Prince pooped within minutes of getting the Glow Bug diaper on the bum, so I got a chance to see just how well those gussets cleaned up. After following my usual wash routine, they came out pristine. I can’t say if those gussets will be more of an issue when Petit Prince starts solids and hits the peanut butter poop phase, but for now they clean up nicely without any additional effort whatsoever. The 360° gusset is supposed to help with containment, and although the diaper itself did not leak any poop, it was definitely not contained within the gusset. I’ve talked before about EBF poop and how it sort of ends up EVERYWHERE in a diaper, so this really came as no surprise to me.

Glow Bug Cloth Diaper Review
Passport print from the 2015 Explorer collection.

Something I liked about the Glow Bug cloth diaper is the inner SlimDry material. This stuff is really soft and super stretchy. I love a generously sized pocket and opening because it just makes stuffing inserts easier to accomplish. The pocket of the Glow Bug does not disappoint. With openings at both ends, you can quickly and easily get the insert laying perfectly flat, and it makes snapping the inserts in easy too. I also like the added PUL flaps at the tummy panel and back of the diaper. There’s nothing I dislike more than wicking up the front of a diaper, and this can happen when there’s no PUL at the top inside the tummy panel, especially with boys. This is not a problem with the Glow Bug diaper.

I didn’t end up snapping the inserts into the pocket shell when I used the diaper with Petit Prince. I don’t really think it’s necessary to snap them in, but because he wets the front of the diaper first (as boys do), I prefer to fold the inserts at the front. This way they fit nicely within the diaper when it was at the smallest rise setting and provided extra absorbency where Petit Prince needs it. The only downside to that is that the inserts then cannot be snapped in. I did try snapping the inserts in just to see how that worked. One thing I noticed was that the stack of snaps ended up being really thick when two inserts were snapped together and snapped into the pocket shell. I haven’t noticed this with other brands of diapers that have snap in inserts, so it was a little peculiar. I can’t say if that thick stack of snaps would cause baby any discomfort since I can’t snap inserts in when they are folded at the front for Petit Prince. I will say that if it is a concern, you can always just not snap the inserts in, and stack the inserts with the snaps at opposite ends before stuffing the pocket shell.

Glow Bug Cloth Diaper Review
How I stuffed the inserts for Petit Prince: two bamboo snapped together and folded at the front.

In terms of absorbency, I found that Petit Prince needed both bamboo inserts to last more than just an hour or two in the diaper. I don’t like having to change baby’s diaper every hour, so using both inserts together was a great solution. I found them quite absorbent when used together and could easily get 4 hours out of the diaper before it needed changing. Since it is an option, I wouldn’t hesitate to upgrade to all bamboo inserts when ordering a package of Glow Bug cloth diapers.

Glow Bug Cloth Diaper Review
Glow Bug cloth diaper on Petit Prince at just over 15 lbs, worn on the smallest rise setting.

What about the fit? The first time I tried a Glow Bug cloth diaper on Petit Prince he was just over 15 lbs. Although the recommendation for that weight is to use the diaper on the medium rise setting, I found it fit quite nicely on the smallest rise setting. The additional third snap on the tabs was great for preventing the dreaded wing droop, but doesn’t do much for adjusting the fit around the legs. I had no trouble getting a nice fit around the legs with no gaps, though Petit Prince has some fairly thick thighs. I could see a baby with skinnier legs having more difficulty getting the legs snug without ending up too tight over the tummy.

Pros:

  • Affordable price.
  • Fun prints.
  • Generous pocket openings.
  • Super stretchy inner SlimDry material.
  • Cross over front tabs allow for a very small fit for newborns.
  • PUL flaps in the front and back prevent wicking.

Cons:

  • Must buy in packs of twelve (though this is a big part of what keeps them so affordable).
  • Single bamboo insert is not very absorbent on its own.
  • Two inserts snapped in creates a very thick stack of snaps that may be uncomfortable for baby.

I’ve got to admit that for a cloth diaper I really hadn’t heard a whole lot about before, I like it. I think it’s a nice option if you’re looking to get into cloth diapering on a budget. A pack of twelve pocket shells with 18 inserts costs only $189 USD. That means you could get a whole stash of pocket diapers (24 diapers) for under $400, and that’s awesome. I am a sucker for prints on a diaper, so Glow Bugs being ALL PRINTS is so great in my books!

Do you want to try a Glow Bug cloth diaper? You’re in luck! One lucky reader is going to WIN a Glow Bug cloth diaper of their very own! How great would that be? Just scroll on down and enter the giveaway! GOOD LUCK! The giveaway is open from 7am EST December 14th 2015 and closes at 11:59pm EST December 21st 2015. Open to US & Canada 18+.

Can’t wait to try them? You can pre-order the 2016 Glow Bug cloth diaper packs starting on December 17th, and my readers get 5% off their orders by clicking RIGHT HERE!

TheMonarchMommy.com

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: Open to US & Canadian residents 18 years of age and older. Winner can choose if they would like a girl, boy, or gender neutral print. Retail value $15.75 USD. Confirmed winner(s) will be contacted via email and have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be drawn. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. Prize fulfillment is the responsibility of Glow Bug Cloth Diapers. Canadian winners must successfully complete a skill testing question. For questions or to see your product featured on The Monarch Mommy blog contact Stefanie at The Monarch Mommy.

34 Comments on “Glow Bug Cloth Diapers Review & Giveaway plus Coupon Code!

  1. My sister used all glow bugs. Her girl diapers were adorable, flowers and cupcakes! Their prints are super cute

  2. I’ve always wanted to try these and I’m saving up to buy some for my little girl. I love the 360 gusset and the adorable prints 🙂

  3. I like the 360 gusset, maybe it would stop the leaking out the leg that seems to happen to my little guy most of the time.

  4. We’ve never tried cloth diapers here but I have to admit that the adorable prints make me want to try these for our next baby [among other reasons too 🙂 ].

  5. We don’t cloth diaper, (I did for a few days and it didn’t work for us) but that is one super cute diaper. Great review, Good Luck to those entering 🙂

  6. Ooohhh, I have never heard of this brand before but they sound great! What an amazing price for the diapers!
    My pockets I have right now are Kawaii and I’ve been super pleased with them; I’ve had them for 4 years, 3 years of constant use, and they still are holding up well.

  7. Those 360 gussets! Oh my, I have never seen that before! I mean it may be a bit excessive but I woukd be really interested in trying one of these out and seeing how it performs on my LO. Thanks for the review!

  8. I’ve always loved the 360 gusset! I hope I actually get to try it during our diapering days!

  9. I love Glowbugs! My favourite feature is how adjustable the waist and rise is compared to some other brands. They fit my baby from 10lbs (and probably would have worked sooner had I tried).

  10. My favorite feature of GlowBug diapers are the fun prints. The 360 gusset is useful for EBF poo but past that…no. It’s not easy to spray out but that doesn’t keep me from using the one GlowBug that we have.

  11. I’ve never used cloth diapers, but know they are great for sensitive skin. These are so cute!

  12. I have a love/hate relationship with the idea that they only come in prints, and the prints are only around for that year, paired with the fact that you have to buy in packages, (but they do have a co-op group which helps with that bit). I have heard wonders about their 360 gusset protection preventing major blowouts and I would love to add one, (or more), to our stash to give them a try!

  13. they’re great short term, but I’m have so many warranty issues with glow bugs that I really don’t feel like the quality is very good. The customer service is excellent, but that only goes so far to make up for diapers that delaminate, snaps that break, etc.

  14. I really love the 360gussets! That is such an cool and unique feature.

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