Bummis Swimmi Swim Diaper Review

Bummis Swimmi Swim Diaper Review

I received these items at no cost in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. 

Do your babies love the water? Mine do! It can be a lot of fun to take the kids (baby included) to a splash park, the pool, or the beach, but it can also be a tremendous amount of work. I’ve talked before about what taking a baby to the pool is like, and I’ve covered the types of things you’ll need to try to remember to pack for such an occasion. The number one item on that list is a swim diaper! You do not want to forget to bring a swim diaper for your baby when you head off to the pool. When it comes to swim diapers, there are a lot of options out there. You can go with disposable swim diapers, but I’d encourage you to try a reusable swim diaper. Today I’m going to introduce you to a reusable swim diaper from the folks at Bummis. When Miranda of Calgary Cloth Diaper Depot contacted me about reviewing the Bummis Swimmi for her, I was stoked. Her timing was impeccable as we were leaving for a vacation on the West Coast in just a few days. What better place to test out a swim diaper than at the ocean? Am I right? Fast forward a few weeks and the Bummis Swimmi has been put to the test both at the beach, and in the kiddie pool and sprinkler in the backyard, and I’m ready to give you the verdict on this one! 

Before I get into the Bummis Swimmi, it’s important that I cover one thing. Do you know what a swim diaper is? Do you know what a swim diaper is supposed to do? Maybe you’re not entirely sure, or maybe you’re an old pro when it comes to diapering water babies, either way, there’s no such thing as a stupid question when it come to cloth diapers (or anything really). Setting aside reusable versus disposable for a moment, let’s establish what a swim diaper (any swim diaper) is supposed to do. A swim diaper is supposed to catch and contain poop. That’s it. Now this may seem like a simple thing for a diaper to do, and something that pretty well any diaper out there should be capable of doing. There’s just one catch. A swim diaper is not supposed to absorb pee. That’s right. You heard me. If you take your baby to the pool for a baby swim lesson, you’re all singing Dunk Dunk Went The Little Green Frog in a pool that is actively being peed in by up to 16 babies (depending on your class size). Why doesn’t a swim diaper absorb pee? That’s simple. No diaper can distinguish between pee and the water in the pool. That means that if a diaper absorbs pee, it also absorbs water. Why is that a problem? First, a diaper that soaks up its maximum absorbency the moment you put your baby’s bum in the pool is a diaper that can’t absorb anything else anymore anyway. Second, you don’t want the weight of a saturated diaper weighing your baby down. Third, (and this applies mainly to regular disposable diapers because cloth diapers don’t really do this) a saturated disposable diaper is a super saggy diaper that has no hope of actually containing a poop. And poop containment, after all, is the goal of a swim diaper. Now that we all know what a swim diaper does and does not need to do, let’s talk about the two types of swim diapers out there. There are disposable swim diapers, and there are reusable (aka cloth) swim diapers. Even if you aren’t a cloth diaper user the rest of the time, I would encourage you to try out a reusable swim diaper. It’s well worth the relatively small cost for a reusable swim diaper, and they are super easy to clean if (and I do mean if and not when) your baby actually poops in it.

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The Details:

So let’s get right to it, shall we? The Bummis Swimmi by Mini Kiwi is a one size reusable swim diaper that fits babies from 10 to 35lbs. It is made with a laminated lycra outer and a suede cloth inner. This swim diaper has a fully encased elastic at the back of the diaper, and at the legs of the diaper. It also has double gussets, meaning it can fit nicely around the legs of skinnier babies and creates a double wall of protection to keep poop inside the diaper where it belongs. The size of the Bummis Swimmi is adjusted with a 2×4 rise snaps on the front of the diaper. Like all Bummis diapers, the Bummis Swimmi has the large super durable snaps. The front closure of the diaper is made with a double row of snaps. The tabs of the diaper are rounded, and the entire edge of the diaper all around is finished with a super soft stretchy trim.

Bummis Swimmi Swim Diaper Review

How it works:

Petit Prince was 21.5lbs when he was wearing the Bummis One-Size Swimmi by Mini Kiwi. He fits this swim diaper on the medium rise setting. In terms of fit, I was really happy with how this swim diaper fit. In the past, I’ve used a sized reusable swim diaper (also by Bummis, by the way). That worked just fine, but I have to admit that I found both my children have hit a point where the small size swim diaper was a bit too small, but the medium size swim diaper was a bit too big. What I ended up having to do was roll the front of the diaper over and out in order to get the sized swim diaper to stay snug around the legs. Now this is absolutely critical for a swim diaper. It must fit snugly around the legs. If there’s any leg gap and your child’s poop is anything but perfectly solid, that poop will not be contained. This is absolutely NOT a problem with the Bummis One-Size Swimmi by Mini Kiwi. On the medium rise setting, I can get those legs really snug around Petit Prince. This ensures that if he were to actually poop while swimming in a pool/the ocean, there’s no way that poop is leaking out of those legs. The fit of the Bummis One-Size Swimmi is fantastic. I love, absolutely love, that this swim diaper is one size! This is something I’ve hoped to see in a swim diaper for some time, and Bummis has done it!

Bummis Swimmi Swim Diaper Review

Will the Bummis Swimmi fit from birth? No, definitely not. However, you’re probably not going to be dashing off to the pool with your baby in those first few weeks anyway. Most pools require that baby be at least two months of age or older in order to go in the pool. I have no doubt that the Bummis One-Size Swimmi will fit most babies from two months of age.

Bummis Swimmi Swim Diaper Review

Let’s talk about those double gussets! When poop containment is the only goal of a swim diaper, double gussets make so much sense. When it comes to regular cloth diapers, double gussets are not something I need or really find necessary most of the time. When it comes to swim diapers, however, ummm, yes. Just yes. I did a lot of swimming with The Heir before he started solid food, so his poops were your typical EBF poop: runny and squishy. Petit Prince was the same when King Dad took him for his first round of swimming lessons. If either of my children ever actually pooped in a reusable swim diaper without double gussets, I’m really not sure it wouldn’t have leaked out. Since all swim diapers are designed to let liquid pass through the diaper and out, they also let water IN. Water mixed with EBF poop can make for a runny mess. Bummis One-Size Swimmi with double gussets to the rescue! Now you can be sure that your baby’s poop will remain contained until you get them out of the pool and into the change room!

Bummis Swimmi Swim Diaper Review

What happens when your baby does actually poop in their swim diaper? I have a confession to make here folks. This has only happened twice. Yup. Twice. The Heir was in swimming lessons almost non stop from about five months old, and Petit Prince has done one round of swimming lessons so far. Between the two of them, they’ve only pooped in any swim diaper twice. Maybe it’s just my kids, but they just tend not to poop when they’re swimming. Of course it has happened, so I can tell you what you want to do when it does. Let’s say your baby has pooped in their Bummis One-Size Swimmi at the pool. Once you realize what’s happened, you’ll want to take baby out of the pool to change him. Here’s where it gets interesting. You are no doubt familiar with what it’s like to try to remove a wet bathing suit from a wet body in a hurry (even not in a hurry). Sometimes it can feel almost impossible, but with some rolling and squeezing you can do it, right? Now try to do that when there’s a poop in that wet suit. It sounds unpleasant to say the least. This is what I love about the Bummis One-Size Swimmi. It has a front snap closure. Baby pooped? No big deal! Simply remove the Bummis Swimmi just as you would any other diaper. Unsnap, lift the bum, remove the soiled diaper, give that bum a wipe, replace with a clean diaper. The reusable swim diapers I’ve had in the past had a velcro closure, and although it still had a way to open the diaper, I just found that the velcro made things a bit more challenging. Thank goodness the Bummis One-Size Swimmi isn’t a pull-up style swim diaper. Because with a pull-up style swim diaper, you’re almost guaranteed to get poop on baby’s leg if you need to change a soiled one.

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The suede cloth lining of the Bummis One-Size Swimmi is great. Typically, suede cloth is used as a stay dry material inside a regular cloth diaper. Obviously with a swim diaper the goal isn’t to keep baby feeling dry. Instead, the suede cloth inner makes it easy to remove poop from the diaper as needed. With suede cloth, poop just rolls right off of it, and softer poops can be easily scraped off. Another benefit to suede cloth is that it’s particularly resistant to staining. No need to worry that your beloved swim diaper is going to come out of the wash horrendously stained. If you do notice any staining, stains can be sunned out of suede cloth quite easily. Just wash and lay out in the sun to dry.

Of course there has to be one thing I didn’t love about the Bummis One-Size Swimmi. I did find that it felt a bit baggy in the bum and looked just a little saggy. The legs and the waist were snug, and that’s what really counts, but there was a bit more material than Petit Prince needed in the bum area. My kids are both sort of bum-less though, so I imagine this will be less of a concern for chunkier babies. It in no way affects the function of the Bummis One-Size Swimmi.

Pros:

  • Made in Canada
  • Made with materials sourced in North America
  • Fits babies from 10-35lbs
  • Snap closure makes removing it when wet really easy
  • Adjustable rise snaps
  • Super soft trim encases all the elastics
  • Double gussets for maximum poop containment
  • Awesome prints make for super cute swim bottoms
  • Suede cloth inner lining makes clean up a breeze

Cons:

  • Bum of the Swimmi is a bit baggy

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Miranda of Calgary Cloth Diaper Depot also sent me a small Bummis Fabulous wet bag to use alongside the Bummis One-Size Swimmi by Mini Kiwi. Can I just say what a fabulous combo this is? The small Bummis Fabulous wet bag is the perfect size to toss in the swim bag or take to the beach. It will fit one to two reusable swim diapers, and one to two swim suits/pairs of swim trunks. When I packed mine to the beach, it fit the Bummis Swimmi, a swim shirt for Petit Prince, and The Heir’s swim trunks. It could have also held a pair of swim trunks for Petit Prince, but with an adorable swim diaper like the Bummis Swimmi, who needs swim trunks? I love that this wet bag has a snap handle so you can snap it on the outside of your swim bag or diaper bag, or snap it onto the stroller if you need to. The zipper is on the front of the wet bag instead of at the very top. I prefer a zipper on the front as it just seems to make it easier to stuff things into it when I’m in a hurry (which you inevitably are when you and 15 other babies and their moms are sharing one tiny bench in the pool change room).

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Final Thoughts:

All in all, I love the Bummis One-Size Swimmi by Mini Kiwi. The suede cloth inner lining is easy to clean, and soft on baby’s bum. This is especially nice when you’re not taking baby into the water, but rather just playing around at a splash park or in the sprinkler. The adjustable rise allows it to fit babies from 10 to 35lbs meaning you really don’t have to buy multiple swim diapers in every size. Like all Bummis products, the Bummis One-Size Swimmi by Mini Kiwi is made in Canada from materials that are sourced right here in North America. The quality of Bummis products really shows and they are so beautifully made and made to last. The double gussets of the Bummis Swimmi can let you relax at the pool with your baby! You don’t have to question whether any messes will be contained, you can just know that they will be.

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You can purchase the Bummis One-Size Swimmi by Mini Kiwi from Calgary Cloth Diaper Depot for $23.99 and the small Bummis Fabulous wet bag for $14. Calgary Cloth Diaper Depot ships for FREE within Canada and to the USA with no minimum purchase.

How would you like the chance to WIN a Bummis One-Size Swimmi and small Bummis Fabulous wet bag? One lucky reader will win one Bummis One-Size Swimmi by Mini Kiwi and one small Bummis Fabulous wet bag from Calgary Cloth Diaper Depot! Just scroll down to the giveaway and get your entries in for a chance to win. This giveaway is open to Canadian & US residents, 18+, and closes on August 31st, 2016. Sponsor is responsible for prize fulfillment. Don’t forget to follow the Accessorize Your Stash in August giveaway “hop” and enter the other awesome giveaways linked up below!

Bummis Swimmi Swim Diaper ReviewWelcome to the 5th Annual Accessorize Your Stash in August Giveaway Hop, hosted by Lindsey Blogs and Viva Veltoro!

If you’re ready to accessorize your cloth diaper stash, or even build a starter stash, you’ve come to the perfect event! A fabulous group of bloggers have come together to help you do just that – with Cloth Diaper and Cloth Diaper Accessory Giveaways! If you love cloth diapering, then you’ll love hopping around to see what each blog has in store for you and your Fluffy Stash! So be sure to hop around to all the blogs participating and be sure to check out the Grand Prize from our hosts!

Bummis Swimmi Swim Diaper Review

GRAND PRIZE

Bummis Swimmi Swim Diaper Review

Disclosure: So Easy Being Green, Viva Veltoro, and the Accessorize Your Stash participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations.



58 Comments on “Bummis Swimmi Swim Diaper Review

  1. I would love to try this diaper for a trip to FL in Dec. I would choose the Whales print!.

  2. I think I would have to pick starfish. It is adorable and gender neutral, so can be used for several babies!

  3. I love Starfish & Under the Sea (blue). I would love to let my daughter choose.

  4. I think I would choose Whales, but I love all the prints!! Its such a hard choice!

  5. My automatic response was Tampa, but I don’t see it, so I think I’d go with whales or starfish.

    Is there a reason that the bottom row of waist snaps are studs instead of sockets?

  6. It’s a tough choice to pick just one print that I like the best, but I think I would pick the whale pattern.

  7. I have read so many good reviews of this diaper lately that I would be super excited if I won! Under The Sea Blue is my favorite print!

  8. This is a tough decision!! I’d choose anchors away or whale.

  9. I LOVE the mermaids one! But for the sake of being gender neutral I’d have to pick the starfish!

  10. Thank you for the info and chance to win. Plus I never knew that they do free shipping with no minimums!

  11. I like either the Starfish OR Under The Sea Blue best BUT if lucky enough to win I’d let our Grandbaby’s Mommy&Daddy choose their favorite.

  12. I have the whale print and the Bummies swim diaper has worked fantastic on my 4 Mo the old. I would love to add the Under the Sea blue to my collection.

  13. I’d get the starfish! Don’t know what God is going to bless us with yet so that one seems like it would be safe either way! (We’ll take all the prayers we can get for a healthy baby if you have a minute! We had a baby pass before due to CHD)

  14. All the prints are so cute! I have the mermaid print, but I’d love the Anchors Away print too! 🙂 I have yet to try a Bummis wetbag though!

  15. I love the sized Bummis swim diapers. A new one size would b wonderful!

  16. I would choose Under the Sea purple. They are all so brightly beautiful!

  17. I would choose Under the Sea purple. They are all so brightly beautiful.

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