BumGenius Freetime vs. BumGenius Elemental – What’s the Difference?

Not too long ago, I was on a local cloth diapering Facebook group. I saw a mom ask about the difference between BumGenius Freetime cloth diapers and the BumGenius Elemental. An answer was “I think one is Velcro only and the other is snaps.” I politely explained the difference.

On the outside, BumGenius Freetime and the BumGenius Elemental are nearly the same. They both have the same shell that Cotton Babies uses across all of their lines. Both are available as a snap closure and a hook and loop closure. Either diaper can be purchased in the full rainbow of Cotton Babies colors. The only difference is in the leg elastics. You hardly tell them apart on the outside at all, and even then you’ll only know if you’re looking for it. The real difference is on the inside.

BumGenius Freetime has two flaps for their absorbency. The great thing about this flap system is that they are quick to dry. The Freetime dries faster than a lot of my all-in-one diapers. The absorbent pads are microfiber topped with a wicking micro suede, which is great for keeping baby’s bottom dry.

The BumGenius Elemental is the organic diaper. Of course, the outer is synthetic with PUL, which keeps it leak proof, but the organic aspects come from the inside. If you love the BumGenius design but don’t love synthetics, this is the diaper for you. The fabric inside is organic cotton. The layout of the diaper is similar to that of the GroVia hybrid organic inserts: you’ve got two sheets of organic cotton to do the absorbing. The downside of the Elemental is that it does not wick moisture away. Because both ends of the absorbent cotton are sewn into the diaper, it takes far longer to dry than the Freetime.

There’s your differences in the Freetime and the Elemental in a nutshell. Both are great diapers in my stash and are backed by the Cotton Babies warranty. Do you have a preference?

Where to buy: Cozy Bums (Canada), Kelly’s Closet (US), Nicki’s Diapers (US/Canada), Cloth Diaper Addicts Amazon Store (US)

Suzi December 17, 2012 Featured, Reviews BumGenius, BumGenius Elemental, BumGenius Freetime, Cotton Babies 8 Comments

http://www.facebook.com/Miss.Mush Rikky Mushrooms

Good post! Just a little correction though: the Elemental only comes in snap, Freetimes in both snap/H&L. Edit: Oh, and the BGE comes in two more colours than the FT (Bubble and Sweet).
As for preference, my stash is all FT’s and BGE’s. I love the FT’s the most, but they are sooooooooo bulky I can’t get most pants over top them. The BGE’s are nice and trim, so they fit nicely under clothes. I detached the front of the BGE soakers to make them “quick dry” and now they dry in a reasonable time!
- http://twitter.com/MotherhoodLooms Enyo
  
  BGE in velcro exists, but are rare and discontinued. I never considered detatching the end, though. I always thought it would somehow wreck the diaper!
  - http://www.facebook.com/Miss.Mush Rikky Mushrooms
    
    Detaching the soaker is AMAZING! It completely changes the diaper fixing all the issues that the BGE’s have. It only takes a minute and is really easy! And re-sale value is not effected (going by pricing on DS).
Lindsey G

Great look at both diapers – I always had issues with the BGE’s, but my Freetimes are some of my FAVORITE diapers!
Rowan

I have only tried the newborn BG. I have been wanting a Freetime for a while though! I always wondered what the elemental was like inside though.
Andrea

The elemental is the most expensive diaper in my stash and my least favourite…hard to clean, and takes days to dry…..wish I read your post before I purchased them!
- http://www.facebook.com/Miss.Mush Rikky Mushrooms
  
  Detach the front of the soaker – it’s like Elemental MAGIC!
Rachel N

I LOVE my bumgenius elementals but I have never tried a freetime yet. I actually really like the elastics on the elemental, they have never left marks on my kids.