Pocket Diaper Reviews ~ Kawaii

I have a kawaii simply because it was a free diaper with purchase on Kelly's Closet. To be honest, I wasn't thrilled with the idea of kawaii because I hadn't heard great things about them, but I also wasn't looking to place a huge order, so I figured, why not. When I received the diaper, I laughed. I told my husband that it would probably fit a 5 year old. Unfortunately, I don't have a five year old to test that theory on, but it is a huge diaper and if you have big babies, this might be the answer for you.

Kawaii diapers are a pul outer with a microfleece inner pocket diaper. They are one size with three rows of rise snaps across the front, hip snaps and a single row of snaps at the waist with crossover. They come with 2 large microfiber inserts. One thing that I am not a fan of is that the waist snaps skip a snap between fasteners. To me, this means it is slightly less adjustable than diapers that snap to directly adjacent snaps. The materials are good quality and feel almost heavy duty.

The Good:

1. Good quality materials that hold up over time.

2. Price. At around $7/diaper, these are definitely a cheaper alternative to other major brands.

3. Can fit older babies. Most one size diapers max out at somewhere around 35 lbs. If your baby isn't ready for potty training by then, these are a good (and inexpensive) option.

4. Possible overnight option. For those of us not wanting to go the fitted + wool route for overnight, this pocket holds up pretty well with the right insert combination.

The Bad:

1. Bulky. They look like they could fit a five year old, so on a small baby, they are insanely bulky. It is the only cloth diaper I have had difficulty getting clothes over.

2. They don't seem to breathe well. My son always seems to get a heat rash in this diaper. The material is thick and I don't think much air gets through.

3. Snap configuration. Like I said earlier, I don't like the snap configuration. I feel that adjacent snapping provides a better fit.

Overall:
I can't say I love this diaper, but I'm not sure why. They aren't bad, they just seem like too much. They are thick, bulky and heavy. I don't think I will ever buy more, even though the price is great.

Pocket Diaper Reviews ~ Alva

Alva diapers are another diaper that is made in China and can get you into cloth for very little money upfront. If you have looked at the alvababy.com website, you might have noticed that they advertise the diapers as ai2. While there are two parts to the alva system, they are actually a pocket diaper and if using the microfiber insert that comes with them, should not be used as an ai2. Although the alva website is a bit confusing with all the different series, they are mostly the same with different prints. The alva that I will be reviewing here are the regular alva diapers, not the bamboo or the color snap versions.

I was content with my sunbaby for a long time. Alva looked too bulky to me. However, when I wanted a couple of Alva prints while diaper shopping for Noah, I realized it was only fair for me to try both before making judgements about which was better. Remarkably, even though Alva is the wider diaper, I actually get a trimmer fit with them than with sunbaby. Sunbaby are kind of puffy in places and alva lays flat all around. I really wish that I had heard about Alva earlier because I probably would have had more in my stash than the 5 that I have now.

Alva diapers are a pocket diaper with a PUL outer and microsuede inner. They come with one microfiber insert, but you can purchase bamboo and blend inserts from Alva as well. The pockets on Alva run across the top of the back of the diaper - some have  double elastic (on the PUL and the Microsuede), others have only elastic on the PUL layer. I'm not sure exactly why this is and there does not seem to be any rhyme or reason to which you get. All of mine were ordered at the same time, from several different series and all have the double elastic. The rise has three snaps across and the diaper also features hip snaps and crossover snaps for a tight fit at the waist. Alva diapers come in a ton of really cute prints

The Good:

1) Lots of print options. I think that the advantage that alva has over sunbaby is that they have a lot more print options available. For example, I really wanted a camo print diaper, but didn't want to pay for a custom. Fortunately, Alva actually has a couple of variations of camo print. Here is Noah in his! They also have several that come in super soft minky.

2) Price. With solid color diapers starting at $4.79 (cheaper if purchased through a co-op or in bulk), you really can't beat the price. Also, if ordering directly from alva, you can get free express shipping if you are buying 20 diapers or more.

3) Can get a good fit at a variety of sizes. Alva are pretty generously sized, so bigger babies and toddlers can fit in them very well. They can also fit babies just a few weeks old if you set the snaps correctly. (see end of post) They also have a very trim fit compared to other one size pocket diapers.

4) Good quality. These diapers feel a bit sturdier than my sunbaby. I never feel like the snaps are pulling on the PUL and they hold up to washing very well.

The Bad:

1) Width. They are pretty wide, like bumGenius, and sometimes that means bunching up on smaller or skinnier babies.

2) Website is confusing and so is customer service (according to some). Ok, this really has nothing to do with the diaper, but they can be a bit intimidating to order because the website is a bit confusing. I've never dealt with their customer service myself, but several people on different forums I am a part of have said they get inconsistent service. Sometimes they are great offering to replace defective diapers immediately, other times they take a long time to return messages or send the wrong diapers.

3) China. This doesn't bother me, but to some, it is definitely a negative.

Overall:

I don't really have any complaints about this diaper. They are cheap, good quality, cute, fit well and do the job. I just wish that I knew about these diapers before I had Reagan.

How to make it fit a newborn:

1) Set diaper to medium rise. Fold the waist snaps down.

2) Snap hip snap to middle rise snap.

3) Snap other hip snap to closest rise snap.

4) Fasten with crossover snaps.

Noah at 1 month in an alva converted for newborn

Pocket Diaper Reviews - Charlie Banana

I thought it would be good to review Charlie Banana diapers since most Target stores recently started carrying them and the idea of pocket diapers and ai2 diapers is now reaching a broader audience. So, a lot of questions have been popping up about them. I really wasn't looking to buy any Charlie Banana, but since they were there at Target, I wanted them to know that people will buy them if they are available, so I bought one. While I was standing in front of the display, deciding which print to get, I heard not one, but two people show interest in them. Neither bought any to my knowledge, but I think that most people are starting to catch on to the fact that cloth diapers isn't pins and plastic pants anymore and any way you look at it, that's great!

So, the one size Charlie Banana is a pocket diaper with a hybrid option. It is a PUL outer with microfleece inner and comes with 2 microfiber inserts that appear to be identical. A couple of unique features of Charlie Banana is the front pocket design and the elastic size adjustment (although, apparently, they stole that idea from fuzzibunz . . . ongoing lawsuits etc.). They seem to be good quality and despite the fact that I wasn't thrilled about the elastic adjustment because it seemed like it would be hard to find the right fit, I actually think it's pretty brilliant. It gives a more streamlined look than snap rises and it also means that you can adjust the rise to get a custom fit all the time, rather than being stuck with 3 size options and potentially being in between sizes. Charlie Banana is also advertised as a hybrid diaper because they offer the option of tucking a disposable insert into the pocket flap. However, I don't see what is so unique about that - you could do that with any pocket diaper after all.

The Good:

1) Quality materials. It seems sturdy and the feel of the materials is great. I haven't had this diaper more than a couple months though, so I can't speak to how it holds up over time.

2) Can fit a newborn. Still debating on a newborn stash? This diaper will actually fit from birth to potty training. I have seen it on 2 day old babies and it fit with plenty of room to spare on my 2 year old and it wasn't even on the largest setting. Well done!

3) Custom fit. As I said, the elastic provides a truly custom fit. Although, adjusting it every time your baby grows a tiny bit would get annoying. So far, I've found a setting that works and left it there until it really doesn't seem to fit anymore.

4) Very cute. They really do have some of the cutest prints that I've come across.

5) Easily accessible. All you need is a Target close by and you have quick and easy access to your cloth diaper fix. Sometimes you can find them on awesome clearance deals as well.

6) Trim. They give a nice trim fit and are not too wide. While they aren't my first under clothes choice, they are a good one.

The Bad:

1) Front Pocket. Whose idea was this?? I have both a girl and a boy and both of them always soak their inserts from the front first. So with this, 100% of the time, I have to reach in and get the insert from the soaked with pee end. On top of that, the inserts don't shake out well, so you really do have to actually pull it out.

2) A little hard to stuff. They are nice and narrow, giving a good trim fit, however, that makes it a little harder to get a hand through to stuff.

3) Price. They are on the expensive side for a pocket diaper. If I was looking to spend $20-23 on a diaper, these wouldn't be my first choice.

4) I haven't had time to test this theory, but I'm concerned about the size adjustment when the elastic gets stretched or relaxed.

Overall:

I'm liking this diaper a lot more than I thought I would. Even though I bought it purely to support the company and cloth in general, I'm glad I did. It's only been 3 months since I bought it, so I can't comment on how it works over time or how I'll feel about it a year from now, but for now, I like that I have one in my stash. If I found them on sale, I'd definitely consider buying more.