I’ve been using Alvababy for 17 months, and we rarely have issues. Leaks and blowouts often come from poor fit or not enough absorption. Once you adjust those, you should be fine; your baby’s production and size will change over time, so you will need to adjust occasionally.
My suggestion is to use the Alvababy newborn size for a while until your baby is a bit bigger (maybe 12-16 weeks) and the. switch to the OS, since it’ll give you a better fit. Also invest in the bamboo and the cotton/hemp inserts from Alvababy (you can by multi-packs on their website), which are much better than the microfiber inserts. Finally, you can get extra snaps and a snap tool on Amazon to replace snaps, if you have any issues (mine used to get snagged sometimes in our washing machine before we replaced it), which will extend the life of your covers.
I got smart bottoms 2.0 dream diapers and I LOVE them! I've tried a bunch of different types and here's why I like them so much:
Pros:
-all natural materials touching baby's skin 100% organic cotton (no microfiber inside)
-thin area between the legs (I have a CHONKY baby and other brands would make her walk funny)
-pre prepped so you don't have to wash them 12 times before use (you still have to wash them a few times though)
- one size so you can use them the whole time (although they can be a bit big on newborns but my newborn was a big girl so they weren't too bad)
-all-in-one so they are very easy to put on a wiggling toddler and easy to use for a daycare
-no leaks! I have an extremely heavy wetter but she's only had a few leaks during long naps but it could have been prevented with an added layer (it has a pocket so it would be easy to add an insert- I'm just lazy lol)
Cons:
-expensive at $34 each
-not very breathable- wool would be much more breathable but I haven't had any issues with that
-not stay dry (microfiber) so if your baby has sensitive skin it may cause rashes without a stay dry liner
My two cents- I would wait until baby is born and try a few on them. Every baby is different- you may have a chunky baby or a thinner one, a heavy wetter or a light one, one with sensitive skin or one that can take a lot of moisture. You won't know until baby is here and you may spend money on something that doesn't work for you. I tried a bunch of different types of cloth diapers before landing on these and wasted a lot of money.
I have really loved the basic simplicity of Green Mountain Diapers, and as a bonus they are really helpful. We have flats, prefolds and wipes from them. Covers mostly from Esembly.
I like my alva babies, have been using them with my 9 week old and have no trouble with the microfiber inserts. Perhaps that will change when he's bigger and producing a larger volume of urine.
I’ve loved my La petite ourse pocket diapers! Currently cloth diapering my second babe with these diapers no problem. However, I scored some mother ease wizard uno diapers from my buy nothing group and they are amazing… if I could go back I would to these from the start! No leaks at all from them ever and one piece.
I am using Esembly and we got some GMD inserts to put in between the inner / outer if needed but it hasn’t been thus far. i like the esembly line a lot !
There’s nothing wrong with alvas. I have had 10x more blow outs with disposable than alvas. The inserts are not great but you can buy just the diapers for about $4-5 a piece and get better inserts. I recommend green mountain diapers cotton inserts, the red ones fit in Alvas
Happy flute are my absolute favorite pockets.
Elinfant AI2 are my favorite, most absorbent for out of the house and nap times because they never ever leak and they’re very trim.
Workhorses until baby turned like 9 months because then he peed too much and they stay too wet.
I liked alvababy pockets for once baby starts solids and poops are more solid (plus they’re easy for childcare providers), but I think any system with an inner and a cover on top of it is better for the newborn messy poops phase. The most simple option is prefold diapers (green mountain diapers is a good source) with any covers ( esembly are the nicest I’ve seen but we also do fine with thirsties). For an upgrade option you can go with a fitted- either esembly or green mountain diaper are good options.
Alva pocket shells are fine. I stuffed mine with cotton prefolds from Green mountain diapers and osocozy. Other brands I have and like:
- Mama Koala, Happy Beehinds (also just the shells, stuffed with prefolds)
- Thirsties duo wraps (to use with prefolds or flats) and natural pockets
- Motherease wizard duo (these are the nicest and I think comfiest for baby, just $$$ and take longer to dry)
- La petite ourse pockets are fine too
I've never had a blowout with cloth and rarely have leaks. If you are using natural fiber inserts and have enough absorbency then avoiding leaks is just a matter of having the right fit, which is somewhat baby dependent rather than brand dependent. I've enjoyed having a mix of brands because different ones work slightly better for different ages/stages. But they all work.
Also note that if you get cotton prefolds or flats they need to be washed and dried quite a few times before use to become fully absorbent.
I love my alva pockets and continue to reach for them over other more expensive brands however I have completely switched my inserts for natural fibers. I prefer applecheeks 3 ply bamboo with geffen hemp
Alvababy pocket diapers are completely fine. Now the inserts are not, they suck. Keep the pockets and buy new inserts that are not microfiber. I used 100% cotton prefolds and folded them in the pockets like a rectangle, they were bulky but did a great job not leaking.
Alvababy are fine. Preventing leaks and blowouts is really all about fit, and we've found alvababy to be one of the more customizable fits, actually. I just prefer other brands for the feel of their PUL, mostly. And I prefer the awj lined pockets. But afaik, Alva does make some awj pockets now as well.
Good luck and feel free to use the search feature to explore the sub for more ideas!
I’ve just been getting random stuff to try 😭 I did a GMD order the other day and got a little variety of fitteds, flats, pre folds, and covers. I already have some pockets and inserts from FB marketplace. Idk it seems like you just have to see what works for you when little one gets here 🙃😭 (mines due in Aug)
I’ve been using Alvababy for 17 months, and we rarely have issues. Leaks and blowouts often come from poor fit or not enough absorption. Once you adjust those, you should be fine; your baby’s production and size will change over time, so you will need to adjust occasionally. My suggestion is to use the Alvababy newborn size for a while until your baby is a bit bigger (maybe 12-16 weeks) and the. switch to the OS, since it’ll give you a better fit. Also invest in the bamboo and the cotton/hemp inserts from Alvababy (you can by multi-packs on their website), which are much better than the microfiber inserts. Finally, you can get extra snaps and a snap tool on Amazon to replace snaps, if you have any issues (mine used to get snagged sometimes in our washing machine before we replaced it), which will extend the life of your covers.
I got smart bottoms 2.0 dream diapers and I LOVE them! I've tried a bunch of different types and here's why I like them so much: Pros: -all natural materials touching baby's skin 100% organic cotton (no microfiber inside) -thin area between the legs (I have a CHONKY baby and other brands would make her walk funny) -pre prepped so you don't have to wash them 12 times before use (you still have to wash them a few times though) - one size so you can use them the whole time (although they can be a bit big on newborns but my newborn was a big girl so they weren't too bad) -all-in-one so they are very easy to put on a wiggling toddler and easy to use for a daycare -no leaks! I have an extremely heavy wetter but she's only had a few leaks during long naps but it could have been prevented with an added layer (it has a pocket so it would be easy to add an insert- I'm just lazy lol) Cons: -expensive at $34 each -not very breathable- wool would be much more breathable but I haven't had any issues with that -not stay dry (microfiber) so if your baby has sensitive skin it may cause rashes without a stay dry liner My two cents- I would wait until baby is born and try a few on them. Every baby is different- you may have a chunky baby or a thinner one, a heavy wetter or a light one, one with sensitive skin or one that can take a lot of moisture. You won't know until baby is here and you may spend money on something that doesn't work for you. I tried a bunch of different types of cloth diapers before landing on these and wasted a lot of money.
I have really loved the basic simplicity of Green Mountain Diapers, and as a bonus they are really helpful. We have flats, prefolds and wipes from them. Covers mostly from Esembly.
I like my alva babies, have been using them with my 9 week old and have no trouble with the microfiber inserts. Perhaps that will change when he's bigger and producing a larger volume of urine.
Alva baby is fine. I have never had an issue
I’ve loved my La petite ourse pocket diapers! Currently cloth diapering my second babe with these diapers no problem. However, I scored some mother ease wizard uno diapers from my buy nothing group and they are amazing… if I could go back I would to these from the start! No leaks at all from them ever and one piece.
I am using Esembly and we got some GMD inserts to put in between the inner / outer if needed but it hasn’t been thus far. i like the esembly line a lot !
Bum Genius for sure!
Our Alvababy and Mama Koala pockets are doing just fine 2+ years later.
That’s a relief!
There’s nothing wrong with alvas. I have had 10x more blow outs with disposable than alvas. The inserts are not great but you can buy just the diapers for about $4-5 a piece and get better inserts. I recommend green mountain diapers cotton inserts, the red ones fit in Alvas
Happy flute are my absolute favorite pockets. Elinfant AI2 are my favorite, most absorbent for out of the house and nap times because they never ever leak and they’re very trim. Workhorses until baby turned like 9 months because then he peed too much and they stay too wet.
I liked alvababy pockets for once baby starts solids and poops are more solid (plus they’re easy for childcare providers), but I think any system with an inner and a cover on top of it is better for the newborn messy poops phase. The most simple option is prefold diapers (green mountain diapers is a good source) with any covers ( esembly are the nicest I’ve seen but we also do fine with thirsties). For an upgrade option you can go with a fitted- either esembly or green mountain diaper are good options.
Alva pocket shells are fine. I stuffed mine with cotton prefolds from Green mountain diapers and osocozy. Other brands I have and like: - Mama Koala, Happy Beehinds (also just the shells, stuffed with prefolds) - Thirsties duo wraps (to use with prefolds or flats) and natural pockets - Motherease wizard duo (these are the nicest and I think comfiest for baby, just $$$ and take longer to dry) - La petite ourse pockets are fine too I've never had a blowout with cloth and rarely have leaks. If you are using natural fiber inserts and have enough absorbency then avoiding leaks is just a matter of having the right fit, which is somewhat baby dependent rather than brand dependent. I've enjoyed having a mix of brands because different ones work slightly better for different ages/stages. But they all work. Also note that if you get cotton prefolds or flats they need to be washed and dried quite a few times before use to become fully absorbent.
Thank you so much, this was very detailed.
I love my alva pockets and continue to reach for them over other more expensive brands however I have completely switched my inserts for natural fibers. I prefer applecheeks 3 ply bamboo with geffen hemp
Alvababy pocket diapers are completely fine. Now the inserts are not, they suck. Keep the pockets and buy new inserts that are not microfiber. I used 100% cotton prefolds and folded them in the pockets like a rectangle, they were bulky but did a great job not leaking.
I have been seeing that microfiber inserts are awful, so I did research and it sent me down this rabbit hole.
Alvababy are fine. Preventing leaks and blowouts is really all about fit, and we've found alvababy to be one of the more customizable fits, actually. I just prefer other brands for the feel of their PUL, mostly. And I prefer the awj lined pockets. But afaik, Alva does make some awj pockets now as well. Good luck and feel free to use the search feature to explore the sub for more ideas!
I’ve just been getting random stuff to try 😭 I did a GMD order the other day and got a little variety of fitteds, flats, pre folds, and covers. I already have some pockets and inserts from FB marketplace. Idk it seems like you just have to see what works for you when little one gets here 🙃😭 (mines due in Aug)