dabbling in diapers - review of Alva pocket diapers.

I was hesitant when I first heard about Alva diapers. Made in China... only five bucks a pop... didn't really seem too promising. But the cute prints eventually enticed me to  give them a try. I joined forces with another mom in the area so we could take advantage of the free shipping, and I put in an order for fifteen of these diapers. 

So many prints, so many outfits.

Price: Hands down, the Alvas get a rating of 5. I mean, seriously. At $5 a piece they are a steal. That's 1/5 of the cost of some of my other diapers! It was nice to be able to order a ton of these without going bankrupt.

 

Absorbancy: This is a little iffy. When I ordered the diapers, I chose to have them come with 4 layer bamboo/microfiber inserts. Mostly they do a great job. But occasionally, some of the diapers will get dampness around the legs. I don't know if it's something that I'm doing or what, but it doesn't happen all the time and it doesn't happen with all the diapers. So just for the hell of it, let's give the Alvas a 3. Especially because the absorbancy can be fiddled with by adding more inserts if needed.

 

Poopability: I am surprised at how well these have kept poop in. There have been some massive shits that have not escaped the leg elastics of the Alvas. But, just like with the absorbancy, sometimes some of the diapers don't do as well. I do find that I have fewer issues with poop escaping than with the dampness from just pee, so let's go with a 3.5 here, just for good measure.

 

Versatility: In general, pocket diapers are pretty versatile in terms of how you want to use them. Want them for overnight or a nap? Just stuff more inserts in. The nice thing about it is that you can pick what you shove in the pockets. With my Alvas, I haven't used anything besides the 4 layer inserts, but I know I have the option if I want it. I don't use these for anything besides daytime awake time, so there's no need to amp up the absorbancy. What I find really versatile about these, though, is the ability to coordinate a whole fucking outfit around them. There are so many prints to choose from and they are so cute that I don't like covering them up with a onesie or pants. So what I can do is pick a diaper, pick a shirt that matches said diaper, maybe throw on some baby legs (leg warmers for babies) and voila  - Lily will be ready for a night out on the town! Or, more realistically, a night sitting on the couch with mommy. So I'll go ahead and rate Alvas with a 4.

I'm giving the Alvas an extra point, as well, because they have been perfect for me going back to work. They were cheap enough that I could order a lot of them so that Grandpa (or whoever happens to be watching Lily) can have plenty to use. This is important because Grandpa tried to put a prefold on Lily once... let's just say the snaps are a better choice for him (he used a burp cloth instead of a prefold, didn't fold it onto her, and put the cover on inside out. We all had a good laugh about it).

I was pleasantly surprised with these diapers. I never would have guessed that they would have worked so well for us. For anyone contemplating using Alvas but hesitant for the same reasons that I was, my advice is GO FOR IT! Even if they end up not working for you, they are so cheap you won't be out that much money & you can make most of it back by reselling them anyways.