Help Me Understand.....

[owlgirl]

Okay, so I have a nearly one month old newborn, first baby. We are CDing. We are using PFs with covers, right now mostly Prowraps and Bummis Super Brites. Works awesome, so happy with our choices. Family and friends have been gifting me various pocket diapers and AIOs. I am just at a total loss to the advantage or purpose of the pocket dipes. If I understand correctly I have to wash the WHOLE thing after one pee or poo?? It just seems like so much laundry, bulk if travelling to store dirties in diaper bag and general cost for purchasing. Prefolds are so much easier. Now I don't have a lot of experience, so help me understand what is the advantage? Do I really get one use out of a pocket diaper and that's it?

[Mosaic]

I think they're supposed to be easier to put on and take off, more like a disposie. But I'm a preford&cover gal myself who had the exact.same.reaction when I tried a one-size pocket. AND, they can't take the laundry beating I give my prefolds on occasion, AND they're way more expensive.

That said, a lot of moms here really do love them, so I'm interested in hearing what they have to say.

[cristeen]

Let me put it this way - if all I had were pfs in my stash, I would be doing every single diaper change.  Period.  Even after almost 16 mos, my DH is still terrified of PFs.  PFs can have a large learning curve.  It took me a while to figure out the best fold to use on my guy without winding up with blowouts on my wool covers.  PFs also do not have the absorbency of other options.  My guy can literally pee through a PF and wool cover - I mean pee hitting the floor at velocity, like the PF isn't even there. 

Some daycare providers will not take pfs, but will take pockets or AIOs because they're no different than using a sposie. 

Some people prefer a 1-part diapering option (no covers).

Some people like the ease of laundry with pockets.

Some babies need the stay-dry inner of the pocket. 

For us, pockets are great for outings - when I'm going to be out for several hours.  Unlike a PF which I must change as soon as it's wet, I can leave him in a pocket for 2-3 hours at a stretch.  I can also change a pocket while he's standing up, which I cannot do with a pf. 

Mostly I use fitteds, and we used fitteds exclusively until he was almost a year.  But pockets definitely have their place.

[Chamomile Girl]

I love prefolds and covers, but I have a stash of pockets that we use exclusively for traveling.  It is much much easier/faster to put a pocket on a squirmy baby than a prefold because you eliminate an entire step.  This is important in most public bathroom situations as my LO hates those pull-down diaper changers and howls like a banchee when placed into one.  Oh, and he is also scared of the sound of hand dryers.  So, yeah, the faster the better.

I can also put a pocket onto him using his stroller as a changing table...which is impossible to do with prefolds for some reason.

I would never use them as my daily diaper though.  Too fussy.  Plus if he wears synthethics for longer than a day at a time he gets rashes.

[donutmolly]

They are a convenience thing.  Yes, you only get one use out of them, then it's into the wash.  I do find them useful for Dh (who after 3 babies still claims he can't figure out a prefold) or for other caregivers who feel more comfortable with something more similar to a sposie.  I usually carry them with me when I go out -- I do find them easier/faster to change while on the go.  And as baby gets older and sleeps for longer stretches, I find that the fleece lining (on brands like fuzzibunz and BG) do seem to keep that feeling of dryness, which is nice for an overnight diaper.  I do love my prefolds, but I usually use them at home during the day, and use AIO/pocket dipes for when we go out and nighttime.

[WifeofAnt]

This sounds bad but I don't trust DH to put on a prefold and cover right.  I barely even trust myself enough sometimes.  That's why we have 2 BumGenius (and I'm ordering more SunBaby pockets).  I wash, stuff, and he can (mostly) figure out how to put them on.  Of course I thought he'd already know how to change a diaper since he constantly bragged about his nieces and nephews.  Turns out until DS was born he'd never changed a diaper in his life!

Then I'm moving back in with my parents in less than a month when DH deploys.  I know my dad used cloth for a time but my (step)mom has no experience.  I'd rather just hand them a pre-stuffed pocket and tell them how far to snap it.  Of course now that I ordered more diapers I'm getting better with snappi'ing the prefolds.  I wouldn't have ordered as many if I had improved more quickly.

[oma to 9]

For every mom and babe there is a combination that works, and each one is different.  Personally I like the pockets because you can sneak an extra layer in there for absorbency, and the elastic at the legs and back help contain blowouts a bit better than with prefolds.  That said, I know moms who swear by their prefolds and rarely if ever have a blowout.  I know for lots of parents the AIOs are more reminiscent of disposables and the convenience factor goes a long way with some people.  I don't know if you've ever met people who struggle with tying a necktie, but for them, folding a prefold is almost out of the question.  It's a similar thing for first time mamas without a lot of experience who feel overwhelmed by the whole diapering thing to begin with, not to even consider the logistics of putting on a two or three piece diaper contraption and cover.  Personally, I'd far rather see a baby in an AIO or AI2 than in a sposie.  As far as having several styles, that's cool for the moms who are, shall we say, maybe a bit more crunchy than some, but for others, again, mastering the AIO is an accomplishment to be proud of, and rightly so. 

Me?  I diapered back in the Dark Ages (early 80's) when the alternatives available were very expensive and not so absorbent disposables, home washed diapers, and diaper services.  I had prefolds and a few flats that I also used as burp cloths and emergency receiving blankets.  We got most of our diapers as seconds from the diaper service - you could get a bag with six dozen for about $25 dollars, I think, and that was perfect for us.  The diapers had often started to fray on the edges or had a stain that wouldn't come out...nothing all that big when you considered the quality of the diapers and the price paid.  Even with frayed ends, the diapers lasted through potty training.

Each mom and dad and baby have to find what works for them.  It's often quite a journey in these days where there are many, many choices out there.

Trisha

[owlgirl]

I REALLY appreciate the responses!! I have learned that my stash of pockets I started collecting from ebay when I was in  my first trimester might come in handy for when she is a bit bigger (one month now).

I didn't know you can leave baby in a PD or AIO  for longer because the diaper will wick away pee so they are good for errands, days out and longer night time stretches. I swear every night we change like 12 diapers.....I guess I am lucky because all I did was on day one postpartum loaded up some you tube 'how to fold prefolds" and made him learn and teach me. He is still the best folder, often saying "newspaper this time" or whatever. Super cute.

I guess it is also good to have more choices, variety, as babe grows and what may work at one stage may not work at another. I also love the image of changing the diaper in the stroller. So thanks mamas....KNEW there was something I wasn't getting!

[Carma]

I like the staydry function of a pocket, we never had a rash. What I just started doing is using a layin insert with a staydry layer on top with my (unstuffed) pockets, that way I can reuse the pocket after just a pee or if it stayed clean after a poop. and just put a clean layin insert. Less bulk in diaperbag and less to wash.

Carma

[Carma]

Originally Posted by WifeofAnt 

This sounds bad but I don't trust DH to put on a prefold and cover right.

My husband cannot even do a pocket right. He has changed her into an unstuffed pocket And he has a PhD in physics

Carma