Newbie with a Pockets Question & Needing Stash Advice

HungryRunner76

Hey ladies!  I've been lurking for a while now and your advice has been incredibly helpful so far in helping me with the stash I have so far; however, I need some advice.

Here is my stash so far:

Newborn:

3 bumgenius AIOs

2 lil joeys AIOS

3 thirsties duo wraps size 1

2 thirsties cover size xsmall

1 thirsties cover size small

7 kissaluvs size 0

Others:

4 flips (one of the ones I bought used on ebay has horrible elastic so I may not use it)

6 micro fiber inserts (used)

1 thirsties cover size 2

I'm going to purchase a few fitted workhorses today, but should I buy a mix of newborn and small or just stick to small?  Also, I was hoping to buy some flats/inserts as well for the "non-newborn" stash.  I was going to buy some thirsties hemp inserts, but maybe also some Indian prefolds and/or GMD prefolds to use in my flip covers. Will those work well together?

Lastly, my husband and I both don't understand the appeal of pocket diapers other than it supposedly speeds up drying time.  If a baby poops or pees in a pocket, wouldn't you need to change her diaper entirely or can you just restuff the pocket?  I know you can stuff them with extra inserts/prefolds for better absoption, but can't you do that with a cover & inserts and AIOS?  It seems easier to go with those instead.  (I hope I'm not offending anyone that loves pockets.  I'm just trying to understand the best use for them if we purchase a few).  

Sorry for the lengthy post and thanks for any help!

bumpuser9353653

Yes, you'd have to change the entire pocket, not just the insert. I like them for the faster drying time, and I don't mind the stuffing.

I think buying a handful of newborn workhorses is a good idea. My LO was almost 9 lbs at birth and is just over 9 lbs at 2 weeks and the newborn workhorses still fit her.

ETA: we also use infant sized (unbleached) Indian cotton prefolds, which fit her well. I don't have experience with other style prefolds, though.

Rrrrrachel

I think of aio as being the hardest to clean, then pockets, then anything all natural fibers like prefolds. So pockets wash up a little easier and dry faster than aio. They're also more customizable (you're not stuck with a sewn in microfiber insert if you don't like microfiber, for instance.

Personally I love prefolds and fitteds with covers most. I use pockets because we have a bunch of them from when we diapered my daughter.

NGilmerGirl

I'm hating pockets. Just can't stand stuffing them and like the others said, you only get one use out of each one. I definitely recommend prefolds and covers. I like the workhorses a lot also. I bought both newborn and small workhorses and have gotten good use out of both. The newborn and small prefolds will also work well trifolded or snappied under the flips covers. I also have some simplex AIO's which I really like but feel like it's kind of a waste every time LO poops or pees in it so quickly. But they will be good for grandma changes I suppose

freezorburn

Pockets are not my favorite. I have a slow weight-gainer, so we had several brands of pockets in our stash that really didn't fit well enough to be reliable for the first 10 months or so. Eventually I figured out that they work best if they are stuffed with flats. This especially comes in handy when we are traveling and don't have the same laundry facilities we have at home. Flats allow more room for error in laundering, when it comes to water quality, detergent, rinsability, etc. And if you have a crap dryer or no dryer at all, they dry faster on the line/rack than anything else.

TJ1979

Wait, what are you stuffing all your NB covers with?

I hate pockets. The end.

mrshudson618

I really dislike AIOs because of the washing/drying, and we have been almost 100% prefolds all along, but as C has gotten older he fights diaper changes with every fiber of his being, and I literally break a sweat trying to change him. So we are going to try pockets for a while just because it eliminates a couple steps during a change. Hopefully this is just a phase, and we can go back to all prefolds.

Into+the+Kitty

Are your microfiber inserts the flip stay dry inserts? Because you can't just use regular microfiber inserts in a cover against baby's skin.

karenhorning

Pockets are similar to AIOs, they both are the closest to being like disposables to put on which makes them a popular choice.  You do change the entire diaper at each change (like an AIO).  My husband loves pockets because they are the easiest to put on (because he's not the one that stuffs or un-stuffs them).  Despite loving the newborn AIOs he doesn't like OS AIOs because of the flaps/tongues/folds of material/etc that can get out of place when putting them on. 
Because pockets are not all one piece they have some other advantages over AIOs:
- Drying time: Pocket shells hang dry almost as quickly as covers.  Inserts can go in the dryer with little worry about heat settings
- More Adjustable:  Because you can use smaller/larger inserts, add inserts, use different materials, you can change them to work better for small/large babies,  for trim daytime or maximum absorbancy nighttime use.
- Longer Life of Diaper:  If you run into issues with the diapers you can remove the inserts and soak/bleach/strip/sanitize/etc just them without worrying about damage to elastic or PUL.  Or replace the inserts rather than the entire diaper.  On the other hand if a pocket does de-laminate you can still use the inserts in another pocket.
Also Pockets tend to be cheaper than AIOs (if you're not counting the cost of separately purchasing other inserts).

I love snap in All-In-Two systems like BestBottoms (and my husband uses them fairly happily) because they have most of the advantages of pockets plus:
- NO STUFFING!
- Most are re-usable like covers (some like Softbums have a liner in the shell that limits re-using them but also prevents any skin to PUL contact for those that might be sensitive to it)
- The material that goes against the skin is part of the insert rather than the diaper, so you can opt for different materials / replace if it wear out or is damaged.

I use my Osocozy Infant/Size 1 prefolds  (that I previously used folded and snappied during the newborn stage) tri-folded in my Flips.  They fit perfectly  without any folding down on the middle rise setting.  I also pad-fold flats.  The flaps so a pretty good job holding the prefolds/flat in place so its easier to get on than tri-folding/padfolding into a regular cover, but not as quite as easy an a snap in AI2 or pocket (my husband won't use Flips or covers) .  I haven't tried the Thirsties Hemp inserts in Flips (I do have some and use them in my pockets and love how trim they are), not sure how well they would stay in place alone in a Flip, but could definitely be placed underneath another insert/prefold/flat or wrapped within a prefold/flat. 

flummadiddle85

We just use pockets for out and about and babysitters. But I also stuff them with FST.

HungryRunner76

Ladies, thank you so much for all the great info!  I think I'll stick to my plan to not get any pockets for my stash.  

@Into+the+Kitty - I believe they are the flip stay dry inserts.  I bought them with a set of covers on ebay.  Are those allowed to be next to the skin or do they also need to be wrapped with a prefold or used differently?

@TJ1979 - I'm planning on using the kissaluvs fitted and workhorses at first and then using some prefolds (I just haven't bought any yet) based on a friend's recommendation.

Thanks again everyone!