Alva baby diapers question.

[dianes]

I’m new to cloth diapers so I don’t know all the lingo. I’m using Alva baby diapers they are the kind that you insert a pad into a pocket so they pee on the cover and it has to be washed every diaper change. Each diaper came with two inserts each. My babies (twins) are 7 weeks old am I supposed to be putting both inserts in each diaper at the same time? They don’t seem to have any leaks with just one pad. Is this for when they are older and peeing more? Or are these just for when the insert gets worn out to replace it? Probably a dumb question but I just have a whole drawer of these inserts that I don’t use at all.

 

[sexualpurity]

@dianes At that age they probably only need 1 insert! They’ll need 2 or more when they get older

 

[_ajayy_2014]

@dianes It’s so you can double them once baby needs more absorption. You can also use all sorts of other things to add absorption too - hemp/bamboo/cotton inserts are all great! Check Facebook BST groups to get a big batch secondhand for a lot less than new

 

[calape52]

@dianes I’m new to cloth too and have been putting the insert on top of my Alva diapers and if he doesn’t pee/poop on the cover itself I’ll just reuse it. I’m finding that easier for now while he’s little still (10wks).

 

[lndavout]

@calape52 You can do that if baby’s skin is ok with it! Some babes are more sensitive than others. I did this with my babe and he was fine but now that he’s sleeping through the night I prefer the fleece touching his skin to keep his skin feeling drier.

 

[_ajayy_2014]

@calape52 If they’re the microfiber inserts that came with them you don’t really want that touching the baby’s skin as it can be irritating.

 

[calape52]

@_ajayy_2014 Oh really?! Oh shoot I had no idea. Thank you!

 

[_ajayy_2014]

@calape52 I’ve heard fleece works really well as an in between layer - a lot of people cut up cheapie Walmart blankets and use them like a liner (as in, baby poops toss it baby pees wash it). Ik there’s different types of fleece but haven’t gone down that rabbit hole enough to know which repel and which absorb moisture, just that it’s a good stay-dry material for against the skin

 

[kegmag]

@calape52 I bought some bamboo inserts and do this with them too! Much softer in the skin, and nice that the outers can often be used more than once

 

[meki]

@dianes I have a bunch of Alva baby diapers. I no longer use the inserts that came with them. We bought a bunch of cotton prefolds from green mountain diapers and stuff them with those. Works great. But we rarely use our Alva diapers anymore. My son is very long and they’re not long enough for his body anymore because they only have two rows of snaps

 

[imstillstanding]

@dianes I used Alva Pockets with my first. One insert was fine when they are little. By about 7-8 months, I added a hemp insert as well. It helped with the heavier flow.

 

[wren84]

@dianes They will probably need them as they get older.

 

[relle25]

@dianes Yep, inserts are kind of customizable- you put in more inserts or various materials depending on how much your kid pees, basically. Small newborns tend to not totally soak a diaper the way older babies do, so a lot of newborns only need one insert initially.

Also, some materials are more absorbent than others. Microfiber and cotton are the least absorbent, and hemp, bamboo and wool are the most absorbent. So some folks like to use certain materials for inserts or combine inserts as needed