Keep it simple with Mama koala?

[milliiard]

I’m a FTM setting up my registry. I’m both impressed and overwhelmed by the amount of cloth diapers available today. I want to keep it simple and get the most out of my registry. Will I regret requesting 20 3.0 pocket diapers from mama koala? They say they fit most from 8-40 lbs. what type of insert would you recommend for them? there is a 4, 5 or 6 layer option.

Thanks for any advice or feedback!

Mama Koala 3.0 Pocket Diaper - Suede Cloth Lining, Snap

ETA: if we can finance it, I’ve changed my vote to Thirsties natural All in Ones with hemp inserts. Has anyone had success or frustration with thirsties natural AIW? At what age or weight did they start to fit your baby?

 

[davidsteele]

@milliiard I don’t know if anyone else says this so sorry if they already did. My advice would be to get a few different brands & make sure the sizing surpasses 35. I also prefer cotton/hemp over microfiber/bamboo the cotton and hemp absorb more and we don’t really get major compression leaks or any leaks but w bamboo and microfiber I hated them they don’t hold anything and have compression leaks like no one’s business we were having leaks w every diaper w those. I thought it would be easier for me to just get one brand bc I didn’t know much as a ftm when it came to cloth but what I’m stuck w now is that the Nora’s nursery OS diapers we purchased like 35 of no longer fit my 8 month old bc even though they state up to 35 lbs and he’s only 25 lb they absolutely do not fit him anymore. I’ve sold them all and started to do research on the weight limit on sizing for different brands buying lots of different brands to try different things out. I’ve learned we love tummy panels, need to have a minimum max weight of 45 lbs for sizing, and that we prefer hemp/cotton. It’s also fun for me to find different fun prints from different brands! I try to only buy one or two diapers from a company in case I don’t like them but I may or may not have purchased like 9 of Vida Mia’s horror/spooky diapers

 

[milliiard]

@davidsteele Thanks! That’s the consensus. I went ahead and added a variety of diapers brands and styles. I’ll update next year

 

[rehem]

@milliiard I like the Thirsties NAIO, but in my experience, AIOs are really best through maybe 12 months, less for heavier wetters. I feel like the absorbency just isn't enough for older babies/toddlers. It's usually easy enough to add extra absorbency, so not necessarily a huge deal, just something to keep in mind.

IMO one-size diapers typically start to fit around 3 months old. Maybe a bit earlier if you have a bigger baby.

You might consider getting a range of diapers to start, that way if it turns out that you hate stuffing pockets, or really love AIOs, or love flats, you aren't stuck with an entire system you don't care for.

 

[cees]

@rehem Came here to say that AIOs become annoying after a year because you will need to add boosters and then it’s not really an all in one anymore.

 

[nxghey]

@milliiard I have majority Mama Koala but after about 4 months of using them I upgraded all my inserts to a mix of bamboo, hemp, and some other random ones I got second hand in order to keep up with heavier pees. They are more prone to leaking I find, but I was only using them at home during the day so a bit of leaking wasn’t a huge issue for me. The microfibre that comes with the MK are fine for a younger baby and if you change them fairly often, they also stack well with other inserts. I tried some AIO of a different brand (Grovia I think) and didn’t really like them, I prefer pockets.

 

[sammylove]

@milliiard I have 24 Alvababy and Mama Koala pockets and they're holding up great after 2+ years. We use them with green mountain cotton inserts and thirsties hemp inserts.

 

[milliiard]

@sammylove Thank you!

 

[joyful0128]

@milliiard Big fan of thirsties dou wraps with a pad folded flat inside. Super easy to wash. I know that’s not what you asked but look into it. Way cheaper too.

 

[_ajayy_2014]

@joyful0128 Second this, we did prefolds instead of flats & it worked great for our household. Super easy wash routine!!

 

[joyful0128]

@_ajayy_2014 If I could go back I’d do thirsties for my entire stash. We haven’t tried prefolds but flats are great for us. I think next baby I’ll give prefolds a try for newborn phase

 

[graceadele]

@milliiard I don’t mind our mama koala at all. They’re roomier than other pocket diapers but didn’t fit my baby till she was way older so
If you’re wanting to do cloth right out the gate bear in mind that there’s a chance they might not fit your newborn. They also kinda feel like they don’t have a forgiving lifespan, they feel notably cheaper and lower quality than Nora’s or the other pockets I have, but I feel like that’s kind of a get what you pay for kinda thing as they’re notably cheaper. I have just 2 AIOs and I honestly hate them. I feel like it’s hard to get them clean and they take 800 years to dry, I don’t even use them anymore. I see similar complaints here frequently. Best advice would be to try several different kinds and not go gung ho on one type if you’re not absolutely certain. I started with one pack of mama koala and one pack of Nora’s and a small esembly stash and went from there, and I would say I use them all equally.

ETA: I sorta take back what I said - I hate them in the stage we’ve used them which is older baby to toddler, with a newborn it might not be so bad if you wanted to do newborn AIOs and then move on to mama koala

 

[whatmeworry]

@milliiard I love Mama Koala! We have 24 and it’s enough to do laundry every other day. We had an extra insert in at night and they work great.

 

[emilyflowers]

@milliiard Mama koala is fine for a start IMO. They didn’t hold up through more than one child, but for the price maybe that’s fine with you. I don’t know about the inserts they come with though and I’d assume they are probably crummy and you’ll need to invest in more quality inserts, whether that’s flour sack towels or secondhand flats or bamboo hemp blended fabrics.

Pockets are only as good as their inserts!

I don’t really like any AIOs, I’ll be honest. I went all in on them as a concept when I first started cloth and hated them because my kid could out pee them by six months. The Thirsties natural AIOs are slightly better, but I still need an extra insert of some kind underneath the sewn in ones, which is annoying and defeats the purpose. I still use it though.

If I were to do it all again I’d seriously consider going all hemp bamboo blended flats with Alva covers or Thirsties duo covers I’ve heard great things about. I don’t do any fancy folds; just fold into a rectangle (pad fold) and snap on baby. But this is me, cloth diapering my second kid 13 months in.

 

[musingsinscripture]

@milliiard I started with all pockets and hated them and gradually changed them out (and I used GMD prefolds as inserts). I keep some for emergencies/ forgot to put them in the wash/dry days!

For your edit, I am also not a fan of Thirsties NAIO. The all in ones, the hemp insert is stitched in rather than an insert. I found for a heavy wetter they just couldn’t absorb fast enough and always leaked, even with a cotton booster to try and help. I have 5 in my rotation and I use them as a last resort because I just don’t love them.

I know it’s cliche, but really having a few different brands and types is the way to go!

 

[jrprusak]

@milliiard I started out with Mama Koala and they were okay. I still use them as backups when I miss a wash day. But I found that they don’t fit my super chunky son very well and they are the only diapers I have had leaks with. We use Kinder pockets and inserts now (for 9 months) and have never had any issues and I feel confident they will fit him until potty training and then some. I would suggest trying a few different brands before going all in. Every baby is different and the mama koalas may work great or they may not.

 

[oceanne]

@milliiard While we love pockets for short outings and day time naps, we also have flats/prefolds + covers, and hemp fitted + wool covers for overnight.

All this to say, you should probably consider putting a fewer number of different types of diapers so you’re not stuck with 30 pockets in case you just hate the system. You can stock up later when you figure out what works best for your family.

If you know you want pockets, natural fibre inserts are way better than microfibre. Microfibre will absorb pee quickly but not hold much. In terms of absorbency, the order is microfibre < cotton < bamboo < hemp.

If you end up investing in a few prefolds/flats, they can be used to stuff pockets if you choose to not use them with covers. Aside from those, bamboo and hemp inserts are also great! You’ll want to use multiple layers to increase absorbency. Regardless, in the newborn phase, you will be changing diapers every 2 hours!