Pocket/All-in-One Newborn Diapers - Part 1

We have a variety of newborn AIO and pocket diapers... maybe too much of a variety, maybe not.  Overall these are our favorite for the sake of ease of use (Daddy and grandparent friendly... I do not mind any of our options but I have done all of the research.)  Pocket newborn diapers have the same pros v. cons as their one-size or sized counter parts in larger sizes. 
Pros:

• Easy to put on/take off of baby
• Wash easily and dry quickly
• Trim (relatively speaking)
• Adjustable absorbency (you can add more to the pocket)

Cons:

• Putting them together after washing/drying (probably the most frustrating for the helpers I have around)
• Not bullet-proof (we have had some leaks)

As far as all-in-ones go (we only had one type) I can say the same thing as far as being identical to their bigger/one-size counterparts.
Pros:

• Nothing to assemble
• Easy to put on/take off baby
• Trim

Cons:

• No adjusting absorbency (we used Lil Joey's by Rumparooz)
• Extra time to dry
• Not bullet-proof (we have had some leaks)

Now I will go through the brands and types that we've used.

Rumparooz Lil' Joeys AIO
This was the first type of cloth diaper Christopher ever wore (as we were leaving the hospital).  I have mixed feeling about this diaper honestly.  It fit him great when he was teeny, tiny (born at 6 1/2 pounds).  I am not crazy about the snap down part for the umbilical cord stump of this diaper, which is one of its big perks when you read about it.  When you snap it down the inside of the diaper is exposed and we experienced leaks if it wasn't changed frequently enough (and we were changing him every couple of hours).  I also have a theory that this is because we have a little boy and when he wets a diaper he wets the front, so there's less distance to travel to leak up the front.  Then Christopher experienced a somewhat awkward period when it came to the fit of this diaper and I just could not snap it in a configuration that worked for his big belly and chicken legs.  Now, I like the diaper again...

Biggest downside: not being able to add absorbency (i.e. a hemp insert) for overnight wear.  If you're listening Rumparooz folks: having an opening in the back to add absorbency would be a HUGE benefit!

As you can tell its a very hit or miss diaper for us.  You will also see that when you read other reviews; I couldn't quite understand the mixed reviews when I read them, until now.  I had these, and will keep them, because we have to have an all-in-one option in our house.

Final verdict: We will keep these and I might get two more for when the next baby is born.

GroVia Newborn All-in-One
This diaper came out this year and I thought "Great!  A new diaper for me to try!"  The design looked like a good one and I bought a couple for a gift for a friend who was having a baby.  I waited for her review and she said she was not crazy about them but mentioned that the fit wasn't great for her son.  These diapers in two colors went on sale (buy 2 get 1 free) so I went ahead and purchased three to try.

I am not crazy about these all-in-one diapers.  These diapers have a snap down rise (one row of snaps) which does allow for the diaper to fit under the umbilical stump.  When you snap it down I found that I needed to fold down the sewn in booster.  Not a big deal because folding down, and thus doubling the absorbency, in the front for a boy can only help.  This diaper definitely fits when baby's legs are chunkier.  When Christopher still had his newborn chicken legs we had several occurrences where poo ran out of the leg and down the leg of his clothes.  They have finally started to really fit and contain the poo when his legs chunked up, around 10 pounds or so, but because he has a bigger belly we're already running out of snaps around the waist. Also, at the leg and at the top of the diaper the absorbent cotton is somewhat exposed and it lead to a lot of wicking (of moisture) issues for us.

Final verdict: I will probably sell these, the limited use time for Christopher does not bode well because even if I have a bigger baby they probably wouldn't last long for us again.  They probably work better for a baby with thicker thighs and a tinier tummy.

Another AIO option that many people choose is the BumGenius XS All-in-One.  I chose not to purchase these because I'm not crazy about the ones we have in large for our son.  I love our BumGenius 4.0 pocket diapers, but their AIO (which is now discontinued in larger sizes) is not a favorite as far as how it has fared in our year and a half of use.

Stay tuned for the pocket diapers!  If you have any questions on this or any of my other posts on cloth diapering, feel free to leave a comment below or email me so I can answer it for you!