As a somewhat crunchy mama, I’ve dabbled in the world of cloth diapers. And let me tell you, it is one significant rabbit trail after another. Before A, my second, was born, I spent hours and days trying to figure out what types of cloth diapers existed, how many to buy, how to wash them, and how to not spend a fortune buying them. I’ll admit, my motivation to cloth diaper is not based on hopes of saving the planet. While they do help greatly lessen the amount of disposable diapers in landfills, I actually strive to utilize cloth diapers in order to save some money.
I thrifted all of our diapers. Facebook Marketplace and cloth diapering Facebook groups were a huge aid in that endeavor. And if you are working with a budget, I suggest you consider the same. I’ll get into bleaching, sanitizing, and stripping techniques for cloth diapers in part 3 of this little blog series, but for now I’ll just say, it is possible to use used cloth diapers without concerns of your baby sitting in another baby’s old poop. Just sayin’. But I digress.
Today, I’d love to break down 5 major types of cloth diapers that exist.
All in One Diapers: These cloth diapers are the most like disposable diapers in that they are all one piece. No inserts or pieces and only occasional snapping. Nothing sophisticated. They work well for daycares, grandparents, and other family or caregivers that need something easy. On the downside, though, these types of diapers can be a bit more costly and can sometimes be harder to get fully clean.
Pocket Diapers: From all the time I spent researching cloth, the majority of people seem to use pocket diapers. They look like all in one diapers, but instead of having one piece, you have a pocket on the inside of the diaper that you stuff full of an insert or pre-fold diaper. This involves removing that insert after the baby soils the diaper and refilling it after washing. But the plus side is that you can add extra layers or take some away depending on if you’re dealing with a heavy wetter. These are also a more cost efficient option.
Pre-folds and Covers: These are my personal favorites. We use this combo constantly now. Essentially, you have a waterproof cover that acts like a protective barrier/shell. And then you have two choices for the inner layer. You can either use a pre-fold diaper or flat diaper. For either kind you can either snap it around the baby’s hips using holders OR you can fold it and place it in the cover without any more thought. I do the latter (see pictures below).
Fitted Diapers with Covers: This is the one category I’ve never dabbled in. A fitted diaper looks a lot like baby underwear. You pull it up on them and then surround it with a cover. Sometimes the fitted portions can be a bit more expensive than pre-folds. But it also depends on what is on the resale market too. Since I don’t have experience with this kind, I can’t speak much to it, but I do know that many utilize fitted diapers for overnight cloth diapering.
Wool Diapers: I have not utilized wool cloth diapers. However, I am including it today because I want to provide you with all of the possibilities of the cloth diapering world. Wool is washed differently and used differently than the other 4 kinds listed above, but is incredibly absorbent as well as natural.
Ratings wise here’s what I’d say based on experience!
Most cost efficient: prefolds and covers
Most customizable: pocket diapers
Easiest to use: all in one diapers
Easiest to wash: dependent upon the type of washer
In my next post, I’ll break down the brands that have worked well for me. Check it out here.
This helped this meemaw understand everything I see in your home and on little bottoms😊