Cloth Diapers. The good, the bad, and the stinky (and the cute, oh my!)

I never knew what kind of mother I would be, I had never really envisioned myself as a mother growing up.  So when I got pregnant, I knew I had to do some major research.  What to do, what to buy, etc etc...

Well, I learned that people STILL used cloth diapers.  Wait, what?  Aren't those annoyingly large pieces of fabric you have to pin on your baby and cover with rubber pants?

Um, no thanks.

Turns out, nope (although there's nothing wrong with using flat diapers, the plastic pants though?  eww).  I found out some very interesting info and decided to use cloth diapers on my munchkin.  I did decide this before I had her, but we used disposables at first anyways.

For the first 2 months of Princess Girl Face's life, I was so overwhelmed at being a new mom that trying to add in cloth diapering just wasn't going to happen.  If I knew then what I know now, about how EASY it is, if I had only tried, I could have used cloth from the beginning.  I don't regret using disposables though, it's what we had to do to get by as new-parent-zombies.

The first cloth diapers we owned were prefolded cotton diapers with waterproof covers.  This sounds pretty close to the "folding the giant flat fabric and putting a pin on it and covering it all with rubber pants" thing, but there are some MAJOR differences.

First things first.  There are many, many fabric options for cloth diapers.  You'll hear a lot of:

Hemp
Organic or unbleached cotton
Bamboo
Microfiber
Fleece
Flannel
Minky
PUL
Wool

Among others.   Don't let this overwhelm you, I promise to explain!  There are many different variations of cloth diapers, so this will only be as complete as I've encountered.

Prefolds are called that for a reason.  They're prefolded!  Meaning you have fabric sewn together, with more absorbency in the middle, as if you'd folded a flat diaper over to the same size.  Less work though!  You can still fold it to contour around your baby, and use a pin (ha!) or this little thing called a Snappi, to attach it.  But there's an even easier way to use a prefold.  Fold it in thirds (hot dog style) and simply lay it in the waterproof cover.  But wait!  You thought covers were still stupid rubber pants, right?  Nope!  There are some crazy cute options out there.  They're made from something called PUL, which is waterproof.  The covers attach with either hook and loop tape or snaps.  Easy peasy!  Prefolds come in a few fabric options:  Cotton, organic cotton, unbleached cotton, and hemp.  Probably others but that's as far as I've gotten with them.

 Prefolds

Thirsties Duo Wrap- Covers

I haven't owned any flat diapers, but they are by far the most economical cloth diapering option.  Prefolds are a close second though.  They basically work the same way as prefolds, but there's a little more work to do to get the folding down.  You can still fold them and lay them into a cover, or fasten them onto the bebe.

Flat diapers

Next up are fitted diapers.  These come in many shapes and sizes.  They work a lot like a prefold or a flat, with the major difference being they are pre-cut into diaper form.  Some have snaps or hook and loop, and some have no closure.  You'd simply use a Snappi or a pin.  Fitted diapers still require a cover, as they are not waterproof on their own.  They are, however, VERY absorbent.  They are a great option for a night time diaper to help prevent leaks and keep your munchkin dry.  These typically come in the same options as prefolds, and some companies, such as Green Mountain Diapers, use the SAME prefolds to make their fitted diapers.  There are many other fabric options though.

Hemp fitted diaper with snap closure

Moving on to another style of diaper, the pocket diaper.  These are my favorites.  The outer part of the diaper is essentially just a water proof cover, like all the others.  However, there is a piece of fabric sewn in to create a pocket.  You then lay a fabric insert of your choice in the pocket.  These are great because you can totally customize the absorbency to your child.  Add as many or as few inserts as you need.  Typically, the layer of fabric that is touching your baby is considered "Stay Dry," and is usually fleece or suede cloth.  These wick moisture away from baby's skin and directly into the insert below.  There are many kinds of inserts available.  Some that are popular are Microfiber (which I hate), bamboo (which I love), hemp (also love it), and cotton (I actually use a prefold as an insert sometimes!).  Microfiber absorbs a lot, and quickly.  It is, however, prone to "compression leaking."  Essentially, any time there's pressure on it, it leaks.  Um, don't babies put a lot of pressure on their diapers most of the time?  Yeah, it's called sitting, or laying down.  You also can't put it next to baby's skin, it will wick away ALL moisture and make for a painful, irritated hiney.  Anyways, I could go on for days why I don't like this stuff.  Bamboo and hemp are super absorbent, but they do it more slowly.  The delay in absorbing has never really been an issue for me.  These are my favorites!  Once stuffed, it works just like a disposable diaper!  Easy for everyone!

Princess Girl Face and part of our pocket diaper stash!

Helpful example of how pocket diapers work

Another type is the All In 2 (or AI2).  These are also often referred to as Hybrid Diapers.  When it comes down to it, these are very similar to the prefold/flat and cover system.  The AI2 is a waterproof shell, and the absorbent soaker snaps in.  The soaker can be anything from MF covered with a stay dry material that goes next to the baby's bottom, to bamboo and hemp.

Grovia hybrid diaper

Moving on to the All In One (AIO).  The name itself pretty much explains this type of diaper.  It's waterproof cover, liner, and soaker, all in one!  It's as close to a disposable for ease of use as you can get.  Some AIO's have pockets as well to add more inserts.  There's a downside to so much absorbency all attached to the shell, though.  These diapers take FOREVER to dry!  Especially if you're line drying.  I cheat and use a dryer most of the time.  They're also usually the bulkiest option.  But hey, the fluffier the butt, the better, right?  I think so!

BumGenius Organic AIO

Another type of cover out there is made from wool.  Wool?  Isn't that hot?  Nope, it's surprisingly breathable!  It can keep cool in the summer and warm in the winter.  But wait, how does wool work as a cover?  It's something like this.  Wool is hydrophobic, like fleece and those other fabrics labeled stay dry.  Despite this, it's also very absorbent!  Wool has natural anti-fungal properties, and is very resistant to wear.  It does take extra care, though.  You must hand wash and lanolize (um, what?) wool.  It's just what it sounds like.  You wash your wool in a special wool care soap, then apply lanolin.  It can be sprayed or rubbed on, depending on the type of lanolin you get.  This coating helps keep the wool clean and prevents leaks.  Also, remember not to dry your wool.  Ever dried a sweater and took it out of the dryer, only to find a doll-sized sweater in its place?  Yeah, wool WILL shrink.  

Adorable rainbow wool longies.  Seriously, who wouldn't want these on their kid?!

Lastly I'll touch on fleece covers.  These work very similarly to wool covers, but they don't need so much special care.  Actually, you can wash and dry these with your regularly laundry!  One thing that helps make them even more water resistant is throwing them in with a dryer sheet.  A big no-no in the rest of the cloth diaper world!  Some fleece covers pull on over your fitted (or whatever you choose) diaper, others have snaps and even hook and loop closures.  Like wool covers, they can be made as shorts, pants, and, whoa!  even skirts!  

Um, duh!

Well, this isn't a comprehensive list of the types of cloth diapers out there, but it should give you a good idea what's available.

Look for a new post soon with cloth diaper care information.  Wash routines, prepping, stripping, etc!

I will leave you now with Princess Girl Face being awesome, as usual.

Why yes, that is a Skelanimals diaper!  With ruffles of course.

Sporting a BumGenius pocket diaper while destroying the paper at the doctor's office!