Types of Cloth Diapers

Cloth diapers are very customizable. This depends on how much you have to spend on them to the absorbency you need for your little one. First you need to figure out how often you are willing to do diaper laundry. This determines how many diapers you need to buy. Don’t plan for more than 3 days as it causes ammonia build up that can be difficult (but possible) to remove. If you’re fine with doing diaper laundry every day, you could make it work with 12 diapers which is highly cost effective. I would add a couple to make sure you have a spare between washes. Just know that this would put more wear and tear on the diapers making it a possibility they wouldn’t last for another kid.

I like doing diaper laundry every other day. This personally saves my sanity of having a chore to do everyday. Even though diaper laundry is ultimately my favorite chore. For this it’s recommended to have 24 diapers. I feel comfortable having 27 diapers for this because it gave me time to prep the next round of diapers.

Sizings

Depending on the brands you look into, you’ll see different sizing options. One Size are my personal favorite because you’ll adjust the snaps to help them grow along with your child. Some people’s con to this is that the fit can sometimes be off. This will also put more wear and tear on your diapers though so it’s something to consider for the cost in the long run. Other brands will do multiple sizes. You could see Size 1 and Size 2 or Newborn, Small, Medium, and Large. These have more minor size adjustments to get a good fit, but you’ll be investing in more diapers because of the sizing. The pro to this is because you’re switching out your sizes, they’ll stay in better condition than the OS.

Flats and Prefolds

These are usually the types of diapers people are thinking about when you tell them you are cloth diapering. They are what our grandparents would have used as diapers and they are considered the cheapest option to cloth diaper. This is a multiple step system the requires some folding and an additional waterproof diaper cover, which is why people tend to skip this style. Depending on how you fold these, you’ll also need diaper pins or snappi’s to secure the fabric. However these diapers are also known to be very customizable in the absorbency you need and will my quick drying. These diapers are also the trimmest out of all cloth diapers.

Thirsties Size 1 Diaper Cover

A flat is a big thin piece of fabric that you’ll fold up into multiple layers to create absorbency. A prefold is exactly what it sounds like. The multiple layers are already created. You’ll want to have enough prefolds and flats to cover the amount of diapers needed depending on your wash routine. You should only need about 5-6 covers though as these can be reused unless they get #2 on them.

Osocozy Prefold and a Flour Sack Towel being used as a flat

I remember skipping this system with my daughter, but invested in prefolds, flats, and covers for baby #2 since I could start cloth diapering earlier without having to buy newborn sizes.

Fitted Diapers

Fitted diapers have the absorbency material all the way around and secures with velcro or buttons. You’d then have a waterproof diaper cover to go over it. You will want to have enough fitted diapers to make it to laundry day and about 5-6 covers.  My experience is they take a very long time to dry, but were excellent to use for night diapers on my toddler.

Pocket Diapers

Alva Baby Pocket Diaper

Pocket Diapers are pretty mid point price range in the cloth diapering world and mid point with most other features to consider when purchasing cloth diapers. They are extremely similar to modern disposable diapers since they require no folding. These contain a water proof diaper shell with a soft liner and a pocket so you can stuff the insert in the diaper. Pocket diapers are very customizable as well. You can change the fabric of the insert or add a smaller booster insert if needed for car trips or overnight. You’ll find with pocket diapers that the inserts take the longest to dry. Also some people don’t like the extra step of stuffing diapers. These are the diapers I decided to invest in the most and I was extremely happy to use these.

All in 2 (Or Hybrid)

I don’t have experience with this style of diaper, but they have a cover and an insert that snaps in to create the whole diapering system. Some brands will also offer disposable inserts if that needs to be an option. The idea for these are very similar to pocket diapers except you aren’t stuffing your hand in a pocket.

All in 1

BumGenius All in One Diaper

All in 1 diapers will be the absolute closet thing you can get to a disposable diaper. The absorbency and shell are all sewn in together so there’s no prep to them. It makes it very easy to use. There are a few cons to these though. You have no customization to this style and they take the longest to dry as everything is together. The biggest con though is it’s the most expensive diaper option. Personally I didn’t get along with this style as I usually had leaks with AIO.

Insert material

There are a few different materials for inserts that will customize the absorbency. The most common when purchasing diapers is Microfiber. It’s the most inexpensive and known to be the least absorbent. Microfiber is also the quickest to absorb. Although you can totally make these inserts work for you! These are the inserts I mainly used on my daughter. She was typically a normal wetter, but if I needed the extra boost during nap time or a car ride I would double up inserts or use a newborn insert that some brands will sell with their diapers. Cotton is a good option for prefolds and flats. This would also allow you to use items around your house like old t-shirts or towels. Bamboo or Hemp are loved materials as they absorb much more than the microfiber or cotton however they are slower to absorb. My experience when my daughter was closer to 2 was that when she was holding longer and releasing more, I was more prone to leaks using just a hemp insert.

Look at the price range you’re looking to spend on cloth diapers and pick your style from there. Another good idea is to get a few diapers of each style to see what you like. What one parent loves about All in Ones, may be something you hate about them. Another way to lower the cost is to find cloth diaper reselling groups, check Ebay, go to Mom 2 Mom sales, or find items in your house to reuse as inserts. I’ve used flour sack towels as a flat and even used an old cotton t-shirt to test out. As long as second hand diapers get properly cleaned and still in good condition, you’ll have no problem lower the cost of your cloth diapers!

Cloth Diaper Laundry Day