Cloth Diapering 101 or "Not Your Mama's Cloth Diapers"

When you think of cloth diapers, if you're like me, you envision folding white cloth diapers a special way, securing them in place with pins, and then adding rubber pants to protect your baby's clothes.  While this can be cloth diapers, it doesn't have to be.  There are so many options in cloth diapering that it's a bit overwhelming to research, so I'll share with you the different types of cloth diapers and the thought process that led us to choose pocket diapers.  There is no one universal option, so your conclusions may be completely different from mine, or you may stick with Pampers.  That's your call.   

Prefolds and covers:  These are the standard cloth diapers you imagine, although they come in many different styles and levels of absorbency.  I'm not an expert on these, and I won't pretend to be, but I do know that you don't have to use pins anymore.  Instead, you can use a Snappi, which is a plastic T-shaped piece that has teeth in it to grab the fabric, so you no longer have to worry about sticking yourself or the baby.  Also, you can cover the diaper with a wrap, like Thirsties or Bummi's Super Whisper wrap.  Pros:  This is definitely your cheapest route, so if you want to save the most money, go with prefolds.  Cons:  More complicated than other options, and daycares and church nurseries may not be willing to mess with these.

Fitteds:  These work similarly to the prefolds in that they do require a cover, but they are also very similar in function to disposables.  Moms who use these seem to love them because they are extremely absorbent and protect against leaks and blowouts.  I've been told that these are the best option for nighttime diaper wear.  They're fitted, so you'd have to have several different sizes.  Moms who use these often buy or knit adorable wool diaper covers to coordinate with outfits.  Check out this adorable outfit I found on Etsy:

  Pros:  Absorbency.  Cons:  Expensive, possibly even more expensive than pocket diapers because of the need to purchase different sizes and covers.  The diapers themselves will often run about $13 or more, but that's without a cover.  And again, it might be hard to find daycares or nurseries who are willing to change these diapers.  They also take longer to dry.

Pockets:  Pocket diapers are the coolest innovation in cloth diapering.  They function just like a disposable diaper, but you wash them instead of throwing them away.  That's how I explain them to nursery workers at church and at the gym, and the sweet ladies are more than willing to change my daughter's diaper.  Happy Heiny's diapers calls their diapers "daddy approved," and I agree completely.  Here's how they work.  They're made with an outer, waterproof shell, usually made out of PUL, polyurethane laminated fabric.  The inside is a soft fabric that keeps moisture in, but usually feels fairly dry to the touch, even when your child has wet in it.  In between the PUL and the inside lining is a space, a pocket, which you stuff with inserts.  Most diapers come with inserts, but you can also buy them separately so that you can make your diaper as absorbent as you want. 

Pocket diapers are usually fastened with Velcro, but snaps are becoming more popular.  I prefer snaps because they'll last longer than Velcro, and we plan to use our diapers for more babies.  

Pocket diapers can also be one size, completely eliminating the need to purchase new diapers as your child grows.  This concept completely blew my mind.  I asked a friend "so you're telling me that your 2 1/2 year old son and my itty bitty 8 month old daughter can wear the exact same diaper?"  The answer is yes, they sure can.  The picture above with the cowprint diaper shows that it is the exact same diaper, but the rows of snaps enable you to make the diaper larger or smaller as needed.  If you have two kids in diapers, they can share one size diapers. 

Popular pocket brands include BumGenius, Happy Heiny's (pictured above), FuzziBunz, Preston's Pants, Rocky Mountain Diapers, and Snap-EZs, among others.  They come in every color imaginable.  Pros:  Easy to use, quick drying time, and completely customizable because you can add inserts as needed.  Cons:  Price.  This option is much more expensive and at a cost of around $20 a diaper, it will usually require an investment of $200 to get started.        

All-in-Ones:  These diapers are similar to pockets, but the inserts are built into the diaper.  Some AIOs even have an extra pocket so you can add another insert at night or if you have a heavy wetter.  AIOs usually fasten with Velcro, but some brands, like the BumGenius Organic All-in-One pictured above, are starting to include snaps.  These diapers are also typically one-size, so you can use this diaper until your child is potty-trained.  Pros:  The most convenient option available.  Cons:  Price.  The most convenient option is also the most expensive option, usually running abut $25 per diaper.  Also, it can be hard to ensure completely clean diapers.  The BumGenius is rumored to be the best at coming completely clean in the washing machine.  Another downside is drying time, because they have so much absorbent fabric. 

Our Conclusions:  I honestly doubted my ability to keep up with laundry and stick with cloth diapers if it required too many changes in our habits, so that removed prefolds as an option.  I didn't really understand fitteds, and they seemed similar to prefolds to me, so I didn't even consider them.  Pocket diapers seemed to be the easiest to use and the easiest to launder.  Unlike the all-in-ones, pockets hang up to dry while the inserts go in the dryer, so hanging the diapers probably makes them last a lot longer too, and durability is a big factor for me.  Pocket diapers seemed to be so similar to disposables that they would not require much extra time or energy, so I thought this option was manageable. 

I asked my mom for her opinion, as a mother of seven kids, and she said that she did try cloth diapers with my sister and I, since we were twins and were costing them a lot of money in diapers.  She said it was just so involved that she couldn't keep up with it (she also had a 2 year old), and she suggested that I go with an option that I knew I could sustain.  It wouldn't save money to purchase prefolds and covers, but then not be able to stick with it for very long.  My mom thought the pocket diapers looked easy, and if they'd existed in 1981, she might've been able to stick with cloth diapers. 

So we went with pocket cloth diapers, and I've absolutely loved them.  And when people see Isabelle's cute little diapers and how simple they are, they realize I may not be completely insane for using them.  Nusery workers, especially older ladies, think they're fascinating.  When we have another baby, whenever that may be, I'd seriously consider buying a few prefolds and covers, especially for those early months when babies require so many diaper changes and they don't move much on the changing table.  I love the convenience of pocket diapers, but the prefolds would be an inexpensive way to get more diapers and not have to do laundry as often.  Right now, I don't have very many diapers, so I wash a load of diapers every day.  Even if you decide to go with prefolds, it might be nice to have a couple of pockets on hand so that babysitters and nursery workers can easily change your child's diapers.  To me, it would've been a huge leap to go from disposable diapers to prefolds, but now that I'm using pocket diapers, it doesn't seem like such a big jump to make.                   

Need more info?  I just came across this intro to cloth diapering.  It has a great breakdown of the cost of each method and money saved.

Tomorrow I'll tell you about the specific diapers we purchased as well as the inserts and liners, a troubleshooting tip or two that I wish I would've known ahead of time, and the cheapest insert/doubler ever, which can be purchased in the automotive section of Wal-Mart. 

Feel free to post any questions, comments, or helpful info.  I'm definitely not an expert on cloth, so if you've been cloth diapering your baby and you've got some hints, please share!