Cloth Diapers - Pockets, All-In-Ones, and more, Oh MY!

When dipping your toes into cloth diapers it can get overwhelming fast. I remember when I first heard cloth was still around, I immediately googled it, promptly gave up, and moved on. Luckily my doula had used cloth diapers and she was able to explain them a little better. I ended up using my cloth diapers for a Facebook gender announcement. So let's dive in and discover a few different kinds of diapers! All of the diapers pictured are out of my own stash and are all well loved! Please look past stains and such.

The most popular type of cloth diaper is a pocket diaper. A pocket diaper is basically what it sounds like. The diaper is made of a water proof outer layer, made of TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) or PUL (polyurethane laminate), and a moisture-wicking inside. You stuff the diaper with a specially made insert or any absorbent material. There will be a full explanation of absorbency options at the end. Most diapers have snaps in the front so they can be sized for a baby weighing about 10 lbs to 35 lbs or more. Below is Rumparooz, known as RaR for its brand fans, in the print TokiDoki with a bamboo charcoal insert beside it.

The easiest to use diaper is a All in One, or AIO. They are diapers that have the absorbent material sewn to the waterproof material. Once you get the fit of an AIO down, using an AIO is exactly like using a disposable diaper only you throw it in the washer instead of the trash! The diaper pictured on the left is a BumGenius AIO in the print Jules and the diaper picture on the right is a Grovia side snapping AIO in the print Ophelia.

The last type of PUL or TPU diaper is just a diaper cover! It is just an outer shell that you put over an absorbent inside. Pictured are RaR covers. The hook and loop, which is the generic name for Velcro, Rumparooz is in the color tadpole. The snap diaper is also a Rumparooz brand diaper and is in the print Charlie.

The final type of diaper I am going to talk about are wool cloth diapers. When I first heard of wool, it honestly intimidated me. The store bought wool diapers were expensive and they were hand wash only! I finally learned I could crochet wool diapers, which cut the cost down to about 5$ a diaper. Then I learned that washing them wasn’t that hard either. Just dunk and swish and rinse. They are antimicrobial so they tend to not hold smell. Then you have to lanolize, or soak the clean diaper in a bath of lanolin, the same kind you use as nipple cream while breastfeeding, and a little soap. They generally soak overnight and then hang to dry. Once dry you use them until they are visibly soiled. Wool diapers come in soakers, which look like underwear, shorties, which look like shorts, skirties, which is a skirt wool diaper, and longies, pant wool diapers.Pictured is a wool soaker and wool longies I made myself.

Finally, we will talk absorbency!

The cheapest option, seen laying along the bottom of the photo, which is a GeffenBaby Hemp T-shirt Flat, is a flat cloth diaper. They are made from cotton, bamboo or hemp. You fold them, and there are 57 ways to fold a flat, and use a diaper fastener, called boingos or snappies which are made of an elastic material and have small little teeth to catch the fabric, to pin the diaper to your baby. They are easily hand washable in a bucket washer or in a sink. They dry very quickly and are easy to put the most amount of cloth where you need it. Every kind of these diapers will need some sort of cover, whether a pocket, shell, or wool covering.

One of the more popular cloth diapers is a prefold. Prefolds are made from cotton, bamboo, or hemp. It is a large piece of fabric that has been sewed into a rectangle with the most absorbency in the middle. You can either trifold them and lay them in a shell or you can wrap them around baby and pin the cloth together. They generally come in multiple sizes for growing babies. The prefold is the on the top right of the picture and is a DiaperRite brand prefold.

Pictured in the middle are two different types of inserts. The one on the left is a snap in Grovia insert and the one on the right is a GeffenBaby Hemp insert. Inserts can be used as the only absorbency, such as the Grovia insert, or used with something else to add a little extra absorbency, which is what the GeffenBaby insert is for. Inserts are made from charcoal bamboo, charcoal, hemp, cotton, bamboo, or microfiber. Microfiber is the only diaper insert that can not be used next to babies’ skin. You will have to wrap a prefold or flat around it or use it inside of a pocket diaper. Microfiber is also known to leak when compressed, which is something to know if you plan on babywearing you little one.

On the far left is a fitted cloth diaper. They are made of cotton, hemp, or bamboo. They do need a cover on them still, but many moms swear by fitteds for nighttime and nap time. They are super absorbent and work best when combined with a wool cover.

We made it! Cloth Diapers are a complex creature, but I hope this broke everything down for you well! If you have any questions you can always email me and ask or contact me about a comprehensive cloth diaper class!