Em's Cloth Diaper 101- Lesson One

A few people have asked me about cloth diapering lately. Either they are wondering if it is really "greener" (it is) or cheaper (it is), or they are curious about all of the choices out there. I wish when Big Sister was born that I had someone to tell me how easy it is. She was still sleeping in diapers when I was pregnant with Little Sister, so I was able to order and try out a few of the one-size diapers on a toddler and now an infant as well. Little Sister is 1 year old and we've used cloth for most of that time. (We used disposable when she was teeny tiny and I was recovering from the c-section, and recently when she developed a friction-type rash from her obsession with bouncing up & down in the crib combined with some rough hemp inserts- I put CDing on pause to let some medicine clear up the scary bruises). Normally, unless I've just fallen really behind on laundry, cloth is all we use.

As for the first question about "why cloth?" I can't provide any better answer than several other people already have. Here are some links I like to reference:

• Smile Mommy (a diaper service in Nashville)
• Buzzee Bee Diapers (another service, but this is a link to their blog)
• A Calculator found at Diaper Pin, to tell you how much you can save

If you decide to go with cloth, the next question becomes what diapers to use. There are certainly an abundance of different types and brands. I've got some favorites, which of course I'll share, but the Diaper Pin link above is a great place to read reviews. I've only ever found one specific brand of diaper not reviewed at the Pin.

First, the different types. Here are the basics:

1. Prefolds are the old square cloth diapers my mom used on me. They are often called Diaper Service Quality (DSQ) because most services still use prefolds. They can be made of different material, but are most commonly bleached or unbleached cotton. The advantage of prefolds? They are very inexpensive and easy to wash. You can add extra layers to add absorbancy. The disadvantages? They are a bit more complicated, although today you can use a Snappi instead of pins, and one prefold alone isn't the most absorbant option. Prefold diapers need a diaper cover.
   
2. Fitted diapers are diapers that are fitted (Ahoy maties! It's me, Captain Obvious!) They most often fasten with aplix (generic word for Velcro) or snaps. The advantage is that they are easier than prefolds and often more absorbant on their own, but the disadvantage is the higher cost. Some fitted diapers will only fit a baby for a small amount of time, and others are meant to be adjustable so that they can grow with your baby. (There are some diapers, meant to fit from newborn to toddler, often called One-Size. If they still need a cover, I still consider them to fall in the category of fitted diapers.) Fitted diapers need a separate diaper cover most of the time, although there are exceptions.
3. Pocket Diapers are diapers that have room for inserts to be stuffed inside of them to vary the absorbancy. Because they have an outer layer of PUL, Fleece, or another moisture catching material, pocket diapers do not need a separate cover. The advantages are the ability to vary the absorbancy quite easily, as well as the ability to "unstuff" the diaper to make washing & drying easier. Obviously, having the diaper & cover already assembled makes using these dipes easier, too. These are the kind of diapers I use for my diaper bag. The disadvantage is the price, and (in my humble opinion) the fact that not using a separate cover makes it impossible to wipe & reuse the covers in between washing your dipes. (My husband says this doesn't make sense, so I'll try to clarify. If you use a separate cover, you can wipe it out, let it dry, and reuse it after the next change. With the pocket dipes, the cover is the diaper, so you just have to chuck it in the pail after it is wet or dirty. For one thing, this makes more laundry. For another, I personally like to wash my PUL as little as possible because I want it to hold up. Make more sense, dear?) Just to add a little more confusion, there are some adjustable or even "one-size" pocket diapers, but there are also plenty of brands that make S,M,L sizes of pockets.
   
4. All-in-One diapers are so named because there is no assembly required. You don't need to stuff or add a cover. They work just like a disposable, minus the whole throw-in-the-landfill-when-you're-done component. Obviously, these are the easiest to use. I bought a few of these for the diaper bag when we first sprung CDing on the nursery workers at church. They can also be the most expensive, and I find them a bit of a pain to dry. Most all-in-ones are size specific, meaning your baby will outgrow them a few times over the span of CDing.
   

There are some diapers that are hybrids between these four types, but this is the best way I know to explain/organize the options. In our house, we have used a mixture of all four types. I tend to save the All-in-Ones for diaper bag use (and short trips). The pockets used to be reserved as well, but now I like to stuff them (sometimes with a prefold for super absorbancy) and use them at night. I really like fitted dipes for daily use, because they wash easily and because I can rotate and reuse two or three covers in a given day. I also use prefolds- either just folding them and sticking them in the cover or fastening with a snappi. I seldom have problems with leaks, but I don't leave them on really long. I also have a few really cool pre-fitted diapers, which means a pre-fold that has been trimmed to fit. It is not as bulky as other fitted dipes, but I can get it on wiggly Little Sister easier than a prefold. For those of you who sew, here is a step-by-step guide for making these type of diapers.

That's all I have time to type right now, but I'll post again about my favorite brands of each of these kinds of diapers. If you just can't wait to learn more, check out The Pin for an overwhelming amount of information! And if you just can't wait to buy diapers, here are my top three sites:

• Baby Hope's Cloth Diapers- absolutely my favorite!!!
• Cotton Babies
• Baby Cotton Bottoms

Again, you can read reviews of retailers on The Pin as well. Happy researching!