Cloth Diaper Q & A! Week One- Types of Cloth Diapers

Welcome to a new weekly series Cloth Diaper Q & A! I have a lot of friends and acquaintances who are interested in cloth diapering but have a lot of questions and concerns before taking the plunge! So I thought I'd start a Cloth Diaper Q & A series to answer any and all questions you have about using cloth diapers! 

This first week of the series we are going to start with the very basics. There are quite a few different types of cloth diapers that work differently and absorb differently and fit differently. So the question for this week:

What are the different types of cloth diapers and how do they work?

 1. Prefolds and Flats-These are the rectangle shaped diapers that your mama used under plastic pants. And while they still can be used that way, you can also fasted them without pins, using a snappi, or you can lay them directly inside a cover and cover the baby with it. This is likely to be the most cost effective choice. 

This is a blogger friend of mine's baby girl in a prefold held together with a snappi! 

2. Fitteds- Fitted diapers fit around baby snuggly like a disposable diaper would. They are held together with a snappi or with snaps usually.  They are not made with waterproof material so usually require a cover. Some can be very absorbent though and don't need a cover for shorter periods of time. 

3. Pockets- Pocket diapers fit similarly to disposable diapers and are closed with either velcro or snaps. Pocket diapers are made with a waterproof outer material most of the time and a stay-dry inner material so moisture doesn't irritate baby's skin. The diaper has a pocket opening that can be stuffed with inserts for absorbency  You can adjust how much absorbency you need by inserting more or less inserts into the pocket. The majority of the diapers in my stash are pocket diapers. I like them because they are easy to use, clean, and dry. 

4. All-in-Ones- These work pretty much exactly like disposable diapers except you wash and reuse them. They are all one piece so there is not stuffing or snapping inserts. You just put it on the baby and go. They are great for those new to cloth diapering or who aren't familiar with it. The only issue a lot of moms have with them are they take a while to dry, longer than most other diapers usually. 

BumGenius Freetime AIO

5. AI2s- All in twos are built like an AIO but the insert is removable. It is made with a stay dry material that is safe to touch baby's skin and instead of being inserted into a pocket it is just laid on top of the diaper cover. This way you can just remove the insert and re-use the cover multiple times before washing it. The cover is usually made with a waterproof material. 

These are the most commonly used cloth diaper types! They all work a little differently and cost different amounts but we'll get into that another week! My biggest suggestion to those interested in trying cloth diapering is to try each of these types of diapers at least once before going and buying all of one kind. Chances are you will like more than one type and certain types will work better for certain situations! 

Have a question about cloth diapers? Email me at mommyferg02(at)gmail(dot) com with your question and I will answer it during the weekly Cloth Diaper Q&A! 

Happy Diapering!