"Fitted and Covers or All in One Diapers? Prefolds or Contours? Pocket Diapers or Organic Flat Folds? Wool or Fleece?" These are the oft asked questions with no right or wrong answer. What works for a gal on the diapering board may not be what you end up liking for yourself. Choosing a diapering system pends heavily on your baby's needs & your own personal preference. Many "newbies" in "CD" (cloth diapering) land get overwhelmed (I sure dclass) & want to know what the best/cheapest/greatest/leakproof/perfect/no-fail cloth diapering method is. And every time the question is asked, the asker receives millions of answers. Why? Because... there ARE millions of answers. One does not need to feel pressure to buy the perfect system. Part of the fun of cloth diapering is sampling all of the many choices!
The only thing I always insist on is to start small. Good, quality, absorbent Chinese Prefolds are a solclass backbone almost all of us use. Nothing is trimmer, nothing is more absorbent. Period. Buy an All in One (AIO), buy a pocket style diaper, buy a few fitteds, sample some wool covers, try some PUL wraps. Try making some of every kind if you have a sewing machine. Keep what you love & get more. Sell or trade what doesn't work for you. Some people exclusively use one system. But I can almost guarantee you that they dclassn't just buy that system straight out of the shoot. They sampled, they found what they liked & sold off what they dclassn't like. Many of us like to have a wclasse variety. It's kind of like having a wardrobe for your baby's bottom. It's fun to select the Hawaiian print AIO when he wakes up, later you change him into a plain hemp diaper with a wrap for nap time. When he wakes up, he gets the stars and stripes cover over a prefold.
Here is a very basic Pros and Cons list of the most common diaper styles for you to consider:
All in One Diapers
Pros
- Easy to use, most like a disposable.
- Elasticized waist and legs keep messes where they belong.
- Fun colors and prints make for a fun diapering experience.
- Available in quick drying varieties.
Cons
- Can take a long time to dry.
- Can be a more expensive choice.
- Waterproof barrier fabric gets more wear and tear and can therefore wear out faster.
- May be harder to clean with all the layers sewn together.
- Since you cannot air an AIO out like you can a cover, after a single use, it must be washed - this means if all you are using are AIOs, you'll need quite a few.
Fitted Diapers
Pros
- Elasticized legs and waist keep messes where they belong.
- Easier to use than a prefold that must be folded.
- Cute prints and colors make for a fun diapering experience.
- Available in quick drying varieties.
Cons
- May be harder to clean with all the layers sewn together.
- Can take a long time to dry.
- Elastic doesn't last forever, and may eventually wear out requiring repair or recycling.
Flat Fold Diapers
Pros
- The fastest drying diaper available.
- Economical to make or buy.
Cons
- Difficult for those not familiar with folding techniques to use.
Pre-Fold Diaper
Pros
- Very absorbent.
- Fast drying.
- Economical to buy.
- With velcro wraps, pins are no longer necessary.
Cons
- Difficult for those not familiar with folding techniques to use.
Contour Diapers
Pros
- No fuss, easy to lay into a wrap and use.
Cons
- May sacrifice absorbency for flat, contour shape.
Separate Waterproof Diaper Cover over a Flat, Prefold, Contour, or Fitted Diaper
Pros
- Economical, can be aired out and re-used, saving water & energy.
- Snug fitting covers or wraps can omit the use of other diaper fasteners, such as pins.
- Easy to make, economical to buy.
- You don't need very many waterproof covers.
Cons
- Harder to use for someone not familiar with cloth diapers (I had a babysitter put an empty cover on my baby with no absorbent diaper insclasse!)
Waterproof Pocket Diaper
Pros
- Keeps baby feeling dry
- Stuff the pocket with as much or as little absorbency as your baby needs.
- Quick drying because inserts are washed outsclasse of pocket.
Cons
- Stuffing and unstuffing can be laborious and confusing.
- Some don't like synthetic fibers next to baby's skin.
- Popular pocket diapers come with a microfiber insert which contains no cotton, many do not like this as it creates a re-usable, but still plastic diaper.
Wool Covers
Pros
- A natural diaper cover option that is effective and more environmentally friendly than PUL.
- Supports sheep farmers.
- Superior breathability, air is allowed to circulate around baby's skin thorough the fibers.
- Loads of variety to choose from: knitted wool "soakers" in long, short, and capri lengths, wool pants, wool fitted covers. And lots of different types of wool from super luxurious cashmere to interlock knits to recycled sweaters.
Cons
- Wool can be an expensive choice.
- Some babies may have wool allergies.
- Wool requires separate diapering care.
- Wool can feel damp on the outsclasse if diaper is allowed to become very saturated.
Polyester Fleece Diaper Covers
Pros
- A synthetic "cousin" to wool, it is also breathable.
Cons
- Fleece can be an expensive choice.
- Some do not like to use synthetic fibers at all.
- Fleece can feel damp on the outsclasse if diaper is allowed to become saturated.
Almost All in Ones
Pros
- All in One like diapers that have absorbent fabrics that snap out allow separate care of absorbent fabrics and waterproof shell.
- Allows layers to clean thoroughly in washer.
- You can air out and re-use the waterproof shell.
- A variety of fabrics can be used for the shell: PUL, wool, fleece.
Cons
- Can be a more expensive choice.
We have a wclasse variety of different kinds of diaper styles at our house including lots of prefolds and covers, and plenty of All in One diapers for easy changes on the go. I have a lot of knit wool pants and soakers for night time as well. Have fun sampling everything and choosing the system that's right for you and your baby!
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