Cloth Diapers Types

Lets start out simple. I am a HUGE CD (Cloth Diaper) fan! You will notice there is a whole label just for CD on this page. I will try to limit CD posts to Thursday only. Why Thursday? Well, I figure my favorite brand of store bought CD is Thirsties, so we shall now have Thirsties Thursday. I know I know I'm corny, but you love me anyway. So for our very first Thirsties Thursday posting I am going to explain in my own words and with my own experience, what types of cloth diaper exist for a mama today, from practical and old fashioned, to a bit more pricey but conveniently cloth! Enjoy and don't hesitate to message me with questions.

Flats :
(How I started)
   The basis of every compete and classic stash. Flat diapers are just that, flat. They look a lot like napkins, table cloths, hankies etc. They come in a range of sizes and range from square to rectangular in shape. They are affordable, come in many different fabric types and can be folded to fit in many different ways. So if you have a fat baby, skinny baby, short baby, tall baby, baby who pees often, baby who poops often, you are covered. Speaking of covers, these are not waterproof! So if you choose them be sure you also pick up some kind of cover or wrap so you don't have big leaky issues. But bonus, these diapers dry super quickly! They close using pins or a Snappi. Learning the many ways to fold a flat is so fun too! You can't go wrong with a flat diaper, unless your baby is somehow not covered.

If you are having a newborn and are on a tight budget, Gerber flats will in fact work for you. They are not the best cloth  by any stretch of the imagination, nor will they fit for long due to the small size, but they will keep your baby diapered while you build a stash.

If you are looking to buy a great flat diaper that will last for a good while you want Cloth-ez flats. They are typically most affordable on Green Mountain Diapers (GMD). They come in two sizes but honestly the small should work for most of your baby diaper needs.

If you are like me and would like Made in the USA flats, your best option is to head out to Amish country and get diaper fabric from them.


Pre-folds:
(How my Mom did it aka how I grew up watching CD)
   Prefold diapers are just flat diapers prepared for you aka already folded. most of the time they are really two or more flat diapers sewn together to make a trifold. So imagine a piece of cloth laying flat and then another identical piece folded in three long ways and sewn in the center of the first. There are about 5 different ways to use that prefold in a modern cover or wrap. Yep, this diaper is not waterproof either so you will need to cover up! These dry quickly too, but are a tad slower than flats because they are layered.  They close using pins or a Snappi, with some wraps and methods for folding you can skip this step though. These can also be bought in multiple sizes to fit multiple sized covers or wraps.(Check GMD for those.)

Once again if you are on a budget Gerber will work especially if you are just looking for an insert but they are not the best by any means, so don't go judging cloth by their standard! Most people only use Gerber for burp rags or cleaning.

Looking for good quality? Osocozy is your style. Look into Indian Cotton Twill for fabric, you will love it!

USA Made? Head to Amish country and either have them made or sew them yourself after purchasing some diapering cloth off the bolt.


Fitted:
   This diaper requires NO FOLDING AT ALL. It is simply cloth, cut and sewn to be the shape and size you need it. They can be only one size at a time meaning you will have to switch sizes each time baby grows, or multiple sizes in one where you adjust the front with snaps to make the diaper smaller or larger. If you choose the second option there are usually two or three sizes for the diaper before you need to buy or make a larger size. These dry slower than a prefold but faster than an AIO. They are not waterproof and do require either a cover or wrap. They come in tons of fabric types, prints and brands! They close using either Velcro or Snaps. If you make your own using a pattern you could also use a pin or Snappi to cut corners.

Covers/Wraps:
   These are what will waterproof your diapers if waterproofing isn't built in.

*Good old fashioned plastic pants
*Wool pants (not waterproof but act as a doubler to pull moister away from baby skin which is the real point of a waterproofing
* PUL. The modern covers or wraps today are very light weigh and come in fun prints and colors. They secure with Velco or Snaps and can be bought in sizes or with the multiple size snap up front option. They are simply a layer of fabric in the shape of a diaper, to be fitted to your baby for comfort. But they also use PUL (polyurethane laminate). 

  I personally have used both the plastic pants. (That's what Mama used for us back in the day.) and the Wrap with PUL. I love love love, our Thirsties Duo Wraps! Thirsties are made in the USA are moderately priced, you don't have to use their inserts for them, plus they come in many colors and prints. We chose them to make diapering easier for my wounded husband. They system is simple. Regular Thirsties wraps come in four sizes. Duo wraps come in only two sizes because each wrap has snaps in the front allowing for size changes to be made. They are much more light weight and comfortable for baby's bottom! That all said, Living in Texas I could never imagine putting an itchy warm possibly wet wool cover on my baby, but if you are looking for a simple DIY on a budget you can make them very easily. 


Pocket:
  A pocket diaper is a cover but it leaves an opening for an insert. A folded prefold can be inserted or a specially designed insert that is made for the preferred diaper. These are most like an AIO and are very convenient to use. Basically you "stuff" a clean insert into the clean pocket and put on baby, take off when dirty.  Each diaper will have to be washed after each use, unlike a diaper requiring a cover or wrap. They give a very trim fit so that cute CD butt is less obvious.

All in Two:
   Any PUL cover or wrap that allows for an insert is an AI2 (All in Two) This includes the Thirsties Wrap and Duo Wrap I love soooooo much! Any AI2 consists simply of a waterproof outer layer (the cover) and an insert designed for the cover or, a prefold (or flat) folded and put in its place. These are great on a budget, most used by Mom's in my CD circle, and good for Dad's that are a little less enthusiastic about cloth. Once again they don't require a wash every time for the cover just the insert unless soiled.

All in One:
   Here we finally combine! The outer waterproof layer is actually sewn to the absorbent cloth layer to make .... ONE DIAPER! These are used just like a disposable diaper only you rinse and wash them rather than throwing them away. So if you want to save money on disposable diapers per year but don't want the added duties of cloth this is your style diaper. The closures are once again Velcro or Snaps. The sizes are done just like disposables, going up as baby grows. Prints and Colors and brands are endless it would seem, and really it isn't impossible to make them yourself if you are up for a BIG sewing undertaking.