Cloth Diapers 101: A Beginner's Guide

When you think of cloth diapers do you picture pins and plastic pants? Probably, right? Cloth diapers have come a long way since those days. What if I told you that you never need worry about pricking your kiddo? What if I told you that cloth was easy, and even fun? What if I told you that cloth diapers could actually be cute? You may laugh, but if you've ever given cloth diapering a passing thought then this article is for you!

Let's start with the kinds of cloth you'll run into. To begin with, prefolds did not die with the plastic pants. Those rectangles of Birdseye live on. Today, you can pair your simple and easy prefolds with a PUL (polyurethane laminate) cover. These wrap-style covers allow you to easily lay the prefold in the cover and Velcro. You may also choose to use a Snappi. A Snappi is a flexible, stretchy fastener with three ends that have hooks on them. You simply hook in one side, stretch the fastener over to the other side, hook, then stretch down, hook, and you are done. Of course, there are some who still love the simplicity of pins; which slide more easily through fabric when kept in a bar of soap.

Fitted diapers resemble disposables in shape and ease. They snap or Velcro on and require an additional cover to be waterproof. Fitted diapers come in many styles, shapes, and fabrics. They can contain many layers of absorbent material to range from daytime to night time wetting.

All-in-ones and pocket diapers function just like disposables; except for the washing part! The diaper comes with an absorbent inner and waterproof outer layer. You will use one time each before tossing in the wash. Pocket diapers need to be "stuffed" with an insert before wearing. Pocket diapers allow you to vary the absorbency as needed for your child.

To begin diapering with cloth you'll need about two dozen diapers. If you choose prefolds or fitted diapers you'll also need six to eight covers. You can rotate covers throughout the day. If a cover isn't soiled it doesn't need to be washed. Just take it off, use another one, and allow the one before to air-dry in an open breeze. There are two other options for covering a cloth behind which we will cover in Wool and Fleece: Amazing Fabrics for Cloth Diapering.

Now that you have an understanding about the different kinds of cloth diapers you may be wondering where and how you keep them until wash day. The easiest solution is a dry garbage pail (like one you would use for your kitchen trash) lined with a wet bag. The wet bag will keep in moisture and can be washed right along with the diapers. Zippered wet bags are great for the diaper bag!

Do you need another reason to go cloth? Your wallet! Cloth diapering can save you thousands during your child's youngest years. Of course, there is also the environmental impact of disposable diapers. The pollution of processing and delivering toss-away diapers is almost equal to the impact on our landfills. Green is the new black so do something nice for Mother Earth! Give cloth a try and you won't want to go back to disposables. It becomes part of your routine and just another load of laundry every three days. Easy!