(7 months old, in a Twinkie Tush fitted)Types of Diapers
Cloth diapers all fall into three size categories: newborn, one-size, or sized.
- Newborn diapers are tiny and to be used during the newborn phase. I had a giant baby and got about three weeks of use out of mine, but people with smaller babies will get to use them longer.
- One-size diapers are just that — one-size-fits-all. They are adjustable in both rise and waist size with snaps or aplix/velcro closures. A caveat here is that they really aren’t one-size, as most newborns have legs too skinny to fill them out right away. We started using these when my son was about 11 pounds and he wore them until he was about 30 pounds (and could have continued on longer).
- Sized diapers are meant to fit a specific size range and usually are designated as XS-XL.
NOW, within the three size categories, there are also styles of diapers. I have tried them all. No, really. 🙂
- All-in-ones (AIOs): The diaper is literally one piece. Pros: they are usually trim and fit well under clothes. Cons: they take a long time to dry, and you cannot customize the absorbency.
- Pockets: These diapers are two pieces — an outer “pocket” shell that you slide inserts into, and the inserts themselves. Pros: customizable absorbency (you can stuff them with one insert, or ten!), dry quickly. Cons: can be bulky, and stuffing them is an extra step in the laundry process.
- Prefolds: These are what you think of when you think of old fashioned cloth diapers — literally a rectangle of fabric that you can fold around the baby. We secured ours with a Snappi and covered them with a diaper cover to be waterproof. Pros: inexpensive, cover can be reused, no folding or stuffing. Cons: tricky to fold around an older, wiggly baby or toddler, somewhat bulky, requires a cover to be waterproof.
- Fitteds: Fitteds are generally the most adorable of all the diapers. However, they require a cover to be fully waterproof. Pros: extremely absorbent, adorable. Cons: can be bulky, generally more expensive, slow drying time.
There are also a few other different kinds out there (hybrids, all-in-twos) but these are the heavy hitters.
For a starter stash, I recommend getting a full set of newborn diapers and then sampling several different styles and brands of diapers for the one-size stage to see what you like best. Cloth diapers hold resale value quite well, so it’s easy to sell what you don’t like and use the money to buy what you do.
(Fresh newborn in a prefold plus Thirsties cover)Newborn phase:
- 24 prefolds (don’t get the cheap Gerber ones — I recommend Osocozy or Green Mountain Diapers brand.)
- 3 Snappis
- 4 covers (I like Thirsties, with aplix closures, size 1)
Yep, that’s it. I recommend keeping it cheap and simple for newborns, since you won’t get a ton of mileage out of your stash before baby outgrows it.
For the bigger kids … EXPERIMENT! I started out with a few each of Fuzzibunz pockets, BumGenius pockets, BumGenius all-in-ones, and Twinkie Tush fitteds. Eventually, we found our favorites and got into a good rhythm of using BumGenius pockets during the day and fitteds at night. We have a great cloth diaper store right here in Kansas City that’s really helpful when it comes to figuring out what will work best for you. (They didn’t pay me to say that — I really do think they’re great. I’m just another customer!)
Miscellaneous stuff you’ll need:
- Wet bags to hold dirty diapers
- Cloth diaper-safe rash cream (do not use traditional zinc-based rash creams — they will ruin your diapers)
- Diaper sprayer (only when your kid has started solids, and poop gets sprayed into the toilet and flushed)
- Cloth-diaper safe laundry detergent (we use Tide Free and Clear)
All in all — the hardest part about cloth diapering is getting started. Once you have a routine going, it’s really not a big deal! Read widely, ask questions, get your hands on some diapers, and enjoy!
I have to say you don’t “need” a cloth diaper sprayer. I mean cleaning out diapers isn’t as bad as everyone thinks it is. I have cloth diapered three boys and have never had one. Don’t forget about the cloth wipes!
I think it’s great that you’re sharing what worked for you. But to dismiss hybrid systems like the Flip without even a description! We had absolutely no luck with pre-folds with covers (leaks, even with high quality Green Mountain diapers and Thirsties covers), and used pocket diapers only for nighttime, where we could stuff them nice and full for extra absorbency. But who wants to unstuff a poopy pocket diaper? Not this girl! We used Flips for daytime, with the organic cotton insert, for the first two years. Could not have asked for a better–or easier–cloth diaper option. Please, do your readers a service, and FULLY explain their cloth diaper options.
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