The 5 Types of Cloth Diapers

When I started researching cloth diapers, I became totally overwhelmed! There are so many different types so how could you possibly know which cloth diapers work best?!

Well, I can't tell you which ones you will like best since we all have different preferences and some babies are more explosive than others! However, I can tell you what I have found to be the best and why I like them the most.

TYPES OF CLOTH DIAPERS:

Diaper Covers with prefolds-
Let's be real, prefolds are a pain in the ass. They are basically the rectangular white "diapers" that our grandmas used back in 1930, except now instead of using pins to secure them, you stuff them into a diaper cover/shell. They are bulky and annoying, but some women out there somewhere seem to like them.

 The prefolds are amazing for cleaning up spit-up and drool, covering my changing table so I don't have to wash my changing table cover as much, and for sopping up leaky milk while I sleep. However, I do not use them for actual diapers.




All in One "AIO Diapers"-
These diapers are definitely the easiest to use and are most like a disposable diaper since they consist of a diaper with absorbent inserts already attached to them.

AIO's are great for sending off to the daycare, babysitter, and for giving your dude the confidence to cloth diaper without them feeling like they're gonna mess up or do it wrong.





All in Two "AI2" Diapers-
These diapers have a diaper cover with an insert you just set inside. The cover is usually lined with some sort of fleece/fabric.

No stuffing is involved, which makes these quick and easy.

Bamboo inserts are my favorite. I'll get more in depth on inserts in another post.



Hybrid Diapers-
These are basically a type of AI2 diaper but instead of having any fabric in the cover, it consists of a thin waterproof cover/shell that you simply lay an insert inside of.

The hybrid allows you to also use disposable liners if you're on an airplane or long ride and don't want to lug around your poopy diaper bag (which if you get a reusable smell-proof carry bag doesn't matter anyways, but to each their own. :)

My favorite thing about AI2 hybrid diapers is that when baby pees, you can just replace the liner and keep him in the same diaper until he blows poop everywhere and it gets on the shell.
They are also less bulky than the other types and take up less room in your diaper bag, which means you can store more at a time.




Pocket Diaper-
These diapers are cushy and soft with a microfiber insert that you stuff inside the "pocket".

Some people think pocket diaper are more work since you have to take 10 seconds out of your day to stuff them, but they are definitely my favorite type of diapers.

From my experience, they are more absorbent, super soft, and seem to fit the most comfortably on little baby bums.

I stuff my pocket diapers when I take them out of the dryer so they're all ready to go when you need them.

Also, if you have a heavy wetter or don't want to change diapers in the middle of the night, you can just add an extra insert inside the diaper. Doubling up means less changing and don't worry, the micro fleece wicks away moisture so your baby isn't sitting in wet pee all night like a poor abused puppy left in the rain or something.

My favorite pocket diapers are CHARLIE BANANA and BUMGENIUS.





So there you have the basic five types of diapers used in cloth diapering.

A lot of moms I know buy one of each type of cloth diaper they're interested in and see which works best.

Other moms try out the 2 week trial period that a lot of companies offer so you can try out their cloth diapers risk free.

I put cloth diapers on my registry so I didn't actually have to pay for any of them myself. I just picked out what I wanted and put it on my Amazon.com and BuyBuyBaby registries.

It's definitely best to let your baby shower guests know you're choosing to cloth diaper so that you get what you want and don't end up with 30 boxes of disposable diapers. :)

Happy Diaper Hunting!