Cloth diapering

For those of you who have braved the abyss of cloth diapering and come out alive,  I commend you!  For those of you who have not, (either braved the abyss or have yet to come out alive) I would like to give you just a small snippet of the options available to us now-a-days.

I have been researching this for over 3 months and I am not kidding when I say I keep finding more options.  There are AT LEAST the following options:

Flat diapers - these are the old fashioned cotton diapers that have to be folded, folded and folded again until they fit baby and fastened with a pin or other means.

Prefolds - these are the other cotton old fashioned kind (although a little newer than the flat diapers) that have been prefolded to be thicker in the middle and still need to be fastened with a pin or other means.

Semi-fitted diapers - these are prefold diapers which have been fitted with elastic to go around the baby's legs.  A little bit better fit.  Still need to be fastened with pin or other means.

Fitted diapers - these are prefolds which have been fitted with elastic around the legs and also velcro or snaps at the waist.  An even better fit.


Diaper covers - required for all the diaper styles above.  Our mothers and grandmothers used 'plastic pants'.  These newer diaper covers are better fitted but pretty much the same idea as the plastic pants.  I would venture to say the 'plastic' or waterproof material used now is much more durable and not as loud!  HA!  These can have snaps or velcro at the waist and have elastic at the legs.


All In One (AIO) diapers - These diapers are made of cloth and have a 'built in' diaper cover.  They resemble disposables and are quite easy to use.  The downside is due to the thickness, they take a while to dry.


Pocket diapers - these are similar to the AIO diapers in that they are complete with their own 'diaper cover' however these have a fleece material which touches the baby and a pocket in which you put thick inserts that can be removed for washing and drying.  This cuts down on drying time and gives you an option of how thick you would like to make the diaper.  You can add additional inserts for say nighttime for longer wear.

After you have decided which type of diaper you would like to use, then you get to search through the plethora of which brand offers what type of diaper.  Then what size?  XS, SM, Med, LG or One Size Fits All?  Do you want snaps or velcro?  Do you want white?  Do you want blue hues for your boy?  Do you want pinks for your girl?  Do you want 'unisex' colors?  Do you want prints or solids?  Do you want organic?  Do you want unbleached?  Do you want cotton, hemp, terrycloth, bamboo (yes, I said bamboo) or microfiber?

The list goes on and on and on...it is truly unbelievable.  I have found what I think will be the ones I would like to use.  Luke is potty trained and so therefore I have no child to experiment on.  So I bought just a few of each the styles and brands I imagine I will like.  It will be trial and error once Zachary gets here.

For the more frugal of us moms, the cheapest options out there are the flat or prefold diapers with a One Size Fits All diaper cover.

The cost just goes up if you venture into any of the other options.  I have purchased a few of the AIO diapers for nighttime diapering to keep it simple when bleary eyed and barely functioning.  I figure the easier the better.  Also, these will be good to take with me when I am in a place where someone else might be changing the diaper like church or mom's house. 

Does anyone have any suggestions??  Have I made your head spin enough for today?

Very well...until next time!  : )