A Mommy of the Cloth (Part I: anatomy)

Cloth diapering is definitely a thing right now. And I couldn't be more thrilled about how much it's gaining popularity. But it's also confusing and, at times, intimidating. Lots of bloggers have broken down the ins and outs of cloth diapering ( I read about it here and here and here, and all three were very helpful), but for those of my friends who are considering cloth, I thought I'd share how I do it.

First things first.
The first thing to know about cloth diapers is that there are three main "styles."

There's the traditional cloth diaper called a "prefold" that you put on your baby and then cover it with a waterproof cover.




There's a the pocket diaper, which looks just like a disposable but is stuffable with absorbent liners.





And there's the "all in one diaper" which is, well, just one piece.






I have all three and love them all.

You can also pick to close the diaper with Velcro (also called aplix) or snaps. Snaps are more durable, but velcro is closer to a disposable, so it's less intimidating for new users. Again, I have both.

I feel like starting with an all-in-one or a pocket diaper is the least intimidating. They look just like a disposable and you either have to stuff the diaper to make it more absorbent or you don't.

These are also great for babysitters since they don't really have to do anything differently. If they know how to change a disposable, then they know how to change a cloth diaper. You just don't throw it away.

Now, I happen to really like using traditional cloth diapers (AKA prefolds) and a cover because you can reuse the cover and just change the cloth diaper provided the cover stays clean. It's also less expensive.

Now, I totally stressed about buying these diapers and, at first, felt like I had to commit to one brand/style of diaper. Nothing could be further from the truth. Try out different brands. Get a few of each. If you want to do diaper laundry every other day, buy about 12. With 16 or 18, you can do laundry every third day.

With not that much trial and error, you'll soon have favorites.

Next post... washing cloth diapers