How to Choose a Cloth Diapering System

Many new and expectant parents find that making the choice to cloth diaper their babies is an easy one. The hard part is choosing a cloth diapering system. There are an incredible number of small businesses selling everything from prefolds to fitted diapers to pockets to all-in-ones. Once you choose cloth diapers, you’ll also need to figure out how many diapers and what accessories you need. So how does the cloth diaper novice wade through all the possibilities and choose a cloth diapering system? With just a little research and at-home testing, you’ll find that you’ll be able to confidently choose the cloth diapering system that works best for you and your baby.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Choose Your Cloth Diapers

1. Go online and do a search for “cloth diaper types.” You’ll find a number of retailers offer information on the types of cloth diapers available for sale. There are four basic types of cloth diapers: prefolds or flats, fitted/contour, pockets and all-in-ones. Some pocket and all-in-one diapers are designed to be one-size-fits-all, so you’ll want to research this type of diaper as well.

2. Research cloth diaper brands by going online to a cloth diaper review site. The Diaper Pin is a great website containing customer reviews of various cloth diaper brands. There are an incredible number of small and large businesses selling cloth diapers; researching the various brands will help you narrow down your choices.

3. Buy a starter package when you are ready to start using cloth diapers. It’s virtually impossible to choose the perfect cloth diapering system until you’ve tried out the various types of diapers on your baby. Buying a starter package, which contains a few of each type of diaper, is a great way to try a lot of different types of diapers without spending too much money.

4. Try all of the diapers in the starter package on your baby. Every baby is different and you’ll quickly discover that certain types of diapers just work better on your baby. Perhaps it’s in the way the diaper fits, wicks away moisture or is just easier to use.

5. Purchase more of your favorite types of diapers. If you wash your diapers every other day, you’ll need about 20 to 24 diapers in your stash.

Select Diapering Accessories

6. Research diaper covers and wraps if you are going to be using prefolds, flats or fitted cloth diapers as they all require that you purchase a separate waterproof cover or wrap to prevent moisture from reaching your baby’s clothes. You can find out more information about each brand on a diaper review site, such as The Diaper Pin.

7. Decide whether you want to use a wet or dry pail system for your dirty diapers. Both require a diaper pail, but if you are going the dry pail route you’ll also need a washable diaper pail liner. If you are using a wet pail, be sure to buy a pail with a locking lid for the safety of your children as the water in the pail poses a drowning risk.

8. Purchase cloth wipes and a small wet bag for your diaper bag. You’ll also want to either make or buy a wipe solution to wet down your cloth wipes.

9. Consider investing in a mini shower, which attaches to your toilet and makes rinsing dirty diapers a much easier task.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have sewing know-how, you can purchase patterns for just about any kind of cloth diaper so you can make your own. Just be sure to research diaper fabric as cloth diapers require specialty fabrics that sometimes can only be purchased online.

Resources

• The Diaper Pin offers cloth diaper reviews to help you make your selection
• The Diaper Hyena is a great place to get cloth diapering info