Cloth Diapering Part 2

For those of you who choose to use prefolds, contours, or fitted diapers you’re going to need to invest in some covers. There are a few different styles of covers: Plastic/PUL, Wool, and Fleece.

Plastic & PUL Covers: Dappi makes an inexpensive, basic cover that will get the job done. From my experience these covers work well during the day, but I would recommend using something a bit more heavy duty for nighttime use. I have used Bumkins covers and they work well and tend to hold up over time. I like that they have a vent in the back, although you want to make sure the vent stays covered or else you’ll get moisture on the back of the baby’s clothing (I know this from experience). However, my favorite non-wool covers are the Bummis Super Brite and the Bummis Super Whisper Wrap. They are fantastic at keeping everything contained and their velcro closures help create a perfect fit.

Fleece Covers: I have only tried one fleece cover and I was surprised at how well it worked. The fleece naturally wicks away moisture and can be washed with your diapers (as opposed to wool covers). You could get them in different styles (longies, shorties, skirties, or soakers) and wear them alone or with clothing over them.

Wool Covers: I have to admit that I am partial to wool covers. I love them, absolutely LOVE them! With Cadence I tried wool and just could not get it to work right, so I gave up. I decided that with Rosalyn I wanted to use as much natural fiber as possible, so I bought mostly wool for her. I do use the Bummis or Bumkins covers as well, but much prefer the wool (nothing against the Bummis or Bumkins covers – they are excellent, it’s more of a personal preference for wool). You do need to lanolize your wool covers, which I typically do once a month when I wash them (I will touch on this on a later post). Wool covers come in the same styles as the fleece covers: longies, shorties, skirties, and soakers. My favorite wool covers are Disana because they work and fit wonderfully! I have hand knit some wool longies using this pattern and they have turned out well, however, I usually use them over another wool cover. I have been drooling over Llamajama longies for quite some time, but have yet to bite the bullet and buy a pair. They are super cute!

Diaper & Cover Sizing: Diapers can be purchased in a one size (OS) option or various sizes depending on the size of your baby. The OS options are great because it is one diaper that adjusts to fit from around 8 to 35 pounds (each brand is a bit different on their size range). I have tried the Blueberry and BumGenius OS Pocket Diapers and they both seemed to have a great fit. This would be a less expensive option and works well with most babies. However, many prefer the different sizing options because they can get a more precise fit. Kissaluvs fitted diapers and Fuzzi Bunz pocket diapers both offer the option of different sizes.

Inserts and Doublers: Inserts and doublers are typically made of cotton or hemp and are either inserted into pocket diapers or placed into other diapers (fitteds, all-in-ones, etc.) to add absorbency. Cotton Babies makes a fantastic one size insert that is adjusted to fit into different size pocket diapers. Kissaluvs also makes great doublers that work well in fitted diapers. I have made some of my own inserts and doublers by using DSQ prefolds.

To Be Continued.....