New To Cloth Diapering

There are so many different options available today, when talking about cloth diapering! There are WAHM's (Work At Home Moms) with wonderful products available. If you really want to have some fun with something that is generally not fun at all, you can start a "stash" of WAHM cloth diapers. But for the beginner that just wants to understand how the whole cloth diapering thing works, let's back up a little bit.

There are a few basic types of cloth diapers. First, there is the standard fitted diaper that comes in newborn through extra large sizes. These diapers usually close on the front or side with hook and loop tape or plastic snaps. The diaper may have a pocket for you to "slip" a doubler into for extra absorbency. A "doubler" is either a contoured cut of fabric or a sheet that is folded into the size you want and then added to the interior of the diaper. A plain cotton diaper will need a cover. You can choose from wool, fleece and PUL (a laminate.) Next you have a One Size diaper. These diapers fit from newborns (for some) through potty training. One Size diapers adjust to baby's size by lengthening or shortening the "rise" of the diaper. The rise is the distance measured from the front tip, down under baby, and up the other side to the edge of the back of the diaper. The rise is usually adjusted by some sort of snap settings. Some diapers, like the SnugWee use a fold over style that eliminates the need for moving snaps around and tucking in fabric in various places all over the diaper. One size diapers can be purchased as AIOs (All In Ones) so you don't have to purchase a cover, or you can have a one size diaper with a seperate cover. Third, you have the pocket style AIO. This is a diaper that does not need a cover, you just insert your soaker pad in from the front or back and pull it out to wash. These are good choices for moms on the go and going out in public. They are very much like a disposable without the throwing away part. Last you can choose a Chinese pre-fold with a cover. This means that you take the flat Chinese prefold and fold it however you like: there are different options for folding it, like a triangle and pinning it on baby or folding it like a straight pad and not pinning. The cover keeps everything in place. These work well with newborns who aren't moving around so much and are growing rapidly.