The Best Cloth Diapers
When our kids were small finding the best cloth diapers was a simple task. This was because there were virtually no choices to be had. You either bought pre-cut flannel diapers (now called prefolds) or flannel from a fabric store and cut your own.
Most parents these days are motivated to not use disposable diapers by two things, price and “landfill guilt”. Not only are the landfills filling up but they aren’t designed to treat raw sewage. That’s to say nothing of the 500 year rot time for a buried disposable diaper.
=====>You can find the best cloth diapers and many more reviews here.<====
The guilt feelings would be even stronger (I would hope) if people knew that in the US, 50 million disposable diapers end up in landfills every single day! Multiply that by 365 and you get a rather horrifying 20 billion a year!
But do the best cloth diapers perform as well as disposables?
I recently had to do some research while looking for a baby shower gift. These pages are a quick rundown on what I found.
Oh, how times have changed! There are now a myriad of different types of cloth diapering “systems”. The variety of different materials is mind boggling and has undoubtedly benefited from the wonderful new developments in outdoor performance fabrics that perform well in wet environments.
Fabrics that wick moisture away from the skin to outer absorbent layers as well as “GoreTex” type coatings are keeping a lot of little bums a whole lot dryer than in decades past.
PreFolds are much like the original rectangular cotton flannel diapers but are thicker and come in different sizes; they are also the most economical and so handy for uses other than diapering.
They don’t come prefolded, you prefold them before “installation”. They need pins or Snappi fasteners to keep them done up.
Pocket diapers are one step up from prefolds. They are shaped to fit snugly and have snaps or velcro sewn in for adjustability and quick, easy changes. They are very fast and convenient to put on. Look for elastic and gussets around the legs keep messes contained.
With the best cloth diapers say good-bye to diaper pins! Yessss!
They usually have a pocket into which you tuck an absorbent insert. The insert or liner is either reusable (washable) or biodegradable and meant to be thrown away, composted or flushed. If thrown or composted it can take as little as 45 days to be completely decomposed.
Both prefolds and pocket diapers are used inside rubber pants or other waterproof layer. Although rubber, or plastic pants can be used, (that’s what we used way back in the last century) they are loud, crinkly and hot which is not the best for baby skin.
The newer high tech fabrics are much lighter, softer, and breathable making them waterproof yet allowing heat to escape while keeping your baby’s wetness inside the diaper cover. There are also merino wool covers that work exceptionally well without irritation.
All in Ones (or AIO’s) are very similar to fitted, the only difference is the inner absorbent layer and the outer waterproof layer are sewn in. These are great when you’re away from home and convenience is paramount. The main downside is they are slow drying after washing.
Many of the companies making the best cloth diapers are taking these designs that we have talked about and showing great innovation in developing hybrid designs that are getting rave reviews from Moms and Dads worldwide. I’ve included a few snippets below.
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Here’s what people are saying about the best cloth diapers…
“I’ve used cloth for the past 3 years on 2 kids and LOVE them! While I do care about the environment, my main reason for using them is cost, a HUGE cost savings compare to disposables. Can’t say anything bad about them!”
“We will spend half as much on diapering with cloth as we would using disposable diapers, just in the first 18 months. Yes, you heard read correctly. I actually did the math, including everything down to the extra loads of laundry and water usage that these diapers will require, and they STILL will more than pay for themselves in the first year.”
“I want to make something clear, though: we don’t do cloth diaper because I am just O So Awesome, we do them because it really isn’t that difficult. Believe me; I would not have continued doing it if it weren’t worth it. Sure, they’re a little more work than disposable, but that increased amount of work has not at all outweighed the benefit.”
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Judging by the reviews, the best cloth diapers are an excellent alternative to disposables. They may seem expensive at first but over the long term, even considering the cost of washing and drying them, they make economic sense. I have included a couple of links in the blogroll (right side of the page) that compare the cost of the two.
=====>You can find the best cloth diapers and many more reviews here.<====
(Links on this page are sponsored affiliate links, the owner is not a bonafide user of the best cloth diapers and receives a commission for sales made (usually 4 – 8%) from the merchant. The commission has no bearing on the price you pay for any of the products on these external sites. The commission does (will, hopefully, lol) pay for the costs associated with running this website and I am very grateful for your support. DH)