So you're ready to take the plunge and explore the world of prefold cloth diapers for the good of Mother Nature and your budget. If you're just entering into this fascinating world for the first time, whether because you're used to plastic disposables or because you've never used diapers before, a little preparation in order. The cloth diaper industry has more depth to it than you might think, and it's easy to get confused about what you might need if you don't know the differences between diaper styles. Different types of cloth diapers will have different ups and downs, and you need to know enough to go with the ones that work optimally for your situation.
We should start with an explanation of flats, the traditional, classic cloth diaper option. They're a single layer of cotton gauze. As you can imagine, they're not exactly sophisticated, and their current availability is really mostly due to inertia from its past legacy as a predominant diaper type. Nowadays you can probably do better. Of course, if you're willing to do the extra work folding and pinning them, then you can buy these types of diapers very cheaply. They also dry quite fast.
Another kind of diaper that requires similar particularly focused care to use properly is the pocket diaper. They're defined primarily by consisting of two basic layers, an inner fleece layer and an outer layer, with an opening in the back. The back opening is intended to be stuffed with anything from diaper liners to hand towels, whatever you need to absorb the output. While the fleece does a good job keeping moisture away from infant skin, pocket diapers aren't the easiest diapers to use.
Moving on to the more popular options, prefolds and fitteds are all the rage with diapers nowadays. Fitted diapers incorporate elastic, and look very similar to disposables with the obvious caveat that they're not meant to be disposed of. Prefolded diapers more closely resemble flats, but with extra padding in the right places to help the diaper fit better and prevent leakage. There are also Chinese prefolded diapers which are notably more absorbent than the regular sorts you could find at the store.
Prefolds, besides being probably the most popular diaper type in the current environment, also have some additional variety worth noting. They can come in bleached or unbleached forms, for instance. There are claims that unbleached are softer, but you'll have to be the judge of that for yourself. While most prefolded diapers are made of cotton, there are some made of hemp that are pricier in return for more absorbency. Almost all brands of prefolds are fairly simple to store and dry, and are flexible enough to adapt to various body types, which is why prefolds are the diaper of choice today.
Now you know what's out there, and you know the benefits and downsides to each diaper type. You still have to be the one to decide what's best for your baby, though. No one can do that for you!
