Diaper Covers
So what exactly is a Diaper Cover? A Diaper cover is a waterproof cover and can be used over a variety of diaper types. Covers can be made of a variety of materials including polyester, nylon, or wool. Covers (other than wool) usually have a layer of PUL on the inside which makes the cover waterproof. Covers are what in the olden days where known as "RUBBER PANTS!!!!" Rubber pants are a thing of the past :) Diaper covers have come a long way just as ALL modern cloth diapers have.
Diaper covers are used over flats, prefold, and fitteds (Part 1). Using the cover with these types of diapers is what makes them waterproof. Flats and prefolds need a cover to also keep them on :) Some people use fitteds without a cover and just change the diaper when the outside feels wet. But add a waterproof cover to your fitted and you no longer have to deal with clothes, furniture, etc. becoming wet.
I do use a diaper cover overnight for Baby K. We use a fitted diaper along with a Thirsties Duo Diaper cover. We use the itti bitt boo fitted for overnight. I have found for us that a fitted with a cover is a great overnight option. With the fitted the whole diaper is absorbent along with the inserts and then add the waterproof diaper cover and we have never had a leak yet!!! :)
The benefits of Diaper Covers (according to kellyscloset.com)
- Diaper Covers provide you with the flexibility to diaper your way!
- Prefer natural fibers and materials? Wool covers provide optimal protection against leaks, making them perfect for nighttime (and daytime too).
- Simple rinse and wipe covers are reliable diaper cover workhorses!
Diaper covers have always been popular, are popular and will always be popular in the CD community. They just give you too many options to ever lose their popularity. Diaper Covers really range in price. A lot of the price range is because of the different types of covers that are out there. The cheapest cover I have found is $8.95 (rinse and wipe) and the most expensive is $42.97.
My favorite Diaper Cover, and really the only one I have ever used, is the Thiristies Duo Wrap Diaper Cover. I have found this cover at both abbyslane.com and kellyscloset.com for the same price of $12.25. To cloth diaper full time and wash every other day you would probably only need 6 covers at most (rinse and wipe). The only time you NEED to change the cover is if baby gets poopy on the cover. Other than that just wipe the cover and use it again. Pair these covers with your favorite option from Part 1 and you have a very cheap way to cloth diaper your baby!!
Pockets
Pockets?!?! Like you have on your pants? NO!!!! Pocket Diapers :) Pocket diapers are just what there name says, they have a pocket that you "stuff" with your absorbent insert. Pocket diapers consist of 2 parts: a waterproof outer layer and an inner layer that is usually made of either microfleece or suedecloth. You then have an insert that you stuff into the pocket of the diaper. The insert can be made of a variety of materials, microfiber, bamboo, minky, etc., and can even be stuffed with a flat or prefold! Pockets either have hook and loop (velcro) or snaps to close the diaper. They come in either sized (S, M, L, etc) or One-Size (OS). OS diapers last from birth to potty training where with sized you will have to buy multiple diapers to last from birth to potty training.
I LOVE pocket diapers. They are the 1st diapers that I ever tried and I still use them EVERYDAY!! My pocket diapers are what made me fall in love with cloth diapering. They are extremely simple to use and could probably be called the dumby diaper :) Pockets are the type of diaper that I would recommend to anyone that wants to try out cloth diapering. Once you stuff your pocket the diaper goes on just like a disposable diaper does. I prefer snaps over hook and loop but I know many who like the hook and loop better because it truly goes on like a disposable.
The benefits of Pockets (according to ME!)
- They are the "SIMPLE" diaper
- Easy for others to use for non-CD people (just stuff the pocket 1st)
As with all the other diapers, Pocket Diaper range greatly in price. They can be as cheap as $9.97 or as expensive as $24.00 for a OS diaper. Sized diapers are around the middle of that price range and vary depending on the SIZE of the diaper.
The cheapest OS pocket diaper I found at Kelly's Closet is Kawaii One-Size Pocket Cloth Diaper for $9.97 and the most expensive one I found was Rumparooz G2 One Size Diapers with 6-r Soaker for $23.50. At Abby's Lane I found the OS BumGenius 4.0 for $17.95 and their most expensive is the OS Blueberry Minky for $27.95.
To cloth diaper my 10 month old full time and to wash every other day I have a stash of 12 diapers (this does not include my overnight diapers). So for 12 diapers you could spend $120 on the lowest end or $335.50 on the highest end. Most CD families have a mix and match of their types and brands of diapers. Personally I own 3 different brands of pocket diapers. I currently have FuzziBunz (I have mostly sized but just got a OS), Oh Katy (OS), and Tiny Tush (Elite 1.1 OS). I love all of my pockets for a different reason and could not imagine only having to chose 1 brand. I use my OS for nap times with both inserts and my sized ones for when she is awake. You have to chose what pocket works best for your little one and how much you are willing to pay for them.
Next Time
Part 3 will be all about AIO, SIO, and AI2!!! What do these letters mean? You will just have to wait for Part 3 to find out :) If you use any of the diapers in any of the 3 parts and would like to write a couple sentences about why please email them to me at SAH.Cloth.Diapering.Mama@gmail.com. Please put "Diapers Galore" as the subject line and your opinions may just be cyber published :)
Hi,
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post. Great info. I am new to cloth diapering. I have some questions. First, I bought some diapers online off ebay (which turned out to be knock-off diapers and I can tell the quality isn't that great). But they were pocket diapers and I know I like them.
1. This is probably a dumb question, but when they go, either pee or poo, do you change the diaper each time? Or just stick a new insert in (unless it's poo i guess)?
2. I am on a tight budget, so I'm wondering if you have any suggestions on places to look for a good bargain when it comes to diapers. Also, what are your favorite brands.
3. I have only tried pockets but am pretty sure that i'll like them the best. Would you still suggest trying other types as well? If so, do you know of any good and relatively cheap programs where I can try out a bunch of differnt types of diapers? Thank you so much for your help.
If you prefer to email me your responses, my email address is jacobnjanice@gmail.com
I am going to answer your questions here for you (and others) but I will also send them in an email to make sure you receive all the info you need :)
Delete1.) If you are using pocket diapers then you change the WHOLE diaper every time!! If you are using something like an AI2 (all-in-2) or something with a cover than you are able to reuse the cover only. Anything that directly gets pee or poo on it should always be changed. (Hope that all make sense)
2.) If you don't mind having used diapers you can usually find a pretty good deal on b/s/t (buy/sell/trade) sites and Facebook pages. http://www.facebook.com/groups/ClothDiaperSwap/ This is a pretty big and busy group on Facebook (you will have to be approved by the admin to join). Also most big brand diapers have their own B/S/T sites on Facebook. My favorite brands are:
AIO - Thiristies or the Bumgenius Elemental
AI2 - I have a bunch of WAHM diapers that I love but they tend to run more on the expensive side. I also LOVE itti bitti SIOs and you can sometimes find the fairly cheap on the B/S/T page http://www.facebook.com/groups/228039103899093/
Pockets - FuzziBunz Elite and they are a OS. I also really like their sized diapers and they are cheaper than the OS. size medium tends to last the longest time. Baby K still fits them and started wearing them at 8 months.
Cover - I really like the Sweet Pea covers and they are only $10.95 which is super cheap for such a good cover.
Prefolds - My favorites so far are the BabyKicks Hemparoo Fleece Prefolds. But if you want something really cheap you can always try the Econobum sets where you get 3 prefolds and a cover for $11.95
Fitteds - Fitteds overall tend to run more on the expensive side also but are great for overnight. I really like the itti bitti boos and the Substainablebabyish snapless-multi fitted.
Some of the diapers above I have done reviews on and you can see all the info for them :) Just look under the review tab at the top of the blog.
3.) I started out with ONLY pockets and 1 AIO (that I ended up not liking that brand). I only did pockets for probably the 1st month. Then someone recommended that I might like the itti bitti SIOs so I got some of those for Christmas and loved them. After starting the blog I have now tried many, many, many types of different diapers. And honestly I have a situation that warrants every type of diaper there is! My OS pocket diapers with 2 inserts are great for long naps and car rides. My WAHM AI2s are adorable and I love to show them off so we use them out of the house. My AIOs I leave at home for Hubby to make it simple for him. My prefolds I use because I have some adorable covers :) And my fitteds I use for overnight. I would recommend trying some other kinds also because what you think you like in the beginning may not be the same in a couple months. I would try to buy used until you know what you really want your stash to be like. And selling your diapers is usually pretty easy. And make sure to enter giveaways as much as you can because I personally have won at least 4 of my diapers through giveaways!
I hope all of this helps and please if you have any other questions don't be afraid to ask either on the blog, by email or on the Facebook page. If I don't know the answer I have a ton of other bloggers backing me up that I will find the answer :)
Amy the SAH CD Mama