Continuing our comparison of the differences and advantages of major styles and brands of cloth diapers, today we’re comparing pocket diapers to other cloth diaper styles.

• All-in-One Diapers (AIO)
• Pocket Diapers
• Fitted Diapers
• Prefolds & Flat Diapers

Pocket Cloth Diapers

With a pocket diaper, the diaper itself is made up of two layers. The outer layer is moisture resistant. This is the layer that shows on the outside when your baby is all diapered and ready to go. There is no extra cover to add as you must with fitted or prefold diapers. Another layer on the inside of a pocket diaper wicks moisture. Because there is an opening in the back seam, these two layers together are the pocket.

Moisture absorbency in a pocket diaper is provided by an insert that is stuffed into the back opening. Inserts can be made of any absorbent material, like cotton, hemp, bamboo, or even microfiber. In that way, you have a lot of material choices just like you do with fitted diapers.

Pocket diapers can be one-size, like the Happy Heiny One for All diaper, or sized, like the Fuzzi Bunz Perfect Size diaper. In many ways, pocket diapers are quite similar to all-in-two and some all-in-one diapers that have a piece allowing customized absorbency.

Best of all, with pocket diapers, there are a lot of brands, styles, and closures to choose from. You don’t need to settle for what doesn’t work for you.

Pocket Diaper Advantages

• Easy to wash. You can separate inserts from most pocket diapers just by shaking them upside down. Just be sure to rinse adequately, and follow manufacturer washing instructions.
• Easy to dry. Since the pieces separate, the water and air don’t need to be forced through many, many layers.
• A lot of flexibility in amount of absorbency used, so you can make minor adjustments throughout the day.
• You can pre-stuff the diapers and let other caregivers treat them almost like all-in-one diapers.
• A lot of colors, prints, and styles to choose from.

For parents looking for an easy system that allows them to make some customization, pocket diapers have become a popular choice.

Pocket Diaper Disadvantages

• You have to get the amount and placement of the inserts right or you will have leaks.
• If your detergent leaves residue or you don’t rinse the detergent adequately, there can be build-up on the inner layer, which leads to odors and trouble with absorbency.
• If you have many different kinds of pocket diapers, you might find that manufacturers recommend different washing routines for each. It can get confusing and difficult to get everything equally clean.
• Must wash every part after every diaper change, creating more wash than with simpler systems.
• The child doesn’t feel wetness of the diaper, which could delay the early potty training advantage found with cloth diapers.

The biggest issue to solve with pocket diapers is finding the washing routine that works with your diapers, your water quality, and your detergent. Sticking with all the same brand or very similar diapers for your whole collection can help solve that problem as well. Once you have that down, you can make pocket diapers work well for you and your baby

Later this week, we’ll share our customers’ opinions of pocket diapers. Make comments on Facebook or

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When I want to know what cloth diapers bynature.ca customers like best, I go to the reviews. I looked for cloth diapering products with multiple reviews at or near 5 stars. One high review next to a low review could be just personal preference, but a product that consistently gets highest reviews is a very good bet for parents who just want a reliable cloth diaper without too much fuss.

Fuss no more! These are your favorite cloth diapers.

Best Cloth Diapers
Kissaluvs Fitted Cloth Diapers

5 reviews
Quality: 5 stars
Price: 4.4 stars
Value: 4.6 stars

“I thought these were great diapers- absorbent and held in messes.”

“Great Diaper” by Eleanor

Motherease One-size Cloth Diapers

4 reviews
Quality: 4.8 stars
Price: 4.8 stars
Value: 4.8 stars

“Without a doubt my favourite cloth diaper. Sizing is easily adjustable.”

“My number 1 cloth diaper” by Kristen

Unbleached Cotton Prefolds

6 reviews
Quality: 4.8 stars
Price: 4.8 stars
Value: 4.8 stars

“My son is almost two, and we’ve been using premium size prefolds since he was about a week old. These are so much cheaper than fitted diapers, and they are not difficult at all to use.”

“Prefolds all the way” by Mary

Best Cloth Diaper Covers

MotherEase Airflow Diaper Covers

6 reviews
Quality: 4.8 stars
Price: 4.8 stars
Value: 4.8 stars

“I swear by these diaper covers and have recommended them to friends. They feel soft to the touch, not plasticy or crunchy.”

“Best diaper covers available” by Nicola

Bummis Super Brites Diaper Cover

4 reviews
Quality: 5 stars
Price: 4.8 stars
Value: 5 stars

“The extra protection at the leg was virtually blow out proof in the early days of very runny newborn poop, which allowed us to leave the house with confidence.”

“Versatile diaper cover that fits many different shapes and sizes” by Lindsay

Best Cloth Diaper Package

Bummis Complete Cloth Diapering Kit with organic cotton prefolds

5 reviews
Quality: 5 stars
Price: 4.8 stars
Value: 5 stars

“We purchased this kit as it was the most affordable way for us to be able to cloth diaper. The supplies in the kit are everything we needed to get started.”

“Affordable way to start cloth diapering” by Morag

Please Help!

Next month I want to compare cloth diaper styles, and I want to use customer favorites as examples. And, as always, we want other customers to benefit from your experience, good or bad, with any product. The more reviews we have, the more reliable the system as a whole becomes.

Will you please go to bynature.ca’s Baby division, find the cloth diapers you have used, and post an honest review? Include the kind of details you look for in reviews.

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Babies leak. You’ve noticed? Cloth diapers provide a very simple, sustainable solution. Like breastfeeding, though, knowing how to diaper a baby is not automatic. You as a parent need to learn a few simple basics to get started cloth diapering. You need the right stuff, the right knowledge, and the right attitude.

If you prefer to get your hands on the diapers and get started, a cloth diaper package may be right for you. Add a diaper pail and a few baby wipes to any package, and you are ready to go.

The Practical Cloth Diaperer

If you just want basic, time-tested cloth diapers that do the job so you can get on with life, the Bummis Complete Cloth Diapering Kit with organic cotton prefolds is for you. This kit has everything you need to cloth diaper full time, including a care guide with washing and folding instructions. I would call this no frills, but you do get cloth diaper covers in those cute Bummis prints. Let’s call it minimal frills.

The Experimental Cloth Diaperer

If you like to try things out, collecting data before you make your decision, don’t buy a full set of diapers before you start. Just don’t! You’ll be sorry. Get one of each type of cloth diaper and see how it works for you and for your baby. Our Dazed & Confused Cloth Diaper Trial Kit includes a prefold diaper, a fitted diaper, a diaper cover, and two pocket diapers with inserts. Cloth diapering can be personalized to fit any family. This kit will help you do your own cloth diaper tests before you invest in full-time cloth diapering.

The Quick Cloth Diaperer

If you want what you want right away without any fuss, you might be a future pocket diapering parent. One-size pocket diapers are very easy to understand, so you will find yourself well up the learning curve on your first day. Happy Heiny’s starter package includes three diapers along with inserts in small and large. Three diapers is enough to get started with cloth diapers as you realize just how easy cloth diapering will be.

The Right Knowledge

Every diapering system needs to combine moisture absorbency with moisture resistance. This might mean a cloth diaper (absorbent) and a cloth diaper cover (resistant) or a pocket diaper (resistant) and an insert (absorbent).

As for the logistics of putting on a cloth diaper, you can often figure out the basics by experimenting with a doll or stuffed animal. I spend a good amount of time diapering and nursing a bear before my first baby arrived. Learning those basics before it counted helped me to be confident when I first diapered my baby.

If you need support or want to talk to an experienced parent about cloth diapers, look for a Real Diaper Circle. If there isn’t a Circle or other support group near you, call bynature.ca for pointers. We want you to be successful, and we will do our best to help.

The Right Attitude

First of all, how hard can it be to catch baby pee in a diaper? It is not hard, and you will be an expert in no time at all. Know that it’s going to be easy for you, and it will be. You will face issues. There are always issues whether it’s a stinky pail or a leaky leg opening. There are solutions to the issues you will face.

Like so much you do for your babies, cloth diapering is a loving act of helping your helpless, gorgeous little people do what they can’t do for themselves. Smile while you diaper your baby. Show your love so this is a happy time for you both.

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Too hot for clothes? If all your baby is wearing this summer is a diaper, make it count. Have you baby wear a bold and beautiful diaper cover that looks stylish on its own. One company does great prints better than any other: Bummis.

Bummis Super Whisper Wrap

Bummis took the tough Super Whisper Wrap cover that parents have loved for so long and made it in bright prints: flowers, frogs, jungle, dots, and several more subtle prints. This soft, polyester cover stands up to a lot of washing.

Froggy Pond print

Jungle print

Flower print

Celery Dot print

Bummis Super Brite

For an even lighter cover in brighter colors, choose Bummis Super Brite. This one-layer cover with soft gussets comes in four colors of a print you will not want to cover up.

Super Brite Green

Super Brite Yellow

Super Brite Blue

Super Brite Pink

If it’s too hot for baby to wear pants, wear that diaper cover with panache—and don’t forget to cover that precious skin.

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Dump the poop. It helps if you empty a full diaper all of the time so you have less to do when you empty the diaper pail into the washer, but it is especially important if you have a problem with smell to dump the stinkest messes in the toilet before the diaper goes in the pail.

Leave the lid off. This may seem counter intuitive, but I find there is less smell from an open diaper pail than from a pail with a closed lid. I put my pail next to a screened door in the summer, and I didn’t have a problem. If you have a curious toddler and a pail that can be reached, don’t try this.

Natural odor control. Add ½ cup of baking soda or a few drops of tea tree oil. I prefer not to put essential oils or even baking soda directly onto the diapers, so I put them on a cloth or a diaper wipe and toss into the pail as a natural odor absorber (baking soda) or mask (oils). Bonus, some essential oils are antibacterial, antifungal, and generally anti-nasty.

Wash daily. If you do a small load of wash every morning, so you catch that first morning diaper, you will have less smell.

Sun the Pail. Let the empty pail sit in the direct sun while you wash diapers. Use the power of the sun to bleach, bake, and eliminate any lingering odor.

Bamboo Charcoal Diaper Pail Deodorizer.

This bamboo charcoal has more surface area than regular charcoal deodorizers. Because of the way moso bamboo grows, millions of tiny holes are created as the plant matures and becomes more dense, a process taking approximately five years. The tiny holes created during growth ultimately give the resulting bamboo charcoal its revolutionary abilities as both a deodorizer and dehumidifier. With proper care, the bamboo charcoal deodorizer can last up to one year.

Kissaluvs Antibacterial Diaper Pail Liner.

Kissaluvs’ new diaper pail liner provides non- wicking, bacteria-free and odor-control storage. The polyurethane laminated fabric is treated with SILVERPLUS®, an antimicrobial effect that is Okeo-Tex Standard 100 compliant. According to the manufacturer, silver ions are embedded in the fabric in way that a resistant-to-washing and dry-cleaning to protect against the spread of bacteria and to form a reservoir to counteract odor.

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To moms, cloth is cute. To most dads, cloth is ick. This is a tribute to the brave few who can call themselves Cloth-Diapering Dads.

Here’s to the dad who didn’t gag when his wife ditched the sposies, dressed their little one in cloth, and waited to see what his response would be at that first diaper change.

Here’s to the dad who didn’t gag when one day his wife had too many irons in the fire to be able to change that really awful smelly diaper, leaving him to the task all by himself.

Here’s to the dad who didn’t gag when he turned the diaper sprayer on full force and ended up with smelly poo all over the toilet, the wall, and himself.

Here’s to the dad who didn’t gag when he saw the credit card bill with a three-digit-and-some-change receipt to an online cloth diapering company.

Here’s to the dad who didn’t gag when he mistook the diaper pail for a real trash can and unwittingly caught a whiff of what might knock a lesser man to his knees.

Here’s to the dad who didn’t gag when his wife changed a diaper on the bed next to his sleeping body, of which he promptly rolled over and in to.

Here’s to the dad who didn’t gag when his wife forgot to throw a load of diapers in before vacation, causing them to return to a house that smelled much like a cattle yard.

Here’s to the dad who didn’t gag when his wife announced a new baby would arrive with no chance the first one would be potty-trained, thus creating double the diapers.

Here’s to the dad who listens to his wife go on and on and on about cloth diapers. Here’s to the dad who fiddles with snaps, velcro, and ties not simply as a way to humor his wife, but because he also believes cloth is best for his little one. Here’s to the dad who gets a kick out of that big ole fluffy cloth diapered bottom just as much as mama does.

Cloth-diapering Dad, you are a Cloth-Diapering Mama’s dream come true! Thank you!

Amy of Raising Arrows received the greatest number of your votes for The Most Inspiring Blogger in our Blog to Inspire contest.

The opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and not necessarily those of Eco Baby Steps or Parenting By Nature.

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When Nature Mom asked for help determining what Dad’s approach to cloth diapering, one tweeting father wrote, “What do you mean what’s my approach? Why should it be any different than a woman’s approach?” Well, thank you for asking. Since the male brain and the female brain are quite different (nature) and males and females are most often culturally conditioned to be different (nurture), it would make sense if we were to find differences in approach to the simple act of diapering. With such different sensitivities to touch, for example, I would wonder whether men and women would look for different textures in diapers.

But, we didn’t go that far. We made a completely unscientific survey of friends and Facebookers over the past several days. The results lead me to believe that there are a couple of distinct ways fathers approach diapers.

What is Dad’s favorite diaper?

Among the women on Facebook reporting on their husbands’ diaper preferences, all but a couple said that dad’s favorite diapers are pocket diapers, with bumGenius as the clear front runner. Among the reasons for choosing bumGenius were “fit and containment.” One father prefers Fuzzi Bunz because the insert goes in so far that he doesn’t have to touch much when he takes it off. This same father also prefers Fuzzi Bunz because he likes snaps.

Preferred diaper closure. Closure came up for several. Some specifically like Aplix (hook and loop), while others specifically like snaps. One wants the diaper and the cover to have opposite closures, so he likes a snap diaper with Aplix cover. My husband wants no closure on the diaper and snaps on the cover. That leaves me with absolutely nothing conclusive to say about closure except that preferences vary.

Cotton and Wool. Out of 12 who responded to the question, three mentioned that they like cotton diapers and wool covers. One likes them because they are easy, and he looks for natural fibers.

My lovely oddball. My husband also mentioned cotton diapers and wool cover, and he prefers natural fibers, but he is the oddball in his reasoning.

This is where the biggest difference in approach becomes apparent. Most of the fathers are looking for diapers that solve problems. My husband wanted a diaper that would allow HIM to solve the problem.

My husband prefers flat diapers the same size as prefolds. Our first diapers were terry on one side and flannel on the other. Even after many years of trying other styles, he still went back to these. He said that folding cloth diapers is like origami. He wants to stand back and assess the current situation then engineer a specific solution.

Another way his answer differed was that he prefers no closure at all on diapers. He never used pins or Snappis. He found them too limiting. He just used the snugness of a stretchy wool cover and a snap-under T-shirt to make sure the diaper stayed up.

Cloth diaper laundry. We didn’t ask about washing, but a couple of people mentioned washing. One woman said her husband doesn’t mind what diapers he uses “so long as I deal with the dirty laundry part.” In my family, my husband always did the diaper laundry, and he specifically said that AIO diapers were his least favorite because of the difficulty in getting them completely clean. There were too many crevices and blind seams where waste or pilled fabric accumulated. Again, he was looking at how he could solve the problems he was presented with. His job was clean diapers on healthy baby bottoms, so he worked backward to find his solution.

Non-diapering husbands. I thought I would hear more women say that their husbands didn’t do the diapering, but there was only one of twelve who said, “My husbands approach is to let me do it.” For the most part, fathers do their part in diapering. It isn’t clear to me whether fathers diaper differently than mothers, but that doesn’t matter so much. For now, I just have two loose conclusions.

1. So, the two main approaches I saw were those fathers looking for problem-solving diapers and those fathers (or, really, that father) looking for diapers with which to solve problems.

2. Dads’ favorite diaper is clearly a pocket diaper, a bumGenius pocket diaper, but there are a few others who still go for cotton and wool.

Results from 12 responses:

• 8 like pocket diapers
• 5 like bumGenius pocket diapers
• 3 like Aplix on covers or all-in-one diapers
• 2 like snaps on covers or all-in-one diapers
• 2 like fitted diapers with wool covers
• 1 likes flat diapers with wool covers
• 1 doesn’t do the diapering at all

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Most parents probably have a registry or a list of things they want, but I have always thought that the best gifts are those that the recipient didn’t realize they wanted. I think that for a new mother, the best gifts are those have been helpful or meaningful to the giver.

Without a doubt, the gift I found most helpful before my first child was born was Dr. Sear’s Baby Book. A new mother gave me this gift, and she talked to me about attachment parenting. This respectful approach to parenting really resonated with me, but I don’t think I would have heard about it without her. I have since given the book to many others.

When you tell a new parent “I found this helpful when my first baby was born” or “I wish I had this when I was starting out,” the gift is far more than a consumer product to go on a shelf. A much-loved item offered to a new parent is a loving embrace in support of their new parenthood.

Cloth Diaper Package

Giving a new mother a full kit of cloth diapers can help her by making the decision to use cloth diapers, and WHICH cloth diapers to use, much easier. Once the diapers are there, clean and tucked away near the changing table, she is more likely to choose cloth diapers for her baby.

AppleCheeks Pocket Diaper Packages

If I were to start over, I would use just the simplest cloth diapers for my children, but a lot of parents are attracted to the familiarity of shaped diapers. For a wonderful new mother gift, consider a full set of pocket diapers with enough inserts for three days.

The AppleCheeks full-time cloth diaper package includes enough diapers and covers for 36 diaper changes.

12 AppleCheeks Envelope Covers
36 hemp inserts
2 Storage Sacs
10 Bamboo Wipes
2 Hemp Boosters

Bummis Organic Cloth Diaper Packages

For those who have expressed concern about environmental impact of diapering, a full set of organic prefolds would be a perfect new mother gift.

The Bummis complete diaper package includes enough diapers for 24 diaper changes, and the kit comes with a complete guide including care, washing instructions, and folding techniques.

24 unbleached organic cotton prefolds
6 cloth diaper covers
3 packages diaper lines
5 reusable stay dry cloth diaper liners
1 wet bag
1 sample of Dimpleskins Bum Bum Balm
1 Snappi cloth diaper fastener

Diaper Service

Another great way to ease a new mother into cloth diapers is to give her diaper service for a couple of months. Once she sees how easy cloth diapers are to use, she may even want to explore options and start washing her own at home.

Of all of the baby tools you have tried, what do you wish you had when you were a new mother just starting out? What cloth diaper accessories or brands did you find most helpful? When you are looking for the best new mother gift, look at your own experience and offer the new mother your best advice through your gift.

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This environmental engineer, TheBubbleLush, has been video blogging her pregnancy, including her decision to use cloth diapers once the baby is born this coming fall. She is clear about her opinions and her experience, and she welcomes educated discussion. In nearly 9 minutes, she covers a lot of ground.

I’ve been paying more attention to cloth diaper videos since the byNature.ca Why Cloth Diapers Video Challenge opened. There are so many videos of parents, business owners, and many others who share interesting information and funny stories about cloth diapers.

What are your favorite cloth diapering videos?

Which videos do you think are most effective in helping parents choose cloth diapers?

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In 2005, a study came out in the United Kingdom comparing the lifecycle analysis (the overall impact) of cloth diapers with disposable diapers. Unfortunately, the study stacked the data in favor of disposable diapers, using best-case future projections for disposable diapers and no data for low-impact reusable cloth diapers. Even this flawed study and its follow-up a few years later found very little overlap between the highest impact cloth diaper and the lowest projected impact for disposable diapers. If they had bothered getting current low-impact data for cloth diapers or using projected future data for cloth diapers, there would have been no significant overlap. If they had considered all of the external costs associated with oil and gas used to make plastic, impact would not even be close.

In the body of the study, the data show that careful washing and drying of cloth diapers makes the environmental impact of cloth diapers far less than the environmental impact of disposable diapers. That isn’t what they wrote in the conclusion, however, so disposable diaper companies, even those that market themselves as so-called eco-disposables, dig no further than one line in the study to justify their claims.

The data does not support the claim. If anyone tries to tell you that the impact of disposable diapers is less than or equal to cloth diapers as marketers take advantage of Earth Day, set them straight. Don’t accept greenwashing. Read the review of the UK diaper studies at What a Waste to get the real scoop.

Lower the Impact of Your Diapers

The key to lower impact for cloth diapers is washing and drying. This is true of all of your home laundry.

The takeaway is obvious: wash with care; care how you wash.

Reusable cloth diapers leave disposable diapers sitting, fuming in the landfill when it comes to real impacts and the way real parents wash their cloth diapers.

How do you lower impacts of reusable cloth diapers?

* Use Energy Star rated washing machines.
* Wash diapers at 140 degrees.
* Air dry.
* Use washable wipes and liners.
* Use low-impact detergent.
* Use organic products.
* Reuse diapers for the next child, then give them away or sell them to another.

From What a Waste, a project of Real Diaper Association.

Read more about the UK study: “Flawed Impact Studies Review”

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