The 7 Best Cloth Diapers For Newborn and Toddlers (Quick Guide and Best Choice Reviews)
Nowadays, parents are opting for the cloth diapers due to environmental impacts of disposable diapers and how their child is vulnerable to the chemicals that come with it. While parents like to start using cloth diapers but are confused with all the diaper options available in the market. Which one is the best cloth diapers on the market?
If you do the math, you can quickly realize that disposable diaper does take up a sizeable household budget. In this post, we will go through some quick guide of cloth diapers and which are the best cloth diapers brands that give you the best value for your money spent.
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List of Best Cloth Diapers
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*For more information about NCS (Net Customer Satisfaction) grade, click here. (Price range: $ = $1 - $50 / $$ = $51 - $100 / $$$ = $101 -$150 / $$$$ = $151 - $200 / $$$$$ = $201 - $250 /$$$$$$ = Above $250))
Types of Cloth Diapers
Before we move to our recommended best reusable diapers, we will discuss the different types of cloth diapers that are available. Before starting out, it’s best to know the differences between these cloth diapers to gauge what will best suit your lifestyle.
Flats
These are the old-fashioned type of diapers that your grandparents have gotten used to. These are large and flat, square or rectangle piece of cloth made from cotton, hemp, or bamboo. Before, safety pins were used to fasten flats in place. But now, you can use Snappis or other kinds of cloth diaper fastener.
Flats are considered one of the best cloth diapers for newborns when used with a diaper cover because of the ease and frequency in changing.
Prefolds
Prefolds are somewhat similar to flats but are already “pre-folded”. This type of cloth diaper already has 6-8 layers of cloth at its center and needs to be used with a waterproof cover. Prefolds are also fastened using Snappis or diaper fasteners. These usually come in different sizes which are preemie, infant, and toddler.
Fitted
Fittedsare shaped like regular diapers. These are closed using snaps or hook and loop, and have garters at the back and legs to fit snugly. Because of this, they keep the mess better than the previous choices.These need to be used with covers as well. Because it holds mess in better, the covers can be reused more than once. Fittedsare made from cotton, hemp, bamboo, cotton-fleece, cotton-terry, or other natural fibers that are friendly to baby’s bottom.
Diaper covers
These are your waterproof covers that are fastened using snaps or Velcro. These are generally used with diaper types that are not waterproofand you have to choose the best cloth diaper covers forprefolds, flats or fitted. Some say that this is a practical approach to cloth diapering because you don’t have to change the diaper cover every nappy change if it’s not soiled or wet.
Pocket diapers
Also called sleeve diapers, these are madeof a waterproof polyurethane laminate (PUL) outer layer and a stay-dry inner lining. It has a pocket where you insert the soakers, that absorbs the baby’s waste. If it is only pee, the stay-dry lining helps your baby feel dry after wetting it. These usually fasten using snaps but there are also those that use hook and loop.
Pocket diapers may seem more costly at the beginning because you have to buy the shell and the inserts together, and you have to change everything after getting soiled. But this type of cloth diaper is very convenient and waterproof, which is perfect for nighttime use if you add additional absorbent inserts.
All-in-one
AIOs or all-in-ones are similar to pocket diapers except soakers do not need to be inserted. The absorbent layers are attached to the waterproof cover which makes them easier and more convenient to use.
The only drawback with AIOs is they take longer to dryafter washing,compared to pockets and covers, because the inserts are attached.
Hybrid
The hybrid cloth diapers are a diaper type which you can customize. The cloth diaper shell is waterproof and can be used with an absorbent cloth soaker or a disposable diaper liner which you can use interchangeably.The hybrid is an excellent choice if you are still undecided between disposables or cloth diapers.
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Getting Started
Now that you know the different types of the best cloth diapers and have an idea on what to use, the next step is using it. Although cloth diapering your baby isn’t complicated, these are some accessories that will help you make it even easier.
Diaper stash
To start, you need to know how much diapers you need. A practical starting stash would be around 24-30 diapers for newborn until 4 months because this is when they soil the diaperquite frequently. At 4-10 months old, you’ll need around 18-24 diapers. For children 10 months and older, you’ll only need 14-18 diapers.This is for an ideal wash routine of every 2 days.
Wetbag
A wet bag will come very handy especially if you are exclusively cloth diapering and are always out. Wet bagsare usually made of the same fabric of pocket cloth diapers that have PUL lining to keep all the soiled diapers. You can also use wet bags for storing dirty diapers when you’re at home.
Disposable liners
Disposable liners are handy in cloth diapering toddlers. It’s best used when baby has started eating solids. By then, the disposable liner will be able to catch their solid waste and it’ll be easier to flush it down the toilet. This helpseasier and quicker clean-up of soiled nappies.
Detergent
Use alaundry detergent that is scent free and safe for baby’s skin. Some moms swear by using regular detergent because this can remove stains and stinks more efficiently. However, it isimportant to stay away from fabric conditioners as this can coat the lining of your diaper and cause repelling.
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How We Chose Our Best Cloth Diapers List
There so many types of cloth diapers to choose from and it can be overwhelming to parents. So, we came up with the list of best cloth diapers to help you in deciding what to buy.
Included in our list are mostly pocket diapers because these had the highest ratings and reviews from parents’ experience. Other factors that we included in choosing were price, quality, effectiveness, ease of use, durability, and flexible sizing.
Despite the upfront costs, these diapers scored the highest and can be considered the best cloth diapers for their affordability without sacrificing superb functionality. They also come in very unique cute designs that make cloth diapering fun for both parents and children.
The Top 3 Best Cloth Diapers Reviews
Alva Baby Reuseable Pocket Cloth Diapers, 6 Pcs + 12 Inserts
Alva Baby is one of the best cloth diapers because of its affordability and durability.Thisdiaper is recommended to usefrom newborn until toddler, fitting babies from 6.6 pounds until 33 pounds.
This bundle includes 6 pocket diapers and 12 soakers. The pockets are machine washable and you don’t have to worry about its durability because they are very sturdy. The soakers are made of 100% microfiber terry cloth, which dries fast and absorbs a lot more than flannel does.
The only thing you have to keep in mind in washing is not to exceed water temperature of 30 centigrade to avoid ruining the waterproof PUL layer.
Description | Rating / Grade |
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NCS Grade* | A |
Mama Koala Pocket Cloth Diapers, 6 Pcs + 6 Inserts
Mama Koala pocket cloth diapers are made of breathable and high-quality thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) laminate that keeps the wetness in. The inner lining is suede cloth which effectively wicks away moisture from baby’s bum, protecting it from rashes.
The minimum weight recommendation for this brand is 8 pounds, while the maximum weight is 35 pounds. So, basically, it’s also usable from newborn until toddler.
The pocket opening is slightly larger compared to other cloth diaper brands, which makes for easier stuffing of inserts. The diapers and inserts are very soft and the snaps are placed perfectly for comfort while worn. The inserts also have adjustable snaps to fit well in adjusted covers. This diaper is suitable for both boys and girls.
Description | Rating / Grade |
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Editor Rating | |
NCS Grade* | A- |
Nora's Nursery Baby Cloth Pocket Diapers with 7 Bamboo Inserts and 1 Wet Bag
Nora’s Nursery aims to bring a more affordable cloth diapering option to parents, but still with great quality. Like most pocket diapers, theirs have easily adjustable snaps that can fit babies from 10 pounds until 35 pounds. These diapers will grow with your child and you can use them on multiple children in the household because of its sizing flexibility.
These diapers also have a waterproof TPU lining which provides a more breathable layer that holds in moisture. The gartered leg openings fit snugly on the baby’s legs and the suede cloth lining provides comfort with its wick-away moisture feature.
The inserts of Nora’s Nursery are made of 2 inner layers of microfiber and 2 outer layers of bamboo which are more effective in absorption and tends to be softer with every wash.
Description | Rating / Grade |
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Editor Rating | |
NCS Grade* | A- |
Our Pick
We go through hundreds of products listing at Amazon and also study the ratings left by previous buyers to find the best cloth diapers for you. Besides that, we also calculate the overall net customer satisfaction (NCS) grade because we want to see how happy is the previous buyers with their purchase of the product.
From our finding, we can say that ALVA, Mama Koala and Nora's Nursery are the best cloth diapers brands. These brands are popular and received many excellent ratings for their products.
Also, the Alva Baby Reuseable Washable Pocket Cloth Diapers, Mama Koala Pocket Cloth Diapers and Nora's Nursery Baby Cloth Pocket Diapers score favorably for the ratings as well as the NCS grade compare to the rest. We believe that you would find these cloth diapers a good buy too.
Conclusion
While cloth diaper can take up additional effort to wash and dry before use but if you do the math, you will figure out that the savings alone have given you a good reason to opt for the cloth diaper. Like me, when my daughter was a toddler, I use cloth diaper whenever we are at home and disposable diaper when outing.
So, there you have it. I hope that this quick guide has provided some useful information and had also helped you to decide which are the best cloth diapers for your baby. Do let us know which one is your favorite by commenting it below.