May 11, 2012. Paul Hixon
In my experience, there are two super-easy cloth diapering systems: Prefolds and All In One Pocket Diapers. They are different from each other, though the basic principal is the same. I will describe each system in a bit more detail, and highlight their advantages.
Prefolds
Prefolds have been around a while. They essentially took over where flat diapers left off. Prefold cloth diapers are an improvement on flats. They are a tri-folded piece of cloth that is thicker in the middle, for more absorbency. They can be pinned or you can secure them with a diaper cover. While some parents still use pins (and there have been improvements in pinning), covers have become much more popular these days.
Advantages Of Prefolds
The main advantage of prefolds is the price. They are the most economical diaper system, costing somewhere between $1 and $5 per prefold, depending on brand, thickness and quality of fabric.
Prefolds are one of the easiest diapers to use and clean, especially if using with diaper covers. They are also easy to store, as they can simply be stacked, rather than folded.
All In One / Pocket Diapers
All in one pocket diapers follow a similar concept as prefolds with a diaper cover. With pocket diapers, you have a two part system: (1) a waterproof cover with a lining attached that forms a pocket; (2) an absorbent insert. The insert is like the prefold, and the cover is, well, like the cover in the prefold system.
Advantages of All In One Pocket Diapers
The biggest advantage of pocket diapers/all-in-ones is that they are really easier to use than even prefolds. They are often referred to as being the closest thing to disposables. This may be because the lining attached to the cover is usually made of a fleece or microfiber that wicks away wetness from the baby, and into the absorbent insert, much like the way disposables wick away moisture, and giving baby a feeling of dryness.
Pocket diapers of a bit pricier than prefolds. You can get these anywhere form $12-$22 a pop. Keep in mind, though, that they come as a pair–a pocket diaper and an insert. Usually, you would keep 6-12 covers, and buy extra inserts, as you can simply swap out a soiled insert for a clean one.
Some great all in ones include BumGenius, Happy Heineys and Fuzzibunz diapers.
Updated May 11, 2012. Published March 12, 2011. Paul Hixon
