So you’re thinking about cloth diapering? This is a great choice for many families – Best Cloth Diapers can be economical, can help alleviate the environmental impact of diapering, and can be a healthy choice for your baby’s skin as well.Reusable diapers have become increasingly popular over the last several years and the large array of choices can make it hard to determine the best cloth diapers for your little one.
This guide is intended to help you narrow down the choices and make the best selection for your family. It outlines the various types of cloth diapers available, pros and cons of each, and provides comparisons of some of the most popular brands.
Flat Diapers:
Flat diapers are the classic Best Cloth Diapers option, and the most economical choice available. They are basic squares of fabric, typically cotton, that can be folded around the child and secured with diaper fasteners. They require the use of a waterproof cover to keep moisture inside. Most families use diaper pins or other fasteners (such as Snappis) to secure the diaper. Alternatively, the folded diaper can simply be draped inside of a snug fitting diaper cover.
Diapers come in bleached or unbleached options, with unbleached usually functioning better because the fibers have not been damaged by the bleaching process.Flat diapers are an inexpensive choice, but can also be less convenient to use than other reusable diapers. They take extra time to fold into shape with each diaper change and can be challenging to get properly fitted and fastened around a squirmy baby.Many moms purchase flat diapers to use as inexpensive burp cloths or cleaning rags. They are cheap and very absorbent, making them a great choice for cleaning up messes.
PreFold Diapers (Best Cloth Diapers):
PreFold diapers are a variation of the traditional flat diapers. They are also rectangular swatches of fabric, but they contain extra absorbent layers down the center of the fabric and less absorbent layers on the sides. This means more absorbency in the areas that you need it most.
When purchasing prefold diapers, it’s important to compare the number of absorbent layers. Diaper brands will often be advertised as 4x8x4, or some variation of this. This would mean that the diaper has 4 layers of absorbent material in the outer areas and 8 layers of absorbent materials in the center. Less layers will make for a less bulky diaper, but more layers will generally increase absorbency.Like flat diapers, prefolds must be used in conjunction with a waterproof outer cover and some type of fastener. Many parents prefer these over flat diapers because the increased absorbency makes for fewer messes. However, they can still be cumbersome to use when wrangling a squirmy child.
Benefits of Cloth Vs Disposable Training Pants:
Around a decade and a half ago, cloth training pants were all the rage among parents of toddlers. The major corporations behind disposable diapers, training pants, and so on soon threw their dollars behind a large advertising campaign, which sought to misinform the public about the benefits of their disposable products, a campaign that appeared to have succeeded. Recently, however, cloth baby products, including cloth training pants for your toddler, have begun to make a comeback, and for many of the same reasons that promoted their popularity in the first place.
In fact, the benefits of cloth products for your child over synthetic and disposable products have never been in question; it has largely been a question of convenience. New technology has allowed Best Cloth Diapers to be used in an easier fashion than ever before, however, and of course, the reasons for training your child in cloth pants remain sound. Let’s go over a few of them below.
They are better against your child’s skin. Toddlers are active little people, and the synthetic and plastic materials that disposable diapers are made up of can be very abrasive on their legs as they move throughout their day. The soft cloth will not have the same tendency to cause rashes and even cuts that disposables may.
Your child will know when he or she has had an “oops”! One of the major knocks against disposable baby products is that they may actually hinder the process of potty training. They are designed for maximum absorption, so a toddler may not even realize when he or she has done business in their pants. Feeling the result of release is a big part of learning to identify the times a toddler needs to go to the toilet, so it is important that they know when they have had an accident. Cloth training pants let your little one feel it right away, and in addition, won’t cause the friction between liquid and leg that absorption may cause.
The cloth is better for the environment! These days we are all concerned with minimizing our ecological footprint, and it’s in our best interest and our children’s to use reusable products. Cloth diapers and training pants can be used over and over, sparing costs of materials as well as cutting down on waste.There are plenty of reasons to choose Best Cloth Diapers and training pants over disposable, not the least of which is the health of your child.Worried about your next trip to the pool with your little one? Dress them in swim diapers, and put your mind at ease when it comes to messy diaper leaks.
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