There are many different kinds of diapers to choose from. Most people go with disposables and don't think much more about the other option - cloth diapers. There are many types of cloth diapers to fit your needs. The style I have been going with has been pocket diapers. I am genuinely surprised at how easy it has been.

Why Am I Pocket Diapering?

For me, the main reason is to save money. Yes, it does cost more up front to purchase the diapers, but in the end you save a lot of money. It is nice not going to the store all the time to buy box fulls of disposables. Another reason is that disposables contain chemicals and things that I don't want touching my baby's skin for years.

What Are Pocket Diapers?

Pocket diapers consist of a waterproof diaper cover that has a fleece pocket in which absorbent inserts are stuffed into. Pocket diapers are great because the fleece barrier keeps the wet inserts off your baby's skin so there is little to no diaper rash. The fleece barrier also keeps your inserts from becoming stained. They come in one-size, with a bunch of snaps on them so that they can be sized to fit a newborn all the way up to a 40 pound child. They also sell them with Velcro, if you prefer.

What You Will Need

You will need enough pocket diapers to get you through about 2 days or more - for me that is about 16. A better amount would be 20 or more, but 16 works. You will also need something to put the used diapers in before they all get washed. I chose to go with a wet bag which has a waterproof lining inside, a cloth outer layer, and a zipper. You may need to buy extra inserts to help prevent leaks if your baby is a heavy wetter.

How It Works

Before your baby eats food, it is super easy - all you do is take the diaper off your baby and toss it directly into the wetbag. That's it! No need to wash the solids off. I use Thirsties brand pocket diapers, so there is no need to remove the inserts since they agitate out of the cover on their own.

If your baby has started eating food, you will need to dump the solids into the toilet before putting the diaper in the wetbag - but still, that is easy.

I wash the diapers when I have about 3 clean diapers left - that gives me enough time to wash them and dry them before I run out.

Wash Day

When you are ready to wash them, all you do is dump all the diapers out of the wetbag and into the washer, as well as the wetbag. You will definitely want your washer to do a prewash cycle. It is best to use hot water. With my high efficiency washer, I also choose "water plus" to give it more water, "soil level high" so it cleans them a little better than normal, and "high spin speed" to get even more water out which makes for drying them quicker. A normal amount of detergent is sufficient.

Once the washer is done, it is time for drying. Only the inserts can be dried in a dryer. The covers and wetbag will need to be hang dried. This is because the dryer will ruin the plastic waterproof layer of the covers and wetbag over time.

I use an outdoor clothesline whenever possible to dry all pieces, which dries everything pretty fast.

Do not worry about stains, they will eventually wash out over time, and hanging them in the sun helps dramatically.

Brands

There are many brands to choose from. Since I like to support American business, I chose Thirsties, which are made in the USA. You can expect to pay about $19 for one Thirsties pocket diaper, which includes the cover and 2 inserts. If you don't care about American made, you can pay far less than that. There are many sites that specifically sell cloth diapers or you can check out Amazon. Look at reviews of different brands to read people's opinions on them.

Tips!

• Don't worry about stains, they will eventually get clean over some wash cycles.
• To get stains out of the fleece faster, simply hang them in the sun (yes, this actually does work!)
• If you have a heavy wetter, simply add an extra insert to absorb more urine
• Use the purest laundry detergent you can, free of dyes, perfumes etc.

Important Don'ts

• Never use bleach on any of the pieces
• Never dry the covers or wetbag in the dryer
• Never use fabric softener
• Never use diaper creams which can clog the diaper's fibers and make it non absorbent

Note: I was not asked or paid by Thirsties to write this article. All opinions are my own. :)