by Carrie Weitz

Created on: September 29, 2008

A peek into the modern world of cloth diapers can be pleasantly surprising as well as confusing. A parent interested in converting is usually thrilled to discover the days of plastic pants and dunk pails are long over, but the excitement can turn to frustration when seeing the lingo used to describe today's cloth options. With a large variety of styles available, its important to know that most cloth diapers fall into one of four main categories; prefolds, fitteds, pockets, and all-in-ones. Nearly everything else is a simple twist on one of these four. Learning the pros and cons of the basic systems will help crack the code and shape your budget.

PREFOLDS: Least expensive, potentially complicated

Typically priced from $1-$3 a piece, prefolds
are a great option for a small budget. The system with the biggest learning curve, these rectangular cloths may be folded in thirds to lay flat, manipulated into an advanced origami project, or wrapped somewhere in between. Some experimenting may be necessary to find the easiest position while providing the greatest protection.

Snappis are commonly used to secure a prefold. These y-shaped hooks can be purchased for $2-$4 each. Diaper pins are still available, ranging from inexpensive sets to pricey nostalgic pieces. Prefolds do require diaper covers. Basic PUL
(Polyurethane Laminate) covers can cost as low as $7, but most will fall in the $12-$15 range. These are not your mother's stiff, plastic covers!

Prefolds
usually come in 3 sizes; preemie, infant, and regular or standard. The infant size may appear overly large for a newborn, or incredibly small for an older baby, but trying different folds will increase their lifespan and make the best use of your budget. Regular size is most often appropriate for large babies and toddlers. While some parents swear by preemie sizes for newborns, they're rapidly outgrown. They can, however, be given a second life as an extra absorbent layer when using the larger sizes.

As the least expensive method, prefolds are a popular first choice. If a family decides to change methods, prefolds
can still come in handy as inserts for other systems, cleaning rags for around the house, or insurance against wash day delays. Most veteran cloth diaper users advise new converts to resist the temptation to buy flats and prefolds
from the average retail store, as they cannot compare to products in an online specialty store. If you are lucky enough to have a brick and mortar cloth diaper store in your area, put

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>