Basics of Cloth Diapering

"Cloth diapering" or "cloth diaper" is often abbreviated to "CD." Many cloth diapers are made by work-at-home-moms, which is abbreviated "WAHM."
You also need to know the different kinds of cloth diapers, as well as a little bit about the other parts of a cloth diapering system: waterproofing, increasing absorbency, and wicking. Read on.
Here's a handy glossary of cloth-diapering terms.

1 The Different Kinds of Cloth Diapers If you think of a diaper as something that absorbs pee and holds poo, then there are four different types out there. They are listed here in order of complexity. By far the most popular are prefolds and fitteds. A prefold, a contour, and a fitted diaper Flat - this is a rectangle of cloth. I don't know where you'd even buy these anymore. Some moms make their own out of old pieces of cotton flannel. Prefold - Here is one of the most important terms to know! A is a rectangular piece of cloth that is thicker in the middle than on the sides. This provides more absorbency in the middle of the diaper, where it's really needed. Example: Chinese Prefold (CPF) Contour - this is an hourglass-shaped piece of cloth. You don't have to fold this into a different shape to get it around the baby. Fitted - The fitted diaper is baby-shaped. It has elastic in the legs, and often in the back, for a snug fit. Usually a fitted diaper closes with snaps or velcro, so it is very easy to put on. Example: Kissaluvs. Note: while an all-in-one (AIO) diaper is fitted, when a diaper is classified as a "fitted" it means that the diaper has no waterproof outer. Read on for more about AIOs.

2 Waterproofing If the diaper is the part that absorbs pee, does it also keep the pee in? Well, no, not always. For overnight or outings, or maybe all the time, a cloth diaper needs some sort of covering to trap the pee in case of overflow. Here, there are also several alternatives. An AIO, a cover, and a wool soaker All-In-One (AIO) - this is a diaper and waterproof cover in one piece. The diaper has soft, absorbent material on the inside and something water-resistant on the outside. The AIO closes with velcro or snaps. These are the ultimate in easy cloth diapering. Example: Bumkins. Pocket diapers - these are like AIOs minus the absorbent part. They have a soft inner layer, a waterproof outer layer, and a hole for inserting prefolds or any other absorbent material. Moms like that they can customize the amount of absorbency. Example: Fuzzi Buns. Plastic pants - these are the old-fashioned version of a diaper cover. You can get these icky vinyl things at Babies R Us. They're cheap. Covers - a good diaper cover is breathable and still keeps water and poo inside. Covers may be pull-on or they may fasten with snaps or velcro. These are the most common materials: PUL - polyurethane laminate. This is polyester (maybe sometimes cotton?) coated with something to make it water-resistant. This is the most common; it is not too expensive and comes in lots of colors and prints. Fleece - polyester fleece is soft and pretty. Wool - flannel or jersey. Wool is a very popular material because it is natural, effective, and pretty. It is also the most expensive and the most difficult to care for. Soakers - This word is a bit ambiguous. A wool soaker is a cover, certainly. When a wool cover is knit, and not made of wool cloth, it is called a soaker. It is amazing that something full of little holes can keep the pee in, but by all accounts, it does. Wool is very absorbent. Note: the word "soaker" is also used for the absorbent part of the diaper, and sometimes even for a doubler. Read on.

3 When one diaper is not enough Diapering is a trade-off between absorbency and bulk. Cloth diapers try to be "trim," which means not bulky. When a mom needs more absorbency, she can always add to the diaper with a doubler. This AIO has a built-in soaker and a lay-in doubler Doubler - An additional piece of absorbent material that can be placed inside the diaper. Usually this is a long rectangular or hourglass-shaped strip containing a few layers of material. Doublers may be "lay-in," meaning you just lay them inside the diaper before wrapping the diaper around the baby, or "snap-in" if they fasten to the diaper with one or two snaps. Insert - whatever you put in the pocket diaper to absorb pee. Inserts may be specially made for a particular pocket diaper, or can be a generic strip of layered material. Soaker - the absorbent part of a fitted diaper is called the soaker. Most fitteds and AIOs have the soaker inside, called a built-in soaker. Others have a separate soaker that snaps to the diaper. This is a snap-in soaker. The purpose of the separate soaker is to decrease drying time.

4 Keeping baby's skin dry Disposable diaper companies often brag about how their diapers draw the wetness away from the baby's skin, so that the baby doesn't feel wet. Cloth diaperers have methods to do this, too. When a material draws moisture away from the baby, it is said to be "wicking." Fleece does this. This fitted diaper and the lay-in doubler are lined with fleece. Liner - a thin piece of material that goes inside the diaper, against baby's skin. Lined diapers and doublers - many diapers and doublers are made with a fleece or microfleece layer on the inside. This draws the moisture away from the surface and into the soaker part of the diaper.

Go forth and learn

For more basic, but more organized, information, visit The Diaper Pin.