Examples of All-In-One Cloth Diapers:
One-Size Diapers
One-Size Cloth Diapers have adjustable snaps or velcro to adjust the diaper to fit from birth to potty training. These can be Pocket diapers, All-in-One diapers, or covers for prefold or fitted diapers. They allow you to buy only one size of diaper to fit the entire time your child is wearing diapers. The downside is that these can be very bulky on a newborn, especially a smaller newborn, or may not even get small enough for a newborn. Some people actually buy the x-small or newborn sized diapers and then switch to the one size when the baby gets a little bigger and ready for the next size diaper. Some diaper manufacturers (Thirsties and Kushies for example) are making two-size diapers instead of one size. This allows them to combine the x-small and small diapers into one size and the medium and large diapers into one-size. This allows you to buy less diapers like with the one-size (you only buy 2 sizes of diapers instead of 3-4) and provides a better fit with less bulk for smaller babies. The one-size or two-size diapers are a good option if you'd like to save money and don't mind some extra bulk while the baby is smaller.
Examples of One-Size Diapers:
Examples of Two-Size Diapers:
All-in-Two (AI2) Diapers
All-in-Two (AI2) Cloth Diapers are a mix of the other styles of diapers. They consist of two pieces, a waterproof diaper cover (also sometimes called a shell) and absorbent liners (also called inserts or doublers). To use them, you take a cover and put a liner on it and then put it on baby! The liners usually snap onto the cover to prevent them from moving or bunching. You can reuse the cover and simply take out the wet/soiled liner and put in a new one! Many of the brands offer a cover where the inside can be easily wiped clean so if a little poo gets off the liner and on the inside of the cover, it can still be used again. This is also a similar system to placing a prefold inside a cover without using a Snappi or pins, except that the liners are made to size so you do not have to fold them. Many of the AI2 diapers are one size or come with a one size cover and sized inserts. We recommend purchasing 3-4 inserts per cover to get started and with your older baby you may even be able to use more inserts per cover. AI2s are nice because you can choose different inserts (stay-dry, hemp, etc) and double up inserts for bedtime.
Examples of All-in-Two (AI2) Diapers
The Economical Approach to Cloth Diapers
Prefold diapers with Snappis or diaper covers are the most economical cloth diapering method. Prefolds are the least expensive cloth diapers and the diaper covers can be wiped clean between uses, so they can cover many diapers before they need to be washed. You only need to buy a few covers for a couple dozen prefold diapers.
A step up from using prefold diapers exclusively is to use prefolds with covers the majority of the time and a pocket or all-in-one diaper nights and/or during trips when there will be less-frequent diaper changes.
The All-in-Two (AI2) diapers would be next in price. They can give you similar stay-dry properties as pockets and All-in-Ones, but because you can reuse the covers with new liners at each diaper change, you can purchase more liners and less covers!
Pricing for fitted and contoured diapers with a diaper cover would be a little higher than All-in-Twos because the fitted diapers themselves cost more than the AI2 inserts. The fitted and contoured diapers are single-use diapers, but again, the diaper covers can be reused if they are not soiled. These are more expensive than prefolds, but most have the fleece layer against baby’s skin.
From here, compare the prices for the different brands of pocket and all-in-one diapers, which are the most expensive of the cloth diapers. They are similar in price but some people prefer the pocket diapers because they are able to adjust the absorbency by adding multiple stuffers. Others prefer the all-in-one diapers because there is no fumbling around stuffing pockets and just go right on baby.
One-Size or Two-Size cloth diapers allow you to buy only 1 or 2 sizes of diapers the whole time your baby is in diapers - birth to potty. As mentioned earlier, these diapers are a good option if you'd like to save money and don't mind some extra bulk while the baby is smaller. They are available as covers or Pocket diapers, All-in-One diapers or All-in-Two diapers.
It all depends on how much money upfront you have available to invest in your diapers and what features you prefer as to which cloth diapers you choose. It may seem like a lot of money upfront, but keep in mind this is an investment as you are not throwing your money away on disposables. These will be used the entire time your baby is in diapers and then save them to use for your next baby! In the long run cloth diapers will save you more money than disposables, even when you factor in the cost to wash them.
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