Cloth Diapers 101: Anatomy of a Cloth Diaper

This is what's known in the cloth diapering world as a Chinese Prefold Diaper. There are basically 4 different types of cloth diapers (prefolds, all in ones, pockets, fitteds) but this is the kind that I use on my baby. Most moms use prefolds as burp cloths but trust me, you don't want to use those Gerber prefolds from Wal-Mart on your baby's bottom. My Chinese Prefolds are made from extremely high quality 100% cotton. Gerber's diapers definitely are not. They are only good for wiping up spit up. Trust me. When you get your package of prefolds in the mail, they are very very rough to the touch. Initially, you wash them about 5 times to get them to a satisfactory softness for your baby's bottom but they continue to get softer and softer with each wash. You know what? I do believe that my new camera might be so good that you can actually see the softness.

Here the prefold is folded, laying in the cover and ready to cover my boy's bottom. The brand of covers (aka wraps) that I use is Prowraps Classics. Actually, they are the cheapest covers I could find on the internet and they do such a great job that I don't even try the other options that are out there. I prefer a plain white cover but every color and pattern under the rainbow are available through the internet.

I keep my diapers and covers organized on my changing table in this handy little basket. Typically, this basket is stuffed to the brim with diapers but I was washing a load of diapers as I took this picture.

***This picture wouldn't upload. It it had, you would see a small table with Henry's noise maker and a Wal-Mart bag sitting on top. You would also notice the trash can, changing table, and dirty clothes basket.***

Notice the Wal-Mart type bag on the table. That's where I place dirty diapers. I began placing the dirty diapers in Wal-Mart bags for the simple reason that I have a million of them at home but soon, I realized that the size of the Wal-Mart bag is ideal. The bag begins bulging and getting too full when exactly (give or take a few) half of the diapers are soiled. So, a full dirty diaper bag is my cue to begin a load of diapers.

Have a cloth diaper question? Contact me. I probably know the answer.

Keep your blogging ears open for my next cloth diapers post about cloth diaper general care.