Does the woman pictured above look like you when you are trying to understand a cloth diaper article or forum? AiOs, CDs, WAHM, EBF….you may see these random letter clusters all over in the cloth diaper community. I promise you that cloth diapering really isn’t technical or hard to learn, so don’t let some of the lingo throw you off. In this post, we will go into some of the most common cloth diaper abbreviations and frequently used terms to explain their meanings. Hopefully this will clear up any confusion and leave you less overwhelmed. Before you know it, you will be using these terms yourself!
Abbreviations
AiO
AiO/AiOs means All-in-One(s). These are a type of diaper that are all one piece and are the closest to a disposable (ie simple) to put on a baby.
Ai2
This stands for All-in-Two. This is a two-piece system that usually consists of an outer cover with an insert that lays inside. These are also fairly simple to use. See also: Hybrid Diapers
BB
This is a brand name abbreviation for Best Bottom diapers. They are an All-in-Two (Ai2) system.
BF
No, not boyfriend…not best friend….breastfeeding! Also used with an -ing at the end: BFing.
BG
This is the brand name abbreviation for bumGenius diapers.
CDs
This is simply the abbreviation for “cloth diapers”–we are not talking about audio discs. 😉
DD, DS, DH, DW
Terms of endearment for family members: DD is Dear Daughter, DS is Dear Son, DH = Dear Husband, DW = Dear Wife
EBF
This also refers to breastfeeding, but the E means exclusively (so no formula or solid foods).
FB
In most of the internet world, this means Facebook…but in the cloth diaper world, it means FuzziBunz! FuzziBunz is a brand of cloth diaper.
OS
This stands for one-size–these are the diapers that have different adjustable rise settings to fit babies from birth through potty training.
PUL
This stands for Polyurethane Laminate. This a common material used to make covers and the outer shells of diapers. It is a waterproof fabric.
RAR
This is another brand name abbreviation. It stands for Rumparooz diapers.
RNG
This stands for Rockin’ Green Detergent. This detergent is designed to help keep hard water minerals from building up on your clothes.
SAHM/SAHD
This stands for stay-at-home-mom/dad.
Sbish
This is another brand abbreviation. It stands for Sustainablebabyish.
TPU
This stands for Thermoplastic Polyurethane. This is another waterproof material like PUL, but it is made a little differently (heat bond instead of chemical bond). It is also thought to be biodegradable.
WAHM/WAHD
This means work-at-home-mom/dad. This term is used to describe any parent that works from home for any sort of job, but there is a whole world of WAHM-made cloth diapers that are very popular. There are several sellers out there, and many can be found on Etsy.
Other Terms
Here are some
other important cloth diaper terms that aren’t necessarily abbreviations:
Aplix
Aplix is the type of diaper fastener–it’s more commonly referred to as Velcro or hook & loop.
Contoured
Contoured means that the diaper style has some ruching to get a better, closer fit to baby. Some people love contoured fits; others do not.
Doubler
A doubler refers to a second, usually smaller, insert that is added for extra absorbency.
Fitted
A fitted is a style of cloth diaper usually made from natural fibers. It does not have a waterproof layer, so a diaper cover is needed. These are one of the most absorbent styles of diapers.
Flats
Flats are a style of cloth diaper made of a single layer of cloth that gets folded/wrapped around baby, secured with a pin/Snappi, and covered with a diaper cover. This is the “old-fashioned” style of cloth diaper, though flats are still used by many people today.
Fluff/Fluffy
Fluff is noun/adjective often used in the CD world to describe the look of cloth diapers. Fluffy butts are adorable!
Hook & Loop
This is a type of diaper closure, also known as Velcro or aplix.
Hybrid Diaper
Hybrid diapers are a style of all-in-two (Ai2) diaper. Hybrid brands usually give you a choice of using a cloth or disposable insert with a diaper cover.
Inserts
Inserts are an important part of many styles of cloth diapers. They are the absorbent part stuffed into pockets or laid in covers for hybrids/Ai2s.
A pocket is a style of cloth diaper with a waterproof outer shell and an inner liner. There is an opening at the back that allows you to stuff inserts inside to make it absorbent.
Prefold
Prefold diapers are similar to flats, but they are usually multi-layer. They can be wrapped around the baby and secured with a pin/Snappi, or they can be folded and laid inside a diaper cover.
Snappi
A Snappi is a brand of diaper fastener that can be used on flats and prefolds instead of a pin. Snappis are very popular because they can be quicker and safer to use.
Stash
A stash is the term most people in the CD community used to refer to their collection of diapers.
Stripping
Stripping your cloth diapers is a way of removing built up residue on your diapers that may have happened as a result from an issue with the wash routine.
Wicking (or moisture wicking)
Moisture wicking is the shifting of moisture from one area or surface to another. Moisture wicking is typically used to describe materials in a diaper that will draw moisture away from baby’s skin.
Your Go-To Reference for Cloth Diaper Lingo
I hope this extensive list of terms and abbreviations is helpful to you! Go ahead and bookmark this page for easy access as you continue your research into the world of cloth diapers. Soon, you’ll be using these terms yourself and will be wondering why your spouse or parents don’t know what you mean when you say CDs or AiOs. 😉
What do you think–does this post help clear up some confusion? Or does it only leave you more confused? Let me know in the comments!
Cloth diapers abbreviations- what do they all mean? According to this article they mean a lot.
This article has a lot of abbreviations. As parents, learning these abbreviations could be very painstaking. Do you have to keep up with these and understand what each one means when the other mentions it?
Thank you for this abbreviation list. This puts a whole new perspective on baby lingo.
Glad you found it helpful, Quinn!
Thanks Holly this is a very helpful article. Goodness it is like another language all these abbreviations isn’t it? Particularly the ones such as FB, BF and CD which all have very different meanings outside of the cloth diaper world. However, aside from navigating this language I’m delighted that cloth diapers have come so far. I used them for my son, who is now turning 12 and I can tell you, back then it was like I was an island on my own. Now I share my own experiences to encourage parents of today to consider this as a simple, easy and viable option.
They really have come so far–I don’t think there has ever been a better time to use cloth diapers, even though it’s not the mainstream! I’m glad you are sharing your experiences with others–that’s the best way to show others this is not only possible, but really not a big deal to do!
Hi
Thank you for breaking down what all these letter mean. I found this article very informative and think that it is something that I will be sharing in the mothers forums and on social media because I think that this will help a lot of young mother out that want to use cloth diaper for their babies.
It will make understanding all these lingo a lot easier now that you have this article to hand.
Thank you
Jennifer
Awesome, thanks so much Jennifer! I’m glad you found it helpful.
DD could also mean Dear Dad. What do you think. Or is it only used for Dear Daughter?
Great detailed dictionary of the vocabulary you often find in the diaper world. The list was quite extensive, and this post was definitely worth bookmarking for future reference. And I just did. Thanks for this great resourceful post.
I suppose to someone it could mean Dear Dad. Most of the time in the online world, I think people mean Dear Daughter, though.
I feel like I just got the biggest schooling in cloth diaper lingo! lol I knew some of those abbreviations just from being online and being a part of a parenting forum for 14 years. (mostly SAHM / SAHD, WAHM, DD / DS / DH / DW) The rest were completely new to me! Thanks for teaching me though because even though my kids are out of diapers (woo hoo!) my sisters have small children and this will help me understand their lingo. 🙂
Haha, so many terms to learn! Thankfully, it’s not too bad once you are exposed to the lingo for a bit. Then it all starts to make sense!
Hi Holly, I never realized there was so many abbreviations for cloth diapers. Thank you for those guidelines. I read your bio, I like the fact you are specking from experience. You have walked the walk.
The Cloth Diapering 101 was very helpful. The link about what to do with the poop was interesting info. I always wondered about putting poopy diapers in the washing machine. Now, I know.
Thank you, good job, johnny.
Thanks Johnny! I’m glad you took the time to explore. That’s awesome!
Hi Holly, what an absolutely riveting post. It does make me think that we have too many abbreviations in the world nowadays and how are we meant to possibly remember them all. To be honest I wish I had landed on your site some years ago as I used disposable nappies for both of my children and we’ve just finished potty training our youngest who is now 2.5 years old. I wish I was aware of all of the options available to me when it came to reusable nappies. I think you’re site is amazing and I will be recommending it to my brother and little sister who have had young babies recently.
Thanks Emma
Thank you so much Emma! It means a lot. I’m glad it helped you out!
Just the article I was looking for, because recently my sister recently told me that she plans on using cloth diapers for her first child, and I don’t the first thing about them. I wasn’t aware there would be so much confusion trying to find a simple cloth diaper. You definitely helped me understand most of the abbreviations.
Thanks
-Dora
Glad it helped you out, Dora!