Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Pooters Diapers and they have provided me with some wonderful products. As always, all opinions are my own.
When I first started cloth diapering over 6 years ago, I purchased a diaper stash of what was primarily the most popular (as determined by web forums) brand at the time. I was also focused on being as cheap as possible, so I didn’t do a lot of exploring of different brands.
When my second was born, I decided to expand my stash because I had a few months of 2 in diapers. Since I mostly wanted to save money by using cloth diapers, I opted for a super cheap brand that averaged about $5 per diaper.
As my second child got older and I started this website, I realized there was a whole world of cloth diapers out there, and I had missed out on something truly awesome: natural fibers. I started expanding my stash when my second child was about 18 months old, and I found so many wonderful diapers that I wish I had used from the start.
With my third child, my love affair with natural fibers has led my diaper stash to take on a whole new look.
What Are Natural Fibers?
Natural fibers would include cotton, hemp, bamboo, and even materials like wool or silk.
Each material has its special properties, but what I love most about natural materials is how amazing they work.
For example, I dealt with a period of diaper stink with my second child when we first moved and I hadn’t figured out our new washer yet. But you know what didn’t stink? Our bamboo diapers. Bamboo is naturally antibacterial and you could tell during my stint of wash issues that they were more forgiving in the wash than some of my other diapers.
Then when it comes to cotton, I love how fluffy, soft, and absorbent it is. I love how much easier they are to wash, how much easier it is to tell if they got 100{9994046f29331ee04cc0b5e07eb28364315ea03ccc2f01b5a43e8b85b372d1e9} clean, and how much healthier and breathable it is against the skin, thus reducing rashes.
I donated almost all of my old diaper stash and have been focused on rebuilding it with natural materials because I’ve realized it is a better fit for our family.
Daytime Use
During the day, I use a variety of different kinds of diapers, but one of our favorite styles is fitteds.
Fitteds are super easy to put on (the #1 requirement for my husband) and they basically eliminate leaking problems. They also contain poop very well.
Here you can see my baby wearing a @pootersdiapers snapless fitted. These are great to use anytime, but especially if you will be needing to buy some time before the next change, like at naptime or if you will be in the car for a while.
I’ve come to love snapless diapers because you get a lot more wear out of them before your baby grows out of them than you do with snaps. You can fasten it with a snappi, boingos, diaper pins, or some people can get by without a fastener and just use the cover to keep it in place.
Fitteds aren’t the only diaper we use during the day, however. We still use a mix of all kinds of things, including prefolds, all-in-ones, and pockets. But the diapers with the natural fibers are my favorite. <3 Even if I use a pocket diaper, I have started stuffing them with prefolds instead of microfiber inserts because microfiber is prone to compression leaks and doesn’t hold very much.
Nighttime Use
When it comes to cloth diapering at night, it can often be hard to find the right diaper or diaper combination that will hold for 12+ hours while sleeping.
There are tons of options out there of all different materials, but you are going to be hard-pressed to find a diaper made of synthetic materials that can match the absorbency of a high-quality fitted made from natural fibers, like Pooters Diapers Hemp Overnight Fitted.
We have been using the Pooters Diapers Hemp Overnight Fitted as some of the night time diapers in our rotation. The absorbency is bulletproof, and we love the stay dry hemp insert you can use with the diaper to help wick moisture away from the baby’s skin.
There is nothing worse than having to launder the bedding every day because your nighttime diaper didn’t hold. However, with the right materials, that doesn’t have to happen often at all.
Big, Roomy Covers
Roomy covers are super important for getting a good seal around the legs and waist when dealing with thick fitteds.
You need the covers to be roomy enough to cover all parts of the fitted, leaving none exposed to wick moisture to the baby’s pajamas or sheets.
But the cover also needs to be able to fit snug where it matters. That’s one reason I love the design of these covers. #coveredbypooters
The double gussets ensure a good leg fit, and the rainbow snaps are also great for making sure you line them up properly, especially for caregivers that may not use cloth diapers often.
It also fits snug around the waist without being too tight or uncomfortable.
When I need a roomy cover, I love to reach for these. But there are several other covers I love to use, too, including wool covers as another natural material for night time.
Washing Natural Fibers
Perhaps my favorite thing about natural fibers is that they’re easy to wash and dry.
Much of the time, natural fiber diapers (like prefolds, flats, fitteds, etc) don’t come with a water-resistant PUL or TPU layer. There are some natural fiber pocket diapers and all-in-ones for sure, but for many of the natural diapers out there, you will find the diaper and the cover to be separate pieces.
While this may seem like an extra step to some, it is a gift when it comes to washing and drying.
Some people wash their diapers without any issues, and other people seem to have several issues to overcome. There are a lot of variables when it comes to getting diapers clean. Is your water hard or soft? Which detergent do you like to use? Do you have hot water available to your machine? How well does your machine agitate? How much water does it use? The list goes on and on.
I haven’t needed to do this yet since I bought my new machine and it seems to do a decent job washing everything in the same load, but I love that with separate diapers and covers I have more washing options.
If I want to use a sanitize setting on my washer, I can take my covers out of the load and throw them in with regular clothes and then do what I need to do with my diapers. If I want to use a little bleach or vinegar (separately–never together), I don’t need to worry about how delicate my PUL, elastic, or velcro is.
While I put all of my covers and diapers with PUL in the dryer, some people don’t like to do that. If your diapers are separate pieces, you can allow your covers to air dry to protect them and then put your natural fiber diapers in the dryer with no issues.
We <3 Our Natural Fibers!
I’ve never loved cloth diapering more than I do now with my stash filled with fluffy cotton, absorbent hemp, and antibacterial bamboo.
My daughter’s skin is healthier, the diapers smell clean as can be, and natural fibers can keep the diapers pretty trim under clothing.
Check out Pooters Diapers at https://pootersdiapers.com to get your own fitteds for day or night!
What is your favorite diaper material? Let me know in the comments!
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