Fulltime Mama My name is Elizabeth, and I am the happy wife of ten years to Fabio and fulltime mama to four beautiful children: Joshua-9, Dominique 7, Israel- almost 5, Johann-3 and expecting a new baby in April 2012! We are currently living in Brazil as missionaries and life never ceases to be an adventure!!! I love motherhood with a passion and am passionate about providing a place here at MamaKnowsBest where mothers can learn, grow, and share ... pooling the wisdom of many into one big jackpot for mothers. View all articles | Contact author

I have been researching, collecting, experimenting and discovering new things about cloth diapers for about seven years now. J During that time, I have tried quite a few different brands and styles and have developed my favorites. This is far from an exhaustive list of all of the cloth diapers available on the market, but here is what I have tried and what I have thought about them:

Flatfolds – As long as they are from a good quality fabric, I really like these for newborns. They are not bulky at all on their tiny bottoms, they dry super fast and you can fold them different ways for different size babies. Not to mention you can buy them for dirt cheap! I never used them with pins. I would just fold them up and lay them inside a wrap. The down side to this is that, since the diaper is not totally fitted to baby's bum, you end up needing to change the cover more often when baby poops. The other drawback is that you have to fold them, so it is one step more work than other styles. That said, I really did like using them and did so almost exclusively for my first baby.

Chinese Prefolds – These are super bulky on a newborn, but as baby gets older, these are also a nice, affordable option.  I liked them loads better when I discovered how to use them with a snappi, so you get a more fitted diaper, without having to use pins. They don't require as much folding as flatfolds, which is a plus, and they fit through potty training size, so they are versatile. And, there is hardly a cheaper way to cloth diaper your baby!

Motherease- I started to discover fitted diapers with my second baby. They are much pricier, but they are really, really nice to use!  Motherease diapers are fitted diapers made of terrycloth with adjustable snaps, designed to fit your baby from 8-35 pounds, and they really do!  This small picture shows the same diaper, folded in different ways to accomodate different sizes.  I don't prefer to use them on an 8 pounder, though, because they are bulky on such a little bottom, but once baby gets closer to 13 lbs or so, they work just fine. These diapers do need a cover over them as well.  I have a couple of Motherease diapers that I got *used* three babies ago, and they are just now starting to really wear out, so I'd say they hold up well.  I have never had a single snap come off, so I feel they are made for the long haul. No folding required on these, and they are easy for daddies and babysitters to use since they go on as easy as a disposable diaper.  As far as price goes, they are not the elite diaper, but they will require more of an initial investment than using flatfolds or prefolds, at about $12 per diaper. 

Kissaluvs – These are also fitted diapers with snaps, which are used with a cover over them. I did really like the ones I had.  One difference between these and the Motherease is that kissaluvs come in sizes, rather than a one-size-fits-most option. The advantage to this is that you likely get a tighter fit, but the drawback is that you end up having to purchase more diapers.  I also did have a couple of my snaps come off as well. These run around $13 per diaper, and a bit more if you like colors.

Happy Heinys – I have had some Heiny Huggers Sherpa Fitted Diaper, in newborn size and some in medium.  These also are fitted diapers with snaps, which require a cover. I just LOVED the newborn ones, but I wasn't crazy about the medium ones because they were so thick. The thickness made them bulky on baby, and difficult to dry. I still use them some for nighttime, though, and find them a good option for that. These run about $10.50 per diapers. I have not tried other Happy Heiny styles.

Tiny Tush Contour Diapers – I got a package of these in newborn size for a deal and found them suitable. I used them with a snappi, but I think if I have another baby to use them on, I will just put snaps on them to make them easier to use.  They were nicer, I thought, than prefolds, and still quite a bit more affordable than fitted diapers with snaps. I believe I got seconds of these, and they were $24 for a half dozen. I think they are normally about $7 a piece, though.  I should mention, though, that although the small were advertised to fit through 15 lbs, I barely made it to 12 lbs on my baby.

Cuddlebuns – This is my absolute favorite diaper I have tried! I had the MicroFleece lined Single-Size CuddleBuns Diaper and it was super. I literally used it to shreds through a few children!  This is also a fitted diaper with snaps (do you see a pattern here?), and is also designed to fit a wide range of bottoms – from 10-40 lbs. The difference between this and the Motherease diapers is that I found them to be less bulky and therefore a trimmer fit. I preferred the knit outside and microfleece inside of the Cuddlebuns to the terry of the Motherease as well. These diapers are made by WAHMs, and are not manufactured, which can be considered a plus to a lot of people! You can purchase the pattern to make these diapers yourself for about $18, or you can buy them from a WAHM for about $18 per diaper.

FuzziBunz – I have tried these for a very short period of time, but I feel confident in recommending them. These are "pocket diapers", meaning that it is basically a waterproof cover with a microfleece inside, that you "stuff" with an absorbent liner. I really like the design and the snaps as well. Using fuzzibunz, you would not need to snap the diaper onto the child, and then snap a cover on over that. You simply stuff the diaper, put it on the child, and when it is wet you remove the entire thing to wash it and start over with a fresh one. The possible drawback to this design is that you essentially have to change and wash the cover every time, whereas with other styles you only need to change the cover if it gets poop on it or if it starts to stink. Also, since you will be washing the cover more often, it may not hold up for as long as other styles. However, I certainly prefer this method of diapering to traditional all-in-ones, which I will talk about later. Fuzzibunz run about $17.50 each.  More about fuzzibunz here.

All In One Diapers – I have not tried the all-in-one diapers of every brand, but I have tried enough to have an opinion of them: I don't like them! J All-in-one diapers do not require a separate cover, hence the name. This sounds like it would be great, but the reasons I do not prefer them is that they tend to retain odors, they should not be dried if they are to maintain their waterproof qualities, and if they are line-dried, they take forever to dry because of the thickness. I also found them bulky to carry in the diaper bag as well.

Homemade Cloth Diapers – I have also tried a plethora of "other" diapers, made by WAHMs. Some I have really liked, and others I haven't so much.  Basically, the ones I have really liked much better are the ones that have snaps, and the ones I have not liked so well are the ones that have Velcro. Velcro is easier and faster during a diaper change, but it tends to not last as long as snaps, because it gets all full of lint and doesn't stick well after a year or two of frequent washings, which diapers tend to get. Also, they tend to make a big messy Velcro snake in the laundry, which is not fun for anybody. This is lessened if they have fold-back tabs, but not eliminated altogether. I have recently begun making my own diapers and I am very pleased that my sister-in-law has a professional snap press to apply snaps to them!