What is the best reusable cloth diaper?

To get straight to the point: there is no such thing as the best reusable diaper. At least it does exist, but it can be different for everyone. There is a perfect cloth diaper for every child, and often even several! However, there is no standard reusable diaper that fits every child perfectly and meets the wishes of the parent or caregiver. There are safe choices and choices that are more suitable for the more advanced cloth diaper user.

How do choose a specific type of diaper?

At the bottom of this blog there is a diaper mentioned, which in our opinion comes close to 'the best diaper'. If you would like to delve deeper into the various options, please read on!

Because the perfect reusable diaper is different for everyone, you can ask yourself a few questions. Below are some questions that can help you find a suitable system or even brand.

Question 1: How old is your child?

If you are still pregnant, or your baby has just been born, you can consider special newborn diapers. These always fit better than One Size diapers. But also for a newborn it usually works fine to start with a One Size diaper. This is a bit chunkier, but usually does the job without really bothering your child.

If your child is already around 5 kg or more, it is usually wisest to skip the newborn diapers and opt for One Size diapers that fit until toilet training. In most cases, One Size diapers and covers can be adjusted considerably with snaps on the front of the cloth diaper. An advantage, because they last a long time and you incur lower costs! It may be a bit big for your little baby at first, but they grow very quickly!

In addition to newborn and One Size diapers, there are also some brands that sell diapers in different sizes. For example, these fit nicely from 3-7 kilos, if your child becomes heavier (and has even more delicious baby bacon on his legs) you go for a larger size. The advantage of this is that there is little fabric left that you have to reduce, so such a diaper is usually more compact. The disadvantage is that you incur more costs because a new size has to be purchased every now and then.

If your child is a bit older and heavier and weighs 12 kg or more, it may be a good investment to buy a larger size instead of a One Size diaper. For example, Hu-Da has the Junior diaper that fits from 8 kg and in practice lasts well over 20 kg. This can be a good solution, especially if your child is of sturdy build and may not be toilet trained at 15 kg.

Question 2: Are you looking for a daytime diaper or a nighttime diaper?

Are you looking for a diaper for the day or night? Or are you looking for a diaper that can do both? Nighttime diapers generally need to absorb more moisture and are therefore often thicker. For the night, a two-piece system is always the most suitable choice. Daytime diapers can be a bit slimmer and then other systems are also suitable, such as All-In-One diapers, pocket diapers and Snap-In-One diapers. If you want to use a diaper both during the day and at night, choose a two-piece system. So a fitted diaper (or possibly a folding diaper) with a loose cover over it. If your child is a bit older and he or she really pees a lot, take a look at the real nighttime diapers. These diapers are relatively large and thick and therefore not suitable for daytime use. Examples are the Petit Lulu Maxi/Night and the Hu-Da nighttime diaper.

Petit Lulu Maxi/Night luier 'Welterusten'

Question 3: Do you want to perform 1 action of can there be more?

When choosing a daytime diaper, you can then ask yourself whether you want to do one action when putting on a clean diaper, or whether multiple actions are not a problem. Also consider any other caregivers such as grandparents who will regularly babysit or a daycare employee who will also use your reusable diapers. Please note that one-piece diapers, and especially All-In-One diapers and pocket diapers, are more susceptible to leakage than a two-piece system that requires two actions.

I only want to perform one action:

If you only want to perform one action while putting it on, just like with a disposable diaper, a number of systems are suitable. An AIO (All-in One) diaper will probably be the first option that comes to mind and this can be extremely suitable! In addition, pocket diapers and SIOs (Snap In One diapers) are also a good option. If you prepare the diapers for use when they have been washed and dried, you only have to perform one action to put them on. It really is just as easy as using a disposable diaper!

If a pocket diaper or AIO diaper is dirty, it goes completely into the wash, so you need a very clean diaper for every change. With SIO diapers you can use the cover several times and only replace the inserts.

I don't mind performing multiple actions:

If you don't mind performing several steps when putting a reusable diaper on your child, you can opt for a system in which you first put on the diaper (fitted or a fold cloth diaper) and then your child wears a pair of cover over it. The diaper itself is made of material that can absorb pee (and watery poop) and the cover stop this wet mess. So you perform two actions and that may take a little longer. With protesting toddlers, for example ;)

What is useful to remember with a two-piece system is that you can use the cover multiple times. If the inside of the cover has only become damp from your child's pee, you can hang them up to air (or even rinse them or wipe them with a cloth) and use them again for the next change. So you can get through the day with just 2 pairs of covers!

Question 4: Do you want the slimmest possible diaper or a diaper that absorbs as much moisture as possible?

With reusable diapers, the slimmer the diaper is, the less moisture it can absorb. And the more moisture a cloth diaper can absorb, the thicker it is. It is true that reusable diapers do not become thicker the more moisture they contain, which is a big difference from disposable diapers. Although clean reusable diapers are almost always thicker than disposable diapers, full reusable diapers are not always thicker than full disposable diapers. If you prefer a very slim diaper, you should take into account that you will have to change it more often. If you prefer to change as little as possible, or if a small leak seems really disastrous to you, it is best to choose a slightly thicker (fitted) diaper with a high absorbency. You can also 'booster' almost all diapers relatively easily. This simply means that you place an extra booster (or washcloth/burp cloth) in to increase the absorption capacity by 20-100 ml. If the diaper leaks a little too quickly, fortunately this does not mean that you have to immediately buy a completely new set of diapers.

A saturated Hu-Da bamboo diaper on a saturated disposable diaper.

Question 5: Which type of closure do you prefer?

Reusable diapers are available with various types of closures. Hook&loop and snaps are the most common. But there are also cloth diapers that you secure with a diaper clip (or even an old-school safety pin) and reusable diapers that you pull up like pants.

Question 6: Is the county of manufacturing important?

Like most of the other items in your home, cloth diapers often come from China or other Asian countries. The country of production says very little about working conditions and sustainability, but if you prefer European production, that makes the choice for a diaper easier. The majority of brands will then be eliminated. If you would like to know more about working conditions and sustainability in relation to the various production countries, you can read the blogs about child labor and sustainability.

Question 7: What do you like?

Let's be honest, nice diapers are a bonus, right? The reusable diaper has now become a real fashion item. There are countless styles on the market from plain white, to colorful childish prints, to minimalist designer cloth diapers. In addition to all the practical properties of a diaper, also take with you what you like, or perhaps what your child likes. Especially if your child is a bit older, it can be a lot of fun to involve them in choosing diapers. Of course, you don't have to choose just one type of diaper! It is best to make a well-considered choice for a safe diaper, but also choose some beautiful diapers that will make you very happy! The worst that can happen is that you may have to change them a little earlier ;-).

Elskbar diaper ‘Grasses’

Free consult

You can book a free consultation, so that you can see the cloth diapers in real life and receive explanations from an experienced expert. She will then help you make a choice. Also, renting is an option. We rent complete packages for newborn and older babies, but also for toddlers and infants. This way you don't have to choose, but you can experience it all yourself first.

Is there really no 'best diaper'?

There are reusadiapers that sell much more than other diapers, and there are diapers with many positive reviews. These are diapers that we call a safe choice. Good quality and with a fit that suits almost all parents and children. The Hu-Da bamboo diaper is such a diaper. If you really don't know what to choose and you don't want to rent, then the Hu-Da diaper is a safe choice. Good quality, very good ratio between fit and absorbency, easy to reduce for newborn babies and our best-selling product, with hundreds of positive reviews from parents who have already made the choice. You still need to wear a pair of cover over it. Safe choices in that area include Modern Cloth Nappies, Rumparooz and Lighthouse Supreme (if your child is not too small anymore).

But if you find safe boring or want the best of the best for your child and want to find the perfect diaper for your situation, then I would just try something. Buy what you like, sell what doesn't work and buy more diapers that make you happy. Cloth diapers are fun!

Hu-Da bamboo diaper 'White'

Written by Ilka, owner Nappy's.nl