Cloth Diaper Covers

Cloth diaper covers provide waterproofing for your cloth diapers.  No matter how absorbent your cloth diaper is, there are no guarantees on keeping your lap dry without a cover!  To keep your baby's clothes and bedding dry, you will need a cloth diaper cover.
 

Which cloth diapers require cloth diaper covers?
In general, anything that is designated as a pocket diaper, an All-In-One (AIO) cloth diaper, or an All-in-Two (AI2) cloth diaper does NOT require a cover.  Prefolds, flats, contours, and fitted cloth diapers all require covers for waterproofing.  Some parents may choose not to use cloth diaper covers when around the house, playing in the yard, or any other time that they will be able to see when baby is wet and change the diaper right away.  For newborns, going cover-less allows parents to see how often baby is wetting.

How many diaper covers are needed?
We recommend a minimum of 4-6 diaper covers to be used in rotation.  As long as the cover is not poopy, you can remove it and hang it up to air out until the next change.  Most parents prefer having one or two extra covers on hand.

Cloth diaper covers, breathability, and air circulation around baby's bottom
One of the causes of diaper rash in infants is the lack of air circulation around baby's bottom.  Disposable diapers, with their polyethylene content, allow for very little air to pass through the diaper.  The plastic and rubber pants that first came into use in the 1940s also prevent air circulation.  All of the covers offered here provide breathability that is superior to disposable diapers and the antiquated rubber and plastic pants that our parents and grandparents used.  The most breathable cloth diaper covers are made of wool and fleece. 

Cloth Diaper Cover Fabric Choices
The best cloth diaper covers today are made of either wool, fleece, or polyurethane laminate.  Polyurethane laminate (PUL) is a fabric (cotton or polyester) that has been laminated on one side with a clear polyurethane coating.  This thin layer of laminate provides a waterproof barrier, while allowing the fabric to remain breathable.  PUL cloth diaper covers are typically the least expensive choice in diaper covers, and are available as pull-up pants, or with closures like snaps or aplix.  They can be washed with your cloth diapers and dried in the drier on medium heat.

Fleece is a synthetic fiber, made from the polyester derivative polyethylene terephthalate (PET).  Most PET for fleece is from recycled plastic bottles!  Fleece has been used for many years in outerwear because of its excellent breathability and water-repelling properties.  Fleece is a very soft fabric that is easy to care for.  It can be washed and dried in the dryer with your diapers or with your regular laundry.  Fleece is also a great choice for vegan families who seek a breathable diaper cover alternative to woolen diaper covers.

Wool is the only choice in cloth diaper covers for those who seek a natural fiber to provide waterproofing for their cloth diapers.  Before the development of synthetic fibers like plastic and rubber, wool "panties" were what traditionally covered cloth diapers.  Wool is a wonderfully breathable, naturally water-repellent fiber.  We love wool so much that we have a separate article to discuss its benefits as well as its use and care- please take a moment to read more about wool diaper covers.  Many new cloth diaper users dismiss wool as an option because it is hard to comprehend how a wool diaper cover could be more breathable and keep baby's bottom cooler than a lighter cover made of PUL.  We live in one of the hottest places in the country- just outside of Phoenix, Arizona.  Our daughter is in wool diaper covers all summer as we have found, time and time again, that the key to keeping her comfortable is air circulation.  Wool diaper covers allow water vapor and moisture to evaporate and air to move around baby's bottom.  The wool used in diaper covers today is not the scratchy, uncomfortable wool of our childhood holiday sweaters!  Our wool is all soft, cuddly, and comfortable.

Wool diaper covers don't need to be washed very frequently- as long as they have not gotten any poop on them, you only need to wash every few weeks (this due to the self-cleaning and antibacterial properties of lanolin!).  Wool covers do require hand-washing, but it is an easy routine requiring a swish in the sink with a bit of wool wash.  The few extra minutes to care for wool is well worth it if you are looking for the most breathable, natural option in cloth diaper covers.