A detailed guide to cloth diapering – Cloth Diaper Accessories

Some useful cloth diaper accessories can help one immensely during the cloth diapering journey. One may need some of the cloth diaper accessories based on the type of cloth diaper used. Others are useful irrespective of the type of cloth diaper you choose.

Cloth diaper accessories

Snappi & Boingo

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These are fasteners. They have tiny plastic teeth that fasten cloth together without hurting the baby. They are best used with flats and pre-folds. Parents who love cloth diapers without water-repelling outer layer, or who like to DIY their cloth diapers, highly recommend using these.

Liner

Liners are reusable or disposable rectangular pieces used as a layer against the skin when using cloth diapers. They are usually made of reusable micro-fleece fabric or biodegradable disposable ones made of bamboo fibre. They work as a stay dry layer and also prevent poop from soiling diapers. Liners work best with flats and pre-folds. Also, they are very handy when frequently changing diapers is a difficult e.g. when outdoors, travelling, etc.. Remove the liner and continue to use the same diaper (if the poop does not soil the diaper).

Sleeve

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A sleeve is a rectangular pouch, into which one can insert any pad-folded absorbent material or pre-fabricated inserts. Also, one can use a sleeve with any absorbent material/insert and a cover to make a complete cloth diapering unit.

It is usually made out of micro-fleece. One can make a custom sleeve insert too with a soft absorbing material.

Diaper PJ

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It is a special pyjama with an extra-wide bottom and crotch to accommodate the bulk of cloth diapers.

Diaper PJs are especially useful in hot and humid weather. They ensure more breathability in the baby’s bum area even with a pyjama over the cloth diaper.

Diaper PJs are multi-purpose, and one can use them even when the baby is not wearing a cloth diaper.

Wet bag

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A wet bag is a zippered pouch with an inner PUL/TPU/leakproof lining. It contains the stench and muck of soiled diapers. Wet bags are handy and come in various sizes: large, on-the-go, medium and small.

Large size wet bag: Can contain up to 20 diapers. Extremely useful while travelling or for those who do not follow a daily wash routine.
On-the-go size wet bag: Handy to carry diaper changing paraphernalia. Usually, have two pockets to segregate poo & pee diapers. Great for a few hours out of the house.
Medium size wet bag: Can hold about two diapers. Handy to put in a kid’s bag for daycare or playschool.
Small size wet bag: It is more like a make-up pouch and can hold a single diaper

The good thing about any wet bag is that they are all multipurpose. For example, now that my child has outgrown diapers, we use a large wet bag for carrying back soiled clothes from our travels. We use an on-the-go bag for carrying changes of clothes for the baby while travelling, or for taking bottles of water as it contains spillage. The medium one goes in his school bag with a change of clothes, and I use the small as a make-up pouch or to carry my sustainable menstrual paraphernalia.

Leg warmer

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Since cloth diapers are bulkier than disposables, some people don’t prefer putting pyjamas over them. Instead, they use leg warmers which only cover the legs from the thighs to the ankles. They are like socks with openings at both ends. One can pull them up the leg like tubes.

Leg warmers are multi-purpose and come in different materials and cute prints. They are popularly used in winters (to keep the legs warm). One may not need to remove them while changing a diaper, which is a great benefit with an infant when you have to change more frequently.