Cloth Diaper Inserts - Helping You Understand Absorbency Options

Inserts are designed to be stuffed into pocket diapers. They are usually rectangular and are made of absorbent material.

Doublers are used with cloth diaper inserts to provide extra absorbency in a pocket diaper. While you can use two inserts, the extra bulk sometimes means the elastic doesn't fit snuggly around your baby's legs, leading to leaks, especially at night. Doublers are sometimes cut in an hourglass shape that reduces bulk around the legs. Other times, doublers are smaller rectangles and can be used as a newborn cloth diaper insert when the full-size insert is still too bulky for your tiny baby.

Inserts and doublers can be made out of a variety of materials. Pocket diapers are designed with a stay-dry layer of fleece, Minky, microsuede, or other fabric that wicks moisture away from the baby. Because of this barrier, microfiber is a fairly common pocket diaper insert. You shouldn't place microfiber right next to your baby's skin (such as in AIOs and AI2s), since it can cause dryness and irritation.

Cloth diaper inserts are often made of cotton, hemp, bamboo, microfiber, or Zorb. For soakers, the absorbent material is sometimes topped with microfleece (such as the Soft Bums Echo microfiber soaker), or cotton or bamboo velour.

WHAT ARE DIAPER PODS?

Sometimes it may feel like an uphill battle trying to find diaper accessories that work with cloth diapers. You might have tried to stuff them haphazardly into wet bags that were too small. Or the neatly prepared covers and inserts you preassembled in the morning ended up wrapped around your baby’s bottle once the daycare worker opened up the bag. You need a diaper pod.

Diaper pods are rectangular, prism-shaped bags that are specifically made to hold folded cloth diapers. They typically store 6 to 14 cloth diapers stacked next to each other. These pods are lined with polyurethane laminate to make them waterproof.

WHAT ARE DIAPER PODS USED FOR?

You’ve tried carrying multiple cloth diapers in your diaper bag. You become frustrated while digging through to find the “right” one to change your baby into. If this sounds familiar, this diaper pod is for you. Most diaper bags are made to accommodate disposable diapers. Their pockets and meshes are just the right sizes to stash the perfect amount for a day out. ;

Cloth diapering parents usually have to find their own bags/ containers for their clean and dirty diapers. Many times, diaper-sized wet bags won’t fit all of your cloth diapers. Regular wet bags also allow your diapers to bounce around the bag. This is inconvenient if you want to keep your loose inserts and liners prepped into diaper covers. ;

Diaper pods solve this problem by allowing you to store many cloth diapers in an organized way. Diaper pods are square, tubular bags that hold cloth diapers stacked next to each other. Imagine traveling with your whole cloth diaper drawer. Life. Changing. These pods are typically around 12” long and 7” high. This shape keeps your diapers folded and prepped while on the go.

These nifty bags feature one long zipper on the top and center, so you can see all of your folded diapers at once. Similar to wet bags, many diaper pods also have a PUL layer.

Diaper pods are great for any style of cloth diaper. However, they shine when paired with diapers that have loose layers. Parents who favor diaper covers, loose inserts, and liners will enjoy that they can prep their diapers ahead of time. Then they can easily access them when needed for a quick diaper change with a squirmy baby.