Are Cloth Diapers Uncomfortable for Babies?

I remember seeing a cloth diaper on my 8-week-old son for the very first time and thinking to myself “Goodness, they are so bulky! Is this comfortable?” As moms it’s natural that we want the very best for our babies! Wondering whether cloth diapers bring any discomfort is a very normal question to ask, and I’m glad you asked.

Are cloth diapers uncomfortable for babies? Cloth diapers do not bring discomfort to babies as long as five basic guidelines are followed: (1) the right size and right type of cloth diaper are used, (2) a high quality diaper is used, (3) the diaper is changed regularly, (4) the diaper is put on correctly, (5) baby’s development is taken into consideration. Let me describe those points in more detail.

(1) Using the right size and right type of cloth diaper

I know, it’s a cloth-diaper-jungle out there. Hundreds of brands, and a dozen different types, fits and sizes have popped into existence. Honestly, if you wanted to test them all, you’ll spend a fortune and it’ll probably take you many months to do so. I can recommend three approaches for finding the right cloth diaper for your and your baby’s needs:

• 1. Ask a friend. No, no internet forum, a friend. Or at least a person you personally know and you can talk to face to face. Get an honest opinion on what they use and the problems they’ve experienced. Ask someone you trust and whose approach to raising children you like. Maybe you can even borrow a few diapers and try them to see how they work for you and your beloved little one. Don’t ask 20 people; stick with a handful at most. Otherwise you’ll end up with an unhelpfully large number of opinions…
• 2. Find a shop with a competent employee and try different types. A knowledgeable employee or shop owner can give you a ton of advice, and you can examine all the different types and fabrics to get a good feel for what you like and find best. But be careful! Shops are there to sell things – take your common sense with you and don’t walk out with more than necessary. For example, when I bought my first cloth diapers I went to a shop and had the lady explain everything to me in detail (after I’d had a good chat with another cloth-mommy and friend of mine). The shop owner recommended special night-diapers (at 25 bucks each) and said I needed at least 7 of them. I bought 3 to try them first. I could always come back or order more. Turned out I didn’t like them at all – and was glad not to have 7 of those things at home.
• 3. Take my recommendation. Sounds a bit funny? Well, trust your gut. I’m not getting any commissions by recommending what I do, it’s just my personal experience that I gained over the past couple of years…

So, here it is:

Take a cloth diaper where you can easily adjust the width around the waist and one that “grows” with your child. That means that you can shorten or lengthen it according to your baby’s state of physical development. I personally preferred Velcro at the belly: maybe your beloved one is still little and doesn’t move much.

But trust me, you’ll come to a point where they just won’t keep still when you want to put on a diaper, and you’ll be happy not to have to count the right number of snaps (I believe they are called “poppers” in the UK) or try to fit the two parts together while dealing with legs and hands and a wriggly bottom at the same time.

Plus, their belly is not the same size every single day – Velcro just gives you and your baby so much more flexibility. But I had absolutely no problem with adjusting the length of the diaper-cover with the snaps. You usually have 3 lengths to choose from; that worked perfectly well for us when our little one was about 10-33 lb (4.5-15 kg) or 24-38” (62-98 cm).

Choose a cloth diaper where you can easily and with great flexibility adjust the amount of absorbable fabric that’s inside the diaper.

I personally liked to keep the diapers as slim as possible. Using a diaper cover with inserts was the best choice for us. This way you have less absorbable material (which equals less bulkiness) where you don’t need it (like on baby’s back or hips). This makes it way more comfortable for your beloved little one to lie on their back, and also allows them to move around more, especially when they learn to turn from their back onto their belly and then back again. It also gives more room for those tiny legs to move if the little cutie wants to play with his or her toes.

Another advantage of inserts is that you can place the material where it’s actually needed: for a baby boy at the front of the diaper; for a baby girl in between the legs… This may sound logical, but trust me, I never thought of it when I started out on my cloth-diaper-journey. You can also stretch out diaper-changing intervals if needed. Are you taking a long car ride where you can’t change the diaper straight away? Just add another insert.

And last but not least: pick one that can be pre-cleaned (rinsed), washed, dried, folded and stored with as little amount of work as possible. Because you will change, wash, dry and store a lot of diapers. This is another important reason why you should consider inserts. Cloth diapers that have a lot of absorbable material everywhere take up a lot of space (either wet and dirty or when you store them dry and clean) and need triple the amount of time to dry.

I know some moms swear that the Pocket diapers or All In One diapers are the best, but honestly, just the thought of stuffing and “unstuffing” the Pocket diapers and the long drying times made my head spin. So, what did I choose?

I personally love the “TotsBots PeeNut Nappy System” which is a All In Two diapering system.

I use the PeeNut wrap with different types and brands of inserts. I am still using it to this day.

Why? Simple: best fit, greatest flexibility, best comfort, best quality. Speaking of quality, this brings us directly to the next point.

(2) Choose a high-quality diaper

When buying cloth diapers, don’t try to save a few bucks if that results in lower quality.

Why?

Quality products last longer

You want a diaper that can be washed a couple of hundred times and still function like on day one. You want Velcro that keeps working perfectly even after two years of use. You want seams that don’t come undone and need repairing every few months. You want the waterproof wrap to stay impermeable. You want absorbable inserts to stay absorbable. You want snaps that don’t open just because you put pants over your beloved little one’s diaper. You want the colors and the surface of your diaper to look and feel like they did when you first got them.

Quality products fit better

You want a diaper that doesn’t leak, curl up or crease. You want a diaper that stays in shape no matter how often it was in your washing machine. You want a diaper that is as big as it needs to be and as slim as possible to give your little one all the liberty they need to explore their world.

Quality products are more comfortable

You want a diaper that baby forgets about. You want a diaper that is soft and smooth; one that doesn’t rub or give that little bottom rashes. You want a diaper that is breathable, yet keeps everything in that’s supposed to stay in.

Quality products cost less.

Cloth diapering is a choice.

Maybe you made that choice in order to save money, maybe because of your beloved little one’s health or maybe because of environmental factors. Whatever your reason, you want to feel good about your choice. You want a high-quality product that, in the long run, will not only cost you less money, but will also cost you less nerves and frustration and will bring joy and happiness into your little family. Maybe you want to use the diapers for another child. And you may also want to be able to sell them, donate them or give them away to a friend when you don’t need them yourself anymore.

(3) Increase baby’s comfort by changing the diaper regularly

I believe this to be one of the most important things you can do in order to increase your baby’s level of comfort.

The core difference between cloth diapers and disposable diapers is that cloth diapers absorb liquid simplyby acting like a sponge, whereas disposable ones absorb it by means of a chemical reaction, binding the liquid water to a granulated so called “super absorbent polymere”, which then turns into a gel-like substance.

This reaction also gives disposable diapers (also the “organic” ones) their very distinct smell.

In case you are interested, there’s a very useful YouTube video on how this works, by “engineerguy Bill”:

The interesting visualization starts at 2:10 min, and then again at about 4:45 min.

These super absorbent polymers allow disposable diapers to be designed very flat, whereas cloth diapers simply look huge and bulky. This also means that once your little pumpkin wets the diaper it is exactly that: wet.

My personal approach therefore was to change our cloth diapers as soon as my little one relieved himself. Doing this in combination with cloth diapering also helped us with our potty training, since the sensation “when I pee, I get wet” was never taken away. Always keeping a dry diaper on also helps to prevent rashes, and changing the diaper at short intervals prevents pressure sores in the case that a diaper doesn’t fit perfectly (for whichever reason).

You could also use pieces of fleece to give your little one a dry feeling. It lets the liquid pass very fast and doesn’t absorb much, therefore feeling quite dry.

By the way: unfortunately neither type of diaper will absorb (semi)solids.

(4) Put the diaper on correctly

Here’s a video on how to change a cloth diaper.

The most important things to do are:

Prevent tightness around the belly.

When your little one lies down and maybe even stretches a bit while you fasten the diaper, the belly is flat and also stretched. But as soon as they try to bend over or sit up, a tight diaper cuts into their soft belly and causes a lot of discomfort. Therefore, leave at least enough space for you to put 4 fingers in between the belly and the diaper. Also, if you make sure the Velcro is properly fastened, the diaper is less likely to curl in and create even more pressure on the belly.

Prevent bulk at the back.

This is especially important when your beloved little one is still very young and doesn’t sit much yet. There is no need for heaps of absorbent material on baby’s back. Choose a diaper that allows you to keep the back of the diaper as flat as possible. This way, no pressure will be put on your little one’s spine and kidneys when they lie down. For extra comfort, you can make sure that your little one lies on a soft surface like a double-folded blanket, a thick yoga mat, or a flat pillow.

Prevent tightness at the thighs.

When you use enough absorbent inserts, it may not even be necessary to make the elastic band around the thighs very tight fitting. The diapers should never be so tight that the elastic leaves a distinct mark on baby’s skin. However tight you want to put the diaper on, I can guarantee one thing: onesies, pants and pajamas will be soaked if they get in between the diaper and your little one’s chubby thighs. Oh well, I guess physics is just something we have to live with…

The difference between boys and girls.

Have you ever heard the saying “girls shoot, but boys get everywhere”? For anatomical reasons, girls need more padding right between the legs, whereas boys can use an extra layer at the front. This is very easy to accomplish with inserts or prefolds, and also adds some more comfort for your little one, as well as convenience for mommy.

These pictures are screenshots from YouTube videos. I will not post the links here, for I do not want to shame the moms who went through all the work to create such a video. 

(5) Take baby’s development into consideration

Newborns have different needs than 6-month-old babies or 2-year-old toddlers. When adjusting the diaper, take into consideration whether, for example, your little one needs their hips placed in a certain position; or a very bulky diaper between their legs may feel uncomfortable to them when they want to learn how to walk; or whether they lie on their back most of the time; or are sitting up. Another reason why your little one might not like cloth diapers is because they are not used to them.

If you decide to start cloth diapering a few months after birth, it might be that your little one is already used to not feeling wet when peeing.

And there comes a time when all babies would rather run around stark naked all day long than put on any kind of diaper.

Yes, been there, done that, got the t-shirt. But let me assure you – this has nothing to do with cloth diapers…

Just use your common sense and watch the signs your beloved little one gives you.

I’m sure with a little practice you’ll find a quick and easy way to put on those diapers – without any discomfort for your beloved little one. What are your experiences with cloth diapers? Please feel free to leave a comment! In the meantime, I wish you and your little one all the best!

You  may also be interested i this article I wrote: 

How to Change a Poopy Diaper at Night, Without Waking Baby