The diapering journey of your baby starts the moment they are born. They pass the first poop – a blackish greenish sticky poop known as meconium. Thus, most parents do not wait till the last date to buy cloth diapers when it comes to welcoming their baby. Instead, they keep the cloth diapers stash ready and prepared at home and in the hospital bag to take along for the initial diapering of the baby. But if you have not made this decision yet, and are yet to buy cloth diapers for your baby, this article will help you understand how many cloth diapers you would need to invest in and the different kinds of cloth diapers you can buy. Let’s dive into the topic then! 

 

Till What Age Do Kids Wear Cloth Diapers?

To understand the types of cloth diapers your baby will need, and how many, it is also essential to understand the typical diapering age of a baby. As mentioned earlier, the diapering journey for your baby starts from the day they are born. Most babies are completely potty trained by the age of three. While some kids are potty trained a little earlier as well, parents prefer to keep using the padded underwear for a little longer to ensure that there is no mess even if the baby ends up accidentally peeing while not in the washroom – especially during night time and outings. 

 

Are There Different Types Of Cloth Diapers?

Yes, depending on what age and stage of potty training your baby is, there are different kinds of cloth diapers that parents and caregivers can choose from. Here is a list of different types of cloth diapers for kids:

 

• Newborn Nappy / Langot

 

During the initial few days and weeks, your baby poops at a higher frequency – as frequently as 8 – 12 times a day. So, making them wear an All In One or a UNO is not the best choice. A nappy or langot for babies can soak up to one pee. They usually have drawstrings, which are softer and gentler on the baby’s delicate skin. Langots and nappies are airy, breathable, and easy to put on and take off cloth diapers, making life easy for new parents. After a few weeks, your baby will start pulling the drawstrings if they get hold of them, and thus you will need to graduate them from the nappy and langot to an all-in-one diaper, also known as UNO cloth diapers. 

 

• Newborn All In One / UNO

 

As the name suggests, an All In One cloth diaper is a complete set of all you need for as much as 8 hours of nighttime diapering. Available in two sizes, the newborn UNO ideally fits up to 7 KG, i.e., up to 5 – 7 months old babies. In addition, UNO or all in one cloth diapers come with a waterproof outer cover with a dry feel inner layer and an insert to make the diaper absorbent for longer hours. For nighttime diapering or travel time, parents also go for an extra insert of more absorbent inserts for heavy wetter such as hemp inserts. 

 

 

• Free Size All In One / UNO

 

Once your baby reaches the upper fitting limit for a newborn all in one cloth diaper or UNO, they would graduate to the freesize UNO. At times, if the babies are on a leaner side, they can continue using the newborn size for a little longer too. 

A free size diaper ideally fits from 7 KGs to 17 Kgs. This is enough to fit them till they are completely potty trained. A free size UNO or all in one diaper is conceptually the same as the newborn one in terms of absorbance and how to wear, how long will it last, the kind of inserts available etc. A free size UNO or All In One is adjustable with snaps and thus can range from 7 KGs to 17 KGs without having to buy a new stash of cloth diapers every time your baby’s weight and body change. 

 

 

• Padded Underwear

 

Padded underwear can be used from the very beginning, as it is an excellent diaper-free time bumwear. But in most cases, padded underwear is used as potty-training pull-up pants, as padded underwear can make the toilet training easier and faster. Many parents and caregivers are known to achieve the potty-training goal within three days with the help of padded underwear. Padded underwear can soak up to one pee. They help you avoid the pee puddles and mess that pee and poop can cause, but they make the baby feel damp after peeing or pooping. This allows them to identify the body cues before the urge to pee and poop, and they start communicating the need to use the washroom. Padded underwear is the most versatile cloth diaper that can be used from the newborn stage for diaper-free time to the time your baby is ready to stop using diapers. Some parents continue using padded underwear as regular underwear even after that, as they are airy and breathable, and there is no harm in wearing them as regular underwear also. 

 

Which One Is Best Suitable For What Age & Stage? 

The following chart will help you understand what kind of diapers are best suitable at what age and stage

Age & Stage	Nappy / Langot	Newborn All In One	Freesize All In One	Padded Underwear
Newborn	✔️	✔️	Table of Contents Toggle ❌	✔️
Six Month Old	❌	❌	✔️	✔️
One Year Old	❌	❌	✔️	✔️
Two Years Old	❌	❌	✔️	✔️
Potty Training Stage	❌	❌	✔️	✔️
Post Potty Training For A Grace Period	❌	❌	❌	✔️

 

What kind of cloth diaper you go for will ultimately depend on the age and the potty-training stage for your baby. A lot of times, there will be an overlap of two or more kinds of diapers that you would be using alternatively at the same stage. Whatever you choose, you are still selecting a greener earth! Happy Parenting!