A few of my favorite things

Fitted diapers are my current favorite for my 7 month old daughter. They fit well. They're super absorbent. They last a long time. Not to mention, they're really cute and soft. I have tried a lot of brands; Goodmama, Piddle Poddles, Muttaquin Baby, Piper's Closet, ByGollyGoGreen, BumbleBunz, DDDiapers, Sticky Peas, Eco Posh, and Osocozy. While any fitted diaper would be a great addition to a cloth diapering stash, I have settled on Piddle Poddles and BumbleBunz, with one lonely DDDiapers Ooga Booga print. Most are at least partially made with bamboo materials and have cute prints.

One feature that fitted diapers don't possess is a totally waterproof quality. So what's a mama to do? Choose a cover that works for you, your baby, and your budget. There's a lot of options, so let's review some of them.

The first option is NO cover. Yes, you read that right. A lot of times, I will let my daughter go sans cover in a fitted diaper while we're at home, especially if she's wearing a fleece sleeper or pants. Fitteds are so absorbent that you can usually get a couple hours of wear without a cover before feeling wetness on the outer shell. Polyester fleece is naturally liquid repelling so if your little one is wearing fleece, all the better for no cover with a fitted. The baby has to be changed more often to prevent getting clothes, bedding, carpet etc wet, but when we're at home, that's not a big problem for us. This is obviously the most economical option.

If you're looking for true waterproof-ness, you would be shopping for PUL or TPU covers. There are numerous brands, shapes, and fits for this kind of cover. The main points are that there is a layer coated with polyurothane to make it plastic-like and waterproof. This cover is put over top the fitted and closed either by H&L or by snaps. The benefits are that they're relatively cheap to purchase, easy to use, easy to wash, and completely waterproof when using the correct fit. The downside to this cover is that it's basically plastic coated, so it's not breathable for the baby. It can get a little hot and feel plastic-y on the skin. Any diaper with PUL can be used as a cover, even pocket diapers. Some of my favorite PUL covers were originally produced as pocket diapers.

Another great option is a wool cover. Wool and the lanolin in wool are excellent as both a moisture barrier and also absorber. Wool can hold a lot of liquid before leaking and it's breathable for the baby to wear. It's also naturally self cleaning and antibacterial. Depending on the type of wool used, they are also very soft and can be cute too. There's different types of wool covers. Soakers are in the shape of underwear and pull up on the baby. Shorties are like soakers but with a little fabric around the legs to make it look like shorts. Longies are pants. Sometimes longies have a soaker sewn in. Skirties are usually like skorts, with a soaker below and a pretty skirt over top. Wool takes a little research and practice for proper care, but once you get it down, it's actually very low maintenance. My husband recently stated that it was his favorite type of cover for our fitted stash. Our little crawler is alligator rolling away from us during diaper changes, so the less snaps, the better. While there are some economical wool cover options, most of them can get pretty pricey. Don't get me wrong. They are worth the price. However, they may not be the most attainable items for your stash if you're on a limited budget.

Now that you know my favorite types of covers for my fitteds, tell me what yours are!