What are you looking for in a Cloth Diaper/Nappy?

[ccn]

Hi there,

I would appreciate it very much if you would give me some insight as to what diaper lovers and sufferers of incontinence problems are looking for when purchasing cloth diapers.

Do you prefer :
velcro - I worry about the fraying and catching onto clothes
snaps - this may be hard for seniors if they lack coordination
full coverage
bikini cut
prints - what type? nursery prints? mod? retro?
plain colors - which colors? pastel colors or solid bright colors

Type of Diaper:
Pocket style - outer layer is waterproof, inner layer wicks away moisture from skin and the pocket may be stuffed with diaper liners, towel or pre-fold. These have a velcro band (or snaps on the side) along the front to adjust for size.
Built in liner - waterproof layer with liner sewn on (inside, not visible). These would also have a velcro band (or snaps on the side) along the front.
Training pants - Waterproof layer padded underwear (good for one wetting) pull on type style
Snap-on liner - waterproof layer and an inner layer - you would snap on the diaper liner on top of the inner layer
Velcro pocket style - similar to the pocket style diaper, but instead of having to adjust the liners while not being able to open up the inner layer, this diaper would allow you to 'open up' the inner layer to place the liner and velcro it back on

Any comments on leak coverage?
How much would you pay for a diaper like this?

Thanks in advance for your valued opinions.

[harris]

Cloth is much more obvious than disposable, so the first question to ask yourself is whether you will wear tem in public. If so, you might want to choose the bikini cut, but many ABDLs are willing to risk (and it's only a very slithly higher risk) the full cut, expeically if they plan to make full use of them. You can also puts stuffers, pads, and towels into anything you buy, so I wouldn't bother with pocket diapers. I prefer dispoable, but for cloth, nothing beats a separate diaper and plastic pant. It is all but impossible for that setup to leak (pull on style plastic pants are much better in this regard than snap on). I like bird's eye cotton. Some people prefer a fleece liner on first, since it will wick away moisture better than cotton, but nothing beats cotton for absorbency. The key to cloth diapers is layering, so you can play around and find out what you lie.

Velcro is very convenient and can be adjusted more than snaps. But I like pins. They are just as adjustable as the velcro and have a babyish aesthetic to them. Pull-up, all-in-ones, and trainers are more apt to leak, but if you're going for discretion or it's an itme that apt to please you in and of itself, they are good. And so long as you don't flood them, they'll keep your pants dry. More problematic is that the design on one all-in-one/trainer combinations is that the cloth and the plastic meet at the very outer edge, causing a wicking problem.

I recommend the Kins site for purchasing. Dmponline.com also have some relatively cheap diapers, but fetware.com has some of the most inexpensive psatic pants. Peope more into cloth can probably give you better tips than that, particularly on where to buy.
Bottom line: you will spend more on cloth diapers when you buy them, much more, but over time you will save. Take into account how often you're willing to do laundry or have access to a laundry machine too. I don't have access, and I rarely wear cloth, but when I do, i hand wash them in the bathtub. A pre-soak in hot, soapy water, a good scrubbing with either laundry detergent or even a bar of soap, and hung to dry ont he shower rod, they're good to go again within 24-36 hours. With four diapers and two pairs of plastic pants, I could stay diapered as much as I do now by washing once a day. Bur I'll stick with disposables.