Monday, September 8, 2014

Cloth Diaper Abbreviations and Terms

There is no such thing as a quick Internet search for cloth diapers.  Things start looking very complicated, very quickly.  Here's the translation of terms you'll see on our site, our facebook page, in product reviews, or around the web.




AI2: (All in Two Diapers) These diapers are a two part cloth diaper system. They are made up of a waterproof outer shell and a detachable insert for absorbency. The soiled insert is removed and the cover can be reused. Drying time of your AI2's is faster than drying an AIO. You can customize your AI2's quite easily for heavy wetters or nighttime by using different or extra inserts. AI2 Diapers are trim fitting, eco-friendly, long-lasting and economical!  Most AI2 systems you puchase the shell or cover sepertaly from the insert. (Example: GroVia)


AIO: (All in One Diapers) These diapers are the easiest diapers to use and have the absorbent material sewn into the diaper cover. The inserts may be  synthetic fibers or natural fibers and the diaper will fasten with either snaps or hook and loop. An AIO may be a sized diaper or a one-sized diaper. The majority of newborn diapers are also all-in-ones. No diaper cover required. No stuffing required. The AIO is a Dad, Grandma and daycare friendly option! (See examples HERE)

Aplix: a strong yet soft brand of hook and loop closure similar to Velcro (TM) brand. 


BF: Breastfeeding/Breastfed. Also seen: bfing


CD: Cloth diapers. Many moms refer to themselves as CDing moms.

DD, DH, DS: Abbreviations commonly used on the Internet to refer to your family members. DD (dear daughter, darling daughter, darn daughter, etc), DH (dear husband, darling husband, darn husband, etc), DS (dear son, darling son, darn son, etc). Example: My DD slept through the night in her bumGenius 4.0.

Diaper Cover:  An outer cover to put over fitted diapers or prefolds. They provide a waterproof outer cover for non water proof diapers. 

Doublers: Meant to serve as additional absorbency in a cloth diaper and should not be used alone.  Doublers (sometimes referred to as boosters) are great to use for overnight, nap time, long car rides, and sitters.  Thirsties Fab Doublers are a very popular option. 

EBF: Refers to a baby that is exclusively breastfed. EBF poop does not need to be rinsed prior to washing because it is water soluble and will rinse clean in the laundry.
Fitted: Fitteds are great cloth diapers which are very easy to use. Fitted Diapers look very similar to the shape and size of most disposable diapers. Fitted Diapers are NOT waterproof.  You will need to use a waterproof cover over top of ALL fitted sizes and styles. Unlike other diapers that only offer absorbency in the wet zone, Fitteds offer full directional absorbency as the entire diaper is absorbent.  

Fluff: Another term for cloth diapers.  Examples: "I can't wait for my fluffy mail to arrive from EcoBuns." "I'm getting Fluff Photos done at EcoBuns this week!" and "I'm addicted to fluff!"


Hook & Loop: Hook and loop is a type of closure also referred to as Velcro™ (brand name) or aplix. Velcro is a trademarked brand name, and not the brand that is usually used in cloth diapers.  Similarly, people refer to tissue as Kleenex, even if it isn't Kleenex brand. Hook & loop closure is the most similar to how a disposable diaper goes on and is easy to use. 


Hybrid: A diapering system that can be used with a cloth or disposable insert. A hybrid diaper consists of a waterproof shell or cover that can be reused and washed with either a cloth insert or disposable insert. (Example: GroVia)

Inserts: Layers of absorbent fabric, such as microfiber or cotton, that are used to provide the sole absorbency in diapers.  They are usually sewn into a rectangular shape, although some or sewn into a specific shape to fit a certain brand or style. 

Pocket: A Pocket-style diaper has a pocket opening between the outer shell layer and the inner layer that touches baby’s skin. You can place the absorbent material inside this pocket opening.  Most pockets diapers come with inserts.


 Pre-fold: Pre-fold diapers are rectangular pieces of cloth that have a thicker middle layer. Pre-fold cloth diapers look like the diapers that our mothers and grandmothers used. They have come a long ways, and with super easy folds, getting rid of diaper pins, and very cute covers, the prefolds of today are a great, cost effective way to cloth diaper. 

PUL: polyurethane laminate, a waterproof material used to make diaper covers/wraps, the outer of many pocket diapers or AIOs.


Snappi: Snappis are a brand name diaper fastener that can easily fasten a pre-fold diaper without the use of pins.

Stash: Referring to your own cloth diapers. Examples: I have 30 diapers in my stash. My stash is primarily made up of AIO diapers. I am so jealous of Katie's stash!

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