Prefolds – Your mother’s cloth diaper. These are squares or rectangles of cloth (sometimes with an extra-absorbent center) that can easily be bleached. There are many ways to fold them and you should remember that YouTube is your friend. These are definitely the most economical (read cheapest) option, and if you don’t want to do your own diaper laundry, it’s probably what you can get through a service.
Snappi’s/Boingos – These contraptions hold the prefolds together. You could still go with diaper pins, but really these are much quicker to put on and get off. They are two name brand fasteners that will hold a prefold diaper together and picking between the two seems like personal preference. Once again, YouTube is your friend.
Covers – This is what goes over your prefolds. If you’re daring, you can skip the diaper fasteners and just put one of these on over your prefold, but it leaves you with a looser package overall. While you can skip the fastener, you probably don’t want to skip this component – it’s the waterproof outer layer. What good is a diaper if it doesn’t keep everything from getting wet?
Hook & Loop – Basically Velcro. Sometimes also called Aplix.
Fitted Cloth Diapers – Want to do away with the folding and the snaps of the prefolds? These diapers are shaped like disposables and have fasteners (snaps or hook & loop) built in so that they’re easy to put on. They still need a cover, though, because they are not waterproof on their own.
Inserts (a.k.a. boosters/doublers) – Microfiber, cotton, or bamboo absorbent layers that keep baby dry. The more layers, the more they can absorb.
Pocket Diapers – These are also shaped like a disposable. They have an outer shell that is waterproof, and inner lining that is soft and will wick moisture away from your baby, and a pocket between the two layers that you can fill with one or more inserts to absorb fluids. These can have either snap or hook & loop closures.
All-in-One Cloth Diapers – The name says it all. It’s everything in one neat and tidy package. Same shape as disposables, all absorbent layers are attached, may have snaps or hook & loop, outside layer is waterproof. They will take longer to dry after being washed.
Hybrid Cloth Diapers (a.k.a All in Two/AI2) – A waterproof shell that you can put absorbent layers into. Snaps or hook & loop. These allow for just replacing the layers (sometimes) and give you the option of reusable or disposable layers (sometimes).
Wet Bag – made of the same waterproof fabric as diaper covers. This is what you put your dirty cloth diapers in. They come in a variety of sizes, styles, and colors/patterns.
XS/S/M/L/XL – Sizes of diapers that correspond to the size of your baby. Use sizing charts for each brand to find the right size for your child.
One-Size – These diapers have some mechanism for changing the size as your baby grows. Usually they start fitting once your baby is big enough for size 1 disposables.
Newborn Diapers – generally have a snap down or cutout for your newborn’s umbilical cord.
Stash – The collection of cloth diapers that you have acquired.
Liners – Thin disposable layer (kind of like a dryer sheet) that you put between the diaper and a baby that’s eating solid food. Solid food poop needs to be flushed and you can use these to help get it into the toilet. They can be flushed. Also useful if you need to put diaper cream or lotion on your baby’s butt (cause if it soaks into the diaper, the creams and lotions will reduce absorbency).
Diaper Safe Detergent – There are many kinds out there, but Rockin’ Green and Charlie’s Soap are ones that you’re likely to come across while surfing the internet. You can buy them both on Amazon and (unlike regular detergent) they won’t make your cloth diapers less absorbent.
Cloth Wipes – you can get them if you’d like and can either use them with water or a homemade soap mixture (many are available online).
Diaper Sprayers – Like the sprayer on your kitchen sink, but for use on your toilet to help rinse solid food poop off your diaper.