Getting started
We actually started this with our second. With our first, we weren’t as on the ball when it came to mindful plastics and chemical reduction, a new baby is a lot, and just getting through the days takes everything you have. But somewhere in the rhythm of early parenthood we started doing deeper research into what we were bringing into our home. Things like clean toddler plates became top of mind (a full roundup on that coming soon), and the more we looked into it, the more we wanted to apply the same thinking to our second from day one. Cloth diapers were one of the first decisions we made differently.
What we found when we started looking into disposables was enough to make us want to explore another option entirely.
Disposable diapers can contain BPA, phthalates, and PFAS, chemicals linked to endocrine disruption, meaning they can interfere with your baby’s hormone development. A French study by ANSES tested 23 diaper brands and found traces of roughly 60 chemicals, including pesticides that had been banned in the EU for over 15 years, some of which can migrate through urine and sit against your baby’s skin for hours at a time. The Consumer Product Safety Commission doesn’t require manufacturers to test for these chemicals before putting them on shelves. When you factor in that babies go through over 4,000 diapers in their first three years, the exposure adds up fast.
That was enough for us. We switched to cloth and haven’t looked back.
Beyond the chemical concern, the case for cloth made practical sense too. We plan to use the same diapers across multiple kids, the cost savings over three years are significant, and not having to haul a diaper pail to the curb every few days is a quiet but very real bonus.
Here’s the exact system we use, and why we landed here.
Two Ways to Do This
Before getting into specific products, it’s worth knowing there are two main approaches to cloth diapering and we’ve tried both.
The most natural option is a plain shell cover with a prefold or natural fiber fitted diaper laid inside, no synthetic lining ever touches skin. The tradeoff is that it takes more effort at change time and anyone helping with diaper duty needs to know what they’re doing. We tried this route and respected the simplicity, but the folding felt like a lot during the newborn phase when you’re already running on no sleep. Honestly, laundry folding is one of my personal mental blockers at the best of times. Add a newborn, a toddler, and the mountain of tiny clothing that comes with a growing family, and the idea of also folding and assembling prefolds at every change just wasn’t realistic for us.
We landed on pocket diapers because they’re much closer to a disposable in terms of ease, inserts go in at laundry time, not at change time, and the whole thing is ready to go when you need it. The tradeoff is there’s a synthetic lining inside the shell. We solved for that by layering a natural fiber insert on top so only cotton and hemp touches skin directly. It’s not a zero-synthetic system but it’s a thoughtful and intentional one.
If eliminating all synthetic contact is your priority, the shell plus prefold route is worth exploring. If you want something your partner, your mom, or your daycare can figure out without a tutorial, pocket diapers are the more realistic daily choice.
A Note on Polyester in Cloth Diapers
Cloth isn’t a perfect zero-plastic solution and it’s worth being upfront about that. The La Petite Ourse shell is PUL, a polyurethane laminate, and the bamboo inserts contain some polyester. Baby skin is significantly more permeable than adult skin, which means what touches it matters. This is exactly why we layer the Geffen Baby cotton/hemp insert on the inside, only pure natural fiber makes direct contact with skin. The polyester never touches the baby. It’s not a perfect system but it’s a meaningful reduction in chemical exposure compared to disposables, and one we feel good about.
Our Cloth Diaper System
We kept it simple. Pocket diapers with natural fiber inserts, nothing that requires an advanced degree to assemble.
La Petite Ourse Pocket Diapers
La Petite Ourse is a Canadian brand and our absolute foundation. What sets them apart from every other pocket diaper we looked at is the double opening, there’s an opening at both the front and back of the pocket. It sounds like a small detail but it makes a real difference. Inserting and adjusting the bamboo inserts is straightforward, and when it comes to washing, the inserts agitate out on their own in the machine. No fishing around in a wet pocket.
The double gusset is the other feature worth calling out. Newborns are exclusively milk-fed and blowouts are a reality of those early weeks. The double gusset contains everything. We’ve had remarkably few laundry emergencies as a result.
Geffen Baby Cotton/Hemp Inserts
Inside the La Petite Ourse shell we use Geffen Baby cotton/hemp inserts. These sit directly against the baby’s skin, which is exactly why we chose them. Pure cotton and hemp, nothing synthetic touching the most sensitive area. They’re genuinely absorbent, we layer them for extra coverage overnight, and they’ve held up beautifully through repeated washing.
We explored going the prefold route but found it added unnecessary complexity when the La Petite Ourse and Geffen Baby combination was already working so well.
Nellie’s Laundry Soda
We tried several clean detergents before landing on Nellie’s and nothing else has come close. Diapers come out genuinely clean, no residue, no lingering smell, just a fresh clean scent with no fragrance added. Completely unscented, which matters for cloth diapers since fragrance residue can cause buildup and reduce absorbency over time. Made in Canada, which we love. We use the original Nellie’s Laundry Soda, one tablespoon per load, hot wash.
The Honest Part
Cloth diapering has a learning curve. The first week feels like a lot. But once you have your system dialled in it becomes second nature, and knowing exactly what’s against your baby’s skin every single day makes it worth it.
If you’re just starting out, start with a small stash of La Petite Ourse shells and Geffen Baby inserts before committing fully. See how it works for your family. For us it was an easy decision to stay the course.
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