The most demanded fabric in the world of cloth diapers is “Bamboo”. It is considered as one of the best fabrics for cloth diapers. Bamboo is used because of its antibacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-microbial properties.
It is preferred over other synthetic materials and cotton because it contains porous fiber that can easily absorb moisture and wicks it away from the baby’s skin. It will help to keep the skin of baby drier and cooler.
It is eco-friendly because the bamboo plant is quickly renewable. A plant of bamboo releases almost 30% more oxygen than a typical tree. Bamboo plant does not require replanting or pesticides. It is the best fabric to use for cloth diapers as it is good for your baby’s skin and also for the environment.
Different types of bamboo used in cloth diapers
There are a few different types of bamboo that are mostly used in cloth diapers.
It is snappi-able. It means snappi can be used with bamboo Terry flat or pre-fold.
It is the most absorbent material. A good thing about this fiber is it will not lose softness quickly. It has a thin fabric which makes it ideal for a trim diaper.
It is the softest fabric among all. A surprising thing about this fabric is it will remain soft when it is washed with a green fabric softener. Bamboo velour is unbelievably shiny and silky. Other natural fibers are even unable to match its quality.
Why bamboo is best for cloth diapers?
There are a few reasons to choose bamboo over other natural fibers. Such as
- It has an amazingly soft fiber.
- Like microfiber, it has amazing absorption power.
- It is made up of natural fiber.
- It is naturally organic. When you see (Organic Bamboo Velour) OBV, here organic is referred to organic cotton. OBV is an 80/20 combination of bamboo to cotton.
- It is highly absorbent because bamboo contains highly absorbent fiber.
Every new arrival in the market that has gained popularity is using bamboo. There is another assumption about bamboo such as if you want to make a fitted diaper you will be using bamboo as a fabric choice. The price of cloth diapers containing bamboo fabric might be high, but because of its advantages, one can easily afford it. Another surprising thing about bamboo diapers is their high resells value because of their high demand.
Other fabric materials used in cloth diapers
Some other the best fabrics for cloth diapers such as;
It is another porous polyester fabric that is used in nappy liners. It is not as good as the other fabrics such as micro-fleece when it comes to absorbing. However, it is good in transferring moisture from the baby’s skin to the absorbent material present in the cloth diapers. Nappies using suede cloth fabric are smoother than fleece and baby will feel dryer faster.
When you will start using cloth diapers you will notice that most of the diapers contain polyester fleece, natural fleece, micro-fleece, and polar fleece. Now the question is which fleece is the best? We will try to answer this question.
Synthetic Fleece
Fleece is made up of polyester and referred to as synthetic fleece. It is not well-known for absorbing moisture, but it can wick the moisture from damp surfaces. That’s why it is used in cloth diapers. This fabric wick moisture to the absorbent layers and will keep the bottom of your baby dry.
Micro-fleece is usually used in liners because it is thin, softer than polar fleece, and lightweight. It can resist stains that make it a more powerful liner material. Another good thing about the fabric material is poop will not stick off and rolls off easily.
Fleece is soft, lightweight, and breathable so it will also be present in the outer cover of cloth diapers. For this purpose, polar fleece is used because it is plush and water-resistant.
Natural Fleece
It is not made from polyesters so it is not synthetic. It is made up of natural fibers like bamboo, hemp, and cotton. As it contains natural fibers so it is more absorbent than the polyester fleece. There is a drawback as well, natural blends do not wick moisture as effectively as synthetic blends do.
Cotton is almost present in all the cloth diapers. It might be used in combination with other fabrics or might be used on its own. Cotton is a durable material so it can easily bear the high heat of dryers and high washing temperatures. Cotton is a natural fiber so it has high absorption power. It can easily hold up to 27 times the weight of the liquid in it. It is breathable that will help to keep your baby’s skin cool. Cotton is not great at wicking moisture from the skin and it will take more time for drying than the other fabrics. So it is better to use cotton as an absorbency layer instead of a liner.
There are lots of cloth diaper materials that are made up of cotton, such as
It is used in traditional cloth diapers. It is very absorbent so also used in bathroom towels.
It is a tight-woven. There is a possibility that it may shrink after some washes. It can also pill a bit.
It is finely-woven. It is mostly used for a flat and pre-fold nappy.
Unless the cotton is specified organic it may contain some chemicals as well. Pests are required for cotton plants.
For environment conscious people, hemp is the best choice. It naturally resists pests so for growing hemp, no pests are required. Hemp plants required only a little water for their growth. It is highly absorbent that makes it a perfect choice for cloth diapers. To soften the texture of material it is often mixed with microfiber or cotton.
These are the best fabrics for cloth diapers.