Flat Cloth Diaper Pros & Cons (From a Mother of 3)

There is not a diaper I’d rather put on my baby’s bottom than a cloth flat. Flat cloth diapers are the best! They are by far my favorite of all the cloth diaper options out there, for so many reasons. In this post I will outline the main Pros and Cons of flats, based on my 4+ years of experience!

I have been a full time cloth diaper mom for several years and for multiple children. I have not tried every type or brand of cloth diaper, and I don’t even want to. Flats meet just about all my diapering needs and they are extremely versatile. Lets go over the PROS of flats first.

Flat Cloth Diaper Pros:

1. Flat Cloth Diapers Are Economical

One flat costs somewhere between $1.50-$3.00 depending on brand, whether it’s organic or bleached, and size.

One disposable diaper costs about $0.25, which means you need to use a flat around 8 times to make it worth the cost.

That’s one day or less.

I repeat: You make your money back in one day or less per diaper!!

(Not including covers or other accessories. But still!!)

2. Flats Are Easy To DIY

If you want to save EVEN MORE money, you can make your own!

They are easy to make from any fabric that doesn’t fray and therefore doesn’t need to be hemmed, such as cotton knits (for stretchy flats), or flannel (like the kind for little receiving blankets).

You can also buy diaper fabric by the yard and hem or serge the edges yourself. Takes some extra time, but saves a buck!

You could even use small receiving blankets, or flour sack towels instead.

3. Flat Cloth Diapers Are Easy To Dry

I LOVE that I only have to send my diapers through the dryer one time.

When I was using pockets, prefolds, and fitteds, they needed multiple rounds before they were no longer damp.

*More laundry effort than I already do? No thanks!*

Since flats are a single layer of cloth, they dry SUPER fast, which also makes them ideal for sun/air drying outside or inside.

This also means that if you somehow run out of diapers before you do a load of laundry, you can hand wash a single flat really quick and get it dry within a few minutes.

4. Flats Fit From Birth To Potty

Sized diapers are cute, and they are very trim on newborns, but they add clutter to your collection.

Flats fit on a newborn, and although they will be a little bulky for the first few weeks, it really isn’t so bad.

You will learn to appreciate the “Fluffy Bum”.

If the bulk is too bothersome, you can use half-flats for the newborn stage, and then continue to use them folded inside a regular flat as extra absorbency later on. Nice!

5. Flats Are Great For Diapering Multiple Kids At Once

Have a newborn and a toddler? You don’t need two sets of diapers! They can both fit in the SAME diapers, and even the same covers.

This makes laundry super easy, and keeps my stash more of a manageable size.

(In case you haven’t noticed, anything I can do to reduce kid-clutter, I do!)

I even use the same fold for both kiddos, I just fold it bigger or smaller depending on who it’s for.

Easy Peazy lemon squeezy.

6. Flat Diapers Are Customize-able

If your baby suddenly starts peeing REALLY FAST, the front of the diaper will saturate before the back, and it can leak. Ask me how I know.

You can easily fold a flat to add extra layers up front to fix this problem.

In fact, there are folds that are better for boys, folds that are great for night, and folds that are good for super-fast changes (like the pad fold).

Instead of having to buy extra accessories or extra types of diapers, you can just fold your flat differently and it can solve your leakage or fit problems.

That’s a win to me!

And speaking of different folds…

7. Flats Are Not Hard To Fold

Initially you might look at a flat cloth diaper and think “how do I use this thing!” But I promise, they are not hard. You just need to learn to fold them how you like.

Now, unless I am doing a new fold to solve a specific problem, (like mentioned above) I don’t just change folds all the time. Some women do. I stick to my one favorite fold, and only do that fold until it no longer works for me.

There’s lots of folds, and you can even make up your own.

Plus, diaper folds have cute names. There’s the newspaper fold, the angel fold, the jelly roll, the happy anteater… I could go on.

(My favorite fold is a kite fold.)

You don’t have to know 100 different folds. I know probably 5-10, but I usually just use one.

You can always google a new one if you have a new problem to solve.

Even my husband (who changes a diaper once in a blue moon) can fold a flat. You can too!

Watch a couple videos, practice on a doll, you’ll be a diaper origami master in no time flat.

(Pun un-intended)

8. Flat Cloth Diapers Are Very Trim

Even on newborns, flats can be very trim compared to other diapers.

This is because the fabric is distributed all around the hips and bottom, front and back and sides, instead of having the same amount of fabric just on the front and back (like a pocket diaper.)

This prevents the dreaded square bottom, and can help baby pants fit better. (Too much diaper in the crotch area can make pants not pull up as high as usual.)

9. Flats Have Life After Death

After your flats get old and worn, you can still use them for something else.

After sanitizing them, you can use them for cleaning rags, or you can even shred and compost them if they are a natural fiber!

Just don’t do this:

As you can see, flats are a great diaper choice. The reasons listed above are the reasons why I will never buy another type of diaper again. If you are wondering how to use flat cloth diapers, if they are hard to learn, if they really save you money: I say just try them! I am so glad I did!

After all those pros, there are a few considerations for flats…

Flat Cloth Diaper Cons:

1. Flats take a bit longer to put onto the baby

Compared to other types of cloth diapers, flats can take slightly longer to put on.

Folding the diaper, snappy-ing it, then putting a cover on takes a minute or two more than just snapping on an All-In-One. The added time is negligible but if you need the absolute fastest diaper changing routine on the planet, flats might not be the right option.

You can make diaper changes faster by pre folding all your flats before storing them.

2. Flat Cloth diapers can be cumbersome on outings.

Because flats require multiple pieces, the snappy or pins, perhaps a liner, and a cover, they can be somewhat cumbersome when you are out and about. You have to have enough counter space to lay things out during changes, and make sure you have each item you need in your diaper bag.

It really isnt a huge deal, I still am able to change my baby in grocery stores and in the car just fine, but it is something to keep in mind.

Once again, if you pre-fold your flats before leaving the house it will make the diaper change quicker and easier.

3. Flats are not the most babysitter friendly cloth diaper

Unless your baby sitter is willing to learn how to fold a flat, you will have to pre-fold the diapers for them or provide another option while you are away.

I have a stack of Pocket diapers that I use when someone watches my kids, just to make it easier for the babysitter! Sometimes when my kids go to grandma’s house she prefers to just use one of her disposables on them. I’m fine with that too.

Flat Cloth Diaper Pros and Cons

So there you have it! Those are all the pros and cons I can think of right now.

All in all, I LOVE flats. I think they are the best. I started out with prefolds and fitteds, and now I cant stand them! Whenever I buy a new diaper for my baby, it is always a flat.

Other Unsolicited Diaper Opinions:

• In my opinion, the ultimate best flat diapers come from Green Mountain Diapers. I love their Birdseye organic one size flats. That’s what I buy. (Update: I also like Nicki’s brand flats too. When they are on sale, I snag a bunch of those too!)
  
  I have tried or attempted to try 2 other brands of flats, and they were both very disappointing compared to the ones from GMD.
  
  But maybe you will like another brand better, that’s okay. 🙂

• The best covers I have ever used (And I have used a lot!) are from Nicki’s Diapers. I use the one size snap version, I LOVE them, and I tend to stock on new colors up on Black Friday…
  
  You will need waterproof covers to go with your flats. It wouldn’t hurt to try a few brands to see what you like, but in my opinion, you can’t go wrong with a Nicki’s snap cover.

• You don’t need to use pins with flats, but you may find you actually like them.
  
  Some moms don’t even use snappis, they just fold the diaper and hold it closed while putting the cover on. I do this in emergencies, but I find I prefer to use a snappi these days.
  
  (if you don’t know what a snappi is, they are super awesome alternatives to pins. If you buy them in a pack, you will save money. I like to have several around and in my purse.)
  
  (I used to use pins, but they all broke too soon for my liking,)

• Washing cloth diapers shouldn’t be so stressful, and your wash routine need not look like someone else’s.
  
  (I will write more about how I wash cloth diapers in another post, stay tuned!)

Want more? Read my other Cloth Diapering posts here:

• All About My Flat Cloth Diaper Routine
• How to Master The Art of Cloth Diapering
• DIY Cloth Diaper Pail: Trash Can Handle Hack
• Why I love Nicki’s Diapers & a diaper haul

Do you think Flats are intimidating? Do you have any questions about them? I’m not afraid to call myself an expert by now, leave a comment below and I will try to answer your questions!