Inserts and Doublers FAQ

• Microfiber: This is an extremely absorbent polyester fabric.  It is so good at drawing in moisture, it can dry baby's bottom, which is why you should use a liner to go over the top of it.  Some of my inserts I construct with another fabric, that is safe to put against baby's bottom.  If you are using it in a pocket diaper you do not need a liner, as the pocket itself acts as the liner.  But if you are using a gdiaper or similar system, you should use a liner.
• Single Bamboo Terry: This is a great absorbent knit fabric made of viscose bamboo, and it is very soft.  This can be used without a liner. It is thin and has looped terry on one side.  I use it as the backing layer of my bamboo g-liners and to back the bamboo velour layer of my organic g-flappers.  I also use it to make my cloth wipes. It is organic. 
• Double Bamboo Terry:  This is double sided terry made of a bamboo viscose and it is nice and thick.  It is very absorbent.  It is organic.  This is a component in a couple of my organic g-flappers.
• Organic Bamboo Velour: This is lovely and soft against baby's bottom.  So I often use it as a liner on the the top layer of inserts and an inner in diapers.  It can come in natural colour and some cute colours too.  This is used in my organic g-flappers, my organic wipes, g-liners, organic g-socks and organic blankies.
• Cotton Velour: This can come in organic and non organic.  It is soft, but not as soft as bamboo velour.  It is a bit thicker than bamboo velour.  I have this in several colours.
• Microfleece: Don't confuse this one with microfiber.  They are a few different fabrics that just share the "micro" part in their names.  It is a super soft fleece that wicks moisture away from the baby's bottom without doing any drying.  It really feels very good.
• Microchamois:  This is just like microfleece.  It comes in cute colours too :)  I tend to stock only microchamois now because it is more readily available to me and more affordable, which helps keep the cost of my g-flappers down.  This is used in my g-flappers and g-liners.
• Hemp/Organic Cotton Fleece: I really love this stuff.  It absorbs a lot of pee.  And I have found on my son when I pair it with microfiber I get really good absorbtion. Microfiber absorbs the pee faster than the hemp, but the hemp will hold more, so they make a good team. Hemp fleece is safe on baby's bottom.
• Organic Cotton Fleece: This fabric will absorb, but generally not quite as well as hemp or bamboo.  It is not as soft as bamboo.
• Cotton Sherpa: This is a very soft fabric that is essentially cotton terry that has been "roughed" up.  It works as a great top layer as it is both absorbent and soft.
• Heavy Bamboo Fleece:  This absorbs much the same as hemp fleece.  It is about as thick, but it is softer.  It costs more than hemp, so inserts made from this cost more.  It is made of bamboo viscose.
• Raw Silk: These make a great liner.  It seems to get wet only right in the main spot next to baby's skin, even if the diaper underneath is soaked.  It has anti-bacterial properties that may keep yeast and diaper rash at bay.  I rarely have this one in stock but I can order in liners made of this very easily.  The disadvantage of this fabric is that it does not wear well and will eventually break down.
• Flannel: Cotton Flannel while absorbent, doesn't absorb as well as some of the other fabrics on this list.  It does make a good liner when you want your toddler to feel wet while potty training.  I keep Killington flannel in stock which is a natural coloured flannel.  I also have printed flannels in stock.
• Minkee/Snuggle: This is a super soft fabric made of polyester.  It comes in some cute colours.  It makes a great topper fabric to inserts and great blankies.
• Zorb:  This is a unique fabric that is very absorbent.  It needs to be sewn between other layers of fabric because it will fall apart otherwise when washed. 
• Burly Cotton Terry: This is a natural absorbent fabric.  It doesn't have the drying affects of microfiber, but it can be a little bumpy on baby's bottom, so I would put a liner over the top.  And I often construct mine with a liner of another fabric.  I no longer offer this fabric as I have found others that do the job far better.
• PUL: This is not generally an insert fabric, but you may have read about it and wondered what it was.  Basically it is laminated fabric, generally polyester knit fabric or cotton.  It makes a great outer in cloth diapers and great diaper covers.  It comes in alot of fun colours.  Many of the diapers sold in my store use PUL.  It is also used in pail liners and wet bags.
• Windpro Fleece:  Again this is not an insert fabric.  It can be used as an outer in cloth diapers and diaper covers like PUL.  It is soft to the touch.  It is also used in mama pads.

Then we should take a look at how they are constructed.  I have inserts/doublers that I make myself (with a couple of sewing friends) and some that I order from other companies that in general are made specifically for the brands of diapers that I sell.

• Simple Insert: This is your typical rectangular insert made of several layers of fabric.  It could be all the one kind of fabric, or a combination of fabrics.  They can be as thin as one layer or be several layers thick.  The more layers an insert is, the longer it takes to dry after washing, but the more it will absorb.
• G-Flapper: This is the one I sew myself.  It consists of several layers of the above fabrics - combinations vary, but at least one of the layers is safe to put against baby's bottom.  I originally designed it for use in G-Diapers, but I have found they work great in pocket diapers as well.  It is sewn in a flapper style to make it easier to wash and dry.  Some inserts when they are many layers, take a long time to dry because they are very thick.
• Stuffin: This one is made by Happy Heiny, it is made of hemp, and it has a pocket where you put an extra oval piece of hemp.  If you have a boy you would put the extra hemp at the front for extra absorbency.  Essentially it provides 7 layers of hemp fleece where you need it the most.
• Pre-fold or Towel: This is just a larger piece of the fabric that you fold the way you want to fit into the diaper the way you want.
• Half-Insert: I designed these for my son who is a heavy wetter. I put them where he wets the most, at the front.  It allows me to give him extra absorbency where he needs it without getting too bulky.  They also work great on little girls, placed in the middle towards the front of the diaper.  These have been very popular with customers.

Some inserts are shaped, others are not.  It depends on the diaper brand that they have been designed for.  I personally have found that I can shove a straight edged insert into a diaper which normally takes a contoured one just fine, and vise versa.

Sometimes finding the right insert is a matter of trial and error.  Finding what works for your baby, your budget, and your washing habits.

If you have any questions, please just drop me an email via the Contact Us page.