Cloth diapering today is easier and more fun than it ever was for our mothers or grandmothers. Modern cloth diapers are made of everything from polyurethane-laminated polyester to wool to organic cotton to hemp and bamboo blend jersey knit. That’s the problem, actually. All these high-performance fabrics and different diapering systems can be confusing to a new parent looking to try cloth for the first time. So, without further ado, I present you with the 29 Diapers Top 10 Diaper Brands, based on my own experience and the popularity of these brands with many moms I know. If you are interested in trying cloth diapers, check out the various articles on the 29Diapers.com sidebar to get some idea of what kind of diaper will work for you and then try a few of these brands.
I would also love to hear your favorite brands in comments!
The 800-pound diapered gorilla in the room, Thirsties brand has a diaper for every lifestyle.
1) Thirsties
Thirsties fixes the common problem of babies not fitting in one-size diapers when they’re super small or big toddlers by creating adjustable two-size covers and pocket diapers instead of one-size. The Duo Wraps covers and Duo Diapers fit many body types, and most of their products come in velcro or snaps. Everything is washable and dryable in your machine, and Thirsties puts double leg gussetts on everything, amen and hallelujah. Their pocket diapers also have an opening in the front and back, which means that you don’t need to unstuff the dirt insert before putting the insert and pocket shell in the diaper pail. Amen and amen!
2) Happy Heinys
Who knows how they do it, but pocket diaper maker Happy Heinys has a trim one-size diaper that lasts longer on my heavy-wetting daughter than most any other pocket when using just the regular terry inserts. Happy Heinys diapers also have overlapping snaps and super flexible elastic waistbands, which makes for a nice snug fit on babies with skinny waists.
3) Fuzzibunz
Fuzzibunz are the original pocket diaper invented by mom Tereson Dupuy back around the turn of the century, 
and thus the cloth diapering revolution began. Fuzzibunz come in sized diapers (S,M,L) or one-size, but you won’t find snaps on the front of these diapers to adjust the rise because the waist and leg holes can be adjusted independently of each other using hidden elastic bands inside the diaper. That’s all interesting to somebody else until you have a kid with chunky thighs and a skinny waist and you are SO grateful for a diaper that fits no matter what your baby is shaped like.
Even the parts of diapers that don't see the sun are now fabulous and mod. This Kissaluvs fitted is called Mocha.
4) Kissaluvs
Kissaluvs is known for their fitted diapers, which even come in one-size to fit babies longer, but they make all kinds of diapers including all-in-ones and pockets. If you really want to pamper your baby’s tush, check out their insanely soft bamboo velour that lines their pocket diapers. OMG. Diapers fit for royalty, these are. Fitted diapers offer extra protection against leaks because you have elastic around the leg holes of the fitted and again around the leg holes of the cover that needs to go over them, so if you’re looking for bulletproof diapers, Kissaluvs are a good place to start.
5) Green Earth
You don’t hear a lot about prefold brands, but the brand makes a big difference in the performance and the durability of a prefold diaper. I have had prefolds completely disintegrate on me, but Green Earth prefolds last and last. Start with infant size and try Snappi-ing them if they’re bulky, instead of pins. Then, because the new wrap-style diaper covers fit snugly over prefolds, you can trifold a prefold under baby’s butt even when it’s too small to be Snappied or pinned. This will keep your infant prefolds working for you into the toddler years, when baby will finally grow into the premium size, which is a regular with extra absorbency. Prefolds are super affordable and can be tossed in the pail when dirty, allowing you to reuse a cover several times.
6) Blueberry
Plain old solid quality is what Blueberry represents. Their popular pockets come with hemp-blend quick-dry inserts, which means absorbency and ease of use for you. They come in cute prints, and you can also get a high-quality diaper cover in the same prints with double vertical snap closure. This just means you can fasten the snap up near the waist on a different setting than the one near the legs, so these covers fit many baby body types well. Covers with just one snap tend to be less versatile and usually fit skinny babies best.
If you've got an average-shaped, average-wetting baby (but how do you know ahead of time?), BumGenius will be simple, easy, and fabulous.
7) BumGenius
BumGenius is probably the top-selling brand of cloth diaper, because it’s so affordable for a pocket diaper. This brand tends to have problems with heavy wetters leaking unless the terry insert is doubled with an absorbent hemp insert, though, so if you’re new to cloth diapering, just try a few of these to see if they work for you before committing to a whole stash. Like many diapers, the velcro on BumGenius will wear out over time, but the company will send you replacement velcro at no cost (you do the work, though). Other than this wear and tear issue, BG diapers hold up very well over time.
8 ) Bummis
Bummis makes diaper covers specifically designed for tall, skinny babies. The material used in the covers is thick and high-quality, but the thickness and shape also mean that they don’t fit babies as well if they start to fill out (and baby girl REALLY filled out after a few months). I recommend Bummis for newborn covers, since they only come as sized covers anyway. Bummis take wear and tear and ask for more, so if you have skinny babies, these might be a good brand to go with for diapering multiple kids.
9) Tiny Tush
A new favorite of mine for pocket diapers is Tiny Tush. They also make a great fitted diaper with hemp-blend fabrics, but I’m a prefold/cover or pocket girl, so my love goes to the new Elite diapers. They’re one-size but generously sized, so they will be likely to fit your baby into toddlerhood–something brands like BumGenius have a problem with. Tiny Tush pockets are also super soft, inside and out, and they have a nice snug fit. Machine washable and dryable, like all the products mentioned so far, so these pockets are easy to care for, too.
She must use special, extra-soft sheep. I don't know how Nifty Nappy makes such luxuriously squishy covers.
10) Nifty Nappy
You know when you go into a store and try on 20 outfits, only to come back to the first one you tried on? I haven’t tried many wool covers, but I have a feeling that Nifty Nappy would be among my favorite brands for wool covers no matter how many I tried. That’s because they’re somehow luxuriously squishy and soft, not scratchy, and they’re made in cute fabrics and colored snaps. A snap-fastened, wrap-style wool cover? What could be better? These need hand washing, but wool covers don’t need to be washed as often as other covers, so if you’re willing to make the cost commitment to do wool, you can skip a little laundry and give your baby the most breathable diaper available. Nifty Nappy also makes diapers of other kinds (fitteds, etc.), but this brand is where you want to go for wool expertise if you’re a newbie.
That’s it! If you’re looking into cloth diapering, there are so many great brands out there it will make your head spin, but these Top 10 are a good place to start. Remember to read more 29 Diapers articles on the sidebar to help you figure out what kind of diaper is right for your lifestyle, how to wash them, and so on. Happy diapering, and if you have favorites not listed here, please add them in comments!
Thanks for the list! I never tried most of those diapers. Never tried Thirsties, Happy Heinys, Fuzzibunz, Blueberry, Tiny Tush and Green Earth.
But I just ordered one size fuzzibunz and perfect size fuzzibunz so I’m waiting for those to come. I’m also waiting for the Nifty Nappy fitted that I won in a blog giveaway.
Here’s my top 10
1. soft bums
2. best bottom
3. applecheeks
4.bumgenius
5.bummis easy fit
6. Kissaluv AIO Marvel
7. Katydid
8. rumparooz
9. Kawaii
10. gdiapers
I really want to love the rumparooz but I always have hard time cleaning it. I hate the opening of the pocket. Poop always gets in and it’s so hard to take out…maybe because I hand-wash our diapers If we have a washer at home it will probably #2 of my list.
Hmm….pretty brave naming a top ten… LOVE this post. Thanks, its great resource to point new moms to. It would at least give a clue of where to start!
No mention of RumpaRooz? I don’t have any (yet) but I hear so many gush over them?!?!?
I tend to have the most issues with my Happy Heinys pocket diapers. They leaked every time I put them on my son no matter how or with what I stuffed then with. My favorite brands are BumGenius (pockets) I hardly ever have a leak with my heavy wetter. And I love the Bummis Easy Fit, super soft and absorbent!
Hi Kristina,
I guess that goes to show that leak issues all depend on the fit of the diaper! I have the exact opposite problem.
Hi Becky,
I haven’t tried Rumparooz yet, but I’m working on getting some for the 29 Diapers’ 29 Days of Christmas giveaway event because so many of my readers love them. Stay tuned!
I LOVE the list, too!! I’ve been really happy with my Thirsties Duo Pocket diaper… and I love the trimness of my Fuzzibunz!!
As far as Blueberry goes, have you tried the Blueberry minky? They aren’t very cheap, and I’ve been wanting to get one, but I have to “sell” the idea to her dad, so I’m going to need more mommy review ammo!!
I am new to cloth so this is great! Thank you!
I hate my BG3s for my little girl – she’s tall and skinny and ALWAYS leaks (has since we got them at 8 weeks, now she’s 14 months). I have to be sure I change her every 2 hours or else they go right through. We’ve had no leaking problems with the FuzziBunz, but she’s such a squirmer that the snaps are next to impossible. I love the Gro-Via diapers for her, and that’s what I’ll probably end up using for Baby Girl #2 who’s due in March.
~Sarah
Hi Jamie Lynn,
Because of the price, I haven’t tried Blueberry Minkys either, sorry! Blueberry doesn’t sponsor giveaways or I would try to get one for you–maybe through a boutique at some point. That’s why I sponsored that 29 Diapers Facebook Blueberry giveaway myself; it was a rare prize.