Let's talk inserts, doublers, soakers, and liners!

What are they? 

Inserts are layers of absorbent fabric, usually sewn into a rectangular shape, that are used to create absorbency in diapers. Sometimes, you may hear the words insert and soaker used interchangeably.  However, inserts are usually part of a pocket diaper or used with a cover, whereas soakers are usually part of a fitted, AIO or AI2 diaper. 

A doubler is a thinner and smaller insert used to increase absorbency when paired with a regular insert. It often is part of a set that includes a larger "one-size" insert and a doubler. The doubler may be used alone for newborns (in fact, they are sometimes called "newborn inserts") or with another insert for heavier wetters and older babies. For the purpose of the rest of this article, doublers will be lumped in with inserts. A doubler is also sometimes called a booster. 

Soakers are layers of absorbent fabric that are often sewn into the diaper itself, or the soaker may snap into the diaper. The term soaker may be used interchangeably with the term insert. However, soakers are usually components of a fitted, AIO or AI2 system. (A soaker can also refer to a wool diaper cover; however, for this article we're talking about the absorbent soakers.)

Liners are usually single-layer pieces of fabric (disposable or fleece, which is reusable) that are laid in a diaper to either create a stay-dry feeling (fleece only), to make disposing of poop easier (either disposable or fleece), or to protect the diaper when using a non-cloth-diaper-safe diaper cream (fleece is preferred but disposable may work as well).  

The lining may also refer to what fabric is against the baby when referring to a pocket, AIO, or AI2 diaper. 

What do they look like?

A hemp Artsy Fartsy Foo-Foo snake-style insert.

A microfleece liner. 

A flip insert; stay-dry on one side and microfiber on the other.

A full-size insert, showing the detail of microfiber texture

A BumGenius doubler (AKA newborn insert)

An unsnapped soaker on a Fishnoodles diaper

A microfiber insert halfway pulled out of a pocket diaper.

A hemp insert in a BestBottoms shell.

A soaker in a Doodle Dypes AI2 diaper. 

A soaker in a Tangerine Baby fitted diaper. 

A soaker (sewn down at both ends, but pulled up in the middle for the picture)
in a BumGenius Elemental diaper. 

A Flip disposable insert.

A disposable liner.

A prefold diaper tri-folded to use as an insert.

A Flip stay-dry insert sitting in a Flip cover.

A Flip disposable insert sitting in a Flip cover.

What are they made of?

Inserts are often made of cotton, hemp, bamboo, microfiber, or Zorb.

Soakers may be made of cotton, hemp, bamboo, microfiber, or Zorb, and are often topped with either cotton velour (CV) or organic bamboo velour (OBV).

In general, hemp, cotton, or bamboo inserts may be trimmer then microfiber inserts, and may be more absorbent. However, microfiber is much cheaper. Some people have issues with microfiber trapping stink; usually this can be fixed with a good soak.

Liners, when referring to something that is laid into the diaper between the diaper itself and the baby, are made of either microfleece or a disposable tissue-like fabric.

Linings, when referring to the part of the diaper that is against the baby, may be made of fleece, microfleece, microsuede (all of which have a stay-dry feeling), cotton, hemp, bamboo, or velour (either cotton or bamboo), which do not have a stay-dry feeling.

Note: Microfiber products and Zorb I products CANNOT be placed against the baby's skin. They are over-drying and may cause irritation. They should only be used inside pocket diapers or, if topped with another fabric, with the microfiber side facing away from the baby.

How do I care for my inserts, soakers, or liners?
Synthetic fabric products like microfiber and microfleece need only be washed once prior to use. Natural fiber products, like hemp, must be washed 5-6 times prior to use. If the natural fiber is an insert without snaps, elastic, or aplix, you can boil it instead of washing it multiple times. Just boil for 10-20 minutes, then wash as normal. Some disposable liners can be re-used after washing if they were not pooped on; check the directions for the specific liners you are using. Some people have had issue with their septic systems when using disposable liners. When using re-usable liners to protect a diaper from non-cloth-diaper-safe rash creams, wash the liner separately with regular laundry. 

What are common brands of inserts, soakers, or liners?
Most diapers come with the insert or soaker you will need to use. However, some people prefer to use an "aftermarket" insert for various reasons - they may want to replace their microfiber inserts for hemp inserts, they may want to add inserts for overnight, etc. 

Artsy Fartsy Foo Foo - hemp inserts
Baby Kicks JoeyBunz (regular and premium) - hemp inserts
Swaddlebees - bamboo inserts
Rumparooz 6R inserts - hemp or microfiber
Hemp Babies - hemp inserts
BumGenius - microfiber inserts
Knickernappies Loopy Do and Super Do - mix of microfiber and hemp inserts

Bummis -  fleece liners
Bumkins - disposable liners
*You can make your own stay-dry fleece liners by cutting up a piece of microfleece.

Help! What are the different kinds of cloth diapers?

First, know that within the types of diapers, you can get several types of fits and closures.  You can read about the difference between sized and one-size diapers here, and diapers can either be snapless or close with snaps or Velcro (also called aplix).

There are six basic types (though each type has many subtypes!). For more detailed information on any type, including pros and cons, pictures, and brand lists, click on the name.

Diapers That Need Covers

These diapers need a separate cover to become waterproof. 

Flat

A flat diaper is just a layer or two of an absorbent material like cotton, sewn into a large square. You can fold the diaper into various configurations to create an absorbent diaper that is secured with pins or a Snappi, or fold it to use as an insert. A flat diaper needs a cover to be waterproof. If your grandmother cloth diapered, this is probably what she used.

Prefold

A prefold diaper is a flat diaper that has been pre-folded and sewn to create a more absorbent area in the middle. You can fold a prefold diaper around a baby and secure it with pins or a Snappi to create a diaper, or fold it in thirds to use as an insert.  If your mom cloth diapered, this is probably what she used.

Fitted

A fitted diaper is a prefold that has been sewn into a diaper shape. It looks like any other cloth diaper, diaper, but it doesn't have a waterproof layer, so needs to be covered with a cover to become waterproof.  The one above is snapless and needs a Snappi or pins to close it, but they can have snaps or velcro as well.

Diapers That Do Not Need Covers

These diapers have the waterproof layer included and don't need a separate cover.

All-in-One 




All in one diapers are just what the name says: all in one. Everything you need for the diaper is included - both the waterproof outer and the absorbent layer. All sewn together in one big happy package!  These are great for dads and daycares, as they are essentially just like disposable diapers, except instead of throwing them away, you put them into a wetbag or diaper pail.  On the downside, they usually take a long time to dry.

All-in-Two/Hybrid

 
All-in-two (AI2) diapers can be confusing, as there are essentially two types of all-in-two diapers, and they are quite different.  However, they are all named for the fact that there are two parts: the waterproof outer and the absorbent layer, and these two parts are separate.

• Hybrid all-in-two diapers are waterproof shells (covers) that can be used with different types of inserts, for instance, with a disposable insert or with a reusable insert. 
• Snap-in or lay-in all-in-two diapers are all-in-one diapers that come in two parts.  Rather than having the absorbent layers sewn into the waterproof outer layer, the absorbent layers are separate and can be snapped in or lain into the waterproof cover. 

Pocket



Pocket diapers are a waterproof cover and a liner sewn together, with a pocket opening at the front or back (or both). The diaper on its own has no absorbency, but when you place absorbent inserts into the pocket of the diaper you have a complete diaper. This allows you to customize absorbency and wash and dry the diapers quickly.

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While not types of diapers, these are important components to some types of cloth diapers:

Covers

Covers are placed over non-waterproof diapers like pre-folds or fitteds to create a waterproof layer. Covers are commonly made of PUL, TPU, wool, or fleece. 

Inserts, Soakers, Doublers, and Liners

Inserts, soakers, and doublers are layers of absorbent material that are placed into covers or pocket diapers or are part of an AIO or AI2 diaper. They are commonly made of hemp, bamboo, microfiber, or Zorb. Liners are thin pieces of fabric that are placed between the diaper and the baby to help with disposing of poop, to create a stay-dry feeling for the baby, or to protect the diaper from a non-cloth-diaper-safe rash cream.

Double Gussets

Double gussets are additional rows of elastic at the legs of the diaper to help contain leaks.