Do you have a cloth diaper question? Every week, I answer a user submitted question, and ask for reader input as well.
Questions don’t have to be cloth diaper related, just email maria at change-diapers.com with “Mailbox Mondays” in the subject, or fill out my contact form for readers, which you will always be able to find on my Contact Page.
Leigh says::
Can you recommend swim diaper options for a girl? I have heard you can use an unstuffed pocket but don’t really know how that works…
Hi Leigh! Cloth swim diapers are just like their disposable counterparts, in that they are intended to hold solid waste, but allow liquid (pool water & urine) to run through. I’ve also heard of people using a pocket as a swim diaper. I’d be concerned about the exposure to chlorine damaging the diaper, so I’d only use one that had delaminated, or that I was otherwise not using. I’d also wonder if you’d get water caught inside it!
I’ve used Kushies swim diapers and Bummis Swim Diapers (and bought a large Bummis swim diaper the next year.) You can click those links to read reviews. Both were fine, nothing really outstanding to report!
In addition to the Bummis Swimmi & Kushies swim diapers, you can find Appleckeeks swim diapers, Imse Vimse swim diapers and Imse Vimse tankini tops (squee!) to match. (affiliate links.) Mother-Ease has swim diapers too.
Do you use cloth swim diapers? What brands have you used? If you have used a pocket as a swim diaper long term, did you experience any fading, or damage to elastic or PUL?
This post contains affiliate links as indicated. If you make a purchase after clicking the link, I receive a small portion. Thank you!
Maria wants to live in a world where cloth diapers are the norm and moms can make parenting choices without judgement. When she’s not chasing her 18, 14 and 11-year old kids around, you might find her checking out the latest gadgets, organizing something (again) or exercising in the fresh air. 
I inherited an iplay and it has worked great. It fit my skinny minny son very well and has lots of stretch so it would fit a much rounder child also. It is soft and squishy on the inside and my son’s first choice when going swimming.
I also have a few of the kind Wal-Mart sold last summer – I can’t recall the brand right now. I think they were around $5 each. They fit and work really well also.
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Seriously THE CUTEST most functional swimming suits ever! They make them for boys and girls and they are such awesome quality!! I have 2 for my daughter. She wore them last summer and will be able to fit into them again this summer. You can pick your style and fabric and they make them exactly how you want!! I am not kidding when I say they are THE BEST!!! I cannot say enough great things about them!!!
My sister forgot to bring a swim diaper when we went to the pool last summer. Her DD was 2 1/2 at the time. I loaned her one of my BG 4.0 taking out the insert first. Her DD took a humungous you-know-what it the diaper and we never even knew until we got back to the locker room. It contained everything.
I use have had my DD in a small Imse Vimse for about 9 months now. She just now outgrew it (which breaks my heart because it was sooooo adorable with the matching Tankini) and she is 16months old. She is very tiny for her age though.
Ignore the “use”, sorry I was in a hurry
Target usually has a cloth swim diaper by wee wave (I think that’s the brand name) and they’ve held up well through both my kids. I’ve heard of the whole using a pocket without the insert, but I still haven’t tried it.
Last summer, we used a Charlie Banana and a Bummis. But I was always a little leary since at the time, DD was EBF. The Charlie Banana actually did have a little bit of a blowout when we were at the beach…the Charlie Banana’s didn’t have the leg gussets. I’m looking forward to using them again (in a bigger size, of course) this year since she started solids .
we have a couple of bummis that we used last summer, dd never pooed in them though, so i can’t attest to that part. and i couldn’t tell when or if she had peed in the pool/lake as it goes right through.
you could always do a test run in the tub with different types of diapers before taking them out and about.
We’ve used iPlay and Imse Vimse swim diapers. I liked that Imse Vimse has snaps on one side for easy removal, but my favorite has been iPlay. They have very cute prints and also have matching tops and hats! We have always purchased 2 just in case our son poops while at the pool/beach. The other great thing about iPlay is that they are absorbent enough to hold urine if we haven’t gone in the pool before he pees.
I haven’t seen them! Do they end up sopping & drippy when you get out of the pool?
Actually, they are not too bad! They do not sag when he gets out, though it does drip a bit. That could also be from his swim trunks that I put over it. As soon as we are done in the pool, I take them off and wring them out. Works pretty well! Also, I like that it’s cotton against his skin instead of PUL or a plastic-y liner.
Today on totsy.com they have iPlay white swim diapers from size small to 4T available for $4.75 (regularly $10.99). If you are looking at trying them out, this is the price to do it at!