My little guy graduated from adorable cloth diapers to underwear last week, which led me to reflect on some of my favorite diapers throughout the years. With almost three years of cloth diapering under my belt, having tried every cloth diaper style, I can say that I definitely have favorites. My disclaimer is that this is my own list of the best cloth diapers for boys, as I’ve not tried every diaper on the market. From flats to all-in-one (AIO) cloth diapers, I’m discussing my picks for the best cloth diapers for boys.
FLATS
Often overlooked, flats are an extremely versatile and economical way to cloth diaper. I only had a few in my newborn stash, so I never got creative with different flat folds. Flats make my best cloth diapers for boys because you are able to tailor your diaper fold to provide maximum absorbency in the front of the diaper, while still having a trim diaper. Padded Tush Stats has this wonderful chart of flat diaper folds, with links to instructions and tutorials.
While flats are an extremely economical cloth diapering option, spending a little more for natural fibers yields better results. My recommendation is for Geffen Baby’s Hemp Jersey Flats; not only are Geffen Baby Hemp Jersey Flats incredibly soft, they’re made from 60% hemp and 40% organic cotton, making them super absorbent (great for heavy wetters and/or older babies). Did I mention that Geffen Baby cloth diapers are made in the USA?
Interested to find out more about Geffen Baby products? Check out my review of Geffen Baby Hemp Jersey Prefolds.
If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you know that I began cloth diapering with a simple routine of prefolds and covers. In fact, I still advocate for prefolds in the newborn stage, as they’re the perfect no-fuss cloth diaper (and inexpensive compared to AIOs) when your bambino is [literally] blowing through 15-20 cloth diapers a day. I prefer natural fibers, as the absorbency of hemp and organic cotton can’t be beat (not to mention using a cloth diaper made from material that’s not bleached or made from synthetics). Prefolds are one of the best cloth diapers for boys because you can tailor your fold to provide maximum absorbency in the front.
BabyKicks Hemp Fleece Prefolds are incredibly soft & absorbent
I preferred using both the bikini twist and newspaper folds when D got a little older and was beginning to become a heavy wetter. The bikini twist not only makes for a trimmer fit between the legs (great for more mobile babies), it also allows ALL layers of the diaper to absorb. The newspaper fold allows for extra material in the front of the diaper, again, perfect for boys. You can see how to create these folds (and others) in This West Coast Mommy’s post, 6 Ways to Fold a Prefold Diaper, and Change-Diapers.com’s Prefolds Aren’t Scary. My prefold pick is BabyKicks Hemp Fleece. BabyKicks prefolds are incredibly absorbent and soft; you just want to cuddle with them!
Interested in learning more about BabyKicks Prefolds? Check out my Prefold Comparison post.
The SoftBums Echo with a One-Size Bamboo Pod is my pick for the best AI2 cloth diaper for boys. The Bamboo Pod is incredibly absorbent, and the extra length of the One-Size Pod allows you to fold the pod/insert down in the front of the diaper for extra absorbency. The Echo is a one size diaper featuring leg elastics (Slide2Size), allowing you to customize the fit of your diaper shell (from birth to potty training), making it a budget-friendly and trim cloth diaper option.
How’s your cloth diaper sense of humor? Check out these 15 Cloth Diapering Truths.
I originally swore that I’d never buy AIO cloth diapers because they seemed so…impractical (one and done usage) AND expensive. As much as I wanted to be frugal with my cloth diapering, all-in-ones really are wonderful for older babies, and perfect for busy parents. I will be the first to tell you that all AIOs are not created equal and some work much better for boys. In the AIO category, my best cloth diapers for boys pick is Smart Bottoms.
Smart Bottoms Smart Ones feature a long tongue, perfect for customizing absorbency
I’m a Smart Bottoms Cloth Diaper Ambassador for good reason — Smart Bottoms and Old-Style bumGenius Elementals* (OBGEs) duke it out in my stash (but I have a few more OBGEs because I was able to grab some used at a steal). After receiving a Smart Bottoms Smart One for review a couple years ago, I became a believer and quickly added more to our collection. Not only are Smart Bottoms made in the USA (bonus points there), but they are made from organic cotton (read: super absorbent) and feature a tongue-shaped attached insert; this, my friends, is the game-changer. When it comes to AIOs, Smart Bottoms Smart Ones are the number one best cloth diaper for boys (in my humble opinion). Not only can you fold the tongue to add more absorbency in the front of the diaper [where your son needs it], it is also an incredibly trim diaper; trust me, you’ll be shocked by the absorbency of Smart Bottoms when you see how trim they are on your little one.
Curious to know why I’m adamant about using natural fibers when cloth diapering? Check out my Cloth Diapering with Natural Fibers post.
* While one of my favorite AIO diapers, I’m not including OBGEs in this list because they’re no longer available for purchase new (unless you find someone who’s been hoarding them).
** This post contains affiliate links; when you purchase through my links, I receive a small portion of the sale.
I have lots of favorites! Blueberry Simplex, Applecheeks and AMP stuffed with Hemp Babies flats are definitely at the top of my list!
Simplex almost made my list, but the fact that the tongue insert doesn’t extend enough to fold over nixed it 🙂
I use flats and covers for my baby boy
We like our osocozy prefolds with covers. Still working on removing a prefold wet in the front and dry in the back without getting wet 🙂
I like prefolds with a newspaper fold so that there is extra absorbency upfront.
I really like pockets as I can fold an insert with more absorbency towards the front but they are ready to go when changing
I don’t really have a favorite for daytime, mainly because we just recently started but are also in the potty training process. I do have a favorite nighttime diaper and that’s a Kissaluvs contour with a cover.
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Our favourite is Flio covers and stay-dry inserts with a cotton or hemp booster.
we love SmartBottoms!
I haven’t tried many types. So far Fuzzibunz (the old style) have been pretty good.
I like simplex and pockets with inserts I make out of cotton, hemp and bamboo.
This is literally our second day cloth diapering my son, but so far our smartbottoms and Grovia AI2 have had no leaks, but we’ll see what ends up as a favorite.
We love prefolds and covers but AI2s like GroVia have been the best for us lately with our toddler who never wants to sit still!
I love my prefolds and covers!
SoftBums as covers over flats have worked the best for my boys.
I have a stash of all kinds of random pocket diapers and a few AIOs….I also thought AIOs were unpractical and didn’t want them…until I found Smart Bottoms! Now I’m obsessed. They are definitely my favorite diapers for boys (and girls!)
I’ve CD three boys and my go-to is still GMD prefolds and a cover. We have some BB Simplex but I need to use a doubler. I have some Smart Bottoms OTW so hopefully I’ll like those too.
Our son will arrive in early June so we do not have a favorite yet, however, so far we have stocked up on Grovia Hybrids and Rumparooz covers.
I love prefolds and covers!
I don’t have a boy, but for some reason both my girls seem to soak the front of their diapers first so I approach their diapers like I have a boy. Not sure if it’s their anatomy or something else… I wonder if this happens to anyone else. But I always try to stuff my diapers front-heavy, otherwise we get leaks and the back isn’t even wet! That being said, I really like our Rumparooz stuffed with a prefold or Thirsties hemp.
I have used prefolds, flats, pockets, and Softbums AI2. I only have 2 SoftBums, but I LOVE them!!I
I have a baby boy and we are going to start cloth diapering next week after we move! I enjoyed reading your tips for boys!
I really like our Smart Bottoms, but love prefolds & covers for nap time & long car rides 🙂
Grovia AI2 or AIO
Smart Bottoms AIOs are my and my husband’s favorite for our son.
I have only tried a few cloth diapers and the AIO and inserts are great so far.
I haven’t tried many but I have really liked BG OS 4.0s for my boys and I use a hemp doubler if needed for over night.
I use flats and covers
I’m expecting my first boy tonight or tomorrow so I don’t know what will be my favorite. I don’t have much of a stash and only made a few myself. I think prefolds and aio might be good.
My little guy has been potty trained for a couple of months but Soft Bums were my favorite! We have another boy due in July and would love to try Smart Bottoms.
My favorite cloth diaper is Lalabye Baby for day, and GMD workhorse with Geffen folded up front for night and Thirsties cover.
I like Grovia Aios, Rumparooz pockets, and Tots Bots V4s on my boy.
My favorite cloth diaper for a boy are Orange Diaper Co. Loops.
I used bumgenius with both of my girls. I thought that I might have to change the way I stuffed the diapers for my son, but I still stuff them the same way as for the girls as I found no difference in the absorption when I tried adding extra layering in the front. He is 5 months old, and I am still using the same bumgenius diapers for him. They are the only diapers I have used on him, making them my favorite. (:
I love SoftBums for my boy, too! The new bamboo super pods are great because they have snaps on the back that take the guesswork out of folding the extra-long insert. It seems to me like there are basically “girl” and “boy” snap settings depending on where you want the insert to be doubled! My only complaint is that bamboo gets soooooo hard when it’s really wet, and sometimes his little squirt gets pinched in the rock-solid folds and seems to hurt or occasionally gets swollen.
My favorite cloth diaper for boys is actually Smart Bottoms! They work amazing on my son. And I also stuff the majority of his pocket diapers with Geffen Baby hemp flats and prefolds. Bulletproof 🙂
We haven’t had the chance to try a lot of different types or brands yet but I love our Diaper Safari pockets with their hemp inserts, when putting them on little man there is still enough length to fold and double up in the front
Smartbottoms! 😀
I haven’t had my boy yet, but I do love the Softbums diapers for their adjustability with both sizing and absorbency.
I like the Blueberry SImplex for the reason already listed, I can take the soaker and fold it up in the front.
Pockets with regular microfiber do NOT work for my son. Flip covers and prefolds are my current go-to!
I used mostly workhorses and flats (some AIOS and AI2s) for my son. I’m due in July with my second and plan on using flats and prefolds. I’m looking forward to checking out Geffen Baby as I hadn’t heard of them!
Best Bottoms all in two system was great for my son!
We don’t have a boy (yet), but I like your recommendations for their adjustable absorbency. I already plan to use prefolds and covers with Geffen Baby hemp boosters and hopefully we’ll be able to afford a small stash of Smart Bottoms as a quick AIO option as well.
We are new to cloth diapering so we have been using Grovia hybrids with prefolds for our baby boy. So far its been working great! We are changing every 2 hours currently so haven’t had any heavy wetting problems yet but I am looking forward to having a game plan for when we go longer between changes.
We haven’t been cloth diapering our 15 month old for long so all we have right now is a few covers with prefolds and a few pockets with inserts. I must say I am enjoying the covers with prefolds more. They fit him better. I don’t know if it is because they are Econobum and the pockets are some brand off Amazon, but, I prefer the Econobum right now. We are trying to save up so I can get a “sampling” of other styles/brands but that takes time. Hopefully we get an idea before our daughter is here in June.. if not, it will be flats or prefold-to-fitteds and covers. 🙂
I love BumGenius for my boy!
I’m due with a baby boy in a couple weeks, so I don’t know yet! However, I have a girl who has always tended to be a “front soaker” when is comes to diapers. I’m a fan of covers and flats.
Haven’t started CDing yet, but I am so excited to begin! I’ve been liking for a highly rated hemp prefold for my boy n glad I found your blog!
My fav cloth diaper for boys is prefold. So easy to use
I love using Thirsties covers and Best Bottom covers on my son with prefolds.
We like the old bumGenius Elementals or any cloth diaper that is absorbent in the front!
Softbums with bamboo insert
I like pockets and Grovia AI2
I don’t have a boy yet, so I am not sure! From the ones discussed here, I would probably pick the Babykicks hemp prefold or softbums!
We only have a little girl, but I can see how SoftBums would be good for boys. I flip our insert around to add the absorbency in the back for our little one, but that added fluff in the front would be great for boys.
We mostly use GMD prefolds with Thirsties covers, but would love to try some new fluff.
I don’t have any experience yet except for staring at my stash, so I can’t really say what my favorite is. 🙂 Hopefully we will begin our experience in about 10 days! Our plan is mostly AI2s and prefolds.
I like the osocozy prefolds and covers
I stuff pockets with the folded end at the front, works great!
I love SoftBums for my son.
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Applecheeks are a favorite.
I have yet to cloth diaper a boy, but will be soon, as this lo is due in July! I am planning on using prefolds and covers, but have been curious about flats as well. Great post!
I love our GroVia AI2 and smart bottoms.
My fav is prefold!
We LOVE Smart Bottoms, too. But Flip covers and thirties duo hemp inserts are amazing and trim.
My favorite so far is Grovia AIOs. They fit my big toddler and give him plenty of absorbancy.
Not really boy specific, but I love my Blueberry Simplex aio and my ai2 systems (grovia and best bottoms).
we’ve only used pockets and covers with flat inserts. I’m hoping to venture into the world of prefolds to adjust thickness in the front.
I appreciate the blog post!
I only have one girl but I would think prefolds or flats would be perfect for a boy!
My son isn’t born yet but we’re planning on using prefolds with a variety of brands covers. I also have a few pockets because I like the prints!
Prefolds are my favorite right now. Very absorbent and fairly versatile. If I want to padfold for time’s sake I can, but I like that I can secure/fasten it and keep the diaper from moving around on my crawling 10 month old.
I think any cloth diaper that works effectively is great for a boy.
We love Smart Bottoms and FST with Rumparooz covers on our baby boy!
I am still experimenting with cloth diapers, but so far I like BumGenius 4.0s the best. I just finished sewing a wool diaper cover, so hopefully we will have a dry night in our new fitted diaper!
I really like prefolds with a Thirsties cover, but I haven’t tried much of anything else.
I only have girls BUT we love rumparooz, alva, and bg
I don’t have a boy, but I love using flats on my daughter and I think that they would work wonderfully for a boy, too.
Baby isn’t here yet (a month and a half left!) but I like the idea of the longer tongue style in an AIO to customize absorbency.
Don’t have a little boy yet — and we’re team green! — but I can see why these options would be good for little boys. I am gonna need some options that can be customized either way, so I’m loving learning about people’s favorites!
Prefolds work(ed) fine for my 3 boys.
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We just started our cloth diaper journey, like literally today, so still rather confused by all the terms and obviously don’t have a favorite yet.
We love our pockets stuffed with Geffen prefolds or inserts for our little guy. We stuff with an extra fold up front for extra absorbency. Takes a little longer out of the dryer, but everything is ready to go at each diaper change.
We didn’t use cloth until our daughter was born, and our son was LONG out of diapers by then, so I honestly don’t know which type of cd I’d like best. We are definitely looking forward to using cloth with any other kiddos we have, so I’m excited to discover that!
just switching to cloth so we haven’t tried any yet 🙂
Expecting my first in July so I don’t have a favorite yet. But I am so interested to learn more about cloth diapering. Thanks for the super informitive blog 🙂
I prefer prefolds for boys because its easier to customize where the absorbency lays.
I love the classic…..Prefolds and covers. You can customize the fit so well
I have not used cd’s in almost five years, but my favorite back then was my aio bG’s. Trying to get more of a variety this time.
I love hybrid fitteds from WAHMs!
My favorite cloth diaper for boys are AIOs.
Have only had girls, but you never know! My overall fav. is a pocket stuffed with a flat!
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I love funk fluff diapers with bamboo inserts for my son! They are super absorbent and trim!
My favorite diapers for boys are blueberry simplex/swaddlebees.
So far I’ve tried Kawaii, econobum, Thirsties and Nikkies. Our Econobums were plain white and worked great for nine months of infancy. We use mainly thirsties and Nikkis (prefold covers) now for our soon-to-be 2 year old boy and love them! Our dinosaur print is the highest in the rotation, he’s always picking them out. Have not yet tried any of these brands featured in the giveaway
AI2 and AIO 🙂
I’d have to say Smart Bottoms!
my little guy is a heavy wetter , so prefolds seem to do the best job for us, especially at night. I heard Geffen makes amazing flats/prefolds!
So far we like our Thirsties hemp prefolds best. 🙂
I love prefolds and covers for my 6 month old boy and pockets stuffed with prefolds for his two year old brother.
A BG 4.0 stuffed with a flat wrapped around a Thirsties Size 2 hemp insert is perfect for Little Guy’s naps, long car rides, or when I know I can’t change his diaper for 3 hours.
I dont have a boy so could not favor any brand for that but this is good to lnow dor future reference
The vast majority of our diaper stash is Softbums; a mix of Echos and Omnis. These diapers have been the easiest and trimmest diapers for our two boys (both still in cloth, though we’re hoping to address that this summer).
I love rumparooz and best bottoms best!
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I have lots of favorites! Blueberry Simplex, Applecheeks and AMP stuffed with Hemp Babies flats are definitely at the top of my list!