Insert choices: Microfiber

   When it comes to diapers there's a few different fabric choices out there, and a lot of people have no idea when or why to choose one over the other.  When it comes to pocket diapers especially, most come with microfiber inserts.  Some people love microfiber, others hate it with a passion!


What is it?
     Microfiber's a synthetic fabric most commonly made of polyester.  It's used in things like clothing, cleaning cloths and diaper inserts!


Good Points:
   Microfiber's known for its softness, durability, absorption and wicking abilities. It absorbs liquid very quickly and holds a ton!  It's trim and dries quickly.  It's also very inexpensive as opposed to cotton, hemp and bamboo.


Not so good points:
   Microfiber comes from a non-renewable resource and doesn't biodegrade, which sucks some of the eco-friendly right out of cloth diapering!  It's also flammable, which might be an important fact for some moms.  
   When it comes to cloth diapers specifically, microfiber has a bad reputation for residue issues leading to stink and repelling, driving many cloth diaperers to replace their microfiber with other fabrics.  Also, because it wicks wetness away you can't use it directly against baby's skin or it'll dry it out in a hurry and irritate it.  One last issue is that microfiber can leak if it's too wet and baby squishes it (sit on it too long in a car ride, sleeping on a full insert, etc);  this is called compression leaking.


So that's the scoop on microfiber!