Cloth Diapering From Day 1: Using Prefolds on a Newborn

When I first started cloth diapering 4 years ago, I was far too intimidated to use prefolds. I mean a diaper that has the word "fold" in it has to be complicated, right? Wrong! When my oldest son hit about 6 months, I felt like I was in the cloth diapering groove and decided to take on the challenge. I purchased a dozen prefolds and a handful of covers. Two kids later and I'm still hooked! I've found that the only thing easier than using prefolds on a baby is using prefolds on a newborn! Here is why:

1. Newborns go through a LOT of diapers. You'd think since I'm on my 3rd child, I'd remember just how many. I'm still floored as to how often I'm standing at the changing table every day changing a diaper that I feel like I just put on him! Prefolds are incredibly inexpensive, so with all those diaper changes, you're getting a lot more bang for your buck! 
2. Prefolds are easy to clean! In my experience, prefolds and flats are two diapers that you will rarely have stink issues with. The natural fibers don't hold onto odor like some synthetic fibers do, they sun out stains very easily, and my favorite part.. no folding or stuffing when they're dry! Just stack them up!
3. Putting a prefold on a newborn is easy peasy. No newborn I've ever met can pull out the alligator roll and try to jump off the changing table like many toddlers do. So if you're still getting the hang of your favorite fold and getting that Snappi on, don't worry! Your newborn isn't going anywhere!
4. We all have things we look for in a cloth diaper, but when it comes down to it the most important thing is that it contains the poop and pee, and a prefold does this wonderfully! Newborn poop can be runny and explosive, so I love to use a Snappi to contain the mess in the prefold itself. If you prefer to trifold, a snug fitting cover will contain the mess, too. No more poop up the back, out the leg, or anywhere else it manages to get :)

And now onto the part that initially intimidated me... the folding! Google "prefold folds" and you'll find a never ending list of videos and how-tos on a dozen different folds. If you can, try a bunch out and see which suits you and your baby best! I have two folds that I find to be the easiest and I use on a regular basis:

1. Trifold: This is exactly what it sounds like... folding your prefold into thirds! Quick and easy! Then lay your prefold into your cover of choice and wrap onto your baby! This adds a ton of absorbency front to back and even your husband, grandparent or babysitter can do it! There are two small cons to this technique. It can be somewhat bulky to have so many layers, especially in the back of the diaper. Also, the newborn poop can sometimes get on the INSIDE of your diaper cover, meaning you may have to have more covers on hand.
2. Angel Wing Fold: This is the fold I use with prefolds 95% of the time. It's quick, easy, absorbent and very trim in the back. While I use this fold on my 2 1/2 year old, it's my favorite on a newborn because it contains all the poop in the prefold and I'm able to get many uses out of my covers. Below are step-by-step pictures on how to do an angel wing fold on your baby.

 I've found my absolute favorite prefolds are the Imagine Smart Fit! They are cut more square to reduce bulk. Emmett was 7 pounds 12 ounces when he was born. We started with the Imagine Smart Fit Extra Small and they fit beautifully! They were hands down, our trimmest option. My kids like to give me a challenge, though. All 3 of them have been heavy wetters! The Imagine Smart Fit Small were considerably bulkier on him right away, but gave lots of absorbency. Here he is just when we came home from the hospital at a little over 7 pounds, first in an XS size (orange stitching), then a Small size (green stitching):

Now he is just over 10 pounds at 4 weeks old. We're still using both the Imagine Smart Fit XS and Small. I've found the XS size trifolded makes a great doubler in our small pocket diapers, too! I've also been adding one trifolded into the diaper cover when using the XS with the angel wing fold for some extra absorbency. Again, the XS on the left, Small on the right (both with a Best Bottom Diaper Cover).

Hopefully this may help some of you who were nervous about using prefolds and covers! They really are not difficult at all and there is something so simple and natural about a basic cotton prefold on a baby. Here is a quick price breakdown of what using prefolds for the first 3 months may cost:

2 dozen Imagine Smart Fit XS Prefolds: 2 x $15 = $30

2 dozen Imagine Smart Fit X Prefolds: 2 x $18 = $36

8 Diaper Covers (will vary slightly with brand): 8 x $12.25 = $98

2 Snappi Diaper Fasteners: $5.75

Total: $169.75

In rough estimate, you'd spend about $270 using your typical disposable diaper in the first 3 months of diapering. You can see how much using prefolds and covers will save you, and don't forget that cloth diapers have an amazing resale value (or you can use them on your next children), saving you even MORE money!

Econobum Buy 1 Get 1 FREE!!

Cloth at Night

Many parents are intimidated at the thought of using cloth diapers overnight. However, Cloth at night is not that different from cloth during the day. The key is to make sure there is enough absorbency to last the night.

Cloth diapering at night can be quite the adventure as you search for the perfect diaper and cover combination that will leave your baby happy and dry after a full night, the bed staying dry it just an added bonus! At first I had rough time with night time diapering of my twins. They are both very heavy wetters and would soak through to the bed in a prefold with a cover. Quickly I discovered that doubling the prefold and adding a fleece liner and a Flip cover worked awesome at night. From there I found that Bum Genius with both inserts or a bamboo fitted diaper with a wool cover would also do the trick!

Diapers made specifically for night time tend to be more absorbent & more than likely they will be a bit bulkier than your average daytime diaper.

Pocket diapers such as BumGenius can be great for nights because the absorbency is easily customized for your baby's needs. You can use additional micro inserts to help boost absorbency even more. The fleece interior lining of Pocket Diapers are great at helping wick moisture away from your baby's skin. My babies skin is always soft and dry in the morning, not clammy at all.

Using a Prefold diaper will not usually be enough to last an entire night if your baby is a heavy wetter or frequently nurses through the night. However, if you layer in a micro insert and a fleece liner or two this will add absorbency. For a fitted adding an additional micro liner or a fleece doubler will do the trick as well! The fleece-topped doubler wicks moisture away from my babies skin and leaves them feeling more dry.

Double diapering? Well it is what it sounds like:) You simply place one prefold diaper inside another to help absorb moisture..I've got some funny looks when I have talked about using two prefolds with a snappi and a cover. It might be a little bulky but it has worked great for 3 years and 3 children.

If you want to stick to Prefolds or Fitteds at night, then the next step would be the cover. The most popular covers in our house are wool soakers. When it is cold weather I tend to stick with my Knit Wool longies. Regardless of the cloth diaper style you selected, consider fleece or wool when picking a diaper cover. A wool soaker can absorb more than one third of their weight in moisture and are water resistant while remaining breathable. They fit fantastic over most cloth diapers, helping keep baby dry in whatever cloth diapering system you choose. Fleece is really great as well, however you may find a wool soaker is better for your baby, with its natural wetness protection. Plus you can get a scented wool wash and/or lanolin, so when the wool gets wet, my twins smell like Cotton candy! Other than wool, I have found that Bummis Super Brite Covers, and Flip Covers work fantastic! However, when I use a Bummis or a Flip I always double the prefolds or add an extra liner in a fitted diaper.

I would like to add that not every system will work for every baby. It can depend on how heavy your baby wets through the night, and if you want to change them during the night.

As your baby gets older, your night time diapering routine might end up changing. Night time diapering is an ongoing process, but with a clear understanding of your options, there is no need to be afraid!

Cheers to dry nights!

Britni
Mama to 3, Cloth Diapering twins

New to Cloth? Become a Cloth Diaper expert!!

Do you think of diaper pins and plastic pants when you think of cloth diapering? There is a new generation Cloth diapers that are so far from this image, and cloth diapering is definitely something that families who want to save money should explore. You will not believe how easy it! It is budget friendly and Eco friendly!!

I am not nearly as Eco-conscious as I wish I were. However, I am the stereotypical mother that many of you may think of when thinking of cloth diapering. I'm a baby wearer, I'm a breastfeeding mama, but at the same time, I am just a mom who enjoys saving some serious bucks.

First thing First

How much money can I save?

For disposable diapers, the average cost per diaper nationwide is $0.28 per diaper. The total cost for this figure (3 ½ years, 8 diaper changes per day) would be $2,862.72.

For cloth diapering, the costs range widely and it can be difficult to give exact figures on how much these cost. Cloth diapering (including the cost of cloth wipes & laundering) can range between $200-1300 dollars. This figure ultimately depends on whether or not you choose the most expensive diapers or the less expensive. Regardless of the style that you chose, you still come out financially ahead by using the cloth versus the disposable.

Before you go shopping, know the lingo!

Researching cloth diapering can be really overwhelmed - trying to figure out what types of diapers went with what, which was the best kind, what abbreviations mean. Ahhhh It can make a girl go crazy!!!

Here is a easy to understand break down:

Prefolds:
They are a traditional cloth diaper with a thick strip down the middle. These are typically worn with a diaper cover. They are one of the least expensive options for cloth diapering & dry extremely fast! They come in three sizes- Preemie (4-10 pounds), Infant (newborn to 15 pounds) & Premium (15-30 pounds).

DSQ Prefold - Diaper Service Quality:
These are more absorbent than the store brands such as Gerber.

CPF - Chinese Prefold:
These are a very popular type of prefold on the market.

Another option for prefolds are Indian Prefolds which are softer than the CPF and are made of gauze rather than twill. They are more absorbent, but can wear out a little faster than the Chinese Prefolds.

When your child outgrows the preemie or infant size they work fantastic to double up your stuffing at nighttime.

Diaper Covers:
If you are interested in using the prefolds, you will need to purchase waterproof diaper covers too. A prefold can be folded inside of the diaper cover and the diaper cover simply covers the prefold and acts as a waterproof barrier.

My favorites are Bummis Super Whisper Wrap, Bummis Super Brite and Flip

Fitted Diapers:
Fitted diapers also are used with Diaper Covers. Instead of using a prefold, you can use a fitted diaper which has elastic gathering in the legs and has snaps or a Velcro closure to keep the diaper together. Place the diaper cover over the fitted diaper, and you are go to go! Fitted diapers are some of our favorites!

Contoured Diapers:
These diapers are very similar to the fitted, but are missing the elastic gatherings around the legs and waist. The diaper has wings that need to be fastened. These also require a diaper cover.

Pocket Diapers:
Pocket diapers are usually made with two layers of fabric sewn together to form a pocket for an absorbent insert. This type of diaper just fastens on and does not need a diaper cover over it.

Inserts:
Inserts are used for pocket diapers. They can be made of a variety of materials- micro-terrycloth, regular terry cloth, hemp, or you can just use prefolds as inserts.

"Doubler" just means using more than one insert, which you could do if you were away for an extended amount of time or at nighttime before bed, to prevent leaking.

All In One:
Abbreviated to AIO. An All In One is a cloth diaper that has a waterproof cover and an absorbent inner liner that is all in one piece...hence the name. These diapers fasten usually with a hook/loop or snap fasteners. These are awesome! We love ours, however they do take longer to dry.

One Size Diaper:
Abbreviated to OS. A one size diaper usually fits the child from the day they are born (8lbs)until they are 30-35 pounds. These diapers usually have snaps that go across the diaper (making it smaller or bigger) and they can be folded over to create smaller sizes. As the child grows, the snaps on the legs can become larger. Our Favorites!!! We love BumGenius.

Wool Soaker/ Wool Pants:
A wool soaker is a diaper cover that is made exclusively of wool. Wool has a high lanolin content, so it works well as a diaper cover. Wool is really quite amazing! You can get knit wool in many different styles: Soakers, Pants, Shorts, and even skirts! If you are going to explore this option you will need to do extra research on them. Wool need special care.

How do I wash and take care of Cloth Diapers?
All of the above diapers & covers can go in the washing machine, excluding the Wool. I put in two tablespoons of detergent. I recommend an additive free detergent or a detergent specifically for cloth diapers. This will help prevent detergent build up in you diapers that can cause stink. If the diapers have been stained I like to have a stiff bristled brush on hand. I rinse the stained diaper under hot water and give it a nice scrub, this can really help get rid of the stain or at least fade it. When you are ready to wash selected hot/cold. I like to end with a second rinse.

After the diapers were done washing, You have a few options:

You can throw all the diapers in the dryer.

You can throw just the prefolds and diaper inserts into the dryer and dried them on medium-high heat. The diaper covers and pocket diapers can be line dried- weather permitting. They will dry quickly.

Another option for staining is in the sun. The sun acts as a bleaching agent and can take any staining out of them, literally within a couple of hours!

NEVER ever use any fabric softener or fabric softener sheets when washing your diapers. The fabric softener leaves a residue that can cause your diapers to no longer absorb, and they will leak.

Always check the manufacturer's guidelines for each particular type of diaper that you buy on how to wash it and if the diaper needs several washes before being use. Read those guidelines and use your own best judgment on how you choose to launder your diapers.

Why are my diapers leaking?
Probably time to strip your diapers. If your diapers have been absorbing fine and all of a sudden the diapers stop absorbing, they may need to be stripped.

Two or three washes (without detergent) should do the job.

It is very important to not use a ton of detergent- two tablespoons or less does the trick and diapers always smell fresh and clean.

Brown spotting on my diapers- it's not poo.
What could that be from?  Diaper rash creams can leave spotting on your diapers. Make sure to only use diaper creams that say that they are "safe for cloth diapers". However if you find yourself needing to use a regular diaper cream, its easy to just lay a fleece doubler in the diaper. This keeps the cream from touching the diaper, and then I didn't have to invest any money into special creams.

What about cloth diapering a newborn?
I didn't find cloth diapering a newborn to be as difficult as everyone claimed it would be. And I did it with Twins!!! We did have a box of preemie/newborn disposable diapers, until the babies fit the cloth diapers. Once the twins were finally enough to fit in the cloth diapers, we never looked back.

The laundry was not as much of an issue as every said and thought it would be either. When you have a newborn twins, you are already throwing in load after load. One more load didn't seem bad because of how often we were already doing the laundry.

I'm done with diapers, Now what?
If you are planning on having more children, I would suggest keeping them for the next child. When the next child comes, you will have no diapers to buy! If this is your last child though, selling the diapers can be a great way to make back some of the money you spent on them.

Favorite Brands?
Some of my favorites are Prefolds with Wool covers - bumGenius 3.0 - Bummis Covers - Bummis Bamboozle - Flip - Monkey Doodlez AIO.

A great little tip: buy 1or 2 diapers each of the brands/styles you are interested in. That way you can explore a bunch of different diapers, find out what works the best for you and your baby, and not break the bank. You'll know exactly what you want and will be able to create the stash you want with diaper you know you like!

Now, go forth and Cloth Diaper with confedence!!

By Guest Blogger: Britni - Mama to 3, cloth diapering Twins!!

Prefolds, pockets, and hybrids Oh MY!

When I had my first son two years ago, cloth diapering was not even an option. I knew nothing about it and didn’t even consider it. I had one friend who clothed and I was briefly exposed to a prefold and snappy and that was it. So for us it was disposables, the mass amount of money we literally were throwing away.

So 6 months after our son was born we were given the shock of our lives…baby number two was on the way. Yes, more diapers, more clothes, more food, and less sleep. As we crunched the numbers over and over again, me working was not an option with the cost of childcare. With that being decided, I knew we had to cut costs so I started researching cloth diapers thinking this would be a great way to save money. Boy was I amazed at what I found. Not only were there prefolds but pockets, AIO, AI2, hybrids, covers, WAHMS, fitted, wool, and organic. I was so overwhelmed and didn’t know where to begin. Luckily that wonderful friend that first exposed me to this bizarre concept was able to shed a little light on all of this and refer me to a local class at a cloth diapering store.

So I got my husband on board (well as much as I could) and convinced him to take me to the seminar, which was an hour away. It was very informative but still overwhelming. With baby number two fast approaching I bought a Bum Genius One Size pocket to try along with some fitted with covers. We tried the BG on our 1 year old and thought this was it. It was easy, worked well and looked adorable. Well now that we were about to go down to one income, the upfront cost of buying new diapers was not in our budget. Insert Nicki’s Diapers gently used section here.

Oh Nicki’s Diapers… It has been my best friend and worst enemy. You can get such great deals but it becomes SO stressful because you want to be the first one to get the deal and don’t want to miss anything. I was able to snag some great newborn Bum Genius diapers that worked really well.

We later moved onto Fuzzi Bunz sized diapers (another great find at Nicki’s Diapers gently used section) and I even convinced my mom to get me some brand new diapers as a gift.

How did I learn what what worked and what didn’t? Trial and error. If my son soaked through something is one wetting then I knew it would not work for us. Also I looked at convenience of it. Pockets are great for going out (also they are so cute) and the husband prefers to put those on.

I still consider myself a newbie when it comes to clothing. We clothed until about 6 months and then we started using disposables again for some reason. We recently started clothing again and are loving it. We do it full time and I couldn’t be happier. In our stash are mostly prefolds, covers, and pockets of all brands. I still feel there is so much out there to learn. I have not gotten the perfect wash routine down, haven’t found the perfect night or nap diaper, and haven’t tried all the wonderful brands and types out there.

My advice to newbie’s… if you can attend a workshop. They are informative and very helpful. Try as many types as you can, even if its one of each so you can figure out what works best for you. Nicki’s offer packages where you can get a variety to try and can send back what you don’t like. It's their 15 day promo. Don’t give up. Clothing takes a lot of work in the beginning. It’s hard to figure things out but everyone in the clothing business is very helpful. Don’t be afraid to stray from the “name brand” diapers. Yes they are wonderful but there are also a lot of wonderful diapers out there at great prices.

So take a deep breath, research and try to talk to someone, and enjoy that fact that you are saving money, saving the earth, and covering your little ones bottom is the most adorable diapers out there.

By Guest Blogger - Christina McMahon