When I first began to think about using cloth diapers, my first thought was Gerber. The cute little baby on the package (whom I believe is more famous than Britney Spears' children) just calls out to me, I guess. So, I ran out to Wal-mart and bought a pack of 6 prefolds and a pack 12 flatfold dipes. I figured that if worse came to worse we would use them to mop up regurgitated milk puddles or shine the car (even though we have not shined the car...ever).
PREFOLD DIPES...
I knew from reading diaperpin.com and cottonbabies.com that prefolds were a little smaller but easier to fold and a little thicker than the flatfolds. I also remembered accidentally buying the prefold diapers to use as burp cloths when I had my first son, and for the record, prefold diapers will work as a milk sponge, but the flatfolds work waaaaay better. To fold the prefold cloth diapers for their intended use as a diaper, you simply :
A.) Fold the shorter side down a few inches so that it is the length that will fit well over the baby's bottom and around up to the waist. (When baby gets bigger you can skip this step if necessary)
B.) Fold the left side halfway over toward the right.
C.) Fold the right side halfway over toward the left.
D.) Tuck the right side into the fold on the left side.
E.) Fan the untucked ends out that will be at baby's back and will wrap around the waist when pinned.
The prefold cloth diapers are wonderful. They soak up everything but your cash, and though it has been stated in other forums websites and blogs that cloth diapers need to be changed more often, I have not had this experience at all. For us, they work just as long and just as well as their disposable siblings.
FLATFOLD DIPES...
However, I found it interesting that I actually prefer the harder to fold flatfolds! The flatfolds are thinner and larger, and require more work to fold...but they fit under the diaper covers much better and are easier to make fit baby no matter if yours is chunky or skinny, so that kinda evens the score. We actually started out with a smallish baby
(born 5 weeks early) and now, two months and many feedings later he's a chunk. There are a lot of ways to fold a flatfold cloth diaper, but the only one we use, and the only fold I've tried for that matter (can you say lazy?) is the kite fold. I tried this once and stuck with it. To fold on your lap:
A.) Put baby down...you can't fold a diaper in your lap if your lap is already occupied, silly!
B.) Lay diaper on your lap with the short edge closest to you and fold the short edge up a few inches to make the diaper square.
C.) Hold the bottom right corner with one hand and then fold the bottom left corner diagonally about halfway.
D.) Repeat step C holding the bottom right edge and folding the top right edge (diaper now looks like a kite)
E.) Fold the longer pointed edge up a few inches toward the left.
F.) Fold the wider pointed edge down toward the right
When I fold the flatfold dipes, I always add another step and fold the sides of the crotch area in toward the middle. Doing this seems to keep poo in the diaper in a potentially explosive situation and also makes the fit better. I also use two flatfolds at once for more absorbency (laying one on top of the other before beginning to fold with step A) unless I have an outfit that requires a less bulky bottom.
Gerber Diapers have worked wonders for me (I wonder why I paid all that money for something I threw in the trash 10 times a day, 2 straight years for two children! That's approximately 7300 diapers per kid!!!) There are other brands of cloth dipes, and I have purchased Chinese and Indian prefold diapers on cottonbabies.com, however, since most people have heard of the Gerber brand and because I have far more of the Gerber brand diapers I can recommend without question. And yes! I love my cottonbabies diapers. They are very soft and absorbent. I use them when I know someone besides us at home might change a diapie. lol
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