I am open about my preference for prefolds; I would even consider myself an adamant advocate for them. I’ve mentioned my preference for them here, and here, and have even shared about prefold mishaps, but decided that I’m long overdue for an explanation of my ‘weird’ cloth diaper choice, amidst today’s fun modern cloth diapering options.
When I began my cloth diapering (CDing) journey, I took the time to research all of the options available to me, as well as weeding through the mountain of CDing information out there. For some reason, I saw All-in-Ones (AIOs) and pocket diapers as ‘wasteful’ early on, and developed a preference for prefolds and covers. I’m not sure what I was thinking, maybe it was because AIOs and pockets had to be discarded after each use like a disposable, whereas covers could be used over (if not soiled). Regardless, I ended up buying 10-11 pockets for my stash, just to try out, but they don’t really get used.
Once D was here, we quickly discovered that prefolds were our best option. Never did I think that I, a six foot tall woman, would deliver a small baby. In fact, my midwife was prepping me for an almost nine-pounder by her predictions with his weight gain and measurements in-utero. Thus, all of our pockets and one size covers were for 8lbs. and up – a bit big for our little peanut, who left the hospital at just over six pounds. In fact, our little guy didn’t hit the 8lb. mark until he was 2 months old!
Thank goodness for our prefolds and Thirsties covers! We did try some of our pockets in those early days, but our lean baby’s explosive breast milk poos constantly leaked from the gaps in the legs. I was so glad that I had, on a whim, purchased a dozen newborn prefolds. The fit was perfect – no major folding over or adjusting, making first time CDing with prefolds a breeze. Best of all, no explosive poo leaks! The prefolds, with the added barrier of the inner leg gussets in the cover, meant that we avoided some potentially messy situations.
While I often feel like a minority in the CDing world with my prefold preference, I’m gradually warming to the idea of breaking out some of those pockets. Now that my son has filled out a bit, with the introduction of solids, I feel more confident adding pocket diapers to our daily routine. However, unless someone can convince me otherwise, I’ll be stocking up on more newborn prefolds and using them with subsequent babies (if we’re so blessed).*This post contains affiliate links.
I didn’t use cloth diapers when my kids were babies, but now that I’ve become more environmentally conscious, I wish I had.
You can still be an advocate for cloth diapering! 😉
People think I’m crazy because I LOVE flats. There are so many different ways to cloth diaper, and everyone has a preference.
I’ve yet to try flats, but really want to! Any brand recommendations?
What brand of pre-folds do you use? I still find pre-fold bulky on my 15lb 3month old. I did discover the twist fold for them and love it, but it requires a lot of folding and tucking still. I was hoping to love pre folds more, pockets get the most of my love.
I have several that I use in unbleached cotton: Bummis, Econobum & OsoCozy. Are you using the appropriate size? I have three sizes that we use/have used. My little guy is just under 20lbs and he’s almost grown out of the second size we have (OsoCozy, I think).
I also love flats & prefolds! My favorite flats are actually flour sack towels, but I haven’t tried any of the super-absorbent ones yet; I like the price, even if I’m changing a little more often. We do have a few Thirsties pockets, but they’re used for nighttime & the nursery at church.
I really want to give flats a go, now that I’m not super intimidated by folds. I like the fact that the diapers need to be changed more often, anything over 2 hours seems like a long period of time for a kiddo to be sitting in a dirty diaper!
I was kind of the opposite. I was afraid of them when I started. I have a wide variety of diapers, but only a few prefolds. For the most part right now, my fitteds get all of the use, with pockets a close second.
I’ve recently discovered fitteds…and my husband LOVES them. Unfortunately, I can’t justify buying a bunch of them when we have plenty of prefolds and pockets (that go unused)!
We love our Prefolds too! It’s so easy to adjust fit, they hold really well..No stuffing, no unstuffing, I find myself reaching for them often especially with our newborn. Thristies covers are the best too, not bulky at all.
I love Thirsties covers! They’re super trim. It’s a toss-up, however, between Best Bottoms — BB are heavier-duty.
I love our prefolds! We have a ton of Green Mountain Diapers. We just had to put our nb prefolds and covers away, and I was sad. Plus, I don’t know what I’m doing wrong with pockets, but both my kids have always leaked out of the legs immediately. Prefolds are just easier.
Take your NB prefolds back out — they work really well as padding for nighttime diapering! Love my prefolds 🙂 I had the same issue with Pockets – legs and waistband leaking – prefolds just seem to keep everything contained better, IMO…
I was afraid of them at first, but now I am much better at CDing. I use the thirsties covers. Great post!
I remember holding my breath the first time we used a prefold on our little guy. I had this thought of “Well, here goes” and was apprehensive (because I had just spent 9 months putting together a great cloth diaper stash and didn’t even know if it would work out), but determined!
It doesn’t hurt that they are one of the most affordable options! 🙂
Absolutely!
I like my flats for my 2 year old. I think the folding of flats and prefolds intimidates people. I know that was the case for me when I decided to CD my daughter. I was looking for a way to do it for the least amount and a friend told me to youtube folds and I was like … whoa! With practice…easy! I totally see why you can love them!
great post. are you the one looking for guest posts in July, if so zap me a message and let me know what you’re looking for. jill. shoemaker @ gmail. com (life is not bubble wrapped. com)
I loved my prefolds, sadly, my guy needs the next size up and I just don’t feel like investing in more… I’m very fond of my flats though! I really love their versatility 😀
Being only 2 months into cloth diapers the thought of flats still a bit scary…maybe I can give them a go; they are very affordable!
I’m new at CDing and due with my 2nd babe in July. I bought various different kinds of diapers to try and have been practicing with my toddler who is potty trained during the day but not at night. We are on a tight budget so I think flour sack cloths and covers are the best way for us plus I LOVE to fold them and the ease of laundering. I have a few pockets and want to sell them but my for and who is CDing says to keep them. Quite frankly I hate them when I try to use them on my daughter. I wash them as advised and they just smell weird. Not of ammonia, that is a destinct smell I would recognize. They smell almost like detergent (BumGenius). Anyway, I think I might just make the leap and sell them off along with the others I bought in a small size for the new babe. I think flats, prefolds, and covers will just be easiest.
I actually prefer prefolds too. I have the Gerber prefolds and waterproof pants because they’re the cheapest. I suppose it’s because my mom used them with my siblings and myself, and at age 7 or 8 I was putting them on the babies, pins and all.