Chinese Prefolds with Covers
Pretty easy.
Super CHEAP, relatively speaking. With a $100 investment I got 2 dozen prefolds and one really nice cover before my son was born. I have only added more covers to my collection and have not yet needed more prefolds.
I bought mine here.
Although I think ebay is wonderful, I do think I personally would rather buy my first batch of prefolds new, unless the seller online had hardly used them. Covers however I'll buy off ebay all day long! I've bought several different brands and styles which I could never have afforded to do new.
When you get your prefolds, new or used, wash them about 5 times on hot with 2 cold rinses and less than a tablespoon of detergent. If you bought them used, this would be a perfect time to sun dry them too to get rid of any possible staining that might be present. Never ever ever use fabric softener, it just ruins their ability to soak up and the baby mess.
My first cover was a snap enclosure fleece the first one in the list with the blue stripes actually and I love the way it looks. I also love that it is completely breathable and lets the air flow. I also love that it is a size small and still fits my 20 pound son! However, I do not love the fact that it isn't waterproof. When cloth diapering you are supposed to change them every hour to hour and a half. I like to push it like with most things in life. With this cover I cannot even push it past the hour far because my heavy wetter soaks through it!
But when I do change him I just hang it up by his table and grab another cover and prefold and let it dry then use it on the next change hanging up the other cover. I alternate like this throughout the day with two covers until one gets pooped on.
My favorite cover of all time and I got so lucky getting this on ebay for less than $10! It is I believe pictured below in the demo shots. The Bummis Super Whisper Wrap! What a miracle invention to cloth diapering this cover is! Water proof and so so super easy to get on. But a bit pricey new so again... EBAY!
I also ebayedBumkins covers. I got a few of these for $10 but the sizes ran smaller than my Bummis and he's already outgrown one and one wasn't waterproof so there's really only one I use regularly. But it is so darn cute he doesn't need pants with it! If it's warm enough.
There are wraps of all kinds out there, I say to you again my friends, do not underestimate the power of persistent and good comparative shopping using ebay!
Here is some good photo demos of some popular chinese prefold folds I found at Comfy Bummy Diapers site.
This first one is the basic fold it up in a square and lay it in the cover fold. I did not like this one because there is no way to catch the poopies. And breastmilk poopies are loose and all over so the cover would get, well, covered right away.
This is the one I use the most or I do the same thing with a smaller one without the fold up at the front. This one you can really get to make a catcher for the poop around the baby's bum. It still runs out of the dipe sometimes but I have never had one leak out of the cover when I out the cover on properly, unlike plastics which almost always blow out on my son. These photos show without the cover but you can essentially do the same thing in a cover and close it up.
This next fold is very similar just an alternate take on the order of folding and I use this also.
This one is super fancy and intended to be less bulky. I have never tried it. With a boy I don't know how it'd absorb much up front where I need it to.
This is something I was doing for a while especially in my fleece cover to absorb more. Only I would use a really cheap diaper I got at my shower intended to be a burp cloth. They were thinner and worked fine.
I have never tried an actual doubler. I do plan to sew some of my own real soon when I make my own diapers.
All of those can be put into a cover.
These folds have fancy names and all that but you are in no way limited to these. One advantage to this method is you can cater your folding to your baby's poop and peepee style, putting extra fabric where they need it most. I read one woman who has a poop catcher on the back of hers for her daughter's backwards pooping tenancies.
There are disadvantages though...
They do tend to get bulky. You usually have to dress your child in one size up, but it is worth it! To keep them a bit slimmer even inside a cover you could pin them or use these little snap enclosures. Never used them myself, but I have been known to pin, so I don't know how they work or if they are worth the investment. I usually just wrap my prefolds in the cover and call it a day. It is warm here most days so my baby rarely gets pants.
Another drawback to this method besides the extra bulk is as the baby gets older and more mobile it is harder and harder to get them to stay still while you do all your fancy folding. This is where I am at right now and why I began to experience with all-in-ones, which require no extra work but quite a bit of extra cost and other issues I'll get into tomorrow, but so so easy to use. Fitteds with covers are also simpler but still not as easy as all-in-ones and pricier than the prefolds.
I highly recommend for your first venture into clothing if you are clothing for a newborn or small infant you try your hand at some chinese prefolds with covers. I like an unbleached but the choice is yours. Start with a dozen and 2 covers to see if you like it, then add to your collection. You will go through all 12 in 2 days for sure and maybe sooner if your covers get pooped on, but it'll give you an idea with minimal investment. If your baby is 5 months or older and starting to roll and crawl, hold off until tomorrow's post because this method may not be so simple for you if your baby isn't holding still on the changing table.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's addition, the all-in-ones and pocket diapers....
