Be Not Afraid...of Prefolds

Second Son was huge when he was born and has grown quickly. He was well over 15 pounds at two months old and swiftly outgrowing his diapers. He was still a little too small for the toddler size fitted diaper (they left big gaps around his legs), but I didn't have quite enough of some that were just a tiny bit smaller.

"Seriously," I said to myself, "I cannot buy more diapers! We have tons. Surely there's something he can wear!" But there really wasn't. Plus, Second Daughter is actually wearing those other diapers. (There's something wrong with a 26 month old and a 3 month old wearing the same diaper size.)

I needed to do something and I didn't want to spend a lot of money. Inspired by a recent post on the Cloth Diaper Outlet blog. I bought...(gasp) prefolds! I know quite a few moms who use prefolds, so I wasn't going entirely into unknown territory. One mom even sent me a few to try with Second Daughter. I had tried them out and even used them with doublers for a while before my new ones arrived. It's still a bit of a change from the fitted diapers.

It took a few days of practice, but now I reach for the prefolds first. I use the bikini twist almost exclusively, with a little extra step. Here is Second Son in one of his prefolds.

Right there, where I'm grabbing the diaper, I tuck it in. This creates a bit of a pocket to catch stuff. It leaks more than a fitted diaper, but the trusty Thirsties cover never lets leaks onto his clothes. (I just have to change the cover if it gets dirty.)

I joked with a friend that moving into the prefold world is really a whole other level of cloth diapering, but it's really surprisingly easy especially with that cool Snappi! It's inexpensive and the diapers wash and dry easily and quickly. Just be sure to buy the quality prefolds, not the ones you can probably find in the aisles of your local superstore, which are best used for burp cloths.

I tend to use the prefolds at home and the fitted diapers when we're out and about. I like to keep the Snappi under strict supervision since Second Daughter has recently started putting everything in her mouth. That would be gross. And also potentially painful.

As a reminder, if you follow any of the links above to the Cloth Diaper Outlet and make a purchase, I receive a small commission. I did not, however, receive anything in exchange for this post. I just wanted to share because knowing my friends had successfully used prefolds helped encourage me and I thought I'd pass on the favor.