Hello Cloth Diapers

Well... we've made the switch to cloth diapers. Before you start thinking that I've lost my mind, hold on a second and let me explain.

Cloth diapers are not what they used to be. In fact you can get cloth diapers that you simply put on, take off when wet/dirty and and throw them in the wash. They're about $15+ per diaper though so I chose the cheaper route and use prefolds which are basically layers of cotton that you fold into thirds and lay inside a water resistant cover. Saving money was the main motivation for making the switch. We were spending $40 per week on diapers for the girls. ouch.

In the beginning, we were having a tough time with the fit. Ana has very large thighs and well... overall she's just a big baby so the bulk of all of those cotton layers was just too much. I didn't feel like she was comfortable and I didn't like the idea of soa

king wet cloth up against her skin. So I looked online for a better option. Everything was really more than we wanted to spend and I already had bought the prefolds so I kind of wanted to find a way to use them in some form.

After a lot of thinking, this is what I came up with....

Problem 1: the prefolds were too long. I was having to fold over an extra layer and tuck it near her belly

Solution 1: I cut off about 3-4 inches from the top of the prefold.

Problem 2: There was a lot of bulk around Ana's chubby legs.

Solution 2: I measured her thighs and then made cuts in outer two thirds of the prefold to

accommodate that measurement. The middle sections that the cuts create can then be folded into the middle to create additional absorption. This makes the front and the back of the diaper only one layer instead of three.

Problem 3: I didn't like the feeling of wet cotton on her bottom.

Solution 2: I cut a piece of microfleece to fit the middle of the diaper. Fleece wicks the wetness away from the baby and helps her to feel dry I sewed velcro tabs to the bottom of the fleece and the top and bottom of the diaper. This makes the fleece stay in place. I may just sew it into the diaper as I can still unfold the flaps under the middle of the fleece for faster drying time.

Then all I have to do is wrap the flaps around Ana's sides and secure them with a "snappi." Snappis have replaced the dreaded diaper pins. The're kind of like what you'd secure an ace bandage with only a little more blunt. Top that with a cute diaper cover and she's ready to rock her little fluffy butt.

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