Folding Cloth Diapers

Diapers are essential products that every baby requires right from birth till potty training stage. Though ready made disposable diapers are available in baby care product centers, you can think of using cloth diapers, which are very convenient to use. As long as the cloth diapers are cleaned, there is no chance of a baby getting diaper rash. Cloth diapers not only provide more comfort to the baby, but also reduces environmental problems that are resulted due to usage of disposable diapers.

Thousands of tons of disposable diapers which are disposed everyday, is a contributing factor to the rising plastic pile ups. Another advantage of cloth diapers is that they cost very less in comparison to the disposable type. You can wash the diapers thoroughly and reuse them. You can also save them for your next baby. There are several ways of folding cloth diapers, which you can adopt as per the convenience of your baby. So, let us see how to fold cloth diapers by maintaining the best comfort level for the baby.

Different Ways to Fold Cloth Diapers

For folding cloth diapers, you can follow any method as long as your baby is comfortable with it and there is no leakage. Before discussing how to fold cloth diapers, let's first understand the types of cloth diapers. Basically there are two types, namely, flat-fold cloth diapers and prefold cloth diapers. If you are planning to go out for a long time along with your little baby, you can consider using prefold cloth diapers, which are fastened with diaper pins. Speaking about the price, a flat-fold diaper is less expensive than a prefold cloth diaper.

Folding of Flat-Fold Cloth Diaper: Flat-fold type refers to large, square-shaped and single-layered cloth diapers that can be folded in different layers to achieve the desired absorbency. You can fold this classic cloth diaper in a simple manner to fit the baby. For securing the diaper in place, diaper pins are used for fastening. In order to fold a flat-fold cloth diaper, first lay it on a plain surface and smoothen out. Estimate one-third of the width and fold twice. Following this, you can bring both the sides of the diaper to the center. Make sure that the cloths overlap at the center to form a thick absorbent layer. Nevertheless, the folding size depends upon the size of the baby.

Folding of Prefold Cloth Diaper: Prefold cloth diaperd, on the other hand, are thickened at the center than the side panels. Absorbent layers are sewn at the center of the prefold cloth diaper. Usually, the central portion of the prefold diaper is about 6 to 8 layers (ply) of thickness, while the outer panel is about 2 to 4 layers (ply) thick. For folding prefold cloth diapers, lay the diaper on a flat surface or bed and smoothen out from the center. Then fold the diaper along the length towards the thick central padding (from the inside) keeping in mind the size of the baby. Do not over fold the sides, so that the folds reach only to the seams. Then, fold one-third of the length of the diaper from one side and refold it again in half.

For both the baby diaper types, you should orient the folded portion depending upon the gender of the baby; for a baby boy, the thick fold should come to the back, while for a baby girl, it should be oriented to the front. Try whether the folded cloth diaper fits the baby or not and adjust accordingly. Folding cloth diapers is easy, and these diapers are convenient and comfortable for a baby.