when our girls were 5 weeks old, we decided that they were big enough to "fit" into CD since they must have been around 8lbs. (a guess.) up until that point, i knew, or thought (haha) i knew which type of CD we were eventually going to invest in. but, even though i really wanted to do this, my thinking was (as i've already mentioned this before)- are we REALLY going to follow-through with this after making such a huge investment? no matter how much we make an investment in something sometimes, there's always a chance that we don't follow through. it's a HUGE risk, considering the $ and time invested. i was determined to make it work, but still. forking all that $ over for... what? OMG, the chance that it doesn't work?
so, we started small. by small, i mean the price. our initial stash was from our local homegrown CD store, Zoolikins. below is the package that we had.
prefolds/covers
- 36 Bumkins prefolds (the unbleached cotton fabric rectangles above)
- 6 Thirsties covers in the above colors
- 3 Snappis (in lieu of the lovely diaper pins that the former generations used ;)
we ended up purchasing:
- four additional covers (thanks, mom!) in white (totally recommend it, although i was super nervous about the ~poop~ with it, haha) and bright blue.
- a couple of extra Snappis (purple for Willow Kate and pink for Coral Bliss, of course!).
- disposable liners (catches the poop? no way! we were hooked. do i recommend it for people just starting out? absolutely. it's a nice "introduction" to CD/poopy diapers. for months, i didn't use them, and i just started using them again. why? i was given 200 of them for free. :) why else? they do save "time/effort" when cleaning the diaper IF you're not immediately placing it in the wash OR it's formula/solids' poop. :) also, they are biodegradable! score!!! just so you know, though- do they cover the diaper and catch the entire waste? NO. but, they are a GREAT alternative to using a diaper spray or not wanting to fool with a poopy diaper.)
- Kissaluvs' terry cloth wipes (i wasn't so sure about this, but decided that we would try it. honestly, at first, i didn't use them... for a week or two. i thought that we'd just do the CD and disposable wipes = BIG MISTAKE. when you do that, you need to separate the wipes from the CD afterward. who wants to sift through that? no thanks. it's another waste of time and money. so, we started to use these. no thanks. why? they're washcloths. and, very non-user friendly. too thick to serve its purpose. i became discouraged as i wanted to CD with CW, but i didn't know what i needed, but something thinner and lighter that resembled a regular disposable wipe. so, my mom whipped up some flannel wipes for me around the same size as a disposable wipe, and we LOVED them. since then, months later, those are still the only ones we've used. the best part? completely reusable. just throw it in the wash with my diapes... plus, don't have to worry about my wipes "drying out" or my hubby using "too many"- as they do that! later, i'll get more in-depth with the "solution" i use with my CW.)
now, with all that said. i used the Snappis, but hated them. i suppose hate is a strong word. i disliked them because sometimes, i'd get really good fits with the prefolds, and sometimes i'd fight the cotton for something decent. it was like a war. a struggle. okay, i exaggerate. regardless, i didn't prefer them.
why?
i wanted something easy, and these didn't feel easy with me. below is a video on five different prefold options (God Bless YouTube!). i did #1 (but with more cotton in the front- don't ask me why as it's not like i have boys- haha) at first. sometimes, i got a really great fit as i mentioned. it wasn't easy, though.
then, when we revisited Zoolikins later (7 weeks), the owner showed me a similar fit to #4... to stuff the dumb prefold in the cover. i felt so dumb when i saw that. i said those exact words to her, too. lol. i felt dumb that i didn't think of that, but i liked that. i liked that i could reuse the cover once i change out the prefold at a diaper change AND i liked that i could stuff the diapers ahead of time. brilliance.)
anyway, i did #1 and #4 folds:
if the link doesn't work, then visit here.
now, my CHIEF complaint about the prefolds is that they weren't suitable for nighttime/longer periods (2-3+ hours) AND they were quite bulky to sit a baby in a carseat (my girls would literally have trouble sitting correctly because of the bulkiness, but remember... i did the #1 and #4 folds).
however, i was researching prefold videos and saw this video below. duh. i now want to try that nighttime solution. haha!!!
if the link doesn't work, then visit here.
below is another fabulous fold to maximize the absorbency... what's nice about prefolds is that you can try so many different folds until you find the one you love. i did and that is to stuff the cover with the prefold ahead of time- sort of like with a pocket (more on that later). mind you, this person below is using a larger prefold- NOT an infant one.
if the link doesn't work, then visit here.
finally, i want to also inform you that prefolds DO take a lot of initial prep time- about 6 washes, BUT once you do that, there won't be anymore insane prep.
would i recommend prefolds to anyone? absolutely. totally worth it and we have no regrets about our initial diaper stash/investment. to this day, my girls are 8 months old, and we still use them! :)
i leave you with this BRILLIANT idea on how to CD on a budget... with those numerous receiving blankets that you have around your house!!! or, you can go pick up several at a store and make them work! :) see the video below for more details.
if the link doesn't work, then visit here.
what are your thoughts on prefolds/covers?
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