We are back in the land of cloth diapering with our third baby and I’ve come to realize how much I love cloth diapering a newborn with prefolds. Not only is it one of the quickest option for me (no stuffing a pocket diaper or worrying about velcro sticking to another diaper with AIOs, I also find that prefolds tend to be better at containing newborn poo. And my newborn knows how to poo!
With the added layer of a cover, newborn diapering is so awesome with prefolds! I find that I have the least chance of being leaked on if we’ve used a prefold. Now I know that the newborn stage doesn’t last long but while it’s here I’m sure I’ll keep grabbing for the prefolds first when I reach into the diaper stash.
Why I Love Prefolds For Newborns
1. Cost –
You just can’t beat the cost of prefolds when cloth diapering. Prefolds are the way to go when you have a small budget and are interested in cloth diapering. On average, a prefold will usually cost $1-2 depending on if you’re purchasing brand new or used and if you have to pay shipping. Sometimes shipping costs even more than the actual prefolds themselves!
I find that they also hold their value very well and you can usually recoup 80% of the cost of prefolds and covers if you sell them after you’re done with them. That means that cloth diapering is truly the most inexpensive route once you’re done with diapers. You can’t get back money on disposables! And people are always looking to purchase prefolds.
2. Ease of Use –
While most are a bit hesitant to use prefolds because of their learning curve, I found that once I dove in and started to use them they ended up being the easiest diapers for us! Even my husband grabs for the prefolds first before the pockets and AIO diapers.
Once you look at a YouTube video or two and find a fold that you enjoy using you are set. Plus, there are only 3 things you need when cloth diapering with prefolds: prefolds, snappis or pins, and covers. Unless you forgoe the snappi or pins and simply use the cover to secure the diaper over your child.
3. Multiple Uses –
While I usually tend to use prefolds as a diaper, many will use prefolds in different ways. Especially once their child has outgrown the size they’re using. Newborn prefolds are the perfect size to use as inserts in pocket diapers.
There are also many different ways to use a prefold as a diaper. From the various folds, one can change the function of the diaper. From the simplest option of folding the diaper in thirds, placing in a cover, and putting on the baby to using a jelly roll fold to keep newborn poo from blowing out the sides, the different folds help create a different diaper depending on the situation.
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