Folding Prefolds - It's an Art Form

I remember when I first got the idea that I was going to use cloth diapers with our third child.  I said that prefolds were definitely not for me.  I wanted something cuter than prefolds and I definitely wanted something easier than prefolds.  I looked at all the AIO's, AI2's, Pockets, & Fitteds, and thought ... Why would anyone want to use prefolds?  I bet if I went back to my first post on here, I probably even said that I would not use them.  What's the point?  Then I started chatting with other cloth diapering moms.  I kept hearing over and over how great prefolds are to use in the newborn stage.  They kept saying how easy they are to clean.  They kept saying how much more economical they were.  They kept saying how easy they are to use.  You can only hear positive feedback so many times before you break and decide to give in.

I ended up buying a small stash of prefolds for the newborn stage.  I got mine from Green Mountain Diapers in the newborn size and size small.  I only bought six of each.  That should be enough to at least see if I like them and say I gave them a shot.  I prepped them and put them with my other newborn diapers ... and there they sat.  Finally one day I decided that I better learn to use these diapers before Lincoln gets here.  I went online, watched tutorials, looked at pictures, and then armed with a prefold, a snappi, and one of my girls dolls I set to work.  I was going to figure these things out!

To my surprise, putting on a prefold isn't that bad at all.  It's actually kind of fun.  I find myself wanting to try again and again to see if I can put them on faster and nicer each time.  I can still use some improvement and I know that having a real baby will present a whole new obstacle when it comes to mastering this art form, but I have to say that after some research and practice, I'm actually pretty excited to test these babies out!  Listed below are the most common folds that you can use and a few tricks of the trade that I learned from other cloth diapering parents.

**NOTE: All Prefolds Need A Diaper Cover**

TRIFOLD
Lay your prefold diaper out flat on the changing table with the absorbent section in the middle going length wise.  Fold one of the long sides in over the absorbent middle section.  Then fold the other long side in over the middle section.  You should now have one long rectangle.  Lay your prefold inside your diaper cover.  Lay baby on top of the prefold and diaper cover and fasten cover to the baby.  No snappi is required for this fold.  The great thing about this fold is that you can trifold all your diapers ahead of time to make diaper changes quick and easy.  You can even go so far as to have them already laid in your diaper covers.

ANGEL WING FOLD
Lay your prefold diaper out flat on the changing table with the absorbent section in the middle going length wise.  Lay your baby on top of the diaper so that the back of the diaper lines up with their belly button.  Trifold the front of the diaper while leaving the back of the diaper fully opened up.  Fold the front of the diaper up over the baby.  If the diaper is too big then fold the front of the diaper in towards the baby till it's the right size.  Pull the back wings forward around the baby and secure with a Snappi.

NEWSPAPER FOLD
Lay your prefold diaper out flat on the changing table with the absorbent section in the middle going length wise.  Lay your baby on top of the diaper so that the back of the diaper lines up with their belly button.  Fold the front section of the diaper in.  The amount you fold it up will depend on the size of your baby.  Fold it so that when you pull the diaper up over the front of your baby, the top of the fold just reaches the belly button.  Fold one side of the front of the diaper in over the middle section.  Fold the other side in and tuck it into the first side that you folded in (make sure it's tucked into the fold, not under the fold).  You should now have a nice a secure fold in the front.  The back of the diaper under the baby will still be fully extended out.  Fold the front of the diaper up over the baby.  Pull the back wings forward around the baby and secure with a Snappi.

JELLYROLL FOLD
Lay your prefold diaper out flat on the changing table with the absorbent section in the middle going length wise.  Lay your baby on top of the diaper so that the back of the diaper lines up with their belly button.  Take each side of the diaper and starting at the back wings of the diaper roll the sides in so they taper in closer and closer till they touch at the far front of the diaper.  Fold the front of the diaper up over the baby.  If it's too bulky in the front then you can flair the rolls out around the baby's belly.  Pull the back wings forward around the baby and secure with a Snappi.

BIKINI TWIST FOLD
Lay your prefold diaper out flat on the changing table with the absorbent section in the middle going length wise.  Lay your baby on top of the diaper so that the back of the diaper lines up with their belly button.  Crossing your arms, grab each of the front corners of the diaper.  Rotate the sides 180 degrees so you get a twist in the crotch of the diaper.  Fold the front of the diaper up over the baby.  Pull the back wings forward around the baby and secure with a Snappi.

TRICKS OF THE TRADE
For A Boy:  Diaper folds that include folding the front of the diaper in at the front of the diaper are great for a boy.  This will double up the absorbent layers in their wet zone (the front).

For A Girl: Try laying your diaper in the opposite direction before you start your diaper folding (with the thick soaker zone going sideways instead of length wise.  This will double up the absorbent layers right in their wet zone (in the middle) when you fold the diaper.

For The Super Pooper: Try folding the back of the diaper in before you lay your baby on the diaper and start folding.  This will create an additional poo pocket in the back.

For The Wetness Sensitive Baby:  If your baby is sensitive to being wet, then add a fleece liner on top of your diaper right before you fold the diaper up and fasten it to your baby.

For The Super Soaker: Try adding a doubler to your prefold along the soaker zone before you start folding the diaper.  If you need to fold the doubler to make it fit then fold it up front for a boy or in the middle for a girl.

For The Thick Waisted Baby: Try sewing some extended tabs onto your prefolds.  See my tutorial on how to do this.

For The Prefold Challenged: Try sewing some of my Easy Winged Prefolds, or even easier yet ... you can purchase them on my Etsy shop - Fluff N Stuff.


Now that I've got the folds down it's time to start practicing my speed.  The faster I get the less crying and pee geysers I will have to deal with.  I hope this tutorial helps you with folding your prefold diapers and makes them seem a lot less intimidating than they might look at first glance.  I really enjoy my prefolds now and can't wait to try them on Lincoln.  Till then keep checking back for more tips, tutorials, and giveaways on Adventures In Fluff ... and other mommy stuff.