Just a few projects

I have been working on making some Christmas Stockings, I will flesh out this post a bit more later but for now here are the pics I have so far:

Cloth Diapering: Everything You Need to Know About PreFolds

So I now have my cloth diapers. I have washed them all and they are ready to go. I will let you all know in a few months how they are working for us. But to begin with I thought I would create a post on each type/brand of diaper I purchased and why. Maybe this will help anyone out there who just doesn't know where to begin. In this post I will talk about prefold diapers. I decided to go with these for the beginning of Eli's life because I have read reviews that they are great at containing breast milk poo. I also chose them because they would be cheaper than buying a whole other set of 2-in-one diapers in a newborn size that he would only be using for the first few weeks of his life.

The options in prefolds are Chinese or Indian Cotton. Here is a breakdown I found on CottonBabies.com That can help you decide which would work better for you:

Wondering if you should go with Indian prefolds or Chinese prefolds?
Indian prefolds benefits:

Softer cotton
These are probably made of gauze cotton
Unbleached diapers wash up quicker (3 washes)
More absorbent

Indian prefolds drawbacks:

May wear out faster than the Chinese prefolds.
Lighter weight thread is used when sewing the ends of the diapers so the thread may wear out faster than the fabric does. 

Chinese prefolds benefits:

Heavier duty stitching
These are probably made of twill
Due to being made of a heavier-weight fabric and stitched with a thicker thread, these prefolds will probably stay nice longer than the Indian prefolds.

Chinese prefolds drawbacks:

May pill up more than the Indian prefolds.
These diapers are still soft but they are definitely rougher than the Indian prefolds (when washed and dried in the same load)
It takes 7-10 hot wash cycles to make an unbleached Chinese prefold usable and absorbent. 

So, I went with Indian Cotton. I wasn't really worried about staying power since I bought them as a cheaper alternative to pockets/two-in-ones for when Eli is newborn size. I will primarially use pockets/two-in-ones once he is big enough to fit them. Once he is big enough for the other diapers we will use these as burp cloths. We got OsoCozy Brand in infant size 4x6x4. There are also 4x8x4 available. But I had no idea what that meant when I got them. So I did a little research and this is what I came up with:
The numbers describe the thickness and absorbency of the diaper. 4x6x4 means there are 4 layers of fabric on the two outer panels of the diaper and there are 6 layers of fabric in the middle. Here is a pic of one of my  unwashed diapers so you can see the panel definition really well:

Had I know that 4x8x4 was more absorbent I would have gone with that. They cost a little more but are not excessive. Well, live and learn. I'm hoping this won't be a problem.

It's also important to know what size you are getting. They range anywhere from preemie to toddler. So if you don't want a ginormous amount of cloth wrapped around your baby buy the right size. I went with infant size which the manufacturer says will fit from 7-15 lbs. Apparently the 15 lbs is only if using them tri-folded so keep that in mind and read reviews before making a final decision. There are many different brands and not all are created equal. My advise from research is to go with something 100% cotton or hemp as these seem to be the most absorbent.

So, once you have the diapers they are not ready to use. They must be pre-washed to make them absorbent and get rid of any chemicals lingering in the cloth. You will need to wash them anywhere from 3-10 times depending on the type of material; hemp, bleached cotton, unbleached cotton, etc. (You only need to use detergent once). Also, as a side note, you can't use just any detergent on these things. Regular detergent will decrease absorbency and cause liquid to repel from the fabric. Even if it says free and clear you shouldn't use it. Make sure you use a detergent that is specially for cloth diapering whether manufactured or home-made.

The type of diaper I chose (100% cotton) will be ready to be used after 3 wash and dry cycles but they will continue to become more absorbent the more they are washed. Be aware that the when your diapers are purchased they are not the right size. They will quilt up and shrink up. Mine started out 16in long and after 3 wash/dry cycles they were 2 inches shorter. So don't freak out when this happens, and make sure you buy the right size to begin with:

Once the diapers are ready you can use them in many different folds. Different folds will work for different babies so do some research then experiment and find out what works for you. Keep in mind that a boy needs extra protection in different areas than a girl does. You can find tutorial videos online which I found very helpful. Some types of folds to look up are: The Newspaper Fold, The Angel Wing Fold, The Bikini Twist, The Jelly Roll Fold, and Tri-fold. Something to keep in mind: the Tri-fold don't work as well on breast fed only babies because they don't catch the mess as well.

I am going to use snappies instead of the traditional safety pins to secure the diapers. They hold a little like ace bandages and I feel more confident using them around a squirmy baby than using a sharp pointy object (especially in the middle of the night when I'm half-asleep). You can find tutorial videos online for these as well. Here is a pic of them:

Once you have the diaper on your child, put a cover on and go! I chose to use Thirsties brand of diaper cover. They are the picture at the beginning of this blog. They are come in 2 sizes: a smaller (6-18 lbs) and larger (18-40 lbs) instead of the one-size fits all. The reason I chose them is they are small enough for most newborns and work well with prefolds. They come in a lot of different colors and prints and you can get velcro or snaps for them. They adjust in size with snaps so that they fit properly. They are made in the USA which is a nice plus. The fabric is waterproof but it is also breathable and pliable which is a must in my book. One thing though that I really like about these as opposed to say a pocket diaper is that the cover is reusable. It doesn't have to be washed every time it is used so long as you don't get a poopy mess all over it. Just wipe the inside with a wipe and set it aside to dry and grab another one. One thing that many moms love about them is that they have these great leg gussets that really ensure against leaks:

You can use the prefolds a couple ways in these diaper covers: as traditional covers, or as inserts that just lay trifolded on the inside of the diaper cover:

I think that pretty much sums up this blog. I do want close by showing the size difference between disposable and cloth diapers. Disposable are much trimmer which is something to keep in mind when you are dressing your baby. It's possible that newborn size clothing may not fit over these diapers very well:

Well, that's about it for now. I will post on my other diapers in another post!