With seven children and a budget to stick to, I’m all about saving TIME and saving MONEY.
That’s why we use a lot of flat diapers.
If the thought of this scares you, don’t let it. I procrastinated for four years, convinced that using flat diapers was too complicated. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, it’s been just the opposite! Not only are they really cheap (you can find flats for $1.83 each at Diaper Junction and $2.25 each at Nicki’s with free shipping), but they wash easily and dry SUPER quick.
I like to tell cloth diapering mothers “If you can fold a kitchen towel you can fold a flat!”
Here are three really easy ways to do just that.
THE PAD FOLD
I use this one for older infants and toddlers. It literally takes about 10 seconds. You fold the diaper in half once. Then you fold it again to make a square. Bring the two sides in, turn it over and lay in a cover. Voila! No need to be an expert. No need to pin or fasten.
THE MINI PAD FOLD
I invented this simple folding technique out of necessity. Padfolded flats were sticking out of the front of our newborn covers. So I adapted the fold to fit tiny babies. Fortunately, it’s just as easy as the Pad Fold!
THE CUSTOM FOLD
If you’re looking for an easy fold that uses pins or fasteners (like a Snappi or Boingo), check out another one of my creations – the Custom Fold. You can pick the width and length that best fits your baby. This is also a good fold to use if you’re trying to contain poo better or if you’d like your baby to wear a flat diaper around the house without a cover. There are just 4 simple steps:
With baby on his way, I gotta start practicing these folds!! Thank you! Do you like the snappi or the other fasteners (can’t think of the name right now) better? Thanks.
Hi Anel! I prefer the Boingo to the Snappi and wrote this post about the reasons why. POST But some mamas are just the opposite, so you never can tell! ~Anne
I like easy and haven’t seen the small pad fold before. Thanks for sharing!
I still have some of the the flat diapers I used for our firstborn over thirty five years ago. I’m not using them for diapering our youngest grandchild, but I am using them for other baby related uses. When we pass that stage, they will make great dust rags!