Flats and Cover Questions...

[chely7425]

Right now we use prefolds and fleece at home for the most part... We have the Dancing Bears fleece covers and I love how well they work and that they don't leave marks on my little guys!! I think I would like to try flats though... how do you do them? How do they compare to prefolds in terms of the learning curve to use them?

Then with covers... is there a good cover that works well over PFs and doesn't leave marks?? We have the Blueberry coveralls and Thirsties Duos and I really like the fit but they leave marks...

[aikigypsy]

Flats need more folding, but otherwise I find them easier to use than prefolds in that you can get a better fit because there are more shape options. I mostly used the oragami fold, and with a pre-mobile baby that might stay on without any fastners under a wool cover or on its own, but once they start wriggling around, you'll need something that closes firmly and holds the diaper on or to start using snappis (I don't like snappis, they snag on things too much).

Flats are easier to clean than prefolds -- they get less detergent/stink buildup because it doesn't get trapped in the layers like with prefolds and fitteds. They dry almost instantaneously. The fabric is nicer. They take a little longer to fold, but they're also the true, original one-size diaper.

Oh, and it's not like flats are a big investment -- cheaper than prefolds.

[Katie T]

I love flats because I like finding fun folds to do. But if you don't have the time to fold or something you can just fold them into the shape of a prefold and use it like one of fold it into a strip and lay in cover.

I use the blueberry one size so can't help ya on the cover.

I ordered one dozen flats and figured if I didn't like them I could use them for kitchen towels so I wasn't out anything.

[chely7425]

Maybe I will order a few flats to try on the new baby.. try my had at folding them on a non-mobile baby first! I read you need to use 2 on a bigger baby or toddler? Are there any websites or videos on how to fold them?

[Katie T]

Yeah, I just googled how to fold a flat cloth diaper and there were many sites. I also looked on you tube and found several.

My DD is right in the middle of needing 1 vs 2. lol

[Juliacat]

Once you get used to flats, they're pretty easy, but they do take longer to fold than prefolds, and you need to use two at a time. Plus I never could get the hang of using flats coverless.