tell me about FLATS!

[lapis]

what do you love about them?
find difficult?
birds eye vs. gauze vs. flannel?
snappi or pins?

or anything else you'd like to share about flats

thanks

[Katie T]

I love how versatile they are
How easy they are to wash and dry
I can fold and put on the baby or stuff in a pocket
they are cheap and easy to prep

Mine are birds eye and I use snappis but I think it is easier to pin them than prefolds.

[aramat]

I use birdseye flats with outsized prefolds as doublers. I like them because they are cheap, they dry fast, and they fit all sizes. BUT, I really only use them when I run out of clean prefolds (just before time for the next wash) -- less origami with a prefold, so faster! I also don't like that my husband and sitter would probably never figure out how to use the flats; just watching me fold one looks intimidating.

[lapis]

thanks ladies

also wondering: I know some flats come in a square shape and some are more of a rectangle. I guess I'm assuming that the square shape is easier to fold but maybe a rectangle has some benefits as well... or does it really not matter much?

[Katie T]

Mine are square and I have never played around with the rectangle style so don't know about that but depending of the size if once folded onto itself it is the size of the square that would be awesome imo.

[mumkimum]

I love them on a newborn especially - I'm able to get a good fit with them on a teeny babe.

I like the birdseye ones I have, but also got some hemp jersey flats for dd2 and I like them even better (plus I think they'll multipurpose better as doubler/inserts for bigger sizes than the cotton birdseye). They're a little more rectangular - so as she's gotten bigger I'm able to fudge the folds a bit more to compensate (not that you couldn't do that well with a square, it might be a little easier or obvious with the rectangle though).

[Juliacat]

I love that they are cheap, one-size, and easy to clean.

I dislike that they are a pain in the a$$ to fold, take up a lot of room on the clothesline, and I cannot for the life of me use them pinned coverless. Snappied or folded and used with a cover, they work fine, although poop is hard to get out of all the little creases. I definitely prefer prefolds!

[lapis]

thanks ladies oops, I forgot to check back and missed a few more comments... good things to think about.

was wondering about the "poop in the creases" issue. anyone use a disposable liner or a thin doubler to keep that from happening?

also wondering has anyone used the ikea flats (I think in the u.s. they sell them at burp rags.. but here they sell them as flat diapers)... anyhow, we have some as dish rags and they seem great but wasn't sure if folks had actually used them and liked them?

hoping I get pregnant soon! man, I want to try these out.

[Blueone]

I use the Little Lion Flats and just trifold them into a cover. I love how easy they are to wash and how absorbant they are. They are also a bit softer than prefolds.

I tried folding them and pinning them in the past, but my son is wiggly (he's over a year) and well, I just couldn't get the leg holes to be right. So I just fold them in half, then in half again, then trifold. If I need them shorter, when they are completely unfolded, I fold down the sewn edge to the rise I want, then do the folding for the trifold.

[Juliacat]

Wow, Ikea sells flats. Fun!

[lapis]

Blueone: that was another appeal to me about flats... that I can basically turn them into a prefold if I don't want to do such intricate folding... or get really creative and specific as well. nice to know you've had good luck with using them like that.

juliacat: yeah, Ikea sells flats (they are hidden in the baby section around the wash cloths), they are very cute! I got some to use as dish rags/napkins which I really like in terms of the feel of the fabric and the more I wash them the softer they have gotten... I wish there were more reviews on using them as actual diapers so if any of you ladies feel like trying them out and reporting back I'd love to hear! at any rate they are great for household use!

[lapis]

ok ladies, i did a little more snooping around and found this thread talking about ikea flats... they sound great, although people keep saying that they aren't really square.. however, mine definitely are. anyhow, if anyone else is interested