Help a prefold challenged mama

I can't work a pin to save my life so I will only use snappis - I think they are easy to use - dh can't get the hang of it though (not that he's tried more than once )

I've been using cpf more and more - I have no experience with indian prefolds though so can't give you any help with those. I have used both bleached and unbleached cpfs, dyed and undyed. I can do all the folds (still trying to perfect them, but I can do them) and I'm feeling pretty proud of myself :LOL

Take a peek at Karen's Cloth Diapering Page she has lots of information on prefolds. She is where I got most of my info when I started using prefolds.

HTH!

Sherri

Dh and I both think snappis rival sliced bread and indoor plumbing

We unbleached cpfs in infant size; and bleached in premium (although not using those on his bum yet...using mainly for his reflux spitting...but they're here getting soft and broken in and ready).

We haven't even tried Indian, Euro, etc. My life is too complicated to enter the ubcpf vs ipf debate.

Anyway, I find myself reaching for fitteds most now (b/c hips are getting wider and harder to get infant size around and the bigger ones just looking huge ) but we definitely like pfs in this house.

as the former queen of prefolds (over 14 dozen at one point I feel I am qualified to answer you

definitely indian-softest, most luscious of the prefolds, this is also thicker and fluffier-and hence, more absorbent (but bulkier-though worth it IMO)

second choice is unbleached chinese, though bleached can be quite nice too-I just prefer the unbleached myself.

last resort: european-my experience with these is that they are rough and scratchy, I will NOT use these on my babe

pins are good, but the snappi is better, it is super easy to use, and makes them fit better than pins alone-works best with the 3rd leg (middle one) cut off

to dye or not to dye?
definitely DYE, it makes them even better

Hope that helps-if you need more prefold advice-feel free to pm me

also, if you pin you can make them fit alot longer than when using the snappi-I can still pin an infant on my nearly 36lber-it is rather speedo-ish, but works fine and is super duper trim (not too tight either, and he is BIG)-but I am preferring toddler right now

I use CPFs exclusively and I would definitely recommend them. They are fairly easy to use, they are super simple to clean, and the best part is they're cheap

Snappis are really easy to use. I've never pinned (I tried once and it was a disaster!) And you don't have to worry about poking the baby.

I would second the recommendation for Karen's Cloth Diapering Page. She's got some great info on types of folds and how to get a good fit.

I use them exclusively.

Types-I have CPF and Indian

Indians are fluffy and soft, but shorter than CPFS and bulkier
CPFS are soft too, but flatter and longer. Will last a bit longer than Indians IMO. Indians fray a tad more than CPFS.

True for both: Unbleached is softer than bleached.

4x6x4-good option for the earlier days cause they are less bulky. 4x8x4 are the standard thickness, and what I have now!

Snappi or pin-the snappi is great, but pins are better! In teh begining, the snappi was wonderful. But, as Joey got bigger, I was having a hard time getting a good snug fit in the legs, and the waist was to snug with the snappi. WIth pins, I can make the legs real snug, but the waist is not too constricting. I love pins now, and I love my prefolds since learning how to use them!

Folding-fave fold is the newspaper fold. I would look at pics online and practice-when I get my card reader working, I am going to show you all some steps I take-it is so hard to explain the fold and pin thing here! KWIM? Just practice and don't give up. Eventually, you will figure out to fold, use snappies, and pins like a pro!

Prefolds are also usually the cheapest option, that's why it's now the mainstay of our stash.

My own personal preference: 1) dyed prefolds, 2) ubcpf's, 3) ipf's
I had some indian prefolds, but just wasn't feeling the love for them, plus they were a little smaller than my premium ubcpf's, and I need that extra material in the waist.

You can see what I love here. I my rainbows.

I also prefer snappi's to pins. I have a few pins, but they're harder to get on my little wiggler than the snappi. Plus the snappi won't pierce ds's skin in case of a mishap. Just don't leave the snappi in the back of baby's sleeper. Dh did that once and still hears about it every once in a while. And I've got 9 or 10 snappis - for just one child - because I found a great sale, and I've resigned myself to the fact that a few of them will start disappering as ds gets older.

Lanna

eta: I use all 3 legs of the snappi, otherwise there's a droop problem here.