Giving Up on Prefolds

lisslucier

Ugh. I thought for sure I'd like this diapering system, but I can't stand prefolds. Maybe I'll like them when DS is not a newborn, but right now I hate them. We're doing the Babywise method so I change his diaper every 3 hrs. By the time 3 hrs are up the prefold is just soaked... I think half of it is seriously just sweat. I think they are too hot for him- they just don't breathe. And i don't want to wake up up just to change him more often when it's just a challenge to get him on a schedule in the first place.

I wish I had the money to buy more newborn AIOs and pockets. I love the ones that actually fit him. How soon did your baby fit in OS diapers? Which ones fit first? LO is probably somewhere between 9 and 10 lbs now at 3 weeks.

Alistairsmommy

I agree with PP

tokenhoser

No, it's not sweat.

It's pee.

You can't change a prefold every 3 hours. And please, God, don't tell me you're only feeding him every 3 hours. Babywise is so freakin' terrible to a newborn.

lisslucier

wow. thanks for actually answering my questions everyone. I wasn't asking to be judged for my parenting decisions. Remind me to never ask for advice if I'm making a decision differing from the popular opinion on this board. sorry, my mistake.

littleredfish

Your problem was the prefolds being soaked and asking about OS dipes fixing the issue. PPs told you to change more often and that was proper advice.

We use 50-50 prefolds and OS pockets. If DH or daycare forget to change DD within MAX 2 hours of her last being changed, she's soaked. If the diaper has somehow managed to hold it all in it's heavy as a brick but otherwise it leaks out on to her pants. The type of CD won't change it, the frequency of your changes will and that was what the PPs said. Don't knock the advice you asked for.

mypalbabs

lisslucier:

wow. thanks for actually answering my questions everyone. I wasn't asking to be judged for my parenting decisions. Remind me to never ask for advice if I'm making a decision differing from the popular opinion on this board. sorry, my mistake.

But your parenting decision (using Babywise) is 100% relevant to why prefolds are failing you (because you're waiting way too long to change them).

jennyelf

lisslucier:

wow. thanks for actually answering my questions everyone. I wasn't asking to be judged for my parenting decisions. Remind me to never ask for advice if I'm making a decision differing from the popular opinion on this board. sorry, my mistake.

PPs did answer your question, cloth diapers need to be changed every 2 hours not 3 (except overnight if baby STTN), it's not sweat, it's urine, and prefolds are very breathable. 

As for parenting, the judging comes from Babywise being one of the only baby caring methods that was explicitly condemned by the American Academy of Pediatrics for being dangerous to babies. 

LatteLady5

tokenhoser:

No, it's not sweat.

It's pee.

You can't change a prefold every 3 hours. And please, God, don't tell me you're only feeding him every 3 hours. Babywise is so freakin' terrible to a newborn.

Regardless of what diaper you're using a newborn needs changed and fed more frequently than every three hours. I read babywise cover to cover and took notes. I tried it for a week and felt miserable and totally wrong doing it. After a little research I discovered why. When a book goes against the recommendations of every reputable health organization you know that it's not right.

 https://www.bellybelly.com.au/baby-sleep/babywise-dangers-warnings-parents-need-to-know

tokenhoser

hartigan09:

tokenhoser:

And please, God, don't tell me you're only feeding him every 3 hours. Babywise is so freakin' terrible to a newborn. 

I can barely get to 2.5 hours with my two at almost 5 months - just saying. 

That's because babies get hungry! It just hurts my heart to think of a starving, soaking wet 3 week old having to wait to "get on a schedule".

I'm fine with a wide range of parenting choices, but Babywise is negligence. 

Aurora_Borealis

Prefolds are far more absorbent than any newborn AIO. DD was wetting through her BG nb AIOs in an hour by 3 weeks old.

A newborn prefold is going to be soaked in 3 hours. Newbies really pee that much - it's not sweat, I promise. For more absorbency, go up to the next size prefold.

But yeah...when your LO is awake you really need to change more often than every 3 hours especially at 3 weeks old. DD still gets at least a diaper check every 2 hours at a year old.

 

S & R + r

secondaryPULSE:

First of all, you're going to need to change you LO more often than every 3 hours, regardless of the type of CD. With a newborn, you should be changing every hour and a half to two hours.secondly, prefolds are incredibly breathablemore so than any disposable for sure. I don't doubt that your baby's diaper is saturated after three hours. That's not sweat, that's urine. Finally, nbsp;and feel free to flame me for this, babywise is sh!t, and not good for babies. Period.

All of this.

And to answer your question, my LO fit into OS around 3 weeks but he is also a big baby. Buy a few different pockets and if they don't fit him now, they will later. My suggestions would be Rumparooz OS or Charlie Banana OS for smaller OS dipes.

But please.. change your baby every 1 to 2 hours during the day, especially using CD. That's just not right.

::bumping from mobile::

Lennongirl

secondaryPULSE:

First of all, you're going to need to change you LO more often than every 3 hours, regardless of the type of CD. With a newborn, you should be changing every hour and a half to two hours.secondly, prefolds are incredibly breathablemore so than any disposable for sure. I don't doubt that your baby's diaper is saturated after three hours. That's not sweat, that's urine. Finally, nbsp;and feel free to flame me for this, babywise is sh!t, and not good for babies. Period.

All of this. Even at 16 months old I change DD more frequently than every 3 hours. Incidentally, I also pee and drink something more frequently than every 3 hours. Go figure.

L0L0

Prefolds are the most absorbent for us. I'm tired of them because now that LO is almost 1, she moves so much and gets so impatient during diaper changes that I appreciate how it is easier to put a pocket or AIO diaper on a moving target. We pretty much only use them for overnight.

I agree with everyone else that more frequent changes would benefit your baby. We peaked at 15-18 a day in those early weeks. LO also slept through the night starting at about 6 weeks, without special training. as a newborn, she also nursed for HOURS at a time, which was not what I expected, but I think that laid the foundation for me to have a great milk supply and be able to pump at work and breast feed for a whole year.

Latham12

OPbabywise tells the reader that their philosophy is give and take. It says it's not 100 percent routine and that you need to listen to your child and adjust to what works for both of you. It says if your baby is wet, change them. If they are clearly hungry, feed them. It does talk about schedules and such but it is also about listening to your baby. I agree that newborns need to be changed every hour and a half to two hours, especially when they poo. Idk how often you are feeding your LO but you were attacked for feeding every 3 hours and babywise says for newborns to feed every two to two and a half. Sorry you were so attacked but really if you are set on following babywise, which many of my friends were and did but I just couldn't even though I had planned on it, please re read the newborn section as it says to feed every 2 to 2 and a half hours and change your baby when they are wet. GL to you and don't give up! I love our prefolds.

UpstateMagnolia

This. I have a very happy babywise baby. Please do not get stuck on a rigid schedule! Newborns need ondemand feeding. The book never once says not to feed your child/change your child if they need it, even if it's "off schedule". Change baby when up for a nap and before a nap AT THE VERY LEAST. good luck with babywise. We have loved it from the start but always used it as a loose guideline, not hard and fast rule as every baby is different. See the blog chronicles of a babywise mom for good advice.

lisslucier

Thank you for all of your concern. I didn't realize this post would need to turn into me defending myself against a method that's working for our family, but here it goes... My LO has fairly consistently WANTED to nurse by his own choice approximately every three hours. The pediatrician is fine with that. He is a very healthy Breastfeed baby, gaining weight, and eating like a champ.
Clearly most of you are concerned because you don't understand how babywise works or have watched people butcher the entire concept. It is not just about a routine, though yes that is the goal. Even though my son wakes up naturally every 3 hrs for the most part there are certainly times when he's fussier, wants to eat more, etc. And I DO feed him more. I change my baby every time before he gets fed and sometimes after if he needs it. He always without fail poops when nursing so I know when he needs changing.

I hope this satisfies most of you into understanding that I'm taking care of my child. I know many many people who have been wildly successful with this method. I am sad for those who don't implement the concepts as they were intended and "force" their baby into a schedule. This is not the case with me and my child. Thanks.

themrsbird

Ok, all judgy comments aside, prefolds are by far the most absorbent things in our stash. With my LO he soaks the prefolds but with pockets and AIOs he ends up leaking because he doesn't have nearly enough absorbency. I have an entire stash of pockets and AIOs that are having to just sit there until I my mom can make some hemp inserts because buying them is just not in our budget...
So, in my opinion, giving up on prefolds is probably not the way to go. Your LO truly is peeing that much if you switch to pockets/AIOs, you may end up having to change LO way more frequently just to prevent leaks.

jesstellina

All judgment aside, simple answer here... You could get some Hemp Babies doublers, fold them in half and put them between the prefold and the cover. Could also try fleece liners so baby's skin feels less wet. And we started using OS BumGenius 4.0's when our 8# DD was born. They were crazy bulky but worked. We used those "overnight" when she started sleeping a little longer.

Into+the+Kitty

lisslucier:

Thank you for all of your concern. I didn't realize this post would need to turn into me defending myself against a method that's working for our family, but here it goes... My LO has fairly consistently WANTED to nurse by his own choice approximately every three hours. The pediatrician is fine with that. He is a very healthy Breastfeed baby, gaining weight, and eating like a champ. Clearly most of you are concerned because you don't understand how babywise works or have watched people butcher the entire concept. It is not just about a routine, though yes that is the goal. Even though my son wakes up naturally every 3 hrs for the most part there are certainly times when he's fussier, wants to eat more, etc. And I DO feed him more. I change my baby every time before he gets fed and sometimes after if he needs it. He always without fail poops when nursing so I know when he needs changing. I hope this satisfies most of you into understanding that I'm taking care of my child. I know many many people who have been wildly successful with this method. I am sad for those who don't implement the concepts as they were intended and "force" their baby into a schedule. This is not the case with me and my child. Thanks.

IMHO, if your 3 week old is ever sitting in a soaked prefold for three hours, then you are neither knowing when he needs changing off schedule nor taking care of your child. So, no, it wouldn't be a method that "works for your family," it's just the method that works for YOU.

Your child must be sitting in a diaper saturated with his own urine because of the poor quality of the diaper, right?

lifeisbetteronthered

I always hear on these boards that newborns HAVE TO feed every 2 hours, and we had a LC tell us the same. My DD has always wanted to feed every 3 hours, but has been growing and thriving. We EBF.

Out of new mom paranoia, for 2 days I tried to feed her every 2 hours and it was a disaster. She would fight us for the first hour, then be so tired she wouldn't latch. We would keep at it, and more then once it ended up with us having to give her a bottle of pumped milk after 5 hours of her fighting.

We chilled out and allowed her to tell us when she was hungry and we've never had a problem since. She's nearly 6 weeks and feeds anywhere from every 2 to every 4 hours during the day, and will go 6 hours at night. In the end it always seems to work out to 8 to 10 feeds in 24 hours.

So many people go on about feeding on demand, but also seem to insist that baby's have to be fed every 2 hours. Some babies don't demand to be fed every 2 hours, and as long as they are growing and filling diapers those babies and moms don't need to be told they are wrong. Trying to feed DD every 2 hours came close to ruining our BFing relationship.

Sorry for the long rant. It's a sore spot with me.

Ps. Other then at night, DD gets a diaper change ever 2ish hours, at least. Yesterday at one point she got 6 diapers in 3 hours due to some heroic poofest. We use prefolds.

tokenhoser

Feeding on demand, even if demand is every 3 hours, can work. Babies and breasts are not all the same and some get more per feed.

Feeding on the schedule of a book doesn't work. Nor does  changing a newborn every 3 hours. Nor does living in a weird denial that your baby is, in fact, soaking in pee.

Ignoring your baby's cues in favour of a schedule, especially at a very young age, is a recipe for failure to thrive and disaster.

lisslucier

Chickypoo2468:

Into+the+Kitty:

lisslucier:

Thank you for all of your concern. I didn't realize this post would need to turn into me defending myself against a method that's working for our family, but here it goes... My LO has fairly consistently WANTED to nurse by his own choice approximately every three hours. The pediatrician is fine with that. He is a very healthy Breastfeed baby, gaining weight, and eating like a champ. Clearly most of you are concerned because you don't understand how babywise works or have watched people butcher the entire concept. It is not just about a routine, though yes that is the goal. Even though my son wakes up naturally every 3 hrs for the most part there are certainly times when he's fussier, wants to eat more, etc. And I DO feed him more. I change my baby every time before he gets fed and sometimes after if he needs it. He always without fail poops when nursing so I know when he needs changing. I hope this satisfies most of you into understanding that I'm taking care of my child. I know many many people who have been wildly successful with this method. I am sad for those who don't implement the concepts as they were intended and "force" their baby into a schedule. This is not the case with me and my child. Thanks.

IMHO, if your 3 week old is ever sitting in a soaked prefold for three hours, then you are neither knowing when he needs changing off schedule nor taking care of your child. So, no, it wouldn't be a method that "works for your family," it's just the method that works for YOU.

Your child must be sitting in a diaper saturated with his own urine because of the poor quality of the diaper, right?

Not even one that works for her, if she's having issues. For the record, you're allowed to change your baby even if its not before or "sometimes after" he eats. He might not realize that his peeing should be based on his mealtime.

 I don't understand what you people are trying to prove right now... are you trying to convince me I'm wrong? Be satisfied that you had the last word? Try to make me feel bad for choosing how I want to feed and change my child?

I've already told you that he is healthy, happy, and doing well... Why do you insist on convincing me he isn't? I think I've made it pretty clear that the advice you're trying to give on this subject is not what I was asking. Is there a reason you're trying to make me feel bad? Did I hit some personal bad chord with you? I've never run into such hostility on these boards before. I'm beginning to think this community's aim is NOT to support mothers.

Again, I'm sorry for posting about something i didn't know would cause such a rise out of people. I promise never to mention babywise on this board again.

lisslucier

Thanks for the support! It's amazing there are other babies out there who also want to feed on a different schedule than all the moms claim around here!

tokenhoser

No, this community's aim is NOT to support mothers at the detriment of babies.

Sorry, if you want that, go find a Babywise board. They'll tell you it's fine to let your baby soak in piss for 3 hours. You can't let that newborn think they're in charge!

Into+the+Kitty

tokenhoser:

No, this community's aim is NOT to support mothers at the detriment of babies.

Sorry, if you want that, go find a Babywise board. They'll tell you it's fine to let your baby soak in piss for 3 hours. You can't let that newborn think they're in charge!

Um, yeah this. You don't just get to do whatever the fluck you want and slap the "parenting decision" label on it.

I beat my kid with a belt when he acts up. I don't leave bruises though. Parenting decision!

I let my kid sit in his own waste for hours on end. Parenting decision!

Some parenting decisions are controversial, like AP, extended breastfeeding, cloth diapering. Your "parenting decision" is neglect.

epona3

lisslucier:

I change his diaper every 3 hrs. By the time 3 hrs are up the prefold is just soaked... I think half of it is seriously just sweat.

Like everyone else said - generally you need to change a 3 week old more than every 3 hours. That is why it is soaked - it's NOT the prefolds or sweat (even if it was, you'd probably still want to change him!)

I think they are too hot for him- they just don't breathe.

Cotton is the most breathable. The dipes are just soaked in pee.

And i don't want to wake up up just to change him more often when it's just a challenge to get him on a schedule in the first place.

Sorry that you might have to get up at night. He's three weeks old, which is much too early to be thinking about getting him on a schedule. At night, you may have to get up often to feed and change him - that is what infants do. Maybe get some hemp doublers for more absorbancy, but that is about all you can do.

Seriously, it's the diapering routine that people are criticizing, NOT the mention of Babywise.

sosoph

To address the diaper aspect of your question, diapers, whether cloth or disposable, should be changed every time a child pees/poos. Babies should not have waste sitting next to their skin, even if there is a stay dry later (or absorbent crystals), with the exception of over-night diapers.

So, change your LO when the diaper is wet, regardless of whether it's been 20 minutes or 3 hrs. It's unlikely that you'll find a newborn sized diaper to go that long for 2 reasons. 1. Since most newborns eat more often than every three hours, they wet their diapers more often than that so, on average, there's no need for more absorbency. When a toddler pees every few hours, it's a lot more pee, hence more absorbency. 2. Newborn diapers are tiny, and there's only so much fabric you can have without ridiculous bulk.