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cinderellabella
member
Prefolds..and a lot of questions
cinderellabella
member
I posted last night, wondering about the best diaper for a newborn, and this is kind of a spin off of that. Link from last night https://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/19845938.aspx
After opening my mind to prefolds I became completely overwhelmed by all of the different types - my mind is mush. I don't even know the difference between Diaper Service Quality, Chinese, or Indian. I searched online and they seem to be the same size, just different type of cotton or quilting?
Then I found fitteds that also need a cover but seem to be a little user friendly to a first time mom and CD user. The specific one I found is the Kissaluvs. Is this also newborn friendly, or should I stick with PF?
I'm really not trying to bombard you all with questions, I did try to find my answers online first. I just found more about folding technique (which seemed pretty easy to do) than an actual explanation of prefolds.
Phew...that got long..sorry Oh, and if you don't feel like writing it all out for me, maybe you could refer me to a website that completely explains it?
::deep breath::
TIA!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Prefolds..and a lot of questions
First, I would get diaper service quality since they will hold up better/ longer. The link at the end of my post will give you a page that talks about the benefits and drawbacks of Chinese and Indian prefolds. With that said we have unbleached Indian prefolds.??
When we have another baby I would like to get a mix of both prefolds and fitteds. I like prefolds better, but sometimes babies are squirmy and a fitted will make that easier. Also, if your mom or friend is going to change the baby a fitted will be easier.
I like kissaluvs size 0, but size 1 was not nearly absorbent enough when my DS got bigger. So, if I were you I would get 36 diapers. Maybe 24 prefolds and 12 fitteds.??
We never used KL0s, just pfs, so I can't speak to that, but the big thing between them and pfs for me is the cost difference. You will spend at least 3x a much doing KL0s as you will doing pfs. For something that we only used for 10-12 weeks, that was huge for us.
On pfs, you can use indian or chinese (or anything else) as long as they are diaper service quality. The i or c designation is where they are made, and the dsq designation refers to the quality of the diaper.
We used the dsq cpfs from www.moderndiapers.com with thirsties xs covers. I am pretty sure that moderndiapers has a page with the different types of diapers and pics of each type.
Diaper Service Quality = the ones you'll find on CD websites
All the rest = the ones you'll find at Target, BRU, etc.
A prefold can be in any fabric, but the most common is cotton.
2 types of cotton for prefolds: Indian and Chinese
2 conditions of cotton: Bleached and Unbleached
Sizes: GreenMountainDiapers.com has unique sizing that will actually fit your baby. (Orange, Yellow, Red, Brown, etc) Other sites selling prefolds will all have the same sizes (Preemie, Infant, Regular [premium refers to the thickness of the middle part], Toddler.) You'll have to fold down with the other sites sizes or trim them. (LittleLions.com sells prefolds that have been trimmed down - They're called Capris and are the same size as GMD yellows).
Uses: You can either snappi/ pin them on baby, or trifold and lay in cover. Trifolding (and fanning out the wings in the back) is easy and makes the diaper change basically the same as using an AIO, except that when you put the wet diaper in the pail, you shake the prefold out and keep the cover in your hand. You then wipe it clean and can re-use it. Once it's been used a number of times or has poop on it, you wash it as well. The covers can either be washed with your prefolds or with your baby's clothes.
Feel free to ask more questions if I haven't covered everything here.
ETA: We have tried all kinds - bleached Chinese, bleached Indian, unbleached Chinese, unbleached Indian, Regular GMD, Organic GMD, Non-GMD - you get the picture. Our absolute favorites are the GMD Organics - which are all Unbleached Indian.
I personally didn't care for KL0s - they didn't absorb as much as prefolds and they left huge marks on DDs legs. Plus, they are a lot more expensive than prefolds. Maybe just get a couple to try before investing in a bunch.
Geez, sorry I forgot to add the link.?
https://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?products_id=89
I'm sure most of the other posters have answered your questions better than I could, so I'll just weigh in on two things!
1 - loved our KL0's worked well for us for almost 3 months. I think with DC #2, we will do more pfs, but still get a few KL0's for middle of the night changes (as I found the snaps a bit easier & quicker than the pfs).
2 - love our thirsties covers, although I'd recommend trying out at least 2 different kinds. I'd go with 6 covers in the beginning if you're doing pfs - I tended to get a bit more poop on them with pfs than the KL0's, which just meant I had to wash the covers a bit more often. no biggie - didn't have any leaks or poopsplosions. www.nickisdiapers.com has free shipping on covers - so that's a great place to buy them!!
Also wanted to chime in that there is no "right" newborn diaper stash. What you end up having on hand, you'll figure out how to use it, trust me! That being said, I really wanted a combination of a little of everything. If you look in my blog, I've got several posts (as well as DD giving a "fashion show") on what I had and what we liked/didn't like about each diaper.
I liked having prefolds, fitteds, and all in ones (AIOs) personally. Plus, although fitteds can be more expensive, I really think they are a bigger "bang for your buck" than prefolds. I bought prefolds used, used them for about 6 wks, and then sold them again. Paid $25, sold them for $25, but the shipping was about $10. For fitteds, say KL0s (although I tried many kinds), I bought them for $9, sold them for $9 and I estimated they were around $.60 each to ship (I sold them in two groups). So they only cost me $.60 per diaper to use, where as the prefolds actually cost be about $1.25 each to use. (Yes, I work in finance, so I'm a nunbers person like that....)
PS - I have several VERY EXCELLENT used condition newborn covers I'm getting ready to sell. All bought new by me and still look brand new. If you are interested, PM before I get them listed tonight.
I also need a cover for those, right?
Yes, you'll need a cover... we preferred Thirsties Fab Fitteds to the KL0s also. They're softer and don't leave marks.