I'll admit, at first blush, I wasn't exactly knocked over by the pre-fold.
They lack a certain...shall we say...curb appeal. No patterns, no prints, no fancy packaging, no fanciness of any kind in fact. They're easily lost in the crowd, especially compared to the high-tech appearance of all-in-ones and fitteds.
Perhaps you've never noticed them. Perhaps you're even wondering, "What in the hell is a pre-fold?"
Well, a pre-fold is a square cloth diaper insert. It consists of several layers of organic, unbleached cotton with stitching that allows you to easily fold it into thirds along the seams. Once folded into thirds, you simply lay it in a diaper cover and put it on dear baby's bum. It's so simple it makes simple look complicated! I used to think pre-folds were so archaic looking that they just HAD to be a lot of work.
How did I end up a lover of the pre-fold?
A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about my dear baby's rosy red rump. He had a lobster-esque rash all over his bum and I couldn't figure out why. At the time of the post, I thought I had solved the problem by switching to cloth wipes, however, a few days later the rash was back. It was suggested to me by my fabulous cloth diaper guru at ReDiaper that my dear baby may have a sensitivity to the polyester in my bG's and Flip inserts. She suggested that I try a natural-fiber insert and so she sold me a six-pack of Bummis 100% Certified Organic Cotton Infant-sized Pre-Folds for $16.50.
Yes, you read that correctly. Six all-natural, certified organic, maintenance free, beautifully absorbent diapers for about HALF the price of what I pay for a single organic bumGenius diaper. I am at once delighted and outraged. I mean, honestly, I've seen these pre-folds in diaper shops for ages and I've never thought twice about them because I assumed that the low price meant low quality.
So what's the verdict?
I totally love them. They are remarkably soft and absorbent. There is no pins, no stuffing, no rinsing, no fuss, no muss- just wash, fold and away you go. Dear baby's rash has cleared up (although I have also switched several other things, and therefore am yet to determine what caused the rash exactly). I am head-over-heels for pre-folds now. You can purchase your entire diapering system, from birth to potty training (including covers, wetbags, liners, boosters, 24 infant diapers and 18 toddler diapers) for $300! Now don't get me wrong, I do love my bG's and will continue to use them so long as they are not the cause of dear baby's red caboose, but I am kicking myself for not giving pre-folds a try sooner. I really have no excuse because my good friend and diaper papa, J, recommended them to me months ago but I was in designer-diaper snobland and didn't give pre-folds a second thought.
So there you have it, if you are looking for a truly economical cloth diapering system that gets the job done, give pre-folds a chance. I am still using my bG's (with an organic-cotton washable liner against dear baby's bottom) overnight, but I can't say enough about how great the pre-folds have been for day-time and, in particular, travel. I can easily fit a half-dozen pre-folds in my diaper bag whereas 6 pocket diapers would take up the whole darn thing. These diapers definitely have a permanent place in my stash and will be added to my list of top products that I use.
Diadima xo
They lack a certain...shall we say...curb appeal. No patterns, no prints, no fancy packaging, no fanciness of any kind in fact. They're easily lost in the crowd, especially compared to the high-tech appearance of all-in-ones and fitteds.
Perhaps you've never noticed them. Perhaps you're even wondering, "What in the hell is a pre-fold?"
Well, a pre-fold is a square cloth diaper insert. It consists of several layers of organic, unbleached cotton with stitching that allows you to easily fold it into thirds along the seams. Once folded into thirds, you simply lay it in a diaper cover and put it on dear baby's bum. It's so simple it makes simple look complicated! I used to think pre-folds were so archaic looking that they just HAD to be a lot of work.
How did I end up a lover of the pre-fold?
A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about my dear baby's rosy red rump. He had a lobster-esque rash all over his bum and I couldn't figure out why. At the time of the post, I thought I had solved the problem by switching to cloth wipes, however, a few days later the rash was back. It was suggested to me by my fabulous cloth diaper guru at ReDiaper that my dear baby may have a sensitivity to the polyester in my bG's and Flip inserts. She suggested that I try a natural-fiber insert and so she sold me a six-pack of Bummis 100% Certified Organic Cotton Infant-sized Pre-Folds for $16.50.
Yes, you read that correctly. Six all-natural, certified organic, maintenance free, beautifully absorbent diapers for about HALF the price of what I pay for a single organic bumGenius diaper. I am at once delighted and outraged. I mean, honestly, I've seen these pre-folds in diaper shops for ages and I've never thought twice about them because I assumed that the low price meant low quality.
So what's the verdict?
I totally love them. They are remarkably soft and absorbent. There is no pins, no stuffing, no rinsing, no fuss, no muss- just wash, fold and away you go. Dear baby's rash has cleared up (although I have also switched several other things, and therefore am yet to determine what caused the rash exactly). I am head-over-heels for pre-folds now. You can purchase your entire diapering system, from birth to potty training (including covers, wetbags, liners, boosters, 24 infant diapers and 18 toddler diapers) for $300! Now don't get me wrong, I do love my bG's and will continue to use them so long as they are not the cause of dear baby's red caboose, but I am kicking myself for not giving pre-folds a try sooner. I really have no excuse because my good friend and diaper papa, J, recommended them to me months ago but I was in designer-diaper snobland and didn't give pre-folds a second thought.
So there you have it, if you are looking for a truly economical cloth diapering system that gets the job done, give pre-folds a chance. I am still using my bG's (with an organic-cotton washable liner against dear baby's bottom) overnight, but I can't say enough about how great the pre-folds have been for day-time and, in particular, travel. I can easily fit a half-dozen pre-folds in my diaper bag whereas 6 pocket diapers would take up the whole darn thing. These diapers definitely have a permanent place in my stash and will be added to my list of top products that I use.
Diadima xo
Am I the diaper papa??? :)
ReplyDeleteThe pre-folds are great - like you they aren't our primary diaper, but we do use them. And like you said, they're way cheaper. The thing to keep in mind is that there is an infant size and a toddler size, so you do need to buy more at some point. Luckily they are inexpensive. And also, when you're all done having kids they make great rags. Otherwise, like with your other cloth diapers, just keep on reusing them as long as you're having kids. I think I read somewhere that the average child costs $5,000 in disposable diapers. We've spent, maybe, $600. And we'll be able to use that for multiple kids. HUGE savings!
you are the diaper papa! and although it seems to good to be true, the $300 cost that I mentioned in the post covers both the infant and toddler sizes of inserts and covers.
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