Prefold cloth diapers are the thick rectangles of absorbent cotton fabric that most people think of as cloth diapers. Prefolds often get a bad rap because many people have only seen the inferior “diapers” made by big companies. They don’t realize that not all prefold cloth diapers are created equal. The cloth diapers you’ll find in big stores are often made with polyester batting (it says so right on the label). Or, they are made from very thin fabric with just a few layers. Really, they are intended to be used as bupr cloths – and not very good burp cloths either.

These inferior diapers don’t absorb well, so they are bound to leak! Worse, most people have never heard of modern cloth diaper covers – so they try to make it all work with plastic pants. Plastic pants are crinkly, they don’t wash well, and they hold odors badly. Chances are, if someone has “tried” cloth diapers had leaks – it is because they were sold these inferior diapers. For real absorbency, you need several layers of soft, absorbent 100 % cotton. Diaper service quality prefolds, the kind you’ll find at specialty cloth diaper retailers like Little for Now and PrefoldClothDiapers.com , are what you need for a dry and happy baby. A dry baby makes a happy mama too!

You can toss out the idea of diaper pins as well, these days most parents use either a snug fitting diaper cover to hold the diaper on (not my favorite method), or an easy to use Snappi diaper fastener. The Snappi holds the diaper on snugly, yet is easy to remove.

When you shop for prefold cloth diapers, you’ll find that there are two main kinds. Indian prefolds and Chinese prefolds. Those names simply refer to where the diapers are made. Indian prefolds tend to be a bit softer and slightly more absorbent. Chinese prefolds tend to be more durable. Honestly, the differences are slight, although you’ll find many people who swear one is better than the other. I have used both on my baby and have no real preference.

No matter which kind of diaper service quality prefolds you choose, you’ll enjoy how well they work and how easy they are to use. I have used prefold cloth diapers on my little girl at least half the time over the last 17 months (starting right from birth) and we love how easy they are to use.