For the origami-phobic, the thought of putting together something that involves pins, cloth, folding, and your newborn’s sensitive skin can be a little scary. Those who are truly worried have little to fear – the all-in-one and pocket diapers of today involve pre-installed metal and Velcro connectors.
If you’re looking into less expensive cloth diapering options, you may consider prefold diapers. These are simply a large rectangle of cloth that is well-padded in the center of the diaper. You fold the rectangle over your baby’s bottom, fold it, and clip it together on the sides. The clip can be a pin or other sort of clasp.
What are some of the ways to connect the sides of a cloth diaper?
The diaper pin is the old-fashioned, traditional method. Usually these pins have a safety lock to prevent children and klutzy adults from unlatching them by mistake. They often have a spring with a pinch guard to make it easier for adults to move the pins quickly without pinching fingertips. They come in cute colors with little pictures on the top, or in plain and simple pins.
A Snappi looks like a long, plastic “T.” It’s made out of polyurethane, and it comes in a number of different colors. The back of each point of the “T” has little teeth that grip the cloth. Place the Snappi on the front of the prefold and clip the clasps together to hold the fabric in place. Snappis can be quick and easy to use.
If you’re buying prefolds, play with the material in the store. Twist it and pin it to see how easy it is to move and to pin together. You will get used to the diapering moves over time, but at first it can be a challenge to do this with a wriggly baby, so get a diaper that makes you feel comfortable!