Hello! I have made it to Day 5 of the flats and handwashing challenge! The topic for today is how I make flat diapers work. I have experimented with all kinds of folds and they are all great, but I do have some favorites. I like folds that have the most absorbency on the front since I have a boy and I prefer to pin or snappi them on my baby. I find that it fits better that way and that it also contains everything better. I do not own the copyrights for the following pictures that have an * next to the name of the fold. I found them online rather than having to reinvent the wheel.

Daily 

1. Jo fold* 

• This was one of the first folds that I learned and I loved that I could fold them after doing laundry and have them ready to be used. It’s like having a fitted. 🙂 This one is actually my husband’s favorite fold because it is already folded for him to put on our baby.

2. Airplane/Diaperbag Variation

• I came up with this fold in trying to get as many layers on the front for my son.  I am pretty sure someone already invented this fold since there is nothing new under the sun, but I haven’t seen a video on this so I thought I would share. If you do know the name of this fold, please let me now in the comment section. I find that I have a lot more absorbency in the front with this fold than with the Jo fold or Diaperbag fold.
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

3. Kite Fold*

• This isn’t my first go-to-fold, but I do like it because it is pretty simple, it fits well, and it keeps things interesting when I want something different.

Outings 

1. Pad folding
   • I love pad folding flats in covers that have flaps and keeping them in my diaper bag for outings. It is just like using an all in one! I especially like using my Green Mountain Diapers’ muslin flat in flip covers. They hold a lot, are soft, and fit perfectly in my capri and flip covers. I fold it in half three times.
     

     

Poop Catchers

1. Neat fold*
   • This fold is fantastic for whenever I am expecting baby to poop. I like that it is one clean canvas that way I am not trying to rinse off the whole flat. I just need to rinse one side. I use this fold particularly with an Orange Diaper Co (ODC) bamboo terry flat because I can get a better fit around baby’s leg and it contain everything a lot better than when using a regular cotton or bamboo birdseye. Check out this video to learn how to create the neat fold using an ODC  flat.
2.  Disana Tie Nappy*
   • I like using this German brand diaper in conjunction with either a pad folded flat or any kind of “fitted” flat. Using this system helps to contain everything in case the flat doesn’t catch everything.

Napping/Nighttime 

1. Origami Fold 
   • I never really understood why so many moms love this fold when there are other folds that are “easier” to put on baby. However, I decided to give the origami fold a try for this challenge and I found that I actually really do like it. The long wings always turned me off, but I have learned to look passed it and make it work by folding the wings in. So for nighttime I use a Green Mountain Diaper’s muslin flat in an origami fold and pad fold a small bamboo terry flat (ODC). This combo works fantastic on my son and it is not overly bulky. I pair it with a disana wool soaker.
     

     

     
2. Jo Fold (bamboo terry)
   • I use a toddler size ODC bamboo terry in the Jo fold for night and I don’t add anything to it. This diaper is already super absorbent on its own. Again, I pair it with a wool cover.

Now that I have shared some of my favorite ways of using flats, you can see how versatile they are and how you can make them work as an everyday diaper. Like I said in a previous post, you simply cannot go wrong with having some flats in your stash.

Check out DDL to read how other mom’s make flats work for them! You will see how there is a fold for every mom!

I hope you enjoyed this post and that you will give flats a try.