Cloth Diapering Saga: Part 3 (All About Poop)

You have been warned. This post is going to primarily be about poop. If you don't like it, don't read it.

As I have ventured into the world of cloth diapering, my days have been consumed trying to figure out the best way to contain poop. (Though I have to admit, it probably started back when I first became a mother and had to actually worry about poop getting anywhere and everywhere.) The other day I actually cheered aloud when I successfully contained two infant poops in a row. Yes, it has come to that.

Anyhow, I haven't been overly successful in keeping it away from the diaper cover, but I thought I'd share my efforts with you all in case you're trying the cloth diaper thing, too, or if you have any advice on what I may be doing wrong.

It all starts with the prefold. The first line of defense against poop leakage. At first I was only using a prefold, folded into thirds in a long rectangle, and slapped in a diaper cover. While this might be fine for solid poop, it does nothing to combat the squishy, slippery-ness that is infant poop. I did a little research and found that using a Snappi for infants works better, so I began a quest to figure this whole thing out. When it comes to folding a prefold, to be used in conjunction with a Snappi, you have to flare out the back and create a sort of pocket to catch the poop. Like this ...


Then you should set your baby in, since the whole thing is pointless without the baby, and bring the prefold around, flaring it out at the other end. I grab the back flare farthest from me, secure one side of the Snappi to it, and pull the Snappi across her waist. Like so ...

Then I pull the back flare closest to me up and secure the Snappi to that. Finally, I pull the center of the Snappi down and the bottom of the diaper up so it is closer to her skin (creating a better catcher, if you will) and fasten the last piece. Voila!

With the prefold securely in place, I put a diaper cover on. I have tried two different brands and have found Thirsties to work best for both kids; unlike the Bummis I tried, they don't leave a mark on my kiddos' legs. I just put the cover on like you would a regular diaper, make sure the prefold is tucked into it on all sides, and bada bing, bada boom ...

You have a diapered baby!

I have only had a couple leaks onto her clothes, but I have had numerous leaks onto the diaper cover itself. Thankfully, the Thirsties seem to be highly leak-resistant! Ah woo hoo!

They held yesterday when Baylor pooped in his cloth diaper, unbeknownst to me, and I took it off rather haphazardly. (Unprepared as I was, though, I got poop all over the place in the process of disposing of it. Definitely gonna have to work on that one!)