Cloth Diaper Prefolds - They Are Not All Same

I was talking with a good friend and she told me afound with birdseye cotton as well). There is, however,
story of her exposure to cloth diapering. At a friendsanother option in prefolds. This second type of prefold
house, she witnessed a complete blowout where theavailable seems better equipped to avoid some
cloth diaper did not absorb or hold anything in. Theproblems seen in the story above. We'll refer to this
baby was then placed in the toilet for the usualprefold as Diaper Service Quality (or DSQ). These two
'dunking' of baby to wash the mess up. At thetypes of prefolds offer a vast difference in thickness,
witnessing of this whole process, she vowed not tosoftness, absorbency, fabric and overall performance.
use cloth diapers!First, we'll look at gauze prefolds. They are commonly
After a good laugh, this story got me thinking aboutmade from gauze and sometimes birdseye cotton
what went wrong and the message it sent about cloth(There is a flannel version, but after trying them I
diapering. There are, in parenting, times of unavoidablebelieve they are meant to be used as burp cloths as
blowouts. But with a diapering system that isopposed to diapers!). I have only seen them offered in
absorbent and has the right fit, these times should beone size. These will thicken and become somewhat
the exception, not the norm. Don't fear the cloth diaper!!more absorbent when washed. Overall, however, I find
In an attempt to address one area of problems in cloththem to be lacking in softness and absorbency. A
diapering, let's take a look at prefold options availableblowout would occur much sooner in gauze than DSQ
for purchase and their features.because the DSQ would absorb while gauze diapers
Watch for quality of fabrics used, their absorbencywould deflect a bit due to their fabric nature. The
properties and filler materials used. These can varygauze diapers never seem to reach the thickness,
and greatly affect the performance of the diaper.softness and absorbency levels of the DSQ diapers.
Common fabrics used in prefolds are birdseye cotton,Gauze diapers do, however, have their place for great
gauze, twill, flannel, terry cloth and stretch terry. Theseuse. They are great folded in thirds lengthwise and
fabrics have different absorption rates, softness andinserted into pocket diapers. Used in this manner, they
different drying times. All of these are importantprovide quite a bit of absorbency and are a wonderful
factors as we obviously want the best of all worlds;solution for the older, heavier wetter. I also find these
great absorption, soft and quick-drying!! I discuss fabricto work great for use with my newborn as they are
absorption details greater in The Complete Clothless bulky and more trim to fold down on her tiny body.
Diaper Book.I did have to modify the size a bit to avoid the bulk. I
When purchasing prefolds, you'll notice 3 numbersjust serged the edges down to the size that worked
given in reference to the diaper, such as 4-8-4. Thefor my baby. Or, you could use these with an extra
three layering numbers refer to the number of fabricsoaker/doubler inserted to boost the absorbency.
layers of the three panels of the prefold diaper withThese are about half the price of DSQ prefolds. Note:
the middle panel being the thickest. Thicker diapers areThese prefolds are sometimes labeled DSQ, but are
generally preferred for home diapering due to thenot truly near the quality of DSQ!
added absorbency. The things to consider whenDiaper Service Quality, or DSQ prefolds are thick,
selecting thickness are absorbency, quantity of diapersabsorbent, heavy-duty and soft. I have found them to
you have available to you, drying times and bulkiness.be much more absorbent. They can often be
Six and eight layer prefolds are the most common, butpurchased directly through diaper services or at a
four and ten layer options are available for a preemie,variety of online retailers (I have not seen them in
or a larger, heavy wetter. Obviously, more layers arestorefronts yet!). Twill cotton is a common fabric used
better for more absorbency, but it will also be a thickerin these heavier diapers. Unbleached cotton prefolds
diaper so keep that in mind in terms of fit and dryingwill last longer than bleached white cotton. This is
time.because the bleaching process wears on the cotton
There are many sizes of prefolds to accommodatefibers. Some mothers also prefer the unbleached in
for different age and size babies. This is an advantageorder to ensure their babies tushie is not exposed to
because even though you can fold the larger ones tochemicals/bleach and because the bleaching process
fit a small baby, it will be QUITE bulky and makeis harsh on the environment. Online retailers of DSQ
dressing your child an interesting experience. Try fittingdiapers will often offer both bleached and unbleached
tiny newborn pants or sleeper over a little bowling ballfor purchase. Before I wrote The Complete Cloth
tushie!! So, you can make or purchase prefolds rangingDiaper Book, I sold various diapers online and
in sizes for preemie to mega toddler. The dimensionsunbleached prefolds were very popular. Once you use
range from 9.5" X 13" to 17.5" X 23".a true DSQ, you will definitely know the difference.
Many people are only exposed to the prefolds found inIf you or a friend are in the market for prefolds and
retail storefronts (grocery stores, department stores,are looking for greater absorbency and softness, you
large baby stores, etc.). For discussion purposes heremay want to purchase true DSQ's.
we'll refer to these as gauze prefolds (some are