Fold a Cloth Diaper

Before you need to change a diaper, you must learn how to fold one correctly. In this article, you'll learn how to fold a cloth diaper prior to its use, including a variety of different types of cloth diaper folds.

Steps

Trifold / standard diaper fold

  1. Buy one to two cloth diapers (or at least one package). Bring them to the diaper-changing area. A good place is anywhere that has a flat surface and sides that the baby cannot roll over.
  2. Open the plastic bag-cover and pull out the diapers.
  3. Unfold one to two diapers and place them flat down on the table. The placement of the diaper should look like a vertical rectangle. If you're using two, they should be one on top of the other. Using two diapers is good for extra absorbency.
  4. Pick up the lower left corner of the diaper, and fold it about one third diagonally. The upper left corner should not move from its place.
  5. Pick up the lower right corner and mirror the first fold you made. The two folds will end up overlapped at the lower-center of the rectangle.
  6. Fold the bottom of the rectangle a third of the way up, so that you have a diaper that has a 6-ply (or in the case where you've used two diapers, a 12-ply) thickness.

Triangle diaper fold

  1. Starting with a square with one corner (bottom) pointing to you, fold the top corner down in half towards you to meet the bottom corner, so you end up with a triangle.
  2. Tighten the crease in the fold.
  3. Place the baby on the diaper. Keep the arrowed end pointing towards you.
  4. Pull inwards all three tips of the triangle (bottom, left, then right) and pin the diaper with a diaper pin at the center where all three corners overlap.

Bikini twist diaper fold

  1. Lay your cloth out flat into a vertical rectangle.
  2. Twist the bottom in a sort of crisscross fashion. If using a fleece liner, it needs to be placed lengthwise down the center stride (over the twisted area) in order to keep moisture from baby once the diaper's front is pulled up over the baby's stride. If you are adding a diaper doubler for extra absorbency, place directly lengthwise beneath the baby just as you would the fleece liner.
    • Unless thin and narrow, diaper doublers do not work well with this fold.

  3. Place the baby on top and fold the bottom edge of the cloth up, keeping it twisted.
  4. Fold down the new top edge (and back if necessary) at the waist where it will fit comfortably and snugly beneath a diaper cover. This will also help to hold the twisted portion in place.
  5. Wrap the left and right wings snug, pulling up more to get a snugger fit on the thigh. Pin both sides with diaper pins.
    • If needed, tuck the layers at the leg to ensure "containment" of any messes.
    • Back wings wrap around the baby, and can be pinned with safety locking diaper pins, through the front panel that was folded up.
    • If pinning, do not try to pin through all layers-just catch one or two. Keep fingers under diaper layers to ensure you do not stick the baby.

Kite-fold diaper fold

  1. Lay a rectangular cloth diaper horizontally across the table.
  2. Fold one side (either right or left) of the diaper inwards about a quarter of the way to make the diaper into a square.
  3. Turn it, so that one point or corner of the square is facing you. Fold the right corner approximately to the center.
  4. Fold the left corner into the same vicinity (the center of the diaper). Make sure the sides of the left and right folds will slightly overlap at the center. It should look like a kite now.
  5. Fold the top corner down over the first two folds.
  6. Fold the bottom tip about a quarter of the way up.
  7. Fold this portion up again with a slight amount of extra room so that the folded portion creates a trapezoidal shape.
  8. Remember the trapezoidal shape and open up the fold again. Place the baby onto the diaper. Fold the bottom back up and over the baby (into the trapezoidal shape) and pin at both sides.

Origami diaper fold

  1. This is the same as the kite-fold, except the the bottom fold is pinned on top of the left and right folds with only one diaper pin at the center.

Terry-square diaper fold

  1. Create a square diaper as was done in the first two steps of the kite-fold. Turn it so that the folded side is at the bottom.
  2. Fold the lower left and lower right corners diagonally a quarter of the square. These corners should hit the center of the square (forming a triangle bottom facing you).
  3. Fold up the bottom point to the center.
  4. Fold in the left and right sides so they meet in the middle. Try not to let the two top corners move much.
  5. Place the Avoid Sunburning Your Baby on the diaper. Fold the bottom up and over. Fold the left and right corners to the center. Fasten with two diaper pins.

Angel wing folds

  1. Looking at a vertical rectangle, fold the diaper into thirds - bring the the left and right sides of the diaper to overlap at the center to form a pad.
  2. Fold the bottom up a quarter of the way.
  3. Spread or fan open the top (for maximum coverage), forming two wings.
  4. Place the diaper under the baby.
  5. Bring the bottom up between the baby's legs. Bring the two wings around from the back and pin.
    • Again, be sure to push the pin through only a few layers of fabric. You may also use a Snappi diaper fastener as directed instead of pins.

  6. Use two diapers, if you are a heavy wetter. Follow all of the directions outlined in the "Basic Angel-Wing" steps, with two diapers stacked on top of each other.

Navel defense diaper fold

  1. Lay the diaper on the change table, flat and horizontal.
  2. Fold in the sides so that they overlap in the middle.
  3. Fold the bottom upwards one fifth of the way.
  4. Flare out the top.
  5. Place the baby on the diaper.
  6. Fold the bottom upwards between baby's legs. Fold sides inward and pin at each side.



Tips

  • As the baby grows, you may have to release the first and second main sides a bit, but make sure to fold the third fold at least once to ensure some absorbency.
  • Cloth diapers usually come pre-folded to 14 inches by 20 inches (35.5cm to 50.8cm), but you may have to fold them more to ensure snugness. Most diaper services will provide pre-folded diapers, but you may fold them yourself, to ensure a better fit on your baby.
  • To fold a cloth diaper, it really doesn't matter who folds the diaper. Whether it be the husband in the group or the wife in the group (or even a young child in elementary school, middle school, or high-school), folding a cloth diaper can be folded by pretty-much anyone who has the ability and the things needed to fold other pieces of wash. And even if you are handicapped, you can do this too; it's that simple.

Warnings

  • The Navel Defense Fold should only be used while the baby's navel is healing, within the first few weeks of life. If using this fold, switch to a standard or other fold, after the navel has fully/entirely healed.
  • Never leave a baby unattended when changing on a surface above the ground. Your baby can easily roll or fall off in just a moment of your back being turned.

Things You'll Need

  • 1 cloth diaper
  • 1 flat surface that is safe for baby to be on - a changing table with sides is best
  • A pair of scissors or a cutting utensil (optional, only if needed)

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