Information center: How to Diaper

Parent To Parent Helpful Hints On Diapering Techniques

The "Twist" Fold
The Twist is helpful to use for newborns if you are concerned about bulk. It also works well as an alternative for diapering boys.
Rebecca of San Francisco writes, "Eight years ago I learned to diaper my first boy with a method called "the twist". If I hadn't learned it, I might have given up on cloth diapers, but this method keeps them on the baby and makes leaks a minimum. It creates a "pocket"in back and extra padding in front."

Extra bulk between a newborns legs helps their continued post-birth hip development. It is not uncomfortable and has no short or long term effects.

	Step 1. Start with the diaper open and flat on a Velcro wrap. Lay the baby on top.
	Step 2. Cross your arms and pick up the closest corners to you in each hand. (With babies at the wiggling stage, do the twist with one hand while the other hand holds the torso of your child.)
	Step 3. Uncross your arms as you bring the diaper up through the baby’s legs. (If the diaper comes up to the belly button, fold it down to 1 inch below the navel to focus absorbency down low where it is needed.)
	Step 4. Close the Velcro wrap around the diaper. (You may want to further secure the diaper with a Snappi clip).

The Freedom Diaper
Try what our family calls the "Freedom Diaper". It has worked great for us.

• Cut the bottom arm off a Snappi Clip. This will leave you with a straight Snappi (you have removed the T aspect)-this will keep baby's leg from getting snagged.
• Lay baby/toddler on diaper as usual. Pull entire front of diaper up belly - it should about reach the neck.
• Attach the two sides of Snappi clip, and fold remaining diaper down. This creates a flap that hangs over the clip (generally deterring self-removal).
• This allows a lot of air into the diaper, but holds the other stuff in.0 This method of diapering at home works great for potty training.

Diapering For Girls
Tracy, San Francisco
For nighttime, put a cloth diaper inside of a Kushies flannel-lined diaper. It is virtually leak proof no matter how much they drink before bed.

The best folding technique I've found is to order diapers in a size where the width (not length) fills the diaper wrap with about ½ inch to spare at either end. Then fold the diaper widthwise (not lengthwise) four times and put it in the wrap.

For girls, of which I have three, this puts the thickest part of the diaper right where it's needed. It also makes for a neat wrap that can be made up in advance. Just keep it closed with the Velcro until needed. It makes using cloth diapers as easy as disposables.

View our online diapering videos “How to Diaper a Girl” and “How to Diaper a Boy”.

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