Jun 25, 2011

flat is fab

my first ever attempt at using a flat 
Over the past few days I have gone back to basics and have been giving flats a bit of a go... I really did think I wouldn't like them, or that I'd think they were 'okay', but then not really give them a second look.  HOWEVER, I am thoroughly impressed by these 'old school' diapers, and think they may become an important component of my fluffy wardrobe. They are definitely on par with prefolds, and possibly actually better [in my opinion] than prefolds, because of the variety of ways they can be folded, and the fact that they are really a one size fits all diaper solution... I find that with prefolds, once Emersyn has grown and is closer to the end of the weight range for a certain size of prefold, they become quite hard to do up - there isn't a lot of fabric left at the 'wings' of the diaper.  Admittedly with a snappi this doesn't cause a lot of problems, but if you're pinning - it does.
 
Why do I like them?  I think it's the absorbency mainly - and the fac t they can be folded in certain ways, so that the absorbency is where you need it.  I have tried three folds - the airplane fold, the origami fold and the kite fold, and I think my favourite of the three is the origami fold.  I remember my Mum [and Aunties] using the origami fold on my sister and cousins - and it always looked so hard, and complex - very adult... but it only took a couple of goes before I felt like I was somewhat a pro.  I think that is part of what is so great about flats - they are almost the 'blank canvas' of the diaper world - and you can modify them to suit your own needs...  I imagine the airplane fold is great for using on boys, and the kite fold is probably very adjustable and could be used on a newborn.  


I have actually found flats to be so good, that I'm now using them overnight.  I have found that for Emersyn they are best used in the origami fold, with a Real Nappies night time booster pad on top - and then a pad folded flat on top of that... there are umpteen layers of absorbency - WHERE it is needed,  and when accompanied by a fleece cover, or a Bummis Super Whisper Wrap, they seem very much leakproof - and foolproof.

So are flats overrated?  In MY opinion - NO... infact, I think it's quite the opposite - flats are UNDERRATED...

2 comments:

  1. I have been contemplating trying them and your post just gave me that much more of a push...I'm off to investigate options and where to buy. Great post!

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  2. thanks Liz. They are something I truly never thought I'd use, but it hasn't taken long for me to become a huge fan.. look out soon for fold tutorials :)

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