Cloth diaper suggestions

[babyboy061997]

Hello, all. I'm looking at getting started with flat cloth diapers, and I wanted to know what the largest flats are out there, and the best folds for bulk. If anyone has suggestions I'm all ears

 

[babyboy061997]

Bump

 

[MattTheCat]

Hello, all. I'm looking at getting started with flat cloth diapers, and I wanted to know what the largest flats are out there, and the best folds for bulk. If anyone has suggestions I'm all ears

Ecoable and babykins!

 

[Cottontail]

The trouble with adult flats, like the Purity brand sold by AdultClothDiaper.com (although this goes for basically all purpose-made adult flats), is that they're too small for most of the baby folds to work. You're pretty much stuck using them like prefolds. The Purity ones, for example, top out at 44x44 inches, which sounds big until you consider that a baby flat is commonly 30x30 inches. In prefolds, a medium adult diaper is about 2x the length and 2x the width of a large baby diaper, so it stands to reason that if you want to experience flat diapers the way a baby does, you'll want a diaper with dimensions at least double the baby equivalent--60x60 inches, maybe.

With that in mind, you'll be better off taking a flannel bed sheet, shortening it to a square, and hemming it. At least there are a lot of cute bed sheets out there. Too many Disney options to count.

TL;DR There kind of aren't any good ABDL flats.

But what's your waist size? I might have another interesting option for you.

 

[babyboy061997]

depending on which measure i go by, waist or hips, I am a 44 or a 40 respectively

 

[Diaperdudeinmass]

I tried to do cloth and just couldn’t get them to work good. Not sure if it was me or just that I was use to disposables. I gave up on them. Good luck if you go with them.

 

[CuddleWoozle]

They are different from disposies so I understand being annoyed with them. XD They gotta have time to absorb stuff and they will always feel wet once they're used. Like you've sat in a swimming pool. (Also let no tiny bit stick out of the waterproof pants...it'll wick all the moisture straight out into your clothing.)

It's too bad they don't have any good flats for adult sizes. But that is a good idea to find flannel sheets...if you can find them used at a thrift shop or something you can pick them up cheap.

I got prefolds from Changing Times that I don't even use because they're E-NOOOR-MOUS. As in so large on me that I can't get them to stay on. No matter what fold I use. My mom has said she will use one of my contours from Babykins as a template and turn them into contours for me but she hasn't had time. XD

 

[babyboy061997]

I'm not really looking for the absorbency, except for what leaks out of the main diaper, I was more looking to add bulk economically

 

[Cottontail]

depending on which measure i go by, waist or hips, I am a 44 or a 40 respectively

Ok, thanks. Yeah, you'd surely be disappointed with every purpose-made adult flat out there. Only the smallest of us (which doesn't include me either) would be able to do more than use those like prefolds. If you're really addicted to the idea of flats, definitely get some cute childish sheets and experiment with those. Queen sized would be good and would bring a lot of possibilities for baby-style folding. If you're handy with a sewing machine or have a friend or SO who can hem them, so much the better.

To those with waist sizes in the low-to-mid 30's who might still be inclined to go for something like the Purity flats (despite lack of folding options), I'd suggest going with some of the newfangled bamboo stretch flats for babies. The Fruit of the Womb "Caramel" is a good option, in Size 2/Toddler. Despite being 30x30 inches, you'll almost certainly find them a better fit and more comfortable than the larger Purity diapers because of the stretchy, form-fitting material, and the absorbency is amazing. Just stack a few of them. My favorite stretch diapers were the bamboo French terry flats from Sweet Iris Designs, which is unfortunately now defunct. FotW is a near second. No kite-folding or origami-folding with my 36" waist, but when worn like prefolds, they're still pretty darned good and comfy.

 

[LittleICme]

I have struggled with using cloth diapers for years. Never could get a good fit, good absorbancy, etc). But I kept trying occasionally, and I finally found something that works for me. I am 5-10, 175 pounds, 38 waist, 41 hips. I wear a Large in plastic pants.
My favorite cloth diaper setup is:

Adult Cloth Diaper Purity 44" FLATS ! For daytime I prefer the 2 ply (I tri-fold a standard baby flat as a booster down the middle). 3 diaper pins (one on each side and one in the middle to hold the diaper corners, and plastic pants. The fold is sometimes the hardest part. You want to get the most cloth down the middle but not give up length or width. Not always easy, but here is my fold and it seems to work great. I think it may be an A-fold or Angel Wing?? someone may be able to chime in on that?

Basically looks like a capital 'A' with a flat top. Lay the flat out square, fold one edge (front of diaper) down 3 to 6 inches...This is a length sizing adjustment), Fold each side inward to form the sides of the A. There should be about 6 to 8 inches of flat cloth across the front (that is the flat part of the A). You may have to adjust where the corner of the diaper lands (kinda in the frontal centerline of the diaper). I put a baby cloth diaper tri-folded as a booster down the middle. This puts lots of cloth layers up front for boys! Sit in the middle of the diaper and then fold in the sides of the A under your crotch, and pull up the front. Pull up the back wings (you get the full 44 inches of back panel), and Pin in place. I think you could get a 44/40 body in there.

For nighttime, I use the same daytime diaper setup, and I add a 4 layer flat pinned with the same folded over the top of the daytime setup (under the plastic pants of course!). During heavy output nights this might not be enough, and I will add one or two baby cloth diapers as a booster to the 4 layer diaper. If I do that I usually have to wear the high back waist plastic pants.

I find the 44 inch flats (Gauze) are the most comfortable, and get that quilted fluffiness to the diaper (especially the 4 layer gauze).
Hope that helps!

P.S. I often use the Northshore Megamax at nighttime and rarely get leaks, even as a slide sleeper. The key to avoid boy leaks up front is to fold the front 1 inch of waistband down inside the diaper which creates a small dam/barrier which minimizes leaks out the front waistband. You can also do this for the back side waistband, but I find it is not necessary due to the diaper/gel absorbancy/wicking actions.

 

[babyboy061997]

I have struggled with using cloth diapers for years. Never could get a good fit, good absorbancy, etc). But I kept trying occasionally, and I finally found something that works for me. I am 5-10, 175 pounds, 38 waist, 41 hips. I wear a Large in plastic pants.
My favorite cloth diaper setup is:

Adult Cloth Diaper Purity 44" FLATS ! For daytime I prefer the 2 ply (I tri-fold a standard baby flat as a booster down the middle). 3 diaper pins (one on each side and one in the middle to hold the diaper corners, and plastic pants. The fold is sometimes the hardest part. You want to get the most cloth down the middle but not give up length or width. Not always easy, but here is my fold and it seems to work great. I think it may be an A-fold or Angel Wing?? someone may be able to chime in on that?

Basically looks like a capital 'A' with a flat top. Lay the flat out square, fold one edge (front of diaper) down 3 to 6 inches...This is a length sizing adjustment), Fold each side inward to form the sides of the A. There should be about 6 to 8 inches of flat cloth across the front (that is the flat part of the A). You may have to adjust where the corner of the diaper lands (kinda in the frontal centerline of the diaper). I put a baby cloth diaper tri-folded as a booster down the middle. This puts lots of cloth layers up front for boys! Sit in the middle of the diaper and then fold in the sides of the A under your crotch, and pull up the front. Pull up the back wings (you get the full 44 inches of back panel), and Pin in place. I think you could get a 44/40 body in there.

Any chance you could put folding pictures up? thanks for the suggestion

 

[LittleICme]

Quick sketch of my cloth diaper fold attached.

 

[Isle]

Quick sketch of my cloth diaper fold attached.

Thank You for folding drawing! Thinking of getting flats as the prefolds take too much energy to dry, kind of defeats the purpose of not adding to the carbon footprint.
Its great when the sun shines though, they dry pretty fast outside on a line. What I have is the CTDC 4-10-4.
I use the snappi though to get a snug fit. I don't think you can use these with flats if you layer them. Using pins seems hard to get a snug fit.

 

[Cottontail]

I use the snappi though to get a snug fit. I don't think you can use these with flats if you layer them. Using pins seems hard to get a snug fit.

Interesting! I've had exactly the opposite experience with Snappis versus pins. The difficulty with Snappis is that there's literally nothing on them to support the sides of the diaper through the crotch. You've got only that one little claw in the front middle. For the sides, you're relying on friction, and for me, that's just not enough. A bit of moving around, and my diaper feels like boxer shorts, heh.

But body shape, diaper cover choice, and other factors definitely play into a choice of fastener. And compared to the diapers, the fasteners are pretty cheap, so there's no good reason not to try them all and see what works for you.

Its great when the sun shines though, they dry pretty fast outside on a line. What I have is the CTDC 4-10-4.

Yeah. Although the CTDC prefolds are my favorites, the 4x10x4 layering the CTDC and Rearz use is too much. I wish they'd go thinner. IMO Baby Pants had the right idea, sticking with the 4x8x4 layering of baby diapers. You'd be amazed how much more quickly they dry. It's silly to put more layers into a refold. If 4x8x4 isn't enough, just throw a baby diaper or booster pad on there, or double up.

Quick sketch of my cloth diaper fold attached.

Very similar to what I do. I usually fold the back in instead of the front, though, as otherwise the front is a little bulky for my liking.

 

[PeeJayTee]

I am just now trying Dependeco prefolds with 2 or 3 inserts and plastic pants for nightime during the week and I am digging them! They fit great and have elastic legs. Here's what I got in white along with Gary plastic pants from Northshore.

Adult Flannel Diaper

Two layers of 100 cotton flannel on the outside and alova suede inner 100 polyester to keep away moisture from the skin. Serged for superior durability. Sewn-in soaker pad made out off 4 layers of super absorbent microfiber. Hidden elastic around the legs and in the back for snug fit. Hook &...

dependeco-adult-diapers.com

Here's the inserts: http://dependeco-adult-diapers.com/catalog.php?item=10

 

[Lane2k]

Chiming in late...sorry

I had a seamstress make me 54" square flat diapers. Single thickness. Diaper Flannel
She took 2 pieces of 27" wide flannel, 54" long, as serged them side-by-side
I use a standard kite fold and add baby receiving blankets folded in thirds for stuffers. Usually 3 at a time.
40" waist...I can get the ends around the waist and across each other and use a single 4" pin to keep it all secure.
I needed to have a way it all came apart , then washed and dried easily. Single ply dries so much faster, line or drier.

I am considering 60" square to try it out....but only 2-ply are available online.

Lane

 

[sambus]

The trouble with adult flats, like the Purity brand sold by AdultClothDiaper.com (although this goes for basically all purpose-made adult flats), is that they're too small for most of the baby folds to work. You're pretty much stuck using them like prefolds. The Purity ones, for example, top out at 44x44 inches, which sounds big until you consider that a baby flat is commonly 30x30 inches. In prefolds, a medium adult diaper is about 2x the length and 2x the width of a large baby diaper, so it stands to reason that if you want to experience flat diapers the way a baby does, you'll want a diaper with dimensions at least double the baby equivalent--60x60 inches, maybe.

With that in mind, you'll be better off taking a flannel bed sheet, shortening it to a square, and hemming it. At least there are a lot of cute bed sheets out there. Too many Disney options to count.

TL;DR There kind of aren't any good ABDL flats.

But what's your waist size? I might have another interesting option for you.

Hi Cottontail, I understand what you say that 44x44 isn't enough bigger than 30x30, which is true if these are the numbers, but (in the UK at least), baby flats are 24x24 inches and one of the popular adult sizes is 48x48, so it is double. The popular adult sizes are 42 / 48 / 54 / 60 inches square and with my 34 inch waist, I use the 48x48 size. Also for babies, even 24x24 is on the big side, mothers used smaller ones on newborns, the 24x24 were for 6 months up to toddler age.

 

[Cottontail]

Happy New Year!!

Hi Cottontail, I understand what you say that 44x44 isn't enough bigger than 30x30, which is true if these are the numbers, but (in the UK at least), baby flats are 24x24 inches and one of the popular adult sizes is 48x48, so it is double. The popular adult sizes are 42 / 48 / 54 / 60 inches square and with my 34 inch waist, I use the 48x48 size. Also for babies, even 24x24 is on the big side, mothers used smaller ones on newborns, the 24x24 were for 6 months up to toddler age.

I get it. It is all down to what folds you expect to use. Popular flat diaper folds (in the US) include the "kite fold" and "origami fold," for example. Both of these, if used on a 24x24-inch diaper, will produce something only suitable for an infant. Here's an illustration of the classic "kite fold." If you do this on a 24x24-inch square of fabric, you'll find that the total width (front + back) comes out to about 28.5 inches, and the length to about 13.75 inches. Of course, you can vary the fold a little bit to add length, but then the width decreases and the front quickly becomes too narrow.

And all of that assumes no fabric shrinkage, which of course isn't realistic. Common shrinkage for gauze and twill diaper fabrics is on the order of 10-15%. Factor that in, and the length of the kite-folded 24x24-inch square is more likely to be about 12 inches, or half the side measurement of the square. 12 inches is on par with the length of a common "small" baby prefold, aimed at babies 6 months of age and younger.

If you apply that same 50% ratio to a 44-inch Purity flat, you get a length of 22 inches. By comparison, AdultClothDiaper's own "X-small" adult prefold has an unwashed length of 28 inches, which will be 25-ish inches after shrinkage.

If we narrow the scope of our investigation to just the US, you have to admit that it's weird/annoying/confusing having 44-inch flats sold as "adult-sized," while in the same market the baby-sized flats are 30 inches. You simply can't expect to fit an adult in a 44-inch diaper if it's folded the same way as a 30-inch baby diaper. That's all. AdultClothDiaper's own folding page advises simply folding the flats the same way as you would a prefold, which you'd never do on a baby (on this side of the pond). If you're an AB who's burdened with an expectation of authenticity, this is obviously a "fail."