Prefolding...

While I have branched out to the more fancy diapering systems, I still rely on my good ol' prefolds with a simple cover.  We were given the gift of a diaper service when our son was first born, and we were so spoiled with it, as well as scared to have to wash poopy diapers on our own, that we keep the service up for the first 18 months of his life.  Using a prefold does come with a learning curve, but when you change 10 to 14 diapers a day, you get the hang of it quickly.  Infants are relatively cooperative with diaper changes.  They may cry, but they hardly squirm, so you can install a prefold when they're lying down.  If you're curious what the standard wear looks like, watch these videos.  They cover how to diaper a boy and how to diaper a girl.  In general the technique is the same.

I, however, do not have an infant.  In fact, I don't even use the changing table anymore.  This is actually good so I can move it into the nursery for baby girl to use when she arrives.  I have a toddler who loves to test mommy's patience when it comes to diaper changing time.  He will lay down on occassion for Daddy or Yamma (grandma), but he pretty much refuses to lay down for me (unless I put an iPad in his hands).  So I've adapted, and learned to put on a diaper, using the same fold and Snappi, while he's standing up.

Basically I fold down the front of the diaper a few inches first, then fold the front into thirds.  I leave the back opened up.  Typically I add a flushable liner to catch poop, or in this case since he was getting ready for a nap, an extra insert for absorbency.





Most of the time my son will spread his legs some when I tell him to so I can get that diaper situated.  Then while he faces away from me, I use my knee to hold the back against his bottom and I can reach around the front, securing the sides of the back around the front with the Snappi clip.



In the case of this afternoon when these pictures were taken, I had a pull up variety cover, but you can use a similar technique when putting on a snap or aplix cover.  Pull up the pants, and boom, done.

We did have a recent episode with a bacterial infection, so I've been extra cautious the last few days when cleaning up after poop.  This standing up change doesn't really give you the best view of all the possible creases and cracks that might need cleaning.  So, I have been lying him down when there's a poop.  But, I did notice how shoddy my technique has become when putting the diaper back on in this position.  I'd better get practicing for when the infant needs me to change her!