6 Methods for Folding a Cloth Diaper

Cloth diapers have been around for a long, long time. They’ve kept babies clean, dry, and comfy for centuries. While most of today’s new mums and dads were raised primarily on disposable diapers, the cloth diapering trend has made a massive comeback, and for a good number of reasons!

Savvy parents are quickly making the switch to cloth diapers for two solid reasons: cost efficiency and minimizing environmental footprint. Unlike their disposable counterparts, cloth diapers can be used and re-used countless times until your little one is potty trained. This helps you glean massive savings throughout your diapering journey.

That said, if you’re looking to master the art of cloth diaper folding, we have a few techniques that will help make your life endlessly easier

What are the Most Common (and Convenient) Cloth Diaper Folds?

Here are the most common diaper folds to get you started with cloth diapering:

Triangle Fold

• Put a large square cotton cloth on the bed and fold it to form an upside-down triangle
• Place your baby on the triangle in a way that the longer edge stays behind their waist area
• Pull the bottom point up from between their legs and hold the point on their belly.
• Pull the left and right points to the center and use a faster to secure the cloth in place.

Pad Fold

• Place a large square or rectangular cotton cloth on the bed
• Bring the far right side into the center
• Place the far left side on top of the right side
• Grab a diaper cover and place the pad fold uniformly in the cover

Angel Wing Fold

• Place the diaper flat on an even surface
• Bring the far right side into the center and the far left side on the right side in a way that the diaper faces lengthwise
• Start folding the bottom point of the diaper into thirds
• “Unfold” the top edges of the diaper in a way that they resemble small “angel wings.”
• Once the wings are out, pull the bottom fold upward and place it on the baby’s belly, with the wings diverging out from the baby’s back.
• Place the wings on the bottom fold you just pulled upward and secure everything with a fastener

Jelly Roll Fold

• Place the diaper cloth on a flat surface and fold it to form an upside-down triangle.
• Start rolling the right and left lower corners inwards in a way that they meet at the center, forming a V-shape
• Place your baby on the cloth so that the flat edge stays behind their back
• Pull the rolled bottom of the diaper and place it on your baby’s stomach
• Bring the left and right edges to the center and use two fasteners to secure the fold in place 

Bikini Twist Fold

• Place the diaper on a flat surface
• Pull the bottom lower right corner to the left side and move the lower left corner to the right side in a way that it forms a 180-degree twist at the exact center.
• Put your baby on the diaper in a way that the twist falls between their legs with the top edge laying flat against your baby’s back
• Pull the bottom right and left edges up, placing them on the baby’s belly.
• Join the bottom edges with the top edges on both sides and secure the fold with two fasteners.

Newspaper Fold

• Place the fabric flat on a surface
• Place the bottom left point toward the far right end, without letting the left point touch the right point
• Place the bottom right point on top of the left one, a little above the line at the bottom
• Start folding the bottom area into thirds and pull it up till the baby’s belly
• Use a faster to bring all the points together

Why It’s Critical to Properly Fold Your Child’s Diaper

The importance of getting your diaper folds right cannot be stressed enough. Here are three solid reasons you must spend a good amount of time mastering the art of diaper folding:

• Avoid diaper disasters. This is a no-brainer. Poor diaper folding can leave spaces around your little one’s legs for poop to escape. Learning to fold it just right is critical to avoid the time-consuming (and frustrating) diaper disasters.
• Keep your baby’s bum comfy. When folded well, a cloth diaper leaves plenty of breathing room while preventing leakages to ensure your baby enjoys maximum comfort.
• Prevent rashes. Whereas folding a diaper can cause poop to escape from it, folding it too tightly can trigger rashes around your baby’s legs. Your final diaper fold should be tight enough to prevent leakages and roomy enough to prevent rashes.

Diaper Folding Tips

Cloth diapering is easier than you think! But until you master diaper folds, it’s important to:

• Practice, practice, practice. When you start learning about diaper folds, make sure you get ample practice before you’re finally ready to wrap it across your baby’s bum. Try the new folds you’ve just learned on a life-sized doll or a stuffed toy first. Realistically, it will take you several attempts to “get the hang of it.”
• Learn the basics of cloth diapering. If you’re new to the concept of cloth diapering, it’s important to invest in learning the basics of cloth diapering first. Knowing how to fold, launder, dry, and maintain a cloth diaper will allow you to determine the number of diapers and the type of diaper material you need. Experiment with both large squares of cotton cloth and pre-folded pieces to determine which ones are more convenient for you and your baby.
• Be patient. You won’t master diaper folding in a day. But with a little bit of practice and a good amount of patience, you’ll eventually get there!

Before We Part

Now that you’ve learned everything about diaper folds, it’s time to put your knowledge into practice. But if, like most parents, you’ve asked the question, “Could there be an easier way to go about my cloth diapering journey?” we’re here to tell you there is.

Instead of spending hours learning this method, invest in a BabeeGreens’ Cloth Diaper Kit instead! It comes with 13 one-size-fitted diapers, a natural wool cover, 6 doublers, organic nursing pads, and more to make your cloth diapering process a breeze!