Fitted Diapers

What are fitted diapers, and how do they differ from prefolds? Fitted diapers are diapers that are contoured and have elastic around the legs and/or waist to better fit your baby. Fitted diapers are similar to prefolds in that they need a diaper cover. They can be many different fabrics, but they don't need safety pins or Snappies. Or Snuggies, for that matter. Speaking of, do you want a homemade Snuggie? It's easy! Step 1: take out robe. Step 2: put it on backwards. My friend told me that, and I had to share because it makes me giggle.

Fitted diapers are more convenient for those 'rents who are looking for a diaper that has its own fastener, but still is very simple to use and effective. Fitted diapers usually come in different sizes. Small, medium, large, x-small, etc..., and every brand has different size specifications. Kind of like American woman's clothing. Because we are too cool to have our sizes equal our measurements like guys' clothing. Some fitted diapers even have cute belly button cutouts for their newborn sizes. Here are a couple of pictures of my beautiful model showing off her fitted dipe. This particular brand is Baby Beehind. Wonderful absorbency, but I have to say, the hemp can get a bit stinky. This one is actually supposedly a one-size fits all diaper. I cannot imagine it fitting on a newborn, but it does have a row of snaps that you can fold down in the front to make it smaller.




Here is a picture of another brand: Kissaluvs. They make great newborn dipes, and they are so soft and fluffy. Alaina can't fit into this one anymore, so I'll just show it to you to get an idea of what the shape looks like.





As for leak protection, I have never had a leak in a fitted diaper that was not due to operator error. Funny story, one night I had to work late, and my husband put Alaina to bed. We usually use fitted diapers for nighttime because the ones we have are too bulky for my taste for daytime use. Anyway, Daddy was so proud that he used a fitted diaper on Alaina that night all by himself (he's a pocket diaper or AIO man only. Articles to come...). Good Daddy. Oops. He forgot the diaper cover. Bad Daddy. Needless to say, by about 3 hours after she was in bed, the mattress pad was already wet. You need to also be careful to check to see you have covered the entire diaper with the diaper cover as well. One peak of the fitted or prefold will leak onto clothes. However, when used properly, fitteds are super absorbent.

Pros of Fitteds: They are much easier to use than prefolds. They don't require fasteners. They are fairly inexpensive. They are very absorbent.

Cons of Fitteds: They can be a bit bulky. Jeans are nearly impossible to wear (on the baby, not you). They are more expensive than prefolds, running about $4-$11 each. You still need that extra step of putting on a diaper cover (which may bother some men).

My Busy Schedule!

If you read my prefolds and flats article, and you would like to learn more about other types of cloth diapers out there, keep following me, and I will tell you! However, I must warn you, I am full swing into the school year, and being a guidance counselor by day makes it difficult to blog all the time. So, I will try to make it a point to blog on the days I have a little free time. With that being said, I will not be able to blog on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. They are just too crazy and busy.

Do any of you who work or regularly take your child to a child care facility of some sort notice a big difference on the days that your child is there vs. not there? Being a new mom, I had no idea how Alaina would be affected by different things. I love my daycare facility. I trust her teachers, and they have no problem with the cloth dipe thing. I will admit, Alaina may be a bit high maitenance (no idea where she got that from, LOL!), but she is the fussiest, crankiest child ever on the days that she is at daycare. It is exhausting just to heat up leftovers, let alone cook! I think I have figured out mostly why she has such a problem with daycare. She doesn't sleep nearly as much as she does when she is at home. She has to have more sleep than the average 14 month old, and I mean a lot more sleep. I actually had her tested for a thyroid problem a while back! But I need tons of sleep too, so like mother, like daughter I guess!

Ok, I've vented. But overall, my little "short stack" is smiley, giggly, and VERY silly! I cherish each and every day we get to spend together. She is truly a gift from God.