Flat fold tutorials - consolidated (SUPER pic heavy)

[christen]

First of all, I'm no expert but I love tutorials so I am trying to consolidate them, not links to them but the actual pics and everything! If you know of another one, please post a link to it here or PM it to me and I'll add it to this first post so all of them will be in the same place. If you have something else that would be helpful to contribute, like great tips for new flat users, please post those as well. TIA!

If you would like to add pics of your children in flats that would be greatly appreciated. Please let us know what kind of flat you are using including the material, the fold you used and the age/weight of the child for reference. AND don't forget to post a tip for using flats for new flat users.

For pics of flats on babies: Flats Picture Thread

Here is a link to the Terry Square Tutorial page on The Nappy Lady's website. I found it VERY helpful when I first started but I also know that sometimes pics are easier. If you scroll to the bottom of her page, there is also a diagram on how to do the fold. There are also a TON of videos on youtube but this site has all of them in one! These are just the links for flats but she has info on using prefolds (and alot of other things) as well.

The Nappy Lady's Terry Square Folds Tutorial
The Nappy Lady's Pad Folds - she has different version for boys and girls, these are for just pad folding and laying in a cover.

[christen]

Kite fold with Jelly Rolled edges:

Originally Posted by lauren420 ok here is how I do it, its harder to do on a doll lol! And the same diaper and fold on my 27lb 14 month old

Master Fold/Modified Kite Fold:

Originally Posted by mamainmaine OK - this is picture overload... but I'm excited about my flats! I loved prefolds, but he's in that too big for tiny prefolds, too small for everything else stage. I've made fitteds that I love, especially under longies - but I can't stand how long they take to dry. Now I have discovered my MASTER FOLD!!! THis works perfect for my super-soaky little boy - aka - lots of wet in front. It's quite like the kite/corner folds, but I haven't seen a tutorial similar to this - so I wanted to post in case it can be helpful! These are LL flats. GREAT flats! But it was tricky finding a fold that worked because they're not perfectly square. This one's working great! Oh - and a small bamboo flat that I fold up for a doubler for naps. You definitely need some kind of doubler.

[christen]

Rosieposie Angel Wing Fold:

Originally Posted by rosieposie143 LOVE flats, I'm buying more right now. I would destash some but I am so one of those people who say "but I will need that someday". To whoever asked about how we use them- you are a lucky duck I have pics. I don't like origami fold, it's waaaay too wide for my girls, I don't like having a lot of bulk around the waist/hips. Scratch that, I DETEST bulk on waist/hips. I have come up with my own angel-type fold to even lessen what is there. here's a mini-tute for ya, broken down into super easy mini steps. This is using what I think (bought off etsy) is a GMD med flat, but it may be LL. I have others that are for sure GMD and I do the same thing. First fold the hemmed edges together: Next bring bottom up to desired rise (I just fold it up all the way to make a square for my 7 mo): Then fold in right side: Then take the top 2 layers of what you just folded in and wing it out: Then do the same thing on the other side (except on this side you'll have 2 folds instead of 4 edges, just grab one of the folds): Then fold bottom up and pin or snappi: And here is my 2yo modeling a too-small version of this. This was before, when I just folded in quarters and did angel fold, rise is too short and not enough wrap-around. I love this because it's easy, puts so many layers in the stride of the diaper, and yet the wings are thick enough to hold a snappi but thin enough for my liking.

Diaperbag Fold:

Originally Posted by EricaLynn So I hardly ever take flats with me when I go out, but I mastered this neat little fold that is easy to take along So if anyone wants a new flat fold to try, heres a good one for moms on the move Fold in sides Fold up what will be the front Fold in one side And the other Fold down the back, this makes the fold more neat, creates a poo pocket and helps the rise adjustment This is when you either put it on the baby, or fold it up as I do to go in a diaper bag The fold in action Two flats folded in the bag (they are the white ones on the end ) And just because I feel the need to show off some mad pinning skills! WHoo! Thanks for staying with me all this time

[christen]

Origami fold:

Originally Posted by hurricanechelsea I hadn't seen any origami-fold tutorials on here, so I decided to make one, even though my baby is asleep and I don't have any big stuffed animals or dolls. Oh, and the only place I could do the tutorial was in his crib (he's in the bassinet right now). Anyway, I hope this is useful to someone The origami fold is waaay easier than it seems and works so well, and is quite trim (my baby weighs 15+ pounds and can wear an origami-folded flat in his XS Thirsties cover still!) Flat! Fold top to bottom. Fold left to right. Pick up the lower right-hand corner of the top layer of fabric. Pull it to the left so you get a nifty triangle. Nifty triangle. Pick up all the layers of fabric on the lower right-hand corner and flip over the diaper to the left. There's now a square of extra fabric. Pick up the square (not what's underneath it, just two layers of fabric) and fold it in half. Fold it in half again. Oooh, pretty. Turn it around and fold it down in the back (or front, though I think you'd have to roll in the sides to make that fit right) Put your baby on the diaper and fold up the front. Bring the sides in around the legs, and pin or snappi (you can fold in the extra little tails however you want, but I usually just leave them. With bigger babies you probably won't have that excess anyway) I think I included/explained everything. I hope nobody had done a tutorial for this already, haha.

Mini Kite Fold for newborns:

Originally Posted by ErinMartin This is a modified fold I merged together a few days ago and I LOVE IT! Thought I'd share with pictures My son is 3 weeks old and 9 1/2 lbs - the cover used is a Thirsties XS. Lay flat out Fold all four corners to the center Fold the left and right side in Fold the top down completely Fold the top down just a few inches (this helps to make a little pocket so poo doesn't go up and out the back during a blowout, and also gives stability to the tabs) Place baby down and fold the front in (I find that folding it in until the point touches baby's bum makes the perfect rise!) Jelly roll the legs Lift up the front, fold in the tabs and snappi or pin! What it looks like from the side, and with a cover And to see the trimness, here it is compared to an infant PF!

[christen]

Neat Fold and Origami Fold:

Originally Posted by GEM Cloth Please critique and comment, and add yours. Here is my favorite flat fold, if anyone knows what the name of it is or can tell me how to do it better I'd appreciate it. I love this fold because it gives us good coverage in the crotch. (ETA: This first fold is the Neat Fold. Lots of folds here: http://www.thenappylady.co.uk/public...ls.aspx?id=140) NEAT FOLD Start with your blanket in a diamond. Fold up the bottom corner. Fold down the top corner. Bring in one side, with the top corner touching the top edge of the blanket. Bring in the other side, also with the top corner touching the top edge. Presto, there you have it! Also here is the origami fold as I understand it. Lots of moms love this and it's easy to find on the Internet, but I'm putting it here anyway in case there is a way I could do it better. I don't like it because it's too narrow in the crotch for my son. (But I wonder if I could fold the soaker part in twice instead of three times and use a doubler.) Start with your blanket folded in fourths. Grab the corner of the first layer and pull it over to make a triangle shape. Now, grab the top edge and FLIP IT OVER so that the long part of the triangle is at the top and face down. (This is the confusing part.) The square part that is now on the top should be folded in three times to make the soaker. That's it! Just fold it up around the baby. If anyone has the link to the thread with the video on how to do this fold please post it. Also any better directions/photos would be appreciated. Receiving blankets/flats have so many uses and are so versatile.

[christen]

Simple Flat Fold:

Originally Posted by MamaOf3Cuties Ok... Last tutorial of the day because dd is getting tired. She's such a good baby. This is not my favorite fold because it's not as trim as the origami, but it's very, very easy to do. Start with your flat in one big square. Bring two of the edges together with the tips like this. Bring the other two edges together Your flat will look like this when it is finished with the fold. Now to put diaper on baby Place baby on center of diaper For smaller babies you will need to fold up the section at the bottom. This is a great fold for boy babies or tummy sleepers since all the excess material is where it needs to be. Fold edges under the baby's booty like you would do with a prefold thus creating leg sleeves. This is what diaper will look like when you're ready to fold up tummy panel and snappi or pin. Fold up tummy panel Bring up wings to get ready to pin or snappi Snappi on baby I always roll in the legs of this fold for better poop containment And here's a pic of the exhausted model after all of today's photo tutorials

Scroll Fold and Bikini Twist Fold:

Originally Posted by kelllilee hey all, I wanted to share a couple flat folds I've been playing with My DD is snoozing and I don't have someone to help take pics, so I used my mannequin so the fit isn't quite the same you'd get with a real baby, but for educational/demonstrative purposes it works. hopefully the pics aren't too big.. First up, what I call the "scroll fold". Similar to the jelly roll fold for prefolds: Start by folding the flat in half. Fold up in the front and down about 1-2" in the back. Adjust the front depending on what you need for the rise. Roll in both sides until they are about 2-3" apart in the middle. Lay baby on diaper and bring the front up fan out the back and front wings (dont' unroll between the legs, only unroll as much as you need for a wing) Snappi or pin, do the same to the other side and there you have it! Nice and snug around legs, no poop getting out of here! Next is the modified bikini twist. I couldn't find any good demo of how to do a bikini twist with a flat cause there was always extra bits of fabric hanging out, getting in the way, sagging, etc... So here's the best way to do it. It also puts LOTS of layers right in the wetzone. LOVE this one for overnights! Again start with the flat folded in half bring the front up to the level you need (practice will help you figure out how long to make it. You can also fold the back down if you think you need extra poop protection) Fold under to make a triangle with the top piece. Lay baby on the diaper and make your twist. Bring up between baby's legs, fan out and snappi/pin one side. Fasten other side. I typically have to adjust a couple times to get it really snug on the legs. With the bikini twist keep in mind that the front wing on the right tightens with the left back wing. With practice you can get it really nice and snug with no drooping. If the front is a little "baggy" above the snappi, just fold it down to give it a bit flatter appearance.

[christen]

Prefold Fold:

Originally Posted by cdmd1023 Im sure this is a lame fold and everyone knows how to do it, but Im sharing anyway sorry so big, photobucket sucks. step 1-lay your flat out step 2-fold in half step 3-fold one side in just past the center step 4-do the same with the other side, creating a 3" (or so) overlap in the middle, you could insert doubler in the layers step 5- do as you would with a prefold thanks for reading! This is what helped me learn to sew my own pf, along with the help of a wondering mama on here!

Kite Fold:

Originally Posted by stephcrouse I thought I would share this picture tutorial of the kite fold. It is done here with a LL flat.

[christen]

Kite with Origami on Top:

Originally Posted by Mom2EandA Hi there! I'm getting the hang of flats and thought I'd post some pictures. These are flats I bought from www.KeenBambino.com I use the origami fold on my 3 month old and the kite fold with origami laid on top for my 2-year old son. I think this video shows the origami fold the best http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv1CHwJvpPQ so I'm going to take a short cut and post that one and then my own pictures for the rest. Kite fold: Now I lay the origami on top: Fold sides in... flare out the ends a little: Fold up and close wings you can then snappi or pin. With the origami alone on my dd I roll the sides in to make gussets and just tie the long wings into a loose knot and throw a cover on and I have never had it come undone or leak. I'll try to get action shots in the future.

[christen]

Jo Fold:

Originally Posted by PurpleMonkey okay mamas I have a million pictures I hope I don't break your computers! I also want to add that my 29-month-old twins inform me whenever I give them a choice of diapers they always say "the pins" meaning flats (or prefolds) even though we have elbees and goodmamas and other dipes with OBV you would think they would like better. I think the flannel actually feels nice next to their bits. for my "flats" I use the 30 x 40" Carter's receiving blankets I got from Babies R Us. Here are just some of them how I fold: flat is turned upside down. I usually fold right out of the dryer so they are nice and fluffy and I get them folded PERFECTLY that way I fold about 10" where the tag is so later it's not sticking out. This is to make it even 30 x 30" and also to add more absorbency in the front. A lot of people say girls tend to pool urine in the back of the diaper but my girls' pee is always in the front fold over left point to center right point over. Adjust the width however way you prefer fold bottom up to center now top down I like to have my flats pre-adjusted just a TAD wider and longer than a GMD red (medium) prefold. This was embellished and dyed by me cause I'm crazy about pretty girl fabrics! next fold the left side to center like you're doing a prefold then the right side over. SKINNY! splay out the back wings just a tad. I try and keep this as skinny as possible so when I put it on my daughter I already KNOW the crotch is just as thin as possible. I don't even need to jellyroll with this technique (I've been down the jellyroll road before and it always ended disastrously with my daughter in motion and the whole diaper falling to the floor! I needed to find a way for a flat to really STAY on and with lots of trial and error this folding method worked) folding front part over to "make" a diaper right before putting it on here is my sweet 29-month-old flatbutt daughter Lucy who is ALWAYS ***ALWAYS*** in motion and was so awesome letting me use her to demonstrate! . DO you see how I have the wings in the back like super high up? Like abnormally so? I promise this works out in the end! pulling PULLING that left wing up and over while kind of splaying the front wings ONLY enough to reach for pinning you see what I mean about twisting that left back wing in a counterclockwise motion while meeting the front left wing? This hugely helps prevent the gaps in the end my pulling down twisting counterclockwise and pinning motion more pinning. BTW my favorite pins are not the Dritz for the flannel receiving blankets. It's these plastic head ones from GMD website. They go through so easily without any soap or oil from my hair. I have Dritz and while I like the metal locking head feature the Dritz simply don't work on the flannel! you don't need to go through all the layers of fabric. Just enough where you know it's through. These pictures are actually not demonstrating what I want it to. My husband was obviously taking the pictures from a different angle from me actually doing it but I wanted to show how I go through the BACK counterclockwised twisted wing FIRST then go through the left front wing just so but not going through ALL the front wing's fabric. There is never anytime the needle would EVER be up against my daughter's skin in this scenario. so now the left side is pinned you're going to hitch up TIGHT the other side so the fabric is covering the booty crack and you pull out that other wing UP and down to meet the front wing. You might have to splay out that front wing just so to meet. Also if there is too much fabric gaping I twist the right back wing CLOCKWISE to make it real tight. I didn't need to do the clockwise twist with this demo because the fabric was good and tight, but I just want to say that sometimes if there is a lot of back wing fabric it is helpful to twist it clockwise to better flush the fabric up against the booty and prevent gaps in the legs pulling over to pin pin now you see that gap in her left side? DON'T LIKE THAT! Also because I'd hitched up the right side so much while pinning that side it made the left side pin go all wonky too high and close to the skin. I decided to redo the left side which is what makes it a SUPERtight fit! end result. I know this seems like a LOT of work but trust me you do it in no time and it is really worth it. I do it for all 3 of my girls and love it! To me it is worth it to make for a perfect fit and no leaks/escapes. It seems really complicated but trust me you can do this in your sleep once you've got it down TRIM! you see how in the back how the higher rise worked itself out to make it a *perfect* rise? *NONE* of my other diapers are this trim! I put an embellished fleece track capris over it and she's ready to go! I know these instructions are so wordy but here are the steps in Cliff Note version: 1. fold flat to make it even width and length, left side over and right side over to make your desired width, then bottom folded up and top down to make your length you want. Fold sides into each other just like you would do a normal prefold. Take out the wings in the back 2. put on baby with back rise much higher than front 3. pull left wing up and down in a counterclockwise twisting motion (only need to do this if there is a lot of slack in the thigh. Goal is to make it tight) 4. Pin left side 5. Pull the fabric over the booty crack on the other side and pull up wing up and over down onto right front wing. You may need to do a clockwise twisting motion to make wings not so loose. Pin 6. If there is any slack in the left thigh (sometimes caused by messing around with the other side) just redo and VOILA !! You have my twins' favorite diaper in the whole world lol hope this was helpful and not intimidating! I think it is really worth it to do flats. ONE wash and rinse and *ONE* drying cycle for this mama who does diaper laundry everyday is a major plus in this household where I am diapering 3!

Jo Fold:

Originally Posted by DaisyDiaper728 I'm loving flats for home! In fact, we had been cd full time for the past 2+ weeks (normally she' in 'sposies at least pt for daycare but I have one babysitter who will cd for me) and our water bill went up! :gasp: so I was going to take a cd "break" this week since DD is back on her normal daycare schedule but instead I decided to do just flats and wool or covers in the afternoons when I'm home with her. I got some flats off FSOT and I liked them but they seem a little stiff, so I bought some Gerber flats (I know!) and I love those, they are thin and cheap but so soft! and wash up well. I use two at a time and do a modified neat fold, I have a petite & skinny toddler (17 lbs at 13 months) and I took pics Saturday morning all proud of myself but then DD had a poop blowout in that fold and it got all over her Thirsties leg gussets! I was discouraged for a bit but I figured out how to pull the back over her bum a bit more after putting it on, and that seemed to solve it. So here are my pics. Lay the flats out, then fold all 4 corners in toward the middle: Turn so the long sides are the top and bottom, then fold the sides in like a pre-fold (tri-folded): Unfold the top a little to make "wings": Fold the front up, and tada! You have a diaper. This fold is too trim for me to add a doubler, but it works fine for my non-heavy wetter, even under wool. Here it is on: And under wool:

[christen]

Twist Fold:

Originally Posted by hurricanechelsea So I started trying a different fold. It's not pretty, but it works (I'd recommend it for inside a cover). Fold in half (top to bottom or bottom to top). Fold in the sides sort of like you would with a paper airplane. Fold the left side over the middle (not in half) sticking out over the top a little bit. Fold the right side over the same way, and pull the left hand wing up (which is now on the right-hand side) while holding down the middle. Fold down the rise and fold up the front. Fold the wings in (inside or outside of the diaper) and pin... ...or Snappi. Like I said, it's not pretty at all (especially in the back, which I forgot to take a picture of), but it has a lot of layers without being bulky.

Modified Ro-Po Fold:

Originally Posted by mom2LandJ Thank Blossomgoat for this Rosie Posie modified fold for chubbier/bigger babies. I am posting pics for those of you who need visuals like me. Start with the rosie posie fold beginning (hemmed edges together, fold bottom up to get desired rise). The instead of folding in thirds like a prefold take one side and fold into center: Then fold the other side into the center: Take top two layers and fold out wings: Put baby on and jelly roll if you like, fan out top and snappi or pin. On baby: Nice gusset:

Another Modified Ro-Po:

Originally Posted by blossomgoat Okay, here's the modified RoPo fold: Here is my flat. You can tell that I had folded it in quarters out of the drier and am now folding it for use. I like to do this bec it leaves a nice midline crease. Fold each side towards but not TO the midline. I leave about 2" open a the center. Here is where I add a doubler, if I'm using one. Then I fold the bottom up to make a not-quite-square shape. Here is where I rejoin the RoPo fold. I kind of pinch the fabric between the legs or jelly roll it in before I pull it up. I then spread out the top of the diaper, near the navel, so it gets more width. I then tug the side wings out perpendicular to baby's bum. I make sure to have a fold in it so that it catches any outwardly flowing poo.