How to Do a Jelly Roll Fold with Prefolds and Flats

Afraid of leaky prefolds? Fear no more!

Prefolds and flats are the most economical and versatile cloth diapers available. Many parents decide to use prefolds for the newborn phase since they are cheap and newborns tend to outgrow their initial diaper stash very quickly.

Newborn poop is generally quite runny and is prone to blowouts. One way to avoid blowouts and leaks is to create an adequate reservoir for poop and a wall surrounding the baby’s legs. This can be accomplished with a Jelly Roll fold.

• Lay out your prefold. You may begin your fold either under the baby or wait until it is partially folded.
• Fold down the ends to size the diaper to your baby. I am used to diapering boys, so I usually fold down the extra up front.
• Begin rolling the sides of the prefold inward at an angle so that the diaper tapers in the front.
• When both sides are rolled in, the prefold will be narrow in the front and wide in the back. The rolls will act as walls to hold in the mess.

Place the baby on the diaper and pull the back wings forward. Pin the wings to the narrow front part of the prefold or use a Snappi.

The rolls line the baby’s thighs leaving a reservoir in the center of the prefold to collect the poop without causing pressure to force the poop out of the diaper resulting in a blowout. The jelly roll fold is a very popular fold for creating a snug fit around the legs. Preventing leaks and blowouts cuts down on soiled clothing and bed linens, plus with less waste escaping you can reuse your diapers covers more between washes.

I really like Thirsties Duo Wraps and Sweet Pea wraps for a newborn cover. Bummis wraps are fairly popular as well. When choosing a cover for your prefolds, you want sturdy gussets. Many cloth diaper brands are coming out with some nice newborn covers lately.

When using a Jelly Roll fold with flats, I simply fold the flat into the size and shape of the needed prefold and continue in the same manner.

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