You can use many different folds, all for different size babies and for either boy or girl. Can I recommend the kite fold and the butterfly fold? These are the two that have got us through most of the time, except for the newborn phase.
What other ways can you fold a terry nappy - for newborns for example? Well, there is a fold called the Jo fold which is just right for newborn babies. Using terry nappies on a newborn you want a fold that gives a good pad, contains newborn runny poos and doesn't make too much of a bulk aorund the baby's bottom. On that note make sure that you do not use a too-thick wad of terry nappy on a baby who is still in a rear-facing capsule, because it can cause their spine to go out of alignment. When using terry nappies for car trips, you can use a bamboo or hemp terry if you want to reduce bulk yet provide extra absorbency. You will probably want to put a cover over the terry nappy when you are going for a longer car trip, just in case of leaks.
I will get to hemp and bamboo terries/terrys in a minute. :) As I was saying earlier, you can use many different folds with terry flats. There are several ways to make a pad fold that you can simply place inside a cover either designed specially for terrys or designed for a different kind of absorbent nappy other than terrys.
I will get to covers soon, but I guess I am just saying that terry nappies do not have to be used all the same way as they once were. There are no rules about how to use terry flats, but in essence the idea is to fold them in such a way that the number of folds you have sit in the right place for either your newborn, or your boy or girl crawler or walker.
Did I mention you can also get different closures for the terry towelling fabric? There are still nappy pins around but most people would prefer to use a Snappi or Nappi Nippa, this clever little thing that is a "T" shape with little baby-safe hooks onit that stretches to keep the sides and middle of the terry square around the baby. Watch out, Snappis like to go walkabout, and babies like to play with them too, although they probably shouldn't because even though they are plastic, they do have sharp "grippy" teeth. So keep them up high out of baby reach. (They won't be able to get them off the nappy when it's on them, though.)
Terry nappies are also versatile in that a pack of terries, maybe coloured ones, make a great liner for homemade baby hampers or gifts for a baby shower or a friend who has just had a baby.
We like the fact that even once your baby is no longer a baby, and is completely out of nappies day and night, your terry nappy stash can still be used to mop up spills, to use as impromptu clothing covers when the children are indulging in some messy kid-style eating, for nicely sized rags, or even for sewing into a set of fitted nappies (the old terries cut up into pad-sized shapes and used as the absorbency pad) for your next baby (wink, wink)!
Thanks to 1Happysnapper for the sweet image.
