It's Prepping Time

All your stalking of the mailman has just paid off- your Fluffy Mail has been delivered!  Oh joy!  Oh rapture!  Oh wait!  .....How do I wash all of this?  If your box contains more than one kind of diaper, it can get confusing.  What can be washed together?  What can't?  Some diapers come with prepping instructions, so follow those if they're included.  If not, read on for some general guidelines. 

Cotton prefolds. They're awesome pocket inserts, they're great pinned or Snappi'ed, and they're nice for tri-folding in a cover.  But when they come to you all flat and stiff, they sure don't look like the soft, absorbent diapers you were expecting.  They need to be washed 4-5 times before you use them.  Do they need to be dried between every wash?  Not in my opinion.  Wash them twice, dry the once (on hot) then wash them 2-3 more times and dry them again.  Now they're ready to go!  They'll reach full absorbency after 8-10 washes, but the initial 4-5 washes will get the natural oils out of them that you don't want coating your other diapers.

Hemp inserts/prefolds.  They're the most absorbent diaper inserts, but not when you first get them.  They need a good 5-6 washes before the natural hemp oils are out of them.  If you've purchased a good stash of them, you can run them through your washer three times, then dry them.  Then wash 3 more times, then dry them.  If you only have a few hemp inserts, you may want to shorten the process by boiling the hemp on the stove.  Stick it in a pot of boiling water, and boil for 15-20 minutes.  Then run it through your washer once and dry. 

Microfiber inserts.  Wash them once and then dry them- now they're ready to use!  (There had to be an easy category, right?)

Pocket diapers/covers.  Pocket diapers that have fleece or suede cloth linings in them and most covers just need a single wash and dry before using.  You can wash these with your microfiber inserts, too. 

All-in-one diapers.  If the AIOs have microfiber as their soakers, you can wash them with your pockets and covers.  If they have natural cotton, bamboo, or hemp fabrics in them, then they'll need 3-4 washes before you use them- and they should be prepped separately from your other diapers. 

Yes, Fluffy Mail Day can turn into Prepping Day if you have a variety of diapers in your package, but following the prepping instructions can help your diapers function at their best- and that's what you want from new diapers!  Once everything is prepped fully, you can thereafter wash all of your diapers together in big happy, fluffy loads.  :)

By Stacy F.