Hate prefolds hate them hate them hate them AAAAARRRRGGHHH

[Moorhen]

Am now four weeks into laundry service (prefolds and Cotton Bottom wraps), and despite lovely woman who runs it assuring me I would only need four wraps, DS has just pooed on third wrap of the day.

He's 7 months (so weaning) and has a cold, so bound to be worse than usual - but honestly. I'm even using the Runny Poo Fold.

Am considering stopping the service (I've bought some shaped ones but the trial is free for 3 months so thought I'd try to stick with it for a bit) because am so sick of being covered in poo and having to take two changes of clothes and wraps everywhere.

that does sound a bit rubbish

could you use better wraps round the service prefolds? Motherease are pretty bombproof (am not a prefolder myself, so not sure if they're suitable)

actually, if you're washing three sets of clothes a day it'd almost be less work to wash your own nappies.

The clothes do often escape being pooed on (although not peed on for some reason), but the wraps very rarely. I've even bought some Modern baby ones and it happens to them too.

Urgh. Think I will give it another two weeks and then just start washing my own.

oh no poor you i would change to shaped like tots bots to save the hassle lol

Moorhen, I tried prefolds and gave up pretty quickly - tots, bumbles, meos plus airflow wrap is the way forward ime

Some people manage to get on with prefolds until Potty training but most find they have problems like you describe and change . I'd definitely go for a two part shaped nappy with a motherease wrap over the top.

it's funny, i got on really well with prefolds with DS, but lasted about 2 weeks with DD and ended up buying a job lot of tots bots instead! had the same problem as you - think some babies are more 'wriggly' than others and the poo just won't stay put - i found not even 6 wraps was enough!

Have you got a poundland near you. They had the cotton bottoms wraps in my local one. I had a love/hate relationship with prefolds. Sometimes they were great other times rubbish, but I found I definately needed more wraps than they reccommended. I think 6 meant we could cope. I also tried other makes to see if it made a difference, but in my case it didn't.

I have to say though that poo never made it outside the wrap. I found prefolds were better once ds was about a year.

we have used prefolds for 4 years and I think the main problem that you are having is because you don't have enough wraps / access to washing them yourself..
we have 8-9 wraps (I think) and althought we get away with using a wrap 2-3 times if DS2 has runny poo, we would have to change wrap every nappy..
Washing them yourself shouldn't be too hard and the upside of prefolds is that they dry quickly on the radiator.

I hated prefolds for exactly that reason. I found that poo got in the bindings of the wraps too and was hard to get out. Much prefer shaped nappies.

Are you securing your prefolds on with a Nappi Nippa? If not, I think that could be the problem.....
How I do it is this: Lay the prefold out on top of the wrap, with the tramlines running towards you. Fold up up to about 1/3 at the front so that what is left fills the length of the wrap. Then fold your prefold into 3 by folding the sides in along the tramlines. Tuck one side into the other at the front where you folded it up, so that you have a pad. Then fan out the back of the prefold. Then lay your baby on top, bring the pad up between the legs, and wrap the fanned back edges of the prefold round, and secure onto the pad at the front with a Nappi Nipp, or a pin at each side. Then do up the wrap. This should then fit nice and snugly round the legs and help prevent poo escapage from the nappy onto the wrap. If you find you still get poo escaping up the back, tuck in a cm or so along the top of the back edge.
Instructions are here: www.twinkleontheweb.co.uk/howtonappy.pdf
HTH