Making a Nappy or Prefold Belt

Nappy and prefold belts are used to hold a folded flat nappy (such as a terry or muslin flat) or prefold diaper on a baby instead of using a snappi or nappi nippa.

They are commonly used by people doing EC with their babies and these belts can be used from newborn through to toddler. The advantage of prefold belts or nappy belts is that they allow for quick pottying. No need to lay your baby down to remove a diaper or nappy - just pull the front of the absorbent cloth from the belt, hold the baby over a potty or sink or grass. When they are finished, tuck the front of the cloth back in the belt and continue with your activities.

There are several different methods for making a prefold belt. See below - but if you would prefer to buy them, I have them available. Click here.

EASIEST: The easiest way to make a prefold belt is by tieing a length of 1/2″ elastic into a circle the right length for the waist of the baby.

tied elastic for prefold belt

EASY: Another version is made by cutting the elastic waistband off the top of a pair of pants.

waist of pants as nappy belt

The following method requires some sewing but is still very quick and easy to make.

You will need:

* 1/2″ (12mm) nonroll elastic - approx 18" or 45cm per belt. To get the correct length of elastic, use the elastic with a gentle stretch and place it around your baby's waist with a prefold at front and back waist. Allow about 1/2" or 1cm extra to overlap. Cut the elastic.

* fabric (dimensions 60cm x 8cm - 22" x 3") Polar fleece is popular as it is non-absorbent and soft. You may also choose to use any interlock fabric. Make sure that the fabric will be comfortable against the skin of your baby so don't use anything that is too rough or scratchy.

This is an ideal opportunity to upcycle an old Tshirt etc. Please note - woven fabrics are not suitable unless you use a serger or overlocker or other method (eg zig zag stitching) to finish the edges.

Method:
* Overlap ends of the elastic about 1/2″ (1cm) and sew the overlap together.
* Take your fabric and sew the 8 cm/3″ ends together using a straight stitch.
* Fold the fabric in half (wrong sides together) to make a narrow strip and place the elastic inside the fold.
* Begin sewing close to the edge of the fabric using a straight stitch and sew carefully right round ensuring that you don’t catch the nelastic in your seam.

Voila! One finished fleece covered prefold belt!