Cloth-eez Workhorse Diapers Pictures

This is inner absorbency.  Use it with a diaper cover

Workhorse diapers are OEKO TEX certified to standard 100. 

 Why choose a fitted diaper instead of an all-in-one with the cover built in?

 4 reasons.

• 1. Washability. Water washes all the way through the fabric so the diapers clean more easily and dry well.
• 2. Cost. You can re-use the same diaper cover through several changes.
• 3. Fewer leaks. When the the diaper and cover are actually two separate pieces there is less chance of wicking. Also the cover provides a second layer of defense. Should anything happen to escape past the inner absorbency diaper, the cover will catch it. Wonderful!
• Natural cotton next to baby absorbs quickly and has been proven safe over many generations.  

   cotton softness

It's the same 100% cotton fabric as our beloved prefolds. Because of the nature of the prefold fabric, these will also vary in shrinkage somewhat, just like prefolds do.

8 layers of cotton in the body and 8 layers in the flap for sizes Medium, Large and XL for a total of 16 layers! Size Newborn and Small have a 6 layer flap which is a more appropriate thickness for a younger baby. As with any diaper, you can add a doubler or a Preemie prefold for additional absorbency for long outings, naps or nighttime as needed.

Newborn, orange edges fits birth to 11 or 12 pounds. 

Small, yellow edges fits 9 to 14 pounds.   

Medium, red edges fits 14 to perhaps 24 pounds. 

Large, brown edges fit 21 to 30 pounds (or starting at around 18 pounds for rounder, fuller-shaped babies).    

XL, green edges, 26-38 pounds, or age 2-3 

 3 days old, 8 pounds 14 ounces in size newborn 

8 pounds 10 ounces, 7 days old in size Newborn no closure. The front is folded down. There is plenty of growing room.

1 day old, 8 pounds, 5 ounces. No closure version with the front folded down.

1 week old, 6 pounds, 15 ounces. No closure. Front folded down.

Snap or No-Closure? New babies come in many sizes and the newborn size Workhorse no-closure is a very flexible fit. If you get the snap version and baby is under 7 pounds, then you can still fold down the front to get this nice fit. Just pretend the snaps are not there and use a Snappi or pin it, ignoring the snaps, until it fits in the regular snapped position, which doesn't take long. Babies grow very quickly! Just because the snap version has snaps does not mean you have to use the snaps right away.

8 pounds 0 ounces, 4 days old

  Five pound little baby in size newborn.  It is big, but it works.

Do you prefer stay-dry? Turn it into a stay-dry diaper by adding a Stay-Dry Liner or small Stay-Dry Doubler. For those who use synthetics and prefer a stay-dry fabric, having the fleece liner as a separate piece is best because it works as an easy liner to get poop off, and since the fleece is one layer and separate, it washes easily and doesn't get stinky like the pocket kind or kind with sewn-on synthetics often do. Separates are much less likely to get bacteria problems (stink and rash issues) than sewn-on synthetics. However, you quite possibly you may start to not bother to putting the stay dry liner in and thus discover that baby is completely fine with cotton next to skin and end up preferring the cotton. Either way is fine. Do what works for you. Sometimes when you need extra time in the same diaper, such as at night, adding a stay-dry doubler can really help. 

Pure 100% cotton next to baby's skin does not cause rashes and has been proven safe and effective over many generations. Cotton also absorbs faster than other diapering fabrics so it is very unlikely to leak and does not repel. Cotton is king of cloth diapering. I know that big companies have convinced people that wetness causes rashes, but in reality that is not true. Urine is sterile when it leaves the body and it does not cause rashes. Moisture next to skin for a little while is not a problem. Going much too long between changes or having diapers not clean enough after washing (bacteria) causes rashes. Thus, it's important to choose fabrics that wash up cleanly. Clean-washing 100% cotton is best. Plus, with 100% cotton you do not need any special detergents. You can use anything you like when you use cotton (but please no fabric softener or dryer sheets). 100% cotton diapers keep cloth diapering, and washing the diapers, simple.

Please wash them several times before using them.  Cotton changes after the prep washes.

    They look big and flat when they are new and unwash, but they are designed to shrink to size. They get softer and quilty after a few wash and dry cycles. 

Most pictures still have the original version for size Newborn on babies. The new version is the same but adds a lower snap and a cord dip snap. We need new pictures! Email us at support@greenmountaindiapers.com to donate your pictures of the new version with permission to use the photo. Thanks!

 3 weeks, 8 pounds 2 ounces, new style with cord dip snap

 Three weeks, 8 pounds, 2 ounces. 

Below are original version in Newborn:

 This is the old version without the cord dip version snap but the size and design is otherwise the same. Cord dip on newborn started in 2023.

8 weeks old, 9 pounds

 

2 months, 10.5 pounds

Baby in Tigers shirt in size Small no closure and snap closure for comparison of closure styles.

White size Small on 13 pound baby

3 months, 12 pounds in white size Small. The first one is snap closure and the second one is pinned with just 1 pin. She has a small, petite bottom.

6 weeks old and a big 11 pounds in Workhorse size Small no-closure with a Thirsties Duo Snap size 1 over it at the medium rise snap setting. The Workhorse extra rise (length of the front of the diaper) could have been (and perhaps should have been) folded down before fastening it with the Snappi if a shorter rise is preferred, but not folding it down works just fine too. There are no rules about how to do this. It just needs to do what a diaper needs to do, and that's all. Babies grow so quickly. Making sure the rise is pulled up enough (like it is in this picture), makes the leg elastics snug up to just right so it contains things very nicely. This ability to adjust the rise of the Workhorse No-Closure is what makes it so adjustable and what makes it possible to skip a size for some babies.

3 months, 12 pounds, size Small

2 months old, 13 pounds 10 ounces (Big boy! Nearly 14 pounds at just 2 months old) in size Small. If your baby is this size, then start in Newborn, skip Small and go right to Medium Workhorse.

There is a size difference between Small and Medium, but it is not a huge jump up. Medium has 2 more layers of absorbency in the flap (8 layers) whereas Small has 6 layers. Fast growing babies may want to skip a size.

 Same baby as above, 13 pounds 10 ounces also is starting to fit size Medium already. At 2 months old, he is growing quickly. A fast grower like this baby can skip size Small and go from size Newborn to Medium then Large.

  Get a custom fit with the no closure versions.  Medium fastened with a Snappi Fastener shown. 

  No closure medium on a baby with a small bottom.  Customize the fit to your baby's shape.

 6 months, 15 pounds, size medium

 6 months, 15 pounds, size Medium, same baby as above

5 months old in Medium no-closure. 

A different baby, 7 months 20 pounds, size medium. 5 pounds heavier and broader hips than the baby above. Medium still fits but just barely. I'd purchase large at this point for this baby to get more coverage in the back. Compare to large on this baby below. The wings are longer on the no closure version so this baby is wider than the fastening position makes it seem. I wish I had taken a picture of this baby in a Medium snap version for a better comparison.

Email your pictures for this page or any page to support@greenmountaindiapers.com with the hashtag #sharemygmdbaby in it somewhere to give us permission to use it. Thanks! - Karen.

 Size Large.   Big, fast growing babies might be able to skip size medium and go right to large sooner but most often small is skipped.  Newborn-Medium-Large is common.  Or Small to Large might be possible, skipping Medium and Newborn. Baby shapes and growth rates vary a lot. If sizing up a bit early or skipping sizes, use fasteners to bring the Workhorse into a snug fit for best containment. If you have the snap closure Workhorse, you can ignore the snaps and use pins or Snappi until the snaps fall at the right place for a snug fit.     

Same baby as above, 7 months 20 pounds, There is a noticeable size jump between Medium and Large.

7 months 20 pounds, size Large. It's a little big but works fine with plenty of growing room. On a narrower or trimmer baby with a flatter backside this large would really be too big, but this baby has broad hips and a high rise so large works already.

---

There is a big size jump between Medium and Large, especially in the rise

Medium on a petite 9 month old 15 pound baby. Broader, fuller-shaped babies will size up to size large brown edge to get more rise sooner. Read more below to choose your best size.

 Medium on 18 pound 9 month old, snap closure

16 months old, 20 pounds, trim baby in size Medium snap. This is a "small bottom" baby shape. Fuller, rounder shaped bottoms will need size Large at this age. The shape of baby matters a lot when picking the right size for older babies. A size Large sags off this baby but Medium is a wonderful fit.

 Medium on 16 pound 5 month old. He fits either a Medium (red edge) or a Large (brown edge)

  See the rise is much higher on him in the Large brown edge (look closely at where his belly button is) so you will need to use a cover big enough to cover it (Thirsties Cover size Medium or other medium cover would work on him).  Mom could have folded down the rise on the large brown edge before pinning it for a snugger fit in the legs.  It can be ok to skip a size in Workhorse. You can go Newborn to Medium. Or if you have a big newborn, you can go small to large and skip Newborn and Medium. Skipping a size is a choice but it can work. It is easier to skip a size with the no-closure version because it is more adjustable but it can work with the snap version too. If the diaper is too big and the rise is too high, the legs will gap.  So if you choose the snap version and the diaper is too big on baby, then you can pin (or Snappi fasten) the snap version so that the rise fits and ignore the snaps until they fit snapped.  The snaps are in the way somewhat but it could still be done if needed.  Pinning will always give you the best custom fit.  Of course, getting the size that fits now is best, but I just point out these things along the way in case it is helpful to someone.

  Size large on a young chubby baby. 

A young chubby baby almost one year old might need size large. A medium would not have enough rise to cover all the roundness of this full shape, so large is needed on her.

  24 months, 27 pounds in size large snap (XL also fits)

  24 months, 27 pounds in size large (XL also fits)

2 years, 25 pounds in large brown edge white Workhorse diaper

18 months, 22 pounds in size large

2 years old in size large

 Consider baby's shape. Rounder, fuller shapes need to size-up much sooner than babies with flatter bottoms. 

  2 years old in XL, 30 pounds. Plenty of rise in the back and growing room. This toddler is big and broad. Notice the body shape difference between this child and the 25 pound 2 year old above in the size large.

 

Newborn: 

   Snaps across the front are hidden underneath the cotton so the back of the snaps do not touch the baby.

All sizes come with a built in flap. Newborn and Small have a 6 layer flap. Medium, Large and XL have an 8 layer flap. The flap is attached at one end (instead of both) to help speed drying time and make washing easier. It also can help make cleanup easier, too.

         

   

Award winning cloth diapers!

There is no cover shown in the picture. The picture is beautiful and shows the diaper, but if Mom holds baby like this for too long without a diaper cover, Mom's shirt would get damp soon enough after baby wets so please use a diaper cover. Workhorse diapers work with many brands of diaper covers.

---

Note: This is a diaper. It requires a cover.

Newborn, orange edges fits preemie to 10 pounds. (flap has 6 layers)

Small, yellow edges fits 9 to 15 pounds. (flap has 6 layers)

Medium, red edges fits 14 to perhaps 23 pounds. (flap has 8 layers)

Large, brown edges fit 21 to 30 pounds for average babies (or starting at 18 pounds for rounder, full-shaped babies) (flap has 8 layers)

XL green edges, 26-36 pounds, or age 2-3 (flap has 8 layers) 

Don't forget to add your 16 page GMD How-To Booklet to your cart. It's a treasure-trove of information and it's free with your order.

Snap: 

No Closure: