40 weeks of Preparation for a New Addiction Addition!

Crib, bedding, car seat, stroller, clothes, bouncer, swing, diapers, wipes… Diapers, wipes… Diapers, wipes… Diapers, wipes… Diapers, wipes… (Did someone hit the repeat button?)

You have 40 weeks to purchase one crib, one bedding set, one car seat, one stroller, etc… why is it then that most people get caught hitting the repeat button when it comes to buying disposable diapers and wipes? Why not purchase one set (set being how every many you feel you need for your family) of cloth diapers, one set of cloth wipes and re-use them for the entire duration of your child and future children’s diapering life? Not to say that you won’t become fully addicted to Cloth Diapers and find yourself purchasing some new fluff once in a while, but at least you won’t be throwing them in the garbage after one use!

Well this is our third time around the 40 week block and this time we are doing something very different, we put a stop to the repetitive action of buying disposable diapers and wipes! Our oldest (3) is potty trained and our youngest (2) is still in diapers, cloth diapers! P has been in cloth for 2 months, he wears the One Size Fuzzi Bunz. Upon the arrival of their little sister, we will have not one but two children in cloth diapers, something that myself and my camera are very excited to capture! We plan on cloth diapering her right from birth, my husband has strict instructions to make sure that a nice fluffy bamboo lined newborn diaper is the first thing to hit her bottom, not a chemically filled disposable!

While our One Size Fuzzi Bunz fit our 28 pounder GREAT, I was not sure they would fit a 6-8 pound newborn the same way, especially an EBF baby.

And so started my 40 week preparation for Cloth Diapering a Newborn! I started by googling newborn cloth diapers! Anyone that has ever researched this, oh my wow there is an abundance of information, an overwhelming amount of choices and everyone has a different opinion or thought! I made a spreadsheet with all the different types of newborn cloth diapers and started sifting through the information, reviews, etc. My list changed daily as to what I wanted to try and what I wanted to spend money on. The first diaper on my list was the XS Fuzzi Bunz, just because I love the One Size so much, I was certain my love would expand to this diaper as well. After getting 2 free XS Fuzzi Bunz from Kelly’s Closet, using their fluff mail coupon they were offering at the time, I knew I wanted more of them, I ordered 6 (thank you Kelly’s Closet for such great promotions) and still plan to purchase 4-6 more.

My mother wanted to get us some diapers as a baby gift and asked what we wanted, so I sent her my list containing 15 different diaper choices (I wasn’t sure what I really wanted so I left everything that caught my eye on our list). She was very overwhelmed to say the least. She emailed me back stating “You want me to choose the best one??????”. I knew I had to further my research and find out what I really wanted in my newborn cloth diaper stash, but I was overwhelmed…

Through my initial research I found one item that most moms agreed on, their love for Prefolds! Not necessarily agreeing on the brand/Indian/Chinese/Bleached/Unbleached, but that they loved Prefolds (regardless of the details) for newborns! So I set my focus on Prefolds for about a week, researched the difference between Indian and Chinese, Bleached and Unbleached, and the different fits. I decided that the one’s I like the best were the OsoCozy “Better Fit” Unbleached Prefold Diapers, so I ordered a dozen of them in the Infant size. After receiving the contents of that package, I realized I wanted a few covers for over the tops, I put 3 Thirsites XS Diaper Covers and a 2 Thirsites Size 1 Duo Wrap Diaper Covers on my spreadsheet under the to be purchased column.

I then set my focus back on newborn cloth diapers. After changing the contents of my list a million times it was apparent I was lost! So I decided that I needed to figure out what I wanted in a cloth diaper, not what everyone else loved or hated about it (reviews are great because they give you insight when you can’t touch or use the diaper, but I was using it as my only determining factor), but what would work for our family. I sat down with my husband and picked his brain, what did he want in a cloth diaper? He actually gave me a lot more insight then I expected, he LOVED our Fuzzi Bunz for P, he loved that they had the three snaps and that they are adjustable to get the perfect fit! So from there we made our list of “Must Haves”:

1. A newborn diaper that my husband felt was just as easy as our OS Fuzzi Bunz, snap-snap-snap done.
2. A cloth diaper that would fit greater then 8-10 pounds, so we could go right from newborn cloth diaper to OS Fuzzi Bunz.
3. Other than our prefolds, something that didn’t need a cover! The adorable prints are great on the fitted diapers, but you cover them up with a cover, hiding the print!
4. Something that had a snap down for the Umbilical Cord. (I know the XS Fuzzi Bunz don’t, but they go up to 15 pounds, lasting longer and I just love our Fuzzi Bunz).
5. A pocket diaper, for added absorbency for nighttime, hoping for a good sleeper!

As I went through our list of must-haves, our newborn diaper list suddenly dwindled down. I continued my research confident that there was a diaper out there that could meet our needs and wants. One day I stumbled across a diaper that was not on my list, a diaper that I hadn’t seen, heard or read about, Bitty Bee Changed Diaper. I was amazed by the low price and the company’s mission. I went on Diaper Pin and entered the company name and read the 3 sole reviews that were there (they are a newer company), I was happy with what I read so I ordered 2 of their diapers.

When my Bitty Bee Changed Cloth Diapers arrived I was THRILLED with them, they had the leg gussets, snap down for umbilical cord, inner lining is 100% all natural bamboo fleece, and no cover needed because of the PUL outer shell! They are an all in one cloth diaper, something I was a little hesitant about because of the extra long drying time, but the company suggests snapping the diaper inside out and drying on med heat, I can handle that. I had my husband snap one on a stuffed bear, wanting his approval before deciding if these were the ying to our XS Fuzzi Bunz yang in our newborn cloth diapering system, he said they were easy and looked like they would work great!

With his stamp of approval I sent our now very small list to my mother and told her that she could purchase us a few of either the XS Fuzzi Bunz or the Bitty Bee Changed Diapers. My mother is an amazing woman and graciously ordered us 18 Bitty Bee Changed Cloth Diapers (order placed last week, haven’t arrived just yet)!

Our once long list of newborn cloth diapers now looks like this:

Yet to Purchase:		Have (here or ordered):
4-6 XS Fuzzi Bunz		8 XS Fuzzi Bunz
3 Thirsites XS Diaper Covers		20 Bitty Bee Changed Diapers
2 Thirsites Size 1 Duo Wrap Diaper Covers		12 OsoCozy Infant Prefolds
3 Snappi’s

As our “To Purchase” list gets smaller the anticipation and excitement grows larger! I am relieved that we found diapers that both myself and my husband are comfortable using and have most of the things that we wanted in a newborn diaper, but most importantly that we have turned off the repeat button, my 19.95 can go towards an adorable, reusable diaper instead of box of 56 count one time use, chemical filled diapers! I would consider this part of my 40 week preparation a SUCCESS!

Every person wants/needs different things, my suggestion is to sit down and make a list of things that fit with your personal needs/wants in a cloth diaper, whether it is for a newborn or a 2 year old! It just makes sifting through the diaper choices SO much easier!

Our little girl is not expected to arrive until Dec. 6th, so I can’t give you a review on these diapers just yet, but I will make sure to do so as soon as we have taken them for a few test runs!

Bio: My name is Amanda and I am a mother to two amazing little boys and am expecting a little girl in December! I am on week 30 of my 40 week preparation and looking forward to our new arrival and to dress her bottom in adorable fluff.