Try Cloth Diapers Risk Free

Try Cloth Diapers Risk Free
Showing posts with label Newborn Diapering. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Newborn Diapering. Show all posts
We started cloth diapering our first son when he was around 5 months old. When we found out we were expecting # 2 after trying to conceive for a year, I knew I wanted to try cloth diapering in the newborn stage.

I wasn't sure where to begin. We started out using gdiapers with our first (a covers and inserts system) to see how I would like it. When I unexpectedly became a stay at home mom, we switched over to cloth only. I bought a stash of Fuzzibunz pockets and used those until he was potty trained. I liked the simplicity of them, as well as the stay dry factor.

There were so many options with cloth diapering a newborn, just as there are for one size diapers. There are pockets, all in ones, covers and prefolds or fitteds, etc. Through my research, I was reminded that newborns poop many times a day typically, especially breastfed babies. I discovered the most cost effective way to use cloth with a newborn was a simple system of covers and prefolds. I had started out with this system originally, so I decided to go this route because I wasn't sure if I would stick to it with adjusting from going to one to two little ones. I didn't want to invest a huge amount in a stash and get completely overwhelmed with it all.

I bought 2 newborn sized Rumparooz covers and 2 Imagine newborn covers. I had 12 unbleached OsoCozy prefolds and 12 unbleached cotton babies brand prefolds. So we started out with 4 covers and 24 prefolds. I admit that I could have done with another cover or two and another 12 prefolds but we squeaked by with what we had for the 6 weeks that he fit into them. He was born at 7lbs and 6 oz. He would have fit into the newborn diapers longer, but I was excited to use my new pocket stash!

The newborn sized covers fit him right away. I would trifold the insert and place it in the cover. Between changes, I set the cover out for the next change to let it dry in-between changes. I would then restuff the cover that had been drying with a prefold while he was on the changing table waiting to be changed. I would then set the cover I took off him again to dry for the next change. I didn't throw the cover into the laundry unless it got really covered in poop, which actually didn't happen as often as I expected. I found that the trifold contained the poop much more than others had stated through my research before. I could get through a day with the same 2 covers most of the time. Some days I did have to wash every 1 ½ days instead of every other day, but we got by with a minimal stash.

I would recommend a wetbag for each floor of the house for the newborn stage. I had to lug a wetbag up to our bedroom for night time changes, so it would have been much easier if we had a wetbag on each floor. I also wish I had purchased a few all in ones for the middle of the night changes! There were some nights he pooped 2-3 times a night so it would have been easier to change into an all in one instead of trifolding a prefold in my half asleep state.

I plan on cloth diapering baby # 3 when they arrive in July. I have a bigger stash of all in ones and pockets this time though. I am hoping my husband will help with more changes, and the laundry will be a little bit easier with 3 running around! I can't wait to cloth diaper a newborn again! The diapers are so cute and it was so much easier than I had planned on. I am so glad I branched out to try it!

By Danielle


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Cloth Diapering a Newborn Was Much Easier Than I Expected!

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I love the feeling of committing to cloth diapers from the get-go. We used disposable diapers in the hospital while I recovered from my c-section, but I had little organized bins of newborn cloth diapers waiting for our return home. I knew my mobility would be limited, so I suggested disposables to my husband. To my delight, he said, “No. Let’s just go for cloth.”

We tried cloth diapering from birth using one sized diapers with our last baby. Even though he weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs 11 oz and 23 ½ inches long, one sized diapers proved bulky and unwieldy on his long, slim frame. Our 2 year-old was also still wearing one sized diapers and separating the sizes or adjusting with each change proved challenging.

When baby fever hit the fourth time, I started planning ahead by watching for sales of new and gently used newborn diapers until I had a nice selection. These included AIOs, AI2s, pockets, and fitteds with covers. I already knew prefolds were not for me (but a route many prefer for newborns), so I didn’t bother purchasing any. I also selected both aplix and snap closures.

Purchasing newborn diapers might not be realistic for everyone’s budget, but I believe they hold good value if well cared for because they are used for such a short time. Plus, if you use them on multiple babies, you will undoubtedly save over the countless newborn disposables a baby uses in the first month.

I’ve learned that not all newborn diapers are created equal and that simplicity is key when it comes to fumbling, late night diaper changes and little ones who cry with each change. If you’re considering newborn diapers, here are a few details I would recommend:

  1. Pay attention to the beginning weight on diapers. I have larger babies and many newborn diapers were roomy on my 8 lb plus newborn.
  2. Look for photos of a product on newborns to see how they fit. A notch for the umbilical cord is nice, for example, but not necessary. Some diapers, like the bumGenius newborn AIO, fit lower on the belly.
  3. Go for aplix or a single row of snaps. Complicated rows of snaps for precise fitting seem appealing in the box, but a squirming newborn and tired parents just want the quickest change possible.
  4. Some newborn diapers will fit past the newborn stage and actually give you a “small” fit as well. The Smart Bottoms newborn fits snug on a new baby, but has one row of adjustable rise snaps for a longer-fitting diaper.
  5. Go AIO for pure simplicity. Easy to use, easy to clean. My preference by far.
  6. If you do decide to go with a one-size diaper, an AI2 with a very small setting is a good choice. The multiple changes a newborn goes through can put a lot of wear and tear on diapers, unless you have a large number of them. If I were to go the one sized AI2 route, I would use the SoftBums Omni. The unique leg elastic makes for the smallest diaper I’ve ever seen. The inside pods can be changed out and the cover reused multiple times.
Can you use one size diapers on a newborn? Definitely. Can you postpone cloth until you make it through the newborn stage. Yes, you can. But I’ve loved my investment in newborn cloth this time around. Our little one is comfortable and rash free, he looks adorable in well-fitting diapers, and we’re avoiding those pesky, sleep deprived, disposable diaper runs.

Have you used newborn cloth diapers? What was your experience?

Bio: About Mindy Farmer, The Inquisitive Mom: I'm a gal from the Pacific Northwest, living in the Midwest, mom of 4, writer, optimist, striving to be eco-conscious and hoping to defy stereotypes. Visit me on my blog The Inquisitive Mom and you'll find musings on motherhood and life, mixed with enthusiastic cloth diaper posts, eco-friendly living ideas, as well as reviews and giveaways.


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Tips for Choosing Newborn Cloth

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Whether to cloth diaper your newborn from day 1, or wait until baby gets older is a fairly common question parents ask themselves. Since one of the benefits to using cloth diapers is the cost savings, knowing you could spend hundreds of extra dollars on a newborn diaper stash can be daunting for many people. There are options though, that still save you money, while allowing you to use cloth diapers on your gorgeous new baby.

Start Early. By buying a few diapers at a time, you can build your newborn {and regular} diaper stash without breaking the bank.

Newborn Cloth Diaper Rental. This is offered by a few different retailers for new parents. The cost is relatively cheap considering the short period of time they wear newborn cloth diapers.

Add them to your baby shower wish list. Some things to include would be diapers, wipes, wet bag, cloth diaper safe butt cream.

Use one size cloth diapers. There are plenty of options for one size diapers that eliminate the bulk and fit newborn babies so well. A few of my favorites to use on newborn babies are SoftBums and Fuzzibunz. The way these diapers adjust sizes keeps them trim no matter what size, while still growing with your baby.

Buy used. Simple as that. This isn't our thing, but it could save you money.

On the flip side of that, sell them when you are done! Cloth Diapers can be resold, so you can recoup some of the costs of buying them in the first place. Woo-hoo!

Order using Kelly's Closet coupon codes for free diapers. There is almost always a code that will get you a free diaper with a certain dollar amount ordered, and every so often, it is for a newborn cloth diaper.

Borrow them, or split the cost with a friend having a baby a few months earlier or later than you.

I love using newborn cloth diapers, and think they are absolutely worth the cost. Especially if you are planning on having more than one baby. Because one size cloth diapers fit as your child grows, between the legs tends to be wider than newborn cloth diapers. For that reason, we are somewhat picky about which ones we use on newborns. Daddy was very against using cloth diapers on our son as a newborn because of the bulk, so seeing the newborn diapers really turned his thinking around.

The actual cost of purchasing newborn cloth diapers can vary greatly depending on the brand and style you choose. As is generally the case, prefolds and covers is the least expensive of the styles making cloth diapering a newborn even more cost effective. This is just a list of some of the ways that you could build your newborn cloth diaper stash without breaking the bank.

Did you cloth diaper your newborn, or are you planning on cloth diapering a newborn? What diapers did you use and like the most?

By Shannon


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Making Newborn Cloth Diapers Affordable

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Many soon to be cloth moms are anxious to put their soft and colorful cloth diapers on their newest arrivals from day one. A tiny newborn stash is great, but can be very expensive and many babies will outgrow their newborn diapers in either weight or absorbency in just a few weeks. However, most "one size" diapers are not only bulky but often too big and may leak on a newborn. What's a cloth mom to do? There are a few great options for moms (and dads) that are weary of investing in an entire newborn stash but still want to be able to use cloth on their baby from day one.

Thirsties Duo Diapers. Thirsties makes a great tried and true diaper cover called the duo wrap, it comes in two sizes with three rise settings each. Size one adjusts to fit babies 6 - 18lbs making it the perfect option for most newborns but lasting much longer than a typical newborn diaper. It pairs well with a cotton osocozy flat for a very affordable diapering system and the flat can be pad folded and used as a doubler later on.

Grovia makes wonderfully soft and absorbent bamboo prefold that comes in 4 sizes, many moms can skip the newborn and start with the infant size which can be wrapped around baby or padfoled and laid in the thristies cover. If folding and wraping and snappi-ing sounds like too much, thristies makes a duo insert - converting their awesome cover into an all-in-two system. Simply lay the insert into the cover, fasten around baby and go! If the diaper is just wet, toss the insert in the pail, wipe the cover, grab a new insert and go again! Thristies even has a duo fitted diaper for maximum nighttime absorbency for even the littlest heavy wetter.

Softbums Echo and Omni. Softbums makes an incredibly soft and trim diaper with adjustable leg elastic and fabulous aplix, making it a one size diaper that truly works well on a newborn. The Echo is another all-in-two system with stay dry or bamboo snap in inserts that come in both newborn and larger sizes. The Omni can also be used with their snap in inserts as an all-in-two, but has a pocket opening and a more generous cut so that it can also be used as a cover, making it a very versatile diaper!

Applecheeks is another two sized system, with size one fitting from 7-20 lbs it should last well into baby's first year. It's also versatile, with their bamboo inserts it can be used like an all-in-two, or you can stuff an insert into the envelop opening and use it as a pocket, with the added bonus of the insert agitating itself out in the wash, so no unstuffing dirty newborn diapers!

Fuzzibunz perfect size diapers in size small fit from 7 - 18 lbs, making this a great choice if you are looking for a pocket diaper.

Rumparooz one size covers have 4 adjustable rise settings instead of the typical 3 and start fitting around 6 lbs, but last all the way through potty training and come in a rainbow of adorable colors and prints.

Lastly, Blueberry Capri covers in size one fit from 6-16 lbs and when paired with their stay dry cotton Capri insert makes another great all-in-two option.

With the abundance of choices available to cloth diapering families, every mom (and dad) should be able to find a cloth option that will not only fit their newborn on day one and last well into - if not all the way through - their cloth diapering journey, but also fit their budget and diapering preferences.

Bio: Emily is a stay at home wife to Will, and mom to 11 month old Owen, living in Houston TX. She loves Jesus, cooking, cloth diapers, and learning to live a greener life in a big city. Maybe one day she will even blog about it?


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Cloth Diapering a Newborn Without a "Newborn Stash"

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I thought I knew how to do the whole cloth diapering thing. After all, my third child had been in cloth for almost two years. I had it down. I saw no reason cloth diaper his new sister. Why on earth would I make more work for myself (two diaper pails, two different systems) and double our expenses by buying disposables?

Then she got here and I discovered that cloth diapering a newborn is a bit different from cloth diapering a bigger kid.

Tiny little thighs make for big leak problems. Itty bitty little bottoms do not fit well in one-size diapers. And if you happen to have a heavy wetting newborn, then one-size absorbency is almost a necessity. By the time she was two weeks old, my six-pound baby girl could out-pee her two-year-old brother.

What’s a cloth diapering mom to do?

Prefolds and Covers. “Everyone” says that prefolds and covers are the easiest way to cloth diaper a newborn. I, rather naively, thought that they meant “cheapest,” since they won’t be in newborn diapers for long. Maybe even easy in the sense that all-in-ones take forever to dry. But easy? No.

Then she got here…and started leaking out of everything else I put on her with amazing regularity…and I decided that prefolds and covers were worth giving a try after all.

You can’t trifold a prefold and stick it in a cover for a tiny newborn unless you’ve bought tiny, tiny newborn prefolds—but a quick Google search will turn up a few easy folds that don’t require a massive amount of effort to learn. Prefolds and covers (especially Thirsties covers) were the only solution that worked consistently well for us overnight.

Grovia AIO. These were among my favorites for the itty bitty baby stage. We used these in the hospital (where we ended up staying for four days after she was born due to high bilirubin levels), and the nurses had no trouble with them—they were somewhat intuitive to them even with snaps. They also had pretty good absorbency for newborn diapers and lasted longer than many of the others we tried.

Lil Joeys. These were my very, very favorites at the hospital, though the nurses had more trouble with them. They have the umbilical cord snap down, which is especially useful in the first few days, and fold down to fit very, very small. They don’t hold quite as much as the Grovias, but if you don’t have a child who pees her body weight every day, they might last longer.

bumGenius Newborns. These would work better for a larger baby. My six-lber could function in them short term, but didn’t do nearly as well in them. She was out-peeing them well before she actually fit into them—but I do have a very, very heavy-wetting newborn.

Thirsties Size 1 AIOs. These actually impressed me with how well they worked. When they say they fit down to six pounds, they mean it! I passed them over at first when we were in the hospital, because she was so very little and they looked so very big compared to the other diapers; but with a four-day stay in the hospital, I was starting to run out of options, so I decided to give them a try. Thirsties AIOs ended up being our first overnight solution simply because they held more than the straight newborn diapers. I think they’re going to end up needing doublers when she gets a little bit bigger, but they are still excellent diapers.

If I had it to do over again…. I’d still probably buy essentially what I bought. Since newborn diapers are used for such a short period of time, their resell value is a higher percentage of their original price, so in many cases, you can make back almost as much as you spent on them to begin with. I would probably pass on the bumGenius newborns simply because they’re so much bigger, but I would still invest in the Lil Joeys and Grovias, and I would definitely invest in Thirsties! I would, however, make the Thirsties aplix instead of snap. With my older son, I decidedly prefer snap diapers because of their longevity and the lack of diaper chains, but I’ve discovered that for my itty bitty, I get a better fit with a hook and loop closure. I would also invest in more covers—I had a few on hand, but mostly intended to use them as “emergency backup.” This isn’t usually a problem—with a well-executed angel wing fold, it’s not necessary to change the cover even with a messy diaper—but if someone else changes her, they automatically change cover and all.

By Emily


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Cloth Diapering a Newborn

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I decided to cloth diaper before my first son was born, and – librarian that I am – I did all kinds of research, including attending a cloth diapering workshop, before deciding that prefolds or fitteds and covers were the way to go for the newborn stage. I decided I would use pockets once my little guy was big enough to fit into the one-size diapers. Well, as you may well know, there’s quite a learning curve with the first baby, and I resorted to disposables more often than not until he fit into his BumGenius 4.0s and his Fuzzibunz. It was months before I would be comfortable enough to leave the house with him in a cloth diaper and not a disposable. But the day came when I had half an unused package of disposables sitting in his closet until he grew out of them! Once I got used to it (and acquired a few wet/dry bags that made transporting everything really easy), using cloth full-time was no big deal.

When I learned that baby number two was coming along, I determined to cloth diaper him as soon as he came home from the hospital. I began frequenting online cloth diaper swaps and keeping an eye out for sales and Kelly's Closet coupons, and I added to my (still mostly-unused) prefolds and covers to build up an impressive assortment of newborn diapering options. I had Kissaluvs Fitteds, Thirsties Duo Diapers, Rumparooz Lil Joeys, BumGenius newborn AIOs, GroVia newborn AIOs, XS Fuzzibunz, and a few random diapers they don't even make anymore. I also had one adorable newborn Simplex AIO that a friend had given to me as a gift. I thought I was all set.

And then baby number two decided to come along 10 weeks early. He was in the NICU for five weeks, and when he came home he was a whopping five pounds, five ounces. I was so glad to have collected a stash of newborn diapers since it would be months before he could fit into his brother’s one-size diapers. I found that the Lil Joeys especially are great for preemies. Most of the other diapers I had worked fairly well size-wise, but my preemie outgrew the absorbency of many of them before he actually outgrew the size of them. The only diaper that worked for an extended amount of time was the Simplex. It wasn’t long before I sold the rest of my stash so I could buy more Simplex. The size range is 6-16 lbs., and I found that to be pretty accurate; they were a great fit for my little guy, and I loved all the fun prints. I was so sad when he finally outgrew them in October (he came home in April), but I was cheered by their great resale value.

And what about those prefolds and covers? I did end up using them quite a bit when all the Simplex were dirty. Prefolds weren’t as hard as I thought they would be when using a Snappi or just tri-folding, and if you are looking for the most economical route, they're certainly the way to go. But if you want to make it easy on yourself, I'd recommend the Simplex. And when you have two in cloth at the same time? Well, that's another post.

Bio: Laurie Walters is a children’s librarian-turned-SAHM who keeps her storytime skills fresh by reading to her two boys, one and three. She blogs at lauriewalters.blogspot.com.


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A Tale of 2 Newborns!

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From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I was determined to cloth diaper. I spent weeks and weeks researching all of the different kinds and harassed my cloth diapering friends with my many questions. In the end I decided on prefolds and PUL covers for the newborn stage, along with a few newborn size AIO’s. I placed several orders over a few weeks from Kelly’s Closet to slowly build my stash. I ended up with the following newborn stash:

I felt pretty confident in my stash and planned on washing every other day. My plan was to start using my cloth when we came home from the hospital. I packed 2 prefolds and the bummis cover and both of the Lil’ Joeys. When I was dressing my 6 lb daughter to come home from the hospital, I put her in her first cloth diaper, the Lil’ Joey. It fit her great, and I was ready to start our cloth journey.

I had watched countless youtube videos on how to fold prefolds, and tried out the angel fold, bikini twist and trifold. I couldn’t master any of the folds and got quickly discouraged with the prefolds. I wanted to love them, but I just couldn’t. I loved how the Bummis and the Thirsties XS cover fit when I got a good fit with the prefolds. I was shocked to see my husband master the folds, while I was struggling with them. The preemie size fit her well for the first three weeks or so.

About a week in, I tried a BumGenius on her and was surprised at how well they fit her and how I could fold down the front so it didn’t bother her umbilical stump. I loved how trim they were and decided to order six more. During this time my husband bought me a pack of newborn disposables to ease some of the frustrations of breast feeding and learning how to take care of a newborn while running on very little sleep. I admit I had a little cry over having to use them, but they did make life easier in those sleepless and trying beginning weeks.

After I received the other BumGenius diapers, I was quite happy with how easy they made cloth diapering. My daughter quickly gained weight, and by five weeks however she was out soaking them and the Lil’ Joeys. They still fit her, but I realized we just couldn’t use them anymore. At this point I tried an OS BumGenuis 4.0 on her and was shocked to see it fit her pretty well. She was about 8 lbs at this point.

I decided to keep trying with the prefolds, and decided that trifolding them was the easiest way for me. I used Bummis fleece liners and BumGenuis stay dry liners, too, because I didn’t like the idea of my LO feeling wet, which brings me to the fitteds.

I bought the fitteds because I read everywhere how amazingly they worked for overnight. I put them on my LO several nights, but just hated the how the entire diaper was soaked, and how wet she felt even with using the stay dry liners. I quickly decided fitteds were not for us.

My daughter is turning three months old this week, and we have finally phased out the prefolds and now are exclusively using the 4.0’s and Flips with their stay dry inserts. I love how easy cloth diapering is now without having to think about how to fold her diaper. I know there are lots of moms out there that love their prefolds, and I still believe I will use them with my next newborn, but I am happy to set them aside for awhile. I am glad I tried out the different kinds of diapers and was able to gain confidence in the first few weeks. It was overwhelming at first, but once I found the routine that worked best, I couldn’t be happier with my choice to cloth diaper.

Bio: My name is Jamie Shanfield, and I am a first time mom to a 3 month old girl. We are anxiously awaiting my husband's return from Japan. We will then be moving to Washington, D.C., where he will be stationed with the Marine Corps, with our two cats and daughter


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0-3 Months in Cloth Diapers

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This is my second time around on the newborn diapering bandwagon. Though I am by no means a pro, there are a few diapers that I love more than others. I should start by saying that my youngest is a traditional “Long and Lean” (L&L) baby; born at 7lb. 12oz at and 20 inches long. He is now over 24” and weighs just over 9lbs at 6 weeks. The trouble with L&L babies is they tend to eat, a lot, ALL the time. I breastfeed and it’s not uncommon for him to be ready to eat every 2 hours, on the dot, sometimes starting from when he started eating. At night he loves to cluster feed, eating every hour for 4 or 5 hours straight. All of this affects how cloth diapers fit and how much they can hold (all that milk has to go somewhere).

For the first few weeks we use BumGenius (BG) AIO NB’s. They are perfect for the hospital, and for new dads to use. They also help you get into the swing of things. The other great thing about the NB BG’s is your baby can still wear a lot of those cute NB onesies everyone gave you since they aren’t very bulky! The biggest issue is that in a few weeks (~6 in our experience) they are done. On my L&L baby he wets through them after an hour once he reached 9.5lbs. If you plan to have a few kiddos they are worth the money. I loan mine out to friends who want to try cloth diapering, and have made a few converts!

Our favorite OneSize (OS) diapers are the FuzzyBuns Elite. I didn’t use them right-away on our first kiddo, but this time around they are the first pick for a few reasons:

  1. Slim Fit. There is nothing worse to me than getting a great little guy outfit and then it doesn’t fit because your CD is too bulky. Little boy clothes are hard to find as it is, and I don’t want to use disposables just to be able to fit into my favorite outfits.
  2. Adjustable/replaceable elastic. Your baby will grow; faster than you may want. It’s easy to up the size on the elastic once they grow-out of the NB stage. And believe me, you will want easy to replace elastic in a few years (when you hit #2 kiddo).

Honorable mentions are Rumparooz, Swaddlebees, and BG OS. I LOVE the extra leg elastic on the Rumparooz. And when our little man gets older I am sure we will use this diaper more and more. Swaddlebees have the best prints- owls, cows, and dinosaurs. Our oldest always picks these diapers for little brother. BG OS are great. We used them almost exclusively on our first, and love the way they fit. They all are great brands that hold in the wet. But they are super bulky on NB’s. And are not umbilical cord friendly. However they will certainly grow with your fastly growing baby and nothing is simpler to change the size than snaps.

Of course there are a LOT more brands out there, plus prefolds, (which we are just starting to try). But for us these are the ones I gravitate to the most. Of course in a few months when our littlest starts crawling I might have new favorites.

Until then - Happy Cloth Diapering - Mary

Bio - I’m a ‘busy’ ‘work-at/from-home’ mother of two little boys in eastern Oregon. I coach cross country, and try to stay in shape so that my sons will not be able to out run me till they are at least 10 (maybe 12), and, oh yeah, I help manage a 400cow family dairy J. Mary Chamberlain
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Newborn Diapering the Long and Lean Baby

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Hubs and I are expecting our third little in August. Before our first was born in March of 2010, we purchased a Live Grovia package at an end of the year sale. Honestly, I didn’t expect to need newborn cloth diapers after his umbilical cord fell off so we planned to just use disposable diapers until that point. Little did I know that my son would have the skinniest legs EVER. He was 21½ inches and weighed in at a healthy 7lbs 15oz. He should have fit into the smallest snap setting on our diapers. But those legs were as skinny as the winter twigs on our tree that cold March!

So, we suffered many leaks and used more disposables than I had hoped until he chunked out a little. And then things were basically perfect. We had a few run-ins with ammonia rashes, washing issues…all those awesome things that transform a newbie into a hardcore, bona fide cloth diaper whisperer.

When we found out about little number 2, due September 2011, I knew we needed to invest in some newborn fluff. I researched a ton on Kelly’s Closet and The Cloth Diaper Whisperer. Ultimately, I decided that although I’d fallen head over fluff in LOVE with all the cute little diapers like the Lil’ Joeys, we’d have to make due on the economical choice of the Bummis newborn pack. So we picked up two packs thinking that it would be enough to get us through! Bottom line: I really did like these diapers but trying to exclusively diaper a newborn with only 4 shells is mission impossible and I am no James Bond (or I guess in this case Kelly Wells…).

No sooner had I hand washed and hung out a shell to dry did little 2 poop in the next one. And weighing in at 9lbs 1 oz from birth, little sis didn’t need newborn diapers long. In fact, she fit into the one size Grovia diapers from the beginning and her cord fell off at day 6.

Now, on the cusp of welcoming little number 3, I’m not quite sure what to do. I’d love to cloth diaper exclusively from the beginning. Both of my children have extremely sensitive skin and suffered rashes from the chemicals in the disposable diapers in the beginning. And I don’t anticipate anything being different with number 3 (unless Hubs’ genes decide to be dominate this go around, his skin can tolerate ANYTHING!).

I DO know we’ll need more than the 4 newborn shells that we currently have if we want to cloth diaper full time from day 1. But on the other hand, if this little takes after big sis’ and her thunder thighs, we won’t really need many newborn diapers. What is a girl to do?!

So after looking more and more at newborn diapers on Kelly’s Closet and based on my experience with cloth diapers in general, I think I’ve decided to give a few different diapers a try instead of ordering a bunch of one kind. Cloth diapering is like eating from a box of chocolates without the handy guide, you never know which one you are going to love until you try it!

I think I am most excited to try a GroVia AIO stay dry newborn diaper but that might just be because I LOVE the woodland print…and maybe the bicycles too…heck, I love them all. I also want to give Kissaluvs a try! And of course, Lil’ Joeys (I am partial to Root Beer and Pumkin!)

Mindy is mommy to two spunky kids who have both been clothed diapered mostly from birth! She can often be found stalking Kelly’s Closet for no reason or trying something “crunchy” like washing her hair with baking soda! Follow along (when she has time) at neckdeepinlove.blogspot.com.
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Diapering Baby #3

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When I decided that I wanted to use cloth diapers with my baby girl, I knew that I wanted to start her in cloth as soon as possible. However, I didn’t think I wanted to deal with washing diapers as soon as we got home from the birthing center, so I bought one package of newborn diapers.

They lasted exactly 4 days.

On day 5, we switched our new baby girl to cloth diapers.

Our daughter Bo weighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces at birth. When she started in cloth diapers, she weighed around 8 pounds 6 ounces. Even though she was heavier than many newborns, she is also extremely long. Her legs are small for her weight.

The two most common issues with diapering newborns in cloth are 1) the circumference of the legs, and 2) the presence of the cord. We dealt with both issues with Bo.

Dealing with Skinny Legs
Bo had extremely skinny legs at first. None of our one-size pocket diapers were small enough around the leg to catch leaks. What did work was:

Kawaii Newborn Pure and Natural pocket diapers
Prefolds and Flip covers (with hook and loop)

These diapers both have hook and loop closures rather than snaps around the waist, so it was possible to get a tight enough fit to make up for some of the gapping around the thigh. With snaps-only diapers, the rise adjustment was not quite enough to close the gap completely.

Now Bo is 3 months old, and still fits in both diapers. The Kawaii Newborn diapers are getting snug, but she is 13 pounds, which is near the top weight limit of the newborn diapers. I think we’ll make it to 15 pounds, but after that, they will be too small. The Flip covers will last much longer since they are a one-size cover.

Dealing with the Cord
All of the diapers we tried have rise adjustment. We snapped the diapers to the shortest rise adjustment to accommodate the presence of the cord. We only had issues with the diaper rubbing against the cord if we positioned the diaper too high in the front (which was a user error).

Three months later, Bo is still on the shortest rise adjustment in the Flip cover. She is on the second rise level in the Kawaii diapers, and will soon be on the longest rise. She is just now fitting into the one-size diapers that we have, although there are a few that she is still too small for. Hook and loop diapers seem to fit her better than diapers with snaps.

Tips for You:
Definitely purchase some newborn diapers, especially if you are planning on trying pocket diapers.
Look for diapers that have an adjustable rise or a slight dip in the front to accommodate the cord.
Newborns wear about 10-12 diapers a day, so you’ll want to have at least 30 on hand (I have about 45 and that seems to work well for us).
Don’t purchase a bunch of diapers at once unless you are 100 percent sure they will fit. I made this mistake and have about 15 diapers that Bo will not be able to use for another month or two.

What are your favorite brands for newborns or younger babies?

Bio: Brenda is new to the cloth diapering community, but feels like she’s always been there at heart. She writes at Schooling a Monkey, where you can read more about cloth diapering adventures with Bo and other topics on parenting, homeschooling, and more!
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2 Important Tips for Diapering a Newborn

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As a first time mom, I am discovering quickly that motherhood never goes according to plan. That ideal birth plan you had? Plan on a C-section. Think co-sleeping is a little crazy? Plan on having your baby in your bed night one. Want to cloth diaper from birth? Try 5 weeks.

Now that our sweet girl is approaching her 8 week birthday, I put together a top 5 list of things about newborn cloth I wish I knew when we started.

#5- Laundry doesn’t have to be complicated.
I spent a week when I was pregnant researching cloth diaper safe laundry detergent. Yes friends, an entire week on laundry detergent. I visited multiple local stores, staring glassy eyed at aisles of mainstream detergent only to come up short. I read blog post after blog post about wash routines (cold rinse or hot rinse?) and what I have learned is no two routines are the same. My best advice is to start simple and through trial and error, you will find what works for you. If you keep it simple, diaper laundry won’t feel like a chore.

#4- Diaper sprayers are powerful, and necessary.
Getting DH on board with cloth was a bit of a struggle. It got worse with the first poopy diaper. “You are going to put THAT in our washing machine?” Diaper sprayer to the rescue! DH installed our sprayer in less than 5 mins and holy jet spray, batman, that baby packs a punch. So much so that the first time I used it, I sprayed the poo from the diaper directly onto our shower curtain. I’ve since nailed down my technique for keeping the poo in the toilet and my diapers are stain free because of it.

#3- All the research in the world will not prepare you for the real deal.
In preparing for DD’s arrival, I gathered a stash of a little bit of everything. I had prefolds and fitteds, cute covers and snappis. I had a drawer of AIOs and hybrids and even some OS dipes I got for free with my purchase. I was ready. My 8 lb 3 oz girl came home on a Saturday and that night, she had a kissaluvs fitted on her cute little bum. In the days following, we quickly decided we were an AIO family. They are trim, easy and the fit is a no-brainer. Until your little bundle arrives, there is really no telling what system will work for you. Every baby and every family is different. Keep an open mind and you will find what works for you.

#2- It doesn’t matter what others may say or think, it’s YOUR baby.
I did not shout from the rooftops that we were a cloth diaper family. It’s just not my style. When it came up in conversation, I would meekly mention that we were planning on using cloth and the conversation would grow quiet until someone changed the topic. Luckily, my friends and family are very supportive. If you have a hater in your life, just remind yourself that it’s your baby and your decision. If they don’t like it, they don’t have to change her diaper. As a parent, our decisions will be questioned on an almost daily basis and this is no different. Stand tall and let your cloth flag fly!

#1- Disposables are ok too.
Gasp. That’s right, this is my #1. Unfortunately for us, we battled thrush and yeast diaper rash for almost 4 weeks straight and I chose to keep her in sposies during this time. Of course I was DYING to get her in her cute cloth that I spent months agonizing over. But in the end, the first month of a newborn’s life is hard enough on her parents (hello, sleep deprivation!). Don’t add to that stress if you don’t need to. Waiting to start cloth full time until she was 5 weeks old was the best decision I made because I could enjoy it and more importantly, enjoy her.

The beauty of life is it doesn’t go according to plan. But if you keep an open mind, you can make cloth work for you.

Lindsay is a first time mom to a 2 month old little girl and a crazy dog. She lives with her quiet husband in Illinois and is slowly navigating the journey of motherhood one cloth diaper change at a time. Follow her adventures at thedogatewhat.blogspot.com.
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5 Things About Newborn Cloth I Wish I Knew Then

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The answer is 14. That's the newborn number. It is the current number of diapers we have changed in one day with our baby son. Sounds like a lot (and it is) but the diapers are cloth. Changing cute, cloth diapers makes all the changing kind of fun.

So how did I get to a place where I used cloth from day one? Let me explain: I get a little obsessive. When I first started cloth diapering my daughter who is now 3 and a half, it became more of a hobby than a financial, or green decision. I just wanted to try new brands, fabrics, types, and my spending and stash became something to be impressed with. This story is not new. Many cloth diapering mommas tell the same story.

When we were pregnant with our second, I pulled out the stash and was a little embarrassed. There were over 40 diapers. I have enough diapers for personal use and then more to go around. At one point I loaned about 15 diapers to my sister in law to try to use while I still had enough in rotation for personal use. So with this new baby, I swore to myself that I would not buy any more diapers. None!

Well, until I saw newborn diapers. Baby kept measuring small and I was sure that none of my one size diapers would be small enough. I've heard that newborn diapers are a controversial investment. Babies usually only wear them for 1-3 months. And newborn diapers can be a little pricey. But (there's always a but) if you use them for more than one child, and maybe find some used, it's worth it. And considering that you're going to be spending money on diapers anyway, might as well have something to show for it.

So as luck would have it, there were 24 used, newborn diapers for a great deal on craigs-list. With husband support, we jumped in and would cloth diaper from day one. It was the only thing I purchased for baby, since we left the gender a surprise. And they are tiny and so adorable. Is the obsession resurfacing?

We have 12 'lil joeys and 12 FuzziBunz in size extra small. I go back and forth on which brand is my favorite. My son weighed in at 6 pounds 7 ounces so the 'lil joeys were the best fit in the beginning. The snap down feature was perfect while the cord was still on, so the lil joeys are great for that first week. Now with a little bit more weight, I think the FuzziBunz fit better. I love how the lil joeys are all in ones and don't need stuffing. But I love the fit of the FuzziBunz and I think they contain the poo better. Both are excellent diapers and I would recommend them both to anyone wanting newborn diapers.

Cleaning is not hard either. With the newborn sleep schedule (exhaustion) I wondered if it would be too much to stay on top of, but so far it's been pretty good. I use a high-efficiency steam washer on the heavy steam option. A pre-rinse, extra wash, and extra spin cycle are added for good measure. I've been using Country Save detergent, half a scoop. It takes two and a half hours for the cycle to finish but they come out sparkling clean even time. Baby Ben is pretty much only breastfed so there hasn't been any problem with staining.

Already the newborn diapers are getting snug and will probably only work for another month, maybe two. But then I can crack open the huge stash of other diapers I have. It's been a lovely three weeks and so far I'm hooked. I have really enjoyed cloth diapering this new baby and will probably keep the set for the future. New born cloth diapering is just like regular cloth diapering, so if you're considering, then go with it. It's laundry every other day, but the diapers are so cute and little that I enjoy the freshly clean bunch every time the wash is finished.

Bio: Alicia is an 8th grade English and Drama teacher and is a pretty crunchy momma. She shares her Arizona home with a wonderful husband, energetic 3 year old, sweet 1 month old, 1 crazy dog, and 7 happy chickens.
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The Newborn Number

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We started cloth diapering our first child shortly after his first birthday. A few months later, we found out we were expecting baby #2. I was so excited to use the cloth from the start with our second baby. Assuming that the new baby would be as fast growing as the first, itti bitti diapers would not be needed for long so I did not want to spend a ton of money. I purchased some used Kissaluvs fitteds, used BG extra smalls, Thirsties covers and different sized prefolds. I used a gift certificate from my Kelly’s Closet rewards points to purchase a pair of Swaddlebees AIO and a Kissaluvs AIO. I also took advantage of Kelly’s Closet promotions for free sized diapers. My sweet little baby is now 4 months old and we are way past the point of newborn diapers. Here are my reflections.

  • I had some postpartum issues that left me feeling pretty icky for several weeks. We ended up using disposables a lot more than I had originally planned. I would say we were 50/50 on usage for the first 6 weeks. Since then, he has been in cloth for the most part during the day with disposables at night.
  • My assumptions were right. Baby boy weighed in at 8lbs 9oz and he was over 14lbs at his 2 month appointment. I was glad I had not invested a ton in newborn diapers and that my purchases were brands that fit to a higher weight.
  • At first I could not figure out the prefolds. Soon, I mastered the jelly-roll fold & found the prefold (or fitted)/cover combo to be easy & reliable. It was so much easier than stuffing pockets & they dried much faster than the AIO. We never had any leaks with the fitteds/prefolds & covers.
  • The biggest disappointment was with the pockets & AIO. It seemed like they leaked a lot for whatever reason. The AIO diapers also took a long time to dry, not something I liked when I had a smaller stash. I can’t argue the extreme cuteness of these diapers though, which is what sucked me into buying them in the first place. I loved taking pictures of my squishy baby’s fluffy bum & putting him in them when we had company to show them off.
  • With our first, I remember cleaning up nasty poo-splosions almost daily along with lots of pee leaks. I heard all about how cloth would contain these messes & was excited to test the theory. Lucky for me, my new baby isn’t big in that department. Needless to say, he has never had a blow out in a cloth diaper or in a disposable. No complaints here!
  • Newborns go through a lot of diapers in a day. You know that feeling when a newborn immediately dirties a diaper you just changed? When this occurred in a cloth diaper it just went into the dirty pail instead of me calculating how much money just got wasted.
  • I have yet to tackle cloth diapering at night with the new baby. He is an excellent sleeper and I am not one to experiment when things are going well! I know someday we will bust out the Kawaii Goodnight Heavy Wetters that big brother has outgrown.
  • Newborn diapers have great resale value! Much better than any disposable brand I have used (haha)!
  • Despite having great resale value, I have a really hard time reselling the diapers that don’t fit anymore. They are so tiny & give me major pregnancy/newborn amnesia.

We’re not sure if we’ll have another child some day. But if we do, our stash will consist of fitteds & covers, a couple of cute AIOs for showing off & probably some disposables.

Megan is a full-time working mama of 2 little men – 2 & 4 months, who have the cutest (and only) cloth diaper butts on the block.
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Diaper a Newborn - Lessons Learned

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Diapering a newborn should come easily to me as a mother of four, but when you combine the pure lack of sleep with having three other “littles” in the house (I have four children, my oldest is only five), and having not one but two in diapers-it still is a little hectic. These are my findings and my advice for new moms.

I am currently using cloth diapers on my newborn, but she is the fourth child I’ve used cloth diapers on. I didn’t even realize people still used cloth until my oldest was almost ready to potty train and my second born was three months old. I switched, but naturally I didn’t deal with newborn diapering.

When pregnant with my third I stepped tentatively into using cloth on a newborn. It wasn’t as hard as I thought, but due to budget issues she was using cloth part time. Fast forward to the present and my newest baby…who is at present 90% cloth diapered. I prefer cloth to disposables, but unfortunately I have small babies and newborn diapers are not cheap-or used very long.

Overall cloth diapering will save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars. I know it has our family. However, most newborn cloth diapers cost quite a bit and are not worn very long. We have five different kinds of newborn diapers and I will share the pros and cons we’ve found with each.

We have four Lil’ Joey’s from Rumparooz. They have CUTE written all over them and are an adorable size. However, these diapers are not for everyone. My babies are pretty small by most people’s standards-my smallest was 5 lbs 3 oz and my biggest 7 lbs 1 oz.. My babies are also built thin. Lil’ Joey’s have only fit my (youngest two) children till they hit nine pounds and then they are too small. Considering average babies are born closer to eight pounds and grow often half a pound a week, these aren’t for everyone. We’ve been fortunate to get to use them for about six weeks for each of my daughters.

I have one Happy Heinys Mini one size pocket diaper and it has been my favorite this time around. My daughter couldn’t wear it until she hit about seven pounds without it leaking, but now it is fantastic! The sizing is such that she will be able to wear it quite a bit longer than the Lil Joey’s and it fits her slim figure like a glove. I have another one on order to arrive this week. Can’t say enough good things about it!

I have one Thirsties size one Duo diaper and I also love that it is smaller than our regular one size pockets but started fitting both of my daughters when they hit eight pounds (manufacturer says six pounds, but my girls were both too skinny and it leaked). Thirsties diaper covers with prefolds were how I started cloth diapering, and will always have a special place in my heart.

Rounding out my newborn stash is a Newborn Pro Wrap (the only diaper I didn’t get from Kelly’s Closet) and a Bummis Super Brite Newborn diaper cover. I use a collection of small prefolds with these. I prefer pockets, but when budget matters, this is probably your best bet.

My advice to a first time mom-to-be would be to invest in the Happy Heinys. They are easy to use, will fit (most) newborn babies, and can be used longer than other brands poundage wise. If you are planning on having multiple children, go ahead and invest in a newborn stash as well as one for when your baby gets bigger. If you are only planning on having one or maybe two children it gets tougher…you really don’t know how big your babies will be and often babies don’t wear newborn size anything more than a week or so making a complete newborn stash pretty pricey for the time you’ll use it. However, cloth is always better for the environment and you can always sell or donate any diapers you no longer have any use for.

I probably would not recommend a first time mom to start off with prefolds/snappis/ and covers. Having a newborn has a huge learning curve of its own, let alone a diapering system that isn’t completely easy. Your first few weeks with your baby will be hard enough-getting the hang of nursing, all-nighters, and what her cries mean are challenging enough. Take it easy on yourself. Plus, you want daddy on board with cloth diapers, and trust me, pockets and all-in-ones are the fastest way to a man’s diaper heart.

My final newborn cloth diapering advice would be to get that diaper sprayer and install it while your baby is still small. If you are nursing exclusively there is absolutely no need to use it on your baby’s diapers until they start solids. However, the diaper sprayer also has a learning curve and it is always nicer to learn on a clean diaper than a dirty one that sometimes, when sprayed, the contents of the diaper may hit the wall…or your face…just sayin’.

Jenney is a mother of four and home daycare provider. She blogs about cloth diapering and raising her kids at www.thedraystoday.blogspot.com
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Ins and Outs of Newborn Diapers

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When my now 18 month old son was born, I didn’t even consider cloth diapering. The whole idea of it was completely foreign to me and therefore, I never bothered looking into it. What got me into it was hearing friends that did cloth diaper rave about it and about how much money they saved. So, I looked into it, started a diaper trial and was hooked. Now I am pregnant again and due in March with our new little boy and I plan on cloth diapering him from day one.

When I started to look into newborn cloth diapering options I felt like a cloth diapering newbie all over again. I had no idea which brands would fit my new baby better or how many diapers I would need. My older son was a big newborn (9lbs 2 oz and 23 inches long) and I am anticipating our new baby to be about the same size. To get a feel for how big the newborn diapers would be, I went to my local cloth diaper store and took a look at all of them. There are a few things that I realized.

1) There are a few brands that would not fit a baby that big for very long, namely the Lil’ Joeys, BumGenius AIO XS and the GroVia Newborn AIO. So I decided not to get any of them.
2) The brands that do look like they will fit really well are the FuzziBunz XS, BumGenius AIO S, Thirsties Duo Size 1, and the Happy Heinys Mini One Size.
3) There are a few one size diapers that look like they will fit a 9 lb baby just fine and they are the FuzziBunz Elite One Size, Rumparooz One Size Pocket, Itti Bitti Tutto and the Babykicks Bumboo (I’m sure there are others, but these are the ones I looked at. The Happy Heinys One Size MAY fit, but it has a higher rise, so I’ll probably need to wait for the cord stump to fall off.)
4) Buying purely pocket or AIO diapers for a newborn would be pricey, especially with the tight budget that I have, so I needed to start looking into a cheaper option.

I did purchase a few newborn and size small AIOs and pockets (5 BumGenius Small AIOs, 1 FuzziBunz XS and 1 Happy Heiny Mini One Size). I also plan on using the one size FuzziBunz and Itti Bitti Tuttos that I already use with my older son (along with Happy Heiny One Size when they start to fit). However, this only left me with 13 diapers (not including the Happy Heinys)… nowhere near enough to cloth diaper a newborn full time while washing every other day.

I then read an article by Kim at Dirty Diaper Laundry called “Cloth Diapering a Newborn Without Breaking the Bank + Pro Tips”. In this article Kim suggests using prefolds and flats with covers. I decided to start looking into flats as I had been hearing that they are the best low cost cloth diapering option out there. So, I bought a dozen flats and started playing around with all the neat folds out there. My favorite fold is the diaper bag fold (seen here). I love it because it is super customizeable. You can really make the diaper as small or as large as you need it to be with this fold.

So, after doing all of my research and making my purchases, now I have a healthy stash of about 40 (13 pockets and AIOs, the rest are flats and prefolds with covers and a Snappi) newborn diapers and with the use of flats and prefolds, the stash didn’t cost me very much at all! I even bought all of the newborn pockets and AIOs at a gently used sale so I saved money on those as well. I still need a couple more covers, but once I get those, my newborn stash will be complete! Now I just need to wait for the little guy to make his appearance in March!!  

About the author: Christina D is a 26 year old wife and stay at home mom. She has an 18 month old son named Alexander and is due with their new little boy, Cooper, on March 20, 2012. She also writes her own cloth diapering/green parenting blog, Geeky Green Mom.
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Preparing For My Adventure Into Newborn Cloth Diapering

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Earn Free Cloth Diapers
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