Monday, September 14, 2009

Cloth Diapering a Newborn

Congratulations on your newborn or pending arrival :) and the best of luck with your choice to use cloth!

There are so many diapers out there and it's hard to know what to get. This post won't tell you what to get, but hopefully it will give you a good idea of what's out there, how it fits and what you might work for you.

The general consensus is that 3-4 dozen diapers is a great number for a newborn diaper stash. Here are a few examples of newborn diaper stashes. I chose a few basic diaper brands. That does not mean that these are the best or that you should buy these exact examples. They are just to demonstrate the cost variance in styles of diaper stashes.

Example 1: Cost Effective!
3 Dozen Newborn Size GMD Prefolds
4 Thirsties Duos Size 1
3 Snappis
Approximate cost, including shipping: $130

Example 2: Fitteds with Covers
3 Dozen Kissaluvs Size 0 Fitteds
4 Thirsties Duos Size 1
Approximate cost, including shipping: $480

Example 3: All-In-Ones (most like disposables)
3 Dozen XS BumGenius All-In-Ones
Approximate cost, including shipping: $430

Example 4: Mix & Match
2 Dozen Newborn Size GMD Prefolds
3 Thirsties Duos Size 1
2 Snappis
6 Kissaluvs Size 0 Fitteds
6 XS BumGenius All-In-Ones
Approximate cost, including shipping: $240

Now, what type of diaper would you like? Below are some photos of newborns in various brands and styles of diapers.

You may also want to refer to our blog post "The Mother Load: Everything you need to know about Cloth Diapering" for a more in depth look at different styles of diapers.

***All items are x-small/newborn unless otherwise noted***

Blueberry Cover
Reviews:
1) It fits her really well.
7 lbs
Blueberry Mini Deluxe Pocket
Reviews:
1) I really like them. They are much trimmer than the bigger pockets but have an adjustable rise so they fit longer than a sized pocket. DS is still wearing them at 16lbs and i think they will fit for a while longer.

9 lbs 8 oz

BumGenius AIO
Reviews:
1) I really like the fit and easy of these, however, on a small baby they might not be best until the cord falls off.
2) We liked these for the newborn stage but they didn't seem to last very long before they got too tight around her thighs. We used them for a good month before selling them. No leaks and super easy to use.
3) Nice and trim, but I have had several leaks with both pee and EBF poo. I started using a Thirsties cover over them to contain leaks (still my trimmest CD).
5 lbs
5 lbs 10 oz
6 lbs 12 oz
7 lbs

7 lbs 11 oz

BumGenius Bamboo Fitted
Reviews:
Need Pics!!!

BumGenius Organic AIO - One-Size
Reviews:
10 lbs 8 oz
Bumkins Cover
Reviews:
6 lbs 12 oz
Bummies Super Bright
Reviews:
1) Bummis superbrite NB was my favorite cover for the teenytiny size...they are much smaller than Thirsties XS.
6lbs
6 lbs
Bummies Super Whisper Wrap
Reviews:
1) Liked these especially for our prefold diapers. Seemed to have a bit larger fit than our other covers, and worked well.
2) I like these, they have held everything in but a little bit bulky still.

6 lbs 12 oz
7 lbs
7 lbs 11 oz
9 lbs 8 oz
Bummies Whisper Pant
Reviews:
7 lbs 11 oz
Drybees Bamboo Fitted
Reviews:
6 lbs 12 oz
Green Acre Designs
Reviews:
9 lbs 8 oz (Size Small)

Green Mountain Diapers
Reviews:
1) A little bulky, but they do fit and work well :)
2) It's not the trimmest thing in the world, but it does work.

5 lbs 10 oz
6 lbs
7 lbs9 lbs 8 oz
5 lbs 10 oz (Preemie Sized)

7 lbs 11 oz (Preemie Sized)
Green Sprout Fitted
Reviews:
11 lbs (Size Medium)
Happy Heiny Fitted
Reviews:
1) It's very trim, yet absorbent, and works well with any cover on top of it.

7 lbs
Hillbilly Bunny Fitted
Reviews:
9 lbs 8 oz
ImseVimse Cover
Reviews:
1) Insanely huge.
6 lbs 12 oz
7 lbs 11 oz
KCK One Size
Reviews:
12 lbs

Kissaluvs Contour
Reviews:
1)I like how trim and stretchy this is. It doesn't contain EBF poo very well. Cheaper alternate to fitteds, I just wish it came with leg gussets.
7 lbs 1 oz

Kissaluvs Fitted
Reviews:
1) I found these to be too bulky for my taste.
2) Fit our LO perfectly (born at 8 lbs 13 oz). Never had a leak with these. They aren't super absorbent, but you're changing them so much when they're newborns, that they were definitely absorbent enough for our needs. Easy to use.
3) I'm not a huge fan of these, but I can't say they leak. I just don't like how big and thick they are. She can barely move her legs once a cover is on top.
4) I liked the KL0s, they kept everything in very well and although they were bulky they did a good job and were easy for us.
5) I love this diaper. Never had a leak. Very bulky under clothes so this is mainly my nighttime CD for now.
6 lbs6 lbs 12 oz
7 lbs
7 lbs 1 oz
7 lbs 11 oz

9 lbs 8 oz
Litewrap
Reviews:
1) These were our favorites.
5 lbs (Preemie Sized)
7 lbs 11 oz
Little Beetle Wool Cover
Reviews:
1) This is my favorite cover, especially for use at night.

7 lbs
Luxe Wool Soaker
Reviews:

7 lbs 11 oz
Mother-Ease Air Flow Cover
Reviews:
7 lbs 11 oz
Mother-Ease Sandy's
Reviews:
1) Kind of big bit still really functional.
7 lbs 11 oz
Muttaqin
Reviews:
1) A little too bulky for my taste, but they work well :)

5 lbs 10 oz

Muttaqin M Babyshapes
Reviews:
1) I'm LOVING the medium babyshapes Mutts, especially since he doesn't wet that much yet and I don't really feel like I need a cover with them.
7 lbs 11 oz
Nanipoo
Reviews:
1) *LOVE* these. They really work and fit extremely well.

5 lbs 10 oz
Patooshie Pants
Reviews:
1) Love these. Great fit and so soft.
5 lbs 10 oz

5 lbs 10 oz (Preemie Sized)
Prorap
Reviews:
1) Not so great. A little stiff and I don't like that the tabs can't cross at all.
2) Used only while LO still had his umbilical stump. Didn't fit over diapers very well - took some adjusting to get everything in there. We happily stopped using them after his cord fell off.

5 lbs 10 oz

5 lbs 10 oz (Preemie Sized)

7 lbs 11 oz
Snugglebottoms
Reviews:
7 lbs 11 oz
Sposoeasy AIO
Reviews:
1) This is my absolute favorite diaper right now.
7 lbs
Sustainablebabyish Hemp Fitted
Reviews:
1) Love! These fit and work great.
5 lbs 10 oz
Swaddlebees AIO
Reviews:
7 lbs 11 oz
Swaddlebees Fitted
Reviews:
1) Great fit (worth having because of this alone), not terribly absorbent and I'm personally not a fan of side snapping diapers. Old style.
5 lbs
5 lbs 10 oz (Old Style)

7 lbs 11 oz
Thirsties AIO
Reviews:
1) This is our second favorite diaper. It's still a little big on her, but it's very trim and works well.
2) Love this diaper. Very absorbent and dries fairly quickly.
3) Thirsties XS AIO wasn't as absorbent but was a very easy going-out diaper.

7 lbs9 lbs 8 oz10 lbs (Photo by April McClintock)
10 lbs (Photo by April McClintock)
Thirsties Cover
Reviews:
1) A little large, but it still fits my tiny girl and works perfectly.
2) Our favorite cover! Love the leg gussets, and fit over both our fitteds and prefolds very well. An excellent cover!
3) It's still a little big, but I do really like it.
4) Thirsties XS covers worked great, we didn't have any leaks with them and they were so easy to use.
5) Love this cover. Never had a leak unless my CD was hanging out of the cover (my fault).
5 lbs 10 oz
6 lbs6 lbs 12 oz
7 lbs
7 lbs 1 oz

7 lbs 11 oz
Thirsties Duo Cover - Size 1 (Adjustable Multi-size Cover)
Reviews:
1) Works perfectly and fits a bit more trim than the sized Thirsties covers.

5 lbs 10 oz
Thirsties Fab Fitted
Reviews:
1) A bit large, perhaps more appropriate after the cord falls off.
2) Not a huge fan of these, but I don't really like fitteds in general. They fit great and we
didn't have any leaks. I just hate how the entire thing would get soaked.
3) Love the fit and ease of use but the laundry tabs bite and she pees through these in 2 seconds.

5 lbs
5 lbs 10 oz
6 lbs 12 oz

7 lbs 11 oz
9 lbs 8 oz

Very Baby Fitted
Reviews:
1) BY FAR my favorite fitted. It's trim, leak proof, and one of the few diapers that fit her when she came home at 5 lbs, 2 oz.
7 lbs

Do you have photos of your newborn in cloth or reviews that you would like to share?


I'd be happy to add them!

Post a reply or email me at amanda@theecofriendlyfamily.com



4 comments:

Meghan on September 15, 2009 at 9:11 PM said...

thank you so much for posting this. we just found out we are expecting #2 and didn't start cds with #1 until he was a few months. this will definitely come in handy!

Melissa on September 18, 2009 at 12:02 PM said...

What a great post! I love the example stashes in the beginning. Helps me to know what else I need to get! =] Thanks!

Macrina Withun on May 26, 2011 at 2:21 PM said...

If you want to be even more economical you can go with flats...cottonbabies.com has dozen for 19.99 you can do 3 dozen and get 4 cheap covers like bummis lite wrap (10.00 each) or proraps (7.00 each). You could diaper a newborn for less than 100.00 and your flats can grow with the baby.

Magie on October 11, 2011 at 2:02 PM said...

I am going to share this with my sister. She's due in June 2012 and has decided to do cloth diapers like us. I told her she can use whatever our little girl has outgrown but I think she'll really appreciate seeing the pics of the diapers and the babies to choose a system(s) that works for their budget and looks like they want too!

Post a Comment

Newer Older Home
 
Copyright © 2010 The Eco-Friendly Family