Cloth diapering newborn

[mauriciosr]

@kla2 See I’ve gotten over 100 gifted disposables so I was thinking of using those until baby just hits the 7 lb requirement for the size one covers and to offset some stress the first two or so weeks.

 

[kla2]

@mauriciosr That sounds great!! I saved two small packs we were gifted for outings or if one parent gets overwhelmed over night or to leave with caregivers (friends) if we leave for a few hours, stuff like that. But we also were so excited to get started with the cloth we were looking for reasons to start!! Very eager!! I will say we haven’t switched to cloth wipes yet (we were gifted a large box of disposables and are using those for now).

Best of luck getting started!! The flats have surprised me how well they are working for newborn.

 

[wren84]

@mauriciosr Unfortunately, I think alvas just barely last one child tbh. I’ve tried then and they just are not “well made” in my opinion. I love green mountain diapers and esembly, as well as disana tie nappies. They’re standing the test of time.

 

[kristine403]

@mauriciosr I have been CD for 2 months on my 16 month old. We like pockets at this stage, but I decided to get all in ones newborn for my son due in December for my ease of use. We will use disposable for the first few weeks while we get home and adjusted, My stash is about 30 all in ones/all in twos, and 6 covers with 12 prefolds and 12 inserts. When he outgrows that stash, my 16 month has more diapers than needed and we will transition some to him (all eventually)

 

[kristine403]

I forgot to add, my newborn stash is all mostly used. My one size stash is a mix of used and new. I have new Alvas and they are perfectly fine. Mama koala is pretty much the same as Alva, and so is Nora’s nursery, all work well for us. I do also have LPOs (I like them probably the most but I don’t like their included inserts) and grovia ones (we use these exclusively for overnight) and grovia hybrids (not my favorite, washing poop out of these hasn’t been fun at all and I tend to just wash the whole diaper after one use instead of just replacing the inner peed on one)

 

[mauriciosr]

@hbyej60 How many newborn prefolds would you recommend getting? I was thinking 36 prefolds seems good and those seem to be able to fit with the essembly size one weight guidelines and then getting 36 small prefolds to start with so I have a stash for when baby outgrows their size ones already on hand…or is that overkill haha? Narrowing down brand choice and cloth diaper style choice is done but now there’s a whole new set of questions I fear!

 

[hbyej60]

@mauriciosr You got this! Yes 36 newborn and if you are committed to gmd prefolds get one dozen novice (thinner than smalls) and two dozen small because there is the time between when they fully fit the nb and when they fully fit small where you have to fold down the rise and it can be done on smalls but it feels bulky so its nice to have some novice since it is easier to fold down. You can totally make do without novice

 

[stephert]

@mauriciosr Skip the Alva and the microfiber! My personal fav for nb days is diaper rite nb aio.. super easy, fit under the cord, affordable (especially used), and the absorbancy outlasted every other nb diaper for us including workhorses.

 

[mauriciosr]

@stephert Yeah I’m seeing that Alva isn’t the best choice lol! I’m thinking of just using the newborn disposables we have and then getting a set of essembly size ones with pre folds seems like a good balance

 

[live4christ2016]

@mauriciosr I personally wouldn't use pockets with a newborn because they're kinda stiff and bulky, and I'd be worried about the umbilical stump. GMD workhorses + wool would be an amazing pairing for a newborn and I'm among the people who wish I had started my stash with this approach! Now I have a billion pockets instead They are convenient though.

 

[mauriciosr]

@live4christ2016 Yeah I do like the idea of prefolds and covers a lot for the newborn stage, planning to probably get GMD bundle to start off with and then go from their with different types as baby grows out of the newborn stage!

 

[live4christ2016]

@mauriciosr Enjoy!! GMD makes wonderful products.

 

[johansen]

@mauriciosr I have no idea on this, but leaving a comment so I can see the replies!

It honestly didn't occur to me I'd need multiple sizes of pocket diapers... I mean it makes sense!

 

[mauriciosr]

@johansen Yes I didn’t even think of it either until I saw Nora’s nursery sizing starts at 10 pounds and my husband and I were tiny babies and shorter smaller adults too lol so I’m not anticipating a huge baby at the start!

 

[mark7871]

@mauriciosr Yeah and just to throw this out there for weight VS age and size; I gave birth to a baby who was over 10 lbs and didn’t get a great fit in my one-size pocket diapers until over 14lbs, and my midwife gave birth to a >6lb baby who was still wearing newborn size diaper covers at six months because she’s just a petite little thing.

 

[meki]

@mauriciosr Alva baby pockets are great but microfiber inserts are not. I started with Alva baby but I just bought 12 to see how I would like them. I love them, and they are not sufficient for my heavy wetter overnight. I now stuff the pockets with cloth eeze cotton prefolds .

So we invested in these

I absolutely love them and wish I could have my whole stash be GMD but I do also like pockets.

I also invested in a few wool covers for use at home and overnight and they are amazing. No more leaks.

I have some grovia AIO that I use when we're out of the house because they hold a lot of pee and poop never leaks and it's easy to clean.

You may also think about investing in a toilet sprayer.

ETA: I also really like happy flute pockets. They are more adjustable and seem to be really great quality

 

[mauriciosr]

@meki Thank you this reply is so helpful! I will definitely look into the cloth pre fold inserts, with pre folds can I get them in any size and just fold it down to fit in the newborn pocket? I was interested in other styles of cloth but between being first time parents and my husband being slightly on the fence I figured pockets were an easier starting point. And yes thank you for reminding me of the diaper sprayer I have a friend willing to donate her old one

 

[buckeye_momof4]

@mauriciosr Lots of people really love pockets, but we diapered from birth in flats from GMD and wouldn’t choose anything else. Would definitely second the recommendation to check them out—they carry really nice stuff and personally, I don’t think there’s anything better than cotton on a tiny baby bottom.

Just wanted to add that if you’re not intent on keeping your diapers stark white and if you’re planning to breastfeed, you don’t have to spray poop until you start solids. Bf baby poop stains, but it washes out after a few cycles. It would’ve been untenable to spray my babe’s newborn diapers, since he pooped every change.

 

[mauriciosr]

@buckeye_momof4 That’s a good tip and no I’m not militant on stark white diapers. I am more interested in the pre folds and covers now than before especially since it seems very customizable and maybe will fit a tiny newborn better. How did you learn about how to fold yours?

 

[buckeye_momof4]

@mauriciosr I definitely think it’s more customizable! And less expensive; we just switched from the size one thirsties duo wrap to the size two at seven months. So you get a whole lot more mileage out of the covers.

GMD has a whole page of YouTube videos with a bunch of different folds. We started with origami, I think, but quickly realized it wasn’t going to work and adapted. That’s the nice thing about flats, imo—if they’re not working for you, you just find a different fold that works rather than having to buy something new. But prefolds are similar in that regard, you just have a little less flexibility to put the absorption where you want it.

The other nice thing about either flats or prefolds if your husband remains skeptical is that you can always pad fold them and lay them in a cover, and then they’re basically a pocket.