FTM cloth diapering for little one due in 5 weeks, where to start?

R

rdevotie

New member
I’ve been procrastinating ordering diapers because honestly it’s overwhelming and I don’t know where to start!

Is it possible/worth it to cloth diaper a newborn? If so, what should I get? There are so many different types and brands and advice out there on newborns v infants, daytime v nighttime.

TIA I know there will be a learning curve but having the right items will be half the battle!
 
@rdevotie We started using cloth in the hospital! Our newborn stash was 48 newborn sized prefolds and six newborn covers. That was perfect for us. I thought 48 would be a generous amount, but we actually had to wash every other day for a while, because my baby hated being wet and would cry every time she peed. She went through 15-17 diapers a day, and we line dry diapers, so we needed a bit of a buffer for drying time. She only started fitting into one size diapers around three months, so we got a lot of use out of them.
 
@rdevotie My little is 6 weeks old and we are just starting to phase out of her newborn size— it’s been totally worth it! It does not seem more difficult than disposables to me- we have gifted disposables that we’ve used occasionally on trips out of the house, but I’m going to return or regift the rest (did not follow the advice of using up the disposables first). I have a mix of everything- prefolds, preflats, fitteds, all in ones and honestly have liked them all! The all in ones are the only ones we’ve had a couple leaks with though. I do think prefolds are the most versatile, as another commenter said, as you can continue to pad fold them when the baby gets older. As far as brands: the prefolds/fitteds I have are green mountain diaper, paired with Thirsties duo wraps and they are both great! I thought Velcro would be easier but acrually prefer my snap ones. I have blueberry simplex for the all in ones.

I would recommend reading the info on the Green Mountain Diapers website too! That was really helpful for me for deciding what to buy and how much.
 
@rdevotie I think cloth diapering a newborn is worth it! I had no problem cding my baby right from birth. If you use flats or prefolds, the diapers will still be useful past the newborn phase, so even if you get overwhelmed and switch to disposables for a while you won't be truly wasting money.

I highly recommend a system with inners (flats, prefolds, fitteds) and covers. greenmountaindiapers.com has a great selection and is a great resource for learning as well. You need covers with all these, I personally recommend thirsties duo wraps and nicki's covers. Pros of flats: highly customizable fit, quickest + simplest to wash and dry, fits from birth to potty training so you don't need to buy multiple sizes. Cons of flats: you have to fold them (all at once or one per change), hardest learning curve. Pros of prefolds: still quick + simple to wash and try, can be folded around baby to contain poop or can go right into cover for a very quick change, most versatile when not used as a diaper imo (cleaning, diaper free time, burp cloth, etc). Cons of prefolds: less fit customization, have to buy multiple sizes. Pros of fitteds: straightforward (not much of a learning curve), easy poop containment, quick change. Cons of fitteds: pretty expensive, often you'll need multiple sizes, harder to wash + dry.

If you choose to use disposables in the first few months, another popular type is the pocket diaper. These don't fit well til 10-12lbs but should fit until potty training. They go on almost as simple as a disposable, so they are great for quick changes, caretakers, and daycare. You can customize the absorbency as well. The only downside is that these take prep, because you have to stuff them. You can sit down and prep them all at once, or you can prep one during the diaper change.

I wash every other day and I am a sahm so I don't mind longer changes. If I could go back in time and start fresh with my stash: 24x birdseye flats, 12x newborn prefolds, 12x small prefolds, 12x medium prefolds, 6x thirsties duo wraps size 1, 6x nicki's covers (thirsties size 2 would be better for skinny legs), 6x thirsties natural pocket diapers, 3x snappis, 4x hemp boosters. My baby is only 12w so I expect to need more snappis (they break) and boosters. I actually use wool covers 90% of the time, they're more work but feel free to ask if you wanna know more :)

Second-hand is a great way to get a nice variety! Check marketplace, offer up, and mercari to see what's available!
 
@rdevotie Sheep have natural oil in their wool called lanolin, and it makes the wool water-resistant. You can reintroduce lanolin to wool items which keeps moisture inside and neutralizes pee. Because of this, wool covers can go weeks between washes. They're soft (not scratchy!), come in shorts and pants styles so baby can wear them as clothing, and are a breathable natural fibre instead of synthetic PUL/TPU that any other cover would use. Wool covers are most popular for overnight diapers, because if there is no more absorbency left inside the diaper, the wool can start to absorb moisture, preventing big leaks.

The reason they're more work is because they have to be hand-washed and lanolized (lanolizing a cover is about the same work as a hand wash). You can go weeks between washes, but if you get any poop on it, you have to gently hand wash it and lay it flat to dry for about 24hrs. You can go a few weeks between lanolizing, but I usually do it after washing (which I'm usually doing because of poop 🤪). They are quite expensive (though you only need a few), and if baby is sitting in the same spot for a long time, pee can start wicking through the cover. I use a PUL cover if I have to leave the house, or if I know baby is about to poop.

Lunapaca makes alpaca wool covers that don't need lanolizing, they're worth looking at but I didn't like mine personally. It absorbed too readily. There are also interlock wool covers, that can be put in the washing machine, but I've never tried them.
 
@rdevotie Here is a great resource
fluff love university

Here is what I've learned
-prefolds hold poo best
-jellyroll fold is a game changer with an extra fold in the back to catch poo
-pocket diaper (alvababy) work well using the newborn hack- minimal leaks
-air drying in the sun gets out stains
-reduce use of disposable and not try for perfection
 
@rdevotie Personally, I chose to skip it with a newborn and was glad I did. It took everything to maintain basic care for myself and baby at that stage, I don't think I could have handled frequent laundry as well.

Anecdotal, but my nephew was such a chonker as a newborn, he'd have been out of newborn diapers within a month too, so not sure it would have been worth the investment with him. We are expecting baby 2, and I am planning on skipping newborn cloth again and going right to OS (One-Size). OS diapers start fitting around 9lbs.

I'd just dabble in types and see what you like. Alvas are really inexpensive, and offer fitteds, covers, pockets, and AIOs on their website. They also sell good quality bamboo inserts for a good price. I'd get like 2-3 of each of those to have a dozen, and see how that goes, then build from there. You can sell them for probably half of what you paid if it doesn't work out. But plenty of people on here have Alvas, myself included, as a large portion of their stash, and mine are nearly good as new after about two years of hard use!
 
@rdevotie I only had 4 diapers in my stash by the time she was 6 weeks old. We started slow…one cloth diaper a day. By 8 weeks I had got the hang of it and ordered more. I like prefolds for newborns and pockets/inserts for her current stage (4 months). She’s too wiggly for Prefolds now!

Edit: if you get any newborn disposables as gifts, use those first. They outgrow those way quicker than you’d think
 
@rdevotie Flats or prefolds are versatile - you can keep using them when baby is bigger (I still use flats on our two year old) (prefolds to stuff pockets).

Yes, it's so worth it to cloth diaper a newborn. I'm currently cuddling a 4 week old and while we do have some disposables on hand, a cloth nappy is effectively "free" so it doesn't matter if they poop 30 seconds after you finish zipping up the onesie - it's not $ straight in the trash after 30s. Cloth for a newborn is pretty easy!
 
@cindyfernandez I used prefolds when LO was a newborn and have been stuffing pockets with the same prefolds since he was 3 months. LO is 18 months and I've had literally the same stash as when he was born. I highly recommend prefolds.
 
@rdevotie It’s worth it if you plan to have more than one kid, or if you can resell quality items.

If you just want a newborn diaper shopping list I can give you that 🙂
This is a bit of an overestimate but you never know what kind of kid you’ll have. My 2nd hated wet diapers and went through 20/day at the beginning. And this gives you a bit more breathing room. The AIO are for outings and the fitteds are for overnight. You may also want some stay dry fleece liners if the baby seems bothered by wetness or to try to help him sleep overnight
 
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