The number one question I get asked on my YouTube channel is in regards to cloth diapering a newborn. Which diapers do I recommend, how many diapers do you need, and how do you prevent the dreaded bulky butt?
I got into cloth diapers when I was pregnant with our twins, and was SO excited about the prospect of saving money, and shopping for baby accessories. We began cloth diapering our twins the day we got home from the hospital, and never looked back.
In this post, you’ll learn:
- Why you may want to wait on cloth.
- How many diapers you will need, per child.
- Which types of diaper systems I recommend for newborns.
- The rookie mistakes I made, and how you can avoid them.
- Plus more!
1. Pick A GO Time
Deciding when you’ll start cloth diapering is step 1 because it will determine how you proceed with steps 2 and 3.
Congrats, you’ve made the decision to cloth diaper! Woot-woot.
Do you want to start immediately. Don’t want those nasty disposable diapers to EVER touch your baby’s skin?
Should you build and bring your diaper stash to hospital with you?
You could….. but I wouldn’t.
While you’re recovering from birth you’ll have a higher success rate of sticking with cloth if you WAIT to start.
Your Hospital likely provides disposable diapers for your newborn. You’ll be relying on their help during your admittance. Mainstream medical stuff will be more comfortable with disposable.
You’ll have plenty of time to geek out on fluff once you get home.
If you’ve received disposable newborn diapers as baby gifts, you might want to use those up for the first month of your baby’s life. This will give time for the umbilical cord stump to fall off, minimizing the exposure to possible staining of your brand new cloth diaper stash.
If cost is a concern, waiting a few weeks to start cloth diapering is easier on the wallet. One size diapers start at around 7 pounds, but fit comfortably at about 10 pounds. If your newborn is on the small size, it might take a few extra weeks to get there.
If you’d like to cloth diaper under 7 pounds, sized diapers are available.
2. Decide On A Number
Newborns need to be changed OFTEN. Sometimes every hour. So, how many diapers do you need?
A typical diaper stash consists of about 24-30 cloth diapers. Depending on how often you want to do laundry, you can increase or decrease that number. Obviously the more diapers in your stash, the less pressure to wash as often. There are positives and negatives to that. As a rule don’t go beyond 3 days without a wash.
- Build Your Cloth Diapers Here (affiliate links)
3. Pick Your Diapering System
There are many different styles of cloth diapers. Gone are the days of pins and cotton rectangles. For a full run down on the styles available read my post here.
MY TOP PICK: Fitted sized diapers with covers. They can snap on, which is great for reluctant Dads. This system is easily sold on eBay after you outgrow it and graduate to another system.
BUDGET FRIENDLY OPTION: Prefolds with covers. Every good diaper stash has at least 10 prefolds in it. The trick with these is getting the hang of folding and securing them. However, you can always just trifold them and lay into a cover. Easy!
Rookie Mistakes to Avoid
- Don’t Overstuff: Pocket Diapers come with 2 inserts. You only need 1 with a newborn. Avoid “bulky butt” by using the correct size, or adjusting your one-size rise appropriately.
- Putting Too Much Pressure On Yourself: I get it. Cloth diapering for any reason is admirable. You are doing fantastic by even using ONE cloth diaper a day. Allow yourself time to heal. Get to know your baby. Keep at it. Cloth Diapering is somewhat of a learned skill. You’ll be a pro in no time.
- Blowing Your Whole Diaper Budget Pre-Baby: Don’t purchase your ENTIRE cloth diaper stash before your baby arrives. Trust me. What you think you’ll love, you might hate a few weeks in.
Cloth diapering your baby from birth is absolutely possible! If you have the desire and the will, it can happen. Cloth diapering is fun, and easy once you get into it. However, there is a learning curve and it can be overwhelming in the beginning… just like your new baby.
Don’t give up, and you’ll be rewarded! Good luck, and congratulations on your newborn!
