Newborn in Cloth, or, watch your ovaries!

Welcome to all! The Cloth Diapering Bloggers network is having a Carnival - how do/did you cloth diaper your newborn? We are playing along.

Want more than just a newborn in cloth? Stay tuned ... Wee One turns one year old tomorrow, and in honor of that monumental event, I will post about our Year In Cloth Diapers.

After we party.

So, about the newborn. A year ago, really? Wow.

The majority of our stash was prefolds and covers. I started out using Proraps, since they are the only thing that fit her when she was tiny (5 pounds 9 ounces when she came home from the hospital). They were still a bit big in the beginning.

But eventually she started growing into them. I bought these as seconds from the outlet. There is a 1-800 number ... wouldn't it be nice if I had it? They were really cheap - less than $5 a cover, so I got 5.

We did use some fitteds, this is a Tinkle Traps newborn size that I first bought as an option for the "going home" diaper.

And I had also bought a Nana's Bottoms preemie sized AIO, that ended up being the "going home" diaper.

Because pockets were just too big at the time.

Another WAHM fitted, by Heather of Bugga Bugga Boutique

Fit well under the prorap cover - actually I think this is the Tinkle Traps fitted again.

Eventually she outgrew the preemie sized AIO. They worked well as "out and about" diapers, so I ordered three more in newborn size. Here is the mauve one.

Also about that time, she started getting big enough for "real" covers. I don't like Proraps covers for some reason, I prefer the Thirsties style covers. The Bummies Super Whisper Wrap and Super Brites fit her a little earlier than Thirsties, tho.

But eventually she made it into XS Thirsties. Yay for leg gussets!

We did alot of diaper laundry for a newborn! That's why prefolds or cheap fitteds work best, I think. The fitteds in the front were Bumgenius bamboo fitteds, now discontinued. The softest, squishiest bamboo fitteds you will ever find.

We tried the GroBaby system that everyone just loves. I do NOT recommend this system for a newborn. The poo gets on the cover so it ends up acting like an AIO, since you have to wash the covers every time too. Once they get to the point where they only poo once a day and the diapers are mostly just wet, I'd consider it. Overall I didn't like this system, and sold it online for much less than I paid for it.

More diaper laundry. There's just something fulfilling about clean diapers.

About three months old is when she finally made it to size small Thirsties. She was in these until around 9 months, so we used the infant size prefolds for quite a number of months.

She also started sleeping well - like for 5 or 6 hours at a time - so I started a new nighttime system. This is a size Small Fuzzi Bunz (the "new" small not the "old" small - hence why I hate Fuzzi Bunz) with a microfiber insert and a hemp/bamboo insert.

She started growing out of KL0's:

And it was time to start posting our XS Thirsties on FSOT to try to sell them *cry*

But that meant we could buy more diapers, like new bamboo fitteds. These are DryBees Gone Natural in size 2.

Still trying that GroBaby thing. Still not liking it all that well.

When buying WAHM diapers, be sure to discuss dimensions and measurements, not just sizes. This is a newborn size fitted from Country Cuttins that didn't fit until she was a couple of months old. Everyone has a different idea of how big a "newborn" baby is!

Another Size Small Thirsties shot. And her favorite toy - mommies phone. Unabashedly used to keep her entertained to get diaper shots.


As I mentioned, I totally suggest prefolds or cheap fitteds. You will be changing diapers frequently and probably a little too tired to wash on a regular schedule, so get at least 36 of whatever diapers you are using. That will be much cheaper for prefolds. I used the newborn sized prefolds (we got the ones from Baby Bunz and they were very quilty and absorbent) for nighttime breast pads for a good 6 months since I was a big milk fountain day and night.

You have to love the covers you are using. I didn't CD consistently until she was big enough for covers I like. For some reason I don't like Proraps at all - all that Velcro - so while those were the only ones that fit for a while, I tended to use sposies more often. Thirsties covers always have been my favorite - I have only used the sized covers. I have not used the Duo covers, although the Duo Diapers are what we use for daycare now and love them.

Diaper laundry is super easy with a breastfed newborn, since the poo is so watery. I did a cold rinse, a hot wash with a small amount of Tide, and a cold rinse. We have since switched to the Thirsties prewash and superwash, and I would highly recommend trying those. DON'T USE DREFT.

Give yourself a break. If cloth diapering your newborn in the very beginning seems like just "one more thing", just do it occasionally, or wait a few weeks and try again. I made sure she had a cloth diaper on when we left the house, since I had told so many people we would be CDing, and most of them didn't think I'd do it, I felt like I had something to "prove". However much you do it, however it works for you in the beginning, is only about your family. You'll get the hang of it, and one day you'll notice it seems easy. That day might be the beginning for you, but if its not, just keep trying.

Find a place where you can ask questions. Many mamas that blog about cloth diapering are happy to share their experience if you just ask. Comment on a blog or send an email. I know I'm happy to talk to new moms or moms interested in cloth diapering. I spent alot of time on the forums on Diaperswappers reading and posting and asking and answering questions. Beware the viruses on that site. Other mamas frequent Mothering Dot Com, and there are forums on Hyenacart as well.

See if there are locals. There is a local attachment parenting/cloth diapering store in my area, and I made it a point to attend a weekly playgroup and meet the owner. This is a great way to meet other moms in your area that might share your interest, or passion, or ... um ... addiction ... to cloth diapers!

I have a number of other posts on beginning cloth diapering .. info on prefolds and covers, diaper materials, AIOs and pockets, and more. Feel free to click the "cloth diapers" or "CD 101" tag and read around. If you have questions about the diapers you see on my wee one, feel free to ask. If you have questions about a unique situation, I love to help mamas intersted in cloth.

Welcome to the world of cloth diapering!

Visit Dirty Diaper Laundry to read more of the entries in the Carnival.

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