Monday, January 5, 2015

Cloth Diapering Series Day 3: Diapering a Newborn

Cloth diapering in the first few weeks of your baby's life usually requires a little different approach than once they start fitting into the standard one size diapers. Natalie is my first baby I've cloth diapered as a newborn since we didn't starting cloth diapering with Maddox until around 6 months old. There are several different options for diapering a newborn. There are all in ones, prefolds with covers, or flats with covers. I'll give you some pros and cons for each type.

ALL IN ONE- Common brands that have newborn AIOs are Bumgenius Newborns, Fuzzibunz XS, Charlie Banana XS, Lil Joeys by Rumparooz, THX newborns, and Smart Bottoms Newborns.
     PROS:     
    -Most like disposables
    -Grandparent & Dad friendly
    -No stuffing. All one piece

    CONS:
   -Most expensive
   -Take longer to dry
   -Babies grow out of them quickly                                                                                                   
I had about 12 AIOs with Natalie made up of bumGenius newborns, THX newborns, and a Smart Bottoms newborn. I used these at night time because they are easy to put on and take off when you are half asleep! :) But, we were only able to use these for about 2 or 3 weeks before she outgrew the absorbency.
This was the Smart Bottoms newborn diaper we used. I loved the cut out for the umbilical stump!
Natalie in a THX newborn AIO

Prefolds & Covers-Commons websites or brands of prefolds are Green Mountain Diapers (GMD), Diaper Junction, Osocozy, & Cotton Babies. I purchased one dozen of my newborn prefolds from GMD and one dozen from Diaper Junction. Common brands of diaper covers for newborns are Thirsties XS, Imagine Newborn, and some people use Best Bottoms covers from birth too. My personal recommendation are the Thirsties XS. They are the perfect size for the first month or two of a babies life. Using prefolds and cover for newborns was definitely the best option for us. Here's my list of pros and cons.
Pros:                                                                      Cons
-Inexpensive                                                          -A little more of a hassle to put on
-Great Absorbency                                                -Bulkier
-Longer Lasting                                                      -Not typically grandparent/dad friendly

Flats are basically the same thing as prefolds with the exception that you have to fold them into the shape you want. This can be a pro and a con because being able to fold them to the size and shape you want allows flats to be used literally from birth to potty training. You can fold them very small and you can make them big as well. They are also the least expensive option because my personal favorite flat diaper are just flour sack towels from Wal-Mart found in the kitchen towel section. They are usually around $5 for a pack of 5, so only $1 a piece! It could be a con though because it does take extra time to fold it before you put it on and it's not very grandparent/dad friendly, unless the grandparent is 60+ years old and then they will probably know how to put it on better than you and will ask you for some safety pins and rubber pants! 

-Hannah

*Disclaimer: I am in no way compensated or affiliated with the products, brands, or websites mentioned in this post. These are simply my personal favorites and opinions. :)