Newborn Cloth Diapering

I'm completely obsessed lately with preparations for the new baby! I have several running lists - things to buy, things to sew, things to do, and more. Thankfully, with this being our third baby, preparations really are not too extensive. My list includes hauling things up from the basement and washing them, stocking the freezer with meals, and some organizing tasks. I think I'm stressing a bit because Christmas is so close to my due date and I want to have everything done and be able to relax and enjoy the holidays with my girls. My husband has been a good sport and puts up with my nesting quite well. I think I'm finally done with my cloth diaper preparations. Here is a bit about what we'll be using for newborn cloth diapering...

I started cloth diapering when Lucy was 8 months old, and then with Julia we purchased more of a newborn stash and started from the beginning. I'm using most of what we already have, and adding in a few things here and there that I think will work well.

Diapers:

25 Kissaluvs fitteds size 0 - We purchased these to use with Julia. They come highly recommended as a newborn diaper, but I kind of have mixed feelings about them. They didn't seem very absorbent, even with a doubler added in, and were outgrown fairly soon as they have a small rise. They are soo cute though and its nice to use a fitted diaper with a newborn because it helps contain the messy breastfed poops. We're going to try them out again with this baby since we already have them. We bought them from the Kissaluvs outlet store as "seconds", but didn't have any problems with them. If you join their email list, they will tell you when they are stocking the outlet store.

24 Cloth-eez prefolds - We have prefolds, and have used them in the past, but they were always too big and bulky. This time I bought some that are specially sized for newborns. Its hard to tell in the picture, but they are wide and short, it looks like they will be a good fit. I like having prefolds around as back up diapers in case I haven't done the laundry quickly enough. Prefolds are the cheapest diapering option out there, and are pretty absorbent and durable. Green Mountain Diapers sells small sizes that aren't available elsewhere, and even sells them in organic cotton. I bought a dozen of the orange edge newborn size and a dozen of the yellow edge small size. If the Kissaluvs end up not working well for us again, I may get another dozen of each size of these.

Mother-ease Sandy's - I haven't tried Sandy's fitted diapers, but am going to be reviewing a set once the baby comes. We enjoyed the training pants I reviewed, and am looking forward to trying out a small Sandy's diaper and diaper cover. I'm guessing these may be a bit big at the newborn stage, but should last for a while after that since they have a big size range. Mother-ease offers a great introductory package that allows you to try a fitted diaper, cover, and liner for a discounted price.

Covers:

I use both plastic diaper covers and wool. I love the wool covers, but the PUL is useful for underneath onesies and other outfits that don't work well with wool.

Thirsties - These are probably my favorite covers. I like that they are nice and thin, but I don't get leaks out through the legs. They have a double elastic feature called a gusset that helps stop leaking. I find that they have a large range of fit since the velcro tabs can be crossed over each other. The velcro does wear out over time, but mine are all still useable after being used for Julia. I have some just a couple XS and then several S. We don't know if the baby is a boy or girl, so I did buy a yellow XS since my two XS were pink. I'm sure the baby will eventually end up in a few pink diapers even if its a boy, but at least we have the yellow one for photos. ;)

Wool - My newborn wool includes a couple pair of longies that I crocheted from the Morning Glory Ladybugz pattern, a small Aristocrat (our favorite wool soaker for night because its so thick), a crocheted soaker, a Stacinator wool cover, and a crocheted sleep sack. I'd still like to get some Aristocrat longies, and maybe make some recycled longies and another sleep sack from wool sweaters. I do have a few more crocheted longies that are girly colors, so I have those tucked away in my "maybe" box. Wool is nice and breathable, and really not too hard to care for. I posted a bit about wool for cloth diapering here.

Pockets:

I mainly use pocket diapers with Julia right now. I like the stay dry effect of the microfleece or suedecloth on the inside and they are nice and absorbent. I don't like them as well for the newborn stage because you don't need as much absorbency and they don't hold the watery poops as well. I'm sure we'll use them from time to time though, and will probably reach for these more at night when I want the baby to stay dry for longer periods of time.

BumGenius 3.0 One Size - We like these diapers and like the fit of them. I like that they are one size and can be adjusted as the baby grows. Julia fits well in these right now and I've heard that they work well even on newborns. I'm not very happy with the wear on these though. The velcro is not very sticky anymore and the elastic is shot on most of them. My list of things to do includes trying to fix these. I do have a couple new ones because they were so inexpensive using this diapers.com code.

Fuzzi Bunz - I have some medium Fuzzi Bunz that I purchased used when I started cloth diapering Lucy and they have lasted through Julia as well. The elastic does need to be replaced, but the snaps are all fine. They seem to have lasted really well. The medium size has fit both of my girls from about 6 months until potty training, so they've gotten lots of use. I bought a couple size smalls since I like these so much and will also be reviewing one of the new one size Fuzzi Bunz. I'm interested to see how that fits on the newborn compared to the one size BumGenius.

Accessories:

These are all things that we already have, but if you're just starting out cloth diapering you may want to think about getting some of these items.

hemp inserts - Babykicks Joey Bunz are nice for adding more absorbency at night

2 pail liners - I like the Planet Wise brand.

wet bag - at least one for the diaper bag

2-3 snappis - these are for use with prefolds

cloth wipes and solution

diaper sprayer - best for older babies, breastfed baby poop just goes in the pail

wool wash - Eucalan is nice

pail - plastic kitchen pail with flip top lid from Meijer

As a side note, I linked some of the items in this post to Abby's Lane, our favorite cloth diapering store. They have free shipping on everything all the time and give you a code for 5% off if you join their yahoo group (purple button at the bottom of the home page). If you end up ordering something mention my name and email address (Christy - christy.vw@gmailDOTcom) in the comments box and I'll get a small referral credit. Thanks!