Cloth Diapers for Newborn

I never had leaks with my daughter's diapers, because anything that would otherwise leak was caught by the plastic pants... good luck!

I don't know. . . you already have a two year old and two small ones to care for can be challenging, especially if the 2 year old isn't potty trained yet. Is the 2 year old in pampers or cloth? Could you use a diaper service if you went with cloth? I'd go for the easiest -- pampers, but if cost is a concern buy both. . . and use the pampers when going out. P.S. Those old "plastic pants" that we use to put over cloth diapers seemed to be uncomfortable for the babies. D

We used unbleached cotton pre-folds and covers when our son was new, and used them until about 4 months when we switched to Fuzzi Bunz. The prefolds are super thick and definitely hold the breastmilk-poop. there is a bit of a learning curve in getting them on, using the 'snappy' (closing device so you don't need pins), and making sure they don't leak. I used Imse Vimse covers and LOVED them. They really hold stuff in. Prefolds are also the least expensive for this time as you are changing so many diapers and your new baby will be in them for the least amount of time because babies grow so quickly. We decided to get the Fuzzi Bunz when we knew our son would be in one size for a while. Good luck!
Also...the best resource I've found for cloth diapers IN PERSON is Lisa Desmond who works at Well Rounded Maternity in Menomonee Falls (owned by Doula Coral Slavin). They do diapering workshops one Saturday a month.
Good luck!

A., Mom of 6 month old Milo

Hi M.,
Congrats for wanting to cloth diaper and breastfeed! You're child will surely be happy about your choices, making things more comfortable and safe for him/her. I've been cloth diapering my 18 month old babe since she was born and found that breastfed poop washes out easily. I use pre-folds because of the low cost of them and an accessory called a "snappy" really helps to hold in those potential blow-outs. A snappy is a plastic device with teeth that grab the cloth diaper around the babe's body and replaces the need the pokey pins. With this and a reliable cover, we were set- and still had some messes but not a ton. The covers we use are Super Whispy Bummi Wraps- long weird name but very leakproof and fits well. Some websites you may find helpful are: www.babyworks.com, www.babycottonbottoms.com, and www.granolababies.net. Have fun!

I started cloth diapering my oldest when I was about 6 months pregnant with number 2. My oldest was 18 months old at the time. It was super easy. When number two was born we used sposies for the first month and then right into cloth after that. I was nervous about 2 in cloth or I would have done it from the beginning because I never had a blowout with cloth and almost every dirty was a blowout with sposies. They hold the poop great!!If we are blessed with a third I will cloth diaper in the hospital!
The cloth diapers we went with were bumgenius. You can find them on-line.
I hope this helps!

Hi M.
Cloth is so wonderful!We have been using cloth diapers since our son was 3 weeks old(due to using up what was bought/or given us)I would be more than happy to show you what we used while he was that little(he was 7lbs2oz) While breastfeeding your baby the poop is so easy to get off the diapers. washing your diapers at home is easy too. Our son is now 15 months and we are still using some of the diapers that we bought for him. If you would like e mail me and we can talk or you are more than welcome to meet up and I would be more than happy to try and help you out. Cloth diapering has come a very long way since back in the day, and it really is so simple.
hope that helps and talk to you soon.

Hello! That's great that you are thinking about cloth diapers considering that every baby leaves a ton of unbiodegradable waste in a landfill with disposable diapers. Plus cloths diapers are much cheaper. We have used cloth diapers since our little girl was born and only have had a few leaks. Actually whenever we do use disposables the poop comes up her back more. We use prefolds. But if you really want to go for it and have a little extra cash you can get fitted diapers. They are very nice. If you are close to Grand rapids there is a store called Hopscoth that sells all your cloth diaper needs. A very cool store. They also sell locally made baby goods! Otherwise the internet has tons of info on cloth diapers. There is a great community of cloth diaper moms out there too! Have fun! Good luck!

Hi M.,

I am the mother to an almost 2 year old and a 4 month old (both boys) and just started using cloth with the second. I tried a few different types, but the ones that work and fit the best (hands down) are the BumGenius ones. They are All-In-Ones and I use the One Size Fits All style (BumGenius 3.0)- this allows me to use the same diaper on both boys. I didn't think they would work at first since my boys are obviously so different in size, but they're amazing. They have snaps to shorten/size them and then velcro to fasten them. They've held up very well. They are stretchy so are not uncomfortable for the boys even when I get them pretty snug - and the elastic around the back of the diaper holds in the "blow outs" better than any disposable that I've found as well (my infant sometimes doesn't poop for days and then all of a sudden ! . . . .)

Anyways, the ones I use are in their third rendition - so BumGenius 3.0 - and they come with the basic insert and a separate doubler for heavy wetters and overnight. I ordered them on www.cottonbabies.com.

Hope this helps!

C. Downey

We use cloth for our youngest who is 5 months old. We received a box of disposables as a gift before he was born so we used those up before we ordered our cloth diapers. He was about 6 weeks old when we first started the cloth and let me tell you they hold up MUCH better than the disposables. We use prefolds and a cover, we don't pin or snappi, just fold the prefold and lay it in the cover- done! So easy! We went on a road trip over the holidays and used disposables.... every single time he pooped we had to change his clothes! The only time we've had that happen with cloth was when we were trying to stuff him in a too small cover and his little plumbers butt was showing :) We currently use Bummis Super Whisper Wraps and one loney Thirsties cover (which is actually my favorite) and unbleached indian prefolds.

I did cloth diapers from a service and it was great! I didn't clean anything, my daughter never had diaper rash, its GREAT for the enviroment and cost was a lot less. Make sure that you have a few extra rubber pants around for those messy diapers, but we had no problems.

I love the fuzzibunz! One trick I learned for my newborns was to place the diaper on the outside of the diaper and fold in rather than using the pocket. You can even fold a trifold diaper inside the wrap. These allow more uses of the wrap before needing a change. Fuzzibunz are really adjustable with the snaps rather than a velcro strip so I get a snug fit aound their little legs which helps prevent exploding diapers. I have had both thin and chubby babies and they worked well with all.

L.

M., for the first couple of months, try a diaper liner,
it helps with those first loose bm's. Try the nat. food store, they have some great ones. K.

Hi M.!
I absolutely love our cloth diapers, which are also bumgenius as another mom suggested. You can use them from 8lbs to 35lbs and the fleece lining keeps the baby feeling so dry, just like disposables. I am so glad there are other mothers like me who are concerned for the impact on the environment disposables have. I am however no "purist" when it comes to cloth. We still use one disposable overnight for the huge soaking issue.

For the first few weeks while your little one is getting up to 8lbs, just go with disposables, especially since you will have some sleepless nights. Once you hit the eight # mark I highly recommend bumgenius. Everyone has their own preferences though so another good way to go is to get a test-drive package from sunshinediapers.com. I know this mom personally because I used to live in the Gainesville, FL and the test drive package will help you figure out which diaper is best for you and your situation. Then you return it for a store credit, which you can purchase an array of different types of diapers from her website.

As for blowouts, I too experience fewer blowouts with my son when we went to cloth. If you have any other cloth questions just let me know!
A.

I used them for a bit with my last baby. They way they make them now, they work fabulously! No leaks. You probably will have to change them more often than disposables and when I was out in public, I went ahead and did disposables. They were so much cheaper and very environment friendly!

We used a diaper service for the first 4 months, which worked out great. We didn't have to wash the many diapers while I was in a sleepless stupper, and we didn't have to buy the newborn sized cloth diapers. It also gave us time to figure out if cloth diapers would work for us. At 4 months we bought regular diaper service quality cloth diapers.

We used Bottom's Up Diaper Service out of Waukeegen IL.

We've been using FuzziBunz with our little boy since he was one month old (we didn't have them until then) and we LOVE them. I haven't had ANY leaking problems, even those really bad poops that are supposed to go up their back. We've really enjoyed them. PLUS they're an all-in-one diaper (with an add-in insert for absorbancy) so they are actually quite cute and none of the nasty plastic pants that go over them to make it rather gross (in my opinon).

I have been searching the web and have found that the new BumGenius 3.0 is highly recommended.

http://www.bumgenius.com/one-size.php

This link has more information on it. Most stores are trying to clear out their 2.0 stock (as I found out at a local store just yesterday) before ordering the 3.0. but, they are available online. Cotton babies (http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?cPath=98&amp...) has them available in single, 3, 6, or 12 packs. The more you buy, the more you save.

If you find a better one, please let us know!