please help me pin down a number of CDs

[LHcj2008]

I'm trying to plan as much as I can to have enough CDs without going overboard. This is my first baby and I've read a lot of advice over how much to have, and I know each baby is different in terms of diapering needs, but I'm also not trying to "overbuy" (though obviously I'd rather have too many than too little). My husband and I have a ton of expenses right now, we just moved to a different state and I have a temporary job and then will be staying home for 8 months with the baby and we'll be living off his teaching salary, etc. etc. So, as much as CDs save $$ in the long run, they are still a big expense initially. At the same time my biggest fear is that all of the diapers will be dirty and I'll go to grab another one and there won't be a clean shell or something like that- and it's not like you can really run to the store at 10 pm and buy Flip diapers.

Ideally I'd like to wash diapers every other day (not everyday). I'm doing Kissaluvs fleece fitted diapers for the newborn stage, and then when they fit I plan to do the Flip snap shell system and GroBaby/GroVia (whatever they're called now) shell system also with snaps. Anyway, I'm prewashing a bunch of inserts right now to fluff them up and this is what I'm pretty sure I have at this point:

13 Kissaluvs fleece fitted, size 0 for the newborn stage until he can fit in the other stuff (Ive registered for 11 more of these, if I don't get them I'll buy them- I'm going under the assumption that newborns on the average need 12 changes a day?)

2 Thirsties covers in size XS for these above, and I've registered for 2 more plus 2 wool covers for nighttime use- If I don't get them I'll buy them

5 GroBaby/GroVia shells and 5 GB inserts with 5 boosters
8 Flip shells with 12 inserts, I think half is the stay-dry and half is the organic

I'm due in late December, btw, so I have time to buy more, I'm just wondering how many to spring for? I'm waiting to see if some gently used ones come in online to cut costs, but again, please help me from going overboard...do I need more shells and inserts? Or should I focus just on getting more inserts?

Thanks!

[sosurreal09]

you dont need the kissaluvs if you are going grobaby. we have grobaby and they fit infants to 35lbs. DD was 8lbs 6oz when born though, anyways i say GET THE SNAPS we got hook and loops and they curled and destroyed the linings...shes 1 now the pads are still in amazing condition and we had the velcro converted to snaps and they are fine now...bought a few second hand snap ones and they are great. i have 16 pads and 8 shells. these dipes should definately last through another kid at least.

problem...they suck at night...i never found a great one size night dipe and am sorry to say we buy disposables for night time...earth best organic ones...a pak lasts a few months though.

[LHcj2008]

Since I've already bought about a day's worth of Kissaluvs I'll probably just continue to stick with those...I'm thinking I may have a small-ish baby because I haven't really gained much weight and my family history is full of 6 and 7 lb. babies (though I'm not sure how much anyone can predict baby size) and I've read that GroBabies and Flips can be very bulky on newborns, so that is why I wanted to get something for the small stage and then switch after a month or so. Oh, and I have bought all snap diapers except for maybe 2 GB diapers that are green and yellow that didn't come with the snap option...I read about the velcro falling apart, pilling/pulling at the diaper so I'm definitely buying only snaps from this point on.

But even if I don't end up needing those Kissas so much and go right into the GBs and Flips, am I covered on that end? How much more covers/inserts would I likely need?

[Nicole730]

Most newborns do go through at least 12 diaper changes a day. I think it is nice to have a few more than 24, just in case you don't get the diapers in the laundry on time.

I haven't used the shells, but I want to say that I'm pretty sure my kids would poop out of the liners everytime they pooped. For DS this was 5-7 times a day, until he started solids. For DD it is 1-3 times a day.

[seagull]

I had 18 KL0s and 12 infant prefolds that worked well. I would have liked more fitteds but it wasn't necessary.

[lunita1]

My newborns needed 15 diaper changes a day on average. 36 diapers was a minimum to be able to wash every other day and have plenty to use while the washer and dryer were running.

[Nicole730]

You also might want to look into Best Bottoms.

[ChetMC]

My Minimum

At my very minimum, I got by with 19 and 8 or 9 covers. I had to do wash every "second day" but it was more like every 36 to 38 hours.

However, it wasn't for very long. Once baby stops pooping at night we stop changing diapers at night. That reduced the number of diapers we were using since it meant ten hours with no diapers to change. By three weeks it was a more reasonable number of diapers to manage with.

Since we used disposable in the hospital, it was only a little over two weeks that we had to survive. With later babies I did add more diapers to the newborn stash so things weren't so crazy.

We always needed a lot of covers. Poop always gets on the covers for me too.

I love the way that kissaluvs size 0 fit newborns, but they aren't a necessity, just really nice.

[raqi]

I have one Flip cover w/ two organic inserts and I have to say I'm not in love when it comes to EBF poo - there's nothing to keep it in the insert, so you have to change covers frequently and the covers themselves don't have gussets, so you're frequently changing clothes as well. While the organic inserts are incredibly absorbent, they're basically just a tri-folded prefold. I had much better luck with snappied prefolds and Thirsties Duo Wraps.

[octobermom]

Newborn 3dozen
infant 2 dozen
toddler 18

I have 30 for my 6.5 month old its perfect..

Deanna

[sosurreal09]

are you ECing at all? we do pt EC and save a ton. we onlt have 16 pads and 6shells (just bought two more the other day) i was every other day.

[cristeen]

W the KL0s, id see about buying them used. They're used for such a short time they can usually make it through 3 or 4 kids. I will say most NB dipes are not very absorbent, so you do have to change them constantly, including several times at night.

For the rest, i wouldnt "marry" one dipe right now. We wound up having to try a LOT of dipes to find what worked for us. My guy didnt fit most dipes properly until after 8 mos. I will say that for those early days when he had super skinny legs, gussets were my best friend. Imse Vimse covers have them and i particularly like the internal gussets in Rumparooz (which ive seen on a 3 wk old and her 2 yr old sister). Nothing leaks out of them.

[Elecampane]

For AI2 systems like Grovia and Flip, I like to have three inserts per shell/cover.