Went shopping today! Fun and Overwhelming. What is a MUST in the newborn stash?

[mrsbernstein]

This afternoon, my mom and I went to a little boutique for "all-natural" type moms to look at cloth diapers.

They carry Flip, BumGenius, Thirsties and....one more that is escaping my mind.

My mom is thinking that we're going to need about 6-7 DOZEN diapers to start this new baby's life!  eek!  

Though I'm not going hog-wild now (15w3d), I do want to start buying to ease the pain of such a large expense.  

Where should I start?  What are the MUST haves??

THank you!

Mrs B

[crazyms]

CDing really depends on the mom and baby's likes and dislikes. When I first started CDing I got a couple of each type (fitteds, pockets, AIOs, covers w/ pfs) to try them out and see what worked best. I like pfs or flats with covers best. I like that they wash and dry really quick and are a lot cheaper. I bought my covers used on www.diaperswappers.com so they were less than $5 each and pfs or flats can be bought for anywhere from $12-24 per dozen. I do like to have 1-2 ea fitteds, pockets, and AIOs for going places or back up though. I am having to start fresh for this new baby coming and I plan to have 2 dz ea pfs and flats, 6-8 covers and 4-6 wool covers/soakers, 1/2 dz - 1 dz liners, a few dozen wipes and I also have 1-2 fitteds, pockets, and AIOs for backup.

[crazyms]

Here's a pretty decent guide to help you decide how many diapers you may need:

http://www.zany-zebra.com/how-many-cloth-diapers.shtml

and this link below has a FAQ guide on some common questions about CDs:

http://www.diaperpin.com/howto.asp

You can find other similar guides by searching things like "How many cloth diapers" or "Getting started with cloth diapers." Hope that helps!

[Marissamom]

how many diapers you need depends on how often you want to wash. most common seems to be washing every second or third day, and 2-3 dozen diapers in newborn size. with my 20 month old I have 2 dozen prefolds, 4 covers, and wash every second day, though I think I could wash every third day if I wanted to, that's just when my diaper pail fills up. 

I like prefolds and covers because they're inexpensive, low maintenance, and pretty easy, though there is a bit of a learning curve with different folding techniques. 

[Smidge]

I personally like have 36 and about 6-10 covers.  I like to have prefolds, fitteds and AI2s :)

[Ola_]

Is your mom familiar with using a diaper service?  6-7 dozen is what they often give you for a whole week so maybe that's where she got her number.  I think 2-3 dozen sounds about right.

[mrsbernstein]

Ola,

To be honest, my mom never used CD before...and really wasn't even in to us using them until we went shopping for them yesterday.

We have agreed that she can use sposies at her house, and we'll used CD at ours.  In the grand scheme of life...just not the big of a deal to me.

So, I think the 6-7 doz number is from her remembering what she used when we were little.

Mrs B

[orange_mommy]

I'm trying to figure this out myself.  Part of me wants to believe your mom's estimate so that I can justify another spending spree (part 2) for myself! ;)

Originally Posted by mrsbernstein 

Ola,

To be honest, my mom never used CD before...and really wasn't even in to us using them until we went shopping for them yesterday.

We have agreed that she can use sposies at her house, and we'll used CD at ours.  In the grand scheme of life...just not the big of a deal to me.

So, I think the 6-7 doz number is from her remembering what she used when we were little.

Mrs B

It sounds like your mom may be hesitant about cloth diapering, and perhaps her large estimate is her way of subtly encouraging you to use disposables? ;)

[cristeen]

In the NB stage, assume about a dozen dipes a day. Type is purely personal preference, combined w life circumstances. Before considering brands, i always recommend thinking about your life and type of dipe. Pfs/flats are cheapest, wash easiest, but are the most complicated to use. Fitteds are typically natural fibers, go on like a sposie, but require a cover (PUL, fleece or wool). They wash pretty easily. AIOs are the easiest to use, just like a sposie, but are the most complicated to wash, and usually most expensive. Pockets go on like an AIO, washing is more like a fitted, but you have to spend the time stuffing them after each wash. And then there are AI2s (also called hybrids), which have much of the same attributes of a pocket (easy on, easier wash), except you can reuse the outer cover (pockets are wear and wash). Childcare providers (and grandparents) will usually prefer pockets or AIOs.

Then theres the subject of natural fibers vs synthetics.
Snaps vs. Aplix
Sized vs. OS

After youve made decisions on all of the above, only then would I start looking at brands. I never recommend shelling out money for an entire stash of 1 brand though. We went through at least 8 or 12 brands of dipes to find the ones that worked for my DS. Narrow it down, then try a few different brands to see what works for you. And it doesnt have to be all 1 type... We use fitteds or AI2s at home, pockets when we leave the house and PFs for night-time.

[mrsbernstein]

Thanks Ladies!

I just won my first auction of 13 nb/sm diapers...and they are AIOs.

We have decided as a "starter"...to go with the Newborn Starter Kit from GMB, and add some AIOs for days out and days with Grandma.  

My husband is not THRILLED wiht learning to use pfs.  However, he is THRILLED with this baby...and is willing to do pretty much anything!  

I'm going to be adding some dipes here and there as I can find them, but think our "base" is going to be from GMD.

Thank you!

MRs B

[Lauren82]

DH and I are newbies to cloth diapering. The majority of my stash is GMD prefolds and DH looked horrified as I was showing him how to use them with a snappi (on a teddy bear). Next I whipped out the small stack of the GMD snapped fitteds made from prefolds (The cloth-eez workhorse dipes) and DH exclaimed "SNAPS! I'll be using those kind!"

Perhaps you might consider some of those for DH diaper changes. ;)

Originally Posted by mrsbernstein 

Thanks Ladies!

I just won my first auction of 13 nb/sm diapers...and they are AIOs.

We have decided as a "starter"...to go with the Newborn Starter Kit from GMB, and add some AIOs for days out and days with Grandma.  

My husband is not THRILLED wiht learning to use pfs.  However, he is THRILLED with this baby...and is willing to do pretty much anything!  

I'm going to be adding some dipes here and there as I can find them, but think our "base" is going to be from GMD.

Thank you!

MRs B

[mrsbernstein]

Lauren,

The GMD Workhorses are DEFINITELY on my list of things to purchase when I get to do my order in the next month!!!

Mr sB

[mrs.yd]

Congratulations!

Buying cloth diapers for a newborn is so much fun! 

I would echo others and recommend getting a variety in newborn.  

They grow out of newborn diapers pretty quickly, so you don't want to invest too much in that size. 

You never know how they will grow, or what their shape will be and what type of diaper will work best for them.

I bought several things from Green mountain diapers (that is what you mean by GMD right? )  I was really happy with the things I got from them.  My husband learned to use the snappi, but I think he mainly did the tri fold pre-fold in a cover.  We both prefer fitteds, and that is what I bought for the after-newborn stage. 
Thirsties are awesome, I highly recommend them. My favorite fitted is either Loveybum or Clovers.  I love the loveybum wool covers and covered caboose wool covers. 

I had 2 dozen prefolds for a newborn, and about 5 fitteds; 5 PUL covers, 2 wool.  After newborn, I had about 2-3 dozen fitteds and 1/2 dozen prefolds.  I usually have 4-6 covers, but I always wish I had more. 

I do not use velcro on my diapers.  I'll use them on a cover, but not the diapers.  I have had so many problems with the velcro getting yucky in the wash. All my fitteds are snap.  Velcro on a cover is fine while the baby is small enough to not take the cover off.  But, I wouldn't buy a velcro cover for my two year old,  unless the idea was for her to be able to take it off to go potty. 

[NoraFlood]

We couldn't have lived without our BumGenius and Sposoeasy AIOs. They have been completely leak- and blowout-proof (unlike the disposable diapers we've used), and they couldn't be any easier. My son is still wearing the XS size in both at over 12 pounds, so they have been a good value (especially because I haven't really bought anything new--I got his entire stash used off Craigslist and at consignment sales). It is pretty easy to resell thins when you are done with them, too, if you are not planning to have another child anytime soon.

[Galatea]

Here are my standard NB recommendations:

Newborn diapers fit babies from birth to about 8-12 weeks or longer, before small or one-size diapers begin fitting.  Newborns need to be changed 12 or more times a day, so disposables will cost about $100 per month.  You can have 24 newborn cloth diapers in a variety of styles for under $300 and either break even on cost, or, if you have more children, really save a ton of money.  Using newborn cloth diapers is also a great chance to try a variety of diaper styles to see what you like before you purchase your main diapers.

This is a very popular newborn stash:

18 prefolds
3 Snappis
6 fitteds (Kissaluvs 0, sustainablebabyish XS, Thirsties Duo Fitted 1)
8 covers (Thirsties XS, Thirsties Duo Wrap 1, Bummis Super Brite XS)
6 pockets or all-in-ones (GroVia AIO NB, bumGenius 3.0 XS, FuzziBunz XS, Rump-a-Rooz Lil Joeys)

I recommend trying a variety of brands and styles so that you get a lot of experience and will be able to make an informed decision when it is time to move into bigger diapers.  Variety is the key.

[orange_mommy]

So if a person is planning on doing laundry every few days, but also plans to air dry everything... would you not need a few extra days worth of diapers since that's about how long it will take to dry the ones in the wash?

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by orange_mommy 

ASo if a person is planning on doing laundry every few days, but also plans to air dry everything... would you not need a few extra days worth of diapers since that's about how long it will take to dry the ones in the wash?

If you're planning to air dry, i would purchase w that in mind... Pfs, flats, pockets will all dry faster than aios or most fitteds. If you want to use fitteds, id look for ones w quick dry doublers and/or snap in doublers so they can be dried separately.

They should not take several days to dry except in the dead of winter - and then id suggest a drying rack over the heater grate.