Newborn Diapers - Page 2

[saratchka]

I have a full stash of FB's (newborn and smalls) that we used for DD and I'll probably use them again with this kid. But I'm no longer a fan of microfleece, so a little part of me is wanting to get a bunch of Kissaluvs for the newborn period. I don't love the feel of the synthetics, and I don't want to have to wash the new baby's dipes seperately from DD's cotton and hemp diapers (assuming DD doesn't magically PL before the new sibling arrives!) so I'm considering shelling out the bucks for the Kissaluvs, then maybe just doing mostly prefolds & covers after that. With a few super-cute LHC AIOs for fun, of course!

For those new to CD with a newborn, the Fuzzi Bunz with microterry inserts worked great on DD and we had only one poop blowout ever. We had a couple pee leaks in the early days, but those were the result of DH's refusal to actually snap the diaper on tight enough that it wouldn't gape at the legs.

[willoLevin]

For the person who asked:

A "prefold" is still a rectangle, it's just been sewn to have multiple layers, especially down the middle where the baby will (usually!) pee/poop.

Practice on a doll if you don't have a baby available.

You put the diaper down flat and unfolded. Put the doll/baby down on the diaper so the back edge of the diaper goes where you'd expect the back of pants/diapers to hit on the baby's back (above the bum!) Take the two front corners, currently under baby's knees/feet and fold them in to the middle of the front edge so you have a piece about 1/3 as wide in the front as the unfolded back is wide. On a tiny baby, you will probably also fold this thick front piece down a few inches or else the diaper will be up to baby's armpits in front. Holding the thickly folded front in place, use your other hand to bring the back corners around over the front to form the "shape" of the diaper around baby, right where disposables' velcro would be--ideally, only cloth is touching your child and there are many layers that would actually make it hard to pin your baby if you use pins. Use pins (through the top layers only) or a snappi to attach back edges over front thick layer.

Voila!

I've actually just gone back to prefolds on my 3 year old! He outgrew his large Fuzzi Bunz, and I won't buy any larger diapers as I really think he's on the verge of potty training. I found them trivially easy in the beginning, but prefolds became VERY HARD to use when DS got super wiggly at around 6 months.

I still say, until you meet your baby, it is best to buy a few each of DIFFERENT TYPES of diapers. I was surprised by which ones I liked best sometimes!

I tried using flats (seriously--just an enormous, thin piece of cloth), and never could fold them well enough to fit my son, but I tried them after he was wiggly. (Newborns don't move much.) Ditto "Australian nappies" (the terrycloth flats.) Still, a flat diaper folded in half, then into thirds, is now my favorite doubler since one prefold won't hold my son's super-floods. Flats dry SO fast. I'm glad I only bought three of them, though, since they didn't work as diapers for me.

--willo

[mommamin]

I used PF to stuff my Happy Heiny's!! Seriously, PF's, for whatever reason, intimidate me!

[irises]

I am another one who has never even seen a baby being diapered in cloth, but my husband and I have decided to give it a shot. I put a bunch of different kinds of diapers on our registry, so we'll have an assortment to try out before we invest in one kind. We are also going to buy a sampler package from heinyking that includes prefolds, fitteds, pockets, and AIOs. That seems like a good way to test-drive them, since even the best reviews can't really account for what will work on our baby. (Marvelleaux, maybe you want to try this route, too. I also really want BumGenious to work, but I've heard they are great on some babies and not so great on others.)

We plan to use disposibles just for the first week or so, since we'll be new at everything and may need a little time to ease into cloth (and laundry).

Can anyone recommend a good disposible diaper for a newborn? Thanks.

-Iris

[magrat]

This is what I have so far:

3 small swaddlebees AIOs
1 BumGenius 2.0
1 small little beetle original
12 Thirsties newborn prefolds (9.5x13" 4-10lbs)
12 Thirsties infant premium prefolds (12x16" 7-15lbs)

1 newborn Litewrap cover (6-10 lbs)
1 newborn WAHM PUL cover (tiny)
1 newborn Imse Vimse Bumpy cover (6.5-13 lbs)
1 small aristocrat wool cover (7-20 lbs)
1 small little beetle wool cover


4 wipes

What I plan on getting:
2 small Little Beetle hemp originals
6 small Little Beetle hemp lite
1 small Little Beetle ONE
12 NB snugglebottoms w/ velcro fitteds
more wipes

After doing a lot of research I had planned on doing mostly Little Beetle fitteds, but I just got one and it seems awfully big and bulky, and I'm not sure it'll work on a newborn. Plus they just raised their prices quite a bit Then I found the snugglebottoms and think that may be a really good way to go for the newborn stage. They're super cheap for fitteds, though there aren't many reviews of them. So to all the people who have done this before, how am I doing so far?

Edited to add I just got a new Fisher & Paykel washer and dryer and am so excited to use it for diapers

[Marvelleaux]

Thanks for the demo!

Like Zion, I didn't know what pre-fold ment. For the record, I don't know what a "snappi" is, either.

Looks like I'm going to go write a big request in the diaper forum...

[OTMomma]

If you check the website with the demo and watch the demo of the Newspaper fold- there is a bright red snappi- its sort of a y shaped thing you use instead of pins- it has little claws to grab the fabric.

[mommamin]

How many dipaers everyone plan on buying? Those of you who have a stash started do you plan on getting more? I know that when DD was an infant, we went through about 15 diapers a day! All that BM made for lots of wet and poopy diapers!!! I don't want to get too many since the babe will outgrow them quickly; however, I don't want to be short? I am thinking 3dozen sounds like a good number. I have wipes already and just purchased 8 more so I am good on those. And I have my wipe warmer from DD. I just mix lavander oil and tea tree oil in the water to keep it from getting yucky!

[Mere]

The cloth diapering forum was invaluable to me when I was figuring out how to CD. I bought some covers to use with my prefolds, but they were not working at all and the CD forum helped me figure out why.

There are some good webpages that some of the CDing folks have put together...there used to be one called Karen's Cloth Diapering Page that I referred to a lot. That was 5 years ago though so I don't konw if it's still up, but you could Google it or find the link in the CD forum. "Karen" goes through what a snappi is, how to fold prefolds, what fitted diapers look like, etc.

A big factor to consider is cost. CDs like AIOs and fitteds are not cheap, and especially when you're buying small sizes that they go through quickly you want to consider just how much $$ you want to spend. Getting used helps, but even they are still pricey. By far the least espensive option are prefolds; once your baby gets to be ~4 months old or so, the prefolds will last for the rest of their diapered life. You will have to buy diaper covers as they grow, but that's it.

[54mama]

Originally Posted by Mere

There are some good webpages that some of the CDing folks have put together...there used to be one called Karen's Cloth Diapering Page that I referred to a lot.

It is still out there... I was planning to post the link today: http://diaperpages.com/index.php

Some other sites helpful for us starting out were:
http://www.diaperpin.com/home.asp
http://www.dy-dee.com/html/Folding/folding.html
http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/lanolize.htm
http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.co...entchoices.htm

We have always used prefolds and covers. I bought 3 dozen infant sized prefolds and then 3 dozen premium sized prefolds and this has gotten us to this point (daughter is 16 mo) and she'll be in the premiums until she potty trains. I prefer Bummi Super Whisper Wraps for general use.... they last forever, you can dry them on hot and they don't leak. We also use the Bummi fleece covers at night, and also wool soakers that I knit. I have added some AIOs and fitteds to the stash because I started sewing them... it is nice to have a little variety, but I do love Snappied prefolds and covers for price, efficiency and simplicity.

[willoLevin]

Irises-- Which brand of diaper works best, either disposable or cloth, is yet another variable that will depend a bit on your child. Sorry!

My son got a terrible rash from Luvs and Pampers and even 7th Generation disposables, but he can wear Huggies for a couple of days straight with no problem. Go figure! (He's never had diaper rash while in cloth. I know others whose children get more rashes with cloth than disposables--though I personally think the washing method leads to this issue.)

Back to cloth, no matter what works for anyone else, I will always recommend buying fewer of each item and more types just to start out. (Okay--I think a dozen prefolds is useful for ANY diapering family. They make great burp cloths, changing pads, etc.) Some of my favorite diapering sites (www.diaperware.com comes to mind) will base your discounts on EVERYTHING you've bought in the past, not just each order. This means you can order here and there as you need something new, and still enjoy a discount.

Even if you know you want prefolds, it is worth sampling different brands. You may be surprised which you find easiest to use, or easiest to wash, or quickest to dry, easier to use with pins vs. Snappi vs. laid loose in a good cover... There are so many options now, you can go crazy figuring it out, but the selection is a lot of fun, too.

I'm a total CD addict. I am THRILLED to buy new diapers for a new baby. I'm still excited for DS to use the potty, but the diapers are just so darn cute. Who has ever thought that about disposables?

--willo

[mommamin]

Originally Posted by willoLevin

Irises-- Which brand of diaper works best, either disposable or cloth, is yet another variable that will depend a bit on your child. Sorry!

My son got a terrible rash from Luvs and Pampers and even 7th Generation disposables, but he can wear Huggies for a couple of days straight with no problem. Go figure! (He's never had diaper rash while in cloth. I know others whose children get more rashes with cloth than disposables--though I personally think the washing method leads to this issue.)

Back to cloth, no matter what works for anyone else, I will always recommend buying fewer of each item and more types just to start out. (Okay--I think a dozen prefolds is useful for ANY diapering family. They make great burp cloths, changing pads, etc.) Some of my favorite diapering sites (www.diaperware.com comes to mind) will base your discounts on EVERYTHING you've bought in the past, not just each order. This means you can order here and there as you need something new, and still enjoy a discount.

Even if you know you want prefolds, it is worth sampling different brands. You may be surprised which you find easiest to use, or easiest to wash, or quickest to dry, easier to use with pins vs. Snappi vs. laid loose in a good cover... There are so many options now, you can go crazy figuring it out, but the selection is a lot of fun, too.

I'm a total CD addict. I am THRILLED to buy new diapers for a new baby. I'm still excited for DS to use the potty, but the diapers are just so darn cute. Who has ever thought that about disposables?

--willo

I have to second Inge's selection and cs rock!

[mataji4]

i hated snappis! i thought they came off, slid around and sometimes snagged skin- i preferred pins to snappis, but preferred covers that didn't need pins more, and then i found POCKET DIAPERS!!

anyway, for NEWBORNS, i have found that we don't leave the house for about 3 weeks- mostly i lounge around in my bed oohing, aahing, falling in love with my baby, nursing, napping, reading, eating...with visits from my kids and husband and occasionally a friend. i CANNOT recommend this enough, if it's possible for you- you can't ever get that precious time back! So...while we are hanging around in bed, i don't always even have a diaper attached to the baby. i might put a diaper under the baby while i'm holding it to nurse, or it might be sleeping on a diaper, but i found covers to be really bothersome at first when the cord is trying to dry and fall off (can take up to 12 days). and then at night i used waterproof Nikky covers- i have 5 of these- which i found much softer and more pliable than other kinds. my newborns woke to nurse every hour or two through the night, so i changed the baby then too. so it's not as important to find a super soaker night time diaper for newborns, imo.

i'm ordering the wider newborn diapers from montana diaper store, which can be pinned if i want to keep the diaper on the baby. and they'll work as stuffers for the pocket diapers (i use wonderoos/haute pockets-i have 20) once i want to start up with the whole diaper system around 3 weeks.

[MomInFlux]

Originally Posted by magrat

Edited to add I just got a new Fisher & Paykel washer and dryer and am so excited to use it for diapers

Ooooooooo - I'm jealous! But I think I'll be getting a new Fisher & Paykel washer and dryer before June

I'm a fitteds with wool gal, myself. I have 38 newborn/small fitted diapers (a combination of Muttaquin Baby, Kindhearted Women, and Swaddlebees), 4 wool covers, and 5 knitted soakers. I'm planning to get a dozen organic colorgrown prefolds, a couple more covers and knit a couple more soakers. I also have a good small (or small-ish medium) stash going - a mixture of El Bee Baby, Under the Nile, and Precious Coverings. I'm a sucker for organic fabrics and merino wool.

[mommamin]

Originally Posted by magrat

Edited to add I just got a new Fisher & Paykel washer and dryer and am so excited to use it for diapers

We have had this washer and dryer for over years now and love them!!!

[PatchChild]

I found that Sunshine dipers has a good sounding deal on Kissaluvs. You get 24 size 0's that you use for three months. Then you send them back for a credit towards whatever type of dipers you choose to use in the longer term. The "rental?" cost is $230 but you get $150 back in credit at the end and their costs for dipers are certainly reasonable.

Any opinions?

[sally Z]

I bought a whole lot of different diapes before i came to Sa from the UK, I now make diapers in south africa as there were none here went i got back

They grow out of newborn so fast but it so cute to have a few small ones so will probably make myself a few, still have all the rest from dd

[magrat]

Originally Posted by mommamin

We have had this washer and dryer for over years now and love them!!!

I had never heard about them until I read a lot of rave reviews on Mothering.com. I learned a few weeks ago that our old dryer was 30 years old (!!!!) and decided we had better buy new before I needed it for dipes (the last thing I wanted was for it to break down or start a fire with a new baby!). I didn't think I'd be able to find them and wasn't going to look, but there they were at one of the first places we looked, and it was love at first sight : Apparently our old washing machine weighed as much as both of them put together, poor delivery guys

[GenomicsGirl]

Originally Posted by willoLevin

Which brand of diaper works best, either disposable or cloth, is yet another variable that will depend a bit on your child. Sorry!

I sooooooo agree! I started with Fuzzi Bunz when ds#2 was 2 weeks old - about 7 lbs and they worked great (I stuffed them with an extra doubler in order to bulk them up a bit). I was attached to FBs because they were the only ones that I could work with ds#1. I bought 18 diapers at first, but I was already washing diapers for ds#1 at the same time, so loads were done regularly. Good luck!

[mommamin]

Originally Posted by magrat

I had never heard about them until I read a lot of rave reviews on Mothering.com. I learned a few weeks ago that our old dryer was 30 years old (!!!!) and decided we had better buy new before I needed it for dipes (the last thing I wanted was for it to break down or start a fire with a new baby!). I didn't think I'd be able to find them and wasn't going to look, but there they were at one of the first places we looked, and it was love at first sight : Apparently our old washing machine weighed as much as both of them put together, poor delivery guys

We are due date buddies!

Before getting the Fisher set we had a Kenmore front loader that was about 3 years old and started leaking oil on everything! Not good! Plus I was much more worried about build up with the front loader.