Well, I am a hyena-wannabe with a seven-week-old, so I'll tell you what I liked best:
Loved the size 0 LCs (
www.fluffymail.com). Also loved the size 0 FCBs, but the LCs fit longer. Lastin soft-stretch elastic works really nicely with newborns when you want there to be a little bit of tension around the legs and back but not enough to make marks. Lovely fabrics and the diapers I reached for first. I was going to sell these after she grew out of them, but they won't be made anymore so I'm seriously considering archiving them for a hypothetical next baby. Absorbency was fine for the time I used them.
I also had Little Lambs (
www.cutest-cloth-diapers.com), which are super-cute but really too bulky. I DID use the lay-in soakers (which are two layers of hemp fleece topped with micro) as mini-diapers or squarefolds inside wraps, and I liked that. They can still hold one or two pees, even at this age.
I didn't like my Kissaluvs at first; they're actually bulky for newborn diapers and I hate the drying time. But I have to say that they're the only nb diapers that still stretch to fit after this amount of time--my fluffymails were washed and in storage after 4 weeks max. Very low absorbency considering how thick they are.
Small Bottombumpers (
www.bottombumpers.com) fit very quickly--I think I might even have been able to use them as newborn diapers. She's maybe 11 lbs now and they're fitting on the second-largest snaps already. Very trim between the legs and the soaker is narrow, so they don't overwhelm tiny babies. The turned-and-topstitched style is a little harder to fit than serged, because when you turn and topstitch two layers of hemp fleece plus an elastic layer, there's quite a bit of bulk to the seam. So the area around the legs is bulkier and stiffer than a serged edge would be. But, on the other hand, it's extremely neat and finished looking. Absorbency is average; one pee shows on the outer layer and they're totally saturated out to the wings with about three pees.
She was in FLAG size 1s (
www.righteousbaby.com) at maybe 4 weeks/9-10 lbs? Workmanship and technique are awesome, and the outer fabrics used on the ones I have seem to be sturdy and high-quality (I think at least two are Osh-Kosh knits). Absorbency is very high. They fit fine but are bulky between the legs. The serging is also stiffer than some others--mine are used/borrowed (thanks, Kim!) so maybe the serging has changed since then, but the distance between the stitches is incredibly tiny so the serging is virtually solid (no fabric shows between the stitches). That means no fraying between the stitches, but it also means that the edge can't bend as easily and it ends up feeling stiff. Might be off-putting if you hate red marks on legs.
