FTM due in September looking for advice for cloth diapering!

ddobrov

Hi, I am new to the group and will be new to cloth diapering! I am expecting my first baby in September and have finally convinced my husband to get on board with cloth diapering (my family still thinks I am crazy and that it's gross). Any advice on where to start? We received a ton of NB diapers at our baby shower, so my plan was to start cloth diapering as soon as we run out of those (we probably have enough diapers for 1-1.5 months). Should I skip newborn cloth diapers since we won't be starting until he is 5+ weeks old? How long do babies typically fit in newborn sized? I am thinking that pocket diapers, AIO, or AI2 or maybe fitteds will be the best option for us (since they might be slightly less of a learning curve for stubborn family!). My husband said pre-folds with snappis "looked to complicated" (I made him watch CD 101 series on youtube with me lol). Any advice on brands or types you like? How to build a small stash on a budget? Thanks in advance!! 

ForeverEverAfter

I would skip nb if you've got 5+ weeks of disposables, because you won't use them long enough to get your money's worth. That said-still get a couple nb PUL covers (my fave was Rumparooz nb, fit from birth til 3 months because of its snap down rise). They're cheap, and for car trips and important events, will guard against blowouts. I had a small nb stash with #1, and used sposies on laundry day. Blowouts in sposies are epic, the covers have strong elastic that keep everything inside. Once we went cloth full time we didn't have those worries

A lot of OS starts fitting at 10lbs/8 weeks, some earlier. It's based on leg chubbiness and baby's shape, so there's no way to predict it. The earliest fitting for us were Fuzzibunz elite OS (9 days), the latest was Alva OS pocket (3 months). I recommend to everyone to try a few brands before getting a full stash. Once you narrow down what you like, but a few and try them out. You can always sell what doesn't work for you.

My suggestion-based on you wanting a small stash and having a stubborn family, look at pockets first. AIOs take a long time to dry, fitteds require a separate cover. With pockets, the shell line dries quickly (even on a rack inside) and the inserts can pop in the dryer. Once you stuff them, they're one piece-as easy to put on as a disposable. My favourite pockets are fuzzibunz (best elastic), bum genius (elastics will only last 1 kid, but they fit well on most shapes) and Happy Heiny (great velcro, great fit, holds up well to wear). Bum genius often has buy 5 get 1 free promotions. Family will come around eventually, my DH was skeptical, and now tries to convert all his coworkers. Even the most expensive brand works out cheaper than disposables, plus there's lot of great sale pages on facebook when you're done.

freezorburn

Most of the regs have moved elsewhere. But you can still glean much of their wisdom from the FAQ and lurking old threads. 

misskaylenn

I am going to use Bum Genius 4.0 pocket style diapers which are OS. I found a place here in Hawaii that you can rent newborn cloth diapers for 6 weeks for $100 what a deal. Super nice and clean diaper you should look for one in your area. We ultimately decided to go with the honest newborn/ size 1 diapers until she is ready for the bum genius cloth diapers. The bum genius are about $18 per diaper I have a stash with about 14 so far. Each came with 2 inserts and I have about 18 extra inserts as well. I did a eco friendly diaper raffle at my shower it was a hit! So thankful to all my family and friends!! We are going to save the Earth and reduce our carbon footprint!

smbolton360

I'm using G diapers with my 12 week old and love them. The downside is that they are S,M,L so you have to buy different covers as baby grows but so far I find that I only need 3-4 covers. The cloth inserts are so easy to change and I found inserts and covers used at consignment stores and craiglist easily. I use disposable at night so I so t have to change diapers of my LO wakes up to feed. I also have some prefolds and pocket diapers but so far the G diapers have for my girl the best.

freezorburn

If you are really tight on budget, flats are the most versatile. You can fold them down to fit a NB and then adjust to different folds for larger babies/toddlers. You can just lay them into a cover, or you can fasten them with a snappi or pins and cover. Or stuff them into pockets.

You can buy flats for roughly $2 apiece (although they can be more expensive, for example, if they are made of hemp), or you can use flour sack towels (FST) or receiving blankets or DIY by cutting up old T-shirts. 

Then all you have to do is figure out what to do for covers. You could look around for used deals. If you are interested in pockets, some companies give you the option of buying just the shells.

Also somewhere in a thread below, someone mentioned an organization that will help needy families get cloth diapers, but I'm not sure what criteria you have to pass to qualify.