FTM question...

Kate0034

Is it necessary to have a full supply of cloth diapers before the baby comes? I've been reading blogs about CD and everyone said they started with around 24-36, but I'm not ready to commit that much money!! There are so many different styles and I'm not sure which will work best for us.. I'd like to try several different kinds and fill in with disposables a few weeks until I figure it out, then order more of what we like. Has anyone used this approach? TIA for any advice/suggestions!!

ForeverEverAfter

That's a good approach! You can also do a newborn rental to try several different styles/brands, then buy a OS stash of your favourite.

Personally, I started with a small (18) newborn stash with a few styles, and a modest (14) stash of OS pockets, with 1-4 of each brand I thought I wanted. I sold off what I didn't like, bought more of what I loved. With baby #2 I still have a diverse stash because I like different diapers for different things (some fit great, others are cute, trim or cheap, none are perfect).

ambercakes92

I see nothing wrong with supplementing with disposables until figuring out what you like! I'm starting with a full size stash personally, but just because I'm excited and couldn't control myself haha.

freezorburn

Jillian's Drawers offers a newborn diaper trial. I did this and found it very helpful. I used disposables while diapers were being washed.

ambercakes92

Oh and another thing to consider with newborn size diapers is whether or not they will fit when the cord stump is still attached! Some cloth diapers come with a snap-down or dip for the cord, while others don't

Kate0034

Thanks ladies!! I may look into diaper rentals as well. It would be nice to try lots of styles!

shantyrae

I used disposi until LO was about 8 weeks old. It honestly made the transition a LITTLE scarier since disposable was so easy, but once we took the plunge we really never looked back. It's been really fun, actually. And you can definitely get away with less than 36 diapers - we have about 26 and that number works great for us (we do have her sleep in a disposable at night) and I wash every third or 4th day. She goes through about 5-6 diapers during each day. If you washed every night you could possibly get away with as little as 12 diapers.

barrelocarol

You could go the prefold route. Those are super duper cheap and you can buy a ton of them without breaking the bank (I use OsoCozy brand - $2 each and super absorbent).

Also, those pocket diaper sets on Amazon are the way to go. The quality and absorbency isn't top notch, but they are great for starting out. I got 7 diapers, 7 insets and a wet bag for $40. 

sboston06

We have a diaper store in our area and are doing a newborn diaper rental. It's 3 months and you get a total of 30 diapers - all different styles. I'm really excited about it actually and I think it will make the transition so much better. Every baby is different and every parent/lifestyle is different so it's really hard to predict what might work before baby even gets here.