Where to start?

NicoleMatthew

Please forgive me as I am sure that this question has been posted many times before.

My husband and I are going to cloth diaper our baby due in May.  We knew from the start we wanted to cloth diaper and have spent the last two months researching and reading reviews. It seems like the best way to start is by buying a few of each kind and seeing which ones work best for our baby - but this is where I get stuck  every time.  Each diaper system seems to have their pros and cons that I just feel so overwhelmed when I begin to look at ordering even just a few. 

I am hoping that you experienced cloth diaper moms and dads can let me know what your stash looked like when your first cloth diaper baby was born.  What worked best for you?

 Thanks!

pixy_stix

Please read the FAQs at the top of this board.

Honestly, no one can really tell you what worked best for them, because what works for them might not work for you.

Dr.Loretta

Ditto pixy

Have you looked into a diaper trial? That may be the way to go.

I opted to buy used, and sell what we didn't like/use. We had a mix of prefolds, fitteds, and XS pockets. As time went on the stash morphed here and there. Now we use pockets for daytime, and fitteds for naps and overnight. Very occasionally I'll put a prefold on DD. I've never tried AI2s, but some people swear by them. Others really like hybrid diapers.

The nice thing is, if you buy something and it doesn't work, you can always resell.

namara5532

If you have a cloth diapering store nearby, I'd suggest going there and seeing the diapers in person.  It can be easier to pick what kinds you want to try out that way.  If you have any friends that cloth diaper, seeing them demo their diapers for you can help as well.  Identifying what you value as important in diapers can help you choose which kind you'd like to try.  Do you like the thought of reusing covers and changing out prefolds/inserts?  Do you like the sound of all-in-one designs you can put on like a disposable?  Do you want to be able to customize the absorbancy with pockets?  Once you've identified a type of diaper you like the sound of, start looking around for what brands make the kind of diapers you prefer and buy a few to try out.

HTH

imurs8228

Everyone recommended prefolds and covers for the newborn stage to us so we bought 4 AIO's and then like 30 pf's and 8 covers.  Well, it was the perfect case of "every CDing family is different" bc I absolutely hated PF's in the NB stage so I had to rush and buy a bunch of AIO's.  They're expensive but so much easier for us!

After the newborn stage, we stuck with pockets for nighttime and mostly AIO's/AI2's for daytime.  Right now DS is 5 months and we have 12 BumGenius Elementals, 10 Swaddlebees Simplex 2.0, 3 Blueberries, 8 Fuzzibunz (nighttime), 1 EcoPosh Fitted and 1 EcoPosh wool cover, 3 BumGenius 3.0 Deluxe, 2 Swaddlebees Stuffables, 6 Grovia Shells and 16 Grovia inserts...plus stay-dry liners, covers and prefolds for emergencies, etc...But keep in mind that we did not cloth diaper to really cut costs and haven't gone for the cheapest systems.

 Most important thing to learn about cloth diapering is that your child is different from every other child so your stash will probably be too. Hope that helps!!