How do you decide what to stash, especially if you make your own CDs?

ciararae

Hi ladies!

I feel a bit awkward asking this since I'm neither pregnant, nor trying to conceive, but I've had some pretty crazy cases of babies-on-the-brain lately since six of my friends have had babies in the last couple of months, which led me here. Since I started lurking, I've learned a lot about cloth diapering, but there's one thing I still can't seem to figure out: how do you decide what diapers to stash?

I know you aren't supposed to get all one kind of diaper, but how do you decide what brands to buy? And how many of each brand do you buy? I'm sort of picturing a full stash of BGs, a full stash of FBs, and a bunch of prefolds or something, just in case, but I doubt that's right. Do you just get a mix of things and if you don't like something, you sell it/return the unused ones/don't use it and buy more of the ones you like?

 Also, if you sew your own CD - anything but a prefold - do you just use one pattern and sew a bunch before LO is born? Do you use multiple patterns? Do you buy a few to test them out, then make a pattern with what you like, and sew them whenever you have time?

 I appreciate any comments. Thanks for indulging a lurker! 

shanbrite2

I opted not to make my own before LO came, mainly because I really didn't know what type of diaper I would prefer and what LO's shape would be. In a way, I'm glad I didn't since, I would have guessed totally wrong, but a lot of mamas do sew their own stash beforehand and are fine. 

Something I didn't totally realize before having LO is that you don't need to have a complete stash before they get here. We started with prefolds and covers for the NB time (awesome), and a few of various brands I'd scored through Craigslist, then I bought more of the kinds I did like as LO grew out of the prefolds and covers. I sold the CL diapers I didn't like. There's an excellent resale market for CDs, and a lot of places to sell them (including here). You definitely don't need a full stash of several different brands :-) 

momofmanyinthemitten

I started out with prefolds and covers for the nb stage, which LO hated. We did mostly sposies until she was 3 wks and fit into OS diapers. I bought 5 total OS pocket diapers before she was born-BG 4.0, FB, and HH. Turns out, the BG were the only ones that worked for us. However, the FB have fit here and there as she grows. I kept all of them, as we hope to have several more children and what doesn't fit this LO may fit the next one. If I had made diapers, I would have probably tried 2 different pocket patterns and made one of each, as we had planned on using pockets.

kattyleigh

For many people, including me, buying CDs is a bit like collecting.  You find what works for you and what doesn't and therefore your stash becomes a bit of a mix.  I started sewing my own recently and just tweaked the pattern until I made something I like.  That is my new obsession!  The materials to sew your own can get expensive, even from wholesale sites, so it is better to just really think about what you want before you make them, and that would be hard without a baby or even during the newborn stage.  Good luck!