Cloth diapering a newborn can seem daunting on top of all the things new parents have to learn but with a little practice it’s just as easy as plastic diapers and much more baby-friendly too! This will be an all inclusive guide to figuring out exactly how to cloth diaper a new born.
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Cloth Options
First lets go over all the different options you get with cloth diapers.
“Pocket diapers” refers to a PUL diaper that has lining on the inside and a “pocket” between the two that you can stuff with various liners. After you stuff the diapers with the liners of your choice they work just like a disposable diaper except they have snaps ( unless you opt for velcro then they’re really just like plastic diapers)
“Covers” are just the PUL outer lining of the diaper and they go over flats or pre-folds
“Flats” are basically a square of absorbent material usually cotton these are great if you hand wash but have an extra learning curb of figuring out the best way to fold them after they’re folded and fastened onto your baby you put a water-proof cover over it.
“Pre-folds” are very similar to flats but these are already folded for you they’re thick squares of fabric and are sown into three sections for easy folding these also get fastened onto baby and then get topped with a waterproof cover.
“All in ones” are essentially the same as pocket diapers but the inserts are sown to the diaper it self so you can just throw it in the wash and ideally the inserts come out without you having to touch them and once dry you just stuff it back in.
Sizing and Fitting
Diapers and diaper covers come in newborn and one size fits all. Although most diaper company’s say their one size diapers fit starting at 9 pounds I’ve personally found that one size diapers are bulky and don’t quite seal around skinny newborn thighs even at 9lbs. No seal means leaks and no one wants that. Here’s a comparison of a newborn size diaper fit to a one size diaper on an almost one month old. Notice the gap in the one size diaper…
So to get a proper fit and avoid leaks and blow outs its ideal to get newborn sizes. New born cloth may seems like a waste because they’ll only fit the first three months or so but if you plan on having more children they will definitely pay for themselves over disposables. Even if you don’t have another child they can be resold and similarly you can buy them used for a great price which leads me to my next point..
Budget
One great reason to cloth diaper is for the price. It is incredibly expensive to buy disposable diapers from newborn to the toddler years. While cloth diapering is cheaper in the long run it’s an upfront investment which can be the hardest part for expecting parents. Cloth diapering a newborn doesn’t have to break the bank! The cheapest and most eco-friendly way to cloth diaper your child is buying used. You can find great deals online its even better if you’re handy at sewing lots of people will sell their used diapers extra cheap when the elastics get loose if you’re good with a needle you can simply sew new elastics onto the diapers and viola new diaper. (Used diapers should be stripped properly before use to get rid of any potential detergent build up or ammonia.)
If you’re on a budget but aren’t particularly interested in used diapers the next best thing is flats and covers! This is what I used in the beginning of our cloth journey. I bought four newborn sized diaper covers on clearance and 2 twelve packs of organic cotton osocozy flats. ( https://amzn.to/3FwMQ8N )The diaper covers don’t get dirty often if you fold the flat properly and can be rinsed and air dried between uses so I didn’t need a whole set of 24 covers like you would if you were to use an all in one or pocket diaper that has to be washed after every use.
If you have more of a budget pockets and all in ones are great choices too. These are commonly accepted as the “easiest” option. Depending on how often you want to wash Approx. 24-36 diapers is necessary. 24 diapers is really the bare minimum you want and it means you’d wash every other day. You could buy more but going more than three days between washes can create extra smells. With pockets you’ll also need inserts. Typically pockets come with one microfibre insert but they’re just not that absorbent on their own. I personally layer organic cotton on-top of bamboo inserts for my heavy wetter.
Cleaning
Cleaning your diapers I.E. what to do with the poo. The easiest time to cloth diaper is the newborn stage. Up until 6 months your babies breastmilk poop is completely water soluble. Meaning you can just throw it all in the wash with some detergent and that’s it! No extra dumping swishing or spraying needed. Be mindful of the detergent you use and how much. Lots of detergents labeled for infants have fragrances in them which are toxic and cause skin irritation and rashes. This also causes build up on your diapers which means they will start repelling liquids, like pee, causing leaks. Using too much detergent will give similar problems. I start with 1/4 of the recommended amount and go from there it’s typically enough.
Stripping
If you do end up with build up or funky smells or used diapers you can strip them to make them like new. There’s lots of stripping recipes out there. I just use some biodegradable enzymes ( https://amzn.to/3h9qNM4 ) when my cloth gets funky and it work’s like a charm, organically! If you’re having to strip your cloth often you should look at your wash routine and see why. With a good wash routine you shouldn’t have to strip often or at all. (Unless you have an unrelated problem like yeast.) For set in stains sunbathing is the way to go just set out your clean diapers in the sunshine and watch the stains fade away.
Prepping your diapers
Now that you have all the information needed to cloth diaper a newborn, where do you actually start? Once you buy your cloth stash you’ll either strip it (if its used) or wash at least 3 or 4 times if its new. New fibres are not as absorbent and need to be washed plenty of times to become absorbent enough to function. Prepping your diapers for babies arrival will depend on many things. If you like to have everything all set up you can wash and fold or stuff your diapers and put them wherever your changing station is. If you’re not a prepper you can simply wash and leave all your fluff in one spot so you can mix and match and see what works for your baby!
Am I missing any information? Let me know below!