Cloth Diapering Your Newborn
So you just had or are expecting a new baby and are seriously considering doing the
cloth diaper thing ?
Good for you :-) !! Cloth diapering is better for our babies , good for our earth and much more economical than disposable diapers. Babies on cloth hardly ever get nappy rashes. Using cloth diapers on newborns is a little different from cloth diapering an older baby and if you are going to encounter difficulties with cloth diapers, it'll be most likely in these first few weeks.
A good place to start will be what to expect from your newborn babies.
- Newborns poo and pee very often (bet you already know that ;-)
- Newborns' bowel movements are very runny and cannot be absorbed fully by diapers (both disposable and cloth). Sometimes, "blow-out" happens. This is when the poop comes so fast and so much that it goes all the way up the back.
- That's the bad news. The good news is that breastfed newborn poop has no nasty smell. It may look startlingly bright yellow but it washes off easily.
- At the newborn stage, containment of this runny poo is a lot important than absorbency of the diaper. They poo so often that you will have to change them before their diapers get really wet anyway.
- Expect to change your newborn 8 - 12 times a day
- Newborns have skinny legs until the effect of the milk shows
- Newborns grow fast - DO enjoy them at that stage !
The cheapest way to cloth diaper a newborn is really the good old fashioned flat mueslin or birds-eye cloth napkin that our parents and grandparents used to use. They're a huge rectangular piece of one-layer cotton that you learn to fold many, many times to create a diaper with most of the bulk in the middle. Ermmm..too much trouble for me and I still have a phobia of using a diaper pin on a squirmy baby after I poked my firstborn with one many, many years ago.
The next cheapest alternative is the prefolds. In the U.S. these are the basic nappy used by generations of mums. Prefolds are rectangular in shape and designed with three areas of varying thickness. Prefolds listed as 4x8x4 have four layers of cotton twill on the side panels with eight layers in the middle where the maximum absorbancies is needed. As they have already been "pre-folded" for you, you don't have to do any origami gymnastics to start using them effectively.
It's true that prefolds don't score too highly as far as its hip quotient is concerned - but they are so easy to use (and cheap !) that they are definitely worth a second look. They're an economical way to diaper your newborn while waiting for them to grow big enough to fit our best selling one-size diaper.
Prefolds are not waterproof and they can be used with or without cover. At home, I do let my newborn wear them without a cover to keep his little bottom cooler. Going without cover will also help you see how many times your newborn wet his/her diaper. Measuring a newborn's output this way is a good way of gauging whether he's taking enough milk. Click here to find out more about Bumwear prefolds
Folding Prefolds
This is a way of folding that I found to be good in containing the liquidy newborn poo.
Once you settle into the cloth diapering routine with your new little darling, you'd be amazed at how easy it can be. And remember, for every disposable not used, it means one less soiled disposable in our landfill and a few more cents in your pocket :-)
In summary, here are your options for cloth diapering your newborn:
Pros:
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• Most economical cloth diapering option
• Quick drying
• Versatile -- can be used for other functions such as burp cloths, rags, inserts/doublers, etc
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Cons:
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• Low hip quotient :-)
• Not waterproof, will need covers
• May require some practice before you get the hang of using them
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Pros:
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• More convenient than prefolds
• Already shaped like a diaper so it is very easy to put on the baby
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Cons:
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• Not waterproof so will need a cover
• Will take longer to dry than the prefolds
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Used over prefold diapers and fitted diapers to waterproof them. Diaper covers wrap around baby and secures with Velcro Each diaper cover can be used several times without washing if allowed to air dry between uses. Diaper covers usually can be washed along with diapers.
Pros:
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• Fast drying
• Waterproof
• Very easy to use and as convenient as disposable diapers
• High hip quotient
• Does not need any other cover
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Cons:
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