I love cloth diapering a newborn.
I’m pretty sure it’s because the diapers are so tiny and cute!
I have a variety of brands in Finley’s stash. Ragababe, Tangerine Baby, Sbish, Lil Joeys, Little Boppers, Mutts, Short Rounds, Goodmama, EcoPosh and Sweet Pea Diapers.
What is most interesting about cloth diapering my 4th newborn is that my favorites from the previous baby never win out with the new baby.
I always prepare for the newborn by ensuring that the stash has plenty of my old favorites. In this case Mutts,Goodmama, Sbish and Lil Joeys were carry-overs from Camden.
I didn’t like Ragababes with Camden but went ahead and bought several this time with hopes of loving them.
What a surprise it is that at 6 days old the best diapers for Finley are Ragababes and EcoPosh and the worst are Sbish, Mutts and Lil Joeys.
Goodmamas are still uber squishy and gentle on the legs (I should clarify that the Goodmama newborns I have are the double brites-cotton velour inner and outer) but the absorbency is not as good.
Sbish are wonderfully absorbent but mine have been through 3 babies and are pretty stiff. Makes it hard to grab for them. Also the serging seems to irritate Finley’s legs.
Sbish have always been my go to nighttime diaper for newborns. What am I using this time?
EcoPosh Fitteds are working great! The gentle turned & top stitched elastic is kind on his legs. When combined with a ProRap or Sweet Pea cover I get complete containment and no leaks.
The Sweet Pea newborn cover is a recent addition to the Sweet Pea family. Same things I love about the one-size cover (soft PUL, stretchy, gussets) but in a tiny size!
For daytime diapering though all I grab for are the easy Ragababe AIOs and 2-steps. For Finley the absorbency is perfect and I love the versatility of the 2-step (AI2).
Also, something fascinating is how different Finley’s umbilical stump is. This is the first baby that doesn’t have much of one. I haven’t had any issues with diapers rubbing it. He may just have a longer rise also.
Ragababe diapers aren’t always available for purchase but there are other brands with a similar concept. Nana’s Bottoms can be customized to your fabric preferences and have a good fit. Bum-Ware diapers are also a similar fit to the AIO.
Softbums is a highly adjustable one-sized AI2 system. I prefer the aplix over the snap for a nice snug fit.
I have also incorporated a couple of hybrid Fitteds this time around. I adore the fit of the side-snapping Short Rounds! It is probably my favorite newborn fitted I have. And if I remember correctly, it was the first diaper Finley wore.
Tangerine Baby is another hybrid fitted brand I am trying out. The picture at the top of the Hello Kitty diaper is a TB. I like the fact that it is a bigger fitting newborn diaper and gives a bit more absorbency with the layer of hidden fleece.
As Finley grows different diapers will become favorites I’m sure!
Most moms prefer the simplicity of prefolds but honestly I find an AIO way simpler for my family.
If buying newborn diapers isn’t financially an option for you check out newborn cloth diaper rental programs. This is an excellent opportunity to cloth diaper from the beginning at a great price.
Typed via the WordPress for Android app… Please excuse typos :-)
Irina Johnson says
Thank you for sharing this post. It is a very informative.
Cindy says
After reading this, maybe I need to invest in some cute little newborn cloth. So cute!!
Claire says
Just found this post…don’t know how I missed it! Great info and cute pictures : )
Anna T says
Autumn, I have been cloth diapering my five month old for the last 4 months. I read on another comment that you start “flushing” when your baby has more solid poop. Does this mean you just toss your newborns diapers right into the washer without rinsing? Right now my baby is only nursing and I spray out all of her poopy diapers in the toilet. Is this unnecessary?
Autumn Beck says
I do not spray newborn diapers :)
Kristin says
Hi! Thanks for the great info. I’m new to cloth and determined to make it work but I have a few questions. Our little guy is 1 week old and 7 1/2 pounds, and I’ve just started trying out a few of the cd’s that I bought before he was born. The concerns I’ve noticed so far are that 1) They seem to fit really tight around the legs, even though he has skinny little thighs. Is there a danger of cutting of the circulation? I’m paranoid about everything right now…lol… 2) His legs seems really spread out. Is this comfortable for a newborn and safe for their development? and 3) It seems really difficult for him to lay his legs flat while he sleeps. Is this a concern? Thanks for your help!
Jen says
So cute! I made a few newborn diapers and used them all of 2 weeks before my little guy was too big for them…lol! Oh well, glad I only made a few! I’m with MicheleC with big newborns!
Laura C says
Awww so sweet. I secretly want another baby just so i could use teeny tiny diapers again (not gonna happen). My last was almost 11 pounds so he was only in newborn diapers for about a minute.
Caitlin says
Autumn, Finley is sure a handsome little man! Thanks for updating us on week #1, and awesome job on the birth!
MicheleC says
I never had to use the newborn rental program in my area…my little guy started out at nearly 10 pounds so he was in our regular diapers from the start! If/when another one comes along, we’ll just have to see if they’ll be tiny and need something smaller, not like their big brother!
Natalie says
My Dane Joseph was 6lbs at birth (now a solid 24lbs at 6 mo :-). I used prefolds, flats, Ragababe AIOs, and Kissaluvs fitted. The Kissaluvs fitteds were by far my favorites. They fit him well, gave plenty of room for umbilical cord healing and were easy for the not -so -dedicated cloth-diapering members of the family who help with diaper changes. The flats fit great, and are great for a nb, if like me you have the time to do all the folding :-) Now at 6 months, you couldn’t tear me away from my Ragababes 2steps for anything in the world!
Congrats, Autumn, on your absolutely beautiful boy!
Erin says
Loooove your son’s name! In fact, he shares his name with my daughter. :-) oh, and she is a cloth diapered baby also. ;)
Karen C. says
After selling off most of my newborn diapers after baby #3, I totally did a Newborn Rental for baby #4 and it was GREAT! I loved getting the fluffy mail and when my little guy wasn’t so little anymore I just packed them up and sent them back for a credit for our next size of fluff. Way easier than dealing with selling the diapers (and I know that there will not be another newborn in our future). We rented from Itsy Bitsy Bums.
Autumn Beck says
Awesome! Thanks for giving some feedback to the program!
.tif says
I love cloth diapering a newborn. One of my favorite times to cloth diaper—when they can’t wiggle or run away. Everything looks cute on a noob!
Mary says
What a cutie!
How does the absorbency of the Raga AIO compare to the 2-step? I love our easy AIO and am trying to decide if I should try for a 2-step next stocking or just stick with what I know works.
Autumn Beck says
2step is better because it’s easy to add a doubler and not add a bunch to bulk. The versatility is making me like the 2 steps more than I used to.
Trisha W. says
Finley’s rockin’ the Hello Kitty diaper! Would you please consider taking some pictures of newborn Finley in some flats? I’d love to see how they fit a tiny baby. Thank you. He’s handsome young fellow.