cloth diapering a newborn.. advice?

Bridgette - posted on 05/18/2012

lol about the gerber ones :)
I'll try those other prefolds. thank you (again) for your help and advice!

Jenny - posted on 05/17/2012

there are different sizes of prefolds. the link above should be to the infant size. if you look under brands, then osocozy, you will see that there is a size 2. those would fit your 2yo.

with the way covers are designed now, most people find that fancy folds aren't necessary. you can just trifold the diaper longways and lay it in the cover. for the larger ones, I liked folding them in fourths the other way (so that the thickest part stays in the middle, does that make sense?) because they fit better that way. You just have to play with them to see what works for your child.

as for the gerbers ~ get someone to embroider them and you will have some great burp cloths ;) lol, that's all I've ever found them good for.

Bridgette - posted on 05/17/2012

The prefolds that I have are some Gerber ones that were given to me. And to tell you the truth, I don't know what in the world to do w/them! lol.. I mean, I have seen some online tutorials for how to fold them so that they are wrapped around the baby almost like a fitted diaper. But, idk if it's just these brand of prefolds or what, they aren't long enough to fold like that around a 2 yr old so I haven't been able to try them that way. And while they're not long enough for that, they seem way too long to try to fold them (like a tri-fold) and use as an insert. So I just don't know what to do w/them. Maybe if I knew more about how to use them...OR I suppose I could order some of those Indian prefolds. I was looking at them a while back and they're pretty inexpensive. Are they longer than the Gerber ones? so that maybe they would fold around my daughter. She's 2, but she's actually kinda small for her age. 22 lbs. So I would think they should still fit around her

Jenny - posted on 05/17/2012

You're welcome :) It sounds like one-size diapers and covers are going to be good, they tend to start fitting around 8lbs. In your case, Thirsties size 1 would also be better than going with an xs so that they fit for a longer time.

What kind of prefolds do you currently have? I love these http://www.elemeno-pee.com/product_p/ocb... IME, Indian hold up better than Chinese over time. And anything is better than what you can buy at target/walmart.

Bridgette - posted on 05/16/2012

Thank you!
And I do have a few prefolds, and I haven't really liked using them w/my 2 yr old so far. I prefer to use fitteds w/the covers. But I'll try them w/the baby when he comes and see how it goes. I do now have 2 Thirsties size one duo covers. I also have 3 one size covers, 2 one size AIOs, and 2 size small AIOs. I'll pick up some prefolds anyway just to have for backups. Even if I don't end up liking them for diapers they have so many uses (burp cloths etc) so it won't be a waste.
I have never had a small baby. I know you can never tell, but my son was 9 lbs 1 oz, and my daughter was 8 lbs 2 oz. I am only 20 weeks and the doctor already said my baby is measuring a a week and a half bigger. :/ So I don't expect a 6 lb baby! lol.
I'm thinking the same thing for the hospital. It's just two days after all. It's (like you said) one more thing to explain to the nurses. And it may be too stressful on me trying to keep up w/all those diapers in there lol
Thanks so much for your response!!

Jenny - posted on 05/15/2012

To me, the easiest diaper to use on a newborn is a prefold with a good cover that has leg gussets. Thirsties are my favorite. A newborn is going to go through at least a dozen a day for a while, so they are also the cheapest way to bulk up your stash in preparation. To what you have right now, I would definitely consider adding at least a dozen pf's and some extra small or size 1 duo covers. Depending on the size of your baby, many one size brands may not fit well. The only brand I've seen fit a 6lb baby and still fit through potty training is softbums.

I did not use cloth in the hospital. It was just one more thing to worry about and I knew I wasn't going to be in the mood to explain anything to nurses, I just wanted more time to snuggle :)