Preparing to Cloth Diaper a New Baby

Whether it is your first baby or fifth, it is important to get your cloth diaper “stash” ready before baby comes.

Destash What You Didn’t Like

When you first find out that you are expecting #2 (or #3 or #7) it is good to self-evaluate what works for your family. My friend didn’t like Alva diapers, but I did. My friend loved GroVia diapers, but they didn’t work for my first child. Once you find what works for you, go on eBay or Facebook Marketplace and sell the diapers you did not like. Clutter isn’t good for anyone. 

Build Your Stash 

Now that you have downsized your cloth diaper stash to what you like, make sure you have enough of what you DO like. Make sure you have enough diapers to go at least 2, if not 3 days, without having to do laundry. Ideally, you should plan to do a load of cloth diaper wash every 48 hours, but you want backup just in case you can’t because one of your kids has a cold, you have to be out of the house on diaper wash day and forget to put them in, or some other circumstance that keeps you from your laundry room. For me, 6-8 cloth diapers daily was my comfort zone for pocket diapers like Charlie Banana. You may need more or less depending on which brand you use and what type of cloth diaper.

Personally, I love GroVia Newborn AIO diapers for the first couple months. They are quick and easy to use, just like disposables, so you don’t make any extra work for yourself while you’re recovering and cuddling your new little squish.

Some cloth diapers will adjust in size small enough to be used as newborn diapers and big enough to fit your three year old, like Bambino Mio Cloth Diapers. What works for one baby might not work for another baby if their build is different. One of my kids had big, fat thighs so we never had leaks. Then another baby had little skinny thighs a several brands leaked on him. You have to be willing to be a little flexible and try something new if what you are using isn’t working. Don’t give up cloth diapering all together just because one brand doesn’t work.

Must-Have Cloth Diaper Essentials 

There are so many lists out there of essential baby products, but what do you really need?

GroVia Diaper Cream: My absolute favorite diapering cream is GroVia Magic Stick. That stuff is the BOMB. It works great and you can use it in cloth diapers, unlike those white creams like Desitin which will ruin your cloth diapers. GroVia Magic Stick creates a thin protective barrier between your baby’s skin and their diaper making rashes and irritation a lot less likely. You can grab it on Amazon or Walmart.

Sposie Booster Pads: These work great in my diapers for my heavy wetter. It isn’t the crunchiest solution, but when all the doublers in the world wouldn’t hold my son’s pee, I had to do something. Some mothers choose to use wool or make little felt liners, some choose to use regular disposables at night. Sposies were a good middle ground choice for me. If you feel like your baby is leaking through diapers no matter what you do, give Sposies a try! You can grab them on Amazon or at Target.

Check out our other recommendations for cloth diaper essentials here.