Start when you are ready to start, but also you’ll never be ready.
Just do it.
You can start cloth diapering at birth, or you can start at 18 months. It’s never too late to start cloth diapering, there’s always a way to navigate through any barrier.
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Cloth Diapering a Newborn
The reality is that cloth diapering a newborn is a bit of a challenge, and I’ve shared that I really struggle advocating for newborn cloth diapering. I cloth diapered a newborn and loved it, but it was expensive, and cumbersome, and at times overwhelming.
- Newborn Cloth Diapers
- Realities of Newborns & Nighttime Diapers
- The Reality of Cloth Diapering a Newborn from a Cloth Diaper Mom
I also really want new parents to spend time in rest post-birth, and I know that our North American culture is very much “get up and go” and I want to challenge that and remind you to stay put, and take care of yourself. You can stay in bed for a few weeks and it’s fine, heal your body.
Rest.
Diaper Services are Awesome
A fantastic way to transition into cloth diapers is to consider a diaper service.
Diaper services are a re-emerging industry that is offering clean and sanitized diapers directly to your door step on a weekly basis. You can find diaper services around the country in a variety of different models and they can be a great way to give cloth a go, diaper during a short phase of your life, or to cloth diaper long term.
Charlie Banana also offers a diaper rental service that provides you with the option to rent diapers and wash them at home. This is a great way to trial cloth diapers without the investment. Consider this program if you’re looking for a low-risk way to enter the marketplace.
What’s the Deal with Cloth Diaper Sizes
When cloth diapering was just hitting the scene everything was sized. The one-size cloth diaper, while popular, was a new idea at the time. Over the years we’ve ditched sized diaper systems for the one-size diaper that has a lot of variations. Some one size diapers are a smaller traditional fit, while others are a bigger fit. They can swing both ways with companies adapting to changing needs in the industry.
The one size cloth diaper generally fits babies best around 10-12lbs, and you might experience bulk, and poor fit during these early days.
I don’t want you to feel discouraged because lets be real, one size fits most sizing is rarely perfect, but it really does provide us with a way to adjust to different shapes. You can use one size diapers on smaller newborns, you might just experience a few less than desirable side effects, and as a person who is always wanting to showcase this picture perfect experience it’s hard to share the nitty gritty underbelly of the experience.
One great thing is the rise of a size 1/ size 2 diapering system to help provide that better fit and function for newborn babies. We’ve seen this with Esembly Baby, as they launched a sized fitted diaper system.
A size 1 diaper really gives you a better fit for newborn babies while a size 2 offers an extended better fit for toddlers. This sized system can be more expensive, but tends to offer more value in it’s day-to-day function, fit and performance than sized diapers.
Newborn toddlers and toddler-sized diapers are also available for those wanting a more specialised diapering experience. Newborn diapering is just as diverse as one size diapering offering you both all in one’s, fitted, and cover style systems. The most popular is the newborn cloth diaper cover which gives you a trimer, lower-cost fit, while offering a customized absorbency.
Cloth Diapering in Toddlerhood
For those considering cloth during toddlerhood, you might consider choosing a second-hand diaper system that can really give you that trial and error with a low-cost.
Secondhand cloth diapers exist for families who are done diapering, families who never got around to trying it, or families looking to downsize. There are many options and repurposing old receiving blankets and pairing them with a cloth diaper cover, or larger fitting pocket diaper can be a fantastic way to transition into cloth diapers as a toddler.
- Quick Review of the Lilly & Frank Toddler Snapless Fitted
- Sometimes Cloth Diapers are TOO BIG for your Preschooler – A Review of Snap-Ez Cloth Diapers
- Updated: Reusable Options for Bedwetting Children
Other Types of Cloth Diapers
Before we end this conversation, I have to bring up the consideration that there are other types of cloth diapers for different phases of your diapering journey including swim diapers and trainers.
Swim diapers are designed for the pool, they offer a trimmer cut and shape that hugs close to baby’s body and holds the poop in.
Trainers are absorbent pull-on underwear that are designed to adjust to baby’s needs. There are so many different styles of training pants based on whether you need pull on, or snap off, or pockets, or overnight/bedwetting quality.
As you can see, there’s options to support you when you want to start cloth diapering.
Many families start at birth.
Many families start at 6 months.
Many families start at 18 months.
And some start on their 3rd child.
There is no wrong time to start cloth diapering, and you’ll never be perfectly ready. Just give it a go, start with one diaper a day, and see how it goes.
Maybe it’s the answer you’ve been looking for.
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