Adventures in newborn diapering

If you want to be successful with cloth diapers, I firmly believe that using cloth diapers from day one will greatly increase your likelihood of success. If it's all you know, you'll get used to it pretty quickly. Starting out with disposable diapers with the intention to switch to cloth diapers once you're 'settled' (whatever that means -- it's been nine years since we welcomed our first child, three kids later, and I still don't feel 'settled'!) may not work out that way. Using disposable diapers for those first few weeks can be a slippery slope, once you're hooked on the supposed 'convenience' of wrapping up the waste and tossing it, you may find it hard to transition to cloth diapers.

From the get-go, disposable diaper manufacturers will do their best to woo you with free samples, whether it's at your pediatrician's office, or sandwiched in a parenting magazine, these companies have deep pockets, and your loyalty is worth thousands of dollars to them. It's big business to convince parents that they must purchase a product for the first three years of each child's life. Do you think disposable diapers keep your baby's bottom dry for your baby's comfort? No, they do that to ensure your baby will be wearing disposable diapers as long as possible -- when a baby doesn't feel wetness against her skin, she is likely to potty train at a later age. The longer your child is in diapers, the bigger their bottom line.

If you consider the cost of certain brands of newborn disposable diapers, you can see that one company is trying to gain customers initially by luring them in with a cheaper price:

Pampers Swaddlers $36.97/216 diapers: .17 cents/diaper

Huggies Supreme newborn diapers: $12.97/36 diapers: .36 cents/diaper

Why the disparity in price? Proctor & Gamble (the manufacturer of Pampers) is gambling that if they can get your baby into their diapers from day one, you will become a loyal Pampers user. If you compare the cost of both brands in larger sizes, you can see the initial savings of buying Pampers diapers for your newborn are eventually lost:

Pampers 'Baby Dry' size 4 diapers $36.97/140 diapers: .26 cents/diaper

Huggies 'Snug & Dry' size 4 diapers $36.97/140 diapers: .26 cents/diaper

So, what are your newborn diapering choices?

I've said it before, and I've said it again, everyone should give prefolds a chance. They're cheap, and they work. You can use infant prefolds with a baby who weighs 8+ lbs, they'll be bulky to start, but newborn babies tend to put weight on quickly in those first few weeks, so the bulk is a short-term issue. We also sell preemie prefolds which can be used with babies who weigh 4-9 lbs. At $17.00/dozen, preemie prefolds are a justifiable purchase even if you only use them as diapers for a couple of weeks, after which you can use them as wipes, or doublers.

If prefolds absolutely, positively do not appeal to you, size 0 Kissaluvs are our most popular newborn fitted diapers, fitting babies who weigh 5-15 lbs. At $14.95 each, they are significantly more expensive than prefolds, however, they are well worth the money. The elastic around the legs in combination with the texture of the cotton sherpa do a great job of keeping newborn poop where it belongs, in the diaper; the umbilical cutout prevents the diaper from rubbing against your newborn's cord stump. In terms of how long your baby can wear these diapers, you can comfortably get at least 2-3 months of use out size 0 Kissaluvs, depending on the build of your baby. My son was born weighing a whopping 9 lbs 11 oz, and he was able to wear his size 0 Kissaluvs for a good 5-6 months, until he weighed 17 lbs (he was a long and skinny baby).

If quick-and-easy is your thing, we sell Fuzzibunz XS pocket diapers, at $15.00 each, they are cheaper than Kissaluvs (Kissaluvs require a cover), however, they are not as absorbent as Kissaluvs (though with a newborn, absorbency generally isn't an issue since they are pooping every five minutes for the first 4-6 weeks). Fuzzibunz XS pocket diapers fit from 4-12 lbs, they are similar to disposable diapers in that they go on in one piece, they are trim, and they will keep your baby's skin dry.

Some people have the attitude that since newborn babies grow so fast, it's pointless to invest in newborn diapers, however, regardless of what type of diaper you put on your child, you will be spending money. Infant pottying is an option that can drastically reduce how many diapers you might use, however, I realize it's not for everyone. If you want want to use cloth diapers with your baby from day one, but you don't want to make a large investment in your newborn's diaper stash, we offer a newborn diaper rental that allows you to rent 20 size 0 Kissaluvs and 10 XS Fuzzibunz for $15/week, the equivalent to what you would spend on disposable diapers. If you were to purchase these diapers, you would spend $450.00, though if you factor in future children and/or resale value, purchasing newborn diapers is generally a worthwhile investment.

So, how many diapers will I need?

A typical newborn will require 10-12 changes a day, due to the pooping-every-five-minutes thing I tend to mention a lot (hey, I want you to know what you're getting into!). You could buy a dozen diapers and make do with washing diapers daily, however, this will make cloth diapering feel like more work than it really is. Purchasing 24-36 diapers will see you washing diapers every 2-3 days, it not only lessens your workload, it will also reduce wear & tear on your diapers (good for resale value, or if you want to use your diapers with future children).

So, is there anything else I need to know?

Meconium (your baby's first poop) is really not the big deal people make it out to be. There's a belief that meconium will stain cloth diapers, parents-to-be often ask us about it. Some parents will actually use this as an excuse not to use cloth diapers from birth, however, I can assure you, meconium, like breastfed poop, washes out fine. It's thick, it's tarry, but it washes away just fine. You don't need liners to protect your diapers, don't sweat it!

If you're using a diaper that requires a cover (like a size 0 Kissaluvs, or a snappi-ed prefold), you can get away without using a cover for the first couple of days because your newborn will be peeing such a small amount. Letting your baby go coverless for those first few days is a great way to air-out your baby's cord stump.

Your baby will likely experience some type of a diaper rash around two weeks of age. All of our babies did, and a lot of our customers' babies do. Your newborn's skin is very sensitive, and no matter how quickly you change her after a poop, it's hard to avoid poop sitting against her skin. Airing her bum out is the best way to heal her skin, leaving her diaperless on an old blanket is the quickest (and cheapest!) way to get rid of a diaper rash.

Using cloth diapers from birth is completely feasible. If it's all you know, there will be no adjustment. If you need help, ask for it, friends and family will gladly put a load of diapers into the washing machine if it means a little more face-time with junior.

One-size vs. Sized diapers

If you followed along with our recent journey to the mecca of all kids' shows in Las Vegas last month, you know I lamented the fact that all of the cloth diaper manufacturers seem to be dedicating all development efforts towards one-size diapers. When customers come into our stores to ask about cloth diapers, they are overwhelmed by choice with respect to the styles and brands of cloth diapers available. Not only do they have to pick a type of diaper, often times, there's the additional decision of whether or not to purchase a sized or one-size version. Which one is best? That's a good question! Not an easy answer, though.


A one-size diaper is often sized from approximately 8-35 lbs. A sized diaper is sized according to the baby's weight, when your baby outgrows a size, you purchase the next larger size. There are many considerations to make when deciding which version to purchase.


Do you plan on reusing your diapers with multiple children? A sized diaper is likely the best option in this case. A one-size diaper may be used continuously for 2+ years, washed every 2-3 days. That's a lot of wear and tear! A sized diaper, on the other hand, is used for a shorter period, then set aside in favour of the next larger size, resulting on considerably less wear & tear on each set of diapers.

Do you want to sell your diapers when you're finished with them? If so, you want to keep your diapers in good shape. For the same reasons listed above, a set of sized diapers will likely have a higher resale value than a set of one-size diapers.


Do you want to use cloth diapers from day one? Most one-size diapers are advertised as fitting from 8-35 lbs, however, in reality, most one-size diapers don't start to fit well until a baby weighs 10-12 lbs. In some cases (Mother-ease one-size fitteds, for example), the diaper is so large on a newborn baby, she is literally diapered from her armpits to her knees. As long as the diaper is snug around the baby's legs and waist, it will contain mess, however, you have to consider how well clothing will fit. One-size pocket diapers are a trimmer option than one-size fitted diapers since they often come with a newborn insert.

If you want your baby in cloth diapers from day one, but you want to use one-size diapers, you should consider signing up for our newborn diaper rental program, a fabulous way to get your baby into cloth diapers on the day she's born without making the upfront investment required to buy the diapers.


Is your baby taller or stockier than average? Although most one-size diapers claim to fit babies who weigh between 8-35 lbs, you have to take this claim with a grain of salt. All babies come in different shapes and sizes, 'one size fits *most*' is a realistic way to describe any one-size diaper. If you have a tall skinny baby, she may outgrow the rise before she weighs 35 lbs. If you have a stocky baby, he may outgrow the width of the diaper before he weighs 35 lbs.


Are you buying diapers to supplement an existing stash? If so, one-size diapers are a simple stash-filler. When used in rotation with a stash of other cloth diapers, they are used less often, so they hold up better over time. Realistically, most people use more than one type of cloth diapers. Prefolds are one of the most popular types of diapers we sell, they work well, and they are cost-effective. However, they are bulky and a little more involved to use. A one-size pocket diaper makes a great 'easy' diaper to supplement an existing supply of prefold diapers. It's nice to have an 'easy' diaper for when you're out and about, for night-time diaper changes in those first few weeks, or for babysitters.


So, are you noticing a bias? My preference is definitely sized over one-size diapers. I've been in this business long enough to know that realistically, most one-size diapers, when used alone, won't last through more than one child. If you washed a t-shirt every 3-4 days for two years, for example, imagine how well it would hold up! That being said, you would still save upwards of $1500 per child if you purchased a set of one-size diapers for each baby (disposable diapers: $2500+; 28 bumGenius one-size pocket diapers: $640).


Of course, I can understand the lure of one-size diapers, you make the purchase once, and you're done (although seriously, wouldn't you miss us?). If you do want to go the one-size route, you can extend the life of your diapers using the following tips:

• the more diapers you have in rotation, the better they will hold up. If you purchase 24-30 diapers, you'll be washing every 2-3 days for the first 6-8 weeks; once your baby is pooping 1-2 times a day, you'd be washing every 3-4 days.
• snaps will hold up better than velcro. Velcro is more prone to wear and tear than snaps, especially on a pocket or AIO diaper that is washed every single time it is used. Your velcro will hold up better over time if you ensure it is fastened shut before you wash your diapers. Periodically picking lint and hair out of your velcro will also help extend its life.
• use the 'low heat' setting on your dryer, or line-dry where possible. Diapers will last longer when they're not exposed to high heat on a regular basis. Covers and pocket diapers will often line-dry as quickly as they machine dry.

If the velcro or elastic wears out on your one-size diapers, it's well worth the time and/or investment to repair them. Replacing worn-out velcro is a fairly easy task requiring little to no sewing skills, Cotton Babies, the manufacturer of bumGenius one-size pocket diaper, provides free repair kits upon request. If you need to replace the elastic in your diapers, there are a couple of online tutorials that demonstrate how to do it for serged or encased elastic. If you don't have the time or inclination to make these repairs yourself, it's still worthwhile to pay a seamstress to do it, cloth diapers are an investment, it's far less expensive to fix them than to replace them.

Newborn diaper rental program

OK, so we came up with the ultra-fabulous cloth diaper loan program, the concept of borrowing a selection of diapers for a week or two. Our loan program helps new parents decide if they're comfortable with cloth diapering overall or, more importantly, what type of diaper they are comfortable using (say it with me, the hardest part of cloth diapering is deciding which diaper system you want to purchase). Our loan program has been implemented by many companies across Ottawa, and throughout North America now; directly or indirectly, we have helped thousands of parents make the switch from disposables to cloth diapers.

I just came across an innovative newborn diaper rental scheme thought up by the folks at Sunshine Diapers in Florida (hey, I like to give credit where credit is due!), they rent Kissaluvs size 0 diapers for a period of 3 months. I think this is such a brilliant idea that I'm implenting a similar rental program (to launch in July), with a few minor tweaks (a rental program with a loan program twist!).

We have sold Kissaluvs diapers for over five years now, and they are hands-down our favourite diaper for newborns. They fit from 5-15 lbs, they have an umbilical scoop so they won't irritate your baby's healing umbilical cord, and the texture of these diapers does an excellent job of keeping poop where it belongs -- in the diaper and not between your baby's shoulder blades!

Newborn babies typically gain weight quickly in those first few weeks, so parents are often hesitant to spend a lot of money on what may be a short period, however, if you keep your baby in disposable diapers for those first few weeks while he fills in, you are spending money that you will never get back, you risk an increased likelihood of diaper rash, and you will be throwing away hundreds of disposable diapers that will hang around for hundreds of years. Ew, ew, and double-ew! Disposable diapers will run you approximately $20/week (count on 10-12 changes/day -- Huggies "Little Snugglers", for example, cost $12.47 for a pack of 36 diapers). Rather than spend that $20/week on disposable diapers, you can rent 30 size 0 Kissaluvs diapers instead.

We will rent the diapers for 4-week blocks, for $80/block. When you return the diapers, you will receive a $20 gift certificate (for each 4-week block; rent the diapers for 3 months, receive $60 in gift certificates); each gift certificate can be applied towards a purchase of $100.00 or more (not limited to cloth diapers). Factoring in the gift certificate(s), the diaper rental works out to $15/week. How brilliant is that? If you were to purchase 30 size 0 Kissaluvs diapers, you would spend $448.50.

We will have scheduled in-store pick-ups on a bi-monthly basis, on the first and third Sunday of the month. You must sign up in advance; you must give us at least two weeks notice that you are returning the diapers so we can plan accordingly. You may pick up the diapers before your baby is born, but the clock starts ticking when the diaper rental leaves the store, not when your baby is born, so please keep this in mind.

You are required to purchase the covers and any accessories (wetbags, doublers, wipes, etc.) for the diapers -- as a general rule of thumb, we recommend one cover for every six diapers, so 5-6 covers would be ideal. We will provide a laundry bag, and a set of dryerballs (to decrease drying time) that must be returned with the diapers at the completion of the rental. At the time of rental, you must purchase one of our laundry detergents, all of which are approved for use with cloth diapers; the laundry detergent will be discounted 40%, all of our natural detergents are cost-effective, and excellent for all your laundry needs. You will receive a set of washing directions (easy-peasy, we promise), you can expect to launder the diapers every 3-4 days for the duration of the rental.

Each set of rental diapers will be retired after 20 weeks, after which we will sell them at one of our regular diaper swaps for half of their retail value ($115 for 15 diapers, they will still have lots of life left in them!). Rental diapers will be sold on a first-come-first-serve basis. Proceeds from the sale of the rental diapers will be donated to various local charities.

Who would use this rental program?

• Parents of multiples, or preemies
• Parents who have purchased diapers that may not fit at birth (if your baby is born weighing 5 lbs, s/he won't fit size small Fuzzibunz for several weeks, for example)
• Parents who want to bridge the gap between their baby's birth and their turn in the diaper loan program (currently a 4-6 week wait)
• Parents who are starting cloth diapers with their last child, so reusing the newborn diapers with a future child is not an issue

If you want to sign up for the rental program, please call us at 613.321.7249 (Ottawa) or 519.342.0867 (Waterloo). Alternately, you can e-mail me at rental@extraordinarybabyshoppe.com.

The following dates are available:

• July 5th, July 19th
• August 2nd, August 16, August 30
• September 6th, September 20th

If our newborn diaper rental program is anywhere near as popular as our diaper loan program, these spots will fill up quickly.