Newborn cloth diapering

Mark and I decided around mid-pregnancy that we were going to use cloth diapers full time during my maternity leave.  We started using cloth at home (disposables at daycare) when Lily was 4.5 months old so virtually all of our diapers are of the one size variety.   Most one size diapers say that they fit from around 8 pounds and up but 10+ pounds is more realistic and even then they can be very bulky on a newborn, so we needed to get cloth diapers to fit a newborn.    

We purchased this newborn diaper package from Nicki's Diapers for $141.97 including free shipping.  This package includes 2 dozen prefolds in 2 sizes, four diaper covers, one each of a newborn bamboo fitted and a newborn All-In-One (AIO), and two one-size diapers for when the baby gets a little bigger.  I also purchased a 3-pack of Snappi diaper fasteners and we already had a pail liner and wet bags from when we cloth diapered Lily.   We already had three Thirsties Duo pocket diapers in size 1 that we'd used on Lily, and those will fit a newborn well.   We started using the diapers the day after we got home from the hospital.  Before her umbilical cord stump fell off, we just had to fold down the covers a bit to avoid getting the stump wet.  

I do a load of diaper laundry every day because Hannah's wearing mostly the XS prefolds (the Smalls are a bit too bulky still).   It's not difficult at all - a prewash with no detergent, a hot water wash with Rockin' Green Hard Rock, and a 2nd rinse.  Then everything goes in the dryer on high.   The bamboo prefold and the hemp halves of the Thirsties Duo inserts typically come out a bit damp but dry fully after a few hours of hanging on a rack or outside on the clothesline.   It takes around 2 hours total, with maybe 2-3 minutes of hands-on time on my part.   

We could have gone for a less-expensive "private label" Imagine newborn package at $88.16 which in retrospect would have been a perfectly-suitable choice.  The two packages have the same prefolds and bamboo fitted, but the cheaper package uses all Imagine brand for covers, AIO, etc.  We have been very pleased with the quality of Imagine diapers, so much so that I am now an Imagine Advocate.  

So how do they stack up on cost?   We have a BJ's membership and a 210-count box of size 1 Pampers Swaddlers is $41.99 at BJ's.   That works out to 20 cents per diaper without coupons.  Assuming the baby stays in size 1 for the first three months, and is changed on average 8 times a day, that works out to $144 in diapers for the first 90 days.   However since we'd need to round up to 4 boxes of diapers to get the 20 cents/diaper price, we'd be looking at $168.   The newborn cloth diaper package that we bought is $142, while the less-expensive Imagine package is $88.  For the full newborn package, the cost is reasonably close to disposables (especially if you add in a bag of the Rockin' Green detergent that we use) but the Imagine newborn package is roughly half the cost to diaper a baby.   There is some residual value in the cloth diapers (reselling the package or using the prefolds as inserts in one size pocket diapers), while disposables are literally throwing money away.  

I don't want to make it sound rosy and perfect - there are very valid reasons for families to choose to use disposable diapers.  Heck, we still use disposable diapers and once Hannah is in daycare in a few months she will be in disposables there!   But with cloth, we love the convenience of never running out of diapers and that we're filling the landfill a little less than we would with 100% disposable use.