Newborn cloth

I have to admit that within just a couple days of finding out I was pregnant I started considering the cloth diapering possibilities.

Yes, please, go ahead and laugh at me. This blog is titled The Cloth Addict for a reason.

While most of our one-size diapers say they will fit from 8 lbs and up I know the reality is that most won't fit until baby is 10 - 12 lbs. Both my kids didn't hit this weight until they were 1.5 - 2 months old. If I want to do cloth I need newborn diapers until baby can fit into our one-size diapers. Since cost is our #1 reason for cloth diapering I had to sit down and do the cost comparison of disposables vs cloth for the first two months. I could bore you to tears by showing you all my math, but the end result I got was that disposables will cost approximately $200 - $220 during that time. Which is actually cheaper than cloth diapering - depending on how you go. Prefolds + covers are cheaper by a good $40 - 60. Just about everything else is more expensive - if you don't consider resale value. A newborn diaper can typically be re-sold for anywhere from 50 - 80% of the retail value (and more often than not closer to 80% because they are often in like new condition after only being used such a short time).

Even with resale value considered I wanted my goal to be to spend less money outright than what I would have spent on disposables. I could just go the disposable route but I love the idea of putting my newborn in fluffy cloth diapers and I am determined to figure out how to do it as cheaply as possible - without using only prefolds and covers. As economical as they are I just don't think I want to use them full time.

I considered for awhile using a newborn rental - up front cost is $225, you get the diapers for 3 months, and then when you return them you get $100 back or $110 for store credit. But one of their rules is that you can only use cloth diaper safe detergent. Since the only thing that has ever worked for me is Tide I'd rather just buy my own.

So far I'm very happy with my purchase decisions. I have spent a little less than 2/3 of my budget and I have nearly all the diapers I need. So far I have:

10 BumGenius XS AIOs
1 FuzziBunz XS pocket with velcro
5 Kissaluvs Size 0 fitteds
1 WAHM (work at home mom) fitted (no link she doesn't have a website)
7 Thirsties XS fitteds (these are discontinued, so no link)
1 Bummis XS cover
1 Small cover (unsure of brand)

All of them were bought on sale or used, some for an absolute steal.

All I have left to buy are half a dozen prefolds (I do want to try them, I just don't want a whole stash of them) and more covers.

My newborn cloth diaper stash so far: