My poor little brain - MCN for a Newborn

[Haydies]

Hi Everyone,

I got directed here after coming unstuck, once again, on what exactly I am looking for with cloth nappies.

We (me and my partner) are pregnant with our first child. Hurray! Due in early October (7th), we've known since way before we even started trying that we would go for a cloth nappy system. Both cost and environment wise. As I am one of those people who research everything 10 times before deciding on anything, I've been reading and reading... and reading... aaaand reading on everything to do with MCN's and know the basics pretty much.

There is only one other child on his side of the family (this will be the 1st on mine) and she was in terry flat nappies, which unfortunately didn't last long (due to hassle I think) and has been in disposables ever since. Because both of us don't want to do that, I'm trying to get an "easy to use" nappy system that sticks. Because of this, I have been looking at mostly pocket nappies and AOI's.

Originally I was looking into fitted nappies with a cover, but last night I found http://theweewuns.au.com and spent the better part of my night falling in love with all the pocket nappies that have prints on them and don't require being covered. Some of them are too cute for words! Originally pocket nappies were a bit daunting, but I found a video link that showed just how easy they were to put together and was pretty much instantly sold. I figured not only would this then make it easier for my partner to change, but also less bulk etc.

I ended up making a list that included 17 x Pocket Nappies for around the house, 12 AIO's for going out (parents etc), and 3 x All in Two's which are the AIO's but have a flap? Not too sure the difference, they are the Berry Plush Minkees... I was thinking that would be enough for a newborn, and once she grows out of those sizes, I would move to the OSFA option to take her through to toilet training.

I asked on another forum if that would be enough for a newborn, too many, just right etc... and was informed that Pocket Nappies aren't the best for newborns and I should think about fitteds + covers. So now, my poor little brain which was so happy it had finally figured out what I was going to buy, is now all muddled again.

For L plated cloth users to a first baby (so EVERYTHING is new), what are my best options? I want to make this as easy as possible, at least for the first few months to ensure we stick with it, so for that reason I've passed on any of the flat nappies. I've also decided, at least to start with, that pre-folds aren't really what we're looking for. They pretty much look like the pocket nappies, without the pocket, from what I can tell, but the idea of being able to make up a whole bunch of pocket nappies and just be able to put them on appeals more. I figure that pretty much leaves me pocket nappies, AIO's and fitted with covers. Are pocket nappies really a bad option for newborns?


My poor little brain...

[kermi]

Hi there!

May I suggest you introduce yourself formally in the "Getting to Know You" forum so we call all say hi!

As to your questions - please check out the "Newborn Cloth Experiences" forum for others cloth journeys.
I myself have a 9 wk old who has been in cloth since birth and I do agree with the pocket nappies being not the best on a newborn.. but I do have a couple in our stash that we use. Fitteds are my favourites on him though for the exact reason you've been given - extra protection against blowout poos!
Pockets are my favourite nappies on my toddler though.

I suggest a mixed stash with a couple of pockets (maybe some meds that could double as covers when bub is little?), majority of fitteds, a few covers and a couple of AIOs for outings?

Have fun starting your clothie journey!!

[Leah]

I am due around the same time as you are (Oct 12th here)

I have about 20 fitteds, some flats and about 4 PUL covers and 3 or 4 woollen covers. Plus a few AIO's for going out. I did not use pockets for my daughter when she was small for the poop blowout reason, and then later on pockets never really worked for us but I suspect it is me being a hopeless pocket stuffer.

Later on I used fitteds with covers and AIO's through to toilet training.

Good luck

[lovebub]

Abbey is five weeks old now and I've found that while a fitted with a cover is by far my favourite option, my bumgenius one size pocket is getting used heaps. So far I have'nt had any blowouts with it, but I couldn't say for sure that it's been tested by a true poosplosion. My home made fitteds have and so far everything has been contained by the cover.

I'm also using prefolds, but I'm not that great at folding them so we often end up with poo on the cover. I know you said you weren't into these and tbh they're not my favourite but I do think it's worth having at least a few. They dry so quickly and can also be used for so many other things eg. wiping up messes, burp cloths, stuffing pockets later on.

If I was starting again I would probably buy heaps of these http://ozebaby.com.au/product.php?VP=6959 or similar to get me through until we were big enough for our one size fitteds and I would definately recommend trying a bumgenius - I'm just about to order more of them for us.

[Possum]

My suggestion would be fitteds with covers which I don't think are that much more tricky than any other type IMHO. I would grab one or two of the things you think you'll like, but don't buy heaps of one thing. If you don't like it after all it's a hassle to sell when you're looking after a newborn. We had flats and prefolds with a dozen mcn, and as I saw what we liked I bought more of those. That said, we went o/s fitteds from the start with flats to help fill out the stash until there were enough mcn.
HTH.

[Haydies]

Thankyou for the replies! After reading through a lot of advice and other threads on various places yesterday, I actually sat down and revised my order. Here's what I came up with.

Fitteds:

• BumGenius Bamboo Fitted Nappies x 4
• Kissaluvs COLOURS x 6
• Tots Bots Fluffles x 3
• Baby BeeHinds Bamboo x 2
• Baby BeeHinds Organic/Hemp Nappy x 2
• Total 17 x Fitted

With Covers:

• Bummis Super Whisper Wrap Andy Pandy Print x 2
• Bummis Super Whisper Wrap Froggy Print x 2
• Wacky Wraps Fairy Nuff Lilac x 1
• Wacky Wraps U R My Sunshine x 1
• Total 6 x Covers, plus I have 5 here already - assorted sizes.

Pocket Nappies to give them a look:

• Happy Heiny - Prints x 5
• Starbunz Animal Pockets x 2
• bumGenius One Size Pocket Nappies x 3
• Total 10 x Pockets

AIO's:

• Berry Plush AIO Jaguar x 1
• Bubblebubs All In Ones Fleece x 3
• Monkey Doodlez Micro All In One x 1
• Total 5 x AIO

Now, I'm looking at this for a newborn, so please tell me if I've gone over the top. From everything I've read they suggest at least 24 to start with - and that's 32 in total. Some of them I will admit I'm going at for cuteness factor, for example the Berry Plush one. All of the sizes were "small" which ranged from 3ish kgs up to 7/8kg. How many months will that get me? After seeing the price total, I don't want to be having to replace the whole lot after 3 months...

Any on the list above I should avoid? Am I slowly getting close to the right direction?

[Nicole_M]

Hi Haydies,

I'm very new at this cloth nappy game, having only started using them four weeks ago with my now 10 week old daughter.

I'd suggest buying only a few of each type at first (say 4-6 fitteds + 2 or 3 covers, 4-6 pockets and maybe a fun show-off AIO or groovy fleece cover) because you will need to try them all out to find what works for you and your bub. May I also suggest getting a few prefolds (I have hemp/flannel ones) as they are so handy...can use with a snappy on a new-born or extra stuffing in a pocket, extra boosting between a fitted and the cover if your bub is a heavy wetter...the list goes on.

I'm currently using Green Kids pockets, Baby Beehinds bamboo, Bambino Mio prefolds and covers, Mother-ease One-Size (and Toddle-ease on my big boy!) and some hemp/flannel prefolds, fitteds & pockets from an Aussie mum over here in the Middle East. I also have some Tots Bots bamboozles and fuffles on their way along with a Sandman night nappy, more Green Kids and a couple of fun HoneyBoy! AIO's.

My Josie is a massive, explosive BF poo-er and I've never had a blow out in a GK Pocket. I stuff them only with the GK microfibre booster during the day. Those inserts are softer and less bulky on little Josie and they soak up the liquid part of any mess so quickly that nothing escapes. I LOVE GK nappies as the easiest to use of my collection, reliability and oh-so-pretty prints on their Funtime range. (If you look at their website, be sure to heed their advice about cotton prints on pocket nappies...they are right, they sometimes do wick so not really the best choice for all of your pockets).

The BBB is brilliant and I can't wait to get more. I am also very happy with the Mother-ease One-size but I'm going to put them away until Josie is a bit bigger as they're a little too bulky on her now. I've ordered the Size 1 Bamboozles and Fuffles to have a less bulky fitted on her for the next few months.

Anyway, at the end of this beginner clothie's rambles, buy a few of what you think you're interested in and then build up once you know what you like. I started with only one days worth (6 pockets, one fitted, 6 prefolds and some covers) and just washed every night (blessed with good weather for drying!) until I decided what I needed to buy. I think much better to have a little inconvenience and, dare I say it, some back up disposables just in case, in the beginning rather than spending a small fortune on nappies you're not happy with.

Have fun making your choices!

Kind regards,
Nicole

[Nicole_M]

Oh, by the way, Josie is 6+kg and 10 weeks old so the smalls might not last you long at all!

N

[kermi]

Originally Posted by Nicole_M

Oh, by the way, Josie is 6+kg and 10 weeks old so the smalls might not last you long at all!

N

Joel is exactly the same at 10wks Nicole...

[Debbie Lee]

Hi Haydies,
What a great thread and WOW @ all the research you've done. Good on you!
As I only started using MCN with Gabrielle at 12 months, the whole newborn cloth experience will be new to me too.

I've chosen to start off simple. For the first few weeks, Little Bee will be in terry/flanny flats and prefolds with snibs and PUL covers. Once he's big enough, we'll move to fitted nappies with covers (probably baby beehinds fitteds as I have stacks from Gabby and I've found them to be super reliable!). I've got one small AIO (a magicall) that I'll try out but I'm not confident it'll do the trick. I also have 4 rollicking rascals that I'll try on him aswell. One of the girls from my mother's group uses rollicking rascals on her little one and they apparently do a good job (during the day). I'll just ease myself into it and get a feel for what works.

Gab is 2 so AIO's and Pockets work a treat with her but I do recall fitteds with covers (PUL or Wool) to be far better when she was younger.... so I'll be stocking up on those for Little Bee before going too crazy with the pockets. I think once they get to that 'medium' sized stage, pockets and AIO's work better?? I could be wrong tho! Like I said, I haven't done it before.

Good luck though! It's great to see first-time Mums looking into MCN and really doing their research and asking questions. I wish I had paid attention earlier on.