Newborn Cloth Diapering with Thanks Mama {Flufftastic Summer Celebration #clothdiaperhop}

Searching for information about cloth diapering can be incredibly overwhelming, especially when you are just starting out.. Everyone has their own favorite diapers and ways of doing things. My biggest recommendation to all new mamas trying to get started in the cloth diapering world is to buy a varied selection! There is nothing worse than getting all of one kind of diaper brand and/or style and having it not work for you or your little one.

There is absolutely no pressure to jump in head-first and quit using disposables cold-turkey! Ease yourself in and take your time. Make sure you are comfortable with the system you have chosen before you stop buying disposables. If you don’t, you are at risk of getting overwhelmed, stress and frustrated! Cloth diapering should be fun (sounds funny, I know.. But just ask any CD-lovin’ mama and they’ll tell you all about how addicting they are)!

I was super excited to start Natalie in cloth right away and then we ended up moving in with my parents for a bit until we bought our own house.. This put a damper in my cloth-using plans because hubby didn’t want me to wash the diapers in my parents’ washer. That’s ok, though, because it has actually been easier for us, during this transitional period, to just suck it up and buy/use disposables for the kiddos.

We will be finally moving into our own house within the next couple weeks and once I unpack all the wonderful girly diapers I have, I can’t wait to start using them on Natalie’s cute little bum!

The main thing to remember when thinking about newborn cloth diapering is that they go through diapers like crazy! Each feeding, about every 2 hours at first, they need a new diaper. This, as you can count, is roughly 12-14 diapers each day, depending on how often your little one needs to be changed. Some, like both my boys, go both pee and poo after every single feeding.

Now, I know this sounds like a lot but the great thing is that if you are nursing, you can just throw the breastfed poo in the washer without rinsing it off first! Another score for mother nature’s best! Breast milk (even in the stool) is water-soluable. So just throw everything in your wet bag and you’re done until laundry day! You should plan to buy at least 2-3 days worth of diapers (so that’s anywhere from 24-42 diapers). You definitely do not want to be washing dirty diapers every day with a newborn..

When building my stash for baby girl, I got a bunch of different kinds of diapers but the majority of what I will use at home are prefolds and covers. These are the cheapest cloth diapers and once you get the hang of them, they are really not difficult to use at all!

My newborn cloth diapering stash includes:

• Prefolds; 30 small-sized (I would like to get a few more still..)
• Diaper covers; 7 small and one-size covers
• 5 Snappis as well as 2 sets of Boingos (never tried them before but we’ll see how well they work)
• All-in-One diapers (AIO’s); 12 – perfect diaper bag diapers for quick, on-the-go changes
• Fitteds; 4 daddy-approved diapers! (Hubby likes these better than prefolds because he thinks they’re easier..)
• Cloth diaper-friendly laundry soap; my favorite is Rockin’ Green Hard Rock detergent
• Large, hanging Planet Wise wet/dry bag (for storing dirty diapers)

Planet Wise wet bags are my favorite because they are widely known in the cloth-diaper world for being of great quality, having beautiful fabrics and they hold in the smells of dirty diapers amazingly well! Thanks Mama carries all sorts of sizes and patterns, to fit every need and style, as well as hundreds of other must-have items for every natural and cloth-diaper-loving mama out there!

Starting out with cloth diapers can seem like a big task but it doesn’t have to be! I love shopping at stores like Thanks Mama because you can purchase a variety of different items to see what you like best, all from the same place! Thanks Mama even carries special, already-made Sampler Packs.. Let Thanks Mama help you on your cloth diapering adventure!

Starting August 10th, And Then There Were 4… will be a part of the Flufftastic Summer Celebration, hosted by Eco Baby Mama Drama and Mama on a Green Mission! During this fun blog-hop event, Thanks Mama will be giving one lucky reader their own Planet Wise hanging wet bag (arv $30)!!

Until then, go show this wonderful sponsor some love and visit the Facebook and Twitter pages to keep updated on all the awesome sales and specials they run! Also, use the code { 5off } to get $5 off your purchase of $50 or more!

Come back soon and enter to win from Thanks Mama!!