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Cloth Diapering for Newborns
So you just had or are expecting a new baby and are seriously considering doing the cloth diaper thing? Good for
you! Cloth diapering is better for our babies, good for our Earth and much more economical than disposable diapers.
Babies on cloth hardly ever get nappy rashes. However, using cloth diapers on newborns is a little different from
cloth diapering an older baby and if you are going to encounter difficulties with cloth diapers, it'll be most
likely in these first few weeks.
A good place to start will be to know what to expect from your newborn babies:
1. Newborns poo and pee very often (bet you already know that)
2. The bowel movement of newborns are very runny and cannot be absorbed fully by diapers (both disposable and
cloth). Sometimes, "blow-out" happens. This is when the poop comes so fast and so much that it goes all the way
up the back.
3. That's the bad news. The good news is that breastfed newborn poop has no nasty smell. It may look startlingly
bright yellow but it washes off easily.
4. At the newborn stage, containment of this runny poo is a lot important than absorbency of the diaper. They poo
so often that you will have to change them before their diapers get really wet anyway.
5. Expect to change your newborn 8-12 times a day
6. Newborns have skinny legs until the effect of the milk shows
7. Newborns grow fast - so enjoy them at this stage!
The cheapest way to cloth diaper a newborn is really the good old fashioned flat mueslin or birds-eye cloth napkin
that our parents and grandparents used to use. They're a huge rectangular piece of one-layer cotton that you learn
to fold many, many times to create a diaper with most of the bulk in the middle. Ermmm... too much trouble for me
and I still have a phobia of using a diaper pin on a squirmy baby after I poked my firstborn with one many, many
years ago.
The next cheapest alternative is the prefolds. In the U.S. these are the basic nappy used by generations of mums.
Prefolds are rectangular in shape and designed with three areas of varying thickness. Prefolds listed as 4x8x4
have four layers of cotton twill on the side panels with eight layers in the middle where the maximum absorbancies
is needed. As they have already been "pre-folded" for you, you don't have to do any origami gymnastics to start
using them effectively.
It's true that prefolds don't score too highly as far as its hip quotient is concerned - but they are so easy to
use (and cheap) that they are definitely worth a second look. They're an economical way to diaper your newborn
while waiting for them to grow big enough to fit our best selling one-size diaper.
Prefolds are not waterproof and they can be used with or without cover. At home, I do let my newborn wear them
without a cover to keep his little bottom cooler. Going without cover will also help you see how many times your
newborn wet his/her diaper. Measuring a newborn's output this way is a good way of gauging whether he's taking
enough milk.
Folding Prefolds
This is a way of folding that I found to be good in containing the liquidy newborn poo.
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1. Fold up the bottom portion to the proper rise (the height of the prefold at the back of the baby
should be lined up to his belly button)
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2. Fold in the left side about a third of the way
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3. This is the "pocket" made from the fold in picture 2
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4. Fold the right side in 1/3 of the way and tuck into the pocket made in picture 3. The top of the prefolds
should be fanned a bit to form "wings".
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5. You can tuck in a microfiber insert for extra absorbancies (optional)
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6. Put a layer of nappy liner on top to catch the poo. Trust me -- it'll make your cleaning job a whole LOT
easier.
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Wearing Prefolds
This is the way I put on prefolds on my baby.
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1. Put the prefold on the baby, making sure that the top of the prefold (on the baby's back) is the same
height as his belly button
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2. Pull the left wing from the back to the front
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3. Pull the right wing from the back to the front
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4. Secure the left wing by fastening the left claw of the Snappi fastener on it. Str-e-t-c-t-h the Snappi
to the right wing.
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5. Fasten the right wing with the Snappi
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6. Fasten the centre part and TA-DA, you're done!
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Venturing Outside with the Newborn
I put my little nursling in his petite size Bumwear pocket diaper when venturing outside the house. At night I
alternate between the petite diapers and the prefolds with cover.
Once you settle into the cloth diapering routine with your new little darling, you'd be amazed at how easy it can
be. And remember, for every disposable not used, it means one less soiled disposable in our landfill and a few more
cents in your pocket.
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