Flat Cloth Diapering a Newborn

I usually cloth diaper my children after the third month or so. But with this new baby, I am going to attempt to do cloth diaper from the beginning. Well, as soon as we get out of the hospital.

Since I'm cheap, I opted out of buying any new diapers and decided to go with the peanut-shaped diapers my lovely cousin sent me from Korea as well as venture to the wide world of flat diapers--the cheapest cloth diapering route you can go. Yep, those are the diapers your mama and your grandma probably used.

Apparently, there are many different ways to fold a flat diaper. I found this and this helpful tutorial and after many viewings of the origami fold on you tube, I finally was able to pull it off on Koko's huge baby doll. Here's also a technique to fold it so that the diaper doesn't touch the umbilical cord. And here's a fold that makes a distinction between the way you fold for boys and girls.

Flats definitely require diaper covers. There's basically three styles you can use with flats: velcro, snaps, or soakers. Velcro is probably the easiest because then you don't need any pins or snappis. It also fits smaller babies the best because you can adjust to the exact waist size. The cheapest velcro covers are made of polyester such as proraps or Bummis which are a little over ten dollars. The more expensive ones like Isme Visme are made of wool. The only problem with velcro is that you have to be very careful while laundering them because lint can build up on the velcro and make them useless. You have to always fasten the velcro straps and wash it inside-out. But even then, it can be tricky. Only Isme Visme seem to have a fold-in tub that "help avoid stickiness during laundry." Though I hear that many thrifty moms just re-velcro their covers...

Covers with snaps also come in various material like polyester or wool but from my past experience with these diapers, they usually fit babies who are average-sized or bigger.

When I mention soakers, I am steering clear of old-school Gerber that are made of toxic PVC vinyl that most of our mothers used, and are referring to the ones made of wool. With soakers, unlike snaps or velcro, you do need to fasten the diaper with either diaper pins or snappis.

Wool has the advantages of being naturally anti-bacterial, breathable, (which polyester is not) and when lanonized properly, virtually waterproof. Wool can hold a lot of water, so it's great to prevent leaks, especially overnight. I am sensitive to wool, but supposedly the wool from reputable brands such as Aristocrats or Disanas are untreated and very soft so unless you're allergic to pure wool, it's supposed to be all right. Here's a more comprehensive guide to wool covers. The disadvantage with wool is that it's usually more exensive. So even though there are wool covers with velcro which is better for smaller or thin babies if the cover only lasts for a week or two, I don't think it's worth it. However, since soakers like Aristocrats start fitting around 6 weeks on an average-sized baby and last until 20 pounds, I think the $30 investment might be worth it. But since wool covers require lanonizing, some might find that too time-consuming though I hear it's a quick and painless procedure. We'll see....I'll get back to everyone after I try it out. Who knows? Maybe I'll be so sleep-deprived that I just use more earth-friendly disposables like Seventh Generation or Nature Babycare Diapers.

Does anyone out there have any experience with flat diapering a newborn? I would appreciate any other tips!