where do I start?

Ooooh, how exciting! I'd love to start with cloth from the beginning - I didn't discover modern cloth nappies until my second baby was 5mths old. I had imagined cotton squares, pins & plastic pants!! But modern cloth is nothing like that and after I tried a Fuzzi Bunz from a friend I never looked back. I don't find the washing a big deal at all and I'm really not the worlds best housekeeper!

I don't have experience with newborns so I'll just say try a few different nappies out when your baby is born before deciding on one style/brand so you can see what works for you and your baby. If you want to save money in the beginning try pre-loved nappies from Trade Me, it's a great way to try before you invest in what you really love. Make sure you ask questions of the seller though - how long the nappies were used for, were they bought new, and what condition they are in (i.e. is the elastic still strong & the snaps/velcro in good condition).

Brands I've tried & use are: Fuzzi Bunz, Honey Child, Foxybots & Itti Bitti D'Lish. I'd recommend them all!

Vic xx

If you want a leakproof system for a newborn, I would say go with prefolds or fitteds. Alot of people have problems with Pockets/AIOs and "poo-splosions" on newborns (though sposies often have the same problems) You can always boost them if there's not enough absorbancy. Hemp/microfibre makes a good insert combo as microfibre (goes in the pocket facing up) absorbs quickly, and will wick the moisture through into the hemp which absorbs slowly but holds more. Bamboo is also a great fibre, and works well on it's own. Cotton is less absorbant, but works for some

For a newborn I'd look at:

Prefolds - Need a cover, not that much absorbancy but can be boosted - unbleached generally have a little more absorbancy. Cotton bleached/unbleached are sold in packs, work out around $3 each. Bamboo/organic cotton tend to be sold seperately, around $10 each. Bamboo will need to be tied/pinned, but I would recomment a snappi for the rest, keeps those nb splosions in. Babycuddles.co.nz has some nice organic cotton and bamboo, otherwise lots of retailers have cotton ones.

Fitteds - Need a cover, Generally bulkier than other options, but will have 2 layers "leak protection" around the legs which is good for nb. Can be slower drying than pockets/prefolds. Snazzipants, bitti boo, designerbums or Totsbots are/look good.

Pockets - PUL or Minky seem to be the main choices these days, though some places do wool with hidden PUL (minky also has hidden PUL) I luuurve minky pockets, they are sooo soft. These tend to dry faster, esp PUL pockets, mine will dry in maybe 3-4 hours with some good sun, a bit longer if it's wet. Require inserts, but no cover, Hemp and Microfibre together, or bamboo on it's own make good inserts. Trifold inserts are great as they dry faster. My favs are Wigglebums, Foxybots, Designer Bums and homemade ones (Wee weka Sml-Med and Ditto's Pattern)

AIOs - Might be ok for a nb, though tend to be trimmer etc... as much as I love them esp my bitti d'lish and berry plush, I don't know if I'd use them on a little bubba. AIOs generally take a while to dry, snap-in-AIOs take less time. Also AIOs generally don't have as much absorbancy as pockets/fitteds, so better for light wetters. Bitti D'lish, Berry plush are my favs, and I'd love to try a bubblebubs or snazzipants, but my toddler can undo velco pretty quick-smart.

Ummmm Alia thats all a little advanced for me. I think I'm even more confused now than I already was.

nzpiper where do you get the itti bitti d'lish from?

I used pockets on Daniel once he was about 2-3 weeks old (had a stash of sposies to use up that I got before deciding to go with cloth).

Pockets are fab because you get adjust the absorbency as you need to and they dry really fast. I found with Daniel that the pockets I had purchased that had stitched down elastic (fuzzis) sometimes let newborn poo escape. But the naps I had that didn't have it stitched down (to create like a little gusset) didn't have this problem at all.

Maybe get a hire kit and that way you can get a range of different types in front of u and you can look at them and see what you think you can work with. Or borrow some naps from others just to have a look at them before making a choice.

I think that people either love them or hate them. I happen to fall in the latter category. I think their inserts are fab, they are very absorbent but the pocket is really crap. We found the outer material (PUL) which is meant to be waterproof had lots of tiny holes and was of very poor quality so it leaked every time.

I live in Invercargill. How do I find out about hiring?

Hire Kit info from the nappy network

i'd go for a hirekit too

also, when starting out, don't get a whole stash of one brand/type because what suits one bub doesn't suit another. for example...peapods were the first nappy we tried and loved them

the beauty of cloth naps is if you don't like it, you can sell it and get something else

Thanks I think I'll look into a hire kit a bit more.

Thanks for the offer Stacey, but I'll leave it just now. This is so much more complicated than I imagined
Did anyone else feel like that when they first went cloth or is it just me

RachandJack wrote: I just wanted to add in I am the worst at keeping up with washing I always have piles of it lying around but somehow I have managed to keep up to date with the nappies.

Me too. Its coz you HAVE TO!!!!! Dh can wear his undies another day if needs must but a sh*tty or wet nap cannot be resued!!! We have massive pilesofdirty washing at the moment...but nappies are upto date