If you’re currently expecting, and shopping or registering for a newborn, start here.
I don’t promise that you’ll know exactly what you want after you’ve read this, but I do promise an honest overview of what to expect when diapering a newborn.

Let’s start with what to expect from the Newborn before we get to what to expect from the diaper. Not everything works well on a newborn. There are special considerations for a newborn, say, the first three months, that won’t apply to the other two years of diapering.

• Bowel movements are frequent in the newborn.
• Bowel movements are runny, but thick enough to not be absorbed quickly or completely. (You may have come across the term “blow-out”. A blow-out is when there’s so much poop, and it comes so fast, that before it can be absorbed it goes up the back. You have them frequently with disposables since they have no elastic along the back and no back-up containment like you do with a cover.)
• Newborn legs tend to be thin until that good milk takes affect.
• At this age, containment is far more important than absorbency. You read a lot about the absorbency of a diaper, but bowel movements are so frequent at this age that you’ll change a diaper before it gets a chance to get really wet. So for this age, think “containment”.
• There is no smell, or actually what I remember fondly as an oddly pleasant smell, about newborn breastfed poop. And though it leaves bright yellow stains, it washes easily and eventually washes out completely.
• Newborns grow FAST!

Here are my comments on each type of diaper as they relate to newborns:

Infant Prefolds: Definitely the most economical choice. They are very absorbent, very versatile, and actually easier to use than you might imagine. But if you’re a little nervous about things leaking out, the lack of any elastic anywhere means a higher likelihood that it will not all stay in the prefold. Both Bummis and Litewraps will at least keep it from escaping completely and getting on clothes, but prefolds aren’t best for the “containment” factor. You know yourself – if you’re the type who is okay with imperfection and can just rinse it off the cover and continue on, just buy a couple more covers than you would with fitteds, and dive in. If you want perfect containment in the diaper, and no leaks into the cover, go up a notch to the fitteds. In spite of the lack of containment, they do work, especially with a good cover, and plenty of people use them and love them. Including me. They’re cheap enough to at least try a few – and if you find you like them, prefolds are the greatest way to save money on diapering, and it just gets easier as they get older. It surprised even me: a lof of parents who participated in our test-drive set, and were able to try every diaper on their newborn for 3 months, settled on prefolds as their preferred diaper, making it the 3rd most popular choice among test-drive users (after Kissaluvs and Wonderoos). By the way, we have a “Prefold Tutorial” in our Cloth Diapering University. Stop by if you want to learn more.

Snappi fitted diapers: We’re getting better at containment here. And they’re still pretty good on the budget since they fit from 0-12 months rather than the usual newborn-sized three month life span. The edging around the legs and waist is a flat binding rather than the traditional ruffled edges. That makes it a lot more trim fitting. Since there are no snaps or aplix, you can fold it down however you need to in order to make it small enough for your newborn. It’s an unbleached terry cloth, which is good at slowing down bowel movements on their way up to a blow-out. Feedback so far has been that they are very absorbent and very adjustable. They remind me of the old one-size Motherease diapers, without the snaps.

Snug-to-fit one-size diapers: These really do adjust all the way to potty training, but like any one-size, they don’t fit a tiny little newborn as snugly as multi-size diapers. If a one-size brand out there does fit a newborn, it’s usually outgrown before potty training. The snug-to-fit one size is a great diaper, and very economical since it fits from about 2 months on. So this may not be best for little newborns, but keep it in mind. I based my diapering for my first two children on one-size diapers and feel that I saved a lot of money doing so.

Ecobaby grow-with-me one-size diapers: Again, like any one-size, they don’t fit a tiny little newborn as snugly as multi-size diapers. Ecobaby’s grow-with-me diapers are organic, and also more absorbent than the snug-to-fit. They fit best after the newborn period.

Blue dog fitted diapers: As the price of fitted diapers continues to rise (when I started six years ago, the concept of a diaper over $9 was unheard of! Now it seems quite normal), these are a very affordable option. And they’re actually very good. If a friend came to me and told me to choose a diaper for her that was good, would be fairly easy to use, but wouldn’t cost too much, this is what I would give her. My top recommendation for a newborn if you’re diapering to save money. Not as absorbent as Kissaluvs, but at this age, it’s all about containment, and these, with elastic around the thighs AND the back, are very good at that. For older babies, I still like them for the fit, but would likely add a fleece pocket stuffed with a microfiber insert for added absorbency.

Thirsties fitted diapers: I really like these. They are between the Blue Dogs and the Kissaluvs in price. Because the inside soaker is made of super-absorbent microterry instead of plain cotton, they are much more absorbent than either. I really like these, and I’m glad that there’s a good, absorbent diaper available at this price as the trend in diapers seems to be to get more complicated and more expensive. If you were to add a micro-fiber-stuffed fleece pocket to this one, you’d have a super absorbent diaper without the bulk. The baby at left is five days old, just under 9 pounds, and is not on the smallest snap setting. It fit him very well from birth.

Kissaluvs:Ah. Kissaluvs. Practically everyone likes these for newborns (hence our Kissaluvs size 0 rental program). I don’t know anyone who didn’t think this was a fabulous newborn diaper. An umbilical snap to keep the diaper away from umbilical stumps, elastic around the legs AND the waist, a fabric that feels like a plush teddy bear, two rows of snaps to extend the time it will fit a baby… it’s just the pinnacle of diaper design. It may not be for everyone’s budget, particularly in the newborn size, which will be outgrown in three to five months. But it’s still a good deal considering the number of diapers out there hovering at $15.00 each, and its super-high quality. They come with a lifetime snap guarantee and will easily last through 3 or more children and still be ready to be sold or passed on to another family. Our rental program is a great deal.

Happy Heiny Pocket Diapers: The whole stay-dry idea – yes, it really works. I praise the ingenuity of some creative moms out there who designed this clever thing! The small size fits most newborns pretty well, at least after a week or two.

Covers: Either Litewraps or Bummis are excellent for newborns. Many people do prefer Litewraps for newborn and small sizes because of the gusset, umbilical dip, and lower price, and then switch to Bummis later on when they need something more durable. But they are both favorites that outsell any other covers on the market (which is how they made it into this store!)

Accessories: The most useful accessories from our store to have on hand for newborns are the Mattress Pad, cloth wipes (I suggest starting with around 30), and the Diaper Pail Liner. Later, when you start solids, I’d say the flushable liners are more than just nice – they are necessary!

Of course, I could talk about diapers for hours, and you can spend hours online researching. But there’s nothing like touching them and getting to try them out on your baby. Test-Drive Packages allow you to try ALL of these for 3 months and then return them for store credit to use on the style that worked best for you. See our test-drive packages for more details.

Finally, use our Gift Registry – a free service that will allow friends and family to contribute.