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Writer's pictureJanike Robertson

Getting Started & Initial Outlay (PART 2)

Updated: Jul 9

In the discussion in part 1 of this post we did not touch on the cost and planning with regards to the newborn stage of cloth diapering. Although the OSFM stage of diapers fit for a very long time and over a wide range of sizes and body types, newborns are tiny and require their own special sized diapers. Yes, even big newborns expected to be 4kg+ at birth are tiny and usually skinny for the first few months, so still benefit from newborn diapers.


Every mom who has successfully diapered a newborn will tell you that the investment is worth it, even though it comes with an additional cost to that of the OSFM stage. There are various challenges with cloth diapering a newborn, especially if it is your first baby too, BUT it is totally manageable and many moms successfully do so.



Some things to consider if you are thinking about cloth diapering your newborn:

  • Are you willing to spend the financial outlay for a full time newborn stash in addition to an OSFM stash? Or will you skip newborn cloth all together?

  • Will you cloth diaper your newborn full time or part time? (a mix of cloth and disposables)

  • Are you willing to learn through trial and error as a new mom while adjusting to all the other things that comes with being a new mom (breastfeeding, self care, washing and house work etc)

  • Do you or will you have the support, to use cloth diapers, of your husband, family and other people close to you who might also look after you and baby in the early days? Having a steady support system with cloth diapering can make the world of difference to your success.


What do I need for Newborn

(+-2.5kg / birth - 6kg / 4months (although some brands fit longer)


It's important to know that during the newborn stage babies have an incredibly high output of both urine and liquid poop, especially with breastfeeding. They survive from a liquid diet and their immature systems digest milk very rapidly, resulting in diaper changes very frequently. Sometimes you are still in the process of changing a diaper when a newborn baby starts to pee or poop again! Yes this happens to the best of us! For this reason 2 things are important to note about newborns compared to older babies 1) they need a lot more absorbency than older babies and 2) they need many more nappies per day than older babies.

(**Although I haven't included fleece liners as a must have below, I also just need to add that reusable fleece liners are a must have to line your newborns' diaper. They are soft on newborn leggies and they make poopy messes a breeze to clean up! )


It is generally agreed upon by moms who use newborn cloth diapers that, to wash every 2 days, on average you need:


  • 36 x Newborn diapers (check out types of diapers here)

    • 36 flats OR fitteds + minimum 12 wipeable covers (All in 2 system OR flats and cover system).

    • Average of 12 diaper changes per day, including wash day


  • 12 x night time solutions

    • 1 x fitted + cover OR 1 x flat+ booster + Cover

    • Average of 4 diaper changes per night, including wash day

    • (newborn babies have liquid poops throughout the night and need to be changed as soon as they are soiled, unlike older babies who generally do not poop at night)


Below I have created a table showing an example of how to construct a real, full time variety (flats and fitteds) newborn cloth diaper stash using the cheapest commercially available diapers in South Africa. The prices are current on 21 June 2024 and subject to change. I want families to see that it is possible to do newborn cloth diapering in its full capacity as an investment in their cloth journey. If budgets are tight, with a little bit of planning cloth diapering a newborn full time is still a viable option, remember how many disposables they would go through! I have made use of retailers with the most affordable and realistic cloth diapering solutions and who are firm favourite retailers in the South African cloth diapering community. ( Biddykins.co.za & OrigamiEco.co.za & Janas.co.za)



Optional extras:

  • Disposable bamboo liners (rolls of 100 purchased at a time and replenished as needed) Or 48 reusable, washable, synthetic fleece liners (one for each diaper and a one time purchase, also easy to make yourself at home)

  • Some additional absorbency boosters for those times baby's nappies don't hold enough liquid without leaking before changes (check out absorbent fabrics here)

  • Cloth safe bum cream/ointment (many cloth diapering moms will attest to the fact that bum creams are unnecessary. With cloth diapers baby's bum doesn't need the protection against the chemicals found in disposables or the dryness caused by disposables).

  • 25+ Reusable cloth wipes (this is to replace your wet wipes, cloth wipes are wet as needed and washed with your nappies)


Conclusion on Newborn Cloth Diapering:

Yes, newborn cloth diapering does cost more to invest than what it costs for the OSFM stage because newborns have such different needs and such a high output. They need many more diapers BUT it still doesn't need to be all or nothing. Part time cloth diapering or mixed diapering (disposables and reusables) in the newborn stage is definitely an option and many moms prefer to do it that way. Purchasing your nappies preloved at a hugely reduced rate is also a favourite option amongst moms. (See these Buy/Sell/Trade platforms on Facebook: South African Cloth Diaper Buy/Trade/Sell & JannaNanna Preloved Cloth Nappies ).Often the preloved newborn stashes are still in an excellent condition because moms don't use them as much as they planned and they are only used for 3 to 4 months when baby transitions to the OSFM size. Keep in mind that there is a preloved market for cloth diapers and many moms sell their beloved cloth diapers on the sales groups to recover some of the initial costs invested to purchase their nappies. There are s many ways to make cloth diapering work for you!


Remember the long term savings from this table from Part 1 of this post:



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