I have currently entered the 8th month of pregnancy and while reading up and doing my research, the one issue that I was thoroughly confused with was diapering. I was honestly overwhelmed by the sheer number and the types of diapers that are there in the market. Diapering was one aspect that seriously stumped me, and therefore I thought to make the lives of other mums-in-the-making a little more easier by sharing my understanding of diapers that one can use for their baby.
Until a month ago, the only thing I knew about diapers were the advertisements that I had seen in TV about disposable diapers like Huggies, Pampers and Mamy Poko Pants, and my knowledge was limited to the fact that disposable diapers have elevated into the convenient pant-style diapers. Suddenly I came across a term 'cloth diaper' in my pregnancy app BabyCentre. I was quite surprised that the world seems to be going back to the traditional techniques of rearing a child. However, I found that there are a number of advantages about cloth diapering a baby, especially a new born. After loads of research, I have shortlisted the diapering technique that I am going to follow for my new born baby. I am going to cloth diaper my baby throughout the day, and only use disposable diapers when we go out with the baby and at nights.
For cloth diapering, I have bought cloth nappies from Tinycare which are made of pure hosiery cotton, and have two layers of cloth for extra absorption. These nappies do not have any inserts in them, and you have to change them after every pee session. These have to be soaked in cold water for 24 hours to kickstart the absorbency. I plan to wash the nappies 3 to 4 times in Farlin Baby Laundry Detergent and a Chicco Fabric Softener and thoroughly dry them in the sun before the first use. I feel this cotton fabric will be the best choice for the sensitive newborn skin in the initial months. Also, it will give the much needed breathing space for Baby's skin which can be a great substitute for the diaper free hours required for the Baby. There is an added risk of soiling the mattress and bedsheets if you let the Baby go completely diaper free for some time, so in those moments you can simply use these cotton nappies. This way you can prevent the ugly diaper rashes which is a constant source of worry for parents who use disposable diapers full time. Apart from this, I have also bought a packet of Mee Mee disposable nappy liners (pack of 100) to line the nappies. These nappy liners are extremely soft and are just an added layer to prevent poop stains in the nappy. The liners are permeable enough to let pee pass through, but can easily hold poop. You can give these liners a miss if you think they are a waste of money and will not be good for Baby's skin. The cons of using such Cloth Nappies are that you need at least 15 of them as you have to change them almost every hour or after every pee. I have a full time nanny to help at home and I plan to launder the nappies every single day, so my advice will be to use these nappies only if you have the time, money and energy for the additional work.
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| Tinycare Cloth Nappies (pack of 5) |
Secondly, I feel changing the nappies so frequently will be too time consuming and tiresome, and therefore, I also plan to use proper Cloth Diapers once or twice in the day time. I have chosen Bumberry Cloth Diaper Cover with Bamboo inserts. These Cloth Diapers are proper diapers and are almost as effective as Disposable diapers. The diaper cover is made of polyster fabric and can be easily wiped clean for a second use, by just changing the bamboo insert within. These Bamboo inserts are a natural fabric that is specifically made for the sensitive infant skin, and they can hold upto 2 or 3 rounds of pee or upto 2 to 3 hours. These new age cloth diapers are environment friendly, and prevent diaper rash as well. I have bought three diaper covers which come with one insert each, and a few extra Bamboo inserts (pack of 3) to change. These diaper covers and inserts can be used till the baby is three years old, as there are buttons in place to increase the size as the baby grows. Therefore, it is an extremely cost effective way of diapering which is increasingly gaining a lot of popularity.
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| Bumberry Bamboo Inserts (pack of 3) |
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| Bumberry Diaper Cover (One size from newborn to three years) |
Thirdly, at night, or when we go out with the Baby, I have planned to use disposable pant-style diapers. I am going to try a variety of diaper brands to know which one suits my Baby's skin best. At first I will try Pampers Premium Care Pants (new born / extra small size) and Huggies Ultra Soft Pants for Newborns, because they have the best reviews from moms. I will also buy Huggies Wonder Pants because they are supposed to be wonderful for curing diaper rash. So, in case my Baby has diaper rash despite all my precautions, I will immediately switch to using Huggies Wonder Pants till it gets better. Also, for proper disposal of these disposable diapers, I have bought Sannap Diaper Disposal Bags.
To sum it all up, my diapering regimen in the initial two months will be to majorly use Cloth Nappies with Nappy Liners (if necessary) from the morning around 6 am, then switching to Cloth Diaper with Bamboo Insert after a bath and poop around 10 or 11 am, and again switching to Cloth Nappies around 2 to 3 pm until 8 to 9 pm. Then another round of Cloth Diapering at 9 pm till midnight or 1 am, and finally switching to disposables for the night.
After two to three months, or till the newborn skin is not as sensitive as before, I plan to slowly stop using Cloth Nappies and only use them once or twice a day for some diaper free moments. Eventually, I will switch to Cloth diapering fully at day-time, and disposables at night.
There are other kinds of new age Cloth Diapers available which have better absorbency and a longer lasting effect like Pocket diapers, All-in-one diapers and All-in-two diapers with microfibre inserts and charcoal inserts etc. But I have found that they are not made specifically for new-borns and infants with sensitive skin, but are better used on older babies when they start eating solid food and their urination increases. This post is specifically for new borns and I will post about more effective diapering later on when my experience grows along with my Baby.
Happy Diapering to you!
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