Looking back over the past 5 years, from the time I was about to have my very first baby shower to present day, I can see HOW MUCH has changed in what’s really needed, and what will soon pass.
For those of you I know reading that are pregnant with your first, I hope this helps you a little as you begin to plan your registries and make purchases for your little blessing! Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll share what I personally believe in and recommend.
Things To Get (MUST HAVES):
*Diapers!! Cloth or Disposable (or both). These might not seem like fun things to register for, but believe me - you’ll be grateful! Not all towns have a great diaper place such as we do, to find diapers at WAY below normal costs.
We have a local mom and pop store that often offers LUVS big cases for $11.98 - $12.98. These are ‘on sale’ at larger stores for $16-$18. LUVS also used to occassionally slip coupons in their boxes, though we haven’t seen this in a while. They also offer $3 coupons in Sunday inserts (again, haven’t seen this lately).
Register for different sizes, stopping at size 3. You don’t want 20 packs of size 1’s - then have to drag them all to the store to exchange them.
On average, we probably could’ve used 2 packs of newborn diapers. I believe there are less in a pack than size 1, but for our children (all under 8 lbs.), size 1’s were just too big! We had to fold them over for weeks!
I’d say 2 packs newborn, 2 to 4 packs of size 1, 4 to 6 packs of size 2, and with our middle child - she was in size 3 for over 2 years! BUT our baby at 18 months is a size 5 - so no two are alike.
Even though I am looking to go cloth, we still will probably end up buying a pack or two of newborn disposables - to get through the meconium stage. We already had a couple packs of size 1’s from before, and will keep these on hand for outings and emergencies.
Breastfed babies are all I can speak for - they poop a lot (once or twice a feeding/ 8 to 12 times a day), and this would be a LOT of cloth to wash!
I would say brands are easy - avoid cheap store brands!! They leak, velcro doesn’t work great, they can rub the baby’s skin the wrong way…. I’m a thrifty shopper, so of course had to try the cheap brands. They just don’t work!
Another thing against cheap brands being they don’t work well with circumcised little boys! We found they would stick easily to the healing skin - causing it to rip back open.
The inside liner just doesn’t match the quality of brand name diapers.
Oh, one tip for circ. boys - you’ll need to buy a squeezable tube of petroleum jelly. You won’t want to use a q-tip to allow the jelly (at least I didn’t). We would just squeeze a generous amount all of the way around the healing skin.
The jelly prevents the gauze or diaper from sticking as bad. We would also rub some on the diaper in that area. DO be aware that a lot of bleeding is NOT normal, and call the pediatrician if it keeps up. We were also told to be sure and ‘pull down’ the skin each diaper change.
With one of our boys, we didn’t do this every single change, and the dr. ended up having to pull it down after it had begun healing ‘closed back up’. A LOT of tears for Mommy and baby!
As you read above, we use LUVS, but mainly because of the price. They have worked well for us, though if you let them get completely soaked (as a mom of 3 little ones is likely to do), the moisture WILL seep through the diaper and wet your child’s pants. (This is true for Huggies as well)
Between Huggies and Pampers - ooh…. a hard one. We tended to go with whichever one stores had on sale, and which ones had coupons. BUT that was 5 years ago, and stores rarely mark down these packs to $5.99 anymore.
Pampers was overall the best one as far as moisture not seeping through. I also found that Huggies had a design printed on the front of their diapers - which was cute - but it would rub off onto the baby’s clothes. Yep, the ink would bleed right through and come off onto some really ‘before’ cute outfits.
Pampers has different styles. If you want luxury - definitely go with the Swaddlers! These are SO soft, and the tabs are smaller. This is one thing I didn’t like about some of their styles - the tabs were almost an inch wide, and would cut into the baby’s leg. Don’t quote me, but I ‘think’ it was the Baby Dry style??
We never stuck with the same brand for another reason - each size fit different. So what brand worked great at size 1 might not be the same brand that worked at size 2.
So, here I am saying to register, but you don’t know which to register for! Confusing, I know - but diapers can be. You have to learn what you like and what works best for you. Pretty much I’d only recommend LUVS, Pampers, and Huggies as far as disposables go.
You can register for these, but do NOT open all the packs - as much as you want to prepare the nursery and have everything ‘just perfect’!! This way if a particular diaper doesn’t work great for you (or your baby is allergic to it), you can swap the unopened packs for a different brand.
Be sure when changing your newborn’s diaper, to always fold down the front, so the diaper doesn’t rub on the umbilical cord - causing it to bled and ooze. I believe it’s Huggies that has a notch cut out for the cord, but it’s been a while, and we only had a sample from the mail.
Wipes - Go natural with homemade wipes from flannel or terry cloth, or buy UNscented wipes! While the scented wipes DO smell good, they contain CHEMICALS that make them smell that way. A brand new baby doesn’t need harsh chemicals - I really have no idea what these people are thinking inventing this stuff.
Avoid diaper rashes and allergic reactions by choosing unscented. And if (when) you do face diaper rash, do NOT use wipes! No matter the kind, they all contain chemicals, and will burn that poor baby’s bottom.
For diaper rash, we use Bordeaux’s Butt Paste (not sure of spelling). Desitin would make our daughter scream, and some others just weren’t thick at all. You mainly want one that is high in zinc, as this is the main ingredient fighting the rash.
For cloth diapering, avoid diaper creams altogether. These will not wash out of the fabric, but will instead affect the absorbing action of the material causing leaks.
You also need to be sure to rinse the diapers, then wash with a small amount of soap in hot water, then rinse once or twice in cold water. This removes any excess detergent that could irritate that little bottom.
I haven’t learned all of the soaps yet, but the most common diaper soap is Charlie’s. I’m not sure that I’ll try it, we ourselves have had to use ALL Free and Clear (or allergen free) for each of our babies. They came out with such pretty skin, but immediately began breaking out in red bumps and splotches.
It took several weeks to realize it was our detergent. Not just for the baby’s clothes, but ours as well. It makes sense, for here is this little one laying it’s head on your shirt! (Not to mention bath soap on you - another post)
Dreft can be expensive, and some babies could still react to it. It does have a strong smell. The Free and Clear has been the ONLY detergent we’ve found that wouldn’t bother our babies. ALL isn’t too expensive, and they often give coupons for 50 cents (which doubles) and $1 to $1.50 off!
Do NOT use baby powder!! It is now known that baby powder has an ingredient that causes cancer. Breathing in the powder will place this in your baby’s lungs. For best treatment besides diaper cream, try go without a diaper when possible, change diapers frequently, and oh - you can cover diaper cream with Aquaphor … it’s like Vaseline, but thicker.
I still have to say that cloth diapering is the ‘healthiest’ way to go. I wish I could share all the ‘dirt’ on disposables, but I’m not that knowledgable yet. I have read some great articles, exploring the dangers hidden inside those diapers! Convenience is tempting, but if you really open your eyes to what chemicals are in diapers - you’ll very likely be swayed to cloth as I am being.
Just do a Google search on:
*what dangers are in disposable diapers
*why are disposable diapers dangerous or unhealthy
*risks using disposable diapers
And I’m even MORE convinced on this now, as my pregnancy nose is really kicking in…. I am almost knocked over by the smell of LUVS. I’ve not noticed it until the past few packs, so I don’t know if it’s new, or just being pregnant - but you can smell the chemicals STRONG!
Okay, diapers alone are overwhelming aren’t they!! Give me a little more time, and I can get you some great links for diapers/ deals.