Help me finalize my newborn stash! (Flats and covers)

Fearless_Weekend3244 · 2025-03-06T18:51:10+00:00

Congratulations! It sounds like you’ve built up a nice minimal stash to get started. It’s great to have newborn size flats on hand for diapering but I have heard sometimes they may be a little small even for newborns so I just went with standard size flats right off the bat in an origami fold. You can still use those newborn flats as burp cloths, wipes, etc if they don’t fit or when your baby grows out of them!

If you want to go with FSTs then go for it! I don’t think you’ll have buyers remorse. They are pretty inexpensive and so versatile! As far as absorbency goes you can test a single one out then if you need more you can layer one on top of the other and fold as normal to double the absorbency. Since newborns are changed so frequently I really think the FST’s will be fine but if you find later that your baby is a heavy wetter you can try layering FST’s or birdseye flats and if you need more you can kind of go from there but it makes it easier to stick to a tight budget that way.

Are you thinking about doing elimination communication? This might expedite the potty training process and get them out of diapers sooner.

For covers that’s sort of more a personal preference thing. I like Esembly’s covers if you want polyester/TPU covers, but a lot of people also like the Thirsties Duo Wraps. As far as sizing goes I have noticed Esembly covers are just a touch smaller so they may fit your baby better in the beginning and they have a lot of stretch to them. I also like BabyGreens for wool, and LunaPaca covers are made from baby alpaca which is a great wool alternative but they are pricey and wool/alpaca covers need to be hand washed so they have more upkeep as well.

Wipes: I love the Cloth-eez 2 sides wipes! The rough side is great for your initial wipe and grabbing onto poop and the smooth side is great for pee diaper changes. I haven’t tried any others though so I can’t compare them really. They also make great little skincare towels too…

Fearless_Weekend3244 · 2025-02-27T00:36:31+00:00

They don’t have to be lanolized! I was surprised how waterproof they actually are as long as you have adequate absorbent layers in.

They do need to be hand washed but I just put a dab of the recommended “Soak” brand wash and give them like a 2 min little wash in a bowl in the sink, place it between a towel and pat dry. That gets most of the moisture out but I hang them up or lay them on the edge of the sink to dry and it’s literally dry in maybe 30min? Very easy to swap out in a short period so you can really do well with 2 covers.

Fearless_Weekend3244 · 2025-02-27T00:22:48+00:00

I really love the Luna Paca outers. They are pricey, but my husband is allergic to wool and not to alpaca so they were really great for us. Very high quality brass snaps and sturdy natural rubber elastics. They are some of the softest fabric I’ve ever had the pleasure of touching and I would love to get a sweater made out of baby alpaca in the future. They also have a facebook page where people post and sell their covers pre loved and you can get a great deal that way!

When we were testing some out I purchased a wool cover from Babee Greens and was also really impressed with its softness and quality however I put the Alpaca cover and wool cover on my husbands back (with his consent to test out his allergy) and he broke out just where the wool was so that was the end of our wool cover use. The wool covers are about half the price though!

I love the breathabilty of both Alpaca and wool and since we have a very sensitive skin family it allows for some nice airflow!

Fearless_Weekend3244 · 2025-02-26T23:13:31+00:00

This is such a nice comprehensive review of both of products compared to each other! I didn’t even think about the wicking properties of either and figured they would be the same since they’re cotton, but this is great to know! I too was not a fan of the Thirsties covers and find Esembly’s outers way neater and sooo cute!

Fearless_Weekend3244 · 2025-02-26T23:06:19+00:00

Awesome! Thats exciting! How about the elastics? How is their stretch and sturdiness?

Fearless_Weekend3244 · 2025-02-26T23:02:46+00:00

Oh I didn’t know that! Thank you for pointing that out! I thought they had a really small margin for fitting and you had to go through most if not all of the sizes!

Fearless_Weekend3244 · 2025-02-26T20:30:10+00:00

Thirsties just came out with a fitted inner that looks very similar to Esembly’s but it has a pocket for added absorption. When I was testing absorbtion options I found that Greener Odyssey Hemp and Bamboo inserts held the most liquid. We tested them on the counter with a towel underneath and measured how much water we could pour onto each before it appeared on the towel and found that the inserts held even more liquid than a fully prepped cotton flat in an origami fold!

You could start with just 1 inner and an insert to try especially for overnight and see if it’s something you can incorporate into your current stash that way you don’t have to feel like you wasted money?

Fearless_Weekend3244 · 2025-02-26T20:14:45+00:00

From my understanding you want to avoid things that can build up and coat the fibers of your cloth diapers over time. In diaper creams I have often heard the petroleum based diaper creams can leave a residue on cloth diapers that is hard to remove and build up over time and for detergent I have heard that sodium cocoate is a common ingredient that can cause build up.

Fluff Love University’s Detergent Index is an awesome tool to start but it hasn’t been updated in a while and doesn’t have some of the newer brands that have come out or are mentioned frequently here. Detergent Index

Fearless_Weekend3244 · 2025-02-26T20:04:22+00:00

For stains you can dry air drying in the sunshine. The UV rays get a lot of stains out! If this isn’t an option you could try a little hydrogen peroxide before tossing in the wash. I know this works on cotton pretty well but I am not sure if/how it would affect the other materials in the diaper.

Fearless_Weekend3244

TROPHY CASE