Cloth nappies for newborns

You might be surprised that you can start using cloth nappies as soon as your baby is born. Many of our members start within the first few days. Others wait until their baby’s legs have filled out a little, and they recover from the birth. Others wait until toddlerhood. Remember, there is no perfect time to start, and it is ok to take breaks.

You don’t have to use cloth perfectly or all the time to make it worthwhile! You’ll be washing lots regardless due to spit ups, blowouts and solids so doesn’t add too much extra to your plate there. 

Jessica, Australia

Newborns have liquid diets (breastmilk, formula or a mix of both). Their urine isn’t concentrated, and their poo does not smell like solids poo. Some members describe the smell as like proofing bread dough, or yoghurt. As a result, their nappies are easier to clean than babies that have started solids.

If you are in hospital for several days following birth it is a good idea to have a family member or friend collect the nappies and wash them.

Just start with one nappy at a time. We were full-time in a week because it ended up being so easy. And you will be washing more anyway so don’t worry about leaks, just be prepared to have some clean clothes ready if you try a new nappy, new size or other fit.

Yara, the Netherlands

Washing newborn nappies

Soiled (poo) newborn nappies do not need to be rinsed, and can be added directly to your nappy first wash. Although meconium poo is dark, thick and sticky, it doesn’t smell and washes out easily.

Once poo reaches a 3D consistency, about that of peanut butter, we recommend scraping or rinsing them before washing (trust us, you’ll notice the difference). As a general rule, formula and mixed-fed babies tend to have thicker poo earlier. But liquid poo is liquid poo, regardless of the source.

Selecting a cloth nappy for your newborn

There are three main options when using cloth nappies for newborns; prefolds/flats with a cover, sized newborn nappies and one-size-fits-most (OSFM) nappies folded to make the leg seal smaller.

Not all types of nappies will fit, so buying a large number of one type may not be the best investment. Over time a child’s body shape changes, what didn’t fit well at one stage, may fit better at a later stage.

Using flats and prefolds with your newborn

Many experienced cloth users believe that flats and prefolds are often the best options for newborns when venturing into the world of cloth, then as the user becomes more experienced moving onto modern cloth nappies.

These are inexpensive, quick drying and generally hold poo explosions better than modern cloth nappies. They can also be used as boosters after the newborn stage.

This option needs a cover over the top.

Using newborn-sized nappies

Newborn nappies are generally trimmer than flats and prefolds. If you have used disposable nappies in the past, using a reusable newborn-sized nappy will feel more familiar than traditional nappy styles.

Absorbency can be boosted with face washers or small inserts.

The weight range varies between brands. Some newborn nappies will last up until your baby is 5-6 months. There is generally a 1-2kg overlap between newborn-sized nappies and their larger counterparts.

Buying second-hand newborn nappies

Buying newborn nappies second-hand is a good option as they are usually only used for a few months before being outgrown. See our guidance on buying second-hand nappies.

Hiring newborn nappies

Another option is hiring from a nappy hire service.  Before hiring, ask how the business sanitises between users and whether they adhere to Australian Laundering Standards (or the equivalent standard for your country).

Using one-sized-fits-most (OSFM) nappies on a newborn.

Most one-size-fits-most (OSFM) advertise a weight range of 3.5kg to 15kg. However, newborns often have skinny legs, making it difficult to get a good leg seal with an OSFM nappy.

OSFM nappies can be folded in a special way to make the nappy smaller for little babies. This is often referred to as a ‘newborn hack.’

My son had skinny little chicken legs for his first month. I used a newborn hack to fit OSFM nappies and prevent leaks around his legs.

~ Group member, Australia

Fitting nappies on small babies

A well-fitted newborn cloth nappy has a good leg seal. The leg seal holds liquids in. It also needs a gap at the waist, this leaves space for the belly when they are held up and also to catch poo. 

In these examples, the leg elastics all sit in the newborn’s underwear line. 

OSFM newborn hack

Many OSFM nappies have cross-over snaps on one wing to enable a smaller ‘newborn hack’ fit.

There are slight variations between brands but in general newborn hacks involve folding the waist to make the entire nappy smaller. After the waist is folded, clip one wing to the bottom row of rise snaps, and the second wing to the cross-over snaps.

Search YouTube for brand-specific newborn hacks, or reach out to the manufacturer.

Absorbency and feeding habits

A child changes feeding habits significantly from the time they are born to when they are toddlers. Until a child is eating solid food, the primary source of food is liquid. Therefore, they will poo and wee often, and in large amounts relative to the size of their bodies.

When babies are born, they have very small bladders (about 20-30mls, or just bigger than a metric tablespoon.)  A normal wetting pattern for neonates is small wees done often and at high pressure. As a child grows, so too does their bladder, with a shift in how fast the bladder grows around age two. 

Did you know girls have bigger bladders than boys? It’s true!

A normal wetting pattern for toddlers is longer periods between wees, and then a large volume of wee done at one time, usually referred to as ‘flooding’. 

Like disposable nappies, reusable nappies should be changed when a child poos.

Newborns need tiny nappies, because both the child and the amount of urine they produce is small. Newborn nappies need to be changed frequently, both due to frequent wees and frequent poos. Many newborns poo before, during and after feeds and therefore may need nappy changes at each of these times. Newborns typically outwet nappies before they outgrow them. Add extra absorbency to newborn nappies if you can, to avoid leaks. 

Once newborn nappies cannot take more inserts without compromising the fit, it’s time to move to larger nappies.

Toddler nappies typically need at least one extra insert compared to infant nappies and may need an insert that can cope if the toddler floods the nappy.