See the first part of this series – “Cloth Diapering an Infant – What’s Cheapest?” here.

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In a nutshell?  Prefolds.  Especially if you have an older child still in cloth, like I had with Benjamin and Olivia and will have again with New Baby and Benjamin.  And Olivia (for night-times).  Wow.  I’m going to have three in diapers.

Why do I say this?

Because, in my case, I don’t want to buy a whole new set of one-sized diapers when I have no idea when the older child will potty-train.  What if I only need them for six months?

If you have no other children in diapers, then go for the one-sized pocket diapers.  There’s no reason not to.

There are other reasons I prefer prefolds on an infant.

There’s no better time for a prefold. One of the main drawbacks of using prefolds is the bulkiness.  However, on an infant, bulkiness is cute!  They aren’t wearing the cute little jeans which require slimmer diapers yet.  And, I’m not joking, the picture-esque-ness of a newborn in a prefold is just classic.  Timeless.  Lovely.  (Not so true with a two-year-old!)

Another drawback of prefolds that doesn’t apply to infants is that they have to be changed more often, as the wetness is in constant contact with the skin.  However, with infants, you need to change them more often anyway!  The poop!  It’s never-ending!

Speaking of newborn poop… If you intend to breastfeed (which I hope you do!), you will want prefolds.  Especially if your other option is Pampers.  Pampers, no matter what they advertise, do not contain the poop of a breastfed baby.  Because breastmilk is fully intended to be digested by your baby, what’s left after digestion is very liquid-y and shoots out in a way commonly referred to as an “explosion” by knowing mommies.

Pampers has no elastic in the small of the back.  This is crucial.  You need elastic back there.

One-size diapers do have elastic back there, making them one-up from Pampers.

Prefolds, however, win this competition because they not only have the elastic in the cover, but also the absorbent cotton material of the prefold itself held tight to the small of the back to help dam the flow.  The same holds true for leg holes, as this is another common explosion point.  Simply put, prefolds contain the poop better than any other diaper I’ve tried on a newborn.

Prefolds are also the cheapest way to get natural fibers up against your baby’s sensitive skin. After floating naked for nine months, your baby may react to synthetic fibers, like the microfiber that lines pocket diapers or what-ever-it-is-they-use in disposables.  Cotton – it’s the tried and true diapering method.  Just ask your great-great-great grandma.

But, from the frugal standpoint, if you intend to use one-size diapers for the rest of your diapering days, it doesn’t make sense to get prefolds just for the first few months.  🙂  If that is your intention, then what’s best for you is to just get started on that right away!

Next up: Cloth Diapering an Infant – How To?