Cloth Nappies for newborns

I often get asked if our nappies will fit a new baby. This question is much like being asked if a pair of jeans will fit a random stranger. I have no idea what they look like, weigh, etc

Newborns can weigh anywhere from a couple of kilograms (assuming they are not very premature), to four, five or even six kilograms on the very upper end.

That is a large spectrum to fit a child into. Like me, parents face the same dilemma. How large will your child be when they are born? Obviously, we really have no idea. Even final sizing scans can be way off (they told me I was having a big 4.2kg baby, two weeks later she was only 3.8kg!)

Some parents buy a full stash of newborn nappies only to have a baby big enough to comfortably fit into a OSFM - so they could have saved themselves a lot of money. Most mum's like to get their nappies bought and ready before their babies arrival, so it often rules out waiting.

In my experience, not all OSFM nappies are a good fit on a newborn. Some nappies with a high rise, and that are generally bulkier, will swim on a newborn. Other nappies that are generally trimmer, with a lower rise, are generally a bit of a better fit on a newborn.

Our Baby Bare nappies will generally fit your baby from about 3.5kg. A very skinny waist or skinny little thighs may have an effect on this. The smallest I've heard of in our nappies is 3.2kg.

Many parents choose to use disposables for a few weeks while they get life under control with their new addition, but depending on your baby's size, they may fit straight into their nappies. You could also consider hiring a newborn pack of nappies from a nappy library.

When fitting a nappy onto a newborn, be sure you have a good seal around the legs and waist. If the waist is a bit loose, try and do up the first snap to secure the fit around the legs, then skip 2 snaps, and snap down the third one (so you have missed two snaps on the front of the nappy, and skipped one snap on the waist tabs). This will give you a tighter fit in the waist and help keep the wetness in.

If you do want to invest in newborn nappies, look for a prefold system as you can reuse the prefolds as boosters later on as your baby grows.

For more information on newborn nappy options, check out Nappies Central.