My Favorite Diapers for a Newborn

This was my first time cloth diapering a newborn and I had no idea what to expect so I bought a whole bunch of different kinds of diapers to try out. My son was 7lbs 9oz. when he was born. I wasn't sure if I should expect a small baby or a large one (My sister has 8-10 pounders). I mostly bought AIOs and a few hybrids. Everyone told me to not buy so many AIOs and to just buy prefolds and covers. I wish I would have listened to them. In total, I believe we had 25+ AIOs (XS BumGenius, lil Joey's, GroVia NBs, etc), 5+ fitteds (KissaLuv 0, Nifty Nappy, WAHMs, etc), 0 prefolds, a few covers, and a few hybrids (gDiapers). We had a few other sizes (smalls, mediums, and OS diapers) as well. I loved lil Joey's at first. They fit perfectly and were so cute! I had about 8 and we mainly used those and NB GroVias for the first few weeks. They both fit perfectly under her stump. Other diapers fit but went over the stump and I wasn't too fond of that. A lot of other cloth diapering moms who I've talked to have had no problems doing it though. 

After about 2 weeks, my daughter started peeing a ton and most of her newborn diapers could not hold it all. I tried adding more absorbency to the diapers but she would still pee out of them in an hour. We did not get our money's worth out of all of our diapers. To be quite honest, most of the diapers were only used about twice. I bought a lot of them new and have lost a lot of money on them. If you are in the need for newborn diapers, BUY USED! Don't waste your money like I did. I ended up buying prefolds, covers, fitteds, and more size small gDiapers around this time. I stopped using our BumGenius AIOs (which didn't get much use out of them at all), lil Joeys, and GroVia NBs.
So what were my all time favorite diapers? I would say gDiapers and RagaBabes were hands down my favorites. (They are also my favorites with my son too!) I've tried a whole bunch of different brands and styles and these are what worked best for us.

My daughter was 7lbs 4oz. when she was born. She was about 4 days old in this picture sporting a tiny gDiaper. They worked great! They never leaked for us. We used their disposable inserts in them. They even fit under her cord stump too! The only thing I didn't like about them was that they gaped a little in the front. It never caused leaks but I just didn't like it and just moved her into smalls. 

 About a week old in a NB RagaBabe. She wore the NB size for about 6 weeks before moving into size small. I don't really have any complaints about these diapers. They are wonderful! 

 This is an old style gDiaper in size small. These were great when smalls were too big and tiny's were a little too small. She was about a week old here. They fit perfectly under her cord stump as well. 

Here she is in a size small gDiaper around 7 weeks old. She is now moving up to size medium (or the old style mediums which work great). She has grown quickly and is getting so chubby! I have no clue what she weighs now but I'd say around 9 pounds? Maybe a bit more.

My advice? Buy more of a variety. I had mostly all of the same brands and after 2 weeks, I didn't have hardly any diapers that worked for us. Skip out on the expensive diapers and go for cheap prefolds and covers. Only splurge on a few nice diapers for daddy or on the go. Buy size smalls and even mediums. My little girl has grown out of everything SO quickly! She started wearing OS diapers at 6 weeks old. If you have any questions or are wondering about a certain brand, feel free to contact me or leave a comment. We have tried a lot of different diapers so I might be able to help and let you know what I liked or disliked about that brand.

What's My Favorite Diaper?

I have been cloth diapering for about 16 months now. I have always loved All In Ones. I go through different stages (trying new brands or styles) but I always go back to my AIOs. They are easy! Simple as that. Maybe it's because my first diapers I tried were AIOs. They are trim, absorbent, and cute!

LO in his first cloth diaper! A BumGenius AIO. Even though the PUL was messed up (He peed straight through the diaper in less than an hour, as if it were a fitted.) I LOVED them! They were easy to use and easy to get started with. The only thing I hated about the BG AIOs were the VERY long drying time. But I still used them and bought many more. 

Then our new love because our GroVia AIOs! They were even trimmer than the BG (which shocked me. The BG were very trim), just as absorbent, and the best part. Quicker drying time! YAY! I love the natural fiber (even though I would prefer to have a stay dry top) and love the side snaps. The tabs are super soft and stretchy and it seems like a very comfy diaper! 

In his GroVia Nature print. 

And then I found RagaBabe. I had heard tons of great things about them but couldn't justify the price. $28 plus shipping for just ONE diaper? I'm cheap. Spending that much was very hard for me. Heck, spending over $20 was hard for me. But I quickly learned, you get what you pay for. I bought plenty of cheaper diapers and they leaked and fit horribly.
After months of looking and looking, I finally made the plunge. I bought one to try out. It was a tie dye diaper. I knew I would love it just because of the way it looked. Very cute and unique. When I first got it I was excited and impressed. The cute star shaped velcro was adorable and STRONG! Way stronger than any other Velcro diapers I had. I love Velcro on AIOs. I am not sure why. Maybe because I know anyone can use it and it makes it even easier for those who are unsure about snaps (like grandmas or dads).

We tried it and I loved it. The fit was amazing. I love the wide elastic at the back of the diaper. Makes it seem like such a comfy diaper. So trim and such a cute little bum. It is very absorbent and actually has a very quick drying time. Another thing I love about RagaBabes are the stay dry lining. I have taken the diaper off my LO and even though it's wet, he feels DRY! I also love that the absorbent part of the diaper is made from bamboo rayon so you get the natural fibers plus a stay dry lining! Perfect combo.

I ended up buying two (3 if you count a newborn diaper) more as soon as I could. I actually sold most of my stash just so I could afford to buy 3 RagaBabes. Right now I have  5 AIOs and I wish I could have my whole stash RagaBabes! I usually like to have a nice variety of diapers. Sometimes I'm in the mood for a fitted or a pocket diaper or I like different prints and colors other brands offer. I like to have a big variety. Since getting RagaBabes however, I would love if my whole stash was RagaBabes! I love to buy and trade every few months but I could never even being to imagine giving up my Rags!  

My little stash.

My Star Candy 2 Step

What is your favorite kind of diaper? What type of diaper do you love and prefer? Tell me your experience!