One of the big questions I get is about the need for newborn stashes. “Do I REALLY need to buy a bunch of diapers my child will outgrow in a month or two?”

The long and the short of it is that I have always recommended having a newborn stash, even before I sold diapers.

Little Miss was a small baby, and the only one we used cloth diapers on. She left the NICU at around 6 pounds. She had no fat anywhere and more frustrating from a diapering standpoint…she had NO BOTTOM.

Off to the big diaper store we went…and my husband’s first question was, “Does she REALLY need the sized diapers?”  Honestly, the mindset switch to using cloth was still not quite complete and my husband was pretty convinced we’d hate this AND be out a lot of money we could have used on sposies.

Little Miss was JUST two pounds away from the recommended lower weight limit on our preferred One Size diaper. We couldn’t help but think…”Surely they would work, right?”

One look at our itty bitty baby and the salesgirl assured us to start with the newborn diapers. We left with 3 newborn AIOs, 6 infant prefolds, and two Bummis newborn covers, a Bummis XL wetbag, 2 Snappis and a bottle of cloth-safe detergent.

The good…the newborn AIOs were PERFECT to start cloth diapering with. There is nothing easier than an AIO for ANYONE to use, especially the cloth curious. Seriously…I loved them at first use. The Bummis newborn covers were also perfect. The fit was trim and the gussets held everything in even better than the AIOs.

The not-so-good…the infant-size PFs were ginormous. I hated them. I was sure that prefolds were a horrible idea. I just couldn’t understand what the fuss was about. I didn’t know about folding down the rise and when tri-folded, the diaper was just huge. Today I could have made that diaper work, but at the time, I just didn’t know better.

I got online and immediately bought more newborn AIOs and we never looked back. Little Miss was born at the end of May, and due to VERY slow growth associated with significant amounts of healing, she could fit into those diapers all summer. In fact, she didn’t really fit well into the One-Size diapers until September. This would NOT have been the case with Big Guy, our son. He was born at a healthy 8 pounds, 11 ounces and outgrew disposable newborn diapers almost immediately. I’d estimate he wore newborn sposie diapers for about 2-3 weeks.

So I get it…if my kid is more like Big Guy, won’t newborn diapers be a waste?

The long and the short of it is still “NO”.

Here are my best suggestions.

Buy a dozen Bummis Tiny Fit, a dozen Bummis Organic Prefolds (size preemie), and 3 newborn Bummis Super Brite covers.

Why this combo?

First, by buying a dozen Tiny Fits, you get a price break of $1 per diaper. Every little bit helps, right?  Tiny Fits will fit until about 12 pounds, unlike newborn sposies that do not adjust to such a high weight range. Trust me…these babies STRETCH and will be trim as many sposies and just as easy to use. Also, the Tiny Fit comes with a booster that makes it as absorbent as its older brother, Easy Fit. Fully stuffed, it will accommodate all the joyful noises your newborn makes down below.

Second, by buying a dozen Bummis Organic Prefolds in preemie size, you will get value and longevity from your purchase. Start by using the prefold either fastened with a Snappi or simply tri-folded in a Bummis Newborn Super Brite. This is easy for those fast-moving newborn poops…just use a liner for easy clean up. If you can’t get the diaper around your big baby, tri-folding is still fine as long as the cover still fits. Once these diapers don’t work alone, use them as doublers to boost absorbency. Honestly, you’ll never stop using preemie prefolds. They’re perfect from birth to potty learning in some manner or another. They may still be dusting your furniture when the diapered child gets married. Don’t laugh…there are still flat diapers from my birth 35 years ago being used  at my parents’ house. My father used one every day to clean his glasses. Seriously…

Last, 3 newborn Bummis Super Brite covers have the all important hallmarks for a prefold cover…GUSSETS! Gussets are the part around the legs that create a little extra space for, um, stuff to collect without coming out of the cover. They are the ultimate mess catchers!  The Super Whisper Wrap is awesomely cute and VERY functional, but I recommend Super Brite for newborns because their poop is particularly menacing. The other selling point of Super Brites is the wipe clean interior. There’s no fabric over the waterproof layer (PUL), so even if there is a mess, rinse it out in the sink or wipe it clean at the changing table and let it air dry. It will likely be ready to put on at the next diaper change, allowing rotation of covers without overbuying.

The inside of a Bummis Super Brite is very easy to wipe clean or rinse and hang to dry.

Make a “Y” fold with the prepped preemie Bummis Organic prefold. The is an extra layer of containment as it creates a pouch for the diaper’s contents.

Feel free to tuck the front of the diaper into the cover’s flap. This is another easy containment step…

Gorgeous gussets!

Voila! Close the diaper and affix the tabs just like any disposable diaper. Easy peasy!

So, you’re sold on a newborn stash but can’t imagine what you’ll do with all those Tiny Fits and Super Brites when your child outgrows them in record time. The answer is selling them on sites like Diaper Swappers (DS). DS is like eBay for diapers and is easy to figure out. If you need help, email me and I’ll walk you through it. Start by selling…it’s easy to establish your feedback score, which is what makes people want to do business with you in the first place. Newborn diapers have a high resale value compared to other diapers because buyers know the diapers were likely not worn much. Start with a new stash, as there are few things more lovely than a new baby in new diapers. I’ve sold many diapers in my day, but I rarely buy them preowned. However, many mamas choose to buy preowned diapers, so there’s definitely a market out there.

How much should you ask?  I always think 50-70% of retail is fair for great condition newborn diapers. Know that offers are common and that nobody is necessarily trying to mess with you. You can always say “no” or counter. Larger diapers will likely not go for much more than 50% of retail these days, but newborn diapers are sort of special.

I lent my newborn stash to a friend who wanted to cloth diaper her baby. She returned it and I sold it for 50% of retail value. I then used that money to fund new diapering purchases.

So, there’s money to spend up front with cloth, but it’s an investment. I guarantee nobody will ever pay you for a used sposie…it’s just money down the drain and trash in the landfill. In fact, one child in diapers creates over one ton of landfill waste, whereas reusable diapers can be used for years on multiple children if properly cared for. It’s a win/win!