Determining the Right Number of Cloth Diapers for Your Child

When starting your little one’s cloth diapering journey, it’s critical to pay attention to the number of cloth diapers you have in your stash. This number goes beyond a simple math problem. It depends on factors such as your baby’s age and needs, your laundry schedule, your budget, whether your baby is a heavy-wetter, and more. Let’s understand how the following factors impact your baby’s cloth diaper inventory and arrive at the perfect number of cloth diapers you’re going to need.

Your Baby’s Age

When finalizing the number of diapers your child is going to need, the first question to ask is, “How old is my baby?”

Newborns wet their diapers a lot. So, you’ll be dealing with a diaper change situation every two hours. This means, your little one will need a change at least 12 times a day. Sometimes, newborns also pee immediately after a diaper change. For a smooth cloth diapering journey, we recommend having at least 12-14 diapers in your newborn’s per-day stash.

Infants – between 6 to 12 months – will require 6 to 10 diaper changes a day. Toddlers – between 12 to 24 months – may need just 4 to 7 diaper changes every day. While these numbers offer a general guideline, it’s important to remember no two babies are the same. Each day may require a different number of diaper changes. Some days, your little one may need fewer diaper changes than the average baby their age, some days they may go through more. Here’s what a general cloth diaper collection should include:

• At least 36 diapers for newborns
• At least 24 diapers for infants
• At least 20 diapers for toddlers

The Size of Your Diaper Stash

Having a solid diaper stash is critical to ensure your baby has a smooth diapering journey. Investing in a complete diaper stash may seem expensive upfront. However, a good stash ensures you always have a handful of other diapers between laundry cycles. With a stash, you don’t have to worry about washing diapers every day. This lowers the amount of wear and tear the diapers experience alongside extending their lifecycles. But how many diapers should your stash include?

A one-size diaper collection must include at least 40 to 50 diapers. But if you’re looking to build a smaller stash, you can simply invest in 16 to 20 diapers. The size of your diaper stash relates to its ability to rotate with ease and how well the diapers can handle everyday wear and tear.

Your Laundry Schedule

How often you decide to wash your cloth diapers has a direct impact on the number of diapers you need. It is recommended to launder cloth diapers once in 2-3 days. This ensures you have enough diapers for two days in addition to helping you keep a few ready for bathroom emergencies.

For newborns, we recommend having at least 25 cloth diapers. The math here involves 2 days x 10 diapers per day + 5 spare diapers. This number ensures you don’t run a laundry cycle every day.

The number of diapers your baby needs also depends on the type of cloth diapers you choose. For instance, if you’re using a hybrid diaper system, you’re only required to wash the absorbent piece after a single use. This additional layer allows you to lower the number of diapers. However, having a bigger stash makes laundry easier and ensures you spend less on washing. It also ensures your diapers face less wear and tear.

Is Your Child a Heavy Wetter?

By now, you probably have a rough idea of the number of diapers a baby needs during different growth stages. If your little one is a heavy wetter, we recommend using the highest range. A heavy wetter would usually need:

• 12 diaper changes per day if they’re between 0-6 months old
• 6 to 12 diaper changes per day if they’re between 6-12 months
• 7 diaper changes per day if they’re over one year old
• 6 diaper changes per day if they’re over four years old

When deploying diaper doublers for heavy wetters, we recommend using natural cotton or hemp to keep absorbency to the max. Make sure you avoid microfiber since it gets squished after getting fully saturated and leads to leaky episodes.

Part-Time vs Full-Time Use

Many parents choose the combination of cloth and disposable diapers. Using cloth diapers part-time can look different for different parents. Some only use cloth diapers during the night, while others use them throughout the day.

The number of part-time cloth diapers you’ll need depends on your specific needs. The best way to determine the number of part-time cloth diapers involves multiplying the number of diapers per day by your laundry schedule. Once you determine this number, simply throw in at least 2 additional diapers for bathroom emergencies. Once you shift to full-time cloth diapering, you can expand your stash by following the instructions above.

How Many Doublers and Covers Will You Need?

A doubler or an insert is an additional layer added to cloth diapers for extra absorbency. Doublers are typically made of organic cotton, bamboo, or hemp. Some babies may require a doubler at all times, whereas others may only need it during bedtime, naps, or long outings. To start with, you can include 6 to 12 doublers in your cloth diaper collection. If your baby is a heavy wetter, you can simply add more to your stash.

The number of diaper covers you need mainly depends on which cloth diapering system you use. For instance, if you’re using wool diaper covers, 2-3 covers are perfect for children who eat solid foods, whereas those who don’t need up to 4 covers.

Achieving the Ultimate Diaperfection…

Now that you know what your cloth diapering inventory must include, it’s time to start building one. Cloth diapering is not only great for your baby’s skin, but it also helps keeps the environment happy. If you’re hunting for all-natural, super comfortable, and ultra-absorbable cloth diapers that make cloth diapering a breeze, explore BabeeGreens’ organic cloth diaper collection now!