Where to start

I totally want to do the cloth diaper thing, and so does my husband--yay! BUT neither of us know anyone who has ever gone that route! So we have no one to ask all the silly questions of. We just have no idea where to start.
I know there are several different styles, but how will we know which ones will work best for us? Is there like a sampler pack or something out there? We are totally clueless lol
If anyone has any brand recommendations or tips, PLEASE help us out! Baby boy is due end of July, so we have some time to research. :) Thanks!

The first thing to consider is how much you want to/can spend. There's a cloth diaper setup for every price point. The cheapest and usually most effective way to start CDing with a newborn is with prefolds. Most One Size diapers won't fit well until baby hits about 13 lbs and buying enough fitted NB diapers gets expensive fast. Prefolds seem daunting at first but most people figure them out and are pros by day 2. You'll need between 24-48 (depend on how frequently you plan to wash and how frequently your LO eliminates) size newborn prefolds and about 4-5 covers to get you started. Green Mountain prefolds are the greatest, IMO (I really should get a commission from them ;)). Thirsties size XS covers are fabulous for NBs and so are ProRaps, which have a little notch for the umbilical cord. Other than that, you'll need a few snappis, at least 1 large wet bag, cloth friendly detergent and diaper cream, a little wet bag for your diaper bag, and cloth wipes if you're going to do them too (you should!). Once you get started and you're out of the "shock and awe" phase of having a newborn, you can start looking into trying other diapers. There are a million different kinds but *most* work for pretty much everyone. Its a personal preference/budget thing mostly but there's also baby's body type to take into account. The worst thing you could do is settle on a brand and buy 40 before you meet your LO. Lots of CD vendors have trial packs. They're a great way to go and some will even take back the ones you don't want. Also, look into whether or not your city has a diaper service. They can be a life saver in the early days!

Welcome to CDing! Fire away with your questions. We love to talk fluff!

After my DD was born I did a "diaper trial".... Some stores offer them and I highly recommend it!

For $40 I got to try out about 20 different diapers for two weeks. The package included a wet bag, liners, cloth wipes, laundry soap, and instructions. The diapers included every option (prefolds, fitteds, pockets, all-in-ones) and many different brands. Doing it day and night for two weeks really gave me idea of what I liked and what worked for me.

I ended up using mostly prefolds for the first 6 months and more pockets after that.

It is a tough decision with soooo many great options out there!

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Originally Posted by TiggersMommy

Green Mountain prefolds are the greatest, IMO (I really should get a commission from them

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You really should!

I followed Erin's suggestions and it worked out great for us! One other thing I did was follow the clearance and seconds pages for brands I was interested in and when I found a great deal i bought one or two to try out.

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Originally Posted by beccasweet

You really should!

I followed Erin's suggestions and it worked out great for us! One other thing I did was follow the clearance and seconds pages for brands I was interested in and when I found a great deal i bought one or two to try out.

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Yay! I'm so glad to hear that my endless blabbering about diapers has helped someone!

Awesome, thanks for the tips! (I understood about half of the lingo, but I get the idea :p) I hope some of the cd shops I'm looking at have a trial program, that would be way helpful. :) I think at first we'll just use regular-old diapers, especially since we've already been given some leftovers. I'm thinking it would be good to get into the whole parenting groove before trying out something unknown. Thanks again!

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Originally Posted by TiggersMommy

Yay! I'm so glad to hear that my endless blabbering about diapers has helped someone!

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I'm pretty sure when Becky asked me about diapers and newborns I referred her to you or said, "Erin says..." :lol: