Well, technically I didn’t start full time until he was 2 weeks old. I did use them occasionally until 2 weeks. Here are some tips, life lessons, and thoughts on the first year of cloth diapering.

DO NOT prep your prefolds by boiling them in a tiny apartment. Trust me.

Don’t show off your stash to family members. They don’t care. I excitedly showed my stash to my mother in law, only to get asked why I wouldn’t just use disposables. Didn’t you see the wool soaker with a whale on the butt? Hello!

Expect resistance from your SO. Be prepared to explain in detail every step of the diaper change. You most likely did all of the research, he didn’t. He doesn’t know the difference between wool, PUL, fleece, or that laundry tabs needs to be affixed and inserts need to be pulled.

Maybe climbing up and down 2 flights of stairs 2 weeks after a vaginal delivery to wash diapers isn’t a great idea. But husbands are not to be trusted with diaper laundry (mine atleast)

One Size diapers leak on tiny babies. Don’t give up!  If  this happens to you either try tweaking the fit or set them aside and try them again later.  This is what I did.  Some One Size diapers I had fit sooner than others.  But my son wore them exclusively after he hit 12 pounds and we stopped using the prefolds.

Expect funny looks, ridiculous questions, and praise.  When I either tell someone or they see the cloth diapers there are varied reactions.  Why?  How?  What do you do with the poop?  How do you wash them?  Doesn’t it stink?  Does the baby feel wetness?  Or… Good for you.  I wish I could do that.  etc.

Never think you have stash nirvana (being completely satisfied) because you won’t!  I used to think I would be happy with all BG 3.0’s but yeah.  Different phases of babydom mean different diapers you will favor.  Wriggly phase will mean velcro is awesome.  Newborn stage you might favor prefolds.

Never say never.  I thought I would never use pins.  I thought I would never use fitteds.  I thought I would never ever use wool.  You might.  And you might like it!

I have no idea where our journey will take us next.  If EC goes well then we will be using less diapers.  I worry about night time diapering as he gets older and might start having heavier pees.  But I will keep all of my diapers for the next baby, who will be inheriting a very diverse stash of cloth diapers!

A photo journey of most of our cloth diaper photos!