How Much Do I Need??

So you have figured out what style of diaper you are going with and if you want to go the sized or the one-size route... Now how many do you actually need?????

 

Well that is a bit of a complex question that depends on a few variables. The age of your baby is probably the first consideration.  IF you are diapering a newborn you can expect to change 15 diapers or more in a 24 hour period!  So having 24 diapers on hand may work if you have a 1 year old but it is not practically for a newborn. I had about 30 diapers in my NB rotation and there were days when I had to wash daily. Generally speaking breastfed babies poop more than formula fed babies.  Breastfed poop is also water soluble so you do not need to rinse soiled diapers before they go in the wash. I rinsed anyways because I HATE stains!

 

The second thing to consider is how often you want to do diaper laundry.  It is recommended that you don’t go longer than 3 days between washing but you want to have enough diapers to get you through a 2-3 day period. You can wash daily if you need to but with a new baby you have enough on your hands.  I wish I had a few more diapers on hand for my son when he was a newborn because I had to wash every other day, in fact a few times I had to wash daily.

 

The third thing is your budget... If you are going to use all AIO’s it is going to be more pricey than if you are going with prefolds and covers.  If your budget is limited you may need to start with a smaller stash and build up so in the beginning you may be washing more often... and that’s OK.

 

So here are the number of diapers that I think are a good starting point for washing every other day. You certainly can have more and make do with less if you have to. I am also going to list a few other accessories that you may want to consider... We will talk about accessories later though.

 

For a Newborn (1-3 months):

 

30-36 diapers

8 covers ( if using prefolds, flats or fitteds)

36 wipes

1 large wet bag ( for storing dirty diapers until wash day)

 

For an older baby (3 months+)

 

 

20-24 diapers

6 covers ( if needed)

36 wipes

1 large wet bag