Reusable Nappies for Newborns

Whether you need newborn specific nappies is like a lot of things with parenting- it depends! You may have a baby who is born at a weight of 9lbs+, in which case you can probably get away with going straight into one-size nappies, without the need for a specific newborn nappy size option. But if your baby is expected to be, or is born on the smaller side and do want to use cloth nappies from day one, you'll probably need to think about having some newborn nappies on hand.

If you are expecting a small baby, multiples or if you have a premature baby, you will almost certainly need some newborn size nappies. Fortunately, modern cloth nappies can fit from around just 5lbs, and they really are the cutest!

You'll need around 25-30 nappies for the newborn stage if you're planning to wash every other day. Remember, you're going to be changing 8-10 nappies per day in those early days and weeks!

Newborn stage cloth nappies don't need to have huge amounts of absorbency to them, because of how frequently you will change them, even over-night. This is a good thing though because it means that as the nappies aren't made up of lots of layers or absorbency, they will take less time to dry, so your nappy rotation in terms if use, wash, dry, is quicker.

You can have a watch of our handy Nappy Guru® guide to newborn nappies here:

Cloth Nappy types suitable for newborn babies

Nappy Fastener on Terry Square Nappy

Flat Nappies

Muslins and flats can be a cost effective choice in the early weeks. You don't need lots of absorbency at this stage (and will be changing often!) so these can work well. You will need to team these with a waterproof cover.

Shaped Nappies

Newborn shaped nappies are are small nappies that will fit your newborn until they grow into standard one size nappies. These nappies usually fit from around 5lbs/2.5kg up to around 12lbs/5.5kg. Shaped nappies have a waterproof layer built in, so you won't need a separate cover.

One Size Nappies

If you are expecting a big baby, you may well be able to go straight to the one-size nappies. These typically fit from about 10lbs/4.5kg and although they will look enormous on a newborn, as long as you can get a secure fit at the leg, then they should work fine. Some one size nappies do come up smaller than others, such as Tickle Tots and Pim Pam.