Cloth Diapering Stages: How Many Diapers You'll Need

When we make the decision to cloth diaper, one of the most important questions each of asks is simply, 'How many diapers do I need?'

If only the answer to this question were as simple to answer! The truth is the answer varies depending on a few factors- how often do you plan to wash? what type of diapers do you plan to use? how often does your little one go? will you be using cloth full time? All of these factors will weigh into the exact number that is right for you and your baby. But another important factor to consider is baby's age!

Today I'm sharing about how many diapers your little one may need for each stage of their diapering days!

Newborn
24-32 Diapers

During the early stages, your little one will go through more diapers than any other stage! For my oldest, he pooped after each and every nursing- at LEAST once every two hours! That's 12-15 diapers a DAY. For a bare minimum washing every day, I would suggest going no less than 18- remember babies have a great tendency to go JUST after you change them, right? But let's be realistic... who has time for laundry daily with a brand new baby? Chances are, washing every other day is going to make more sense! So, 24-32 is a much safer idea!

Infant
18-30 Diapers

As your little one grows, MOST babies will start needing less frequent diaper changes, so you could get away with starting with fewer. Personally, I do tend to err on the side of caution and suggest more than necessary because babies are rather unpredictable! My daughter definitely slowed down on diapers past the newborn stage, while my son continued to need them more frequently, so it really does vary! If you're starting cloth diapering at this stage, consider how many disposable diapers your little one goes through a day and add a few to that to find the right number for you!

Toddler
12-24 Diapers
Since my daughter was about 18 months to now (she's 2 years, 2 months), I have found we need increasingly less diapers day to day! Again, I still like keeping those numbers a little high for those unforeseen accidents or sicknesses that may pop up- its better to have more and not need them than to run out! Still at this stage, more than 24 diapers is usually not all that necessary!

Potty Training
6-12 Diapers

For the little one learning to use the potty, don't toss out those diapers just yet. Even if you switch to training pants during the day, you're probably going to want to have some diapers on hand for longer trips and bedtime! And one of the advantages of cloth is that they typically allow baby to feel more when they are wet, making them ideal for those early potty training days!


Again, these numbers are just a rough estimate to give you an idea (and many leaning towards the higher end)... you may find that you need more or you may find that you need less. It truly depends on your baby's habits, wash preference and more. Still, this guide can give you a great place to start!

How long have you been cloth diapering? What have you found to be the perfect number of cloth diapers for your little ones?