Cloth Diapers specifically for Preemies or Newborns

*List Updated Feb. 21, 2013

The average newborn baby weighs 7.5 pounds, but some weigh as little as 5.5 pounds or as much as 10 pounds. Most babies will fall in this range. As a first-time mom, I decided to wait and start my son in cloth diapers full-time when he was almost three months. I thought that dealing with cloth diapers for the first time and a brand new baby would be too much for me to handle. Since using cloth diapers has turned out much easier than I expected, next time, I plan to cloth diaper from birth.

Many one-size diapers are intended to fit 8 or 10 pounds and up. The Rumparooz One Size Pocket Diaper is designed to fit 6 lbs. all the way up to 35 lbs. One-size diapers are a great money saver since the same diaper can be used on most babies from birth to potty training. However, for some newborns or preemies, one-size diapers are just not small enough.

Below is an alphabetical list of cloth diapers (with approximate weight ranges) made specifically for preemies or newborns. Click on the highlighted items to see information on that product or where you can purchase it. If I haven’t linked the item to a Web site, do a simple online search, and you should find a seller. Some links are affiliate links.

Since newborns go through 10-12 diaper changes a day, the most economical cloth diaper option is to purchase a couple dozen prefolds and four or five diaper covers (if you’re washing every other day). Most likely, this will be what I do with our next child.

Are you expecting a little one and not sure how big he or she will be? Many stores like Diaper Junction offer a 30-day trial, and you can return the diapers for a refund!

Did I miss any preemie or newborn diapers? Did you cloth diaper your preemie or newborn? Comments? Questions?

Note: Affiliate links present.

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7 Comments

  1. My son was 7 lbs 10 oz when he was born, and my husband and I were cloth diapering him basically since a few days after we brought him home from the hospital. The cloth diaper brand that we used then (and still do) are the Softbums echos. They’ll fit a 6 – 35 lb baby, and I can honestly say that they fit my son perfectly. I also like the fact that they don’t have the rows and rows of snaps (although they have come out with snap options), but you mainly size them by tightening the leg elastic to make it the perfect fit – no more horrible red marks on their legs!
    I love these diapers. I really like the All In Twos (AI2) because you can reuse the shell over and over if it doesn’t get dirty – which makes it really economical since you don’t have to wash it after every use.

    1. I’ll add SoftBums to my list, thanks! I haven’t tried them yet, but they sound like a really comfortable and economical option. I haven’t tried adjustable leg elastic either, but I did buy a Fuzzi Bunz from Diaper Junction (still have to pick it up).

  2. This is a wonderful post! Our daughter was almost 9lbs at birth, and knowing she was likely to be a large baby we never even considered newborn diapers. I agree that prefolds are the easiest and cheapest choice for newborns. I couldn’t imagine spending a ton of money on diapers that a child would only use for a few weeks or months.

    One more I will add: SoftBums goes down to about 5lbs I believe? But because of the slidding toggle adjustment they can fit very small babies.

  3. Cotton babies has indian prefolds in newborn and also cotton babies brand covers. We didn’t cloth diaper our daughter till she would fit into the one size econobums we had bought (around 1 and a half months) for the same reason of being first time CDers. This time around I know what to expect and am planning on ordering the Cotton babies prefolds and covers for hospital and on.

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