Newborns use roughly 10 to 12 cloth diapers daily. Consider adding 10 to 12 cloth diapers for each day you do not want to do the laundry. A baby between 1 and 5 months usually uses 8 to 10 cloth diapers per day. Your baby will need fewer cloth diapers per day as they grow older. Most people wash their diapers every other day. I had about 36 cloth diapers, which allowed me more breathing room with drying.
Diaper Change Frequency
| Age | Number of Diapers Daily |
|---|---|
| Newborns | Every 2 hours |
| Babies under 6 months | Every 2.5 hours |
| Babies 6 to 12 months | Every 3 hours |
In general, babies go through 8 to 10 cloth diapers a day. It’s often recommended that you have between 20 and 24 cloth diapers in total. This allows you a little breathing room to wash your cloth diapers every other day.
Once baby wets themselves, they are likely to let you know because they’ll feel uncomfortable. This is why as a cloth diaper parent, you will go through more diaper changes.
Newborn Diaper Needs
Newborn babies use the smallest diaper sizes, organized by weight not age. Sizes vary from brand to brand.
How many diapers each family needs depends on their circumstances, including your baby’s needs, how much you enjoy doing laundry, and the convenience needed.
If you’re struggling with whether or not you want to use newborn cloth diapers, check out my newborn cloth diaper guide for some information that can help you decide.
It is generally recommended that babies wear newborn cloth diapers until they reach their maximal weight capacity of the diaper size, which is typically between 10 and 15 pounds, depending on the brand and type of cloth diaper.