How Many Diapers Do I Need?

Newborn babies will need approximately 10-12 diaper changes a day, presuming you want to wash daily,  it’s a good idea to have approximately 1.5x the changes – so in this case, at least 18 diapers on hand.

If you wanted to wash every second day, you’d need 36 diapers. I don’t recommend leaving your washing much more than 3 days, it would get a bit smelly!!

You’ll also need to take into account, that diapers are sized – so in newborn size  you’d need 18, in Medium Sized (Approx 4 months old) you’d most likely need 12. And with most children, that would see you through until toilet training.

My diaper stash, for my 16 month old son looks like this:

• From Birth: 12 newborn sized AIOs
• From 4 Months to 16 months (and still fitting): 12 Medium Sized AIOs
• On hand for emergencies: 12 Terry Flats, and 2 Covers. (I’ve used the terry flats once for diapers, but every day for all purpose mop up cloths!)

If you have two children in cloth, simply double the amount of diapers. Three Children? Treble it!

Another thing to think about is your weather – if your diapers take longer to dry, it’s a good idea to have an extra days worth on hand, for days where it rains, snows, or you just simply don’t get around to getting the diapers dry. (We’re mothers, not superwomen!)

If you’re using Terry Flats, you’ll only need what you’ve set up for your newborn.

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