Are cloth diapers one size fits all?

One of the reasons I loved the idea of cloth diapering so much was because I wouldn’t have to keep track of what size disposable diapers my baby needed.

Now with 3 kids in diapers, and all a different size, I can’t tell you how much easier it is to just buy some adjustable cloth diapers and be done with it.

The vast majority of cloth diapers are one size fits all, these cloth diapers are called ” one-size” cloth diapers, there are some cloth diapers however that do come in sizes, these are called ” sized” cloth diapers.

If you want to learn more about cloth diapering check out my article ” How to find the right cloth diaper for you?”

Are all cloth diapers one-size?

Most cloth diapers are one-size, but there are some cloth diapers that come in anywhere from 2 to 6 different sizes.

There are also cloth diapers that are meant to only fit newborns and preemies.

I love one-size cloth diapers because you can buy 1 set of cloth diapers and adjust them to fit your baby.

Whether baby is 6 months, 16 months or 26 months I can use the same set of one-size cloth diapers.

You adjust the size of a one-size cloth diaper by either changing around the snaps on the front of the diaper.

Or there are some cloth diapers that you adjust the size by changing how long the elastics around the legs are.

I personally prefer the cloth diapers that are adjusted with snaps on the front of the diaper.

My 2 toddlers have very different body types and my younger toddler is slightly shorter.

So, if one kid runs out of diapers for some reason and I need to change the size of a cloth diaper quick, I can just swap around some snaps, and I’m done.

I find this to be a ton easier than messing around with the leg elastic adjusting.

If you want to know more about sized cloth diapers check out my article ” Do cloth diapers come in sizes? Photos & comparisons”

Will one-size cloth diapers fit a newborn?

There are some one-size cloth diapers that can be made to fit on a newborn, but they will probably be bulky and awkward for a while, unless you have a really big baby.

One-size flats are the easiest one-size cloth diapers to make work for a newborn.

All you have to do is fold them up a little bit differently and either put a newborn cloth diaper cover over it or try and adjust a one-size cover to make it work.

Alva baby pocket diapers are another kind of cloth diaper that can be adjusted to fit a newborn, you just have to move the rise snaps into a kinda weird position.

This is where cloth diapers that come in a 2-size system are kinda nice since they start to fit at around 5-6 pounds and will continue to fit till 15-16 pounds.

You start out with a cloth diaper that’s a tiny bit bulky on a newborn, but will probably start to fit great when baby is around 2-3 weeks old, and then will continue to fit until they are around 9 months to 1 year old.

But after that you will have to have a whole new set of the next size up ready to go.

If you want to learn more about newborn cloth diapering check out my article ” Are newborn cloth diapers worth it? Cost & cheaper options”

When do one-size cloth diapers start to fit?

Most one-size cloth diapers start to fit well when baby is around 3 months old or around 12 pounds.

3 months is also when babies are no longer considered newborns and move into being infants, so most newborn cloth diapers will stop fitting at this point.

Some one-size cloth diapers are cut smaller than others so they would fit a lot sooner.

Take the smartbottoms all-in-ones for example, at 3 months (12 pounds) they were super trim and fit really well on all my kids.

But the downside to this is that usually when a cloth diaper fits a really small baby, they won’t fit a toddler super well.

Very rarely can you have both with the same cloth diaper.

The only time I have ever had 1 cloth diaper fit well on a baby from 2 1/2 – 3 month old clear to 3 years was the Thirsties pocket diapers

They were a little bit bulky on a small baby but my 3 year old and 18 month old still wear them and still have room to grow and add absorbency, and my kids pee a ton, so there is already lots of absorbency.

Resources

Link to Thirsties pocket diapers at greenmoutaindiapers.com

Link to smartbottoms all-in-ones at smartbottoms.com

Link to Alva baby cloth diapers on Alvababy.com