Hi - what kind of nappies exactly do you have at the moment? fitteds with covers?

I've actually given this a bit of thought in the past, in case I had 2 in nappies (though at this rate I may not...). Anyway, for the little ones I would say sized nappies (ie, small) or flat nappies are better.

Flat nappies with a good cover are a great alternative to reduce cost and ensure good containment of newborn poo. You can get bamboo flats, which are more absorbent and can later be used folded up as pocket stuffers or boosters for your other nappies. You can also buy fabric and run up your own, which might be cheaper still.

We used some flannel flats to begin with - bought nappy flannel from spotlight - but they just weren't absorbent enough so switched to the terry cloths. They were ok, but so bulky on a little one. Our fitteds didn't really work till he was a bit older (and he was 4.3kg at birth).

I've made my own fitteds too, with cheap material from spotlight & microfibre for the absorbent bit in the middle (bought as cleaning cloths from bunnings).

I don't think there are any boy/girl differences really.

Inserts, as I understand, are for pockets, boosters are added for extra - but same thing really, both for absorbency. Fleece is good for liners or covers, not absorbent.

hope that's helpful