One size fits all MCNs

I'm looking to start buying for DD#2 she's a month old, around 3kg and rather long and s;ender. I don't want to spend a lot of money on small fitted nappies if she's not going to be in them for very long.

So what OSFA nappies are out there?

There are LOTS of OSFM nappies out there - but not many of them are great for bubs that small, or if they are slender. I'd recommend something like the Pop-in because at least it has leg gussets if she has chicken legs :D

Oh - and my kids were long and slender, DD was in a small for about 6-7 months, and is now nearly 15 months and still in a medium. My DS is nearly 3 and fits into a medium.

So even though they are sized, look out for ones with a huge weight range (ie 5 -11kg) and you should get a good use out of it.

Alrighty then, i'll have a look at the pop-ins... are they like pocket nappies?

No they have bamboo inserts that snap into the shell of the nappy.

many OSFA nappies are often sized to fit roughly from about 4 - 15kg.

i had a 3.79 kg baby who was too small for the OSFA as a nb. And i'm told 3.79 is not a small bub.

some kids toilet train later than 15kg, in which case they would outgrow the OSFA and need larger sized nappies.

OSFA nappies need to have a wider crotch, as they are used to accomodate such a wide weight range. the wider crotch does not suit ALL babies. it doesn't suit all newborns.

the important measurement on a nappy is the RISE.

measure your child with a measuring tape.
start at her navel
take tape down, under her legs, up the other side
stop measuring at the small of her back
that is her RISE.

you compare that RISE measurement, with the RISE of any nappy you consider buying.

my DD had short legs but a long rise, so that was a consideration when i bought her nappies. before i did that, i bought some nappies that weren't long enough in the rise, so when they arrived, i put them on DD and her bottom crack showed (if this shows, you can imagine what happens when they poo). So it's important to buy nappies that accomodate YOUR child's rise.

we really struggled with most OSFA nappies, had heaps of "camel toe" happening and they made my DD look like she'd just gotten off a horse. took me ages to discover "narrow crotch" nappies, which made a big difference to the fit for her.

so whatever you get, i'd get just ONE of each kind, to trial them on your child, and then get more of whichever ones suit.

i found sidesnapping nappies to be very adjustable.
my dd went thru a chicken legs phase, a mega chubby thighs phase and then crawling started and she had slim legs. the sidesnappers were adjustable enough to cope with the three different body shapes.

each baby is different, maybe OSFA nappies will fit your bub just fine.
the nappy that will be good value for you, if the one that FITS your child right.
good fit, means NO LEAKS.
poor fit, means LEAKS.
you put the nappy on, check for GAPING at the legs and tummy. the aim is NO gaping.

i bought SIZED nappies with a good weight range.
e.g 5 - 11kg size pockets and ai2's
8 - 16kg size size pockets and ai2's
(which we got really good value out of, my child tt-d at 12kg)
before those nappies fitted her, i used bamboo prefolds and leg gusset covers for the runny poo stage - because that's what gave us no leaks.

i couldn't afford to buy x amount of nb and sm fitted nappies for the inital period either, but found prefolds and covers to be do-able. you keep using the prefolds in the older stages, as inserts for pockets, to boost other nappies etc. You sell the nb sized covers 2nd hand, so i found it do-able.

ask 20 people, they'll all have done the same thing a bit differently. whatever works for YOUR bub, go for it.

Bumgenius are our OSFA favourites at the moment...

I second the Pop-in suggestion - I have NEVER had a leak with a pop-in!!
The other ones I like are iish-flys fitzalls:)

i LOVE abbygro nappies, i have a tall slender toddler and i think they are great!!! cushie tushies also work well for us and these are both OSFM. i also have some cheely butt nappies which have a slim crotch but i use a pea pods insert in those as i disliked the Y shaped one that it come with(it comes with a Y and a normal square that you fold in half.) HTH

My DD is now 5.2kg and still doesn't fit all her OSFM nappies. Cushie Tushies have leg gape to the point where I'm putting them away till she's bigger (though I love the patterns!). She has a Baby Beehinds Magicall Multi-fit (pocket) which always leaks, but her BBH hemp fitted and small Magicall AIO are fine. Of the pockets, Tots Bots are good, Pixie Poppits are good, Haute Pockets and Happy Heinys are ok but wide. She's been in Itti Bitti smalls since birth (weight 3.3kg), and from the second month (3.8kg) in Jamtots Berryplush - they're both snap-ins, and work really well. ATM I'm really liking Imse Vimse small AIOs (leg gussets for poosplosion containment!) but I don't know if she wouldn't have fit them earlier as only got them a few weeks ago (small = 5-8kg in their system).
We did flats and covers as a newborn too. Once you get used to folding, it's not such a big deal, and Snappis make the fastening process much easier. Covers are excellent for containing nb poo, and this is by far the cheapest way to do cloth.
As of 2 weeks ago her measurements were waist 38cm, thigh 20cm, rise 26cm - I'm not sure if that makes her skinny thighed or waisted or what. Has anyone ever put together a chart for matching relative measurements to appropriate nappy brands? That would be really useful...

Thanks everyone, after having a look around and doing some reading, i've decided to just get a few trial packs of the fitted nappies for now... that way i'm not spending too much if they aren't for us...