The first diaper Cooper ever wore was cloth--that's right. The hospital he was born in uses only cloth, which is very cool. So come to think of it, all three of my kids wore cloth for their first diaper! Anyway, in the hospital and in his first few tiny weeks (he was only 6  lbs 9 ounces!) we dressed him in one-sies paired with those baby nightgowns--I don't know what they're actually called--but they have the little elasticized holes at the bottom. As soon as I was able to drive, Cooper no longer wore his little nightgowns. I really liked how they fit with the cloth diaper and that they didn't constrict his belly, but I needed to buckle him in his car seat several times a day to drive his sisters to and from school. He needed his legs free. My first choice of outfits for my cloth diaper wearing boy is always something one piece--I find that since cloth diaper bums are slightly bigger than disposable diaper booties, little pants, cute though they may be, often tend to seem too tight around his middle. I was lucky enough to get a couple of big boxes of hand-me-downs just before Cooper was born.  I was able to pick and choose my favorite outfits and ones that I thought would work best with his Thirsties.  I chose mostly one piece outfits--long sleeve, short sleeve, long pants and shorts rompers. I've also always liked to put a one-sie under all of his outfits but especially when he does wear pants, that way when his shirt rides up, his bare skin isn't hanging out and getting cold. Any pants I do have are big enough to fit his diaper booty. Another benefit of the one piece outfits are that they are quick--one and done! With my other two daughters to help in the mornings, I don't have time to mix and match cute little outfits any more. That's what happens with the third, I guess!  As opposed to "Pants? Check. Matching shirt? Check? Matching socks? Check.  Cooper gets "You're no longer naked?" Check.

Now that spring is here, I'm starting to toy with idea of occasionally just pairing Cooper's cloth diaper with a T-shirt.  The patterns and colors are so cute, it would be fun to show them off. But I am also afraid of getting them dirty. He was in the backyard this afternoon and came back inside covered in dirt and leaves. I'll have to play that by ear. Right now Cooper is 12 months and I find that 18 month clothes work best with his Thirsties because they give his fluffy booty a little extra room. Do you dress your cloth-diapered baby any differently than you dressed your disposable diaper wearing babies? What kind of outfits do you find work best? More Tips: Another clothing option that works great for cloth diapered babies is Project Pomona pants. They are specifically designed to fit over fluff bums-- although Project Pomona pants work great over all diapers.