First of all, you don't need to decide all this now! I used cloth with two and second time I used newborn disposables for the first few weeks (DD was v small) and moved to all in one one size cloth at 3 months. I found there was so much else to think about in the early weeks, and with two under two, it seemed the best compromise.
1.Do you HAVE to get newborn cloth nappies or is there a certain type of birth-to-potty nappy that works really well from newborn? Seeing as newborn nappies exist alongside certain kinds of ‘birth-to-potty’ nappies, I’m assuming the latter aren’t so good for newborns?
Depends on the size of your newborn, mine were 5lbs and 6lbs and we're way too small for birth to potty. Would be different if you had a big baby. Babies grow so fast, I tried using newborn first time but second time didn't, see my comment above.
2.I’ve been told that newborns, on average, get through about 10 nappies a day? With this said:
⁃How many cloth nappies, in total, would be a decent number to own (newborn or otherwise)?
⁃How often are you expected to do nappy washes - daily?
About 20 nappies, washing every 2 days. Different nappies suit different body shapes in babies so don't be tempted to buy them all at once, better buy one each of some different sorts and mix with disposables until you know what works and can buy a full stash of your favourites.
3.For how long do newborns stay wearing the ‘newborn’ cloth nappies before they can move onto the bigger ones?
About 3-4 months for mine.
4.How long do cloth nappies take to dry once washed (I’m sure this would vary from brand to brand, and depending on time of year etc)?
The outers and microfiber inserts of all on ones dry in 24 hours hung inside or out. Once your baby is big enough you'll find microfiber isn't absorbent enough and you'll need to ads bamboo inserts, which take ages to dry indoors, I found I needed a dryer or airing cupboard or 48 hours round the house.
5.If I were to buy ‘all-in-one’ cloth nappies, what else would I need in terms of a wet bag (how many?), a nappy bin/wet bin etc?
Nappy bin, we used string bags inside the nappy bin then you can just lift and put in the wash. Had three wet bags for taking out or using at nursery.
6.What happens when you’re out and about with a cloth nappy baby? I’m assuming you’d travel with a wet bag and put the nappies in that? In which case, how many ‘out and about’ wet bags would I need to purchase?
See above. I found them smelly so tended to use a plastic nappy bag to wrap them instead. Not very environmentally friendly but a whole lot better than a disposable.
7.Once baby has passed ‘newborn’ stage and can wear regular cloth nappies, how many nappies, on average would they get through a day? With that said:
⁃How many ‘regular’ (not newborn) sized nappies would I need to own with an older baby (not newborn)?
Basically about one more day's worth than how often you wash. Allow about 7 per day, so about 14-15 if you wash every day, 20 or so to wash every 2 days.
8.Is it necessary to have separate ‘nighttime’ cloth nappies for nighttime, or would regular daytime cloth nappies suffice?
I never got night time to be leak free so used disposables at night. The cloth nappy board will have lots of posts on this.
9.Does anybody actually buy cloth nappies new? It seems as though, for the amount of cloth nappies you need in total, buying that many NEW cloth nappies is just very, very expensive (certainly too expensive for my ‘broke student’, early twenties budget).
I bought mine on eBay (new, but not the trendy brands). You might get help on the cloth nappy board but many of the mums on there are well off ladies who will only buy the big brands. My cheaper ones were great, all did 2 babies and still fine for another use. If you want the big brands, I'd go second hand.
I guess my biggest confusion is knowing how many cloth nappies to buy/own (how many a baby would need in general), more specifically - how many a newborn would need, and how often I’d need to do washes. As well as not knowing how they vary from brand-to-brand, and knowing which styles/brands are the most effective (I know this varies from baby-to-baby). I’m finding this all really overwhelming! I plan to attend my local nappy library, but it takes place just 2 days before my due date!
Go and see the nappy library and don't feel bad if you end up mixing up cloth and disposables while you find what works for you