Save Even More Money with Cloth Diapers!

I've already talked about how much money you can save by switching to cloth diapers even with a start up cost of $500. But many people make the switch to cloth without spending near that much!

Read on to learn about some of the most popular ways to save more money with cloth diapers.

1) Buy Used Diapers

Because cloth diapers can last for years, you can almost always find gently used diapers for sale somewhere. Some of the most popular sites for used cloth diaper sales are diaperswappers, Spot's Corner and there are many facebook groups that focus only on buying, selling and trading (b/s/t) used diapers. Many cloth diaper stores also offer a gently used section. You can usually buy an entire stash of gently used cloth diapers at 50% or more off the retail price.

Personally, I've never had an issue with the gently used cloth diapers I've purchased but there are some things to consider if you decide to buy previously used diapers:

• Yeast and bacteria can live in cloth diapers. If possible, try to bleach any microfiber inserts and wash well before using. You may also need to sanitize the rest of the diapers and inserts. You can find a good article about sanitizing cloth diapers at PinStripes and PolkaDots.
• Many gently used diapers have already gone through some wear and tear so they won't last as long as brand new diapers would. You may have to replace some of the used diapers before your child is potty trained.

Some people prefer to only buy gently used diapers from family or friends while others decide not to buy used diapers at all. If buying used diapers isn't for you, keep reading for other ways to save money.

2) Make Your Own Diapers

If you are handy with a sewing machine or serger, you might want to try making your own cloth diapers. As cloth diapers and diaper making becomes more common, the materials are becoming more accessible. Babyville produces a whole line of diaper making supplies that can be found at many JoAnns and Hobby Lobby stores. Fabric.com now offers a whole Diaper Central category. Wazoodle and Nature's Fabrics are both sites that are dedicated to diaper making. You can make cheap diaper inserts with the microfiber towels found in the automotive section of Walmart and Target.

There is a bit of a learning curve when making your own diapers. Just like premade cloth diapers, not all diaper patterns will work with all babies. So you might have to adjust or change your pattern a few times before you find what works for you. Also, some diaper materials can be expensive. Diaper manufacturers are able to buy their materials in bulk which is a lot cheaper than buying a yard or two at a time. And, they are able to pass that savings down with the cost of their diapers.

3) Buy Prefolds & Flats with Covers

This is probably the easiest way to save even more money with cloth diapers. You could easily purchase 24 prefolds and 6-8 diaper covers for under $200. For example:

24 Sweet Pea Infant-sized Prefolds = $78
6 Diaper Covers = $60 - $100
2 Snappis = $8 or less

Total Cost = $146 - $186

The medium sized prefolds will work at pretty much any age. They can be folded down for newborns and folded in thirds and laid in the cover for toddlers. My favorite way to fold a prefold is the Angel Wing Fold but there are other folds that can be used too. You can find some nice fold tutorials here: http://diaperpages.com/pf_folds.php

Prefolds and flats aren't hard to use, but they aren't as easy to use as pocket or AIO diapers so they can be intimidating to some people. It can be harder to get family and caregivers on board with cloth diapering if they have to use prefolds or flats.


Have you done any of these things to save money with cloth diapers?

Will I Really Save Money with Cloth?

Most of us have heard that you will save thousands of dollars if you switch to cloth diapers. But, I have a lot of moms ask me if they will really save that much. They don't buy the more expensive brand name diapers. They stick with store brands or buy them on Amazon. They say there is no way they will save that much money.

 

Trust me, you will!



You will use more disposable diapers than this in 3 days!

You could spend around $1000 a year per kid on disposable diapers & wipes. Even if you use the generic store brand, you're going to spend at least $700 per kid per year. Don't forget to add gas and/or shipping costs to that! C'mon, you know that moment when you pull the last disposable diaper out of the bag and realize you don't have any more? I don't know how many trips I had to make to the store for just diapers.

 

Around the same amount of cloth diapers will last for years!

 

 

We were able to buy a full stash of cloth diapers for around $500. But, you could spend less or more than that. If you stick with prefolds & covers, your costs will be a lot less. We use cloth wipes that I made myself with old t-shirts, receiving blankets and scraps of flannel. For a wipes solution, you can just use water. Yes, there is the cost of detergent & washing your diapers. The detergent we use costs around $15 and it lasts for at least 45 loads. That's around 33 cents every 2-3 days. Our water & energy bills combined maybe went up $5 but I'm also doing more regular laundry because I have a very messy little boy. :)

 

If you take good care of your cloth diapers, you can use the same ones for other children you'll have. And, you can also resell used cloth diapers that are in good condition for around 50% of the retail price!

 

So, here is a quick breakdown on costs:

(I am figuring very low costs on the disposable diapers and high costs on cloth diapers. More than likely, you will spend more on disposables and less on cloth. I'm also not including costs of diaper creams.)

*I'm averaging 10 diapers/day for the first 2 months and 6 diapers/day for the next 10 months. Although, it is generally recommended you change diapers more often than that. :)

 

 

Generic Disposable Diapers: Approx $550

Generic Disposable Wipes: Approx $120

Total for one year: $670

 

 

Enough Cloth Diapers to wash every 2-3 days: Approx $500

Cloth Wipes (use old t-shirts & receiving blankets with water) :$0

Laundry Costs: Approx $50

Total for one year: $550

 

 

Disposable Costs after 2 years: $1340

Disposable Costs after 3 years: $2010

Disposable Costs after diapering a 2nd child for another 3 years: $4020

 

 

Cloth Costs after 2 years: $600

Cloth Costs after 3 years: $650

Cloth Costs after diapering a 2nd child for another 3 years: $800

So, after 6 years of diapering, you will spend over $4000 using generic, store brand disposables and only $800 or less using cloth diapers! If you use brand name disposable diapers, you will spend much more than that.

 

How much money do you think you've saved since switching to cloth?