So I have been asked by a few moms how and why on earth do I do it? First off, you save SO MUCH MONEY!! So I found these charts with the help of google to show you how much *on average* you spend on disposable diapers. Not to mention that these cost only calculate per child, so double or triple prices depending on how many children you have or want to have.
Okay so this next chart is a little on the higher cost side. I can tell you from my own personal experience it is way cheaper than this to CD. I mostly use pockets now that my little dude's thighs are bigger. I buy diapers from eBay around 5-7 dollars a piece. NOT 20 and up. That's crazy talk to me! my personal stash of about 35 diapers at lets say $6 bucks a piece cost is a total of $210 dollars not only for one baby but for 10 babies if I felt like it! I'm not that crazy though, four maybe but don't tell my husband ;).
Wipes can be made from anything. Literally. My wipes consist of and organic cotton ones I ordered from etsy ($20 for 20 pieces), and cut up recieving blankets or tee shirts, but if you do the DIY route I would suggest sewing a basic edge because it will fray in the wash unless you use those jagged craft scissors. And to moisten the wipes I just use plain old water in the peri bottle the hospital gave me. Easy peasy right? you will also need a pail liner which is basically a fancy PUL bag that goes into any ordinary kitchen trashcan, if I could of done it differently I would of bought two. So when one is in the wash you still have something to put diapers in. they cost about 20 a pieceor 40 for two. If you want to use diapers for when you go out you will also need a wet bag those cost about $8-10 dollars a piece.
So my grand total to cloth diaper is about $260-300 versus $1,500-$4,000 depending on your brand of choice. That alone makes it so worth giving cloth a chance.
This is a breakdown of each type of cloth diaper.
How to Wash:
I have a normal washer and dryer, none of that fancy front loading stuff. I usually run through the wash twice. First with detergent that I make. you can find the recipe here: http://www.mostlymeatlessmama.blogspot.com/2014/01/homemade-detergent-little-elbow-grease.html
secondly with a hot wash cold rinse.
Additional Pro's to Cloth Diapering:
- Money saving as shown above
- Extra cushion for falls
- Better for the enviornment
- Less leaks and blowouts
- No disposable diaper smell
- Less likely to get diaper rash
- potty train sooner because they can feel a wet sensation vs. disposables
- no harsh chemicals on your baby's most delicate skin.
- depending on how many additional washes a week you do water and energy cost only go up by a few dollars I do about 3 washes a week
- Freaking Adorable! many different prints and colors to choose from.
Cons:
- Can be bulky and you may need to buy a size up in clothes
- bigger diaper bag
- time to wash, stuff and organize
- Inital cost vs. spread out cost of disposables
- pockets, need to be line dried or put on a drying rack
- may be hard for babysitters or grandparents at first
- there is definitely a learning curve but once you get the hang of it it's easy.
- You need a CD safe detergent
This my diaper bag that I use for short trips and quick errands, it is also my purse.
And this is the bag I use for when we will be out all day.
If you have any additional questions feel free to leave me a comment and I will get back to you ASAP.
http://www.mothering.com/community/a/cloth-diaper-cost-is-it-worth-it Chart 1 &2
http://fitnessista.com/2011/10/what-i-learned-about-cloth-diapers/ Chart 3
What type of diaper bag do you have? Since you mentioned needing a bigger diaper bag
ReplyDeleteI actually have a Michael Kors bag that I use. It has a partition down the middle. so for short trips to the grocery store or a quick errand I just throw a few diapers, wipes and wet bag in. but for longer trips that will take all day we usually take those small gym bags with the drastring top that go on your back. I dont know the technical term for it but I'll edit this post to show you my bags.
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