I'm thrilled to be guest posting here for Jenn! I always look forward to her Money Saving Mondays and I recently started my own coupon binder inspired by hers!
I need to be honest with you, though. The financial savings of cloth diapering weren't my initial motivation. I was more concerned about the environmental impacts of disposable diapers. The facts are staggering and green living is a passion taking up increasingly more room in my heart and mind in recent years.
Our daugther E (age 3 now) was not cloth diapered, but I knew I wanted to try it with D. Taking the plunge can be intimidating because of the initial investment. If this is causing you any hesitation, please consider that you can either buy used cloth diapers to try or you can always sell your cloth diaper stash if you realize that it's not working for your family. With that pressure alleviated let's take a look at what our family has invested in cloth diapering supplies.
Wipes: I made the majority of our reusable cloth wipes from an old flannel sheet, but I did but purchase one pack of super soft ones as well. I really
Inserts: Pocket diapers require inserts which you stuff inside the pockets for absorbency. Charlie Bananas come with 2 microfiber inserts per diaper, but I also wanted hemp inserts for naps and overnight. This natural material is extra absorbent and thin, keeping the diapers trimmer and saving us from having to change a sleepy baby. Retail $32.
Dirty diaper storage: We went with a plastic trash can with a lid for holding dirty diapers. A metal can would hold smells in better, but the plastic works well enough for now. I bought one pail liner, then our neighbor gave us another that she was no longer using. Retail of $53 but we spent $37.
Laundry detergent: We typically use our regular low sudsing, eco-friendly laundry detergent for our diapers as well as our clothes. This week I did purchase Rockin' Green detergent specifically for diapers after getting a sample at The Great Cloth Diaper Change. (We also received a free diaper there!) Your laundry costs can vary greatly, but remember that the less detergent you use for your diapers the better. (You want to get them clean, but soap buildup will cause them to repel and leak.) You can save even more money by making your own.
So our supplies have a retail value of $600 but because my cost cutting ways and the generosity of friends it actually cost us $300. By the age of two, a disposable diapered child will use around 6,000 diapers. Using an average cost of 25 cents per diaper, that's $1,600 for two years for the diapers alone. You will also be adding in disposable wipes and dirty diaper storage costs (Diaper Genie and refills really added up when we had E). Obviously there are money saving ways to use disposable diapers as well, but these are the rough figures I am using for comparison.
The financial savings of cloth diapers are an added bonus to this choice we have made for our rainbow baby!
To save you even more money, as Jenn mentioned, we are currently hosting a giveaway for a custom all-in-one or hybrid fitted cloth diaper!
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