Cloth Diapers, Part 1

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You would probably be surprised how much I stewed over this post. For some reason, I really want to convert others to cloth diapers. I don’t even know why – why would I care whether others use cloth or disposables? I’m a weirdo. I kept worrying that I would make this post too lengthy and boring, or make cloth diapering sound more complicated than it really is, and scare some potential future ‘cloth-diaperers’ away. Anyway, it seems I can’t start talking about cloth diapers without blabbering on about them, so please forgive me in advance! Just know this: I love using cloth diapers! And just because I talk a lot when you get me on the topic of cloth diapers doesn’t mean that they are complicated to use or too difficult/confusing for you to figure out. I promise! (Plus, if you have any questions or complications along the way, I am always more than happy to help you!)

So without further ado, here are the most frequently asked questions I have heard regarding cloth diapers.

-          Do you honestly save money cloth diapering, especially after considering the extra cost to wash them every other day?

-          Doesn’t it smell bad? And/or isn’t it gross to handle dirty cloth diapers?

-          Is it annoying to have to do so much laundry?

-          Do they leak a lot? (Or, do they hold in explosive poops?)

-          How many diapers would I need to get?

-          What about when you are out and about or traveling?

-          Can you use them for multiple children?

-          What are your recommendations?

If you don’t want to read the wordy answers (or don’t have the time to right now), feel free to read the summaries in blue at the end of each question instead!

Do you honestly save money cloth diapering, especially after considering the extra cost to wash them every other day?

Well, let’s just punch some numbers and see, shall we?

If you buy brand name diapers at the store, you are probably going to be spending approximately $0.24/diaper. Most websites that compare the costs of cloth diapers and disposables will use the typical $0.24 per disposable diaper as their reference price. However, I just checked the prices of diapers at Costco today and the size 1-2 diapers go for about $0.13 each. So, assuming you buy your diapers at Costco (or on Amazon Mom), I will be using the more realistic price of $0.13 per disposable. Just keepin’ it real, yo.

(Disclaimer: I know some of you may only be using 4-6 diapers on your baby per day (“day” meaning within a 24 hour period), but it is better for your baby’s bum if you change him/her whenever she is wet, or as soon as you can once they are wet, which is usually every 2-3 hours at least (especially from 0-3 months). Changing them every 3 hours would be 8 changes in a 24 hour period. When we were using disposables in Isaac’s first month, we usually averaged around 10 diaper changes in 24 hours.)

Newborn to 3 months old baby needs around 10 diapers a day.

10 diapers x 30 days x 3 months x $0.13 = $117.00 for 0-3 months

4 months to 6 months old baby needs on average 8 disposable diapers a day

8 diapers x 30 days x 3 months x $0.13 = $93.60 for 4-6 months

7 months baby to 30 months old baby needs on average 6 disposable diapers a day

6 diapers x 30 days x 24 months x $0.13 = $561.60 for 7-30 months

Total costs = $772.20 for 2 ½ years of disposable diapers

This is assuming that your toddler is potty-trained by 2 ½ years old.

So, how much do cloth diapers cost? Unfortunately, there’s no straight answer for that - it all depends on you and what your priorities are.

If your number one priority is saving money, you would be wise to choose flat diapers and covers (I will make a video showing you just how easy these diapers can be – no pins or snappis required!) You could have a full stash of these for around $75-$100 [$30 for 24 flat diapers, and about $10-$15 per diaper cover). It could cost even less if you are really thrifty. If you go this route, you are saving $672! Sounds pretty good, right? Well, we also need to consider a few other expenses that come with cloth diapering. You should probably budget $50-$100 for cloth diapering accessories (e.g. diaper pail, pail liner, cloth-diaper friendly detergent, wool dryer balls,  liners, doublers, etc. – these aren’t all necessary, but they are definitely nice to have). So, we’ll say you spent $100 on accessories. That puts us at ~$200. Then last but not least, the extra cost for utilities. I haven’t had personal experience with this, but this site has a comparison of utilities before and after they started cloth diapering (note: they line-dried most of the time, which saves $$$). So, according to that website it was only $20 more per year. It would probably cost a little more than that for most people, I would guess about $100 extra per year, especially if you are drying them in the dryer. So by 2 ½, you will have spent about $450 on diapers, accessories, and utilities. So now we only have a savings of about $300. It’s still a decent amount saved, though… especially if you will be reusing them on each child you have from here on out. The savings multiply with each child!

So what if you choose the more expensive cloth diapers – the ones that go for around $20 each? Well, for a stash of 24 diapers, that brings you to $480 for the diapers alone, then $100 for the accessories, and $250 for utilities. That’s $830 total. More than the disposables. Remember though, when you use it for the next baby, and the next baby – that’s when you really start saving.

But even if you only save a few bucks, isn’t it worth it to know that you aren’t just using something for a couple hours and then throwing it out to sit in the landfill for 200-500 years? I started cloth diapering to save money, but I’m a big fan of it now not for the savings, but for the peace of mind it brings knowing that I am helping our planet out, even if it’s just a little bit. Plus, it’s comforting to know there aren’t any weird chemicals next to Isaac’s cute little bum – only pure, natural fibers.

SUMMARY: Yes, as long as you don’t go cloth diaper crazy and buy a million diapers like I was dumb enough to do. BUT thank goodness for eBay – I was able to sell the diapers I didn’t fall in love with for around 80% of what I purchased them for.

Doesn’t it smell bad? And/or isn’t it gross to handle dirty cloth diapers?

It’s true – dirty diapers (whether disposable or cloth) will never smell delicious. However, if you get a stainless steel (plastic holds on to odors) trash can with a lid and a pail liner, you will hardly have any stink whatsoever. Maybe a hint of odor when you open the diaper pail / trash can, but that’s the worst of it. It’s really not any different than disposable diapers, and many people have commented that they much prefer the smell of dirty cloth diapers over dirty disposables, anyway. If you’d like, Bac-Out helps with this as well – just spray a little on your diaper before throwing it into the pail. Or go with a much more affordable alternative – sprinkle some baking soda over your dirty diapers every now and then.

As for handling the dirty diapers, I never have to touch the soiled part of a wet or dirty diaper. The waterproof covers make handling cloth diapers very easy and mess-free. But if you’re a parent, you know that occasionally you can’t avoid something getting on your hands during a change, and if that happens (with disposables or cloth) just wash your hands afterwards! Simple as that.

SUMMARY: Get a stainless steel trash can and waterproof pail liner – very little to no stink! Baking soda is your friend if you notice a little odor. And I’ve never had to touch the soiled part of a diaper – they have waterproof outer shells, after all.

Is it annoying to have to do so much laundry?

I personally don’t find it annoying. We have it really easy with washing machines – just throw your dirty diapers in and press a few buttons. It literally takes just a couple of minutes out of your day, and then you are free to do whatever you want to do while they are getting clean. The washing machine beeps, so you take another minute to transfer it to the dryer or a few more minutes to hang them to dry. Easy peasy. (And I actually enjoy the folding, stuffing, and organizing of clean cloth diapers. But that’s just me. J)

SUMMARY: A couple of minutes every other day isn’t all that bad. Once they’re clean, just throw them into a laundry basket if you don’t want to fold them up or organize them. The laundering/drying can literally take just 5 minutes out of your day – throw ‘em in, press some buttons, and get back to doing what you were doing.

Do they leak a lot? (Or, do they hold in explosive poops?)

No, cloth diapers shouldn’t leak. You just have to make sure that you are putting a diaper on your baby that has the right amount of absorbency for that situation. During the day, Isaac is fine with a flannel receiving blanket (used as a flat diaper) changed every 2 hours or so. But once night time comes, I need to add a hemp doubler. Hemp is one of the most absorbent fabrics in cloth diapering, and a ‘doubler’ is just something you can add to increase the diaper’s absorbency. (I will explain this better in the video in my next post as well.) Isaac has slept 11 hours or so in a flat diaper with a hemp doubler and he didn’t leak one bit. (Oh, and he pooped, and nothing came out the legs or back/waist, either.)

If you DO experience leaks, you probably don’t have enough absorbency. Either that, or you aren’t putting the diaper on properly – leaving gaps along the leg or waist. (Or your diapers are repelling [not absorbing], but if you use 100% natural fiber diapers that have cotton, hemp, or bamboo, this is rarely the problem.)

As for explosive poops, I’m convinced the best way to hold those meanies in is with a prefold (or flat diaper), snappi-ed on, with a Thirsties diaper cover. More on that in my next post.

SUMMARY: They shouldn’t. Just make sure 1) there is enough absorbency, 2) the diaper is comfortably snug on the baby – no gaps in the legs, and 3) that you are changing them often enough – every 2 to 3 hours during the day. Check off all of the above, and you should be fine.

How many diapers would I need to get?

If you plan on washing your diapers every other day, I think 18 diapers would suffice. If you wash every 3 days, probably go with 24 or so. If you have more than one child in diapers, you will probably want to have more like 32-48 diapers. I would recommend getting the least amount that you think you would need and then you can always buy more if it doesn’t seem to be enough for 2-3 days.

SUMMARY: With one child in diapers, start with 18 and then add more if you need to. With two children in diapers, start with 30 or so, and then add more if you need to.

What about when you are out and about or traveling?

You can always use disposables when you are out and about. Or, if you’d rather just stick with cloth diapers, bring along a wet bag and stick your dirty diapers in there until you get home (wet bags keep the odors pretty much contained), then dump them (along with the wet bag) into your diaper pail. Easy!

SUMMARY: Wet bag. How’s that for a summary? J

Can you use them for multiple children?

As usual, it depends. Prefolds and flats can sometimes last through 5+ children. However, all-in-one cloth diapers may wear out faster. The elastic may go bad or things may start to fall apart, and if you aren’t a professional seamstress, there usually isn’t a lot you can do to fix them. If you take good care of them (use mild detergents and line-dry them), you can probably make them last through 2, maybe 3 children. Anything with elastic will pretty much go bad once the elastic goes bad (although some diapers make it easy to replace the elastic or will sell you an elastic replacement kit or service). Anyway, if durability is important, definitely stick with prefolds and/or flat diapers.

SUMMARY: Yes, if you choose prefolds and/or flat diapers you may be able to use them with as many as 5 or more children. However, if the diaper has elastic, its lifespan may be shorter.

What are your recommendations?

I’ll probably go over this in more depth with my next post, but what I ultimately recommend is that you start out with just a few diapers that you would like to try – maybe a couple flat diapers (you may already have some ‘flat diapers’ if you have cotton receiving blankets), a few prefolds, and a cover or two… one or two AIO (all-in-one) diapers and/or pocket diapers. Try cloth diapering part-time along with disposables until you figure out which diapers you like best, then buy a few more of that kind of diaper. After a month or two, you’ll probably have one or two favorites, and can work on building your full-time cloth diaper stash from there.

As far as which diapers I recommend specifically (brand-wise), I will go over that in my next post. I will also share (what I consider to be) the ideal ‘shopping cart’ for cloth diaper newbies – what I would recommend buying at first to help you discover which cloth diapers will work best for you.

More questions & answers here: http://www.bumwear.com/shopping/clothdiaper/pages/cd101.php

If you use cloth diapers and have anything else to add, please do so in the comments!

My next post will likely be a video showing and reviewing the diapers I currently have, and another video showing how to use flat diapers (or receiving blankets as flat diapers). I will also give my recommendations based on what your priorities are. (Saving money? Ease of use? Durability? Etc.)

Stay tuned! (And if you have any additional questions or anything you would like me to go over, please let me know in the comments.)