Cloth Diapering is BEST – here’s why

Cost Effective

It’s no secret that switching to cloth diapering can save you money. However, this is not always the case – depending on the diaper system you choose. Many can become swept away in the “prestigious” cloth diapering culture which usually involves spending hundreds, even thousands, of dollars on copious amounts of pocket diapers with rare/fun patterns and prints. While this may be appealing to some, it is not necessary and definitely not the route to take when switching to cloth diapers to save money. 

Cloth diapering can be incredibly cost effective when you keep your stash small and simple. The best way to go about low-cost cloth diapering is having a stash of “flat” cloth diapers and reusable covers. This is the old school way of diapering babies that is tried and true. Flats are exactly what they sound like, a flat piece of fabric (preferably cotton) that is folded in various ways and pinned on baby. Uncomfortable with the idea of using pins? Not to worry! There are things called “snappis” and “boingos” that are easy ways to secure folded cloth diapers on your baby. You can purchase cotton flats from various cloth diaper websites for around $1-$3 per reusable diaper, or you can repurpose things you already have to use as flat cloth diapers. A popular and easy option – using old cotton receiving blankets. These flat diapers act as the absorbent inner layer of the diaper. When taking baby out and about you will need some reusable waterproof covers to hold the moisture in. These come in various sizes and patterns. You can purchase these on Amazon for around $3-$10 each, depending on what you choose. Ultimately, you can get a full stash of cloth diapers together for less than $50 if you wanted to. If you want to invest in some nicer items that will last through many kids some other options are a mix of flats, prefolds, and fitteds with both waterproof and wool covers. A stash like that could be around $200-$400. 

Regardless of the specific system you choose, everything mentioned above is a fraction of what it would cost you to use disposable diapers on even just one baby. It has been estimated that you can save between $2,000-$3,500 per child that you cloth diaper. The amount will depend on what kind of diapers you buy of course.