How to Save Money on Cloth Diapersby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 15 May 2009 10:33 AM Cloth diapers can save you money ($20 a week on diapers), especially when you have more than one child who will use them, but there is usually a large cash outlay in the beginning to purchase all of those cloth diapers. Most parents who use cloth diapers spend around $300 for them. Here are some ways to reduce that cost. Buy Used Some people get squeamish about buying used diapers, so you will have to determine if you fit into this category before you seriously start looking for used diapers. That said, if cloth diapers are washed quickly in hot water, they usually don't stain. Ask lot of questions before you purchase used diapers, especially if you do so online. Diapers hung on a line instead of machine dried will usually be less worn, for example. Look on Cragslist.com and Ebay.com for the opportunity to purchase used cloth diapers. Make your own Diapers can be made out of any soft cloth, and you can even reuse old clothing and baby blankets to make wonderful diapers. Cotton and cotton fleece is very absorbent and soft. Terri cloth also makes nice diapers, although it tends to be a little bulky. Buy simple While there are some very cute cloth diapers out there, complete with disposable liners and designer diaper covers, the truth is that you will stretch out your budget if you simply buy basic pre-fold diapers, some safe pins and a few simple diaper covers or plastic pants. You can double up on these type of diapers for night time use as needed. Pre-fold diapers can vary in quality and absorbency. Look for cloth diapers that are of diaper service quality for the best results. Do you have any tips for saving money on cloth diapers? Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right. Favorite Deal Websites: Related Articles: How to Get First Pick at Outgrown Sales Cutting Kids Hair at Home: Girls How to Save Money on Kids Pajamas Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments StBridgit (322) 15 May 2009 07:39 PMA couple of things we learned from our foray into cloth diapers with our son. First, plan to change your child's diaper more frequently if you are switching from disposables. Disposable diapers do a great job of wicking moisture away from the skin, and cloth diapers don't (even the microfiber ones can't compete). You need to change frequently to prevent problems with diaper rash & yeast rashes. Second, keep your diaper pail or bag small and you will minimize odors. Some people prefer a plastic pail with water in it, some prefer a hanging waterproof bag that can be scented with essential oils. Either way, you want to minimize the amount of time diapers sit (even soaking in a pail) before washing. Doing a small load of diapers a day is better than trying to stretch it out over several days (and you avoid stains). Third, make sure you are careful about what detergents and rinse aids you use with the diapers. Some detergents and rinse aids will block up the cloth "pores" over time and decrease their absorbancy, causing problems for you. You might need to switch brands of detergents or use a different one for the diapers. Fourth, be prepared for the extra bulk of cloth underneath clothing. You might have to buy a size bigger for your kiddo, especially if he/she is at the top of the growth curve. This might mean pant legs that are too long and need to be rolled up, etc. Fifth, if you try it and it doesn't work for you, don't feel bad. Sell your cloth diaper accoutrements and keep your eyes open for stock up deals on disposables. In our case, no matter how often we changed him our son kept getting yeast rashes with cloth diapers, so we went back to disposables. To each their own! Discuss this article
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