The Frugal Baby: Cloth Diapers

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

27 Jun 2007 10:23 AM

Diapers can be a big expense in any household. Up until recently, I had two little ones in diapers, and it seemed like we were going to have to take a second mortgage out on the house. Now I just have one in diapers, but I still need to do what I can to be frugal. There are a lot of options out there when it comes to diapers, as well as some pitfalls that could cost you a lot of money over the course of your little one's diaper needs.

Although I personally use disposable diapers, there are good reasons to go with cloth diapers. Here are some ways that you can save when using cloth diapers and avoid flushing money down the potty.

Cloth diapers require an initial investment, but then with the exception of laundering expenses you are in the clear. There are different types of cloth diapers, from standard and pre-fold ones that ned to be used with plastic pants or a diaper cover, to all-in-ones. Generally, the more convenient they are to use, the more expensive they will be. But, you can sometimes find them at thrift stores for very little, and on ebay for a little more money but still less money than buying them new.

You will need to change the cloth diapers much more frequently than disposables, in fact, any time they get even a little bit wet. This is because they aren't as absorbent as the disposables. The more diapers you purchase, the less frequently you'll be doing laundry. So, it is a balance. You'll spend more buying more diapers, but you'll also spend less on laundry because you can do fuller loads.

Personally, I'm for the less laundry solution. You can always reuse the diapers for other uses when your are all done with them, or even resell them. Be sure to hang your diapers out on the clothesline. You'll save on the dryer expense, and at the same time, sanitize the diapers using the sun.

One pitfall of using cloth diapers is signing up with a diaper service. You can't beat the convenience of the service, but the expense can be quite high. if you must have a service, see if you can add it to your baby shower wish list. You'll get a lot more out of the prepaid service as a gift as opposed to dozens and dozens of receiving blankets or lots of cute little outfits that baby will wear for exactly two weeks before outgrowing.

I hope this article was helpful. Look for a future article on frugal disposable diapers. And be sure to check out the Baby Blog for more details on diapers.

Mary Ann Romans also writes for the Computing Blog here at Families.com where she shares everything from the latest news on technology to cool downloads and fun websites.

Related Articles:

The Frugal Baby: Changing Tables

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.

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TipsOfAllSorts (50) 28 Jun 2007 08:51 AM

It's certainly a great idea to include diaper service on the wish list!

Mary Ann Romans (26886) 29 Jun 2007 07:10 AM

Thanks for reading! Did you use a diaper service? If so, what was your experience?

ilovegreen2 (8) 21 Jul 2007 11:07 PM

If you do wash a poopy diaper in the wash, it comes out clean hopefully right? well all that poop has to gather over time it just doesn't diesnigrate. Therefore, buying a new washer not only raises costs for your family, that if you can't afford to buy it you would have to take out another morgage anyway, plus you have to deal with the whole frustrating new washer experience again. Me and my husband never want to go through that again! :)

Just a helpfull tip from a concered mother. Thank You

Mary Ann Romans (26886) 22 Jul 2007 05:12 AM

Thanks for the information, I lovegreen. One question--did you dispose of the solids in the toilet before you washed the diapers?

shy417 (28) 27 Oct 2007 10:23 AM

The cloth diapers have come a long way and I think have become way better than disposables. Despite saving tons of money, buying cloth is eco friendly, diaper rash free and super easy once you get in a routine. Only use disposibles when going out and cloth at home. I have an HE font load washer/dryer that saves water & is energy efficient. I think the two best one size pockets in the market today are Mommy's Touch Easy Clean Diapers & BumGenius One Size Diapers. P.S. you shake solids in the toilet first and then place it in a dry pail until your ready to wash. I also have cloth/fleece baby wipes.

Sara Denomme (1063) 06 Apr 2008 02:41 PM

I'm sorry but I didn't find your information about cloth diapers to be very accurate (coming from a mom who currently cloth diapers her 18 month old) - I find them infinitely superior to sposies, and since the absorbancy is adjustable, it's incorrect to say they need to be changed more frequently. Frankly, I find a squishy sposie more appalling then a slightly damp cloth diaper with the proper absorbancy level. Also, the only time my second dd has been in sposies was when we flew half way across the country and couldn't pack a suitcase for diapers. Otherwise, we have found absolutely no need to use them, even out for a day or overnight. At any rate, what I'm trying to advise is that anyone interested please do internet searches while they are pregnant and look for forums dedicated to cloth diapering to get complete information on this. There are several awesome forums of this nature :)

~Sara