I always wanted to use cloth diapers when we had a baby. I just figured they fit right into our frugal lifestyle and they were so cute! I already use homemade cloth pads so the "gross" factor was not there for me .
So I started researching the various kinds of diapers that you could purchase (Fitted, Pockets, All in Ones, All in Twos, Covers, ect) and then a little about each brand. There is so much information out there it's overwhelming!
What I did discover though, is that cloth diapers can be very expensive! Cheap cloth diapers seemed to be an unreachable goal. Yes, generally any new endeavor has some kind of upfront cost but I saw some diapers selling for us much as $50! (With an average cost of $25 per diaper) Shopping the cheap diapers at the store would get me a whole package of about 45 for $7 so why would I spend that much on cloth diapering. I decided my goal was going to be to spend $5 per cloth diaper, and no more than $7 for a diaper. Here's how I did that and some other ways I keep my cloth diapering costs down.
Buy Used. Check out sites like Diaperswappers.com (I buy lots of diapers there!) where you can buy used (and sometimes new) and cheap cloth diapers from other moms. There is nothing wrong with used diapers as long as you find out if they have been well taken care of, and generally cloth diapering mama's take good care of them. Make sure the diapers have been washed in a cloth diaper approved detergent and sunned regularly.
Buy Fixer-Uppers. Watch garage sales, Facebook sales, and diaper swapping sites for posts with fixer-upper diapers. These are diapers that are in decent shape but need either new elastic, or new velcro, or something similar. If you are handy with a needle and thread these might be a great option for you.
Make Your Own. I've tried this option and it's not my personal fav but it does work, especially if you are going to be mainly using prefolds, fitteds, or covers. Read my post here on my cloth diaper making experiment with suggestions on patterns to use.
Buy Cheapies. Some mamas might frown at this one but this has been my greatest source of success with cloth diapers, cheap ones! I purchase cheap cloth diapers from Ebay, or from Alva Cloth Diapers for right around $5 for a new diaper plus insert (or less!) These have been working excellent for us (and we've had a tough time finding diapers that fit right because of baby's skinny legs) and they are cute!
Skip the Expensive Detergent. Some of the cloth diaper approved laundry detergents are just too expensive (Charlie's, Rocking Green, Tide Free and Clear). But it is important that you still buy a good detergent otherwise you will have a problem with build up on your diapers and they won't last long. My favorite detergent is Country Save. It's cheap, hypoallergenic, and works great not only for your cloth diapers but for all your clothing.
Stop Stressing Over the Cute Factor. Chances are that you are going to cover that diaper right up with clothes anyways so don't get too overly obsessed with looks. Sometimes we have to remember that the purpose of the diaper is to be a potty-catcher and nothing else! And if you do have plain boring diapers that you let your little wear without clothes in the summer, you can always dress it up with some cute baby leg warmers. I love those!
Wash More. I read somewhere that the average amount of cloth diapers one mama has for one baby is 40 diapers. I only have half that many! To make up for it I wash my diaps every other day, or every 3 days. I don't like them to sit longer than that anyways.
We use almost all pocket diapers. I love that I can stuff them perfectly for regular use or naptime use and they aren't super bulky. Plus they seem to be the most inexpensive option that works well for us.
I also don't have any special way to clean my diapers. I rinse them off in the bathtub and let them soak in an un-used sink until I'm ready to wash them. Maybe someday I'll have a better set up but this has been working fine!
Save even more by making your own Homemade Cloth Wipes!
Where do you find cheap cloth diapers? What questions about cloth diapering do you have?
Disclaimer: This post may contain a link to an affiliate. See my disclosure policy for more information.
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
You really can still get white cloth diapers and use pins and rubber pants. These are much less expensive than the cute ones. If you are careful when you are pinning you will not poke your little one. My babies suffered more scratches on their tummies from my engagement ring than from any pinning accidents. I have diaper pins that are thirty years old, and I still use them to pin pairs of socks together so they don’t go astray in the laundry. I also still have some cloth diapers in my rag basket. How’s that for value?
I so agree, Terri! And I still have cloth diapers my mom used on me (50+ years ago).
This made me laugh! I never dreamed that cloth diapers were expensive. I had my oldest baby before disposable diapers were common or very good if you did buy them. In those days, we bought a bolt of diaper flannel, cut it into squares, hemmed the edges, and folded them to fit the baby. Pin them on with diaper pins, and put rubber pants over them. To me, luxury was buying pre-folded diapers at KMart. I guess it is a new world out there.
How do you feel about using plain baking soda and white vinegar to wash your laundry? My husband was having problems with itching and since we could not pin point the exact source I just started washing all of our clothes with a mixture of the soda and vinegar. So far so good on the itch situation, and I am actually quite pleased with the cleaning results too. Should I be concerned about build up, though? I do try to run the clothes through a second cold water rinse.
From what I can it looks like the vinegar/baking soda combo is safe and effective for cloth diapers and it even keeps them from getting smelly!
What is your ratio for this method?
I tried cloth diapers for a while, and my husband decided it most definitely was NOT for us. So, we bought disposables for more than 25 years!
However, I realize it’s all the rage now.
But I was curious about your comments about laundry detergent. Buying Charlie’s on Amazon is cheaper per load than Country Save on Amazon.
I buy Charlie’s because it was highly recommended, works great (one small scoop) and is so much cheaper than anything else! It’s been well more than 1 year since I got my bucket, and it isn’t close to being empty, and we have still have 10 folks living in my house!
Thanks for the great tips – I’ll remember your site if my daughter/daughter’s in law decide to go this route.
I buy Country Save from Azure Standard and it’s MUCH cheaper than it is on Amazon!
Oh, ok. That’s not an option here, but you linked it from Amazon, so I assumed that’s where you bought it.
I buy a TON from Amazon but Country Save just isn’t one of those things. I just linked to it so everyone can see the detergent
I used flats and rubber/vinyl pants for my kids but would’ve loved the neat ones they have now. Of course I could sew them repurposing some stuff for liners. I want to make a few for grandkids someday as I won’t use those disposables that take 550 yrs. to decompose. I still have some of the flats for dust rags. They are 28 yrs. old. I had 2 kids in diapers twice and had 4 doz. only. I used the same rubber/vinyl pants if I had bought them new, but if they were used I had to replace some, they lasted through 3 kids and I resold some. I think as long as you cloth diaper you’re doing your chilkd and the environment only good. Kudos to all who cloth diaper. can’t imagine why all SAHM’s don’t use them, really no excuse not to.
I cannot beleive I have gone this long not knowing about Alva baby. I buy most of my diapers used. It’s tough to know which you will like, will fit baby well and will be efficient in your home. We use a mix, but I also prefer pockets the most. Thanks for sharing all of this! And remember, although the initial cost can be high, you can resell them!
Yes! I’ve been re-selling some of the ones we weren’t using and it’s great getting my entire investment back on them! I just love Alva diapers! I just got another order in the mail this week of the new ones with double gussets, they are awesome!
We learned early on that gDiaper covers fit our baby best and they’re available used on ebay. I also found a bunch of them at Robb’s one day — jackpot! Here’s our method for cloth diapering: http://kansaslife.wordpress.com/2013/01/25/cloth-diapering-our-system/. I’ve noticed many online posts that make cloth seem so complicated. Like you said, though, it really doesn’t have to be such a big deal.
http://www.joann.com/babyville-book-cloth-diapers-made-easy/zprd_11108966a/ This is the link to the book my mother used to make our cute and cheap cloth diapers.
Thanks. I stopped cloth diapering my second because I couldn’t afford the AI2′s that were less bulky and Dad was more helpful in changing. Baby 3 hardly used the prefolds and covers we still had, but I think I can get some for my slim toddler to use until Baby 4 arrives. We are back in! Thanks for the info.
I came across your site from Pinterest and wanted to share with you what diapers I am going to use
I just bought my diapers from theluvyourbaby.com and in doing alot of research I found the kawaii brand diapers were just as good as the expensive diapers. The great thing about kawaii diapers is that they come with 2 microfiber inserts! I was able to get a total of 30 pocketed diapers (with the 60 inserts) and 24 prefolds with 6 covers and I only spent $190!!!!
I was also shocked in my research to find that alot of the expensive brands of diapers didn’t hold up as well as the kawaii brand! I was excited that my complete diapering collection was less than $200!!! That’s a huge savings compared to disposables. Also, I have 3 kids that we did disposables with. This lucky baby number 4 will save us so much! Wahoo for saving money
I have a rather unique problem that in raising 4 other children I never came across. My youngest is now 22 months old & we have been dealing with allergy issues pretty much since she was born. We think there is a dairy allergy, however we are now wondering if it is a diaper allergy instead. Doesn’t seem to matter how closely we monitor her diet or what brand diapers we use her bottom stays irritated & when it flares it blisters, bleeds, weeps & hurts. She’s miserable! I’ve thought seriously about cloth diapering her but with being so close to when she may be able to potty train (which would be best for her bottom) I didn’t want to invest a ton. I am NOT very handy with a needle & thread but hopefully some of your other options will work for us. Thanks for breaking it down on the cheap.
Sara, we also have an issue with a diaper allergy on certain brands (only Luvs works for us for disposables). Our little buddy got a bad rash up his back when we used those certain brands, it was bad! I hope you can find some cloth to get you through until potty training!
Sometimes it’s the chlorine in the disposables that irritate children, but why not go ahead and start training her, if you haven’t already? I’d just buy her those really thick cotton training pants, with the rubber liners to go over top. She’ll be more uncomfortable when wet in those which I find motivates them more to use the toilets than, say pull-ups. Since it’s getting warmer, I’d let her run around in the backyard, if you have a privacy fence, undressed from the bottom down. The sunshine and fresh air should help clear her bottom, and of course, you can just go ahead and put the potty out there, and when you see her start to go, have her finish in the chair, but you probably already know that. Good luck!
Since my baby is only 3.5 months, he is pooing mostly cottage cheese. I spent 120 dollars total to include the following:
25 prefolds
10 one size diaper covers
1 size small diaper cover
10 BumGenius doublers
8 Trend Lab inserts
1 Wet bag pail liner
1 portable wet bag
32 oz of Bac Out
I go through about 15 inserts a day and about 2-3 covers. I wash every day. This is my process:
-Toss ALL dirty diapers into the wash machine
-Medium lvl Hot/Cold wash water setting
-Regular wash with extra rinse cycle setting
-Let soak for 30 minutes with a 1/4c Bac Out and a cap of All Free and Clear
-Light Tumble dry inserts for 100 min
-Hang covers in bathroom with dehumidifier on (I live in the Azores and dehumidifiers are a NECESSITY and very convenient for indoor linedrying.)
All in all, I do VERY little work with cleaning since I also clean his clothes in the same load. I don’t pre spray anything or dunk anything yet in the toilet since his poos aren’t even solid and he isn’t on solid foods yet. I have yet to have a stain or stinky clothes or any residue left in my wash machine. I never run out of diapers and they are still holding up through the gagillion washes. We used disposables the first month and I have to say I greatly appreciate not having such smelly trash in my house nor having to lug such heavy trash to the trash bin with a 15lb baby strapped to my chest.