When we were pregnant with our second child we were trying to find ways to cut corners cost-wise. We’d thought about cloth diapering before and decided to investigate further. Aside from saving money we found that there were a lot of other benefits to cloth diapering… and a lot of reasons to stay away from disposables.

Cost of Cloth Diapers vs Disposables

The cost of disposable diapers is roughly $2,694.54 per child.  Each child is unique, so the amount and frequency in which your little one eats, sleeps, poops, and pees will affect how much money you will spend on disposable diapers. Depending on which size your baby is currently in, disposable diapers range from $0.22 – $0.45 each.  When using cloth diapers, the cost is upfront, but  the diapers pay for themselves within about 6 months. After that, diapering is pretty much free.

Consumer Report estimates that the most inefficient washer and dryer system (sounds like mine!) costs approximately $0.78 per load,  more efficient models cost about $0.44 per load. So when you get past that six month mark your only cost with cloth diapers will be running your washer and dryer every 2 to 3 days plus the cost of detergent.

If you want to get more specific with your cost calculations, we like this cloth vs. disposable calculator that breaks down the cost!

http://www.cutofcloth.com/calculator/Calculator.asp

Rashes and Health Concerns

We all hate when our baby ends up with a diaper rash and there are so many causes of diaper rash that it’s hard to pinpoint the cause! Chemical and dye allergies, prolonged wetness, lack of air circulation, and soap can all contribute to diaper rashes.

Disposable diapers have plastic, dyes, scents, sodium polyacrylate, and dioxin. Sodium polyacrylate has been linked to toxic shock syndrome, allergic reactions, and is harmful and potentially lethal to pets. Dioxin is a carcinogenic chemical, according to EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) it is the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals.  It’s banned in most countries, but not in America.  Some dyes and dioxin are even known to cause damage to the central nervous system, kidneys, and liver. Disposables contain Tributyl-tin (TBT) – a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals. Problems reported to the Consumer Protection Agency regarding disposables include, chemical burns, noxious chemical and insecticide odors, babies pulling disposables apart and putting pieces of plastic into their noses and mouth, choking on tab papers and linings, plastic melting onto the skin, and ink staining the skin. Those convenient plastic tabs can also tear baby’s skin if the diaper is not put on right.

The Convenience of Cloth Diapering

Cloth diapers have come a long way since your mama was using them. Now there are many different styles to choose from. Modern cloth diapers fasten with snaps or velcro and even prefolds don’t require diaper pins (we like Snappies). Switching to cloth can be a little awkward at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s easy.

Consider this; currently it is 41 degrees outside, both of my children are napping, and the diapers are in the wash. Isn’t this more convenient than bundling up my babies and waiting for the cold car to heat up so I can haul them off to the store and spend 20 some odd bucks on disposables? You tell me…

As far as laundering goes, the hardest part for us was choosing a detergent. The rest is a cinch. With two small children and a husband I do a lot of laundry anyways so adding diapers to the load made no difference. I simply soak them with baking soda, turn the washer on when it’s convenient, rinse with vinegar, and dry. It doesn’t take long and it’s not hard work. I love the shock when people hear that we cloth diaper. “You wash their diapers?” Unless you’re washing your diapers by hand (which I’ve done) I’m pretty sure you’re washing machine is doing most of the dirty work. All you have to do is choose the settings and add detergent.

Scared to use cloth diapers while traveling? Don’t be! All you need is the basics; extra diapers, wipes, and a wet bag (for wet or soiled diapers and wipes).  If that doesn’t work for your family, there are more options than just cloth or disposable. When we need to run out and don’t want to pack a bag, we just grab a gdiaper. These hybrid diapers are cute as a button and have a flushable insert.

Environmental Impact

Roughly 5 million tons of untreated waste and 2 billion tons of urine, feces, plastic and paper are added to landfills every year. It takes around 80,000 pounds of plastic and over 200,000 trees a year to manufacture disposable diapers for babies in America alone. Some disposable diapers claim to be biodegradable; for diapers to decompose they must be exposed to air and sun.  This is unlikely to happen while sitting in a landfill so you can count on those diapers sitting there for the estimated 500 years before decomposition takes place.