For you Moms this may apply to you right now. For many of you, it may be in the distant future. But...today's subject is cloth diapers. I know MANY people who have heard the word "cloth diapers" and pretty much freaked out about how disgusting it is. But, in reality, it really isn't that much worse...and it is far cheaper.
Take these numbers for disposable... Assume that your baby goes through 8 diapers a day (for the first few months that is actually pretty low) and there are 7 days in a week. That totals to 56 diapers every week. If you get diapers in bulk, that is approximately $18-$20 a week. That's about $100 a month. You are going to be doing diapers for probably about 24 months...which is $2400 for each child. But that is the concerning part...it's for EACH child. The numbers add up.
Now look at the numbers for cloth... If you look around, you can get all the diapers you need for between $200-$300. They last for a long time (I fully intend to reuse the ones I am using right now for future children), they are better on the environment, and they are less likely to have diaper rashes. Yes, you have to wash them...but as a Mom, you do plenty of wash anyway. Two-three extra loads of laundry each week really doesn't seem like a big deal. (I wash mine every 2-3 days...depending how many I go through.)
There are plenty of different types of diapers and all of them have their own merits. I have decided to go with prefold diapers, snappis (instead of diaper pins), and one-size diaper covers. The one-size diaper covers have multitude of snaps so that you can tighten and loosen them throughout your baby's time in diapers while using the same diaper cover the whole time. It is awesome!
My favorite site for finding cloth diapers is
Nicki's Diapers. This site has great prices, and also has excellent information if you are just starting into the world of cloth diapers. So...while you may not have kids, it is still something to think about in the future. And if you do have kids...I definitely recommend cloth diapering. It is cheaper, better for the environment, and better for the babies as you are less likely to have diaper rashes. And as an added bonus...they just looks plain cute. :)
We love the "one size fits all" snap diapers! Up until this last baby, Mum has used the "pin-the-diaper-with-two-pins" kind, but when she was given the one-size-fits-all, she was immediately sold. One of the blessings of the snap-up kind is that even the very little children can change the baby, and you don't have to worry about the baby getting poked! I've heard about how some babies have been really hurt by the diaper pins. Glad we use the snap-ups!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Esther
(joyful-maiden.blogspot.com)
I tried the one-size fits all diapers and didn't really like them. Now I use prefold but I fasten them with snappis so it is safer than the diaper pins as the baby can't get poked. But I've heard a lot of people who like the snap-ups! :)
DeleteMy Mom has made a lot of her own diapers and diaper covers and we usually use snappis to secure them. Its really fun to do it this way because of all the cute fabric we can choose :)
ReplyDeleteEva