Does using cloth diapers really save money?

Question

Have you tried it..arent' they more cumbersome

Answer 1

I love my baby's cloth bottom! Yes, they are more cumbersome, but baby finds ways of overcoming the fact that they are big - my 5 month old is doing all the things she should for her age.

And yes, they really do save money - almost £10 per week for eco disposables, compared with one outlay of £80 for the cloth - that's only 8 weeks worth of disposables. Add that to the fact that cloth diapers can be used for the next baby, and sold on after that, the extra washing suddenly seems worth it.

Plus, you can get some really cute designs that look lovely under a little dress.

Answer 2

It's saved us money.  

Our diapers cost about $600, and that will last us until my second is out of diapers entirely.  I'll probably be able to resell what isn't entirely worn out for about $200.  I used some disposables with my older son, but my younger son has never worn one.

I wash diapers twice a week, and that doesn't add enough to our water/sewer bill to notice.  I line dry, so no electricity for the dryer.

Answer 3

It depends. If you wash them in hot water like is recommended, you are using more energy, and you have to figure in the cost of the extra laundry soap. You really can't wash anything else with them so you have to do a separate load, which takes even more energy. If your washer and dryer are in the house it will heat it up in the Summer, which will cause you to either use more fans to cool it down or run the A/C, and in turn cause your power bill to go up.

Answer 4

It cost me more money, I had to watch the cloth diapers all the time.  And when I had people watch her, they didn't want me to use cloth diapers, they wanted pampers.  So I switched.

Answer 5

Of course they are more cumbersome, hence the reason most parents opt for the more expensive disposable diapers.

Some friends of our closely looked into this as 'he' was in medical school when 'she' got pregnant.  The didn't have much money as they were already living in the basement of a relative's house when she got pregnant.    While I don't recall exact numbers, she found that there were three options: Wash cloth diapers your self, use a service, or use disposables.  Disposables were something close to twice the total cost of washing cloth diapers yourself (with using a service being about half way in between).

Answer 6

I use a diaper service so the cost is about the same. The diapers are a little more bulky but it doesn't seem to bother him a bit. Cloth diaper babies also tend to potty train faster because they can feel when they are even a little wet.

Answer 7

My 2-year-old and my 6-month-old both use cloth diapers. The laundry is endless but so long as you have children, you'll have endless laundry anyway.

If you're looking at cost, you can expect to spend something like $2000 per child from birth till potty-training on disposables. If you use cloth, you can spend $200-$500 and still re-use them for a younger sibling or sell them to someone else.

As an added bonus, your baby is less prone to diaper rash and you're helping the environment. I think cloth diapers look cuter too.

Some people say that children using cloth diapers potty-train faster too. I'm not too sure about that one, my eldest didn't potty-train any earlier than his peers who were in disposables.

Answer 8

You bet they save money!  Even if you buy the more expensive and convenient all in one or pocket diapers, you can still save money.  You can sell your used diapers after you potty train your last baby.  If you bought your diapers brand new, you can get most of your money back.  If you bought them used (like I do) you can usually sell them for the price you paid.  After that, all you have is your washing expenses.  That's not much, really, especially if you line dry, which is better for extending the life of the diaper anyway.

Answer 9

I use cloth diapers at home.  It seems to save about 10 to 20 dollars a month.  They are a little bulky but it doesn't seem to slow my daughter down.