Cloth Diapering: Working out the Costs

I’ve come to believe there are two kinds of people in the world: those that use cloth diapers and those that would never even consider it. While I realize that’s a sweeping generalization, it’s true that cloth diapers are staggeringly underrepresented in the United States. And this is unfortunate, because they’re really cool. Modern cloth diapers are not, in any way, shape or form, your mama’s plastic pants. Not even close.

Cloth diapers today are hip, functional and stylish, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I first discovered cloth diapers when my oldest (who’s now nine) was still a bun in my oven. I fell in love with the idea, but I was completely non-committal about the prices. (I eventually went on to start my own cloth diaper business in response to my cheap nature, but that’s another story.) Even mass manufactured cloth diapers will result in sticker shock when compared to disposable paper diapers. The thing is, you have to change the way you think about a diaper. With cloth diapering, a diaper is no longer a disposable product; it’s more of a commodity. The best part is, it really is cheaper to use cloth diapers.

Back then, one of the first diapers I learned about was the Bumkins All-in-One (AIO). AIO diapers function much like disposable diapers in that they don’t require a separate cover. Today, you can buy a new Bumkins AIO for about $13 on sale. In contrast, a single Pampers Cruiser diaper costs 41 cents. The difference is that the $13 clothes diaper can be used dozens, if not a hundred times, and a disposable diaper can only be used once. Suddenly, that $13 investment is looking pretty good. If you use it 100 times, it costs you 13 cents every time you put it on your child. Again, the paper diaper costs 41 cents; in order to get 100 “uses,” you’d have to buy 100 diapers at a cost of $41. For the same money, you could get three Bumkins cloth diapers that you could use a total of 300 times. That’s 41 uses versus 300 uses for the same money. The same money, people!

The bottom line is, cloth diapers are bigger investment on the front-end, but one that will pay off over time. And listen, the whole cloth diapers vs disposable debate is really worthy of a series, so I won’t even go further right now. Instead, I’d just like to tell you that it’s possible for cloth diapering to save you money. You can help offset the initial investment by buying cloth diapers piecemeal. Buy one or two diapers a week; more if you can. You don’t have to buy them all at once, and I wouldn't recommend that anyway. Every cloth diaper is different. From diaper fabric to fit to construction, you will not find a single cloth diaper that is exactly like another. In that case, you might have to try out a few before you decide on your preferred system.

Cloth diapers range in price from a few dollars to $50 or more. No, that’s not a misprint; I've personally seen a single diaper sell for well over a hundred dollars. Heck, I've sold cloth diapers for more than one hundred dollars. However, if you’re reading this because you want to save money on cloth diapers, you should consider those on the lower tier. The good news is, there are plenty of really great diapers out there in the $10 to $15 range, and I believe that’s a good place to start. Anything less than that and it’s almost certain that the diaper isn't all that great. A not-so-great diaper probably isn't going to function all that well, and you’ll quickly get frustrated and quit. Instead, do yourself a favor and just commit to buying a few diapers and trying them out. Look around and you’ll find plenty of places where you can buy new and used cloth diapers.

So, consider this article the first in a series. In the future, I hope to cover a lot more topics including making cloth diapers, explaining the most common types of diaper fabric, choosing the best fit based on your child’s body shape, the pros and cons of newborn cloth diapers and all about WAHM cloth diapers. Until then, I hope you've found this article to be useful and insightful.