Cloth Diapers

When we found out we were pregnant with our first baby, Noah, we pretty quickly decided that we were going to use cloth diapers. I knew that cloth diapering would save us a lot of money in the long run. Noah is now 15 months and we are still using them, and we also have plans to use them with our next baby. Since we have enjoyed using them so much, I wanted to share a little about pros and cons in case you are thinking about cloth diapering as well. 

Cost

Disposable diapers are much more costly than cloth diapers. From a quick Google search, I found that a family can spend between $2,000 and $3,000 per baby for 2 years on disposable diapers. This will vary depending on the brand of disposable diapers, and how soon a baby is potty trained of course.

On the other hand, a family will spend about $1,000 on cloth diapers. Unlike disposable diapers, buying cloth diapers is a one time, up front cost – not a per baby cost. This is because cloth diapers can be passed down to each baby, and even grand babies, since they can be washed and reused. This cost will also vary depending on the brand of cloth diapers, since some are more affordable than others, and how soon a baby is potty trained. 

To give you an example of cost, the cloth diapers we use are the Esembly brand. Esembly advertises that you need 44 diapers from birth to potty training, the total cost of which comes out to about $820.

Here is a better breakdown of the cost for those of you that are considering using Esembly. Esembly cloth diapers come in two sizes (size 1 and size 2), and two pieces (an inner and an outer). Babies don’t need both sizes up front, so the cost can be broken up a little bit. Here are the minimums Esembly recommends and the cost: 

• 24 of the size 1 inner = $296
• 6 of the size 1 outers = $111
• 20 of the size 2 inner (these come in a 3 pack so you’ll get 21) = $301
• 6 of the size 3 outers = $111

Esembly has some extra accessories you can buy if you’re interested as well, but they are not essential. For example, we purchased the overnighters to help with absorbency when Noah started sleeping through the night. These cost $22 for a 4 pack. 

In sum, a family will spend roughly $2,000 to $3,000 on disposable diapers versus roughly $1,000 on cloth diapers for one baby. For the cloth diapering family, they will spend roughly ZERO on diapers for baby number two. Whereas the disposable diaper family will have to shell out another $2,000 to $3,000. For a family with four children, that’s between $8,000 and $12,000… I think that’s solid case for cloth diapers.

Leaks

Cloth diapering is a breeze. We found that they worked 100x better than disposable diapers and containing blow outs. We used disposable diapers for the first few weeks after Noah was born, and it seemed like they were constantly leaking. As soon as we switched to the cloth diapers, the leaks stopped. No more stained clothes or middle of the night outfit changes. 

Overnight the cloth diapers did not leak either. Once Noah started to sleep through the night, we would add in a cloth “overnighter” by Esembly that would boost the absorbency of the cloth diaper. 

When Noah turned 1, we noticed that even with the overnighter, the diaper would be soaked in the morning. They were not necessarily leaking, but probably not the most comfortable on his little bum through the night. So around that time we started to put a disposable diaper on at night. 

Washing

Washing the diapers is also very easy during the first 6 months. No pre-washing is necessary since baby is only drinking milk. After changing Noah, we would simply throw the used diaper into the diaper pail lined with a washable bag. When the bag was full, which was about every 2 days, I would dump the diapers, along with the washable bag, into the washing machine. On a milk only diet, the solids are water soluble, so there is no trouble sticking them directly into the washing machine.

After 6 months and the introduction of solids, the routine changed a bit, but the diapers remained tried and true! We still have no leak issues. We do, however, put a disposable liner in the diaper that we toss with every change. The liners are an extra cost – about $25 for 400 liners – but the cost is worth it to us. The alternative would be pre-washing the diapers before putting them in the washing machine. But that’s a little too dirty, so the extra $25 is worth it to me. After tossing the disposable liner, the diapers go into the diaper pail like they did before, and then to the washing machine once it’s full. 

Going out

Changing cloth diapers when we are out is about the same as a disposable diaper change. The only difference is we don’t throw away the diaper. Instead, we put the cloth diaper into a wet bag, which then goes into diaper pail when we get home. 

When Noah started eating solids, and we started using diaper liners, changing the cloth diapers while out and about got a little more complicated, especially if he had a poop. It gets even more complicated if there is not a trash can nearby for the diaper liner…you see the predicament. So instead we opted to use disposable diapers when we go out.

Overall

We have been very happy with the decision we made to cloth diaper our first baby, and have already decided to use them with our second. The cost of cloth diapering is a huge pro. I have never found them to be inconvenient, but only had to adapt to a few things as Noah has grown and started to eat solids.