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Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Why I Choose Cloth

I thought it would be nice to put some more information out there about WHY I love my cloth diapers. Most people think I'm criminally insane at the very thought of washing a dirty diaper. I am out to prove them wrong!

For my family, with two kids in diapers:
Case of disposables: $35 x 2 kids = $70 We went through about a case and half every month (per kid). 70 x 1.5 = $105 a month.
IF both my kids are potty trained by 36 months (2 and half years old) we would spend $3150 on diapers. This does not include the cost of Pull Ups for potty training, or purchased diapers that were outgrown before use.

Cloth diapers: I bought one-size pocket diapers for $10 each. I bought 30 so I would have enough for two kids and wash every other day. Total cost of diapers $300 from birth to potty training.

Here is a link to cost savings calculator, which factors in which type of diapers used, the cost of water and electricity usage from washing, and the cost of detergent. I recommend checking it out for a very accurate cost-savings comparison.
http://www.diaperpin.com/calculator/calculator.asp

Disposables: $3150 - Cloth $300 = $2850 saved! What could you do with an extra $2850?

This also does not cover the re-sale value (yes, you can buy and sell used cloth diapers) or what you would save on using them for multiple children. Even if I only sold them for 10% of what I paid (they usually sell for 15-50%), then I would make back $30! What do you get back when you use disposables? Nothing! Decide to have another baby? Great! You don't have to buy more diapers! If you had 2 kids in disposables for $3150 (birth to potty training), then decided to have two more, you would spend $6300 on DIAPERS!!! If you used cloth, you'd never have to buy another diaper again! You could save thousands!!

I've found that I actually wash a little less laundry since switching to cloth. Wish disposables, we always had blowouts, causing multiple outfit changes, bedding changes, bouncer and swing covers washed. It was always a mess. But with cloth, we never have blowouts or leaks! I no longer have to change and wash 3 or 4 outfits + blankets everyday. I just wash a load of diapers 2-3 times a week. It's much easier than I ever expected! I love the cute patterns, how soft they are, and how few rashes we get! We always got diaper rashes with disposables, no matter what brand we used or how often we changed them. I'm proud to announce we haven't had a single rash since switching to cloth!

I hope new parents will at least consider the option of cloth diapers. These aren't your grandma's prefolds and pins! Cloth diapers have a come a long way. They have snaps and velcro, covers built in, cute prints, trimmer fit and come in a variety of styles! I wish more people would consider cltoh, if not for the cost savings, for the environment, for the baby's comfort, and for earlier potty training! The list of benefits go on and on, but I like that I can save money, while NOT using chemicals on my precious baby's bum!

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