This past week I officially entered the 2nd trimester of my pregnancy and I have started making my preliminary "must have" baby list. Along with research on car seats & strollers, I've also been thinking a lot about diapers. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this, but our budget for the first 7 months after law school is going to be very tight and diapers are a huge expense. I read several blogs of mama's that cloth diaper, it's been amazing to read how much they save and how easy it can be.
From the majority of reviews I've read, I'm leaning toward the Fuzzibunz One Size diapers.
Each diaper runs about $19, so it's an investment in the beginning, but the one size diapers adjust for a newborn baby all the way up to 30lbs. Here's my breakdown in dollars over a year...
Disposable diapers per month = approx $150.00
$150 x 12 months = $1800.00
20 Cloth diapers = $380.00
Disposables for night sleeping/travel = approx $300
Total with cloth & disposables = $680.00
Total savings using cloth year 1 = $1120.00
Total savings using cloth year 2 & 3 = $1500.00
These are obviously just rough estimates, especially since I'm not positive how many diapers a baby uses in one day, but it's obvious that cloth diapers will save us a substantial amount of money. The downside of cloth diapering is that it's not near as convenient as disposable diapers and it requires doing more laundry. With that said, I think we would stick to disposables at night and for traveling in the beginning to keep things simple.
If any of you mama's out there have helpful information ya'll would like to share about cloth diapers, from personal use or friends who use them, I would love to hear from you. We haven't completely made up our mind but I can't think of any reasons to not give it a try......even if it's a bust.
For those that are interested in more information &/or reviews on cloth diapers, check out the blog posts below:
Holy cow, where did you get your cost of diapers per month because I think it's pretty high. Newborns use the most diapers, so at your highest usage, it'll be about 10/day or 300/month. A box of Luvs, size 1, 264 count on 1800diapers.com is $39.99.
ReplyDeleteBut my favorite argument, from our hydrology engineer friend, is that, esp. in the Western US, we have plenty of space (landfills), but water (lots of extra loads of laundry to wash diapers) is a pretty scarce resource, so maybe cloth isn't as "green" as people claim. :) I'd personally rather just chuck the dirty diapers, but each to their own.
I've heard from several mom's about online sites where you can get diapers for cheap, which is super helpful information. Even if I only spent $40 a month on diapers it would still be cheaper in the long run to use cloth diapers.
ReplyDeleteAs for the landfill vs. water discussion......I look at it this way, just because we have the space doesn't make me feel any better about filling landfills with diapers that will take 500+ years to decompose. Water is a renewable resource, unlike the plastic in diapers, and washing an extra load of laundry every other day will not equal more than a couple extra flushes of the toilet.
Convenience, in the end, tends to trump money and the environment so I'm sure we will use our far share of disposables. Either way I think we've decided to give cloth a go.......to each their own :)
Well, good for you guys. My one friend that uses them likes them. (Of course, she also uses Diva Cups & Lunapads. Now that's commitment!)
ReplyDeleteI wasn't sure what either of those were so I googled it. I can firmly say that I am not that committed.
ReplyDeleteIf I might make a small suggestion...by just a small supply of the cloth diapers to begin with to make sure you like them. Just in case. I speak from experience.
ReplyDeleteAnd I googled too. Wow. Never even heard of those things.
Check out Mrs.SouthernBelle's blog - you can get to it from mine. She blogged about cloth diapers and loves them! Whatever floats your boat :)
ReplyDeletecloth diapers are GROSS... just saying... hahaha - one gals opinion... and this gal doesn't have any tinys. My mom used them on my little sister and I still have nightmares about them. But then again I was 8... Maybe my memory of it is worse than the reality.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't they make diapers that are biodegradable? Do they??
Meg...you are hilarious. Cloth diapers have come a long way since Molly was a little girl. I think we should plan a date to Flectcher's so we can check them out.....and register for other cute things.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Hannah. I, too, considered using cloth with Ben. However, for me, the time to wash wasn't worth the savings. Also, remember to register for diapers. And don't be afraid to ask for them. With each pregnancy, I received enough diapers to last for the first 13 weeks. And the biggest thing about disposable diapers, to get the most bang for your buck? You have to coupon an comparison shop. I rarely pay over $9 a package. A pkg lasts a week for Ben. That is only $468/year. Every week, at least one store will have them on sale. And I am not running all over town to buy cheap diapers. Btwn. publix and cvs, huggies and pampers are usually on sale.
ReplyDeleteIt really all boils down to personal preference. What you have the time/patience for. And what you feel is best for your baby/family. Just don't rule out disposable b/c of cost ;)