Have you thought about using cloth diapers, but are still unsure? If the cost is the factor, here’s how to get your own cloth diaper stash for only $100!
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Cloth diapers. Either you’re a lover or a hater.
I was a lover, then I was a hater. Now I’m a lover again.
Trust me, you’re gonna want to hear this story.
I have been cloth diapering baby #6 for 9 months now. I think that is plenty of time for me to have experience about all you are going to experience with cloth diapers. I want to tell you what kind of diapers I love, where to get them, and all the pros and cons! And, how YOU can start cloth diapering at right around $100!
But first, the back story…
Back in the day when we had Baby #3, I decided to exclusively cloth diaper. We decided to go the route of the pocket diapers with microfiber inserts. I bought Alvababy pocket diapers and thought they were great! They were cute, they were soft, and once I purchased the diapers, I was done! No more diaper purchases!
For about 4 months. After that time they started to stink like a farm and leak like crazy. I was a bit nervous to have anyone hold my baby because I didn’t know if this would be one of those times that her diaper would leak or not.
I tried all the tricks of stripping diapers, special diaper soaps, etc. Nothing worked for more than a week or so. I stayed the course and kept her in cloth diapers until she was potty trained. Honestly, I was a little relieved when that day came. I felt like a champion for having stuck it out.
Enter Baby #4. I tried for a week and those diapers kept leaking. I blamed it on the fact that Baby #4 was a boy, the plumbing was different therefore it wouldn’t work, and I was done! But I held on to those diapers! I finally sold them super cheap on an online indoor yard sale along with the other millions of mamas that want to sell back their cloth diapers. And wouldn’t you know it, I couldn’t stop thinking about those stinking (literally) diapers!
The Turning Point
Baby #6 came along at just over 9 lbs and was already wearing size 4 diapers at 4 months. I was doing the math and sweating bullets over how expensive her little tushie was going to be! I headed right back to those online indoor yard sales, but this time with a different tactic.
After doing TONS of research, I realized that because of our extremely hard water, there was too much build up on the microfiber diapers. I needed to go with a natural fabric, not a synthetic one. I was on a mission to find someone to convince me that the old school cotton prefolds were the way to go.
I sat and texted a mom who had her cloth diapers for sale on an online garage sale until past 10 one night about diaper sizes, shells, snappis, and poop. It all seemed a foreign language, but this mom convinced me. I decided that I would spend $100 to buy my supply and then commit to only using the cloth diapers until the time passes that I would have spent $100 on disposables.
My Favorite Cloth Diapers
I absolutely, hands down, LOVE the Thirsties Duo Wrap Covers with Snaps.
High Rating
For one, these were the covers that mom recommended I get and she had diapered 4 kids in them. Sounds pretty tried and true to me. Also, on Amazon, they are the highest rated diapers with the most reviews. Sold.
Fit
I ordered my diapers through Diaper Junction and was given a free diaper cover. While this cover was still amazing quality, the fit was not nearly as great as the Thirsties Duo Wrap Covers. It fits across the middle perfectly, with just the right amount of overlap on the sides that not matter how wiggly my baby is, the diaper stays in place. It also has the double leg gussets which means there are two elastic layers to catch any leaks. My baby was blowing out of disposables to her shoulders while still somehow keeping the diaper clean. I have had 3 leaks total in these diapers. They were all in the first week though, so I’ll chalk that up to user error.
Snaps
I definitely got snaps over velcro (or aplix as some diaper companies call it). I don’t have to worry about the velcro wearing out over time or snagging on other things. The snaps have worked perfectly.
Cost
While $13 a diaper cover may make you nervous, there are plenty of other diaper covers WAY more expensive than this. Basically, in all my research, these really were the best bang for my buck. I was willing to pay more than the dirt cheap ones that I found because the reviews were so great. They don’t come in all the different designer designs, which is probably one large contributing factor to the cost staying low.
What I Bought
Diaper Covers
I got 7 total diaper covers. 5 were the Thirsties Duo Wrap, 2 were another brand. I use those 2 for my emergency diapers because honestly, I love the Thirsties so much. Even though my daughter was 4 months old, I purchased the size 2 because I knew she would grow bigger, not smaller, and as you can see from the picture, you have room to make the diaper smaller from crotch to waist, but not around the waist. (she was plenty big around the waist to fill this one out!)
Prefolds
I use the prefold inserts in our cloth diapers. These are not all created equal. Please do NOT buy the Gerber birdseye ones that you see at Walmart. They are totally NOT the same thing! They work great as burp cloths, but are not very absorbent for diaper purposes.
Boingos
What in the world are Boingos? Well, it is the newer alternative to the Snappis. Those things that actually hold the diaper on the baby underneath the diaper cover. To be perfectly honest here, the Snappis were the main thing holding me back from doing prefold cloth diapers. They looked weird and super uncomfortable to babies, especially while doing tummy time.
Try it Out!
So, if you add up the total cost for the whole Basic haul:
5 Diaper Covers ($13) each: $65
12 Prefold Inserts ($11 for 6): $22
1 Set of Boingos: $12
Total Cost: $99!!!
Seriously, if you are even remotely thinking about trying cloth diapers, do the math and figure out how long it would take you to save $100 on buying disposable and try it for at least that long. Or, buy them used on an online garage sale! These things hold up so well, and diaper companies want their reputation to last, that they are great to work with if you do have problems.
Cloth diapering has been great for us! It has saved us SO much money over time. Once I got over the initial fear of leaks and stinks, I was sold!
If you still have questions or hesitations, don’t worry! I will have a post all about washing, folding, and other accessories that we have since bought once I knew we were totally committed this time!
I use thirsties duowraps, too, with osocozy better fit prefolds. It’s cheaper to buy a package deal, though. This is where I get mine. https://clothdiaper.com/collections/economy-prefold-packages