Diapers Q&A

Diapers!!!!!!!!!!!!?

What's the cost differnce between cloth diapers and disposiable diapers. What he cost of each? How many do you need, and for how long? Wouldn't the BM or urine leak througH?

Public Comments

1. Over the life of your baby, disposables cost from about $2500 to $5000 depending on which brand you use and how long your baby takes to potty train (it takes longer if they are in disposables than in cloth). For a detailed breakdown of how this number came about, read the article below. In contrast, we use cloth diapers and it cost use about $150for the diapers (we use prefolds), about $18 for the diaper fasteners (we use snappis, cost about $2 each), and have someone knit wool soakers for covers (which cost about $5 each to knit and I need about three new ones every three months for the first year). So what's that, about $200? There are hundreds of different cloth diapering "systems". How many cloth diapers you buy and how much they cost will depend on which system you buy. Also, you can often buy them used. Google cloth diapers and you can learn more about all the options. You can spent a lot of $ (but still MUCH cheaper than disposables) or very little (like us). Basically the question is, how often do you want to do laundry? I go through about 100 diapers/week (but I am obsessive about changing my baby). After the first few weeks of a baby's life, count on at least 6-8 changes/day. Get as many diapers as you need to get you there based on how often you want to do laundry. Contrary to another poster: you do NOT have to bleach your diapers or soak them prior to washing. Also, figure on only 1-3 soiled diapers/day (the poopy ones) the rest are just clear urine. Another thing to think about: did you know that technically you are supposed to dunk every soiled disposable in the toilet to remove BMs? Read the label ... IN RESPONSE TO YOUR ADDITIONAL DETAILS: Do they leak? No not at all. I actually find that I get more leaks when we use disposables, which we do from time to time when I don't have a chance to get laundry done or if we run out of cloth when we aren't at home. I think you will be amazed by the cloth diapering options. Many of the AIO (all-in-ones = diapers plus covers) are made of fancy fabrics that keep things in. As for our set up (cotton prefolds and wool covers), here is why they don't leak (in a nutshell): 1. Cotton is very absorbent. It would be hours and hours before my baby would pee enough to make them soaking wet. In fact, we double them at night and she sleeps about 12 hours/night without a diaper change just fine - I even nurse her to sleep. This always surprised me, that she could be comfortable for so long while lying in dampness, but I talked to an adult diaper wearer who told me cotton diapers are much more comfortable than disposable ones (like depends), especially when they are wet. The way I see it, you'd have to feed a baby frequently for more than 10 hours w/o changing the cloth diaper to get it dripping wet. Anyone who would wait that long to change a diaper is just insensitive and inviting diaper rash. Maybe this is why cloth diapered babies have lowier rates of diaper rash??? 2. As to leaking BMs. Contrary to what non-cd (cloth diaper) users might think, it's actually the quality of the diaper fold that keeps in solid and gooey BMs. There are dozens of different ways of folding diapers and putting them on the baby. We use the "bikini twist" which creates a pocket to catch the nastiness. 3. When the diaper is wet (even VERY wet - like you could wring it out) it doesn't leak through the wool cover because the cover is lanolized. I treat them with lanolin every time I wash them, which is only when the diaper leaks BM onto the cover (very rarely) at at least once every two weeks. The presence of lanolin is what keeps sheep dry for example, when it rains. So, the dampness on the cover is like water rolling off a ducks back. If you know what I mean. The best thing about this is that when you knit the covers, you use a loose weave (not a tight one) so the cover keeps in the dampness while at the same time allowing the diaper to "breathe". This is great for keeping the baby at the right temp (never too hot in the summer and always warm in the winter) and for helping to prevent diaper rash. 4. When the inside of the wool cover does get a little damp, it dries in minutes. Also, wool has natural antimicrobial properties so unless there is literally feces on it, there is no need to wash it. Just let it air out for a bit, in the direct sunlight is ideal.
2. for the time that you will need diapers about 3 to 4 years, perhaps longer, you will save hundreds of dollars. start of with about a dozen and replace as needed....good luck
3. you will go alot of nappies and i mean a lot. you will have enough washing to do with all your baby's clothes and bibs and blankets with all the baby spew and every other mess the make with out adding the 20/30 nappies you will be changing a day till they are bout 2 years old, buying disposable is a small price to pay to cut a bit of work, especially if you got a spare minute you want to catch up on some sleep. NOT WASHING!!!
4. Well, I can tell you that the cost difference is minimal unless you intend to wash them on your own. Even then the cost difference is not significant since you will need to be washing a lot more thus using a lot more water, detergent and bleach. In addition these need to be soaked in a bleach solution prior to washing, and often need to be washed twice. Disposables obviously are one time use so they can be a little easier for travel since you won't have to carry dirty ones home with you. Although depending on your style you may spend lots on disposal systems and refills. I would suggest a diaper pail like the Diaper Champ that uses a regular trash bag if you go the disposable route. With cloth you will need to wash them off in the toilet and then have a bucket or diaper pail to soak the dirty diapers in a bleach/water solution. With regard to how many diapers you will need plan on 8-10 per day. Chances are your baby will be in diapers for a minimum of 2 years so do the math... You need a lot of diapers.
5. Cost difference depends on what and how - brand name disposable vs. generic, bought in bulk or bought in smaller packages, etc. Cloth diapers depends on using a diaper service or buying your own, prefolds or all-in-ones. Are you going to buy new or used? Do you plan on having more children, so you can use them more than once? Expect your child to be in diapers, at least part-time, for at least 2-4 years (perhaps shorter for cloth than for disposable). Expect to go through anywhere from 6 -12 diapers a day for a newborn. You may use fewer disposable if you don't mind letting your baby sit in a wet diaper. How many total cloth you will need depends on how often you want to do laundry. You'll probably want to wash at least twice a week to avoid stinky diaper pails. Most cloth diapering websites have guidelines on how many to purchase. Usually, cloth diapering is cheaper than using disposable diapers, but it costs more up-front.
6. oh cloth diapers freakin rock! there exists big cost differences in type of cloth diaper you choose....you could spend several hundred or very little money.....and usually the lower end of the money scale you go the less quality......unless you find a hell of a deal on ebay(i have....i LOVE that) cloth diapers come in many styles and shapes.....from levels of size to one size fits all the best route to go is one size fits all fitted....i have hemp/cotton blend Growing Greens.....they fit babies 5lbs to 35lbs.....meaning this is the only diaper i have ever need to buy!....awesome huh? hemp is my favorite fabric....very very durable, very absorbant, antimicrobial, naturally organic....you can't go wrong and you'll need a couple of covers for your diapers...most diaper vendor sites sell covers too here check out growing greens website.....i even dyed my diapers pink and purple for my daughter and they are cute......look on ebay for these too....the vendor frequently has sales for their "seconds"......and a now and then mamas put up their used or new growing greens on ebay...... good luck! edit.......stephanie is WRONG......NO bleach ....this will ruin your diapers......and my water bill has NOt gone up.....not by one penny in 4 month of cloth diapering......it has made no difference on water bill, detergent and all that....the work that goes into cloth diapering is VERY minimal edit......i totally agree with Belinda.....it is very nice to know that all you have to do is put the diapers in the wash machine....easy as that....really.....what a relief to know that when i go shopping it's for food and other household necessities and NOT for diaper and wipes and all that crap....we even cloth wipe and they wash right up with the diapers
7. Check out this website. There's a calculator that helps you figure out how much you'll save by switching to cloth. For me, it was substantial! It was well over $1000 for two children, and I didn't even start CDing until my first child was almost two! For a newborn, you'll want AT LEAST two dozen diapers and 6 covers to get started. I love prefolds with a Snappi and a Prorap or a Bummis SWW. For a newborn, fitted diapers are nice. I also use some pockets (BumGenius one size--they really are one size!) for going out, overnight. One of the many (many, many) benefits of cloth is your child will potty train earlier. My 23 month old trained herself in a few days. All I had to do was pass out some M&Ms every so often. I buy my prefolds for $1.50 a piece for newborn sizes. Proraps are about $8 a piece and Bummis are around $11. I figure you can get a good beginner stash for $100-$200. You will need to periodically purchase new covers, Snappis and when your child outgrows the infant size prefold, you'll need regular or premium size. You need fewer covers as your child grows. Here's another secret: cloth diapers are soooo easy to make. Who cares what they look like, right? No one will see them! There's an article out there about a woman who diapered her grandson for free! How cool is that? It sure beats the thousands of dollars that top-shelf disposable-diapered babies require! Also, cloth is so easy. Wouldn't you rather throw in another load of laundry than run to Wal-Mart? Can you go into Wal-Mart without buying a bunch of stuff you could probably live without? I can't. Besides, who wants to get dressed to go on a diaper run? Trust me, it's easier to stay in your jammies and do laundry. Shera--*high five!* CDs totally rock! BMs rarely leak out of the cover, especially if you use fitted diapers or prefolds with a Snappi. urine will leak if you don't change in time or if you forget to tuck the diaper around the legs, but that becomes second nature. Disposables leak at every little poop. Especially with a newborn. Seriously, you're going to be doing extra laundry anyway, you might as well wash poopy diapers instead of poopy sleepers (blankets, crib sheets, onesies, socks, mom's T shirt, your bed sheets . . .)
8. You will need three or four dozen cloth diapers probably four dozen. Sounds like a lot but it's not. Haven't looked at them lately as to the cost. They will last untill your child is all potty trained and they'll be good for future babies to use. Disposiable diapers do not decompose in the land fill for years & years and I don't know if the plastic ever does decompose. They just sit there and take up room. When you figure up the cost how many you need for at least a year you'll see cloth diapers save a LOT of money.Cloth is better. WHOA! I just typed in cloth diapers and got a whole list of selling sites. Things have all changed, when I had babys you could buy diapers by the dozen, you better go to that site.
9. disposiable diapers are better than cloth diapers anywhere you go you need to change diapers and throw away so i don't want to wash in the middle in the nite so disposiable diapers