Diapers Q&A - i am thinking to use cloth diapers on my coming baby?

i am thinking to use cloth diapers on my coming baby?

can somebody tell me how much will i save using them?

Public Comments

A shitload!
http://www.diaperpin.com/calculator/calculator.asp This is a link to a savings calculator. **And don't listen to the negative answers, they know absolutely nothing about cloth diapering. It saves a lot of money in the long run, washing is pennies per diaper, and it is most definitely not unhealthy. **Do not use bleach on cloth diapers! It will break down their fibers and reduce their life. Also, they are rough against your baby's skin. Just soak in water and baking soda, wash in hot water with your detergent and then add vinegar to the rinse cycle.
Definitely not a lot of time. The extra money you spend washing and drying them can be used to buy disposables. Not unless you are green (thinking of less pollution.)
$0, you're crazy, that's not even healthy any more, ever hear of rotavirus, if not, you will once your baby gets it
It is much less expensive, but I don't have exact numbers. It does take time, but I thought it was worth it when my children were babies. The impact on the environment from disposable diapers is tremendous.
good for you! You are helping with the environment too! i wish i wasn't so lazy!!! i would use cloth too.
Wonderful idea even though it means you end up doing laundry once or twice a day, the diapers dry quick though if you get the gerbers single layer or the ones from JC Penny's. We were able to do this with my first daughter and even with the cost of electricity in 19 mnths we saved precisely $2, 638.32!!!!!!!!! That's using the Wal-Mart Brand, but you want to keep your babies currant size in stock for the times they get sick with the runs, when the grandparents take them, or you're going out of the house. It's just more convient. We did use them at night though so we didn't have to go thru sheets and blankets like mad. The other upside of using cloth diapers on a baby is that a lot are allergic to the perfumes in the diapers so you have less diaper rashes.
Newborns need to be changed every 2 hours minimum. That's a total of 12 cloth diapers needed, per day. You'll need much more than that to keep up with the laundry you'll do washing them. Have you ever washed a poopy diaper? It's not pleasant. The amount of water, electricity, soap, and time/energy spent washing them will quickly cut down on your 'savings'. It's also *not* more eco-friendly. Diapers are biodegratable. They will break down in landfills. The resources used washing cloth diapers (over time, a lot) are not replenishable. Not to mention cloth is not (as) absorbent. So they will have their waste sitting against their skin, which will cause more diaper rash and infection than you will encounter with disposables. Do not waste your money on cloth diapers, you will just end up using dispoables instead.
i don't think it would save much money. considering that whatever u saved on the cloth diapers goes toward the water bill. if trying to clean up the envirement is your main goal then go for cloth diapers. but i really can't see any good in them other then for the envirement. good luck in whatever u decide to do. congrats on baby
go ahead and use them, my parents and most parents to say used them and never had a problem with them, i think they are great. i thought about then them too and if i stayed in a dry country where i can wash and dry outside i will use them but here is almost winter and it will be demanding for me. all in all i love them and they are great and will save a lot.
you save the enviroment a ton of pain, cost savings,, depends on how many disposables you would use, probably 40 bucks a week
Haha! That won't last too long. It's not like you will buy only 1 package of cloth diapers & everything will be fine. With my 3 kids I changed their diapers every 3 hours. Not one of them EVER had a diaper rash. W/ cloth diapers you will have to bleach them w/ every wash. If your baby poops...no, WHEN your baby poops you will have to 'unload' the contents of that diaper into the toilet, rinse all remaining particles (and there will be some) in the tub/sink before that particular diaper makes it to the washer (and now you also have to disinfect the sink/tub). The money you save from buying disposibles will now be spent on an increased water bill and laundry soap and more cloth diapers. A pack of 3 will run a little less then the 'store' brand (and they do work just as well as the name brand). Remember when the baby potties at night you will HAVE to wash everything. Clothes, bedding & diapers. And if you are holding baby probably your clothes also. When baby potties in the carrier/carseat/swing you have to wash/disinfect all that crap (no pun intended) immediately. You can't clean baby then put hin back in 'potty' infested carseat/stroller etc. And you need to clean it before stench and germs set in. Good luck but I wouldn't recommend it.
Good for you!!! All of these negative answers make me sad though. I started using cloth on BOTH of my children when the youngest was 6 weeks and the oldest 23 months. I have loved every minute of it. Washing poopy diapers is not bad, and you don't need anything special. For a newborn(as long as they are breastfed) you don't even have to rinse it! Breastmilk is totally water soluble. For my toddler(and the baby now that he's on solids) I just shake off whatever I can into the toilet, don't swish or anything, then toss the soiled dipe into a bag. I only wash diapers 2-3x a week; and my house DOESN'T smell like dirt dipes. I have never used bleach on any of them(it destroys them). And, for the person that mentioned rotavirus....my oldest had it while I was pregnant, and he was wearing disposables. Both of my boys got horrible rashes while using sposies; we haven't had one since making the switch. Before changing over we were spending $100(!!!!!!) a month on diapers to get thrown away, and another $20 on wipes. Please, PLEASE look into using cloth, it's a decision you won't regret!!!!! ETA~ I have never had either of my sons leak out while in cloth diapers. That is what covers are for. Overnight my youngest wears a prefold with a doubler and a wool cover. My oldest wears a Fuzzi Bunz stuffed with 2 inserts. They are both dry and happy in the morning. And for the comments about having to knock the poop off...you all do realize that you're supposed to do that with sposies too right?
I did cloth with my daughter. I only did it for 5 months. I had planed on doing it longer but had a box of nappies I needed to use before she out grew them. Once we finished the box my partner just kept bringing them home. He didn't want to do cloth from the start so found his chance and went for it. lol. You do DEFINITELY save LOADS of money. I honestly didn't find it that time consuming. Do do washing any way, so what is another 2-3 loads a week. I washed nappies every 2nd to 3rd day. I used environmentally friendly washing powder and I didn't notice my water bill costing us any more. I actually liked folding the nappies ready at night. It was my way of winding down after a busy day. Just beware, they are WAY messier than disposable, lots and lots of pooh and clothes,lol. I also found it hard to find clothes that fitted over a more bulky nappy. I am pregnant again and am determined to it it right this time, all the way till potty training. Good luck
You will save at least 100$ monthly. Make sure you keep some disposable diapers while your on the go!
Hello Yes you will save money in the long run, But you will be washing all the time. I am a mother of a 2 almost 3 year old. You will be toooo Tired to think about washing diapers. Just buy the disposal kind so you can get some rest when you baby comes you are going to need all the rest you can. If you use disposal diapers just think about potty training soon as the child is intersted in it then use the washable kind of training pants. The disposal kinds are EXPENSIVE more than diapers then you will feel like washing them. That is my advice.
My goodness, some people just don't know what they are talking about! We started using cloth diapers when my #3 son was about 6 mos. old. I'm so sorry I didn't start using them with the first baby. Think of all the money we would have saved! We use Fuzzi Bunz during the day and disposables at night and when we are away from home for long periods. After I take the diapers off, I put them in a laundry basket next to the changing table. Every couple of days, I do an extra load of laundry with just diapers. If there is a poopy diaper, just shake the poop into the toilet, wipe off any excess with toilet paper, then do a cold water pre-wash, then it goes back in with the other wet diapers. I have not had any problems with leaks or blow-outs with the cloth diapers. Yes, just like disposables, they will leak occasionally, especially if you don't change them often enough :) But I find that with the cloth, they only leak a little bit when they do leak, but with the 'sposies, leaks were a huge mess. To answer your original question, you can expect to save between $500 - $2000, depending on what type of cloth diapers you buy and how many kids you have. One poster gave you a link to an online calculator and I would use that if you want a more precise number.