Diapers Q&A
about how much will we spend when a new baby comes if we are breastfeeding and using cloth diapers?
Also how much is a breastpump (electronic)
Public Comments
- If you want to get a good breast pump, buy the Medela pump in style!!! It is about $250 but totally worth it! Consider that you'll be saving about $5 a day for formula. (35/week, 140/month, etc) You won't have too many costs for your little one right away, especially if your breastfeeding. Clothes, bibs, crib, carseat, etc. Save money for doctor's visits, and for the new costs that will come as your baby grows up!
- Don't make this your deffinate plan unless the mother already has experience with both!!! i know because this was my plan as well and both fell through. I couldn't breastfeed because I wasn't producing and the cloth diapers were a mess going out with and my daughter constantly busted out her diapers on a daily basis! It was a total nightmare! But if you think you can do it then I would say go for it and you will save a lot of $$.
- you still need to buy clothes blankets socks onesies about every 3 or 4 months and if using cloth diapers a lot of laundry soap. just depends on what you get but I would say $100 every few months. If I where you the extra money for disposable diapers is well worth it1 as for the breast pump it just depends on what kind you get but I thing around $30. check at the hospital they sometimes rent them out.
- How much time will you spend? The question should be, how much free time will you have. Sorry and happy to say, none. You will breastfeed every 2-3 hours, taking into consideration that some feedings can last an hour. Just prepare to spend all of your waking hours with your new baby in the first few weeks. It's a great time for you and your baby and for bonding. The cloth diapering is a great idea, it also takes getting used to but you will fall into a routine that will work for you by trial and error. Knowing also that BM's the first few days are still meconium and can be challenging to get clean. Also take into consideration that all BM's while breastfeeding are liquid and can be ( umm) explosive. So, be prepared for that also. I know from my experience that electronic breast pumps run about $200. I wouldn't suggest bottle feeding for the first few weeks though, you want your baby to get used to your breast. congrats!!(OH I guess you meant how much $$ and not how much time-- pregnancy brain!!!!) :)
- I breastfeed and we just switched to cloth diapers. After the initial investment in diapers, furniture, clothes, etc, there's really not much to buy if you nurse and cloth diaper. New clothes as baby outgrows them, a little more on your power/water bills for cleaning the diapers, and that's about it. It's really more about how much you're saving - breastfeeding saves $1000-$2000 a year, and cloth diapering is saving me $75-100 a month!
- As a breastfeeding, cloth diapering mama, I was surprised at how little our babies cost for the first year. We got most of the big stuff at showers, plus enough clothes and blankets to outfit a dozen babies, it seemed! We don't go through all that much laundry detergent (using too much can cause problems, anyway) and the power and water bills stayed about the same. A few doctor copays were definiely added expenses, but we went out less and less extravagently, so it more than made up for it. I bought a used Lactina (rental grade pump) on eBay for about $250. It's worth looking into. Congratulations!
- I would suggest you use disposables for the first few weeks at least, until you fall into a routine. You'll be very tired, still adjusting to the needs of your baby and babies tend to poo a lot in those first few weeks. Also unless you're very sure which type of cloth diaper you want to use, you might want to buy a few and try them out first before you decide to buy more. There are several types and brands of cloth diapers - all-in-ones, pocket diapers etc. I tried a few (bought used diapers) before I decided one-size pocket diapers were right for me. I spent a total of about $300 on those diapers. What the others said is true, after the initial spending spree buying all the stuff you need, you'll spend very little if you're nursing and cloth-diapering.
