Diaper Cost Comparison Sheet
Many people say that the diapers you begin with are the diapers you will use until toilet training. We would have to concur. Our hospital made us use cloth from day one (it’s easier to see signs of urination and make sure baby is getting enough to eat). We could have done without the diaper pins (ouch!!), but now that we have cloth diapers with snaps and velcro, we feel pretty confident. How many people do you know bought cloth and then returned them after using disposables at the hospital? All we can say, is – discuss the options carefully, and make a commitment to your decision. For both health and financial reasons, you will want to weigh the choices.
Many people can’t imaging washing diapers, but there are services available. Speaking from personal experience, we’ve been washing diapers for 4 years straight and it doesn’t really phase us. We use a dry pail, throw liners and waste in the toilet, and then put the whole works in the washer with detergent and borax or Oxyclean. In the summer it is terribly satisfying to see a clothesline full of clean diapers, and in winter the dryer makes them soft and fluffy. Our grandmothers didn’t have the option and they never complained.. (expect when speaking of that walk to school in the snow – uphill both ways..). Before you make your choice, check out our Cost Comparison: Disposables, Hybrids, Diaper Services & Cloth Diapers.
Disposables (based on mid-range priced brand name diaper) + Accessories
0-3 months 12 changes per day + wipes + diaper Genie/refills: $479
3-6 months 8 changes per day + wipes + diaper Genie/refills: $320
6-30 months 6 changes per day + wipes + diaper Genie/refills: $1930
30-36 months 4 trainers + 2 diapers per day + wipes + diaper Genie/refills: $562
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TOTAL of 7200 diaper changes for 3 years: $3291
Hybrid Flushable/Compostable Diapers for 0-36 months (No Accessories): Covers, Waterproof Liners & Flushable/Compostable Pads: $3069
Diaper Delivery Service – Two Services available in Vancouver
1. 0-36 months of weekly diaper delivery service + Wipes + Covers + Diaper Pail: $3557
Mixture of Prefold and Contour Diapers & disposable wipes
Purchase your own covers & diaper pail
2. 0-36 months of weekly diaper delivery service + Wipes + Covers + Diaper Pail: $4128
Fitted Diapers & disposable wipes
Purchase your own covers & diaper pail
Service charges to 30 months, then free if not potty trained
Cloth Diapers + Accessories (Pail Liner + Tote Bag + 36 reusable baby wipes) for 0-36 months
48 Organic Cotton Prefolds + 8 Covers + 4 Snappis + Accessories: $415
or..
30 bumGenius One Size Pocket Diapers + Accessories: $825
or..
48 Kissaluv Cotton Fitted Diapers (24 sm, 24 med)+ 8 Covers + Accessories: $910
or..
40 Fuzzi Bunz Pocket Diapers (24 sm, 16 med) + Accessories: $1010
plus..
Home Laundering (based on 15 loads/month, including washer + dryer + detergent) = $533.88 (61% of cost is dryer use)
See also:
Cloth Diapering Basics
gDiapers
All stats and figures provided by New and Green Baby Co. For more information on Cloth Diapering Solutions for your family, visit www.newandgreen.com
2 Comments »
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This looks pretty cloth biased to me. We go through about 5-6 disposable diapers per day for our 3 month old and don’t use any special refill bags for our diaper champ. I’d guess that cuts your cost estimate in half – making disposables far cheaper.
Comment by Annie — September 21, 2009 @ 5:11 pm
Thanks for this! I agree with the lady above (saying it is cloth biased) but I think that is a good thing! It’s amazing how much we spend on diapers.
Our family uses gDiapers (the Hybrid alternative). You can cut the cost of these down by using cloth inserts at home, or when your child gets a bit older to help with potty training.
Also: What’s wrong with being cloth biased? Even though we didn’t go with cloth I think that people should really be considering environmental impact and not just price.
Comment by Rikki — September 23, 2009 @ 11:51 am