How Much Does It Cost To Start Cloth Diapering?

merrymarie89 · July 2013

I want to know how much you guys paid around when you had your baby for cloth diapering so I have an idea. I heard it's around $500?

Due in feb-

Winter bby -

epapcun · July 2013

It all really depends on the kinds of CDs you use. My stash of primarily prefolds, inserts, one size Blueberry and Best Bottom covers, snappis, wet bags, etc. was between 500 to 600 dollars. I also didn't have newborn sizes in my stash.

Edit: I also have some fitted and contours, which are a little more expensive than prefolds.

FreshBakedBrownies · July 2013

You could get by with spending just a couple hundred dollars if you do prefolds and covers. I like Imagine Smart Fit prefolds from www.nickisdiapers.com.

FreshBakedBrownies · July 2013

I've spent ~$900 though. I have prefolds and covers that I like to use at home, but also needed pockets for daycare. Plus I'm a sucker for cute prints, so I've bought some diapers just because they were cute!

nanabanana06 · July 2013

It depends on many factors. We bought all new and more expensive CD's. So we've spent about a grand on the initial stash, and then another 500$ on extras and fun dipes (and wool :P). However, I've worked out buying new that you could start a stash for about 500-600$. Buying used and cheaper dipes will make it cost less as well.

dragossoul84 · July 2013

We bought 3 packs of six Charlie Banana's $258 (from Target) we got 4 diaper safari diapers at $27.00 (they are BOGO through tonight) Two packs of cloth wipes $24.00 wipe solution $12.50 and a big pot of CJ's for $19.00 so about $340.50

SidraJedi · July 2013

HI! I was due last Feb (ran into March though). Congrats!

As to your ? I used prefolds to begin with (about to move to pockets now that DD is getting rolly and soon will be mobile) and it cost me about $300 to start. We used cloth exclusively the first week. There was a little trouble shooting and trial and error, we started doing CD PT. I spent another $200 over a period of about two months and now have all the dipes I need for newborn to what looks like will turn out to be about 5 months.

I could have spent a lot less if I bought used, waited for sales, etc. Also I have a big stash b/c I only wash my dipes every 3-4 days at a laundromat. (I know, I'm dedicated, Cloth or Bust!) So I need a little more than what I would need if I had my own washer & dryer.

The thing is, with this move to pockets, I'm re-using my old prefolds as inserts and spending about $50 to size up for another few months before I have to spend more. Even with the cost of laundry I'll start to see my initial investment pay for itself soon.

GL!

LEMSA · July 2013

So far I've spent almost 500. But I also had some custom hand made, so that was more. I've only bought 9 brand new. The others were gently used. You can make it work cheap no prob. It just takes time and research. And little by little build up your stash. My husband has no idea what I've spent bc it was small purchases at a time, so it's not like I'm spending huge chunks of money at a time.

Ducktale · July 2013

A lot of people on this board get "addicted" to buying new/better diapers, so the cost is higher. By the time LO gets here, I think I'll have spent about $550 for BOTH a very comfortable newborn and one-size stash, which does include some (not all) higher end diapers. I've shopped around for deals, bought from seconds sales, and bought used. I have some pricier/nicer ones, supplemented with very inexpensive prefolds and Kawaii diapers, which according to reviews on here, work very well too.

megpeg · July 2013

We are using all Kawaiis and alva pockets. DD has been wearing them for around a month. We have spent $175 so far for diapers. I ordered some hemp and bamboo for $42 to make inserts too. $19 for cjs diaper cream and $10 on a small wet bag and made a lg one for $8. And $8 on wash cloths to use as wipes. I will be ordering another night diaper but other than that we are set for a while. As of right now we are at $262.

Eta- we have 22 diapers.

pitterpatter129 · July 2013

We just started and I think I now have enough of a stash to wash every other day, which I'm good with. I have spent around $180. I bought mostly Alvas off the alvababy website. They are around $4 each for a pocket diaper without an insert. I bought a stack of inserts from them too. I made 5 pocket diapers and 6 covers, which also came out to around $4-5 each. And I bought a couple of used ones. I made some inserts too from microfiber shammies from Walmart. Makes them around $1.25 each and they work better than my store bought ones. We had a ton of Gerber prefolds already we use for burp cloths and they seem to work fine as diapers for now. Haven't had a leak yet in two weeks. I bought a wet bag on sale at Target and made one of my own. I had a big supply of fleece fabric already laying around though too. Like anything, you can do it for cheap or spend a ton of money depending on what you buy and how picky you are. If you buy the adorable diapers off Etsy, etc., you can spend up to $20 per diaper. Alvas (and SunBaby) are around $5. I have a couple of different brands and I really can't see much of a difference between the cheap ones, the ones I made, and the expensive ones. Snaps seem like they hold up better than aplix though for sure.

ETA: All of ours are one-size though. We are already past the newborn stage.

ohlordy · July 2013

I have a stash of 36 one size prefolds, 3 small wetbags, and 9 one size covers, all EconoBum. In addition, 4 size one Thirsties Duo Wrap covers, 3 snappis, 2 x large wet bags, and a ton of wipes.

My stash cost $210, excluding the flannel wipes because those were made from leftover flannel fabric I had. It's included all the shipping from when I ordered the stash initially. I calculated the cost of disposables and wipes a few weeks back and we have definitely gotten our money's worth for about a month now.

DD starts daycare in September, so we'll see how well the prefolds work out. For us, this stash works great and we have saved lots of money. I'm not into buying CDs and not really "addicted." If you're looking to save money, it's do-able.

Leannebahuaud · July 2013

So far I've spent 500 on gently used AMP AI2 dipes. I have 22 small, 8 large, 24 bamboo inserts, 12 hemp inserts, 8 microfleece boosters. I stil need the diaper pail, 2 liners, wipes and a sprayer.

kanga1622Wed220857 · July 2013

We've spent around 700 total on diapers, wipes, and wet bags. We use one size pockets and bought brand new for DS1. We added some used one size pockets for DS2. So 700 for diapering two kids seems pretty cheap.

We have used cloth from day 5 or 6 until potty training. DS1 still wears a diaper overnight and he is 37.5 pounds. Same diapers he wore when he was 8.5 pounds just more inserts and adjustments on the elastic.

aquangel · July 2013

On diapers alone I've spent about $550 to date which includes a stash of 37 NB and 28 OS that are all pockets/AIOs. I'd say about 80% of those are considered "premium" brands (BG, Swaddlebees, CB, TotsBots) with just small number of China Cheapies (Kawaii). I kept costs down by buying mostly seconds, EUC on CL, and a few gifts from friends/family.

On accessories I've spent maybe another $100 for 2 pail liners, diaper dekor (in case CD doesn't work for us), 3 wet bags, hemp inserts/doublers, CD cream.

evilgreencows5 · July 2013

I just bought 12 Bg 4.0, 12 Kawaiis, and 2 wet bags for $350.

Edit- I should add we did not use cloth through the newborn stage so I only have one size

boogerbearoriginal · July 2013

It really depends, type you use, brands, etc. If your main goal for CDing is to save money, it can be done for $500 or less from NB-PTing.

At one point I totaled up ~$1k for all my diapers and accessories, although I've since sold/given some away that I didn't use. And since I have a full stash ready for #2, I won't have any expense going forward unless I *want* to buy more. But this wasn't like one giant purchase, it was lots of small purchases over time. I spent around 500 before LO arrived, and more after I learned what types/brands I liked/didn't. I also only purchased new or seconds because I planned to have another and figured they'd be more likely to last.

I don't think $1k is really that much for 2yrs of diapers. And #2 will be diapered for free essentially, so woohoo. We're pretty sure #2 is the last baby for us, so I plan to sell off my stash. I figure I should get a good amount back on my NB stash since it's hardly used at all. And hey, even 20% back on OS stash is more than I'd see from disposables.

=Lee=B · July 2013

We spent just under $600 total. We started using the dipes when my daughter was 1.5weeks old. She has never had a leak or blow out. We have everything we need to get us through toilet training. Everything was bought new and will last for future kids.

We use only Mother-ease one-size diapers. I got 30 dipes, 18 doublers and 10 covers (2xsmall, 4xmed, 4xmed/lrg). We also have a diaper pail liner and a travel wetbag.

Our diapers are not cute by any means and she has a HUGE bum but they work great and we are very happy with them.

How Much Does It Cost To Start Cloth Diapering?

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