The math?

pckfn4life

Hi! Lurker gathering info. Thanks for all the tips & tricks!

Has anyone ever done the math or ran numbers to calculate savings? I'm a business teacher, so I need data/evidence/proof. It's just my nature.

I love the idea of CDing and H is on board, but is it truly cheaper?

kjsmith9

I guess it depends on what brand of diapers you use, when your LO potty trains, etc.  But I've read that average cost of disposables for one child is about $2500 birth to potty training.  I've spent just under $1000 for our stash, and 95% of it is gender neutral.  The only other thing we *might* need before she potty trains is another wool soaker or two.  I'm planning to use everything we have now for future children.

So hypothetically I'm saving about $1500 with this LO, and roughly $2500 for each future child!

I'm sure there are some good real calculations on google though!

unaveragejane

@AFwifelife what browser do you use to get the cloth diaper calculator to work? I can't get it to total in Firefox or IE.

pckfn4life

Thanks for the links and replies.

We are seriously considering only one child; I need to look at pros and cons in all areas not just financial. I've found a local CD swap/garage sale, factoring in second-hand prices may tip the scales.

Thanks!

Aurora_Borealis

We are one-and-done and I still went with cloth. It is still astoundingly cheaper for us.

I live in a very HCOL area, so even on sale name brand disposable diapers are over 40 cents each. Regular price they are 50 cents each. It would easily cost over $2000 to $2500 to diaper one child in disposables here. Yes, there is Amazon Mom, but I have to pay sales tax on Amazon, so it only gets the price down to the 28 to 30 cent range. And I have to be home to receive a package, which isn't going to happen every time. And that still makes 2 years of disposables cost over $1200. Plus it's rare for a disposable-diapered baby to potty train by 2, so going that route would make diapering even more expensive.

DD's diapers cost $700, and I could have spent less. I imagine I'll be able to sell them for $350 to $400. So way cheaper to use cloth. I don't use fancy detergent - just Tide that I'd be buying anyway.

For us, it's been pro all the way and pretty much zero con. The few times we used disposables when DD was still EBF she had a poop leak every.single.time. It was so awful. The only poop leak we've ever had with cloth was due to user error. Plus I love that I've never had to run out and buy diapers. The only reason I can think of where I wouldn't do cloth is if I didn't have a washing machine.

pckfn4life

We rent, but are here for two years and the washer is he. I love the idea, I'm also worried I won't find daycare in my area that will use cloth. All in all, lots to take in and learn. I'm a control freak so this is great info. Ty!

That+One+Girl

I also live in an area were everything is super expensive, we use flats and I love them (maybe I am crazy) they are great but do have a slight learning curve. Because we use flour sack towls from Walmart (kitchen section of the store) the cost was less than $1 per diaper, I did spend a little more on covers because we had the budget for it. However if flats are not your thing (or daycare/grandparents/db) then lots of great diapers are out there, and there is nothing wrong with used diapers just clean them properly and you can resell them when you are done. It is a bit of upfront investment but it is worth it!

sarenu1

A word of caution when buying used. Make sure the diapers are in good condition.

Elastic can stretch and PUL can crack.

The PUL on my bumGenius diapers is still great after 15 months of use, but I can tell the elastic will need to be replaced before we use them on the next child.