Today’s guest post is from BC reader Sandra Peoples.
Hi! I’m Sandra Peoples, Mom to 10 month old James. Last week was our first week trying cloth diapers. Here’s our story:
I had casually been thinking about trying cloth diapers for a while. I did a little research on Cotton Babies and Prayer of Hannah. It seemed easy enough. And really, who isn’t interested when they read, “I have spent $150 total on diapers for my son and any future children”?!
On Cotton Babies, bumGenius brand diapers seemed to be the highest-rated cloth diapers. So I spent $92.70 and got six one-piece diapers. There’s no folding, covers, or pins. Last Saturday I got them in the mail. I opened the package and kinda freaked out! It said I had to wash them six times before I start, with special detergent, and can’t wash them with other clothes with natural fibers. So, Saturday I spent more time on the Prayer of Hannah site and learned about washing cloth diapers. They recommend using Dawn dishwashing liquid to wash the diapers, about a tablespoon of regular strength per load. So I washed the diapers and was ready to start on Monday.
James did great for his first day in his new diapers. I got in a good routine of rinsing out the diapers when he wet them. I’m not sure how much they can hold so I changed them more often than I do his disposable diapers just in case.
Day two however, brought a new challenge- a stomach virus with nausea and diarrhea. So my first dirty cloth diaper was a doozie! I got it clean, rinsed, and I threw it in the wash with the other diapers- a cold wash with Dawn, extra rinse cycle, and a hot wash with Dawn, extra rinse cycle. Then I hung them all to dry. The dirty one came out perfectly- white, clean, and neutral smelling!
So far I was feeling good about the experiment with cloth diapers. The websites say you need a three-day supply, six diapers a day. So I ordered the $30 starter kit from Cotton Babies. It includes six Chinese pre-folds, two covers, and one snap. Now my total cost for cloth diapering, with shipping, is close to $130.
Wednesday we headed to Babies-R-Us to see what they had for cloth diapering families. I was especially looking for a product called Bac-Out that you spray on the diapers before you wash them. On the end of one aisle they had basic cloth diapers, pins, and plastic pants for covers. That’s all they had. Looks like I’ll have to order what I need online.
Overall, we have enjoyed our cloth diaper experiment. The bumGenius diapers are more expensive, but worth it to us. I think I will order six more which will give us eighteen diapers total and put our spending up to a little over $200. But when you think about being able to use these diapers until he grows out of them, and being able to use them with future children, the cost is reasonable.
The best advice I have at this stage is to do research before deciding to invest in cloth diapers. There are lots of extras like special detergent, a hose that attaches to your toilet, and diaper pail liners that would add to the cost. Decide on your budget and stick to it until you figure out how cloth diapers will work for your family. We will definitely have more weeks in cloth diapers!
Sandra Peoples and her family live in central Pennsylvania. She and her husband Lee have two sons, David who is 2 ½ and James who is 10 months. She blogs at Today’s Housewife.
Yea for me it was really all the extra you have to buy that pushed the cost over, the detergents and stuff are expensive though i see now that there are some good alternatives, I f I have another baby I'm going to do cloth diapers all the way and just do more research first
sounds great! I make my own laundry soap (i use it for everything except blacks). I have never heard of the dish soap option but I may consider it later ( i do really like my homemade soap!) It really is about recognizing what you’re going to utilize and not. There are so many extras that you do not really need but are available on the market.