Diapers, they tend to cost a lot but they’re kind of a necessity if you have babies, right? There really is no way to get around the cost of diapers whether you go with disposables or cloth. I shared about how we switched to cloth diapers but I thought I would share on how to save on cloth diapers in this post.
I wasn’t to keen on cloth diapers after my first experience but after 4 kiddos in disposables over the years but I knew I needed to rethink the whole disposable vs cloth diapers when we found out baby #5 was on the way. I wasn’t going to be able to hit all the diaper sales at the drug stores like I did when I was pregnant with baby #4 so I wasn’t going to have a nice stash of disposables. That meant paying full price or sale price for disposable which was really hard to swallow after getting disposables for such a great price.
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The initial investment on cloth diapers can be quite expensive but there are some ways to help.
- Request them on your baby registry – You might be surprised on how many stores sell cloth diapers now. Set up a registry on Amazon, Target, Toys-R-Us or another site that sells baby products and have your baby shower coordinator include the registry info in the shower invitation.
- Shop Craigslist – Don’t be afraid to purchase used cloth diapers. You can find some great deals and end up with a great set of diapers instead of just a few.*
- Hit garage sales – You might find a great garage sale selling baby items and who knows, maybe they’ll have a nice stash of cloth diapers for the fraction of the cost of new ones.*
- Thrift Stores – I know a few thrift stores in our area carry used cloth diapers. Don’t forget to check your local thrift stores (especially the baby ones) for them. You might pay a bit more than at garage sales and Craigslist but it still might be better than full price.*
- Bulk Buying – Search Facebook for some cloth diaper buying groups or get together with friends. The more people you have buying, the cheaper the discount can be. I know Alva Baby has allowed bulk purchases (some of mine are from them) and the diapers came out to be right around $4 for a diaper and insert!
- Make your own – If you’re handy with your sewing machine, you can make your own. Places like JoAnn’s Fabric and Hobby Lobby carry the PUL (waterproof material) needed for the diapers. Use the store coupons to bring the costs down even more.
*Check the inside of the PUL (the outer material with the waterproof backing) on any used diapers. If the backing is starting to pull away from the material or has started to split, the diapers won’t be worth anything. You’ll have leaks galore.
Cloth diapering can be overwhelming. There is so much info out there on styles, how-to’s, the why’s, etc. I personally love the pocket diapers. I have some FuzziBunz and Alva Baby pockets. I also have some Flips from CottonBabies. I don’t like the Flips as much since they tend to leak more with my little chunky monkey.
Do you cloth diaper? If so, what are your favorite brands and styles?
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