Diapers can be a big expense in any household. Up until recently, I had two little ones in diapers, and it seemed like we were going to have to take a second mortgage out on the house. Now I just have one in diapers, but I still need to do what I can to be frugal. There are a lot of options out there when it comes to diapers, as well as some pitfalls that could cost you a lot of money over the course of your little one’s diaper needs.
Although I personally use disposable diapers, there are good reasons to go with cloth diapers. Here are some ways that you can save when using cloth diapers and avoid flushing money down the potty.
Cloth diapers require an initial investment, but then with the exception of laundering expenses you are in the clear. There are different types of cloth diapers, from standard and pre-fold ones that ned to be used with plastic pants or a diaper cover, to all-in-ones. Generally, the more convenient they are to use, the more expensive they will be. But, you can sometimes find them at thrift stores for very little, and on ebay for a little more money but still less money than buying them new.
You will need to change the cloth diapers much more frequently than disposables, in fact, any time they get even a little bit wet. This is because they aren’t as absorbent as the disposables. The more diapers you purchase, the less frequently you’ll be doing laundry. So, it is a balance. You’ll spend more buying more diapers, but you’ll also spend less on laundry because you can do fuller loads.
Personally, I’m for the less laundry solution. You can always reuse the diapers for other uses when your are all done with them, or even resell them. Be sure to hang your diapers out on the clothesline. You’ll save on the dryer expense, and at the same time, sanitize the diapers using the sun.
One pitfall of using cloth diapers is signing up with a diaper service. You can’t beat the convenience of the service, but the expense can be quite high. if you must have a service, see if you can add it to your baby shower wish list. You’ll get a lot more out of the prepaid service as a gift as opposed to dozens and dozens of receiving blankets or lots of cute little outfits that baby will wear for exactly two weeks before outgrowing.
I hope this article was helpful. Look for a future article on frugal disposable diapers. And be sure to check out the Baby Blog for more details on diapers.
Mary Ann Romans also writes for the Computing Blog here at Families.com where she shares everything from the latest news on technology to cool downloads and fun websites.
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