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 |  | Low: $25/month |  | High: $60-$85/month |
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Typical costs: |
- Cloth diapers can start at around $30 for a kit including three diaper covers and a day's supply of diapers. Washing costs might be 50 cents to $1 per laundry load. Total supplies might be $200-$300 in the first year for diapers and wraps in different sizes as the child grows.
- A cloth diaper service will drop off a week's worth of clean diapers at a time, and pick up old diapers. These services can run $45-$65 a month, generally, they end up being a little less expensive than disposable diapers.
- Disposable diapers start around $60-$85 a month depending on how old your infant is (and how many changes a day you need). Many people go to warehouse discount stores and buy disposable diapers in bulk to get the best price per diaper.
Related articles: Diaper Bag, Changing Table
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Shopping for diapers: |
- The National Association of Diaper Services[1] can help you identify a diaper service near your home.
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Material on this page is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. For medical decisions, always consult your physician for the right course for your infant or child.
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What People Are Paying - Recent Comments |
| Posted by: Kimberly Lyle in lethbridge, CA. | Posted: August 25th, 2015 03:08PM |
| Brand: various |
I forgot to mention. It seems when people do their calculations they forget that you can sell your used cloth diapers!! And get half of what you spent initially back !!!! |
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| Posted by: Kimberly Lyle in lethbridge, CA. | Posted: August 25th, 2015 03:08PM |
| Brand: various |
I did disposables with my oldest because back then I don't even remember hearing about cloth diapers that was a thing our grandparents did. But now I use cloth with my two youngest. My reason's are simple they are so much cuter and in the hot summer days that's what they wear so I'm not actually doing anymore laundry than I would normally. Also they work great for swimming. And lastly I hate going out to get disposable diapers it takes half of my cart!I'm all about convenience and I remember arguing against cloth. I used to think why would I want the extra hastle parenting is hard enough as is and I'm a working mom. But either one is a hastle it's just part of life. You've either got to give up half you cart to diapers and buy often then get diaper genie bags (unless you want to stink up your house or run out to the big garbage after every diaper change.)Or with cloth more laundry and a bit of scrubbing. It's all the same in the end. |
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| Posted by: trekkie4ever in St Louis, MO. | Posted: June 10th, 2013 08:06PM |
| Brand: Pampers |
Pampers all the way. Tried others and they suck. Also have cloth. Those leak all over the place and are a PITA to clean. Target usually offers some kind of deal or incentive to buy so try to save a little $ that way. |
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| Posted by: Ky33 in Pineville, NC. | Posted: April 3rd, 2013 11:04AM |
| Brand: Luvs |
I go to Bj's warehouse I buy Luvs when Bjs has the $5 off coupon in the book and I stock up I get 150 size 5 diapers for 24.99. For my Sons first year of life I spend 315.00 in 1 year and will spend around 300 this year thats a total of 615 for 2 years thats as much or less then someone spends on cloth. I also hate when pro cloth ladies say you will spend 1000-2000 for diapers heck no that math is way off and I have no idea where they get there numbers from. |
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| Posted by: Justine in Castle Rock, CO. | Posted: March 29th, 2013 07:03PM |
| Brand: Pampers |
I'm in love with pampers, they completely absorb and my daughter isn't sitting in her own poop completely. Huggies just runs when she pees once and it totally irritated her skin. |
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| Posted by: LisaJacobIvy in Seattle, WA. | Posted: October 2nd, 2012 01:10PM |
| Brand: pampers swaddlers |
Go thru Amazon or diapers.com. Pampers come out to 16 cents each. If you sign up for Amazon mom they will be cheaper, free 2 day shipping & a ton of other bonuses (I get to borrow 1 book per month for my kindle). Look into this program! |
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| Posted by: ebri in iowa city, IA. | Posted: September 28th, 2012 09:09PM |
| Brand: Various |
If you want to save money, try cloth diapers. There are flat diapers which you fold and put in the cover and can be bought used from a diaper service. They may have a few stains, but are sanitized and cheap. There are also microfleece liners that can go in the cover instead. These are about a buck a piece and can be rinsed and thrown in the pail. The third option is flushable liners. They get flushed down the toilet at each change and are biodegradable. These are about $20-30/month. If you are able to do one load of laundry a day, you can handle cloth. No piles of nasty diapers in the trash brewing for a week, no poop splattered all over the bathroom, etc. like someone suggested. If you want to save money- go for it. You can use All Free / Clear detergent too, just no bleach. |
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| Posted by: Mary Bush in bessemer, AL. | Posted: June 7th, 2012 06:06PM |
| Brand: Walmart Brand |
I have 4 kids. I have used every diaper known to man. Walmart,Target,and Dollar General brands are better then any Name brand diaper there is. Name brand diapers bunch up really quick and make the diaper look like your baby has been wearing it for hours. Huggies has always put rashes on my babies wear you pull the tab over to the diaper. Don't waste your money go to Walmart,Dollar General, or Target and get your diapers, it's well worth it and not only because they are cheaper. There the BEST! And you want the BEST for your baby. |
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| Posted by: Tracey J. in Lewisville, TX. | Posted: March 5th, 2012 02:03PM |
| Brand: prefolds, thirsties covers |
Cloth Diapering CAN be way more cost-efficient than disposables. I bought 2 dozen high-quality prefolds and 3 covers for $100. This is all I have needed and my little one is 9 months and I expect these will last until potty training. If you stick with high quality products that are ONE-SIZE, you can diaper your child for their entire diaper phase for a fraction of the cost of disposables. All those points that poster made about the "hassle" of CDing are outdated. Nowadays, the diapers are very easy to clean. You are not supposed to use bleach or "harmful chemicals" so I'm not sure where they got that idea. Ever wonder why nobody switches from cloth diapers to disposables? Think about that... |
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| Posted by: Jmeng1441 in Missoula, MT. | Posted: March 3rd, 2012 06:03AM |
| Brand: N/a |
My wife and I just had our first baby. We are both frugal and cost conscious. We are trying Decide between CD and disposables. The last post is very convincing towards disposables from a cost standpoint. To the person who left that post: rnWho you please post some additional details on where you obtained coupons and bought the diapers. Also, how did you know how many of which size to buy. Much thanks, joe |
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| Posted by: MollyfromDallas in Dallas, TX. | Posted: March 1st, 2012 08:03PM |
| Brand: cloth |
1) I have an HE washer so I use very little waterrn2)There are no harmful chemicals in the detergent, that is why you buy the "special" detergent as you call it.rn3) The "special detergent" is actually cheaper than my regular detergent and I don't even use expensive brands like Tide.rn4) Ummmm...how do you think your disposables made it to the shelf, yes all 8,000 that you had to buy. And how many trips to the store did you make trying to match up all your coupons with the right brands??? There are many local cloth shops where I live, one is within WALKING distance of me. 4) YOU throw all that bacteria into a landfill which then runs off into the water supply anyways. And if the sprayer got poop all over your bathroom don't you think us CD moms would be sick all of the time, well guess what, we are not. 6) Diaper laundry is super fast and easy and is actually a fun bonding time while you count sort and learn colors with your kids. Don't scare working moms into wasting money!!! |
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| Posted by: Antionette in Fort Walton Beach, FL. | Posted: February 16th, 2012 06:02PM |
| Brand: Huggies, Pampers, CVS Pullups |
I just spent between $500-$600 on over 8,000 plus diapers using coupons and snatching up 50% -75% off deals for my unborn child, which is WAY less than the cost of cloth diapering for 3 years. I hate how all the CD parents try so hard to convince other parents how cheap and environmentally friendly CDs are. All three of my older children were solely using disposables and not ONE of them EVER had a diaper rash, because I know how to change them often. CD is not as environmentally friendly as one might think: 1) You have to use SO much water to wash off poo, THEN use even MORE water to wash them using energy, harmful CHLORINE bleach and CHEMICALS in soaps and whatnots to clean the diapers. 2) The extra "special" laundring soap to wash CD is an extra expense in itself at about $10-$12 per bag. 3) CD had to get to the store shelfs or to your doorstep somehow, and 9 times out of 10 it used GASOLINE/PETROLEUM for the mail service to deliver them. 4) The extra bacteria exposed to your bathroom, washer and/or dryer (i.e. ROTOVIRUS) that is highly contagious. The "sprayer" used to spray poo into the toilet is splashing tiny little particles of fecal matter into the air on toothbrushes, floor, etc and with a little one crawling around everywhere and putting everything into their mouths, it is HIGHLY unsanitary. The same goes if you flush your toilet without closing the lid down first, GROSS! 4) You are wasting valuable time washing diapers when you could be spending it with your family. So, that is why I use disposables for I believe the health risks are just far too great to use CD and for a WORKING MOM it makes life much better. |
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| Posted by: leslieduncan in mansfield, . | Posted: September 24th, 2011 12:09PM |
| Brand: fuzzi bunz |
I initially invested $130 in size small fuzzi bunz off of craigslist and zulily's sale. I sold them and turned a profit. I used that profit and initial investment to buy the one size. I have 18 one size diapers and it should get us through potty training. I can't believe people actually believe they do not have time to wash cloth. I wash in biokleen. Everything! So I simply put the wet diapers in the wash with towels etc... I do a load of hot water wash every other day and it adds zero time to life. It may take five minutes to stuff the diapers. So what? I would take that time to go to the diaper aisle. I figure I will break even financially once she is potty trained and they go on craigslist. I sometimes allow them to accumulate and will wash in rockin' green and do an overnight hot water soak. Easy. Easy. No problems with diaper rash, no problems with leaks or blow outs. I simply take the soiled diapers and spray with biokleen's bac out (useful for any bio mess, vomit, etc...) and add a cap of bleach to that load. Cloth is simple. The way people react, you would think every diaper is poopy. Not even close. Just knock the solids in the potty and put the poop where it belongs. It does go in the potty, right?! |
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| Posted by: expectingmom:) in Oshkosh, WI. | Posted: October 8th, 2010 01:10PM |
| Brand: bumGenius and Flip |
spent $160 on 8 cloth diapers/covers and about 18 inserts. the diapers and covers i purchased snap smaller to resize for any weight from 7-35 lbs. This will be great since i won't have to buy new ones unless they start falling apart. I'll probably need more later but this is a good start for at home. when away we will likely use disposable diapers for conveince purposes. |
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| Posted by: GoGreenMom in Fort Worth, TX. | Posted: August 31st, 2010 10:08AM |
| Brand: gDiapers |
Spent just under $450 for 8 count of each small, med and large gPants and 24 small cloth inserts and 18 med/large cloth inserts. Also bought a sprayer attachment that connects to toilet to clean soiled inserts prior to washing, and an anti-bacterial pail liner to keep soiled inserts until washing time. My 3 yo son still needs nighttime portection so I use a small + med/lrg inserts in the large gPants and there are no leaks. I also have a 5 yo daughter - wish these were around when she was in diapers. Savings of about $1400 per child vs disposables use through age 2.5-3. |
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| Posted by: New Mom in St. Paul, MN. | Posted: August 13th, 2010 06:08AM |
| Brand: Parent's Choice |
We mostly used Pampers these 1st 6 mos. Have also tried Huggies, Luvs, & Baby Basics. The latter 2 leaked (even though they were cheaper). I always bought either Pampers or Huggies with coupons and like them both. I needed to save more money, so I tried Parent's Choice and love them-they are just as good as Pampers! |
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| Posted by: Sonya in AUGUSTA, GA. | Posted: June 9th, 2010 08:06PM |
| Brand: Luvs |
I buy one pack of Luvs each week for my two boys. Luvs are a little cheaper than pampers, but just as absorbant. I don't have time to wash cloth diapers |
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| Posted by: LoveBeingAMom in Raleigh, NC. | Posted: December 30th, 2009 02:12AM |
| Brand: Pre-Fold |
Not sure when the previous posters were using cloth diapers, but they no longer require pins, and all the other accessories. You can purchas a "snappy" for $2.99 (set of 2 or 3) that last the entire time of using cloth diapers. Disposable diapers are horrible for the environment and your child is more likely to get a diaper rash. Just because the diaper can hold x amount of lbs of poop and urine doesn't mean that I want to use that particular brand. Cloth diapering does not require a diaper service. The diaper servicing is extra. And if a person calculates a raise in electricity because of a couple loads of laundry - that's pretty outlandish considering your washing increases with any new baby. All you have to buy is one or two diaper covers that grow with your babies size (from infant to 4-6months), the snappies (2.99) and your set for way longer than changing diaper sizes with disposable diapers. And when you need to go out, there are simple liners for the cloth diapers. The pre-folds will fit up to babies over one year (although, my children were potty trained before 1 yrs old). There are tons of ways to fold a diaper to fit a newborn and baby over 35lbs. Check out videos on youtube for examples. Not sure if I can insert links here. |
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| Posted by: Rita in mountain grove, MO. | Posted: June 16th, 2009 12:06PM |
| Brand: Paren't Choice |
I have three left in diapers, I have used Parent's choice on all my kids til they were potty trained. They are the cheapest brand and the most trustworthy to me. I tried Luvs and they leaked. |
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| Posted by: ameliasmom in EHT, NJ. | Posted: June 15th, 2009 12:06PM |
| Brand: bumgenius |
I spent about $400 for cloth diapers (Bum Genius one size, 22 diapers)They fit baby from 8-35lbs. My electric went up about $8 per month since I mostly dry them in the dryer. This comes to $640 over the span the baby is diapered. They go on as easy as disposables with velcro and even baby sitters and dad doesn't mind using them. Disposables cost about $2520 over the span of time so it is easily worth it financially to cloth diaper if you are washing them yourself. (Washing is no big deal, just throw them in at the end of the day and wash). The diapers don't smell or have stains at all and there is no diaper rash. Also they are far less harmful on the environment. |
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| Posted by: SG-Fan in San Jose, CA. | Posted: October 24th, 2008 03:10AM |
| Brand: Cruisers |
The good news is that we spend less each month on diapers -- mostly because as our baby gets older (1 mo -> 3 mo -> 6mo) he goes to the bathroom fewer times each day (from 20 to maybe 8). The bad news is that the prices are increasing for a bulk box at Babies R Us, from about $30 to about $40 for an economy box. Plus, as the diapers get bigger, the box contains fewer diapers (from around 220 to around 150). But overall, we're spending less per month now. |
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| Posted by: martinal in Antioch, CA. | Posted: October 23rd, 2008 12:10PM |
| Brand: Pampers |
In my opinion Pampers are by far the best brand. I have tried all others including the off brand when my daughter was first born and it was horrible. After much experimentation I have to say it's worth the extra $ to get what you know works. |
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| Posted by: Mother of 2, 3yr old boy 1 yr old girl in South dayton, NY. | Posted: October 1st, 2008 04:10PM |
| Brand: huggies |
i suggest that when u have an infant or newborn to buy the cheapest diapers because you change them so often they arent in the soiled diaper that long. but when they get older and start moving and walking i suggest going to a more trust brand whether it be huggies luvs, pampers..whatever. They seem to have better protection with them moving and getting around. |
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| Posted by: myles weisman in san diego, CA. | Posted: September 25th, 2008 04:09PM |
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| Posted by: first time parent in Campbell, CA. | Posted: July 18th, 2008 06:07AM |
| Brand: Huggies Swaddlers |
We've used both a diaper service and Huggies Swaddlers diapers, and they cost roughly the same (the diaper service costs a little more, plus you need to buy the equipment). Our infant at first went through about 12-15 diapers a day, or 2 boxes of 200 diapers, totaling about $60 if we got the bulk diapers at Babies R Us. The diaper service costs $80 a month for 80 diapers a week, plus about $40-$60 of covers, pins and a dirty diaper bin to get started. |
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External Resources: |
- diaperservice.realdiaperindustry.org/locate-a-diaper-service
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