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Minimalist Beauty

living simply with grace, discretion and faith

Minimalist Beauty

The Most Cost Effective Cloth Diapering

June 27, 2017 by Dawn Michelle

New parents joke about making that “diaper money” for good reason.  Disposible diapers are crazy expensive, not to mention that they’re a huge source of landfill pollution.  Although cloth diapering can seem so old fashioned or an inconvenience, they have awesome benefits financially, environmentally, and for your baby.

I already knew before I had my son that I was going to use cloth diapers.  Now that I’ve had a decent amount of time to figure out what works best for us, I’d figure that I’d share it with you.  But first let’s talk a bit about disposables.

Disposable diapers can cost an average of $72 a month or $864 a year.

Disposable wipes can cost an additional average of $20 a month or $240 a year.  So in essence you can spend around $1104 each year on disposable diapers and wipes for 2-3 years depending upon when you begin potty training.  I’d honestly prefer to put that money in savings, towards a vacation, or anything else.

Now let’s say you use an average of 8-10 diapers daily.  You’re then adding 2920 – 3560 diapers in the landfill annually.  When you look at this number it seems extreme, and it is.  Diapers are a HUGE detriment to the environment!

My favorite cloth diapers are crazy inexpensive!

I picked out the cloth diapers and covers that I wanted before doing much research on cloth diapering.  Luckily this combination is the exact one that we’re currently loving and using even after trying a few other arrangements.

To my surprise I’ve fallen in love with flat cloth diapers and use organic cotton flats by OsoCozy with birdseye weave.  At first I thought I made a big mistake selecting three dozen based only on positive reviews before even trying them out myself.

Flat cloth diapers fit babies from 7-25 lbs.

Instead of purchasing a few dozen cloth diapers each time your baby gets bigger, you have a diapering system with a range of 7-25 lbs with flats.  Aside from any extra costs for laundering, you save a TON of money.  Who doesn’t want to save money especially where babies are concerned?

I suggest having 3-4 dozen cloth diapers to minimize having to do laundry too often.  We currently only need to do laundry for our son twice a week.  We were doing laundry every other day when we did not have enough cloth diapers to work with prior.

OsoCozy Organic Flat Cloth Diapers cost around $30 per dozen which is between $90-$120 depending upon if you purchase 3 or 4 dozen diapers.

My son was born well under 7 lbs, so I had to get creative with these diapers.  I actually cut 10-12 flat diapers into fours because the full size was enormous and impossible to work with at first.  I had the quartered flats hemmed at the dry cleaners to prevent fraying.

I now use these quartered flats as additional inserts with the “origami fold”.  This simple combination has been life changing, and the origami fold is my current favorite cloth diaper fold which I use with a Snappi.  Although we tried organic cotton pre-fold diapers in the newborn size when my son was born, I still prefer flats and won’t be going back to pre-folds.

6 Benefits of Using Flat Diapers

1. They can be used for babies from 7-25 lbs which eliminates purchasing new sets for each stage of growth.

2. They can be folded various ways depending upon your preference.

3. They have multiple uses such as a changing pad cover, burping cloth, car seat cover, etc.

4. They wash and dry very easily, and can be hand washed and line dried if necessary.

5. They are extremely inexpensive.

6. They are very absorbent.

My favorite cloth diaper covers live a triple life.

Finding an awesome cloth diaper cover is usually the next project with cloth diapering.  I chose GroVia Snap Diaper Shell System covers, based on my midwife’s recommendation, which fit babies from 8-30 lbs.  I wasn’t able to use these right after my son was born, so two smaller covers of a different brand were used.

The GroVia Snap Diaper Shell System covers are considered hybrids which can be used with snap-in soaker pads, pre-folds, flats, or biodegradable disposable inserts.

The only con with using soaker pads or pre-folds “pad style” with diaper covers is that breast milk poos will not be contained.  This means both the diaper and cover will be soiled with the possibility of nasty blow out leaks.  This is why I love the origami fold so much since it contains leaks so well.

GroVia Snap Diaper Shell System covers cost about $17 each.  I suggest having at least five covers.  Purchasing five covers can cost around $85.  There’s an initial investment in this simple cloth diapering system that I use, yet the only additional cost from here after is only laundering.

Laundering cloth diapers and covers can be chemical-free and easy.

I use 1/4-1/2 cup of undiluted Mountain Rose Herbs Organic Castile Soap for laundering.  I also do a presoak and hand wash all poopy diapers before laundering.  Many poos are pottied thanks to elimination communication though.  As gross as hand washing poopy diapers may sound, my level of grossness tolerance greatly shifted after giving birth.  Also I am currently exclusively breastfeeding.  My tolerance may shift though once my son’s eating solid foods!

These particular diaper covers can be hand or machine washed, yet are recommended to be line dried.  I still use the same castile soap to wash these as well which is actually the most affordable organic and unscented castile soap I’ve found.  I also use this same soap for my son’s simple skin care regimen which you can see here.

Flat cloth diapers, covers, and reusable baby wipes cost less than 10% of what disposables do.

So instead of spending $1104 or more annually or $3312 for three years on disposable diapers, there is a more cost effective organic option.  How about spending around $247 on flat diapers, covers, Snappis, and reusable baby wipes plus laundering for the same duration of time.  There are many cloth diaper options now on the market which are much fancier than classic flat cloth diapers, yet these are the most cost effective in my opinion.

There are more pros than cons.

To be 100% transparent, the only downside of using flat cloth diapers is that they need to be washed multiple times before gaining proper absorbency for initial use, and folded prior to being worn.  They also often need either a diaper pin or Snappi for closure unless you are even more creative.  If this doesn’t discourage you, definitely give it a try.

Cloth diapering equals little to no skin irritation and maintains an awareness of body functions for easier potty training.

Lastly just in case you are wondering based on previous articles, we are still practicing elimination communication while using cloth diapers.  I’ll be sharing my experience with elimination communication soon.  I can also share exactly how I do the origami fold for flat diapers it you’re interested, yet there are videos on YouTube if you can’t wait.

Do any of you use cloth diapers on your little ones?  If so what is your favorite cloth diapering system?

(Image by Dawn Michelle)

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  1. Jen says

    June 27, 2017 at 10:37 am

    My favorite are Green Mountain Diapers birdseye flats and half flats for doublers.

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      June 27, 2017 at 4:52 pm

      Hi Jen,
      This is so good to know. Thanks so much for sharing and be well!

      Reply
  2. Alicia says

    June 28, 2017 at 6:23 pm

    Ahh GroVia! I LOVED those covers. So cute and convenient.

    I used cloth with my son and went way too crazy up front trying new things. I ended up getting rid of most of it and using organic prefolds and covers for him along with EC and never regretted a thing. So much money and landfill waste saved and I was able to sell my prefolds and covers to other mothers who wanted to cloth diaper. I kept a few to use around the house as cleaning rags.

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      July 3, 2017 at 3:29 pm

      Hi Alicia,
      It really is easy to try a bunch of things upfront. I didn’t go too overboard, but I also did the same. Luckily I have found something that works, and I have my fingers crossed that it will continue. So far so good!

      Reply
  3. Teresa says

    July 2, 2017 at 11:41 am

    Hey mama! I’m an RN/IBCLC so naturally what stood out to me is that you’re breastfeeding! Way to go! What a wonderful gift you’re giving your little one. If you every have questions you can message me. I’ve enjoyed your posts so much, it would be nice to give back!

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      July 3, 2017 at 3:34 pm

      Hi Teresa,
      Thank you so much! It has been a journey, but I’ve found what has worked for both of us so far. There is more to come I’m sure as he continues to grow and change, yet it has been a blessing!

      Reply
  4. Stephanie says

    July 26, 2017 at 10:24 am

    I’ve been using All-In-Ones, primarily BumGenius (both Freetimes and Elementals) and Nicki’s Diapers. I have about $900 invested in diapers (including inserts, doublers, wetbags, etc), which I bought used, but this includes about $200 – 300 in newborn diapers, which we only used for about 8 weeks. I plan to reuse all of these diapers with a future baby once I’m done, then sell any diapers that are in good condition. Because I bought them used, I should be able to sell them for about the same price I bought them, unless they wear out.

    My baby has been in daycare since he was 3 months, and I find that having a large stash of the same brand of All-In-Ones makes my daycare providers much more willing to use cloth.

    My Nicki’s run small, so my baby will be outgrowing them at some point. I purchased the Elementals, which run bigger, to replace these. I haven’t decided yet whether to sell the Nicki’s after my baby is done with them or to hold on to them for a future baby. The friend that I bought them from recommends using the Nicki’s inserts in the Elementals if he needs more absorbency at night.

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      July 26, 2017 at 5:45 pm

      Hi Stephanie,
      Thanks so much for sharing this! There are so many types of cloth diapers. I feel that the cloth inserts would definitely be more user friendly to someone who does not use cloth diapers and is caring for many children.

      I recently purchased four soaker pad inserts for night time use with our diaper covers since writing this article. If these inserts were the primary cloth diapering system we used, the price of cloth diapering for us would definitely be much much higher. I have yet to try them since they are being prepped for use.

      Cloth diapers are definitely the way to go. Organic flats won’t have nearly the same resale value prefolds and insert/cover systems will but they are another awesome option.

      Reply
  5. Mea says

    April 2, 2018 at 5:11 pm

    Love this post. I know it is older but I just came back to the blog after a few years away. I cloth diapers my youngest 2. And we are using ec with the youngest she is now 11 months old. I started introducing the 2nd oldest to the toilet at 11 months and she is day trained at 2.5 and has been for a while. I love flats and covers especially wool. We use prefolds too as well as pockets and one AIO. My favorites are Lalabye and Rumparooz covers. I would love to see more mommy posts. And glad to see you still around.

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      April 2, 2018 at 10:50 pm

      Hi Mea,
      Welcome back and thanks for your comment! EC is pretty amazing. I felt like a crazy mama in the beginning, but now at 15 months the benefits are so apparent. That is something I’ve been meaning to write about. Wishing you and your family abundant blessings!

      Reply
  6. Anca says

    December 21, 2019 at 9:59 am

    Hi Michele,
    We just had a baby and I find your nursery tour very inspiring for dealing with the complexity of everything related to a newborn.
    Regarding the flat diapers, at what temperature do you wash them to sterialise ? I m still trying to find the best diapering system.
    Cheers,
    Anca

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      December 21, 2019 at 1:02 pm

      Hi Anca,
      Congratulations! I’m glad sharing this was inspiring to you. I don’t know the exact temperature it is, but I do wash diapers on hot. Best wishes with everything.

      Reply
  7. Michelle says

    May 9, 2020 at 6:09 pm

    Hi Dawn,
    I love your blog! I’ve been following you for years! Now that I pregnant, I naturally checked out mommy posts. I’m wondering, was it fairly simple to do EC while using flats? I want to use flats but I’m worried that they might be a hassle to remove quickly (cover, snappy, folded flat..). Did that cause you a lot of misses or not at all? Did you EC part time or full time?

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      May 13, 2020 at 1:26 pm

      Hi Michelle,

      Congratulations! We did EC full time but had some exceptions when out of the home or traveling. It is impossible to get every potty, but it is the most hygienic method for babies. I still don’t know what a diaper rash looks like because we never had any. The doctors were always surprised not to see a rash. I did A LOT of diaper changing.

      If I were to do anything different I would start at 6 months and just change diapers constantly prior especially if nursing. To focus on both with a first child was a bit crazy looking back. One of the best benefits of EC is that your child will potty train during the day and during the night somewhat simultaneously especially if you are aware of your child’s potty needs at night and cosleep. The negative is that you are always on the clock. You have to find your balance and give yourself a break sometimes or modify your EC method to suit your family needs.

      As for cloth diapers, we later tried workhorse diapers with snaps from Green Mountain Diapers and they are awesome for EC. They are not nearly as cost effective but they would be especially helpful if you can at least get a few.

      Reply
  8. Christie says

    June 4, 2020 at 3:26 pm

    Just found you via Becoming Minimalist and I loved the post he linked and I kept scrolling. My youngest is almost 10 now but I loved the same cloth diaper method … flats folded origami style plus covers (I used flips covers back then) or homemade pull-on wool covers! I loved remembering our baby days when I read your post about diapers. Just started following you on IG. 🙂

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      June 5, 2020 at 3:00 pm

      Hi Christie,
      I’m so glad you found my blog. Yes the origami fold is pretty awesome. I’m all about homemade wool pull-on covers too. They are extremely cost effective and very comfortable for babies. I think I splurged on one pair of wool shorties and am still in awe that I ever spent that much on something so small. You live your learn.

      Reply
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living simply with grace, discretion and faith

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