Cloth Tutorial

Intro -- Glossary -- Fabrics & Fasteners -- Cloth Care -- Frequently Asked Question

Frequently Asked Questions

If cloth diapers cost $10 - $20 each, how can this possibly be saving me money?

First of all, if you buy the most premium of premium cloth diapers only (lets say $20 each), you probably will just about break even to cloth diaper. Hoewever, if you use those same premiums three times (i.e. three kids) than you save money. Or if you resell those premiums (well taken care of cloth diapers have a great resale value), you will save money.

Here's a basic breakdown. The average disposable diaper costs about $0.25. If you buy a premium brand or the larger toddler sizes, they can be as much as $0.40 each. But using a base price of $0.25 and figuring 8 diapers used per day (probably an underestimate) you can figure $2 per day to use disposables. If our example baby stays in size medium for 6 months, we can figure a disposable cost of $365. If we bought cloth instead, we could buy 18 premium all-in-one diapers ($20 each) and do laundry every 3rd day. We'd break even and still be able to resell the diapers or save for the next child (and in essence diaper that baby for 6 months FREE!).

If instead of buying premium all-in-ones we bought 18 fitteds at $10 each and 6 covers at $10 each, then we only spend $240 and have saved $125! Factor in resale value or using for another baby and you start to see some serious savings.

And if you *really* want me to "show you the money", using prefolds or buying some or all diapering products secondhand can add up to diapering almost for FREE! Using our above example: 24 new prefolds at $1.50 each plus 6 covers bought secondhand for $6 each. Total: $72. Resell the whole bundle on ebay for $30 and you've diapered for 6 months for $42. That's $323 you get to keep for simply choosing cloth.

How often will I have to change the baby when he's wearing cloth diapers?

To keep your baby's skin healthy, it's best to change his diaper as soon as you are aware he's wet. Newborns pee up to 20 times a day! Yes, that's a lot of changes, but that's why we buy cloth right? Older babies wet less often, but their volumes vary. If your baby is a heavy wetter, you may have to change every hour or so. Lighter wetters can probably be changed every 3 hours.

What about overnight? Do I have to get up every three hours just to change the diaper?

When your baby is a newborn, you'll be getting up every 3 hours anyway, so you might as well change a diaper while you're at it. But once baby is sleeping through the night, you can cloth diaper overnight. You can buy diapers specifically made for overnight use or just add a doubler or two for added absorbancy. A fleece lined diaper is a good idea for night time and nap time use since it will serve as a barrier between the wet diaper and your baby's skin.

Do cloth diapers leak?

Cloth diapers, regardless of the quality or thickness will leak if you don't change them often enough. However, the same is true of disposables. The difference is that parents familiar with disposables know that disposables can handle many cycles of urination while cloth may only hold one or two. The question becomes, even though disposables can hold tons of urine without leaking, do you really want your baby laying in that mess for hours on end?

Most families using cloth find that once they get the system down, they have little or no leaking problems. Leaks are unlikely when you are using high quality, good fitting diapers and covers and changing your baby's diaper often.

How often do I have to buy a new size?

Sizes are variable between diaper manufactures. There are some diaper brands that are made to fit a large size range and convert from smaller sizes to larger sizes with a few folds. You'll find that the majority of your diapering will be done in 4 size ranges. Most diaper makers will give weight ranges for each size they produces.

Newborn - This can be the most expensive phase because even 8 pound babys are "tiny" compared to their 3 month old conterparts and they pee a lot! Newborn fitted diapers are made to fit tiny babies and if you attempt to use diapers made for a larger baby, you'll likely be disappointed by their bulk and gaps that allow for the infamous newborn "blow out". Some parents choose to use disposables for the first few weeks rather than invest in cloth that will be soon outgrown. Another solution is to use newborn prefolds and covers (markedly less expensive than buying fitteds or all-in-ones) at first. However, if you're planning on having more newborns in your future, investing in a collection of fitted newborn size (in a gender neutral selection) can be economical in the long run. Yet another option is to buy your newborn diapers secondhand. Secondhand newborn diapers are often in great shape because they're used for such a short period of time.

Small - This size tends to run from 10 - 15 pounds. Petite babies may stay in smalls up to 6 months of age.

Medium - Probably the longest lasting size (although the most variable between manufacturers as well), mediums usually fit from 13 - 25 pounds.

Large / X-Large - Usually built for toddlers, this size is made to last to potty training.

How many diapers will I need?

The answer to this is somewhat age dependent. Newborns need to be changed more often than older babies. Young babies have more frequent bowel movements and tend to get their diaper covers soiled more quickly.

Newborns may need to be changed up to 20 times per day (exhausting to even think about, I know) while an older infant sleeping through the night may only go through 8 diapers a day. Heavy wetting babies sometimes have to be changed on the hour and lighter wetters could go up to 4 hours without a new diaper.

Another factor is how often you plan to do laundry. If you want to do a load every evening, you'll need less than if you want to wash every third day.

And yet another factor is the diapering system you're using. You'll need a combination of diapers and covers or pocket diapers and inserts unless you are using all-in-ones.

So, for a light wetting 6 month old with a Mom that washes every 4th day and uses some all-in-ones and some fitteds, the rotation might consist of 12 all-in-ones, 20 fitteds, and 5 covers.

It's probably best to buy your diapers a few at a time until you're more familiar with your baby's habits and the cloth diaper routine. You can keep a pack of disposables on hand while building your diaper stash. It won't be long until you have a good grasp on your family's individual needs. Once you have found the diapering system you like best, know your baby's elimination habits, and have figured out a laundry schedule, you'll have no trouble knowing how many diapers are necessary.