more diaper talk!

A few people have asked about specific cost savings in regards to cloth diapering. I researched a bit online, and I found that on Diaper Pin, she has a cost calculator where she adds in $0.013 for energy usage per diaper, as well as $0.013 for cleaning (detergent) use per diaper. She also has a section where you add in any additional costs (liners, washcloths, etc.). After calculating all of those factors in, the total savings still came out to somewhere around $1,000.

There is also a site I found that did a great cost comparison between Costco Huggies diapers (bought in bulk, so less expensive then buying Seventh Generation at Whole Foods like I've been known to do) and cloth diapering. She also factored in that she wouldn't be using prefolds and covers the entire 2.5 years of diapering, which is very realistic and smart of her. She factors in that eventually she'll get some AIO's and Pockets eventually as her child grows.

Here is her chart - it is super easy to read and understand, but please, let me know if there are any questions in regards to the chart (and, as always, in regards to anything!). She factored in laundering, detergent, liners, doublers, cloth wipes, diaper sprayer - literally ALL of the accessories you would ever think of for cloth diapering! Her minimum savings for Option 1 (which is starting out with prefolds and covers and moving on from there) was $1,100!! Crazy!

Another (added bonus!) thing to think about is that you're not using a diaper and throwing it in a pail for the garbage truck. You are going to reuse that diaper on future children or resell it for a great resale price. Cloth diapers are hot commodities - and you will get a great return on the diapers that you use with your children.

I was really so surprised by the factors and numbers because I thought the accessories/laundering/etc. would lower the savings a ton - but you still save so much money! It's really crazy.

I'll be back tomorrow to talk about my recommendations and favorites for everyone!