However, one area I haven't blogged about and one that I am asked a lot about, is the financial cost of cloth diapering. As I mentioned in my first post on cloth diapering, when I started cloth diapering I researched and tried out many different kinds. Most of that was via Diaper Swappers as I had every question under the sun and not a lot of money to make a mistake and buy the "wrong" diaper.
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| Part of my stash of Bum Genius diapers that I use today. Most of my organic ones are currently dirty as I use them daily! |
From the very start of cloth diapering in early 2008, I wished that someone would make an all-in-one diaper that was one-size and organic. Turns out someone did and still does. That someone is Bum Genius. I was one of the very first people to buy their All-in-One, Organic, One-Size diaper (which has now become known as the Elemental cloth diaper). From the second I tried it on Zoelle, I knew this was the diaper. It was trim, held a ton, was one-size (so it would last us for years), and most importantly, it was affordable. Basically, I wanted a diaper that was just like a disposable, but healthy for my baby's body and the environment, all while being inexpensive enough to afford a dozen. After trying one and realizing that this was it, I bought a dozen from Cotton Babies, my go-to cloth diaper store!
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| The original Bum Genius Cloth Diaper on Zoelle in May 2008 |
I'm not positive on what I paid for a dozen of those diapers 4 years ago (I tried looking it up, but couldn't find it), but if I bought a dozen Bum Genius Elemental diapers today it would cost me $264.95. It seems like a lot of money upfront. However, if I told you that four years later I still have those same dozen diapers and they are still working excellently, would you believe me??
Well you need to, because right now Xiomara is wearing one of those diapers! Of course I've added to my stash over the years and as I mentioned, I also have Bum Genius all-in-one sized diapers along with a few other brands. However, my main staple in diapers have always been those original 12 diapers that have now gone through three girls.
Just recently I thought about selling those diapers and buying some new ones. However, as I thought more on it, I just couldn't do it. Xiomara is about a year away from being fully potty trained and I want to say and know that my original investment was worth it. Outside of my original investment, I have only had to invest in a bag of soap every six months, and then the cost of actually laundering them (which we have maybe only noticed a few dollars per month difference).
So based on today's price for those same dozen diapers, cloth diapering from May 8, 2008 (the day I first put Zoelle in one of those diapers) to today has roughly cost us:
19 cents a day
Versus, the size 3 cheap Target brand of disposables costing 14 cents per diaper.
I would say that was definitely a wise investment 4 years ago. Thank you Bum Genius and Cotton Babies!!
Did you know cloth diapering can be that cheap? Have you ever considered it yourself? What factors are holding you back from taking the leap?
Disclosure: No compensation is being given for writing this post and my thoughts are 100% honest and true. However, by writing it I am entering both myself and one person who comments on this post to win a dozen one-size cloth diapers via the All I Want For Christmas contest.
