10 Ways to Cloth Diaper on a Budget

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When it comes to deciding how to diaper your little one, there are lots of good reasons to choose cloth. Cloth diapers contain none of the harmful chemicals present in disposables, there is less waste going to the landfill and cloth diapering families often experience less diaper rash and skin irritations. Cloth can also be way cheaper in the long run than a couple of years of disposable diapers. Here are ten ways to save money by cloth diapering.

• 1. Ask for hand-me-downs

  Whether you get a handful of prefolds from another mom who’s not quite done with diapers or you inherit a fully stocked stash, preloved cloth diapers are very easy on the budget and are so durable that they probably have a decent life left in them still.

• 2. If you need to buy new diapers, strongly consider prefolds

While you’re likely to save money over the course of diapering a child from newborn to fully toilet trained by choosing any style of cloth diapers, prefolds and waterproof covers are the most economical choice compared to more elaborate diaper systems. On top of all that, cotton prefolds also make excellent burp cloths, spill catchers or emergency bandages. You can even use them as cleaning rags when they’re too ratty for nappies.

• 3. Go for the basics

Hemp doublers, wool wraps and fancy inserts or liners usually fall into the ‘nice to have’ category and most of the time you can diaper a baby just fine without them. With prefolds, if you need extra absorbency just fold two prefolds together, doubling the pee-absorbing power without having to buy anything extra.

• 4. Use cloth wipes too

Cut up an old towel into small squares with pinking shears or sew a zig zag stitch around the edge if you’ve got a sewing machine. Even old cotton t-shirts, sweatpants, flannel sheets and other old linens make great cloth wipes. I did usually have a package of commercial wipes for going out, but we always used cloth wipes at home.


• 5. Consider making your own diapers and/or covers

If you’re so inclined, sewing up cloth diapers and covers isn’t too tricky, and the supplies you need are readily available online or even lying around your own home. Amanda Soule offers sewing instructions for prefold style diapers in her book, Handmade Home, while the Very Baby online shop carries patterns, fabrics and all the notions you might need for diaper making.

• 6. Line drying saves on electricity costs

Washing diapers doesn’t have to be any more expensive than washing a regular load of clothing. Prefolds often take more time in the tumble dryer to get fully dry since they’re so thick and absorbent, which can be more expensive if you have to run the dryer twice to get them dry all the way. An alternative is to hang them to dry, or if they’re too stiff and crunchy after being line dried, toss them in the tumble dryer when they’re almost dry to soften up.

• 7. Use less detergent

Almost all detergents tell you to use more than you really need to get your clothes clean, presumably so you’ll use it up faster and buy more. Excess soap not only wastes money, the residue can build up on cloth diapers and cause leakage. Soap reside can also promote bacteria growth in your washing machine’s drain, causing a funky smell on your clothes. High Efficiency detergents need only a tablespoon per load.

• 8. Practice EC while cloth diapering

Elimination Communication helps reduce the number of diapers you need to wash, reduces the number of poops you need to clean off bums and sometimes helps toddlers potty learn sooner, all of which save money. Well, except for cleaning fewer poops off bums, but the benefit of that is priceless.


• 9. Use plastic bags to carry wet diapers home

Again, pretty wet bags are nice to have, but the ubiquitous plastic shopping bag makes a perfectly acceptable substitute, and it’s totally free. In Vancouver soft plastics are not recyclable, so while I’d usually recommend recycling or avoiding