Cloth Diapers vs. Disposables

I did some math on diapering costs and thought I'd share my findings with you.

Disposable Diapers from the store cost about $.20 each give or take. The average parent spends $72/mo on diapers. That's more than $850 in the first year. Plus you'll need a diaper pale- prices vary.

Cloth Diapers cost me about $150 + utilities for Nate's first year. If you have a washer/dryer, free water/electric/gas, then that is all it will cost you. If not, factor in the cost of one load every two days (it likely costs less than $700/yr.) I really like the brand that I chose. They are size-adjustable, so they will fit your baby from birth to 18lbs (10-14 mos.) They do not leak, are not too bulky, and are really cute. Plus washing diapers is not as tedious as I had anticipated- you can purchase more diapers to wash less often. Here's my cost breakdown:

-$60 on five Thirsties DuoWraps at $12 each. http://www.amazon.com/Thirsties-Wrap-Meadow-Size-6-18/dp/B002FB7FBO/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1326144232&sr=1-1.

-$64 on 16 Thirsties Hemp Inserts at $4 each. http://www.amazon.com/Thirsties-Hemp-Inserts-Pack-Small/dp/B002FB7FLE/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1326144437&sr=1-1. These are soft and wonderfully absorbant. You can also simply buy prefolds at Walmart for approx $1 each.

-$18.50 on one zip up wetbag http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Wise-Washable-Reusable-Swimwear/dp/B006G1MXOS/ref=sr_1_10?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1326144602&sr=1-10. This is big enough to hold all of my diapers at once. It does not leak at all and it seals in the smell completely. Plus it comes in lots of fun color options. I just empty the diapers into the washer and turn the bag wrong-side-out to wash them. (Once your baby starts eating solid foods, you will have to rinse the poop off, but that's not as bad as it sounds and should be done even with disposables for the environmenment's sake).

-$12.50 will buy you a mini wetbag for your diaper bag. http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Wise-MINI-Wet-Dry/dp/B003II923M/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1326144817&sr=1-1. I just ordered mine; I have been using ziplock bags.

Remember there is no reason to polarize your choice. I keep a stash of disposable diapers too. Here's a helpful cost calculator website that you might find worth using: http://www.babycenter.com/baby-cost-calculator.