Real Diaper Week
Real Simple. Real Diapers.
You’ve heard that cloth diapers can save you money. How much? We’ve compared some of our most popular diapers to show you how much money you can save with each style.
How many? To make the calculations simple, we’re starting with the assumption that you need at least 4 diaper covers and 18 diapers at any given time. For one-size diapers, that means 18 is all you need; for sized diapers, we multiplied the number of sizes 8-30lbs by 18. You might not want that many diapers. You might wash fewer diapers more often or more diapers less often. The numbers given here are meant to give you round numbers for comparison.
Biggest savings. If you are looking for the lowest cost diapering options, you can use the same sized prefolds (rather than using smaller diapers for smaller babies) then just double them up as your child needs fewer changes in a day. We found that with organic cotton prefolds and the Bummis budget diaper covers, Whisper pants, and you spend an average of less than $11 per month on diapers. Keep in mind that these prefolds are organic. Saving money does not mean compromising on quality and sustainability. There are remarkably inexpensive diapering options available.
Any cloth diaper saves over disposables. The powerful numbers are in the last column, where you can see how much each cloth diapering system saves over disposable diapers. Even the most expensive options we sell, sized fitted diapers with sized wool diaper covers, save you money compared to disposables.
Average cost for one child in disposable diapers over two years calculated at $1,600 by Real Diaper Association. This assumes the child is only in diapers for 24 months, though. Given that disposable diapered babies potty train later, your savings will likely be more. We don’t want to pad the numbers to make cloth diapers look good, though. It isn’t necessary. Cloth diapers win compared to disposable diapers no matter how you make the calculations.
| brand | style | # & cost | total | average savings | |
| Bummis prefolds + Whisper pants | prefolds | 18 diapers @ $72, 12 covers @ $7/ea, $100 bags & wipes | $256 | $1344 | |
| Bummis organic prefold kit | prefolds | 1 infant kit @ $180 + 4 more covers @ $50, $80 bags & wipes | $310 | $1290 | |
| AMP one-size kit | AI2 / pocket | 2 kits @ $140, $100 bags & wipes | $380 | $1220 | |
| Apple Cheeks kit | 2 kits @ $160, $100 bags & wipes | $420 | $1180 | ||
| AMP bamboo kit | AI2 / pocket | 2 kits @ $180, $100 bags & wipes | $460 | $1140 | |
| Happy Heinys one for all | one-size pocket | 18 diapers @ $23/ea, $100 bags & wipes | $514 | $1086 | |
| Motherease diapers + Air Flow covers | one-size fitted | 18 diapers @ $13/ea, 16 covers @ $13.50/ea, $100 bags & wipes | $550 | $1050 | |
| bumGenius Elemental | one-size AIO | 18 diapers @ $28.75/ea, $100 bags & wipes | $581 | $1019 | |
FuzziBunz perfect sized | 36 diapers @ $20/ea, $100 bags & wipes | $820 | $780 | ||
| Thirsties Duo | 2-size pocket | 36 diapers @ $20/ea, $100 bags & wipes | $820 | $780 | |
| Sugar Peas + Aristocrats | fitted & wool soakers | 36 diapers @ $20/ea, 12 covers @ $45/ea , $100 bags & wipes | $1360 | $140 | |
| Kissaluvs + Loveybums | fitted & wool wraps | 54 diapers @ $15.50/ea, 16 covers @ $40/ea, $100 bags & wipes | $1577 | $23 |
Real Diaper Association is a nonprofit charity that trains grassroots cloth diaper educators. They are the organizers of Real Diaper Week and of the Great Cloth Diaper Change this Saturday. To celebrate Real Diaper Week, we are posting about cloth diapers all week. Parents at 262 Great Cloth Diaper Change events around the world will change their babies’ cloth diapers on Saturday at the same time in order to break the world record for the most simultaneous diaper changes. bynature.ca and NaturalNutrition.ca will be co-hosting a fun cloth diaper event in Orillia for up 50 babies and their parents.
