How to Build a Cloth Diaper Stash for $45 – Cloth Diapering on the Cheap

A re-published guest post by Lisa Johnston

"I was cruising around Amazon this morning, when I came across (again) a couple of really cheap cloth diapers, and I thought I talk about cloth diapering on the cheap!

Cloth diapering doesn’t have to be expensive. Once you get obsessed, like a lot of us, it can be VERY expensive, but if you’re doing this for money saving reasons, here are a few tips to get you started cloth diapering without a HUGE upfront cost.

Don’t feel like Amazon is the only place to buy cloth diapers! Do your research for the cheapest prices around! These below are just examples!

Where To Get The Money:

Skip Starbucks or McDonalds lunch this week. Twice. OR put back $1.50 per day
That will save you about $11 toward your cloth diaper stash. In one month, you’ll have $45ish.

What is already around the house?

If you take a look around the house, you’ll probably find some stuff that you can start out with! These things make great starters for cloth diapering:

Diapers:

Old t-shirts
Hand Towels
Cotton Receiving Blankets

Covers:

Polyester Fleece Pants
Polyester Fleece Shorts (or cut off the pants if it’s too hot! they won’t ravel!)

Local Options:

If you have the option of a local cloth diaper consignment store like The Children’s Carousel in Katy/West Houston, Texas, you can find some really great deals on cloth diapers! Many consignment stores sell used prefolds for as little as $1-$1.50 each, and you do not have to worry about shipping! The money you would have allotted for shipping can go toward the purchase of more diapers, covers, or accessories! Just keep tax in mind when you shop locally!

Try your local Goodwill or Thrift store for cotton receiving blankets! These will double as flat fold diapers, and they are fantastic for cloth diapering! Even those of us seasoned cloth diaper vets like to use receiving blankets!

Sewing you own Cloth Diapers:

If you sew, the most frugal way to cloth diaper is to sew your own. If you don’t know where to start, there are many options out there with searches like “sew your own cloth diapers” and ”free cloth diaper patterns”.

PURCHASING CLOTH DIAPERS FOR A 20LB BABY:

Cloth Diapers:

Start with prefolds! Sure, it doesn’t seem like the “FUN” thing to do, but if you’re looking to get out of disposable diapers, the first thing is to be able to afford to ditch this, and this is probably the fastest way to get more cloth diapers for your buck! You DO NOT want to get prefolds that have polyfill in them (the middle feels squishy like a pad), as these do not absorb must. You want to make sure you’re getting diaper service quality prefolds that are going to last a while!

OsoCozy Premium Prefolds at Amazon – $24 plus 8.03 shipping

Total – $32.08 (Compared to $32 without shipping of comparable brands elsewhere)

Cloth Diaper Covers:

There are many options to find reasonable cloth diaper covers such as Sarah’s Stitches, but I ran across some really cheap ones on Amazon this morning, so we’ll start there.

Kushies Diaper Covers probably aren’t the best out there, but if you’re looking to just get started so that you can stop running to the store to grab disposable diapers every couple of days, this cover will work just fine. This one actually ships free with an Amazon mom account, so make sure you have signed up! One to start out with is ok, if you have fleece pants or shorts laying around the house!

Kushies Taffeta Diaper Wrap – $7.49 free shipping

There are also cheaper, not so great options that will get you by til more money builds up to start buying more diapers! Who knows, these might work for you!

Dappi Diaper Cover Medium - $4.98

OR... you can always opt for the old school rubber pants! While not the best idea, they’ll get you by!

Cloth Diaper Accessories:

Accessories are not a necessity, however, if you’re going to use prefolds on a 20 pound baby, you may want to have something handy to keep them in place. At 20 pounds, your baby wiggles around and it’s a good idea to have the prefolds fastened.

Regular safety pins aren’t the best for cloth diapers. You know, the silver or gold ones you use to lessen the cleavage you show off at church on Sundays? They’re not really “safety”. If you’re going to use pins, make sure you get the ones designed for wiggly babies wearing cloth diapers like these Cloth Diaper Pins Stainless Steel Traditional Safety Pin. You can buy them on Amazon, but they are cheaper at your nearest Target or Babies r Us.

Snappis are a good little invention, however, they can get expensive but don’t be tempted to cheap out and get the ones that aren’t the Snappi brand. Cheap covers will get you by, but knock off snappis will not!

I would settle for 1, unless you’re prone to misplacing things.

Snappi Cloth Diaper Fastener - $3.50 plus $1.98 shipping

Total – $5.48

Total Cost for 12 Cloth Diapers, Cover, and Accessory:

12 Prefolds – $32.08
1 Cover – $7.49
1 Snappi – $5.48
Total – $45.05

12 Prefolds – $32.08
2 Cheaper Covers – $9.96
Total – $42.04

Along with the items you have around your house already, this should get you started. You will probably have to wash these diapers daily until you can add more to your stash or start being creative with what you have around the house!

Once you’ve started saving money from not having to make those weekly runs to the store (approximately $15 a week), you can start looking more in depth at places that have used cloth diapers for sale!

Be creative! Have fun! Save money! Find the love for cloth diapers!"

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About the Author: www.BetweentheKids.com – Lisa Johnston is a Mom Blogger and labor doula from Houston, Texas. She and her husband have three kiddos and one on the way. In her spare time, while others like long walks on the beach, reading dirty novels, and fine dining, she’s picking Spaghettio’s out of the couch, wiping bottoms, and, of course, cruising the internet to find deals to post on the blog she staff writes for www.ICouldUseaDeal.com.

The Facts about Fabric Softener, Dryer Sheets, and Cloth Diapers

Some fibres get stiff and crunchy when dried naturally

Prior to the early 20th century, people had no concept of or application for chemical fabric softeners. Laundry was washed by hand or with archaic machinery, and it was wrung and then hung to dry. Natural fibres may have become a bit scratchy and stiff when line-dried, and the best that could be done for them was to be softened up through further wringing, beating, or normal wear (after all, people also washed their clothes much more infrequently back then, so they would stay soft while on the wearer for longer amounts of time). With the advent of more modernized laundry techniques and products at the turn of the century, however, the earliest fabric softeners were introduced as water emulsions of soaps and oils that could be added to the washing to render the fabrics softer as they dried.

While softeners were rare only a few decades ago, nowadays it's uncommon to find a household that doesn't use these softeners as part of their regular laundry routine. All modern washing machines come equipped with special slots or compartments for the addition of these products, and competing brands on TV show us just how snuggly and soft their product can make a stack of towels (as soft as white baby kittens, apparently!). So, what exactly are these modern chemical softeners comprised of, and where do they fit into the laundry routine for a cloth diapering family?

What are Fabric Softeners Made Of?

Fabric softeners, whether liquid additives for the wash cycle, or dryer sheets for laundry that tumbles dry, work on the same basic principle as the original stuff from the early 1900s. They rely on oils and chemicals to coat the surface of the fabric and remain on it to make it feel lubricated, smoother, and softer. These chemicals and additives also have the inherent ability to conduct electricity, which helps to prevent the buildup of static electricity in the fabric. Sure, these chemicals make our clothes feel soft, but what exactly is included in the average fabric softener?

There are often compounds to adjust for pH (to facilitate optimal absorption into the fabric), fragrances, electrolytes, emulsion stabilizers, polymers, artificial colors, anti-foaming agents, and more. All in all, this chalks up to an awful lot of chemicals that are getting further and further absorbed into your textiles every time they go through the wash--chemicals which then sit on your skin after that. For this reason alone, using fabric softeners (liquid) and dryer sheets is not recommended for use with baby laundry, diapers in particular. These chemicals, fragrances, dyes, and other additives are not healthy for babies' sensitive skin, especially in their constantly covered diaper region. However, even with chemical concerns laid aside, there is another critical reason why fabric softeners should not be used at all with the laundering of your cloth diapers.

Fabric Softeners Hurt the Absorbency of Fabric

Since the primary function of a fabric softener is to coat and cling to a fabric without washing away, they provide a barrier layer of chemicals and oily residue on the surface of the textiles they come in contact with. Now, for your average t-shirt or pair of jeans, this is not going to make any difference to you at all. However, over time, you will start to notice a true decline in the performance of household items meant to absorb liquid, such as towels, kitchen cloths, microfibre cleaning rags, and--of course--cloth diapers. Fabric softeners will leave a layer of buildup over all of these items, rendering their absorbent properties useless. These fabrics will instead start to repel liquid (you will see them smear liquid or will watch water bead off of them rather than getting mopped up into their fibres). Yes, this buildup can often be removed through multiple hot, soapy washes and rinses and by stopping the use of fabric softeners and dryer sheets with them. However, it is better, if possible, to practice prevention than to try and treat problems with buildup and repeling later on.

The Bottom Line for Cloth Diapering Families

Overall, you really shouldn't be using fabric softeners or dryer sheets on your cloth diapers, ever. Likewise, even using them on your baby laundry or other household laundry is not a good idea either, not only because of the health concerns associated with these products, but also because of the principle of transference; dryer sheets, in particular, are known to coat your entire dryer itself with oily residue which can then be transferred over to your cloth diapers, even if you only use dryer sheets on your own personal stash of jeans.  So, it really is best, as a cloth diapering family, to phase these products out of your home altogether.  However, does the thought of scratchy towels or static-ridden laundry piles make your skin crawl? Don't worry, because there are a couple natural solutions to combating these laundry woes as well.

Vinegar can be added to the final rinse of your wash cycle (or right into your regular "Fabric Softener" compartment) and used as a natural fabric softener and static reducer (the hydrogen ions in vinegar help this along). Be cautious, however, when using vinegar on diaper covers containing elastic or PUL as it

An example of wool dryer balls from The Willow Store

can cause harsh wear & tear on them with constant use (and may void your warranty on some brands; please check manufacturer's instructions before trying this).

Another simple way to "beat" your laundry woes is by literally beating your laundry with the use of dryer balls. Plastic dryer balls are available for purchase in most large chain stores in their laundry aisle, and they work by literally pummeling textiles to soften them, increase fluffiness, and reduce static as the load tumbles dry. In a pinch, some people even throw tennis balls or (clean) running shoes in with a load of laundry to replicate this effect.

Not crazy about the idea of plastics (which sometimes release fumes) heating up in your dryer? Then switch to an all-natural solution and use 100% wool dryer balls. These can be purchased online from shops like Buddha Bunz, The Willow Store, or from a variety of crafty Etsy vendors. Alternately, you can make your own wool dryer balls by sourcing out an online tutorial such as this one from goodmama diapers.  Superior even to plastic, these wool dryer balls have no additives, can hold 30% of their own weight in water and naturally have anti-microbial properties as well.  In the long run, the use of dryer balls (of any kind) will also save you time and money as they are known to reduce drying time and, once purchased or made, they cost no money to continue to use.

Before long, by making these few simple switches to your everyday routines, you'll likely find that, in the end, your family doesn't miss the fabric softeners at all. 



Acknowledgements:
Fabric Softener - Wikipedia article

Cloth Diapering on a Budget

a guest post by Penny Saver of The Saved Quarter

So, I've just bought all the diapers I'll need for my third child, and I've spent less than $100 out of pocket. Shocked? Don't be--read on and I'll let you in on the tips, decisions, and products that can help your family save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on diapering your kids, too.

I can't lie; for the first month, I’m using disposables. I know the transition for our second baby was such that the cute little cloth diapers just didn’t get the use I thought they would, and they were outgrown so quickly! This time around, I bought a 40-count bag of newborn and 300-count box of size 1 diapers for the first month, for a total of $6 out of pocket. The newborn diapers were marked 50% off at my supermarket because the bag had a snag, and I had a $2 off coupon, so I spent $4 for it ($.10 per diaper). The box of size 1 diapers were an even better deal. I saw them at Amazon for a sale price of $37, or $.12 per diaper. Not bad, but if you signed up for Subscribe and Save, you got 15% off, and if you signed up for AmazonMom, you got another 15% and free shipping; this brought the price down to $.09 per diaper. Excellent! I had $25 in Amazon credit from Swagbucks, which brought it down to $2 out of pocket – less than $.01 per diaper. We’ll gladly take whatever the hospital gives as well. With newborns using about 10-12 diapers per day, we should be set.

That leaves me with about 2.5 years of diapering for $96. Sounds impossible? Cloth diapers make it doable!

Most of the cloth diapers I used on Sweet Pea were given to a friend and my cousin after Sweet Pea outgrew them (some are on their 5th baby bottom!), but I still have on hand some diapers that I bought secondhand and have used on both Peanut and Sweet Pea. Since I bought and used them before this baby, I’m not counting the expense of them. Had I bought disposables with the same money, I obviously wouldn’t be able to use them on a second or third child!

There are a number of cloth diapering options these days; it’s not the pins and plastic pants of 30 years ago, and they can be as simple to change as disposables but much cuter! Here is a good site for the basics of cloth diapering. You can spend as much on cloth as you would on disposables depending on your system, and there are some adorable, pricy options available.

Every cloth diapering system includes two parts: an absorbent layer and a waterproof layer. I’m going with the simplest, least expensive system: prefolds and covers.

Prefolds are just like they sound: pre-folded pieces of absorbent fabric. You can pin them onto baby if you wish, or you can use a Snappi fastener, which holds them together without the chance of pricking baby’s skin. Even easier, you can fold the prefold into thirds and lay it inside the cover, letting the hook-and-loop or snap closure of the cover keep it secure on the baby. Easy! To refill my stash, I purchased another 2 dozen infant and dozen premium sized prefolds from a friend who recently closed her cloth diapering business. I have enough diapers to cover the baby for three average days between washing, from newborn to toddler, and I spent $20.

Next, the covers to keep the wet in. These are often made with PUL fabric that keeps the moisture in, and have snaps or hook-and-loop (“Velcro”) to secure them to the baby. There are also wool and fleece covers, but I haven’t tried those. Again, I had some covers leftover from use on Peanut and Sweet Pea (6 newborn, 3 medium), and my friend gave me an additional 6 covers (4 medium, 2 small.) That left me to fill in size small. I bought 5 used covers on Diaper Swappers for $26. Since my kids are both on the skinny side, neither made it past medium covers before potty training.

Unlike disposables, cloth diapers can be resold after their use, making used diapers a financially attractive option for those on a budget and giving you a chance to recoup some of your investment after your baby learns to use the toilet. I love that our diapers are on their 3rd bottom (or more!) and will likely be in good enough condition to be resold after this baby for even more use.

I also bought 5 one-size pockets (Bum Genius 4.0) in their seconds clearance for $10 each, to have on hand for babysitters and grandmas who just want to put on a diaper that works like a disposable--just velcro the whole package onto the baby. Pocket diapers are like a pillow--the absorbent layer goes into the pocket case, with a soft outer layer against baby on one side, and a waterproof layer on the outer side. They close around baby with hook-and-loop or snaps and are as easy to use as disposables once stuffed with an absorbent layer, making them very easy for the cloth diapering novice. I’ll stuff them with the prefolds. One-size pockets adjust with snaps to fit babies from newborn to toddler; I used the Bum Genius one-size pockets on both 3 year old Peanut and newborn Sweet Pea with just a simple snap adjustment.

With that, my diaper stash is complete, and I spent $100 on everything I’ll need to diaper this next baby. Here’s what I have on hand:

340 disposable diapers
36 infant sized prefolds
30 premium sized prefolds
6 newborn covers
7 small covers
7 medium covers
2 Snappi closures
wipes
8 one-size pockets (including some leftover from Sweet Pea)
a few assorted pocket and all-in-one style diapers in various sizes
Wet bag
Diaper sprayer attachment for the toilet


The Cost of Cloth vs. Disposable
Environmental reasons aside, cloth diapers are a good choice if only for the significant cost savings.

The average baby goes through 8,000 diapers from birth to potty training at age 2.5. With an average price of $.25 per diaper, you’re looking at $2,000 on the conservative side, not including the cost of wipes and extra garbage service.

The cost of cloth can be significantly less! Let’s look at a basic prefold and cover option, if all bought brand new, including laundering.

The “Bare Minimum” package by Nicki’s Diapers – $228.30
24 small prefolds
24 large prefolds
8 one-size covers

Laundry - 2 loads per week for 2.5 years, hang dry (saves electricity and they last longer) = $3 (Laundromat prices)= $ 234

That’s $462.30, less than a quarter of the cost of disposables. If you have a second child and reuse these diapers, you’ll pay only for laundering the second time around – about 10% of the cost of disposables. After that second child is out of diapers, depending on the condition of them, you may be able to resell them for about half of your purchase price, reducing your total diapering bill even further.

However, the bare minimum isn’t quite enough for many, or convenience is important and another system is preferred. Even if you spend up to $750 on the initial investment – enough to buy a very nice stash of convenient, cute diapers, you’ll save more than $1,000. Even better, those cute, convenient diapers have a higher resale value if you choose to resell them.

But you know I’m not going to say to pay full price, right? You can definitely have a well-stocked, not-so-bare-minimum cloth diaper stash without paying full price.


Tips for getting started with cloth on a budget
1. Buy second-hand
There is a thriving second-hand market for cloth diapers. Many were bought and never used, or used once or twice just to discover that they didn’t fit right on that baby. Check Craigslist, eBay, and the For Sale or Trade forums on Diaper Swappers or other websites or Facebook groups.

2. Don’t buy a complete system without first testing it on your baby
You might really like a particular system--like the one-size pockets I like for easy on-the-go changes and babysitters--but one brand may not fit perfectly on your child. Another brand may work perfectly, and you don’t want to sink your whole budget into a style that doesn’t work for your baby.

3. Watch for sales and clearance specials
Like many other products, cloth diapers routinely go on clearance to make way for this year’s colors/patterns/slight adjustments. Some sites send out email announcements of their clearance specials. I am on the Cotton Babies list so I hear when they add new stock to their clearance section, where I was able to buy the one-sized pockets I like for 45% less than regular price.

4. Don’t buy everything your baby will need from birth to potty training all at once.
Buy only for the current stage if you can’t afford to buy all at once. There is no urgency to have the larger sizes if you have a newborn, so hold onto your money and keep an eye out for sales!

5. Consider prefolds!
These are the workhorses of the cloth diapering world, and while they’re not as cute as some other options, they’ll definitely be worth your money. You can use them as I am, with a cover as a diaper, or you can use them to stuff pocket diapers. They can be doubled up for heavy wetters and overnights, make great burp cloths, and when baby's outgrown them, they’re excellent cleaning rags.

6. Don’t use too much detergent, and line dry
Too much detergent will damage your diapers. Use a detergent recommended for cloth diapers and experiment to find the amount that works best for your diapers. Line drying is obviously going to save over the dryer, but sunlight also has the bonus of helping to eliminate lingering stains, stink, or microbes.

7. Register for cloth diapers
They’re small, soft, and cute, which makes them fun to give as gifts, and you can register at a number of stores online and brick-and-mortar that will carry a variety of cloth options.

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About the Author:
Penny Saver is a frugal mom to 5 year old Peanut, 2 year old Sweet Pea, and a pea in the pod due this winter. She is making the most of modest means, saving her quarters to save a quarter of her income and blogging about it at The Saved Quarter.

Introducing Fluff Stash, The World's First Cloth Diaper iPhone App!

via Fluff Stash

Introducing the very first of its kind, Fluff Stash, an iPhone app just for cloth diaper fanatics! In this easy to use and navigate app you’ll have so much fun snapping pics of all your diapers, categorizing them by brand, color, size, style and more! Sort, organize, and share your stash with the click of a button.

We know just how addicted cloth diapering moms are, not just to their cloth diapers, but to their smartphones and their social networks. That’s why we’re giving you the best of all your favorite things by allowing you to satisfy your craving to talk about cloth, use your phone, and share photos of your entire stash all in one convenient place!

What’s the best part?

It’s totally affordable, just .99 and it’s easy to use! No gimmicks, finally an app that you can use on a daily basis for practical or totally impractical reasons, you decide!

Download Fluff Stash from the App Store today and take your cloth diaper addiction to a whole new level!

Make sure you also “LIKE” Fluff Stash on Facebook where you can connect with other Fluff Stash users, ask questions, participate in promotions and more!

Like what you’re reading?

We need your help spreading the word about this new app! Please copy & paste this press release and post it to your blogs, facebook, twitter, message boards and more! Don’t keep this exciting news to yourself, the more who use it the more fun we all can have!