Guest Blog Post: April from WeeLittleChanges

Today's Guest Blog Post is from April from http://www.weelittlechanges.com/
April thank for being my guest blogger today!!

The Numbers Speak

People choose to use cloth diapers for many reasons. There is the obvious (or not so obvious) environmental factor, they are better for baby and they cost a lot less. You have most likely heard of all the money you could be saving by using cloth diapers, but let’s take a look and see exactly how much!

Here is what you would pay for one child using disposable diapers:

*Prices came from Pampers brand sold at local bulk store in NC.

There are many different options out there for cloth diapering. I have decided to do a cost comparison to a diaper that is growing in popularity called Grobaby. This type of cloth diapering method is sometimes called an “AI2” or “All in Two” system. Basically, the concept is that you need to do less dirty diaper laundry because you reuse the outer shell of the diaper. For each diaper change, the snap in organic cotton soaker pad is replaced with a fresh one. There is no need to change the outer shell of the diaper until it becomes soiled. Grobaby has even come out with a snap in biodegradable soaker pad that can be flushed, composted or thrown away. Pretty cool! And wait…it gets better. The diaper is one-size fits most, so that you can use this diaper from the baby phase all the way to potty training! Please take note, that this system of diapering is not the most economical choice when it comes to cloth diapers. If you want even greater savings, I would suggest researching the costs associated with using prefolds and covers. My example uses an average number of shells, soakers and boosters needed for one family. Some families may find it more convenient to have more on hand before having to do a load of laundry.

Here is what you would pay for one or more children using Grobaby cloth diapers:

Does it sound too good to be true? It’s not. The only negative I have found is that the Grobaby diapers are supposed to be a one-size that fits most. With that being said, some newborn babies are simply too skinny to wear these from day one with no leaking issues. There are several options to get you through this newborn phase during the first few months. If you had the means, you could buy some newborn size diapers, but you would probably only get two to three months use out of them. Or you could borrow some from a friend or buy used (diaperswappers.com is a great resource). Another option would be to hire a diaper service in your local community. You would basically be renting the newborn diapers (prefolds/covers) from them and they would do all of the cleaning for you. If you don’t have the budget for such luxuries, many online diaper boutiques offer newborn rentals for very affordable rates. For example, Wee Little Changes (www.weelittlechanges.com) offers a two month newborn rental package for $80. Included in the package are 24 X-small FuzziBunz pocket style diapers that would normally retail for over $400.

I think the numbers speak for themselves. It is a wonder to me why and how people that watch their dime choose not to use cloth diapers!