Both Canadian Dream and Moneygardner have been blogging about diapers over the past week or so, Canadian Dream advocating for cloth diapers and Moneygardner discussing his preference for Pampers disposables.
I have been planning to use cloth diapers. A good friend of mine used them for her first and convinced me that it is nothing like the old cloth diapers which I remember from 30 years ago when my brother was born. Nowadays there are no pins, the diapers are fitted, and many come with plastic lining on the outside already, eliminating the need for an additional plastic cover. The initial costs can be expensive though- Canadian Dream estimates $150 for 15 diapers at the outset, but compare that to the $900-1800 MG estimates he might spend on Pampers each year and it is a bargain deal.
Yesterday I was in a consignment children's store, feeling a little overwhelmed by all the stuff there is for children and babies, and I found a basket full of second hand (very clean!!!) cloth diapers. I talked to the store owner and she was very knowledgeable about cloth diapers and convinced me that buying second hand is the way to go. She had Kushies and Snap-ez brands and was selling 3 for $20-24 (about $8/diaper; new sell for about $11-27/diaper depending on brand). She suggested I start with 12 of the 'good' diapers, and buy 10-12 other cloth diapers for back ups or for wear around the house (for a cost of $12 for 6). With 12 she said I would be doing laundry every 2 days or so, which seems reasonable since you wouldn't want to let dirty diaper laundry build up any longer!
Let`s see total costs would be: $90 for good diapers and $24 for backup with a total cost of $114 plus tax. I may not need back ups because a friend mentioned she has a few I can have she doesn`t need... thus reducing costs even more. I didn`t buy the diapers yesterday feeling a little overwhelmed and needing time to think about it, but I think I will this week!
It is easy to get overwhelmed with all the baby merchandise & gadgets available - just remember for the first month a newborn needs:
shelter, warmth, mommy, food, clean diapers, clothes...and that's it!!
Good luck with the deal! :)
I actually estimate that we'll spend $500 or less on diapers per year using Pampers disposible.
Sorry MG, will update what you spend, I got carried away by some of the numbers I guess.
And yes Four Pillars the stuff that could be bought for baby just seems endless, but you are right, it just needs us and a few basics.
Thanks for tip on coupons Living almost Large- where do you get the coupons?
Mrs Micah I was amazed that diapers were even in the consignment store, by why not? We are considering a few other big items like a crib second hand but will make sure it meets all current standards if we do that.