My Cloth Diaper Cost

Ah... give me a second.. I can't take me eyes off this beautiful boy...
second...second...second..
Okay! I'm back! Sorry, sometimes he just captivates me :c) Isaiah is about 5 1/2 months now and look at how good he's sitting (it's even more impressive on a still camera ;c) He toppled over just a couple times while I was shooting this, but never even fussed-

Onto the purpose of this post (goodness I'm sidetracked today!). The other day, someone at work was asking about Isaiah, and we got on the topic of cloth diapers. She asked how much I had spent, and I didn't have an exact answer. A couple days ago, I bought the (hopefully) last part of my stash- So I became curious and decided to get some numbers. Here they are-

$231 for 31 BumGenius all-in-one diapers (medium and large).
I bought these all off of diaperswappers.com. Most are used (I never thought I would do that) but BumGenius has actually discontinued this diaper, so you can't buy them in stores any more. When my friend/sitter put one on Isaiah, I thought it was great! And love that I spend $8.00 per diaper!

These act just like a disposable, just wash instead of toss! They even have easy Velcro, which annoys my slightly because it makes the diaper look more worn, but at least they are quick and easy!

$79 for 4 Bum Genius all-in-one one-size diapers.
These I use as over night diapers, and they "fit" from 8 lbs-toddler (I say "fit" because I thought they were way too big when Isaiah was smaller.. they fit, but left him with a big badunkadunk. That's actually the reason I decided to go with the sized diapers above)

$80 for his newborn set.
This is a guess, as most were actually a gift. I wasn't going to invest in cloth for newborn since it's such a small amount of time, but I actually used these for a while and am glad we got started the first week!

$25 for wipes-
this is another guess because all were gifted to me. But hands down I LOVE my cloth wipes. They are truly economical because you can throw them in with the diaper laundry that you're already doing, and the clean soooo much better! I just keep them in a wipes warmer (I do spend a small amount of money on a wipes solution, but this lasts me at least 4 months)

$57 for wet bags. Some form of storage is neccassary for cloth diapering. I have 2 sets each: large (for home) and small (for the diaper bag). These have held up well so far!


Grand Total: (drum roll please) $492

So I have a grand total of $492 (approximately) invested in my diapering supplies. This does not include the cost of laundering (I have yet to figure out the exact cost of that, but I wash and dry diapers every other day). I understand that laundering adds to the cost, but when I went to Baby Center's Baby Cost Calculator, they estimated $72 a month for just diapers. They also suggested $20 a month for wipes (that seems high though). Just the cost of diapers would be $864 a year. And it's not over after the first year! So I think that a $500 investment that will last me through all of Isaiah's life in diapers, is worth it. But here's the kicker... when number 2 comes around, I'll already have a great diaper stash (and the great thing about sized diapers.. I already have enough for 2 kids in diapers (unless Ray's wish comes true and we have twins...). I may just update a few diapers with my second, esp. if it's a girl, but I'll really only be spending money on the laundering part. So in the end, I certainly think I've diapered in a more economical way. But, tree hugger me, is also excited not to have all the waste! We do use the occasional disposable to get us through the next washing, or on out of town trips. But honestly, poop always leaks and I just don't like them as well. So, there's my experience so far with cloth diapers-

Here's my handsome man, ready for his center fold :c)