Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Diapering on the Cheap

Especially when someone has chosen to use cloth for financial reasons, there can be a bit of sticker shock at the upfront costs. A good modern cloth diaper can cost anywhere from $10 to as much as $35 EACH. When you're looking at creating a stash of 18-24 diapers from scratch, that is a huge investment.

There are options. For our family, we chose to use cloth only part time until we had enough that we didn't need to use disposables anymore. I would start a load of diaper laundry as soon as N was down for the night and hope they would be ready first thing in the morning.

Prefolds and flats are a great option for rounding out your stash without breaking the bank. As described in the Cloth Diaper Dictionary on Padded Tush Stats, a prefold is "A kind of diaper that is a square that has multiple layers sewn down the middle. It is usually fastened on using a Snappi or pins and requires that you put some kind of waterproof cover on it." A flat is a single layer of material that is then folded into layers before being fastened onto the baby. And if pins and Snappis aren't your cup of tea, you can simply fold these diapers into a pad, lay it directly into the cover, put the cover on, and you're done!



The great thing about flats is that since it's only a single layer of fabric, they wash clean a little easier and dry a LOT faster. In fact, Kim at Dirty Diaper Laundry even hosts a Flats Challenge you can participate in. This will be the second year, and the challenge will actually be raising money for a GREAT cause as well as spreading awareness of the simplicity of cloth diapering for under $50! Giving Diapers Giving Hope is a non-profit organization providing education, support, and even CLOTH DIAPERS to low-income families throughout the continental US. If you are interested in donating, they greatly appreciate any kind of diapers (even diapers in need of repair) and diapering accessories, as well as financial contributions to buy new diapers. You can find more information on making a donation HERE. And if you are interested in participating in this year's Flats Challenge, you can follow this link to register.

 Click here to visit Sweetbottoms Baby Boutique to purchase flats for the challenge, or any diapers, diapering accessories, or natural home and family products. (affiliate link)


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