Cloth Diapers: All of the Math and Comparison I Did So You Don’t Have To

This post is very long, but worth the read if you are considering converting to cloth diapers but aren’t sure if they will actually save you money based on current diaper prices and the investment of cloth diapering. I break down the cost of disposable vs. cloth for the first year and the cost comparison until potty training in this post.

I first started seriously considering cloth diapering when I was about 17 weeks pregnant with Calvin. We were scheduling baby showers and starting to create a registry. The cost of disposable diapers was stressing me out and pins about the cost comparison between disposable and cloth diapers kept popping up on my Pinterest feed.

I briefly nannied for a mom who cloth diapered her baby in pocket diapers, which meant that I had a little bit of experience with putting cloth diapers on a baby, stuffing pocket diapers, and washing cloth diapers. I didn’t remember it being too awful, but I was only the substitute nanny. I was there once a week or less for 6 hours and the baby was 6 months old by the time I started working for her mom. It wasn’t really comparable to diapering my own newborn 24/7.

I’m a numbers and charts and research kind of decisions girl, so I did all the math and watched all the YouTube videos and wrote everything out. (I ended up chickening out until Calvin was two months old and then made the switch. This is the original math I did in August 2019. If you want to see our stash and what we invested in it, head over to this post).

Here’s how it all breaks down:

Estimated Cost of Disposable Diapers

According to the other parents that I asked that have babies ranging from newborn to one year old, you change a baby’s diaper roughly 8-10 times in a 24 hour period for the first 6 months of their life, and 7-9 times in a 24 hour period from 6-12 months old. On average, that’s about 8 diapers per day.

8 diapers a day x 365 days + 30 extra for month #1 = 2,950 diapers

Another way to do the math is based on the average number of each size of diaper that parents buy in the first year. I googled this data and took the average from five different sources and this is what I came up with:

• 220 Newborn
• 657 Size 1
• 712 Size 2
• 1215 Size 3
• 1035 Size 4

220 + 657 + 712 + 1215 + 1035 = 3,839 diapers

The average between these two numbers is 3,395 diapers, so that’s what I’m going to go with for my average. I’m sure some parents use less and some use more.

Now we can’t forget about wipes. I estimate that I typically use 1-2 wipes for a wet diaper and 2-3 wipes for a dirty diaper. 4-5 if the poop escaped the diaper at all. So let’s say that you use an average of 2 wipes per diaper change and in the first year you use 200 wipes for other clean ups like sticky hands and faces.

2 wipes per diaper x 3,395 diapers + 200 ‘clean up wipes’ = 6,990 wipes

My disposable diapers of choice are Pampers Swaddlers. They fit my narrow bum boy the best and they seem to be good quality diapers. On Amazon, the average cost of one of these diapers, based on the “one month supply” sized boxes for newborn through size 6, is $0.317 per diaper.

My disposable wipes of choice are the Huggies Natural Care Sensitive wipes. On Amazon, a box of 624 of these wipes (3 refill bags) sells for $13.98. This comes out to $0.022 per wipe plus one refillable tub at $9.48.

OKAY, HERE’S THE PART YOU’VE BEEN WAITING FOR:

• 3,395 diapers x $0.317 per diaper = $1,076.22
• 6,990 wipes x $0.022 per wipe = $153.78
• 1 refillable wipes tub = $9.48
• Utah Sales Tax (on average) = 7.25%

TOTAL COST OF DISPOSABLE DIAPERS IN FIRST YEAR = $1,329.35

TOTAL COST OF DISPOSABLE DIAPERS BY THIRD YEAR/POTTY TRAINING = $3,988.05

Estimated Cost of Cloth Diapers

Okay, this part gets a little bit tricky because you can easily spend thousands of dollars on cloth diapers. There are more expensive styles and brands, lots of accessories, and tons of cute prints that you know will look adorable on your little fluff butt baby so you just have to get them! I’m going to give you a few options to look at, from “China Cheapies” to the more expensive AIO options, based on the prices I can currently find online for U.S. retailers.

If you don’t understand any of the terminology I am discussing in this post and have no idea what your options are as far as styles and brands go, head over to this post! I explain and go into detail about each style of diaper I am familiar with, talk about the pros and cons, and discuss the different material options for inserts.

ALVABABY

These diapers are considered “China Cheapies” meaning that they are manufactured outside of the U.S. and are some of the least expensive diapers on the market. The ALVABABY Pocket diapers have decent reviews, have double gussets (meaning they are more blow out proof), and can be sized to fit babies weighing from 6.6 lbs to 35 lbs. They are fastened with snaps and have three options for inserts: microfiber, bamboo, or combination microfiber/bamboo. Some drawbacks of diapers like this are a lack of customer service and some parents find that these just don’t fit their babies well. The elastic around the leg openings may also need to be replaced after several months of use. The 30 diaper bundle with microfiber/bamboo combo inserts costs $204.00 before sales tax and shipping costs.

Nora’s Nursery

This company is very popular for their cute prints, their transparent and affordable pricing, and their well fitting diapers. Nora’s Nursery One-Size Pocket Diapers come in packs of 4 and 7 diapers. Each pack comes with the inserts to stuff the diapers with and 7 packs come with a travel wet bag included as well. A 7 pack of diapers costs $59.95 and a 4 pack costs $34.95. So, three 7-packs of diapers and one 4-pack of diapers (25 total) costs $214.80 before sales tax and shipping costs.

Best Bottoms

This system is an AI2, with waterproof covers and different sized liners that snap into the covers. Best Bottoms diapers are one size snap closure diapers, fast drying, have double gusset leg openings, and advertise that they will fit from birth to 35+ lbs. At each diaper change, you only change the cover if it is soiled with poop. Otherwise you dry any dampness with a wipe and only change the wet/dirty insert, replacing it with a clean one. They sell a “Complete Package” that includes 18 daytime inserts of each size (small, medium, large), 3 overnight inserts of each size (I upgraded to hemp for pricing), and 9 waterproof covers. The Best Bottoms Complete Package costs $449.73 before sales tax and shipping costs.

(This is likely the brand and system I would have chosen if I hadn’t discovered the brand we ultimately invested in.)

BumGenius

AIO Diapers are an option from BumGenius. These are marketed as the BumGenius Freetime. They are an AIO and one-size diaper. No inserts are needed, but additional can be added for extra absorbency. The 24 diaper bundle costs $447.84 before sales tax and shipping costs.

This brand is one of the most popular on the market. Parents often say that these diapers have one of the best, most customizable fits for their little ones. The BumGenius Original 5.0 is a one size snap diaper, it can be sized to fit babies weighing 7 to 35 lbs. Their diapers are pocket diapers and come with two inserts: a newborn insert and a one size insert. You can mix and match these different inserts to customize the absorbency your baby requires. The 24 diaper bundle costs $478.80 before sales tax and shipping costs.

BumGenius also has the BumGenius Littles 2.0 which is a newborn sized cloth diaper for babies weighing less than 12 pounds. Many parents choose to use disposable diapers for the first couple of weeks until their baby is big enough for one size cloth diapers, and then make the switch. The 24 newborn diaper bundle costs $334.80 before sales tax and shipping. It includes 24 diapers and 24 newborn inserts.

Thirsties

There are two styles I considered from this retailer. First is the Thirsties one size pocket diaper. These diapers are designed for babies weighing 8 to 40 lbs, they have double gussets, and the pocket is open at both ends, meaning inserts will agitate out in the wash. The inserts can also be snapped together for more absorbency. These pocket diapers come with two inserts and cost $21.75 each. There isn’t a bundle discount available, so 24 Thirsties One Size Pocket Diapers cost $522.00 before sales tax and shipping costs.

The second style I considered was the Thirsties DuoWrap paired with Stay Dry Duo Inserts. The DuoWrap and the inserts both come in two sizes (to be used from 6-18 lbs and from 18-40 lbs) and when paired, become an AI2 option. You can also pair the DuoWrap with prefolds or use over fitted diapers. DuoWraps cost $13.95 each, inserts cost $7.50 each. There isn’t a bundle discount available, so 16 Thirsties DuoWraps (8 of each size) and 48 Thirsties Stay Dry Inserts (24 of each size) cost $583.20 before sales tax and shipping costs.

So, as you can see, there are a lot of options when it comes to cloth diapering. Both in what style will fit your needs and lifestyle the best, as well as what your budget can accommodate. There are also some cloth diapering accessories that are fairly essential, such as: cloth-diaper safe rash cream, cloth-diaper safe laundry detergent, wet bags, diaper pail, a diaper sprayer, and cloth wipes.

To convert to cloth diapering full time, I would recommend 27+ complete diapers, 4-5 overnight boost liners, 30-36 cloth wipes, 2 containers of rash cream, 1 diaper pail pouch, a box of detergent, and 2 travel wet bags.

OKAY, HERE’S A ROUGH ESTIMATE OF WHAT EACH BRAND AND STYLE COMBO WOULD RUN YOU IF YOU PURCHASED MY RECOMMENDED NUMBER OF DIAPERS AND ACCESSORIES TO START YOUR STASH:

• AlvaBaby Pocket 4.0 30 pack + accessories + tax = $389.21
• Nora’s Nursery Pocket Diapers + accessories + tax = $390.23
• Best Bottoms Complete Package + accessories + tax = $652.76
• BumGenius Freetime 24 pack + accessories + tax = $639.21
• BumGenius Original 5.0 24 pack + accessories + tax = $683.94
• Thirsties Pocket Diapers + accessories + tax = $730.27
• Thirsties DuoWrap (AI2) + accessories + tax = $795.90

TOTAL COST RANGE OF INITIAL INVESTMENT IN CLOTH DIAPERS FOR USE FROM BIRTH TO POTTY TRAINING = $389.21 TO $795.90

There is one more accessory that I didn’t include in this price breakdown, because it isn’t necessary until your baby has solid (non-breastmilk or formula) foods in their diet and their poop needs to be removed from the diaper before it is placed in the diaper pail or wet bag to be washed. That is a diaper sprayer like this one. This sprayer attaches to the existing water supply to the toilet. Every time your baby was a dirty diaper (after solid foods are being eaten) you take the diaper to the bathroom, use the spray nozzle and the shield to spray any solid waste into the toilet, flush the waste, and place the diaper in your wet bag as normal. This product bundle costs $65.95 on Amazon, so if you want to buy everything up front, add that amount to the totals above.

This cost estimate is for the cloth diapering supplies I think are necessary and helpful for starting out. Spending more than these amounts of money is not uncommon to make life easier or to be able to stretch your stash an extra day between washes. But a good factor to keep in mind is that if your first child is potty trained before your second child is born, your cloth diapering cost for the second child is $0.00, whereas disposables for the second child are an additional $1,329.35 per year of diaper wearing.

Disposables VS Cloth

For my family, the financial advantages were a huge component in our decision to switch from disposable diapering to cloth diapering. We don’t have to worry about fitting diapers into our budget every month and we won’t have to include thousands of diaper dollars into the equation when we are considering having Calvin’s future siblings. It’s an enormous weight off of our shoulders.