Most parents go through 6 to 8 thousand diapers per child, from birth to about age three (average potty training age). If we take an average of what those diapers cost, that equates to between 2000 and 3000 dollars per baby. Once those children are potty trained those diapers are gone. They can’t be re-used.
In comparison, enough cloth diapers to last for three years will usually cost between $300-$800. At a minimum that is about a $1200 dollar savings.
Consider, too, that those cloth diapers may last for one or more successive children and your savings doubles and even triples!!
There are countless reasons to use cloth diapers instead of single-use paper diapers. Among them are health and developmental, environmental, economic, convenience, and practicality reasons.
Cloth diapers as reusable. You don’t have to scoot to the store in middle of the night when you run out of disposable!
Cloth diapers are natural. At least ours are – made from organic cotton or hemp. No plastic, no petroleum, no chemicals.
Cloth diapers vs. flushable. We like cloth better, because it’s less waste, customers don’t have to keep buying inserts – and we think it’s better to flush only what needs to be flushed.
Cloth diapers last and get better with age (like your baby). The more you wash them, the more absorbent they become.
Cloth diapering is economical. A one-time investment will last for years and are reusable.
Cloth diapers are said to encourage faster potty training. For toddlers, this means being more aware of what’s going on “below deck” allowing them to catch on quicker.
Cloth diapers are better for the planet. An estimated 18 billion disposable diapers end up in U.S. landfills every year. That’s 82,000 tons on plastic and 1.3 million tons of wood pulp plus a lot of dangerous poopy bacteria. That’s a lot more of an impact than reusable organic diapers.*
*Calculations by Donella H. Meadows, adjunct professor of Environmental Studies at Dartmouth Collelge. For more information, select “Donella Meadows Archive” at sustainabilityinstitute.org.