Cheap Cloth Diapers
Cloth diapers are gentle on your baby's skin and are free from chemicals used in the disposable diapers. But many mothers are asking why use cloth? Isn’t it more troublesome to wash and fold and keep cloth diapers? And won’t it less hygienic for the baby when the baby starts to pooh and wet the cloth diaper?
Cloth vs disposable diapers
Is it cheaper to use cloth diapers since you are most likely to wash them and reuse it over and over again? Well let's say you bought cheap diapers at 20 cents a diaper. A baby will go through 9,000 to 10,000 diaper changes before the baby is good enough to use the pot independently. So, that's a whopping $1900-$2,000 dollars on just diapers alone. This does not include the baby wipes and diapers bags costs you have to incur along the way.
But if you use cloth diapers and we shall be comprehensive and include prefold diapers, covers, washable liners, cloth diaper pail liners, wet bags, diaper pails, doublers and cloth wipes, the total cost may be between $500 – $600 dollars. The only concern is washing the cloth diapers, and it is actually very easy. You can let the diapers soak for an hour or so if you are washing soiled cloth diapers and then run an additional rinse cycle in the machine. Or just throw your diapers into the washing machine with a little detergent, set it at the highest possible temperature and then hang them up after you spin them dry. You may have to wash new diapering items several times before they reach maximum absorbency and never use fabric softener as it can make diapers less absorbent.
Types of cloth diapers
Flat folds are the most common cloth diapers used in the past. It is a large piece of square material that you have to fold a few times before you wrap the baby’s bottom.
Prefolds are more popular now and it is what people use these days. The middle layer is thicker so it can absorb better. With prefolds, you have to have an outside cover for them.
There are different ways you can use prefolds and you just have to find one that fits your baby.
Fitted diapers are cloth diapers that look like disposables. They have Velcro tabs and fasten just like disposables and needs an outside wrap. They cost slightly more than flat folds or prefolds.
Cloth diapers accessories
Covers and wraps are what you put over the cloth diaper to keep anything from leaking onto your baby's clothes. They are made of waterproof material and have Velcro or snaps and they fasten just like disposables.
Doublers are long pads you put into the diaper to add extra absorbency overnight. If the baby is going to be out for a while, long pads are very useful and would take care of it’s diapering needs.
Liners are gauze like material place between diaper and baby. The waste passes through the liner into the diaper, but the liner stops the waste from sticking to the diaper. When its time to change baby, you remove liner and diaper. Take the liner and any solid waste and throw it away. It’s as simple and easy as that. Liners make removing solid waste much more convenient and easy before washing the diaper.