Are some disposable diapers more affordable than using cloth diapers?

Written by Giselle Baturay

At .10 per disposable diaper, surely disposable are more affordable than cloth, right?  I often get questions whether cloth diapers really are more affordable than disposable diapers. For example, recently I heard, “I’m getting my disposables diapers at a great sale, so it’s actually cheaper than cloth diapers.”


“Really? Let’s do the math.”

At .10 cents a disposable diaper, plus .03 cents per wipe and assuming if you’re like most parents, you need at least 2-4 wipes for a diaper change. And you’re changing a diaper about 8 times a day (most pediatricians recommend changing your baby every 2-3 hours). You’re looking at roughly $45 a month for disposable diapers and wipes – really affordable disposable diapers and wipes that are at least non-scented (since we’re comparing with cloth diapers). That means that in that first year alone, you’ll spend about $540 total for disposable diapers (again very affordable disposable diapers – any other more “natural” disposable diaper will be a lot more).

Now, let’s do the math for cloth diapers and since we’re comparing simple, super affordable disposable diapers, we should also compare simple, super affordable cloth diapers – prefolds and covers. You’d need 24 prefolds + 6 covers + 24 cloth wipes. The total cost is $152 total – from newborn through potty training.

Super cheap disposable diapers at $540for the first year (doesn’t even include the second year or third year) vs. $152 for cloth diapers. Cloth diapers wins! Even with the most affordable disposable diapers, cloth diapers still wins when it comes to affordability.

There are so many other factors that make cloth diapering even more affordable. And our spreadsheet with a detailed cost analysis between generic disposable diapers and more luxurious cloth diapers also shows the savings when using cloth diapers.

For every budget there’s a cloth diapering system. Most parents are actually not buying the .10 cents disposable diapers (which as we shown are still more expensive than cloth diapers). They are buying the more expensive disposable diapers and spending a good $40 a box each time and some parents are spending this on a weekly basis. The costs of using disposable diapers on a child from birth through potty training are easily $2,000 - $3,000. Whereas the costs of cloth diapering even at the most basic cloth diapering system is about $150 from birth through potty training. And should a parent use a more elaborate cloth diaper, it’s still around $600 (for all-in-one cloth diapers) vs. $2,000. Again, this doesn’t factor in other savings with cloth diapers, such as using cloth wipes.

How to wash cloth diapers

Washing Cloth Diapers

Basic Washing Routine:

1. As you would with the rest of your laundry, separate your diapers into like materials. Wash natural fibers separately from synthetics.
2. Wash the entire load on cold with detergent. Washing once on cold water is important to remove leftover "yuck" from your diapers.
3. Wash the entire load again on warm or hot - also with detergent.
4. Do a second rinse.
5. We recommend that you line dry your diaper covers, pocket diapers and anything made with hook & loop closures. Virtually everything else can be tumble tried on medium.

If you're having problems with diapers that stink after washing:

1. Try an extra rinse. Sometimes detergent residue can cause diapers to smell.
2. Wash once with liquid Dawn (the blue formula). Use 1 teaspoon in a front loader and 1 tablespoon in a top loader. Rinse well.
3. If the previous solutions don't work, try 1/4 cup of bleach in the warm/hot wash cycle.

Why use Cloth

Why should I cloth diaper my baby?

1. You’ll save money.
   • When you buy disposable diapers, you are throwing away money with each diaper change. Exactly how much you'll save will vary depending on what brand of disposable diapers you (don't) purchase and what brand of cloth diapers you choose.
2. You’ll prevent waste.
   • Every baby wearing disposable diapers can generate as much as one ton of landfill waste before age two. Overwhelmed?
3. It’s more convenient
   • Today’s cloth diapers reflect designs created primarily by parents solving problems. In the cloth diaper industry, parents are usually frustrated before they start creating. Usually, that means they work until the diaper actually works as advertised.
   • Tired of blowouts? Who wants to change the diaper AND the outfit? Thankfully, many cloth diapers are designed to prevent leaks. A better design usually cuts down on outfit changes.
   • Out of diapers again? When you buy cloth diapers, your diapers are always available.
4. Planning for the unexpected is the responsible thing to do
   • Whether or not you choose to use your cloth diapering system full-time, it is wise to have cloth diapers on hand in case of an emergency. Can you imagine running out of diapers and the grocery store not having any diapers on their shelves?