Diapers can be one of the most expensive items in your baby’s life. Consider this: the average baby uses almost 10,000 diapers from infancy to age three. With the average diaper costing roughly $0.35 each, that means that during your baby’s infancy diapers alone will cost you $3,500.00. And, by the way, this calculation doesn’t include sales tax or gasoline-currently around $3.50 per gallon, to go get the diapers.
Although cloth diapers do have an initial expense, I believe I can show you how cloth diapers are definitely the most economical diaper to use. If you have a large enough supply of cloth diapers, you will only need to wash a load of cloth diapers two or three times per week. Considering the average cost of laundry detergent, gas and or electric to run your washer and dryer, and the price of water, it costs approximately $1.25 to wash each load of cloth diapers. Doing that math, that equals about $3.75 per week to launder the diapers. And, if you want to save more money, you can hang the cloth diapers on a clothesline to dry!
Before you run out the door to the nearest discount store, please finish reading this article. Like anything else, when it comes to cloth diapers you get what you pay for! Cloth diapers are no different than disposable diapers when it comes to allergies. Some babies can’t wear Huggies or Pampers. The same is true with cloth diapers. You will need to test a few kinds on your little one’s bottom before you stock your shelves. Also, if you just grab the cheapest ones you can find, you will most likely deal with leaks and messes that could be avoided by making a more expensive, but wiser decision.
Now that I’ve got your attention, let’s talk dollars and cents. You must be asking yourself-”so, how much do I need to get completely set up with cloth diapers?” Well, there are two ways to tackle the beast. One is to buy pre-folded diapers and diaper covers and the other is to buy “All In One” diapers. The All In One diapers are more convenient but they are more expensive than buying the diapers and the covers separately. Here’s a sample of what the average cloth diaper system might cost:
3 dozen newborn diapers-costing an average of $18.50 each dozen=$55.50
6 Small Diaper Covers-costing an average of $9.25 each dozen=$55.50
3 dozen Regular Diapers-costing an average of $27.50 each dozen=$82.50
6 Medium Diaper Covers-costing an average of $9.25 each dozen=$55.50
Putting it all together for you, the total cost of buying a complete cloth diaper system and maintaining it for three years, including washing and drying, will cost about $900.00. That’s a savings of about $2,600.00. So, you make the decision. Think of what you could do for your child by investing the $2,600.00 you would spend on diapers into a college fund.
If you decide to use cloth diapers you must be very careful when you clean them. Review my article Cloth Diaper Laundry Tips to make sure you don’t break out your little one’s bottom!
Author: Roberta Sullivan
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera News
Originally posted 2009-08-28 22:52:58. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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