The D household is starting something that I promised myself I would never do. We are starting cloth diapers with M.D. I always thought I would NEVER go this route because in my pre-baby mind I thought one word....GROSS! I imagined hands, clothes, hair full of poop & pee from trying to change & clean these disgusting and out-dated diaper choices. Ish. I've changed my mind...you know that phrase, Live & learn...and then get Luvs? Well I say, Live & learn...and spend TONS of money on something you're going to throw away 10 times/day and then try cloth. That's my new motto. Maybe I should try to shorten it? Make it more catchy? I'll work on that.
I did my research...as always. I'm so Type A. I checked out all of the different kinds of cloth diapers you can pick from. There are lots. You can stick with the old-school prefolds that you pin/snap (with an attachment). Not for me. Another VERY popular option is the pocket diapers where you insert this giant cloth maxipad into the cloth diaper and the baby pees/poops through this material built into the diaper onto this giant maxipad. I strongly considered that option. However, we finally happened upon (and decided upon) gDiapers.
I did my research...as always. I'm so Type A. I checked out all of the different kinds of cloth diapers you can pick from. There are lots. You can stick with the old-school prefolds that you pin/snap (with an attachment). Not for me. Another VERY popular option is the pocket diapers where you insert this giant cloth maxipad into the cloth diaper and the baby pees/poops through this material built into the diaper onto this giant maxipad. I strongly considered that option. However, we finally happened upon (and decided upon) gDiapers.
Here's the scoop. gDiapers are called "hybrid cloth diapers". They get really good gas mileage...bad joke. What that means is that they ARE cloth...BUT you can use them similarly to a regular diaper in that you can use disposable "inserts" instead of cloth if you are traveling w/ baby or sending them to a daycare center that won't deal with your cloth diapers.
Now, cloth diapers ARE an investment....no doubt about that. We still aren't sure this is going to be for us. So would I want to invest a lot of money into something that we might not even use? That would be completely defeating the purpose of this whole movement. That's another reason I gravitated toward the gDiaper option. Since gDiapers are not pocket diapers, when your baby goes wee-wee into the diaper it does NOT touch the outer "shell" of the diaper (unless it's a major pee session). This means you only have to remove & wash the "insert" after a normal pee diaper change. You can reuse the shell (saving on washing & upfront costs...you don't need to buy as many "shells" if you aren't going to have to wash them after every single change).
Also, there are different options for your inserts. As stated above, they do have a disposable option (gRefill) which can be thrown away after every diaper change. This is an awesome idea for daycare centers, vacations, trips to Target, etc. You can also purchase the gDiaper cloth inserts which run about $3/insert (gCloth). OTHERWISE you can make your own (not my option) OR you can purchase prefolds to use as inserts from another brand of diapers. Here's what that looks like:
Also, there are different options for your inserts. As stated above, they do have a disposable option (gRefill) which can be thrown away after every diaper change. This is an awesome idea for daycare centers, vacations, trips to Target, etc. You can also purchase the gDiaper cloth inserts which run about $3/insert (gCloth). OTHERWISE you can make your own (not my option) OR you can purchase prefolds to use as inserts from another brand of diapers. Here's what that looks like:
So what's the math on this? Does it really save money? Well, math has never been my strong suit but I'll attempt to break it down.
gDiapers run about $17 per shell. M.D. is already considered a size "medium" and will be able to wear the gDiaper size "medium" until he is 28lbs. We're going to get some major use out of these diapers.
I purchased a bulk pack of gDiapers which included 6 shells & liners..they are what hold the inserts in place. No inserts were included in this bundle. The shell & liner bundle cost me $50.
This was because it was my first purchase from vine.com and so I received 30% of the total cost of the diapers. That's only $8/diaper. #winning.
I then purchased a 6 pack of the gCloths which was about $20.
Then I purchased some of the gRefills (in case of travel, outing, etc). The pack of 105 disposable inserts cost $9.26.
I realized I definitely would need more inserts so I decided to try a different (slightly less expensive) brand and ordered a 6 pack of Bummis Organic Cotton Prefold Inserts. Those cost $18.
Finally, I had to purchase my wetbag(s). These are obviously essential for toting around used cloth diapers. We definitely needed to purchase more than one wet bag because M.D. will be using his cloth diapers when he is at his Grandma's for daycare so we need to provide her with one I can take back & forth to wash at home. I ended up ordering the gDiaper wet bag simply because it's hard to tell how big these wetbags are when shopping online & with the gDiaper brand I knew exactly how many inserts/diapers could fit (based on customer reviews). This particular wet bag runs about $10 apiece, however, I did find some for $5-10 online as well so when more are needed I will try a cheaper option.
I realize that I will need to purchase more inserts & more diapers eventually, however, I didn't want to put too much money in up-front in case this is a total bust.
So my total up-front cost for 6 diaper "shells & liners", 12 cloth inserts & 105 disposable inserts...along with 2 wet bags was $72.26.
And how much are regular diapers? We had been puchasing the Kirkland Costco brand of diapers for M.D. They ended up being the most cost-effective for disposable diapers. A case runs around $50. We would go through a case in 1-2 months. Usually around 1.5 months. So if we stick this out...and if I purchase, say, 3 more diapers ($50) and 12 more inserts ($40)...we will start saving money on diapers in 3 months of use. AND we will be able to use these diapers/inserts until M.D. reaches 28lbs. So we will continue saving money for the next 2-3 years...because we will not have to purchase any disposable diapers anymore. Thank God.
So, there it is on paper. Now we are going to put it into action. M.D.'s gDiapers & gCloths arrived yesterday. His Bummis inserts, wetbags, and gRefills will be arriving tomorrow. We will try him in the cloth this weekend...but will switch back to disposable during the week next week as he will be at the daycare center and I dont' want them to have to use them when WE are still figuring them out. Full time cloth diapering will begin 03/09/2013. Ready. Set. Go.
gDiapers run about $17 per shell. M.D. is already considered a size "medium" and will be able to wear the gDiaper size "medium" until he is 28lbs. We're going to get some major use out of these diapers.
I purchased a bulk pack of gDiapers which included 6 shells & liners..they are what hold the inserts in place. No inserts were included in this bundle. The shell & liner bundle cost me $50.
This was because it was my first purchase from vine.com and so I received 30% of the total cost of the diapers. That's only $8/diaper. #winning.
I then purchased a 6 pack of the gCloths which was about $20.
Then I purchased some of the gRefills (in case of travel, outing, etc). The pack of 105 disposable inserts cost $9.26.
I realized I definitely would need more inserts so I decided to try a different (slightly less expensive) brand and ordered a 6 pack of Bummis Organic Cotton Prefold Inserts. Those cost $18.
Finally, I had to purchase my wetbag(s). These are obviously essential for toting around used cloth diapers. We definitely needed to purchase more than one wet bag because M.D. will be using his cloth diapers when he is at his Grandma's for daycare so we need to provide her with one I can take back & forth to wash at home. I ended up ordering the gDiaper wet bag simply because it's hard to tell how big these wetbags are when shopping online & with the gDiaper brand I knew exactly how many inserts/diapers could fit (based on customer reviews). This particular wet bag runs about $10 apiece, however, I did find some for $5-10 online as well so when more are needed I will try a cheaper option.
I realize that I will need to purchase more inserts & more diapers eventually, however, I didn't want to put too much money in up-front in case this is a total bust.
So my total up-front cost for 6 diaper "shells & liners", 12 cloth inserts & 105 disposable inserts...along with 2 wet bags was $72.26.
And how much are regular diapers? We had been puchasing the Kirkland Costco brand of diapers for M.D. They ended up being the most cost-effective for disposable diapers. A case runs around $50. We would go through a case in 1-2 months. Usually around 1.5 months. So if we stick this out...and if I purchase, say, 3 more diapers ($50) and 12 more inserts ($40)...we will start saving money on diapers in 3 months of use. AND we will be able to use these diapers/inserts until M.D. reaches 28lbs. So we will continue saving money for the next 2-3 years...because we will not have to purchase any disposable diapers anymore. Thank God.
So, there it is on paper. Now we are going to put it into action. M.D.'s gDiapers & gCloths arrived yesterday. His Bummis inserts, wetbags, and gRefills will be arriving tomorrow. We will try him in the cloth this weekend...but will switch back to disposable during the week next week as he will be at the daycare center and I dont' want them to have to use them when WE are still figuring them out. Full time cloth diapering will begin 03/09/2013. Ready. Set. Go.