So you want to cloth diaper but don't have $500 to spend - me either! So today's post is about affordable cloth diapering for those on tight budgets or are just financially savy. There are affordable options to sew or buy.
Not all budget diaper options are going to make the cut for this blog post. My criteria is good performance for about $120. If you don't have $120 laying around think of it spread out. Anywhere from $60 over 2 months to $20 a month for 6 months.
How is the $120 to be spent?
24-28 diapers (mostly flannel)
•4-6 covers
•thread
•diaper pins. (I love pins but feel free to try snappi's or boingos.)
Flats 2 dozen:
•Buy @ Kelly's closet 1 doz Birdseye cotton flats for $24.97. ($50 for 24) At this price you can afford to buy or make covers
•Buy at Kushies 6 cotton flannel for $19.99 ($60 for 24). You can also buy or make covers
• you can make flats but it tends to cost a little more and waste fabric due to the width of a flat unless you get a 60" wide fabric for about $3.
24-28 prefolds
• buy at kushies 6 cotton flannel $27.97 ($110 for 24), comes in prints. You'll be making upcycle wool wraps to keep the budget though.
•buy at Kelly's closet 6 bummis organic cotton prefolds $19.99 (size 1; 7-20lbs) ($80 for 24)
•make cotton flannel prefolds. You can often find flannel for around $3 meter or yard. Try Joann's or fabricland. You can get 2 prefolds from 1.1 meters. That's 26.5m for 28 diapers = $80.
Butterfly's
14 butterfly Fitted's of 3 layers flannel from 10 meters/yards flannel @$3/m is $30, so $60 for 28. Plus you'll need 3/8 in braided elastic. 1 pkg does about 6 diapers (so 5 pkg).
Mini's
14 mini's with soaker totalling of 9 layer flannel (3 mini cuts, 6 soaker cuts) out of 10 meters flannel. Plus elastic. Fabric and cost wise its the exact same as the butterfly's.
Fitted's
1 meter makes one flannel fitted with soaker using 2 layer diaper cuts, and 7 soaker cuts. So at $3 meter that's $72 for 24 or $82 for 28. Again you'll need the braided 3/8 elastic.
Hybrids on a budget?
•hybrid shells are fleece wraps that can go over your butterfly's, mini's or Fitted's, prefolds or flats. It will make your diapers function as a HF. I can get 6 diaper cuts from a meter of blizzard fleece (its wider then flannel). And I can always find it for around $5 a meter. If you want them 2 layers thick that's 6 hybrid shells for $10! You'll need some elastic again, but just 1 pkg. It comes in solids and cute prints. The newest prints will often be $10/m, but you don't need the newest print. Want a decorative outer? Dig through your families old t-shirts or ask Facebook friends.
• you can make HF's using blizzard fleece with fst's (flour sack towels) as your soakers. And instead of snapping in the soakers you can sew one at front and one at back so they are like flaps. Just tri fold an fst, trim the ends with a nice curve and sew together. Fst's are about $1 each. And with blizzard fleece at about $5/m which makes 3 HF outers (or shells), that's $3.66 per HF which equals $47 for 28 plus elastic. If your using all HF's you'll only need about 3 wool covers. And could buy second hand or make and still come in on budget.
Wool
•You can upcycle wool sweaters into wraps, wool soakers, shorties and longies. 1XL sweater will do 1 lg wrap and 1 pair of longies. For small wraps you get even more. You can seek old sweaters from friends, 2nd hand stores and missions. Katrina's soakers are a great pattern for free.
•buying wool is about $30 a meter. A 2 layer wool wrap will yield 3 per meter, 1 layer plus soaker will yield 4 per meter and 1 layer wool wrap will yield 6 per meter. So making some from yardage fits the budget for most of these diaper options. You'll need the braided elastic for these too.
•buying wool covers often starts at around $40 a cover. Look around for deals though. Also you can check out CD swaps and wool swaps for second hand wool.
PUL
• pul can be pricey but if your just making a few covers it will work out to about $10 per cover, less if you fins a good sale. Likewise you can buy wraps from Kushies or Kelly's closet for about $10- $15 so it could be done on this budget with some if these diaper options.
What No Pockets?
Sorry, no. The average price of pul means pockets don't make this budget cut. You need one pocket for each diaper plus inserts and snaps or Velcro. Buy if your a Google queen perhaps you can find some great deals and do pockets on budget. In this case use fst's for inserts. MF might be cheap to buy but it's performance and disability don't make my cut.
Pregnant?
Ask for a T&A shower (that's right tits and ass lol), all gifts for cloth diapering and breastfeeding. My family did this for baby #5 and we had a ball, plus it saved me tonnes of money. I got pregnant with #5 about 6 months after giving away my diaper stash.
How come I always say buy flannel? It's quality diaper fabric that's affordable. If your not on a budget feel free to buy any absorbent fabric you like. How come I don't suggest T-shirt diapers? Cuz they don't meet my absorbency standards. And yes I have followed the advice here. My stash is 100% flannel.
I love in person fabric shopping but check Joann's for affordable flannel and blizzard fleece if you don't have a near by fabric store.
Also check Nature's fabrics for wool.
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