Benefits of Cloth Diapers

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Photo by Fotolia/Kitch Bain
Cloth diapers are not only eco-friendly; they can also save a considerable amount of money when compared to disposable diapers.

As a young family that frequently looks to your magazine for sustainable-living ideas, we wanted to share some benefits of using cloth diapers with your readers. In choosing cloth, one of the biggest factors for my partner and me was the ecological impact. We’re happy to reduce our waste by using cloth, and to avoid contributing to the billions of disposable diapers in landfills.

A common misconception is that cloth diapers are more expensive than disposable diapers, but that’s not really the case. With an investment between $380 and $1,680 (depending on the cloth diaper system you choose), you can diaper your infant from birth until potty training in new cloth diapers. That estimate even includes the cost of water and energy required to wash your diapers. You can save significantly more money by purchasing pre-owned cloth diapers. Even if you choose the most expensive cloth diapers brand new, you’ll still save money compared with the $2,580 it would take to buy disposable diapers over the course of a child’s life. (See an analysis of cloth diapering on The Simple Dollar.)

With that initial investment, you can then go on to diaper any future children, or even sell the diapers. Modern cloth diapers hold their resale value well, and a large number of people are looking for alternatives to disposable diapers.

With so many different styles to choose from, a cloth diaper is available to suit any family’s needs. I would encourage parents who are interested in learning more to contact a cloth-diapering shop (find some great options on Etsy).

Lindsey Woods

  • Published on Oct 1, 2015
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