Cost

I am taking part in the Second Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry.  For 7 days I will be using only flat cloth diapers and handwashing them in an effort to prove that cloth diapering can be affordable and accessible to all.  You can learn more about the rules and why this challenge was started by visiting the announcement post.  This year there are over 450 participants from all over the world!  

I was asked to compare the cost of using flats to disposables and while I am still working on "the bigger picture" I thought I would share my supply cost. This is figuring that you bought all of this new. There are places to buy used or factory second covers etc. 

 2  6 count packages of diaper pins $1.99 each  total $3.98 (could totally get by with just the 6)

(Snappis are $3.95 but I have yet to use mine)

12 count package of Bakers and Chef's flour sack towels  $12.48

1 5 gallon bucket with lid  $2.60

1 Plunger $2.98

Econobum covers $8.95 each for $8.95 total 

Flip covers $13.95 each  for $41.85 total (right now they are on sale buy 2 get 1 free reducing your cost to $27.90)

5 1/2 yard of flannel blankets. I can routinely get sale flannel for $2.79 per yard and that's prints!! Sooo $6.98 total?? (These are repurposed blankets my Mom made for my son when he was born that ended up not getting used due to small size.... We ended up using 1.5 yard blankets!!! )

My "garden" drying rack

Smiling faces make
 laundry more fun, right??

Total "start up" cost is..... $79.82 or $65.87 with sale pricing!! 

I figure we use about 9 gallons of HOT water per "load" that I wash but have not figured up cost on that yet. I did 2 loads yesterday and 1 today. I did not add in the drying rack as I have no idea where to find one to price ( I inherited mine) but you can totally use hangers and clothes pins or shower curtain rods etc. Today I used the decorative metal fence/ trellis the peas in my garden climb up to dry diapers on. Really the only ongoing cost is the hot water and soap. A 24oz container of Original liquid Dawn is $3.00 and that would get you MANY loads! Again there are ways to cut this figure even more. Shop the local thrift store for used flannel sheets. One $1.00 queen flannel sheet would yield quite a few flats. T-shirts can also be used as diaper flats although I have yet to try this one...... :)

According to Amazon disposables in size 5 (my daughter would be in 5's) run anywhere from $.23 a diaper (Luvs) to $.29 (Huggies) and up if you start getting into the "special" verietys!! If you figure 5 diapers a day that adds up fast!!  $34.50 for Luvs  and $43.50 for the Huggies per month!! 

T in a flannel blanket that was diaper bag folded with another pad folded for night (this was around 3 am)