The Cost Of Reusable vs Disposable Nappies.

For many the biggest reason for choosing to use reusable cloth nappies is an environmental one. It certainly was for me. But it is hard to deny the cost saving aspects of ditching disposable nappies is a huge plus to the big fluffy baby bottom.

Based on the average child potty training at around 2 1/2 years, parents using disposable nappies will spend between £800- £1100. Compared to buying 20 cloth nappies costing round £300. With the cost of washing them at home a merge £1 a week on top of that.

Although the cost of cloth nappies is a bigger lay out to start with, one some parents might find this harder to handle, the long run saving when using reusable’s can be great. Plus there are many factors that can make this an even great cost saving lifestyle choice.

Variables in the cost of cloth nappies compared to disposables.

Of course the amount you spend on either will depend on the brand you use.

As you can see in the chart above if you buy cheaper brands of disposable nappies and buy in bulk you can make it cheaper. For example the cheapest on the market Aldi Mamia. This can cause parents to think cloth nappies are the more expensive option when you think the average brand cost around £16 per cloth nappy.

However, consider the use of those nappies over 2.5 years of your babies nappy wearing life. Even the cheapest of disposables can not beat the price per use on a cloth nappy.

The cost of popular cloth nappies.

Bambino Mio. £15.99

Tot’s Bot’s. £17.99

Baba and Boo. £16.50

Close Pop In. £18

Tickle Tot’s. £18.75

How can I make the cost of cloth nappies cheaper.

There are many ways you can make cloth nappies even cheaper.

Buy Pre-loved,

It’s not for everyone but did you know there is a huge second hand cloth nappy market out there? Strip and sanitizing any pre-loved nappies you may buy will make sure they are completely clean and ready to put on your babies bottom. CCNDU have a great step by step guide on how to do this. You can find it here.

Use you cloth nappies on more than one child.

This may not be an option to everyone but cloth nappies, if looked after well, can easily be used on more than one child. If you spend a total of £1000 on disposable nappies for one child you will of course have to do this for your second/third/forth child. However spend £350 on cloth nappies once and your done.

Sell your nappies on.

As mentioned above there is a great second hand market to discover. If your nappies still have life in them once your finished with them think about selling them on to be used by another. You’d be surprised how much cloth nappies hold their value. Especially if it is a sort after print.

Buy cheaper brands or more ECONOMICAL styles.

Brands such as Alva sell decent nappies that are budget friendly. They also do great prints. Find them easily on Amazon or eBay.

Different styles of nappies can also be used in a way to make them more cost effective. For example the older style terry nappies are much cheaper and quick drying so you’ll be less in your stash. These will need a cover over the top, which means you can still have pretty prints, plus the cover can be used on multiple nappies providing it isn’t soiled.

Another trick I like is to use pocket nappies but buy extra inserts which is very cheap compared to the whole nappy. The outer shell of the nappy drys super quickly. Having extra inserts means you can re-stuff it, re-use it quicker and therefore will need less nappies. All round cheaper option.

Your Local Council want to help you with the cost of cloth nappies.

Well hopefully your council does. Fill You Pant has a list of councils that will provide help with the cost, you can find here. And yes you read that right. Many councils are willing to GIVE you vouchers to buy cloth nappies. By doing this they are not only setting out to help families with the cost, neither just for the environment but by encouraging families to choose reusable’s they are actually saving themselves money.

Sending waste to landfill cost local authorities a lot of money. In fact we send 3 BILLION disposable single use nappies to landfill every year, costing our councils 80 MILLION pounds. Get your head around those numbers. So yes, by giving us money to spend they are in the long run saving themselves money, which of course is money you already paid in council tax. So make sure you claim if you can.

Are you getting started with cloth nappies? Dive into my getting started series for all you need to know.