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Writer's pictureJanike Robertson

Getting Started & Initial Outlay (PART 1)

The most challenging part of cloth diapering is first figuring out which diapers to get and then the initial financial investment which, as opposed to using disposables, is a large sum of money upfront. The upfront investment however pays off massively over the following 3+ years compared to spending a smaller amount of money each month on disposables that ends up costing you exponentially more over the full period of using diapers on one (or even more) babies. If you chose to use cloth diapers you can use your diaper stash on many babies making the savings huge in the long run.



Long Term Costs & Savings of Reusable Cloth Diapers:

To start us off I am sharing some tables from SACNU.com to give an idea of how much money is saved in the long term.

Info graphics used with permission from SACNU.com


If the above tables don't convince you that cloth will save you A LOT of money in the long run and be an investment, I have also made my own table to compare the prices and cost of using disposable diapers during the newborn and one size fits most stage, compared to the costs of using reusable cloth diapers. The savings according to the way I've worked it out is still a whopping R30 000!! See my table below:




Variables:

On average an initial cloth diaper stash for the (One Size Fits Most stage (5kg/4months-potty learning)) for one child costs around R3500-R5000+. The cost is largely dependant on:

  • What type of cloth diapers you are purchasing?

  • Are you buying new or preloved or a mix of both?

  • Are you making some of the components of your diaper stash yourself? (ie: Flats, Boosters & Liners)

  • How often are you planning to wash? This determines the size of your diaper stash (how many do you need to buy)

  • Which brands are you purchasing? Different brands cost varying amounts of money


Budgeting:

Looking at your budget will determine some of the above factors and planning ahead of time can help determine what you are able to afford. If you do not have the financial upper hand to just invest R3500-R5000 upfront on a OSFM stash of cloth diapers (because lets be real, most South Africans don't!) in preparation for a new baby then there are a few ways to achieve your goal of cloth diapering from a financial stand point.


  • Save throughout your pregnancy to purchase before baby arrives.

  • Start slowly purchasing monthly within a budget, this can start as soon as you have decided on using cloth diapers. Budget an amount each month and purchase items, whereby slowly building your stash up until you have enough diapers for full time use.

  • Ask friends and family to help you purchase items for your diaper stash through your pregnancy. Getting friends and family on board can sometimes be a little challenging but once you have explained the pros of using cloth diapers over disposables they can see their contribution as an investment.

  • Ask friends and family to purchase cloth diapers for your baby shower and your husbands' Nappy Braai instead of purchasing disposables. If you need to be more in control of what is purchased then you can chat to retailers and make up a gift registry, assuring your desired items are purchased or you can ask your friends and family to purchase vouchers which can also be arranged with most retailers.

  • If you do not manage to build up a full time cloth diaper stash before baby arrives you can also mix using cloth diapers with disposable diapers. Staring off with a smaller diaper stash and building it up over time as you have cash to spend on reusable cloth.


There is no right or wrong way to cloth diaper your child! Every cloth diaper you use has saved you money and has saved wasted resources ending up in landfill. Remember that every cloth diaper you purchase and use is an investment!


What do I need for OSFM 

(One Size Fits Most +-5kg / 4 months - Potty learning / 3years)


It is generally agreed upon by moms who use cloth diapers that, to wash every 2 days, on average you need:


  • 24 x OSFM diapers (check out types of diapers here)

    • 24 one step diapers (with inserts and waterproofing) OR 24 inserts /flats & 8 wipeable covers (All in 2 system OR flats and cover system).

    • Average of 8 diaper changes per day, including wash day


  • 3 x night time solutions

    • 1 x fitted + cover OR 2 x flats + Cover OR 1 x specialised night nappy)

    • Average of 1 diaper change per night, including wash day


Below I have created 2 tables showing how to construct a full time cloth diaper stash using the cheapest commercially available diapers in South Africa. The prices are current on 21 June 2024 and subject to change. I want families to see that it is possible to do cloth diapering in its full capacity at an affordable rate. If budgets are tight, with a little bit of planning cloth diapering full time is still a viable option. I have made use of retailers with the most affordable cloth diapering solutions and who are firm favourite retailers in the South African cloth diapering community. ( Biddykins.co.za & OrigamiEco.co.za & Janas.co.za)


OPTION 1

POCKETS FOR DAY USE & FITTEDS FOR NIGHT NAPPIES

This option is slightly more expensive

but slightly more convenient and easier to use than option 2


OPTION 2

FLATS & COVERS FOR NIGHT & DAY USE

This option is slightly more work as it requires the diapers to be folded BUT this way of cloth diapering works out a bit cheaper and is much more versatile than option 1.

You can also make your own flats which could significantly reduce the price of option 2.



Optional extras:

  • Disposable bamboo liners (rolls of 100 purchased at a time and replenished as needed) Or 27 reusable, washable, synthetic fleece liners (one for each diaper and a one time purchase, also easy to make yourself at home)

  • Some additional absorbency boosters for those times baby's nappies don't hold enough liquid without leaking before changes (check out absorbent fabrics here)

  • Cloth safe bum cream/ointment (many cloth diapering moms will attest to the fact that bum creams are unnecessary. With cloth diapers baby's bum doesn't need the protection against the chemicals found in disposables or the dryness caused by disposables).

  • 25+ Reusable cloth wipes (this is to replace your wet wipes, cloth wipes are wet as needed and washed with your nappies)



Conclusion:

Cloth diapering is very versatile and can work for anyone in any circumstances. Education and support around modern cloth diapering is key though to have a successful cloth diapering journey.


All of the above info and figures are only a guide or an example of of how you could potentially cloth diaper, the choices you make around what you choose is up to you at the end of the day.


I encourage you to join The South African Cloth Nappy Users Facebook Group where you can find a wealth of resources and also a massive support network to assist you on your journey. Any question you can possibly think of asking has been asked before and if you are still not able to figure it out, moms on that network are always ready to jump at the opportunity to help fellow cloth enthusiasts. Keep an eye out for our next post, Part 2, where we discuss Newborn cloth diapering.



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