Cloth Diapering: The Greener Bum?

Since I fully intend to cloth diaper this new baby from birth until potty training I wanted to do my own cost analysis of the benefits.  Instead of looking at my own costs, however, I decided to find national averages for everything from the theoretical baby in our scenerios size and weight to the cost of utilities.  Using these averages I have found that cloth diapering even further exceeds disposable diapering than I originally thought!  My next project is to break out my folder of baby receipts and tally up my own stash of cloth diapers.  Of course, I have gone all out and have at least one of every kind and brand of diaper.  I expect I have overspent by quite a bit but I also imagine that if I do another analysis after resale of my stash that I will still be well below the cost of disposable diapering!  Guess I'll just have to wait and see on that one!

So please give me your input on my analysis and let's make changes where needed to fit the 'average' person and their baby!

Cost Benefit Analysis of Cloth Diapering vs. Disposable Diapering


Pampers Baby Dry Diapers according to Walmart.com on 5/12/10:

Size NB (up to 10 pounds) $30 for 124 diapers

Size 1/2 (up to 15 pounds) $32.54 for 192 diapers

Size 3 (16-28 pounds) $38 for 174 diapers

Size 4 (22-37 pounds) $38 for 156 diapers

Size 5 (27+ pounds) $38 for 136 diapers

Size 6 (35+ pounds) $38 for 112 diapers



Using a CDC growth chart at the 50th percentile range to estimate how long a female newborn who potty trained completely at age 3 would be in each size of diaper I have done the following analysis. The average newborn weight was slightly over 7 pounds so I will start at 7 pounds even for ease of calculations. By three months the average female baby is around 12 pounds. The 6 month average weight is 16 pounds, 9 months is 18 pounds, 12 months is 21 pounds, 15 months is 23 pounds, 18 months is 24 pounds, 21 months is 26 pounds, 24 months is 27 pounds, 27 months is 28 pounds, 30 months is 29 pounds, 33 months is 30 pounds, and 36 months is 31 pounds. We will assume the manufacturer sizes fit almost exactly to the weights they cite to figure out what size our baby will wear at each age.

We will assume our average sized baby girl is also an average wetter/pooper. Different websites state that a newborn will use anywhere from 8-16 diapers a day so we will use 12 diapers per day to maintain our ‘average’ baby. This will be assumed to last for the first 3 months until our baby grows into size 1/2 diapers which will fit until 6 months. We will assume that our infant now uses 8 diapers a day for this period. We will assume that our baby is in size 3 until 24 months of age (unlikely but we’ll go with the manufacturer weight guidelines). During this period our baby will reduce diaper usage to 6 diapers per day until 18 months and then 4 diapers per day from 18 to 24 months. From 24 months until potty training at 36 months our baby will wear size 4. We will assume 2 diapers per day (1 at nap time and 1 for overnight).

The CDC growth chart can be found here: http://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/data/set1clinical/cj41c018.pdf







We find that the total cost of diapers for 3 years is $1,188.00. However, one fallacy in our calculations is that we are not using the exact amount of diapers in every package we would have to buy since diapers do not come individually. To account for the diapers we would theoretically throw away unused in our scenario we have to add in another $86.16 which brings our total so far to $1,274.16. Of course we are also assuming that we don’t purchase any additional diapers away because of the ‘tabs’ ripping off, baby using more than her daily allowance of diapers, buying extras for grandma’s house, etc. And we also don’t account for any rises in prices due to economic changes. So I think it is safe to say that $1,274.16 is the bare minimum average for disposable diapers to age three as of May, 2010.

Now we need to add in accessories that go with disposable diapering. Let’s look first at disposable wipes. The Pampers Baby Fresh scented wipes are $4.94 for a 2 pack according to Walmart’s website. There are 72 wipes in a tub. Let’s assume we need an average of 2 wipes per diaper change and we aren’t using any of our wipes for cleaning snotty noses, dirty hands, etc. If (that’s a big if!) all of our wipes go exclusively to diaper changes than we get 72 changes per 2-pack of wipe tubs. That’s roughly 3.5 cents per wipe or 7 cents per diaper change. Our total wipe cost for 3 years is $378 bringing our total thus far to $1,652.16.

Next we need diaper rash cream because studies have shown that disposable diapered babies are more prone to diaper rash. Desitin Creamy, a popular brand, is $11.99 for 16oz. according to Target’s website. Let’s assume that we need a new tub every 6 months because every hygiene cream or medicine should be replaced on a regular basis so as not to grow bacteria and germs. This means we need 6 tubs over our baby’s diapering years adding another $71.94 to our costs and bringing our total to $1,724.10.

Next, we know that trash day only comes once a week so we need a place to store all those yucky diapers until trash day. We wouldn’t want to take them out to the garbage cans because we all know how much the neighborhood animals love to tear into anything smelly and disgusting. So we will buy a diaper disposal system. The Diaper Dekor is the most highly rated system on Target’s website and retails for $29.99. This system uses one continuous bag that you cut and tie off as needed. (This doesn’t seem all that convenient to me but I guess that’s a matter of opinion.) From reading the reviews it seems that a Diaper Dekor being used full time will need to be emptied 2-3 times a week and the bag refills will last around 2 months maximum under consistent use. A three pack of refills retails for $29.99 on Target’s website. Assuming we use one refill every 2 months, we will need 6 of these refill packs. Our total cost for our disposal system is now at $209.93 bringing our total cost to $1934.03. And we still haven’t fully solved our disposal problem because we still have to store those 2-3 bags of dirty diapers until garbage day each week!

We now have a realistic cost of right around $2000 to disposable diaper a baby for 3 years. This cost could be higher if your garbage collection company charges a higher rate for the extra bags of garbage you are now generating each week. There could also be extra costs arising from having to use a second bag if an animal does violate the sanctity of your trash bin. Not to mention the additional transportation costs of running to the store in the middle of the night when you realize you are running low on diapers. If you are like us and live a good hour round trip from the store then unexpected trips can be quite costly over time. And there is no way to put a quantifiable value on the space taken up in our landfills by the 2,880 diapers you would theoretically generate the first year of our scenario let alone the subsequent years (and children).

So, now let’s look at cloth diapering. Let’s work with a ‘modest’ budget according to Green Mountain Diaper’s website. We will buy 6 small Bummis Super Whisper Wrap diaper covers, 3 dozen small prefold diapers, 2 dozen newborn prefolds, 6 newborn Bummis Super Whisper Wrap diaper covers, 4 packs of cloth wipes and a large, hanging Planet Wise wet/dry bag. We will also purchase 3 snappis which have all but replaced old fashioned diaper pins. This ‘stash’ should keep our baby diapered until around 15 pounds (or 6 months according to our CDC growth chart). Our total cost for 6 months of cloth diapering is $331.54.

To get us to 3 years of age or about 30 pounds we are going to need a few more things. Let’s stick with what’s worked so far and buy 6 medium sized Bummis Super Whisper Wraps, 2 dozen medium prefolds and 2 dozen large prefolds. We don’t need to buy any more wipes because we’re using cloth wipes which are reusable! And we don’t need any ‘disposal systems’ because we just wash and reuse our diapers, wipes and wet/dry bag. So now our total is $515.62 for three years of cloth diapering. Of course, this is using the most simplistic method of prefold diapers with a cover.

We’ll expand our diaper stash a little further in a minute but let’s look at our utility costs to keep up with our diaper laundry first. If we have a high efficiency (HE) front-loading washer then we’re only using about 25 gallons of water per load of laundry compared to 40 for a traditional top-loader (these numbers are for full loads which is not always necessary). Front loaders are also gentler on our clothes and diapers so they last longer and save us money long term as well! According to drinktap.org the average price of water in the US is $1.50 per 1,000 gallons. So if we wash our cloth diapers every other day we will do roughly 183 extra loads of laundry per year (though these aren’t necessarily full loads). That’s roughly 4,575 gallons per year in our HE front loader for a cost of $6.86. If we’re still using our traditional top loader then we are looking at a cost of $10.98 per year. Drying isn’t even an issue because line drying in the sun is the best for cloth diapers. It is gentler, removes stains and keeps our diapers free of any fabric softener sheets our dryer might be hiding!

The other hidden cost of laundry is, of course, detergent. Tide original powder is a commonly used detergent with cloth diapers. According to Amazon (Walmart and Target both do not list prices for the Tide powder) it is $54.90 for 2 boxes that wash 120 loads each. Over our three years of cloth diapering we will then use 5 of these boxes for a total cost of $137.25. So with water and detergent usage factored into our cost we are now at $673.45 if we have an HE washer and $685.81 if we have a traditional washer. Even if we’re spending an extra $100 a year (which would be outrageous!) in energy costs for water heating, etc we are still well ahead of disposable diapering!

So let’s get on with making our stash a little more convenient. Let’s forget these cheap prefolds and covers and go entirely high class convenience. One of the most popular brands of all-in-one (AIO) cloth diapers is bumGenius. They offer a cloth diaper that works just like a disposable without the garbage. The diaper has a snap system to adjust it to fit your baby’s size and there is nothing to fold or snappi or pin or stuff with inserts like with the other types of diapers. You simply snap these diapers on your baby and then remove and toss in the wash when they are soiled. We’ll go for the absolute top of the line and price an entire stash of bumGenius AIO organic diapers. On the Mom’s Milk Boutique website these diapers are priced at $22.08 each when you buy a dozen or more. So let’s make these our entire stash and get 2 dozen so we can still do laundry every other day. Our 2 dozen top of the line diapers will cost us $529.92. And the best part is that they should fit from slightly after birth (once the umbilicus falls off) until potty training. All we need to do is add in our 4 dozen cloth wipes and our wet/dry bag. Our total cost is $607.91.

Amazing! For three years of cloth diapering we have spent a little over $600 on a top of the line system. Add in our utility and detergent costs and we are at a maximum of $778.10 for our baby girl’s diapering costs. Factor in the ability to either resell or reuse the diapers for another child and cloth diapering is the clear cut winner. If we reuse our stash with only one more child we have cut the cost down to $303.96 per child (not factoring in utility or detergent costs for the second child since these will change over the course of 3 years). Not to mention the reduced amount of household waste we’re sending to the landfill every week and the fact that we should almost never need diaper rash cream or ointments! Plus our baby girl will grow up without being exposed to the harsh chemicals found in disposable diapers!

I can’t find any argument that would sway me to believe disposable diapers are worth the risks and the money. In the time it takes me to lug a bag of nasty diapers to the curb I can easily throw in a load of laundry. And there will be no more emergency runs to the store because we’ll never run low on diapers when we use cloth. Fewer trees will be cut down to make disposable diapers if more people would use cloth. Water is a renewable resource so washing a few more loads of laundry each week shouldn’t have a huge environmental impact as long as you’re not under a drought warning. And with cloth we don’t have the excrement leaching into our ground water. Cloth diapering simply blows disposables out of the water in every aspect from environmental to financial impact. Cloth is for sure the ‘greener’ bum!

















Pampers Baby Dry Diapers from Walmart

Size Weight Range Cost Per Pack No. of Diapers per Pack Cost per diaper

Newborn up to 10 pounds $30.00 124 $0.24

One/Two up to 15 pounds $32.54 192 $0.17

Three 16-28 pounds $38.00 174 $0.22

Four 22-37 pounds $38.00 156 $0.24

Five 27+ pounds $38.00 136 $0.28

Six 35+ pounds $38.00 112 $0.34



Months Diapers per day Cost per day Cost per month (30 days) Total for these months Unused Diaper Cost

0-3 12 $2.88 $86.40 $259.20 $10.80

3-6 8 $1.36 $40.80 $122.40 $7.76

6-18 6 $1.32 $39.60 $475.20 $18.80

18-24 4 $0.88 $26.40 $158.40 $31.60

24-36 2 $0.48 $14.40 $172.80 $17.20

Total $1,188.00 $86.16



Pampers Baby Fresh scented wipes

Months Wipes per day Wipes per month (30 days) Total Wipes Total Cost

0-3 24 720 2160 $75.60

3-6 16 480 1440 $50.40

6-18 12 360 4320 $151.20

18-24 8 240 1440 $50.40

24-36 4 120 1440 $50.40

Total $378.00



Cloth Diapering Cost Each Total Cost

6 Bummis Super Whisper Wraps $11.00 $66.00

6 Newborn Bummis Wraps $11.00 $66.00

2 dozen newborn prefolds $1.75 $42.00

3 dozen small prefolds $2.00 $72.00

4 packsof a dozen cloth wipes $12.00 $48.00

Planetwise wetbag $29.99 $29.99

3-pack snappis $7.55 $7.55

Total for months 0-6 $331.54



Cloth Diapering 6-36 months

6 medium Bummis SWW $11.00 $66.00

2 dozen medium prefolds $2.25 $54.00

2 dozen large prefolds $2.67 $64.08

Total for months 6-36 $184.08



BG Organic AIO cloth diapering

24 BG Organic AIO's $22.08 $529.92

4 dozen cloth wipes $12.00 $48.00

Planet Wise wet/dry bag $29.99 $29.99

$607.91