Cloth Diapers vs Disposable Diapers

Cheap Baby Diapers for Stay at Home Moms

Cloth diapers vs disposable diapers. Which are better for a stay at home mom aka an everyday cheapskate? Honestly, it's just about preference. Cheap baby diapers can be found either way.

Here we go with one of the biggest debates in parenting circles: cloth diapers vs disposable diapers. I am going to tackle this issue a bit differently because I am not going to tell you which one I think is best.

I really want you to use whatever type of diapers fit your lifestyle best. My role is not to tell any stay at home mom what to do, but I do want to help all moms find cheap baby diapers they can afford.

I know there is a serious need for cheap baby diapers because I have used disposable as well as cloth diapers with my own children. I understand that cloth diapers have a lot of advantages because I used them with my first baby, but I also understand from personal experience that cloth diapers are often hated by other family members who have to change the baby.

I also know firsthand that most day cares will not mess with cloth diapers.

With my second baby I did succumb to pressure from other family members who preferred disposables and I found that there are some advantages to using those as well. So, I know the cloth diapers vs disposable diapers from all angles and want to share that knowledge with you along with some ideas for making diapering more affordable.

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Cloth Diapers vs Disposable Diapers: Pros and Cons of Cloth Diapers

Disposables are a lot more popular with stay at home mom aka an everyday cheapskate today for a variety of reasons, but I found a lot of reasons to prefer cloth diapers:

You aren't always running out and hurrying to the store to buy more.

They are softer on the baby's skin and thus more comfortable.

Cloth diapers are friendlier to the environment.

When you buy high quality, heavy duty diapers you can even use them for multiple babies so you stretch your dollar a lot further with cloth diapers.

Yet, I also recognize that there are some cons to falling on this side of the cloth diapers vs disposable diapers debate:

You have to clean out your cloth diapers rather than just dropping them in the trash.

It takes more time to keep all the diapers clean and ready for the baby's bottom.

You have to learn to fasten the diapers on without sticking a squirming baby with the pins or deal with other washed items getting stuck in velcro.

A stay at home mom aka an everyday cheapskate, interested in cheap baby diapers will at least consider using cloth diapers at one point or another. If this is you, then make sure you consider these cons seriously and understand that you can get cheap baby diapers just as easily if you decide to go with disposables.

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Make Your Own Cloth Diapers

If you have a bit of time, you can actually make your own cloth diapers for even more savings.

If you aren't a sewing machine kind of gal, watch the video presented here and you will see that it is actually a very simple, basic process.

With a very simple pattern that is easy to cut out you can quickly make up your own cloth diapers for only the expense of the fabric.

Remember, you don't need to make your cloth diapers pretty with expensive fabric.

As long as it is heavy duty to prevent leaks, it's good enough to be soiled!

Free cloth diaper patterns can easily be found online.

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Cloth Diapers vs Disposable Diapers: Buy Cloth Diapers

It can be hard to find affordable cloth diapers in retail stores since most parents are now reaching for disposables. The good news is you can still find them all over the Internet and some sites offer great bargains. My top recommendations would be:

eBay


Amazon


and your local craigslist.

Note that eBay does not allow the sale of used cloth diapers, but you can get them used through your local Craigslist page. The best bargain is going to be on the used diapers, but resist the urge to bleach them out.

Just wash them in regular detergent or perhaps Arm and Hammer Baking Soda Wash and they will be clean enough for your baby. Bleach them and you weaken the fabric, causing inevitable tearing and structural issues, so you could have more leaks.

When shopping with eBay look for homemade cloth diapers and top name brands. This is a great option if you like the idea of making your own but don't' have a sewing machine or the time. (or like me, the talent)

Amazon is probably the best place to buy new cloth diapers because you know exactly who you are purchasing them from and you can get free shipping if they are through Amazon directly. This is a reliable source and you never have to question whether the diapers have been used.

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Cloth Diapers vs Disposable Diapers: Pros and Cons of Disposable Diapers

Even though I didn't necessarily want to use disposable diapers with my second child, I did see the benefits once I started using them:

Diaper changes are faster due to the simple closures.

You don't have to clean out and wash dirty diapers.

These diapers are acceptable to day cares and are appreciated by husbands and other family members.

It is definitely a convenience to go this route, but there are some cons to keep in mind as well:

You have to keep purchasing them so you don't run out.

A baby can quickly outgrow one size, leaving you with extra diapers you can't use.

They may pinch a baby's skin and just don't seem as comfortable as cloth diapers.

You have to be careful that you move up to the next size when a diaper becomes too tight on your baby. This will eliminate a lot of the discomfort that may otherwise be experienced.

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Using Coupons for Diaper Discounts

I know more than one coupon savvy stay at home mom who has managed to purchase all the diapers they need for their babies before they even give birth. Talk about frugal coupon living!

Some they get for free while others are purchased at substantial discounts. Their stories and one of my own experiences are why I continue to push other mothers to find cheap baby diapers no matter what side of the old cloth diapers vs disposable diapers debate they fall on.

I personally was able to keep both of my children in FREE pull ups and even made a couple hundred dollars of profit off of one deal Huggies may not have known they put out there. Long story short, I used coupons in small samples of pull ups to get other packages free along with some free products from the stores I shopped with the coupons.

That type of coupon deal where you get your diapers free can be harder to find, but once you do find them you have to milk them for all they are worth. It's worth the effort!

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Buy Diapers on eBay & Amazon

Amazon has a great program for moms, the Amazon Mom Program , that sends automatic shipments of disposable diapers at a discounted price. You even get free two day shipping so you don't have to worry about that extra expense when shopping online.

You can also get disposable diapers on eBay as some moms will purchase in excess of what they need and will end up selling them to other moms. Still others purchase them at clearance prices at stores and then resell through eBay for a profit. Either way, you get you get cheap baby diapers!



No matter what side of the old cloth diapers vs disposable diapers argument you fall, there are ways to get affordable diapers for your baby while being a stay at home mom aka an everyday cheapskate!

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