I'm a mother of twins, RDA accredited Cloth Diaper Circle Leader, and an RN discussing parenting tips, green living, and products I love!
When I talk about being a cloth diaper circle leader and teaching 101 workshops to friends with older children in diapers or disposable training pants, I often hear something like “Well it’s too late for us now, maybe if I have another kid…” It’s for those parents that I wanted to crunch some numbers for and let you know how you can still save quite a bit of money.
I started with the cost of one of the most popular pocket diapers on the market, BumGenius, and went from there. You can buy one pocket diaper for $17. (If this turns you off right away, make sure to note that many retailers offer great sales. Some give discounts for buying more than 3 and many retailers offer larger price breaks if you buy in bundles.) I priced out a 186 count box of disposables (on sale) for $45 which averages out to about .25 cents per disposable diaper. Using those numbers, each cloth diaper you buy will be equal to the cost of 68 disposable diapers. So even if you only have a few months in diapers left, buying just one cloth diaper will save you about $5.50 if you use it every day and wash it every night. If you buy just 5 cloth diapers and use all 5 every day and wash them daily, you will save $27.50 in just 3 months. If your little one has just 6 months left in cloth and you buy 5 cloth diapers (enough to cloth diaper part time) you will save a whopping $140! If you buy a full (toddler) stash of 12 pocket diapers for $17 each, wash every day and a half, and use only those cloth diapers, you will save $336 over 6 months!!!!
Have I just blown your mind? Because even though I KNOW there is a lot of money to be saved in cloth diapers, those numbers still look pretty awesome to me! Oh, wait, I forgot about resell value. Make sure to tack on the fact that if you only use your diapers for 6 months (and don’t completely terrorize them by disregarding all washing instructions) your diapers will be in excellent condition. You can resell them online through many sites, through a consignment store, or save money on a baby shower gift by gifting them to another mom who will surely underestimate the money saving power of the gift you handed down to her.
“Janice,” you say, “my kid is in disposable training pants and cloth diapers are no longer an option for us, how can I save money?” The lease expensive disposable trainer I found was $36 for 100. A high quality cloth trainer (that absorbs similar to disposable trainer) will cost anywhere from $19 – $35. But you have to know what you get for that price. The $19 trainer is a GroVia trainer (see the link in my side bar). If it gets soiled you need to change and wash it just like you would change a disposable trainer. I think this trainer is a great night time option. The $35 trainer is a Flip trainer. It comes with one cover (that is wipeable and reusable if it gets soiled with urine) and 5 inserts to absorb 5 accidents. If you get one Flip trainer and two GroVia trainers (for nap and night time) it will cost you $73. If you buy anything over two (100 count) disposable trainers you have made your money back. Cloth trainers also take the pressure off of potty learning. I’m not worried about when my kids finally gain control of their bladder while sleeping because I don’t have to buy any more training pants!
If your child is only in disposable training pants for night time and you buy 2 GroVia trainers and wash every other day, you will make your money back on anything over the cost of one box of disposable trainers. Your child will train faster because they will feel the wetness of their accidents without the mess. Can you say win, win? How much you save will depend on how much potty learning your child has left to do!
Cost savings is hardly the only reason to use cloth diapers and trainers but the purpose of this post is to let you know that it is hardly ever too late to save money by switching to cloth. If you wait until your child only has 3 months in diapers, you can still save $65 by switching exclusively to cloth (12, $17 cloth diapers). That means you are still saving money – even when factoring in the fact that you need to wash them and should buy cloth diaper safe detergent. My advice? Make the switch now! The sooner you switch, the more money you will save!
Well we have been using cloth training pants for the twins since we started potty training a few months ago. What I have learned is that training pants are not necessary in the first week of training. It is best to have kiddos run around naked so that they can start to identify the sensation of urinating. After they start to get the basics of going on the potty down, and you feel comfortable enough to leave the house, then trainers come in very handy!
We bought three different types of trainers when we started potty training and I wanted to let you know what worked best for us!
Pic via Amazon.com
Pic via Amazon.com
Blueberry Trainers: These trainers are great if you are looking for a padded underwear. They are super comfy and don’t even think of leaving a red mark on my little ones. They have a waterproofing layer in the wet zone. They are absorbent enough to hold one small pee but because the outer layer is made of cotton, they wick this moisture to the outer layers quickly. These are a one time use and wash trainer. If they get wet the soft microfiber lining can not be wiped out and will need to be washed with each accident. These look a lot like underwear and are fairly trim. They do not have snaps and can create a bit of difficulty when kiddos poo in them. Great option for trained kids that just need a bit of extra confidence if they start to leak before they get to the potty. I do not recommend these for nap or nighttime use. Cost = $15.95 each.
Pic from flipdiapers.com
Flip Trainers: These are my go to trainer! I love that these inserts are organic cotton (easier to keep clean than microfibers). These are size adjustable for size 20-50 lbs which makes them great for special needs kids who may take longer to potty train. The side panels snap on and are stretchy. You can pick different color variations. These were the priciest trainers we bought BUT, we use them the most. The shell is wipeable on the inside so that you can reuse them after most accidents, and they come with FIVE cotton inserts. I also love that these inserts could be used in a cloth diaper if needed. We are still using cloth diapers at nap and night time but we have used these on a couple occasions for nap as well. I doubled the inserts and they worked fine! Finding a trainer that can be used for nap and night is quite a feat and I am happy to be able to suggest one! My little ones are also quite capable of pulling these trainers off and on with ease. It is very cute to see how proud they are of themselves! These are pricy at a cost of = $34.95, but like I said, we use these for an entire day or more sometimes. I don’t need to have 6 pair. Two are plenty for us since I only worry about changing the shell if poo gets on it. I love these for kids in all stages of potty learning.
Those are the three trainers that we have personally used. I would have loved to have tried the next two but funds are limited in this house – as are in most unfortunately.
Pic from superundies.com
Super Undies: Super undies are a non wicking washable training pant. They have a microfiber lining with 3 or 4 layers of absorbency according to which size you get. The video on the website suggests they hold half a pee contained and will leak to your children’s clothing with a full pee so that you are able to tell that they need attention. They have a sewn in version and a pocket version which might be better used (and stuffed with more absorbency) for nap time. Cost = $19.95-21.95
Pic via Gro-Via.com
GroVia Trainers: These trainers seem to me to be a cross between the Flip trainer and the pocket super undies. They are a pocket trainer which allows you to stuff as much absorption as your child needs into each trainer. They are a one sized trainer with snaps on the front to adjust the rise. The snap on stretchy side panels come in sizes 1T-3T. The absorbent layer is a hemp cotton blend. I think these might just make for a great nap and night time trainer. The pocket makes the absorbent layers a bit more contained. The only drawback that I see, is that they are a one time use and wash trainer if toddler has an accident. GroVia trainers cost = $18.99 each.
I believe my ideal trainer stash would consist of two GroVia trainers per kiddo for nap and nighttime and two Flip Trainers per kiddo for the rest of the time. What is your favorite trainer? Have you used and loved any that I haven’t listed? Please tell us about them in a comment!
Since it seems to be the time of year for one cold followed by another, I figured I’d share a tip. Poor DS is sick with another cold today. Just last month both the twins were sick for my brother’s wedding which made the event just a bit more “exciting”. So now DS is sick with yet another cold. He’s all chapped from his lip up to his nose. I have one of GroVia’s Magic Sticks saved for occasions just like this one! The Magic Stick can be used for much more than diaper rash. You can use it for eczema, dry skin, and many skin irritations. As of late, I have been using it on poor DS’ chapped lip. It must be very soothing since he likes to help apply it himself! I figured those of you who have little ones with sensitive skin might especially like to know about this awesome balm. The best part of this balm is that it is in the form of a giant lip balm! No more getting balm on your fingers unless you want to! You can order your own Magic Stick by clicking on any of my GroVia links. (I have one stick that I use for face and other skin irritations and then another for each of the kids bottoms.)
We have been dealing with this NEVER ENDING diaper rash in our house! I started to REALLY research what else could be wrong. I thought it was a yeast rash. It wasn’t. Not only did I treat my diapers for yeast twice, but my dear daughter’s (DD) bum tested negative for yeast when the pediatrician swabbed it for a culture. So what the heck was causing this blistery rash that looks WAY too much like a burn? I mean, I was AFRAID to take DD to the doctor the first time because this rash was SO BAD!
So, what have I learned? I have learned that it probably was a burn. Apparently, if ammonia builds up in your cloth diapers, it can cause a burn. Ouch. Ammonia build up sucks. I will write a blog on how I got rid of the ammonia at a later time, once I have made sure that it is really GONE FOR GOOD. I am waiting for my DD and DS’s little bottoms to completely heal before I attempt to write about how to fix the problem.
What I do want to write about is how to help heal this burn. The first thing is to get them out of those diapers while they are healing and treat the diapers. We have been using a biodegradable, disposable inserts in our GroVia AI2s as well as GroVia biodiapers. Second, get some Ching Wan Hung Soothing Herbal Balm. I was telling my acupuncturist about this ammonia burn rash and she said, “I have this great burn balm!” Great? You can say that again! I have applied half a pea sized dab on my daughter’s ammonia burn area 4 times now. As of the third application she was 50% healed over most of the worst area and almost 100% healed on the less affected areas. Wow. Ok, so that’s not all I’ve done, but I give the herbal balm most of the credit. I also started using GroVia’s Magic Stick and Aveeno’s Soothing Relief Bath Treatment. I also read somewhere along this blog-o-rific journey, that you can make your own soothing bath treatment. Um, yes please! I’d love to save some money!
Homemade soothing bath soak for diaper rash, burns, and skin irritations:
1/2 cup whole oats, 1 Chamomile tea bag or spoon full of loose tea, wrap in a small square of cheese cloth and tie off.
Use a new bag with each bath. Do not reuse the soak!
Place in a warm (not hot) bath and swish around to release oat milk and tea. My DD’s hair and skin has been super soft as an added bonus!
So, to recap, I have been applying the Herbal balm when the twins wake, before nap, and before bed (after the bath soak). Because they have been in disposable inserts, I have covered the balm in either Aquaphor or Magic Stick (remember that you shouldn’t use Aquaphor in cloth because it can decrease absorbency of your diapers), and use the Magic Stick alone for all other diaper changes. This is the quickest this type of rash has EVER healed, and I am super excited to give you another option for those of you that are dealing with similar problems!
For those mom’s that dealt with burns from some of the chemicals in overnight disposable diapers, I would think that this concoction would greatly help you as well!
I’d love to hear your feedback in a comment on this post!
I received my free GroVia all in two (AI2) shell yesterday for signing up with their affiliate program! This means the giveaway is ON! I will be accepting entries as comments on this blog until I reach 100 Google Friend Connect Followers and/or 100 subscribers to my RSS feed. By subscribing to my RSS feed you will get a notification by email or your favorite reader when I post a new blog! If you want to check out GroVia and their products click on the GroVia button in the column on the right side of this blog.
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