Enough Diapers To...

...er, cover a baby! :-)

I got the rest of my cloth diapers ordered! Yay! Theoretically, following the "advice" lists I've seen as well as chatting with BTDT mommies on a local mom's board, I have enough to last until Bunny hits 15 pounds...and then it'll be time to order the next size up in prefolds and covers.

Here's a look at what I either received as gifts from my registry or what I purchased for myself:

• 36 DSQ Chinese Prefolds - Infant Size (3+ day supply)
  
• 5 Bum Genius 3.0 One-Size Cloth Diaper (For nighttime...apparently these are the best and last the longest. We got a variety of colors.)
• 2 Bummis Original Cloth Diaper Cover - Size Small (White)
• 2 Bummis Super Whisper Snap Covers - Size Small (White)
• 2 Wahmies Pail Liner Washable Bags (To go in the kick ass pail my coworkers gave at my last shower. I'm really excited about these bags...they go right in the laundry with your cloth diapers and cloth wipes.)
• 24 Cotton Babies Flannel Wipes (We got a dozen each of blue and pink.)
• 24 Kissaluvs Awesome Knit Terry Wipes (White)
• 1 Happy Tushies Wet Bag (To go in the diaper bag to hold dirties while out and about...holds up to a half dozen diapers and wipes.)
• 3 Thirsties Cloth Diapers Covers - Size X-Small (Assorted colors. Apparently, these covers kick major butt.)
• 4 Snappi Fasteners (So kiddo only needs one at a time, and technically could get away without any since we're doing covers as well, but these things are nifty!)
• 3 Rolls Bio Soft Liners (Biodegradable liners that go inside the diaper to catch "solids" to eliminate the need to prewash diapers. A 1-month supply is about $15. To me, $15 is worth the time I'd save in prewashing, especially since these are flushable.)
• 1 Container Fluff Dust Pail Deoderizer (So, as FD pointed out, we could have use the same Arm & Hammer spray we use on our kitty litter boxes, but this was on sale and is lavendar scented so I couldn't not buy!)
• 1 Bottle Kissaluvs Diaper Lotion Potion Concentrate (You mix a little of this stuff with distilled water to wet your cloth wipes before putting in the wipes warmer.)

For all of the above, we spent (as in me and the other person who bought from my registry) a total of $350, including tax. These supplies will last a minimum of 6 months, or until she's 15 pounds and needs the next size. The one-size diapers last until potty training or around 40 pounds! And the wipes, wet bag and pail liners will last forever. But for the sake of argument, let's take out all of the extras and just look at the diaper + cover cost: $228. Total for 4 dozen wipes: $48.

Disposables alone for a six month period would cost $325 plus tax. And that doesn't include anything but the diaper itself - no peripheral items. Enough disposable wipes for that time? Only about $1/day, using 1 to 2 wipes per change. Which adds up to $180 for six months. Egads!

We'll run 3 extra loads of laundry per week. My washer doesn't cost much to run - when my mother-in-law was here over the winter, we experienced a 30% increase in washer usages. My power bill didn't budge and my water bill went up like $5/month.

So for the first six months of cloth diapers, we'll save $200. YAHOO! Plus...the next six months will be a bit cheaper, without the need to buy more wipes or other peripherals. But the cost of disposables wouldn't change. Cha-ching!

And let's not even discuss how much we'll save in not using formula or "baby water" or pre-made baby food. Being cheap is fun!

I'm excited. Can ya tell?

Hugs,

~FM~