Cloth Diapering On a Tight Budget
Cloth Diapering On a Tight Budget
So you want to start cloth diapering? It is soo expensive though you say! Well, I felt the same way when I decided to swaddle my first child in all kinds of fluff. He was nine months old at the time that I found out about all the chemicals in disposable diapers. His precious skin had been sucking up a toxic soup, and all because of diapers! One of the last barriers to my choosing cloth was finances and the initial start-up costs of cloth diapering. So I got creative, determined to get the disposables' chemicals away from my sweet baby. This is where my journey with cloth diapering began.
What do you have around the house?
Maybe you have an old sewing machine around the house or you could borrow one from a friend. As this will be helpful in attaining this goal of cloth diapering on a strict budget. If you don't have a sewing machine, cannot find one to borrow, or buy secondhand no worries we still have you covered here too.
Do you give clothes no longer needed to thrift stores, friends, or relatives? Then stop for a minute and think about all the material involved with this clothing. Things made with at least 80% cotton work well.
I have a list below that is by no means exhaustive of some things to look for that can be absorbent:
Burp cloths
Receiving blankets
Flannel clothes
T-shirts
Towels
Baby clothes
Micro fiber towels
Pajamas made of cotton or velour (very soft for baby)
Thing to be used as covers or wetness barriers:
Fleece Sweaters, blankets, pants
Wool Sweaters
You will want to make sure there is not hard paint or glue on the old clothing or towels that can scratch baby's bottom. You can get new microfiber towels in a pack of 5 for about $6.00 from the car wash section at your local department store. You don't want to use microfiber towels already used on your car because those chemicals will be next to baby's skin. Don't think about those old dish towels that have lots of holes in them that wont even wipe up a spill on the kitchen counter. They most likely will not work well in containing any liquid from your baby either.
Now on to what will work and the How-To's.
Receiving blankets, burp cloths, T-shirts, and hand towels can be used as they are, just wrapped around your baby and used like prefold diapers. You can snappi them or get diaper pins from the store for about $2 for 2 sets. Here are some illustrations on how to fold a T-shirt around your baby.
Fold side over at an angle
Fold the other side over to create a point
Fold the point up to create a flat edge
Lay the baby on the neck of the shirt fold the front over baby.
Take the arms of T-shirt and fold them over baby's legs If your baby is small enough you may be able to
tie the arms together or even tuck them. Otherwise
Pin them or you can even use a Snappi. You can
add in a washcloth or prefold for extra absorbency.
Use with a cover.
Use microfiber towels and washcloths as doublers for extra absorbency.
Flannel material is soft on baby and very absorbent it is sometimes made into pajamas, they now even make them into sheets, receiving blankets, and your husband may have them as button down shirts that are softer and fuzzier on the outside.
Baby clothes that are soft and around 80% cotton can be used as layers over homemade prefolds, doublers, or made into washcloths/wipes. That way your baby's skin is next to soft fibers.
Use older towels and line them with microfiber washcloths.
Fleece is a barrier, breathable fabric that can be made into diaper covers. Usually 2 layers in the wet zone will work for waterproof covers. You will need to sew these. Check the link below for patterns.
Felted wool sweaters-- Wash and dry old wool sweaters until they shrink up really good. The thicker the better as they will work better for waterproofing. For the most part you can get 2 covers out of them. After that, lanolize them for ultimate waterproof protection. You will need to sew these. Check the link below for patterns.
Adding elastic and velcro is an inexpensive way to add efficiency and ease to your diapering system. Add it to your prefolds and burp cloths. Elastic will help keep messes in and velcro will help keep the diaper on.
This link has many great resources for sewing cloth diapers.
Things that can help with diapering on a budget that you can purchase.
Diaper pins -- Range $1-$3 at most stores selling baby items.
Snappis -- Range $2-$6 usually online, but can be found in
Specialty diaper stores around the country.
Plastic Pants-- Used as diaper covers to keep wetness in. Sold in most
stores that sell baby items. Pack of 3 runs about $5-$7
---Remember you are doing this on a budget. Most likely you will have more leaks and messes than with all the fool proof fancy diapers out there. This diaper system will be able to get you started so you can start up your cloth diaper stash, if you plan to buy cloth.
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