Choosing the right cloth nappies for your budget

Cloth nappies are a fantastic way to save money when you have a baby. But how do you know if the cloth nappies that you are looking for are the best value? Is it always the best idea to go for the cheapest cloth nappies available, or is this false economy? How do you go about choosing the right cloth nappies for your budget?

Trying cloth nappies

Half the battle when you make the decision to use cloth nappies, is knowing which ones to use. There are hundreds of different styles and types on the market and just about everyone that you speak to will have a different idea as to which are the best. Different people find that different brands or styles work best for them. Some parents even find that as they get older, their baby gets on better with different types of nappy. Trying to select the right nappies to purchase before you’ve tried them, could result in buying a full set of nappies that just don’t work for your baby. Not only is this very disheartening and puts some people off using cloth, it can also be very expensive.

Cloth nappies are a great way to save money. Once they are bought, you don’t need to keep purchasing more. Using full time cloth can save anywhere between $2000 and $4000 on your first baby, depending which brands of nappies that you use. If you spend a lot of money on cloth nappies that just don’t work out for you though, you might find that you don’t save quite as much money as you might first hope.  Should you go ahead and purchase a large amount that don’t work, you can usually on sell them, so all isn’t lost. If possible though, choosing the right nappies right from the start will mean that you don’t have this problem.

Starting using cloth nappies

If you’re not planning on starting cloth straight away, then you can start off getting one or two nappies to try out, before committing to buying full sets. Once you’re happy with the type of cloth nappy that you want to use, then you can go ahead and buy more. A great way to do this is via a trial pack. We do a couple of different trial packs here at Nappyneedz. Our modern cloth nappy trial pack (here) has two different nappy styles in. It’s a great way to give cloth a go and see what works for you. Our OSFM trial pack (here) is a budget option, that gives great value for money and can be a good choice if you don’t want to spend too much money.

If you are planning on using cloth right from newborn, then you might want to have some nappies ready to go from the beginning. As newborns tend to need changing very regularly, I usually recommend something quick drying and easy. A great choice would be our Ecobots nappies (here), as they are sized nappies, you can use them from newborn and then look for something different or buy larger sizes as your little one gets bigger. Another great alternative is to use cotton or bamboo flat nappies (here) with a sized nappy cover (here) over the top, a great choice for tiny babies and what I used on my four children.

Cloth nappy packs

A great way to get value for money, is to buy a cloth nappy pack. These are large packs of nappies, that work out much cheaper than purchasing the nappies indiviually. If you are confident which type of cloth nappies you would like to use, then these can be a great choice. By buying a pack of five, ten or even twenty nappies, you can get them at a great price. Our packs can be found here. A birth to potty set of nappies can be a good idea if you know that you will be happy with that type of nappy. Lots of parents have tried and loved our Ecobots packs here.

The right cloth nappies for your budget

Like many things, you get what you pay for with cloth nappies. That doesn’t mean that you have to go for the most expensive nappy available. It also doesn’t meant that the really cheap ones won’t work. Cheap cloth nappies, particularly those known as china cheapies can work fine. Most people find that they don’t last as long and they haven’t had the research and design put into them that other brands, such as ours, have. They are a good place to start if you are on a budget though.

What can make a huge difference with the cheaper nappies is the type of insert that you use. Most only come with a microfibre insert. This is generally fine to begin with, but won’t stand up to the volume of liquid an older baby can produce. By using something like our hemp boosters or our bamboo or cotton prefold nappies you can make a cheaper nappy work well. This is why our OSFM pack uses a cheaper one size cover with cotton prefolds, as they are reliable and work well.

If you need help finding the right cloth nappies for you and your baby, then our free advice form is a good place to start. Check it out here. We can help you to find the right cloth nappies for your budget.