Are cloth nappies worth it?

Have you been wondering “are cloth nappies worth it?” There are lots of reasons that cloth might be the right choice for your and your family. Here I’ll share some of the reasons that make cloth nappies a really good option.

What makes cloth a good choice?

• Using cloth nappies works out much cheaper. You can save a couple of thousand of dollars easily with your first child alone.
• Reusable nappies is much better for the environment, even when washing is taken into account.
• Cloth nappies mean fewer chemicals against your babies precious skin.
• Despite what disposable adverts might tell you, there are actually fewer leaks with cloth.
• Babies in washable nappies tend to learn to use the toilet earlier and with less stress than those in single-use nappies.
• There are cloth nappies for all budgets, meaning that you can use them even if money is really tight.
• They don’t slow down movement or development. In some cases, cloth can help as they hold the legs and hips in a better position.
• They look better than disposables. On hot days they look good with just a singlet or t-shirt.

What about the extra washing?

Something that might really have you questioning if cloth nappies are worth it is the thought of all of that extra washing. To be honest, keeping your nappies clean doesn’t need to be complicated and there’s no reason why the extra work needs to be hard. Once you get into the habit of washing every other day, or even every day, you really don’t notice the extra loads. Children create lots of extra washing in any case and one extra load for nappies really isn’t a big deal. Keep it simple, with a warm wash with a full load of your usual detergent and you should have no problems.

Is cloth really worth it? Will I save money?

It’s often claimed that cloth nappies are much cheaper than disposables, but is that really true? Disposable nappies do vary in price, depending on the brand and the age of the child in nappies. If I take the cheapest nappies available at local supermarkets and shops they work out at 27c each. With six changes a day and a child in nappies for two and a half years then this will cost you $1478. Compare this with our Complete cloth nappy pack for $150.

Of course, I haven’t taken into account laundering costs. But with disposables you will need to pay to dispose of the nappies. Six nappies a day at the newborn stage is quite a conservative estimate with most babies needing changing much more often than this. As your baby gets older, the nappies tend to cost much more than 27c. Most children in disposable nappies will also be in nappies during the day time until at least three years old and many children continue to use nappies at night for quite a long time after they are dry in the day. It’s not long until the amount spent on disposable nappies reaches past the $3000 or more stage. All of our nappy packs are much better value than this.

If you think that you might like to give cloth nappies ago, then check out our trial packs here. Cloth nappies really are worth it!