Disposable diapers are one of the bigger baby expenses. While the average cost of the first year’s worth of disposables is about $700, remember that you will probably be using diapers for two to three years, thus doubling or tripling your expense. For that reason, it is especially helpful to save as much money as you can on diapers. The following strategies will help you get started.

Register with Diaper Companies

Disposable diaper companies offer membership programs that benefit both them and the consumer. To join the program, you provide your contact information plus the names and ages of your children. This helps the company to accurately target their marketing. In exchange, they send their members free samples, coupons, and other goodies from time to time. At least once a month, I receive a free diaper or two in the mail, a couple of coupons, and occasionally things like stickers or booklets. As your child gets older, you will begin to get training pants samples, too.

Pampers Savings Program
Huggies Savings Program
Luvs Savings Program

Mailing Lists

From the time you have your first prenatal appointment until the time you send your kids off to college, you will have opportunity after opportunity to get on parenting mailing lists. You will find sign up forms online, in parenting magazines, at the doctor’s office, in baby supply stores, and more. Sure, you’ll get some unwanted junk mail from time to time, but you will also receive samples and coupons beyond what you will get from the diaper companies, themselves.

Clip Coupons

Diaper coupons are readily available. Aside from the coupons you will receive in the mail when you register with diaper companies and get on mailing lists, you will find diaper coupons in baby and parenting magazines, the Sunday paper, store flyers (think Target and Babies R Us), and in the coupon packs that come in the mail. Also, be sure to check online. Do a Google search for “diaper coupons” and you will be amazed at what is out there. Coupons can also be found for sale on Ebay and for free through Freecycle. The best way to save with coupons is by combining a sale with a manufacturer’s coupon and a store coupon. For example, Target recently had Huggies on sale for $7.99. I had a $1 off Target store coupon and a $3 off manufacturer’s coupon. My total price was $3.99!

Buy Generic

I have known a number of parents over the years who swear their babies can only wear Pampers because anything else is too harsh on their baby’s skin. If that’s you, then you can skip right over this section. For the rest of you who may be skeptical but not totally opposed to using generic, let me tell you what I have found. Some generic diapers are better than others. Some are simply not worth any amount of money. But some (and I have only found a few), are almost as good as their name brand counterparts. My personal recommendation? Up and Up brand diapers at Target. They are less than $14 for a big box and work as well (in my opinion) as their name-brand counterparts. For those of you with nighttime wetters, consider buying generic for use during the day and pricier diapers for nighttime use.

Buy Used

Okay, I don’t mean really used. Just think about this: What happens if you’ve bought a couple of cases of diapers and before you use them all, your baby moves into another size? Or what if you received way more newborn diapers from friends and family than you will ever be able to use? Or (and we should all be so lucky!), what if your toddler potty trains and you still have diapers left?

Some people solve this dilemma buy selling their unused diapers. You can find great deals on leftover diapers on eBay, at consignment sales, and at yard sales. One word of caution, though — only buy diapers that are still sealed in their original plastic packaging to ensure they are clean and sanitary.

If you do too much reading on the subject of cloth diapering, you’re going to get overwhelmed. There is a lot of information out there and a lot of people with a lot of opinions. I’m just one of them.

I personally think that some people make laundering their cloth diapers more difficult than it has to be. You don’t need a bunch of fancy detergents or a 10 step process. You just need to get the diapers clean without irritating your baby’s skin.

To follow my recommended method, you will need the following frugal supplies:
• Baking soda
• Laundry detergent
• White vinegar
• Diaper pail
• Clothesline (optional, but recommended)

To care for your cloth diapers, I suggest doing the following:

1. Sprinkle baking soda at the bottom of a diaper pail, garbage can with a lid, empty cat litter or detergent bucket, or other large container with a lid. Do NOT add water to the pail. This can be both a health and safety hazard.
2. Toss soiled diapers into the pail. Solid poop should be flushed first but it is not necessary to rinse the diapers in the toilet.
3. After you have accumulated one or two days worth of diapers, wash them in your machine’s longest and hottest cycle with half a cap or scoop of detergent and ¼ cup baking soda.*
4. After the wash and rinse cycle is complete, start the rinse cycle again and add a ¼ cup of white vinegar to the rinse water.
5. If possible, dry your diapers outside in the sun. The sunlight will help to bleach out any stains and will leave your diapers smelling fresh. It will also help to lengthen the life of your diapers — dryers are harsh on both diapers and covers.

*As a general rule, do not use bleach in your diaper wash. The bleach can weaken the cloth and shorten the life of the diaper and baking soda is a diaper-safe alternative. That being said, if you have stubborn stains or odors, the occasional use of bleach might help.

Compared to other baby expenses, wipes may not seem like such a big deal. When you add up how many you actually use, though, the cost for this “convenience” is really rather high. Check out the chart below to find out just how much you are spending and just how much you could be saving on baby wipes.

As you can see, you won’t save a whole lot by making your own disposable wipes and you will end up expending more energy. That being said, it’s important to note that even if you are not saving money by making disposable wipes, you are controlling the chemicals that go on your baby’s sensitive skin.

In my opinion, though, the best option is to make your own reusable wipes. They are cheap, gentle on your baby’s skin, and are small enough that you can toss them in with another load of laundry and they take up very little room.

If homemade baby wipes just aren’t for you, check out my couponing information and learn how to get your store-bought baby wipes for free or nearly free.

No matter which homemade baby wipe you prefer, they can all use the following basic cleansing solution recipe (click here for 10 more baby wipe solution recipes!):

Ingredients

2 cups water

2 tablespoons baby bath/wash/shampoo

1-2 tablespoons baby oil*

*Note: if you find that the baby oil is leaving a film or a residue in the water when you wash the wipes, consider using apricot oil or lavendar oil instead of a mineral based oil.

Directions

Bring water to a boil in a clean saucepan. Remove water from heat. Add baby wash and oil to the water while still hot and mix well. Allow mixture to cool some before pouring it onto your wipes (to prevent plastic containers from melting!). Alternatively, you can pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spray it onto a soft cloth or directly onto your baby’s bottom.

Finally, don’t underestimate the cleansing power of plain old water. Cleaning your baby’s bottom with water is as pure and natural as it gets. You can wet a few wipes before each diaper change or wet a day’s worth in a container.

Disposable Baby Wipes #1

What You Will Need

1. Package of cotton squares (available on the cosmetic aisles of most stores)
2. Prepared cleansing solution or water (see above)
3. Empty baby wipe box or other square or rectangular box with lid

Instructions

1. Stack cotton squares in the baby wipe box.
2. Pour the cleansing solution over the squares.

Disposable Baby Wipes #2

What You Will Need

1. Roll of good quality paper towels
2. Prepared cleansing solution or water (see above)
3. Empty baby wipe cylinder or other similarly shaped container with lid

Instructions

1. Cut the roll of paper towels in half so that you now have two short rolls. An electric carving knife or hacksaw works best but any serrated knife will do.
2. Pull cardboard tube out of the middle of one roll.
3. Place the now-flexible roll into the cylinder and pull the innermost sheet up from the middle.
4. Pour the cleansing solution over the paper towels.

Reusable Baby Wipes (Super Frugal!)

What You Will Need

1. Approximately 50 squares or rectangles cut from old receiving blankets, t-shirts, cloth diapers, thin towels, etc. or just use old baby washcloths or diaper liners.
2. Prepared cleansing solution or water (see above)
3. Empty baby wipe box or other square or rectangular box with lid

Instructions

1. Stack fabric in the baby wipe box.
2. Pour the cleansing solution over the cloth wipes.

I have an enormous amount of respect for moms who use cloth diapers. As I’ve mentioned before, I used cloth diapers briefly with my son but I didn’t stick with it for long. Years later when my daughter was a baby, I ran out of disposable diapers one day unexpectedly. I was certain I had another box of diapers but when I went to get it, I found I was wrong. The problem, in such a situation, is that you can’t very well take a baby with a naked bottom out to go buy diapers. Then again, I really didn’t want her sitting around the house with a bare bottom, either. I had long ago gotten rid of my cloth diaper supplies so I had to improvise.

I folded up a dishtowel, lined the middle of it with a washcloth and put it on my daughter just like I would have put on a cloth diaper. I secured it with safety pins and then promptly called my husband and asked him to bring home some diapers.

While the dishtowel diaper was a solution for me when I was in a bind, some folks make all of their baby’s diapers. It certainly doesn’t get any more frugal since they can be made from many fabrics that you probably already have lying around the house. Think you don’t have fabric just lying around? What about these?

• Old T-shirts
• Unused receiving blankets
• Tattered towels
• Spare dish towels
• Worn out flannel shirts

All of those items make great diapers and are essentially free. Here is the easiest way to convert them into diapers for long-term use:

1. Prewash all items.
2. Cut 25×25 inch squares out of the fabric (this size is designed to fit babies big and small — if you want, you can cut the fabric smaller to reduce bulkiness).
3. Using a needle and thread or a sewing machine, hem up the edges to prevent unraveling (this step isn’t necessary for emergency diapers only).
4. Fold the squares into thirds and insert into a diaper cover.
5. If you find you need more absorbency, you can make your own doublers by cutting out rectangles in the width of your folded diaper from an absorbent material. Finish the edges as you did with the diapers. These doublers can be inserted into the folds of the diaper or simply laid out on top of the folded diaper.

How easy (and cheap) was that?!

Now, for those of you who are more creatively inclined or who want to make a diapering system that is a bit more sophisticated than recycled flat diapers, there are many patterns available for prefolds, fitteds, contours, and all-in-ones. Many such patterns are available for purchase and when weighed against the cost of diapers, may be a great deal. On the other hand, there are a number of enterprising parents who very generously share their patterns for free. Since I am creatively challenged in this area, I will direct you to some of these free patterns. Please be sure to let me know which patterns worked best for you.

DiaperSewing.com – This is an excellent site with instructions for making many different types of diapers.

MamaBird – Great patterns for three different types of diapers.

My Free Diaper Pattern – Basic patterns for a one-size fitted diaper.

Dianna’s Journal – Relatively simple pattern for a fitted diaper.

Dutch Girl Diary – Detailed instructions for making a fitted diaper pattern.

So you’ve decided to use cloth diapers and now you’re wondering what you will need to get started and how much it’s going to cost you. If you’ve done any research at all on cloth diapering, you probably realize that it can be an extremely frugal or an extremely expensive endeavor. Sure, you can make your own cloth diapers for practically nothing. Or yes, you can buy the oh-so convenient all-in-ones for $20 a pop.

If, on the other hand, you want to be both frugal and practical, The Frugal Baby recommends the items below to get you started cloth diapering. Keep in mind that this is the minimum you will want/need and that the more diapers you have, the less washing you will have to do. Also realize that while the diapers, doublers, and Snappis recommended here will work on a baby of any size, covers have to be purchased by size. Therefore, you will have to buy a new set of covers every few months.

There are also a few items you will need to care for your cloth diapers but most of them are quite frugal:

• Baking soda
• Laundry detergent
• White vinegar
• Diaper pail
• Clothesline (optional, but recommended)

To care for your cloth diapers, I suggest doing the following:

1. Sprinkle baking soda at the bottom of a diaper pail, garbage can with a lid, empty cat litter or detergent bucket, or other large container with a lid. Do NOT add water to the pail. This can be both a health and safety hazard.
2. Toss soiled diapers into the pail. Solid poop should be flushed first but it is not necessary to rinse the diapers in the toilet.
3. After you have accumulated one or two days worth of diapers, wash them in your machine’s longest and hottest cycle with half a cap or scoop of detergent and ¼ cup baking soda.*
4. After the wash and rinse cycle is complete, start the rinse cycle again and add a ¼ cup of white vinegar to the rinse water.
5. If possible, dry your diapers outside in the sun. The sunlight will help to bleach out any stains and will leave your diapers smelling fresh. It will also help to lengthen the life of your diapers — dryers are harsh on both diapers and covers.

*As a general rule, do not use bleach in your diaper wash. The bleach can weaken the cloth and shorten the life of the diaper. That being said, if you have stubborn stains or odors, the occasional use of bleach might help.