Flats and Handwashing Challenge: How Much Did I Spend?

Today is day 2 of the Flats and Handwashing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry.


I went back through my online order receipts and crunched the numbers of the supplies I'm using this week. As far as the flats and covers I'm using, they aren't really the cheapest options by any means but if this is the only up front amount you pay, thousands of dollars are still being saved.

The supplies I'm using this week and what I paid are as follows:

24 large unbleached Diaper Rite flats 40.50
12 small unbleached Diaper Rite flats 14.00
6 Flip covers 69.75

Grand total: $124.25

All of these were purchased at Diaper Junction over the past year and a half. I bought the flats while they were on sale and one of the Flip Covers I have was free.

I have some optional things that I'm using that make diapering a lot easier. These aren't necessary but they are nice to have.

6 bumGenius stay dry liners 11.90
16 homemade blizzard fleece liners 1.75
diaper sprayer 29.97

This brings my total up to 167.87.

There are less costly covers on the market that work just as well as the Flips. Instead of purchasing flats they can be made. XXL jersey t-shirts that you already own or from thrift stores can be made into flats. One shirt gives you two diapers. Jo-Ann Fabrics and other fabric stores sell birdseye cotton that is the material for traditional flat diapers. There are many options to get the price down considerably lower and some people have even been known to cloth diaper for under $50.

Prefolds and Diaper Covers

The first type of cloth diaper I'd like to discuss in depth would be the prefold. I consider it to be not only the most economical, but also the most fool-proof diapering method. They can be made to fit around your baby with pins, a snappy, or boingos (I'll get to all those later) or tri folded and laid inside a cover. They don't repel liquid so you will rarely, if ever, have to worry about them leaking. I've never had a prefold leak. They also become more absorbent the older they get.

Washing prefolds is less of a hassle than other types with synthetic fibers since you don't have to worry as much about buildup and repelling. You should still use a cloth diaper safe detergent and no fabric softeners or dryer sheets since the fabric will be next to your baby's skin for long periods of time.

Prefolds and covers, in my opinion, provide the most bang for your buck. Prefolds cost anywhere from one dollar to about 3 per, depending on size, for cotton. If you go for a hemp option, they are a bit more pricey at 7 dollars a piece. Covers can range from 10 - 20 dollars or so. The prefold itself is what gets changed during a routine diaper change. A cover can last usually around 2 days, as long as no solid waste gets on it.

This is really the beginning of my cloth diaper series so links to more information will be added as I go along so feel free to keep checking back to your favorite diapers for future updates.

 Diaper rite size medium prefold in a newspaper fold and secured with bongos.

 Flip one size diaper cover in mirror.

Flip one size diaper cover in sassy with Osocozy better fit prefold in size infant.