Are
you the mother of an baby or toddler? Do you get overwhelmed
by the price of the "simple things" like nappys? The majority
of Europeuses disposables, for a series of reasons. One reason
is convenience, another perhaps bigger reason is the lack of
knowledge that there are MANY kinds of cloth out there.
Lets look at the numbers:
The average baby is in nappys between two
to three years and uses between 8,000-10,000 nappys during
this period. How much does this equal for the average parent?
Allow me to do the math for you:
On average, each nappy will cost you about
20p.
How did I reach that number? The prices of
most nappys range between .19 (for the newborn size) to .46
(for the toddler size). So I started with a base price of
.30 on an average of the two combined (I did round down),
because no baby stays in the newborn or even 20 pound range
forever. So by calculating the cost of an average nappy by
the number of nappys the baby will use, including gas and
tax, you can expect to spend between£1800 (for 8,000
nappy changes) and £2000 (for about 10,000 changes,
frankly is probably the more accurate number). This avergage
estimate does not include applicable VAT, or the gas used
to drive to store for those late-night runs for nappys, or
the amount of time you use up.
So for every child that uses disposable nappys,
parents will spend roughly between £1750 to almost £2000
(and that's JUST in nappys!). Unfortunately, when the baby
is finished with the nappys, they are gone, poof! You can
never use them again; and you have NOTHING to show for all
that money; its wasted (litterly). Many parents spend a significant
amount of their hard earned money on trash. How heartbreaking!
Now I hear your partners saying, "But what
about the washing, that costs money!" Which is totally true,
and a realisic concern. However, the realistic cost of washing
cloth nappys, 2-3 times a week on adverage is about the same
cost of the adverage 4 year old going to the bathroom 5 times
a day. The engergy, wash, and detergent, costs roughly £0.75
per wash. (Though if you line dry this can be cut down even
further!)
Lets sum up, for the sake of arguments, 3
washes per week. Which equals 12 for a month, that equals
somewhere around 156 per year. That equals somewhere around
468 washes for the 3 years (most kids) are in nappys. So for
3 years of washing 3 times a week is somewhere in the neighborhood
of £400 TOTAL!
Now the first thing that your probably thinking
after hearing all this, is "WOW, lets go buy cloth nappys
right NOW." But WAIT! Before you desided to do that, please
consider that you DO get what you pay for, and in the area
of cloth nappys, cheaper does not always mean better or in
most cases even good! My first intro to cloth nappys was a
genuine eye opener. I had read many things but just frankly
could not grasp all the different options. So I desided to
head over to Babies-R-Us and get some prefolds with several
covers to "try." Wow, what a disaster. I had some other kinds
of cloth on the way, thank goodness, or I would have just
simply given up. It would have SO not been worth the effort
to me.
How much will you need to spend on a complete
cloth nappying layette? This is what I suggest to my fellow
Dollar Stretcher´s: use nappy covers and prefolds. You will
get all the benefits of using cloth nappys with minual cost.
"Fitteds, All In Ones, All in twos or Pockets" are also very
popular for their convenience, but they are a more pricey
choice (although still less expensive than using disposables).
There are hundreds of great products available; you just have
to find them. Here's a possible cloth nappying layette:
* 3 dozen newborn nappys (18.50 each dozen,
Chinese Prefolds brand) = 55.50
* 6 Small nappy Covers (9.25 each, Bummis
brand) = 55.50
* 3 dozen Regular nappys (27.50 each dozen,
Chinese Prefolds) = 82.50
* 6 Medium nappy Covers (9.25 each, Bummis
brand) = 55.50
So for the basic cloth nappying layette you
are looking at spending around£150.00. This is a "leak-proof"
and absorbent nappying, witch can work for babies up to around
30ish pounds. Then you will either need to move up to the
Toddler size or potty train. Again, half of the benefit is
that when baby is done nappying, you´ll have nappys to use
all over again, you can sell them at places like nappy Pin,
or donate them! You will probably need to purchase new nappy
covers for the next baby because after so many hundreds of
washings the waterproofing material can wear out. So you may
need to spend another £100 on the next baby.
The total cost of buying AND using the cloth
nappys for 3 years comes to around£600 (including washing
nappys three times per week). This is a far cry from £1500
per year! What seems like the better choice more ecnomical
choice to you and we have not even begun to discussthe good
your doing for the enviroment (that's another article!)!!
Jennifer Sprague, co-owner of High
Top Baby Designs. She has several years of teaching experience,
working with infants through adults and has a passion for
helping children live happy, healthy and secure lives. Jennifer
has been a nanny, daycare provider, teacher, and is currently
studying to become a Doula and a Lactation Consultant. She
enjoys spending time with her two wonderful children, Aubrey
and Zachary. Jennifer is also an advocate for peaceful parenting
everywhere she goes.© 2005 High Top Baby Designs. All rights
reserved
Real
Nappy Article | Nappy
Changing—What to Expect! | Washing
& Care Instructions |
Terminology—what
is what in the nappy world? | How
do I assemble a cloth nappy? |
Nappy
creams, barrier creams and nappy rash | Why
Choose Cloth Nappies 1 |
Why Choose
Cloth Nappies 2 | Why
Choose Cloth Nappies 3 | How
do I choose which nappies to use? |
How many
nappies will I need? | Washing
- Frequently Asked Questions | What
are Real Nappies |
Real
Nappy Project
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