| Saving
You Money
Using washable nappies rather than disposables
will save you money, even taking in to account the washing
costs and wear and tear on your washing machine. The actual
amount saved can be from a couple of hundred pounds up to
about a thousand pounds, and will be even more for subsequent
children where the same nappy system can be used again.
As most parents have found, their Little Star
can soon dig a hole into savings and the weekly wage packet,
so any respite from this financial drain is very welcome.
So how much can I save?
There are very many (and variable) factors
to take into account:
How many nappies your baby will need: a newborn
uses more than an older baby, a baby that notices the slightest
drop of wee demands very frequent changing!
Cost of disposable nappies: premium branded
disposables are more expensive than own brand, although you
may obtain vouchers or special offers.
Washing costs: if your baby uses a lot of
nappies you'll wash more frequently.
Drying costs: line drying is free, if you
use a tumble drier this will cost more.
Cost of nappy system purchased: All-in-One
nappies (where the waterproof layer is an integral part of
the nappy) are the most expensive options; pouched nappy systems
such as the Fuzzi Bunz or Stuffable are a little cheaper as
they dry quicker, two part systems are usually cheaper than
All-in-Ones; some nappies require the purchase of two or more
sizes, others adjust to fit from newborn to potty; prefolds
or terries are perhaps the cheapest options.
Re-use of nappies: will you be reusing your
cloth nappies for subsequent children, thereby saving more
in the long term? Or can you sell them on after use and recoup
part of the initial outlay?
Washing costs can be as little as £40
per year, or with tumble drying and washing every day as much
as £150. Your own cost of using washable nappies will
fall somewhere between these two extremes. I have compared
the costs against the cost of premium branded disposables
and also own brand economy disposables.
Please note these calculations are based on
recomended nappy changing frequency (many people will change
less often), and are now a little out of date, having been
calculated over 3 years ago, but give a good indication! Products
have also changed in the intervening years, there are more
and different cloth nappy options, and the disposable brands
now heavily promote expensive pull-up style nappies for older
toddlers.
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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