My wife and I use disposables for our 7 month old.

Right now our son uses 8 to 10 diapers a day. The average kid is potty trained at age 2.

2*365*8 = 5840 diapers

We buy his diapers at BJ's, and right now, they are $39.49 for a box of 176, so $0.2244 apiece.

5840*$0.2244 = $1,310.35 total in disposable diapers.

Lets say you do 1 load of diaper laundry a day.

365*2*$0.30 = $219 costs of washing the diapers

Cost of bum genius washable diapers: 6 packs (72 diapers) * $203.40 per pack = $1,220.4

(I haven't used them, but i am sure they have a lifespan)

Grand total for washables: $1,439.4
Grand total for disposables: $1,310.35

Depending on usage, it seems that financially it is a "wash", but the time investment is greater with washables.

If you have a problem sleeping at night due to the extra bag of garbage per week that you are putting in the landfill, then you should probably get used to washing diapers. Neither me or my wife have time for that. I would rather be spending time with my son.

Sources:
http://theprotagonist5.wordpress.com/2007/11/04/how-much-does-it-cost-to-run-your-appliances/
http://www.cottonbabies.com/index.php?cPath=98

12/9/2008 10:11:28 AM

^ You're comparing a reasonable disposable cost with about the highest possible washable cost.

our prefolds (plain stitched cotton diapers) cost $1 each for the diaper and about $8 each for the covers, and we have about 2 dozen diapers and about 8 covers. I'd figure over 2 years we'll have spent a third of what you estimated for bum geniuses. (those things are $20 a pop!)

I agree with you on the time issue. If we were both working, we would definitely not have time to do the extra wash and line drying.

12/9/2008 10:31:45 AM

^^
I doubt you'd really spend over a grand on the washable diapers...

Quote :

"I haven't used them, but i am sure they have a lifespan"

I'm sure the lifespan is more than 10 days. I doubt these fall apart before 500 washes, especially if in rotation. One pack should be more than enough.

So...
Grand total for washables: $1,439.4 $422.4
Grand total for disposables: $1,310.35

Quote :

"the time investment is greater with washables"

...very true. You should've included that in your calculations, say, at minimum wage, for 15 minutes a day:

6.55*0.25*365*2 = $1195.38 labor costs of washing the diapers

So...
Grand total for washables: $1,439.4 $422.4 $1617.78
Grand total for disposables: $1,310.35

...but every parent who washes their baby's diapers will tell you it's a labor of love

[Edited on December 9, 2008 at 10:48 AM. Reason : /]

12/9/2008 10:39:25 AM

We have 24 assorted Bum Genius diapers that have lasted ~15 months and should last another 9 at least. No way you'd go through 72 in one year.

And we do diaper laundry every other day.

12/9/2008 10:44:18 AM

^it was an assumption based on zero experience with washable diapers

i was using the logic of baby clothes. basically

0-3
3-6
6-9
9-12
12-18
18-24

that is one pack of twelve per size

please forgive my ignorance

12/9/2008 10:49:38 AM

^^
2 packs (24 diapers) * $203.40 per pack = $406.8
6.55*0.25*365 = $597.69 labor costs of washing the diapers

So...
Grand total for washables: $1617.78 $1004.49
Grand total for disposables: $1,310.35

12/9/2008 10:51:00 AM

^^Yeah they are completely different from baby clothes. They have snaps that adjust so you can use them from 0-12 months and 12-24 months

12/9/2008 10:56:26 AM

Quote :

"the time investment is greater with washables"

Quote :

"very true. You should've included that in your calculations, say, at minimum wage, for 15 minutes a day: ... $1195.38 labor costs of washing the diapers"

that's not really valid unless you are specifically giving up time that you would otherwise be working at your minimum wage job...while i agree that there is a convenience associated with disposables and that the time associated with washables should be taken into consideration, putting a monetary value on that time is virtually impossible unless you are in the position noted above

heck, if you want to take it farther, you could say that if your alternative time would have been spent sitting on the couch, eating potato chips and watching television, you actually burned calories by washing the diapers that you otherwise would have gained...take that cost analysis against the value of a gym membership

see? it's silly.

[Edited on December 9, 2008 at 11:18 AM. Reason : grammar FTL]

12/9/2008 11:17:43 AM

so is this whole thread.

do what helps you sleep better at night.

as long as your kid ain't shitting and pissing himself/herself, it's all good.

12/9/2008 11:32:16 AM

Plus, with washable diapers you can use your very own Craptula.



(it's a spatula used to scrape off crap into the toilet before you wash them)

12/9/2008 11:37:37 AM

And judging by the screenshot of the g diapers on the first page a shit "swishstick". As soon as I saw that I thought, "oooh, fun!"

12/9/2008 1:02:56 PM

Just take the shitty diapers to the car wash and blast the crap out of them with the high pressure hose...or your could just buy your own pressure washer and show the neighbors what you think of them.

12/9/2008 1:07:42 PM

i thought cloth were ALSO better for the babies? not just the environment?!?? don't they like reduce diaper rash or something? i don't know, i just thought i heard that somewhere (i used to work in a baby store). i though cotton like breathed and disposables are plastic so they don't. i am probably wrong. but does anyone know??

i still think they seem more economical, too.

i mean i don't think it is stupid to use cloth like some people are insinuating. and it isn't stupid to care about the environment (like some people are insinuating). its about what is best for you and your child which is kind of a personal decision. so i don't really think it is wise to say things like "well we would rather spend more time with our child instead of using cloth diapers. we don't have TIME to think about the environment"...like people that use cloth are doing something completely ridiculous. you make time for what is important to you. people have different values. ok the environment isn't important to you, but it seems kind of patronizing to make it seem like people who are using cloth diapers are doing so for a completely ridiculous purpose (whether it is economical, environmental or for their children) and at the expense of spending time with their child.

12/9/2008 1:15:11 PM

I don't know if cloth reduces diaper rash, but the plastic hold in the piss smell poorly. You can smell it from like 3 feet away in a plastic one.

And I just read the op again... you wash the diapers completely separate from the baby's clothes. You can expect to wash them every other day.

12/9/2008 1:24:58 PM

FWIW, my son has only had diaper rash once

that was from diarrhea from teething that happened during a nap

the only problem that i have with Huggies is the fact that they sometimes leak poop when he makes a nice one in the carseat

12/9/2008 3:14:05 PM

the huggies we used leaked like crazy.

we've been using the pampers swaddlers and cruisers and haven't had a single leak.

12/9/2008 3:23:38 PM

This thread reminds me how important BC is

also the calculations at the top why would you need 432 "washable, reusable" diapers?

[Edited on December 9, 2008 at 3:31 PM. Reason : .]

12/9/2008 3:28:15 PM

If you think poop is gross, wait til you see a rare 10 oz. Ribeye come out of your wife's vagina. The sound the placenta made when it hit the catch-sack will stick with me forever.

12/9/2008 3:32:10 PM

i actually laughed out loud at it being described as a 10oz ribeye

12/9/2008 3:58:21 PM

sd2nc is the best form of birth control ive ever come across

12/9/2008 4:12:14 PM

Jesus yes, the placenta was incredible. You don't really prepare for that part. You're over by the fry warmer smiling at your mucus-covered little goblin and you casually look back at your wife to see how she's doing and SPLORCH!!!! Sorry to continue the thread derailment. Back to the topic of diapers.

12/9/2008 7:42:51 PM