Before we had Rylie in 2016, I did a lot of research and decided to do cloth diapering. We were young (22-year-young), living in my in-law’s basement and our income was low. Aaron and I have always been resourceful, and the sad truth of spending thousands of dollars on diapers that only ended up in a landfill (which is awful for the environment I might add) was a struggle. Then I was introduced to cloth diapering and I was shocked to find it wasn’t just a cloth and pins like the early-days but they had snaps, covers and resources that made me believe it could be done. I proposed the idea to Aaron and he went for it. So we began.
Fast forward a year when we moved into our first house that did not include a washer/dryer, we switched to disposable diapers with the intention of getting back into it when we acquired these appliances. But the ease of disposable diapers quickly caught Aaron’s attention (since he was staying home with the kids at the time) and after some conversations, we decided to stop cloth diapering and I passed on all our diapers.
To be honest, it really didn’t bother me. Disposable was easy and we got our diapers whole-sale for a pretty affordable cost.
Fast-forward to early December of 2019. We’re under contract for a house and Aaron and I are talking about ways to cut costs. We intentionally live a simple life, but we are continually seeking ways to make it even more simple. I couldn’t sleep that night and ended up laying in bed thinking of ways to make or save money when I was struck with a thought.
What if we did cloth diapers again?
“I’m the one that’s home and would be carrying 99% of the work. We have 2 kids in diapers and 1 in pull-ups at night. I wonder how much we spend on diapers a month? I bet I could get them off Facebook Marketplace so I wouldn’t have to pay full cost. That might be worth it. I’ll have to do numbers tomorrow.”
So I did the numbers, and I found that we spent roughly $60 a month on diapers for all 3 kids. That’s $60 that could go towards something else – something more fun than poop. Haha!
I found a great deal on a set of cloth diapers on Facebook that would let us break-even after just two months of switching. I sheepishly ran it past Aaron but basically said, “I want to do this.”
That was a month ago, and the kid is still trying to convince himself that round 2 is different. But he’s supporting me as best he can and I’m thankful.
So we’re back, and I’m excited.
I did a lot more research this time and am continually doing it. I don’t turn my nose up to those who use disposable and I hope no one ever sees my decisions that way. But for our family, for my convictions and my lifestyle – it works.
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If you are considering cloth diapering yourself and have questions or just want to talk about it with me – I’m happy to chat! Shoot me an email (sarahmshaver@gmail.com) or DM me on Instagram!