When we were pregnant with Rylie, I had done some research and found out that the average family pays between $2-3,000 a year on disposable diapers, but a family who does cloth diapers only spends a few hundred. 22 years old and living paycheck to paycheck, we were definitely up for any “money savers” and cloth diapering seemed like the way to do that.
I loved cloth diapering! I thought it was so cute how big it made Rylie’s butt and the patterns/colors were fun. I liked being “that different mom” and educating friends and family on how cool, modern and easy it was.
But right when I started working and Aaron started taking over, Rylie’s diet changed from just formula to solid food as well, so her potty was different. We made adjustments to the diapers where necessary, but it wasn’t as easy as it used to be.
When we moved into our new home, we didn’t have a washer/dryer for a week, so we got disposable diapers. “This is so much easier than cloth diapers!” Aaron said multiple times that week, and just like that, “what kind of diaper system will we use” became a topic of conversation again. Aaron made great points for switching to disposable, and I’ll admit I was a big fan of throwing the dirty diaper away and not having to think about it again, but I was reluctant to give up cloth diapering entirely. So I started negotiating, “what if we did disposable for Rylie and cloth for Emmaline? At least do cloth for her first year like we did with Rylie.” But Aaron said we might as well just go all in. “But we’re saving money with cloth diapers – that’s the whole reason we got into it,” I countered. Then Aaron did the math:
cloth diaper + water for the wash + the soap + the electricity to run the washer/dryer = saving less than $1
…and that doesn’t include the time involved. So we really weren’t saving enough for it to be worth it.
I’m not sure if I was reluctant to give up cloth diapering because I liked that it was different, or the cute patterns, or the conversations it created or what. All I know is I didn’t want to give it up. But I couldn’t argue with the math, and I did agree it was easier. Ultimately, I had to acknowledge that I am not the one who changes her the most – Aaron does. So whatever is easiest for him is really the best option.
So yes, after a year+, we now do disposable diapers. I loved our cloth diaper journey and would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested. But, like I say with a lot of things, you have to do what works best for you and your family. And right now, disposable is what works for us.