Cloth Diapering to Save Money Pt. 2

Ok, I realize I was supposed to take one day per general category, but due to my inability to be brief…the cost category has been extended.

I had two more thoughts on how to be frugal in your cloth diapering. They also just so happen to be “uber-green”.

The first secret: Make your own. If you have access to a sewing machine, you can make diapers out of fabric just lying around your house (or the local Goodwill….or your friends houses…or the closets of people off freecycle). There are a number of websites that have free patterns for home-made cloth diapers & covers. Here’s a few I like:

Diapers From Recyclable Materials
Sew A Prefold the Real Way (you don’t have to use “diaper fabric” I used a flannel nightgown & it works great).
List of more specific links

I recently picked up a bag full of flannel nightgowns from someone off freecycle & made them into prefold diapers (i stink at sewing but prefolds are pretty much idiot-proof) & doublers (I added two layers of an old cut-up towel I don’t use inside the flannel, work like a charm).

The other tip is to buy used diapers. There are plenty of people selling their used diapers, often because they did not like that type (or cloth diapering at all), or they are just finished with diapers. You do have to “stalk” FSOT (for sale or trade) forums (ebay no longer allows the sale of used cloth diapers) which can be time consuming. But sometimes the deal you get on barely used diapers is well worth the time invested. I “stalked” ebay for about 2 months until I found a lot of 24 mother-ease one-size with 12 doublers & 4 covers. They had only used 4 of the diapers one time (I assume tried it for a day & didn’t like it?). I saved about $60 from buying brand-new. Things to look out for:

• How long they were used (if they diaper 2-3 kids through diaperhood & the seller is claiming they’re like new…look elsewhere).
• How were they washed (bleach &/or fabric softner? Major no-no)
• Stains? (I personally don’t care TOO much about stains, but the price should be dramatically dropped for stains. Don’t pay too much for an ugly diaper)
• Request to see pictures (outside & inside

There are lots of sites that cater to the sale of used diapers, as usual, google is your friend. However, be sure to keep an eye out on craigslist & your local freecycle group. I recently bought 6 newborn AIO’s for $3 a piece off craigslist. Not a major name brand, but a super strong work-horse diaper in excellent condition. I wasn’t even entirely sure I was HAVING another baby (my youngest is 14mo at the moment), but I couldn’t help myself.

Where’s the “green” you say? Aren’t all cloth diapers, “uber-green”? Well, while i do think all cloth diapers are green…they are not all “UBER”. What makes these two “uber-green” is that you are consuming one less brand-new product & salvaging something that may have otherwise (esp. in using scrap fabric to make dipes) gone to a land-fill. I don’t even feel the least bit guilty that my mother-ease are all bleached white cotton (vs. the more enviro-friendly unbleached I would usually choose), because they were used. Someone already ordered them, causing them to be made….so I might as well make sure they get all the use out of them that I can.

Related Articles You Might Enjoy:

• Cloth Diapering To Save The World
• Money for colllege
• Cloth Diapering to Save Money Pt. 1
• Odds & ends…do you need them?
• My Favorite Cloth Diaper Sites