recommended quantities for pads

As a general guideline, calculate how many disposable pads you use through one full cycle.  That total is approximately how many cloth pads you will need to purchase.

recommended quantities for diapers

3 dozen regular diapers (newborn to 21 lbs)

3 dozen toddler diapers (21 lbs +)

3 dozen extra liners and/or doublers (any combination)

3 dozen extra super liners and/or super doublers (any combination)

3-4 each of small, medium, large and toddler fleece diaper covers

3-4 dozen cloth wipes

calculate your savings on diapers

SWEET CHEEKS

(recommended quantities)

3 dozen regular diapers (newborn to 21 lbs)

3 dozen toddler diapers (21 lbs +)

3 dozen extra liners and/or doublers (any combination)

3 dozen extra super liners and/or super doublers (any combination)

3-4 each of small, medium, large and toddler fleece diaper covers

3-4 dozen cloth wipes

 

You will only need to do one load of diapers every 3-4 days (works out to less than $1 per load for washing and drying…though costs you even less if line drying)…AND…cloth diapers can be used for more than just one baby for even more savings whereas a diaper service and disposables are a one time use, continuous cost!

AMAZING SAVINGS!!!

 

DIAPER SERVICE

Average supply of 70 diapers per week  Pick up twice weekly x 30 months (2.5 years)

Diaper covers (3 sm, 3 md, 3 lg, 3 toddler) 14,640 disposable wipes (cloth wipes not done by service)

30 Months x Cost of Service per Month

+ Cost of Covers + Laundering of Covers (not done by service)

 

DISPOSABLES

Small (newborn to 2 months – 6 to 14 lbs) 488

Medium (2 months to 6 months – 12 to 16 lbs) 976

Large (6 months to 24 months – 16 to 28 lbs) 4,392

X-Large (24 months to 30 months – over 28 lbs) 1,464

14,640 disposable wipes

7,320 Disposable Diapers!  YIPES!!!

calculate your savings on pads

Everyone’s disposable cost per month is different, as well as everyone’s cloth pad stash varies greatly in styles and cost so the easiest way to calculate your personal savings is as follows:

Pad life expectancy: 10 years.

 

SAVINGS OVER 10 YEARS:

Amount you spend/spent on disposable pads per month x 120 (12 months x 10 years)

- total cloth purchase cost

= total savings.

If you haven’t yet purchased your pad stash, the above formulas can help give you an idea of what you would like to spend to get the greatest savings (just calculate in the cloth totals with the tentative totals you are looking at spending). It’s a great way to help you set a cloth budget.

definitions of diaper style terms

FITTED: Shaped to fit, elasticized legs, adjustable velcro or snap waist closure. These diapers are great for containing blowouts. Cover needed. When using this style, the diaper cover can be used over and over throughout the day as the diaper contains any mess.

PINNABLE: Shaped to fit, elasticized legs, no velcro or snap waist closure. Pins needed. These diapers are also great for containing blowouts. Cover needed. When using this style, the diaper cover can be used over and over throughout the day as the diaper contains any mess.

CONTOURED: Shaped with no elastic around the legs. Some come with adjustable waist closure, some without (for use with pins). These diapers tend toward a lot of blowouts as there is no elasticized leg gathering to contain the mess. Cover needed. Cover usually needs to be changed each time a messy diaper is changed.

FLAT: Diaper is one ply square fabric. Folding and pinning necessary. Cover needed. Cover usually needs to be changed each time a messy diaper is changed.

PREFOLD: Multiple ply diaper, usually sewn in thickness of 2×4x2. No folding but pins necessary. Cover needed. Cover usually needs to be changed each time a messy diaper is changed.

ALL-IN-ONE: Diaper and cover sewn together. No cover needed. Whole unit needs to be changed with each diaper change. Can be very expensive (see above). 

pad sizing

 

PETITE BODY STYLE

Elemental ~ daily wear pantyliner

Maiden ~ light flow

Moon Light ~ regular flow

New Moon ~ heavy flow/overnight

Full Moon ~ overnight

AVERAGE BODY STYLE

Elemental ~ daily wear pantyliner

Maiden ~ pantyliner

Moon Light ~ light flow

New Moon ~ regular flow

Full Moon ~ heavy flow/overnight

Sleeper ~ overnight

FLUFFY OR TALL BODY STYLE

Elemental Longs ~ daily wear pantyliner

Moon Light ~ pantyliner

New Moon ~ light flow

Full Moon ~ regular flow

Sleeper ~ heavy flow/overnight

 

 

wonderful email

I had the most wonderful email sent to me today and I just had to share it!

“Dear Renee,  

I was doing some research on cloth diapers and other baby-related stuff when I came across your website this afternoon.  My husband and I are not pregnant yet (we are in the beginning stages of considering things) – but I just wanted to say that when we do finally decide to have children, we are definitely contacting you for your products!  I’m even considering switching to your feminine hygiene products as well. 
 
I love your websites – not only do they reassure me that cloth diapering is easy, but they are informative about the whole process of washing and caring for cloth diapers.  I love that you discuss not only your products, but other styles of diapers (cloth and disposable) so that I, as a consumer, can make a more educated decision (when the time comes that is =)  
 
I just wanted to thank you for putting together such a comprehensive website – it is obvious that you have quality products, but they are made even more impressive by the personal and professional touches you have added to your site.  
 
Best Regards, 
 
Susan”

laundering hint

Items dried on the clothesline are more absorbent than those that are dried in the dryer…and the sun works as a natural whitener!

laundering cotton fabrics

When vibrant 100% cotton fabrics are laundered for the first time they need to have their colors set.  NEVER launder them with other fabric items that may pick up the colors until the colors have been set.

absorbency

New cotton fabric will initially need 3-4 washings to reach full absorbency potential.  Using liquid fabric softeners will decrease fabric absorbency so don’t use it on anything designed to be absorbent such as diapers or pads, but it is great to use on diaper covers to help keep their moisture barrier properties at the maximum.