What do you need?
If you want to use reusable diapers for your newborn baby, we recommend buying around 24 diapers. A newborn baby creates stool regularly and will be changed around 8 times in 24 hours. So for 24 hours, you will need 8 diapers . The day after that, you will need another 8 diapers and then you will need 8 more to wash and dry the first 16 diapers. It does depend a little on the type of diaper you will be using, how many you will need.
If you choose to use all-in-one (AIO) diapers, you will need 24 AIO diapers. If you choose to go with pocket diapers, you will need 24 pocket diapers and 24 to 48 inserts or boosters to stuff them with. This is because most children will soon need two inserts in each diaper rather than one. Choosing for a snap-in-one (SIO) system, you will need 24 inserts and 8 covers. If you want to use a two-part system, you will need 24 fitted diapers or fold cloth diapers (flats or pre-folds) and 8 covers. Basically, you will need 24 absorbent parts and around 8 covers. If you choose diapers that need to be washed entirely after each use, like AIO or pocket diapers, you will need 24 complete sets.
When your child is a little older, you will need fewer diapers. Older children usually poop a little less and can wear the same diaper for longer. When children are (partly) weaned, you can usually get around with 15 to 20 diapers. Do keep in mind how often you can or want to wash your cloth diapers and how fast they will dry in your home. If you want to do laundry only twice a week, you will obviously need more diapers than when you do laundry every other day. Also, in summer most diapers are dry within 24 hours, but in wet weather in an older house it can take up to 3 days before the diapers are completely dry.
Apart from cloth diapers, we recommend buying some liners. One roll or box is enough to begin with. If your baby is exclusively breastfed, a liner is unnecessary for the baby's stool. But they can protect the diaper if you need to use certain diaper creams.
Changing a diaper without using wipes would be… inconvenient. You can choose to use either disposable or cloth wipes. If you want to use cloth wipes, we recommend buying 25 to 50 wipes. You can store them dry or moist, in a box. A box to store cloth wipes in is convenient in any way. Usually, when changing a pee diaper, you will use one cloth wipe. For poop diapers, you might use only one, but a lot of the time, you will need a few. Keep this in mind when buying cloth wipes.
Of course, you will need something to keep your dirty cloth diapers in until laundry day too. Most people use a diaper pail with a mesh laundry bag or a pail liner. You can also choose to use a wet bag that you can place or hang near your changing station. On laundry day, you can put the mesh laundry bag or wet bag with all the diapers in the washing machine. It is very convenient to have two bags for your diaper pail. This way, you can wash one and put a clean one in the bin.
Convenient accessories for reusable diapers
Apart from the essentials such as cloth diapers, liners, wipes and some kind of storage system, there are some products that simply makes life a little easier. If you want to use reuseable nappies on the go, or if your child goes to daycare or another caretaker, one or more wet bags come in really handy. Dirty cloth diapers can be stored in them until they go into the nappy bucket at home. A diaper bag or pod is useful for on the go, as it can hold diapers, a clean set of clothes, toys and other items.
For cleaning on the go, a changing mat provides a clean and dry surface to change your child on. Another convenient little thing is the bodysuit extender. Reuseable diapers can be a little thicker than disposable diapers, which sometimes makes bodysuits fit a little tight. You can size up, or buy stretchy bodysuits. The latter ones usually fit well with reuseable diapers. But do you have a cute bodysuit that does not fit well over the diaper? You can snap an extender onto the bodysuit to make it a few centimeters longer.
If you will be using foldable diapers (flats or pre-folds), a diaper fastener is also a convenient little tool. Instead of using safety pins or masking tape, you simply hook the Snappi into the fabric. Wrap it all in a cover and you are good to go!
Optional extras
You can consider buying essential oils. Tea Tree oil, for example, works like a disinfectant and neutralizes smells and can be used with the cloth wipes or in the diaper pail when you think the cloth diapers smell bad. You could make a flat diaper wet, drip a drop of tea tree oil onto it and place it on the bottom of the nappy bucket. This prevents bad smells in your bin. Other oils like lavender, chamomile and mandarin can be used in the water that you apply to the cloth wipes. They give a nice smell and all have their own function. Do not use essential oils on the skin undiluted. Also, some children are sensitive to essential oils, so start with caution and keep an eye on the skin of your child.
Lanolin is ideal to put on your baby’s bottom, and also raw wool is awesome when your child has some diaper rash. A small amount of raw wool in the diaper can help a lot. It creates extra airflow between the skin and the nappy, and because of the sheep’s grease (lanolin) in the wool it works to sooth the skin as well.
Shopping list
For a good start
- 24 absorbent parts (diapers or inserts, for AIO or pocket diapers 24 complete sets)
- 8 covers (except for when you use AIO or pocket diapers)
- 1 roll or box of liners
- 25-50 cloth wipes
- storage box for cloth wipes
- nappy bucket/bin with 2 mesh laundry bags or bucket liners (or two wet bags out of PUL)
Convenient to add
- 1-2 wet bags
- 1-2 changing mats
- 1 set of bodysuit extenders (preferably in several different sizes)
- 1-3 Snappis (when using foldable diapers)
Extras to consider
- Essential oils
- Lanolin
- Raw wool
The price tag
It is hard to say what reuseable diapers cost. They are available in so many shapes and sizes and an equal amount of difference in price. For affordability, you can go for flat diapers. They are cheap, dry quickly, even come in nice colors and prints and are just as effective as many other systems. You will only need 24 flat diapers, a Snappi, some optional extra boosters for more absorbency and 8 covers. This system will not have to cost much more than €100.
A slightly more expensive solution is using pre-folds. They cost a couple of euros each and you only need a Snappi and covers. You can purchase the pre-fold system for less than €200.
If you do not feel like folding, but you want to keep it affordable, check out our cheaper fitted diapers. The diapers by Blümchen and Little Lamb are affordable, but of a decent quality. Including covers, you will need to pay around €300 for this system.
Opting for a ready-to-go premium brand, you need to think in terms of €500 to €700.
Whatever system you choose; in principle, you will spend less than on disposable diapers. If you buy an averagely priced package (so not the cheapest), you can easily save €480 during the diaper period of your child. The savings can amount to €1450 if you choose a very cheap system. Costs for washing are included in these calculations. If you want to dry your diapers in a dryer, you will still save money, but it will be less than when you line dry. Check out the numbers on the independent organization MilieuCentraal [website in Dutch]. Using the diapers for more than one child, obviously saving even more money. Most cloth diapers hold up for several children. Covers are a little more delicate than absorbent materials, so they sometimes need to be replaced earlier. If you have enough covers in your stash, you can expect from most brands that the covers hold up for several years. AIO diapers and pocket diapers hold up for about as long as covers. If you want to buy the most durable diaper, you should choose snaps over hook and loop (Velcro). Snaps show less wear and tear than hook and loop. Line drying also increases the life of cloth nappies over drying in the dryer.