My response to yet another anti-cloth diapers article

Over at Natural Living Des Moines.

What does a newborn cloth diaper stash look like?

Well, I can’t speak for everyone in the world. I’m sure there as many different make-ups of CD stashes as there are parents. However, I’m happy to show you what my newborn stash looks like.

Please note, all pictures are clickable for a closeup.

My stash is all size smalls. My personal feelings about newborn sizes are that, even if they are needed, a baby’s not likely to be in them for long. If I happen to get a small baby this time around, we’ll just use prefolds for a while.

Seven wool wraps:

The one on the left is made from an old sweater, and bound with FOE. The Six on the right are made from new wool. Bottom four are Jersey, the top two are crepe. I personally love wool. Not pictured are the four wool soakers and longies I’ve knitted, and I plan to knit several more. I also have three or four longies and shorties made from recycled sweaters. Wool is so great. Naturally antibacterial, nearly bulletproof, breatheable, all natural. Love, love, love.

Six fleece covers:

One with Batman, one bound with FOE, and four just plain.

Six Basic Covers:

The two in the lower right are Minkee over PUL. The Bears is cotton over PUL. The other three are just one layer of PUL.

Is this an overload of covers? Probably. But I know from personal experience that I tend to go through covers faster than your average person. I don’t know why. I just do.

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Six Pocket Diapers:

All made from various laminated fabrics (including the black baby corduroy), and with suedecloth inners. I like suede over microfleece because it’s thinner while still getting the job done.

Three AIOs:

I don’t really like AIOs, but they do have their place. The skulls are painted on with freezer paper stencil, and the other two are Minkee over PUL.

18 fitted diapers:

Four all-hemp. Twelve Flannel and Sherpa. All with edge-sewn soakers for faster drying. My favorites are the Elvis flannel (the green and blue), Wally prefers Captain Hook (yellow). The baby plaids have been hanging around in my inventory for about four years now, and while I don’t love them personally, I was eager to finally free them from my inventory.

Two of these which are made from the Rita’s Rump one-size pocket fitted pattern.

I will also be making myself some more fitteds and who knows what else from the selection of bamboo fabrics that just arrived today.

Not pictured:

I have about six diapers I made for Wally from this pattern. I love it, but I think I’ll like the Rita’s Rump one better, if you’re looking for a good one-size fitted diaper pattern.

I also have about three or four Bummi Super Whisper Wraps, and two size small Fuzzi Bunz that I hung on to.

And, to round out the stash, about two dozen infant-size prefolds.

That’s my newborn stash. Hope that was helpful.

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Diapers

sewing some fitteds for a diaper package for a local mama.

Super Fun Custom Diaper

This is easily my favorite custom diaper to date.

It’s a pocket diaper with Iowa State University fabric on the outside and University of Iowa flannel on the inside. The dad is not much of a UI fan!

Fun New Calculation

I had a person email me asking about the cost of “all that laundry” with cloth diapering. I’ve never actually analyzed it, but I did today. I’ll be putting this up on my soon to be revamped website, but am putting it here for now….

A reasonably efficient top loader uses about 30 gallons of water per load. At Des Moines current water rates, that’s .07 per load for the water used.

According to the clean air partnership, it takes 4.3 kwh to heat water for a hot wash, which at Des Moines current electricity rates, means 37 cents to heat the water.

Using the US Dept of Energy’s website helps me figure out that the washer uses .1 kwh per cycle, which comes to almost 1 cent.

So, per load, to wash, we’re spending 45 cents. Per week, about 90 cents. Let’s round up to a dollar. 52 weeks in a year, $52. Three years in diapers, just over $150.

If you want to dry in an electric dryer, the Multi-Housing Laundry Association (who are they? I don’t know.) says that the average dryer uses 3.3 kwh per cycle. That’s 28 cents using my electric rates. Two loads a week, about 60 cents. 52 weeks a year, $31.20 per year. Three years in diapers, about $90.

Total over three years, energy and water cost = less than $250.

Mid American residential electric rate is currently 8.551 cents per kwh. City of Des Moines water is $2.21 per 1000 gallons.
Any questions/issues with my math or sources, PLEASE post. Also, I didn’t look at a bill for my rates, I used the companies’ websites, so if my energy costs are off, that’d be good to know, too.