It may seem inconvenient at first glance, but if you’re trying to save money, cloth diapers are definitely the way to go. Don’t worry … these days, cloth diapers are more convenient than they used to be. Instead of pins, many of them have Velcro or snaps. They can save you a bundle, especially if you hand them down for your subsequent children to use. They’re not as hard to sanitize as it sounds, either: just wash them in a load by themselves with regular detergent and bleach, add a quarter-cup of vinegar to the rinse water to neutralize the bleach, and hang them outside to dry – the sun’s UV rays are very efficient at killing bacteria. You can buy cloth diapers at a diaper service (check your yellow pages) or in the baby section of almost any discount store.
If you opt to use disposables, as many of us do, there’s really no good way to defray the costs except clipping coupons (and stocking up on all the freebies you can at the hospital!). But to avoid a big shock to the bank account, it’s a smart idea to start stockpiling diapers the minute you find out you’re pregnant. Don’t spend too much on newborn diapers, just in case your baby’s too big for them – but sizes one and two are great to have on hand.
When it comes to saving money on baby wipes, you have a couple of options. First, you could buy a pack of wash cloths specifically to use as wipes, dampen them before changing Baby, and wash and sanitize them just as you do cloth diapers. Or you can make your own wipes using this money-saving recipe:
One roll of paper towels
2-1/4 cups water
2 Tbsp. baby shampoo or baby bath
1 Tbsp. baby oil
Cut the roll of paper towels in half, removing the cardboard tube from the center. Mix the water, shampoo or baby bath, and oil in a plastic container (if you have an old baby wipe container, that would be ideal, but you can also use an airtight Tupperware-type container). Place half a roll of the paper towels into the container, put the lid on, and turn the container upside-down to soak the towels thoroughly. When you’re ready to change Baby, pull the towels from the center of the roll.
A final diaper tip: instead of using a pricey diaper pail deodorizing disk, use a car air freshener refill.