The most frustrating thing about cloth diapers is probably the big upfront cost. I mean, the whole idea is supposed to be saving money, right? I had a hard time convincing myself to make that first $60 purchase of twelve Sunbaby diapers. And those were cheap cloth diapers!
The average family spends $450-700 on cloth diapers. This post is going to show you how to knock those numbers drastically lower with my tips. I only spent around $100 for my entire stash!
*This post contains affiliate links. That just means if you click through one of my links and purchase something, I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my disclosure policy.
10 Tips For Getting Free Or Cheap Cloth Diapers
1. Put Them On Your Baby Registry
I never did this, but if you let friends and family know that you’re really serious about cloth diapering, you might just end up with a few from your registry. I suggest Amazon Baby Registry, because you can link all your registries to this one!
Amazon also has a large selection of high and lower priced cloth diapers.
2. Buy Gently Used
There are many places to buy gently used cloth diapers.
- Facebook Groups – Cloth Diaper Swap, Fluff Love Buy, Sell & Trade, B/S/T Fluff and Stuff, Cloth Diaper Addiction Swap
- Cloth Diaper Websites – Cloth Diaper Trader, Cloth Diaper Outlet, Diaper Swappers
- Thrift stores, yard sales(thrift stores were the last place I expected to find cloth diapers, but I’ve found fitteds, all-in-ones, pockets, and prefolds along with a large wetbag)
- Craigslist
- Ebay is great for buying lots of cheap cloth diapers
3. Buy Worn Out Diapers And Make Repairs
You can find some well-worn diapers in need of repair for super
cheap! It’s easy to replace snaps and elastic. I found 24 Bumgenius pocket diapers with inserts for only $52.50 with shipping included off Ebay. That came to only $2.18 per diaper! All I had to do was replace some elastics! I gave those to a friend, and she’s so excited to use them! I’ve seen many more cloth diaper lots like this. You’ll just need elastic, sew-on hook and loop, and a snap plier kit, depending on the repairs needed.
4. Buy From Overseas
Our first cloth diapers were a twelve pack of Sunbaby pockets with inserts from China for $60. They were great diapers that lasted us until Garreth was potty trained. Since then, I have also bought Alva covers and pockets off Ebay that we love! And one Kawaii cover. Just beware, I have also bought some very low quality diapers off eBay that were shipped from China.
5. Ask Family/Friends For Old Burp Rags And Receiving Blankets
You know those things that are so commonly called and used as burp rags? Those are actually prefold cloth diapers. They’re really simple to use! And receiving blankets make great flat diapers. They’re a bit more complicated with all the different ways you can fold them. To use prefolds and flats, all you need is a cover and pins or a Snappi. They can both be folded to use as inserts as well!
6. Make Your Own Free Or Cheap Cloth Diapers
Over half of our current cloth diaper stash was made by me! Almost
all of those were made with upcycled materials. I used mostly clothes and blankets. The only things I had to buy were hook and loop, elastic, and a snap plier kit, which doesn’t total up to very much at all! Here are the free patterns I use:
- I use this side snapping pattern for our fleece covers(most of mine are made from thrift store fleece blankets)
- I use these for our fitted diapers. She has tons of diaper patterns to fit your needs!
If you’re not handy with a sewing machine you can follow this post to make a complete no-sew cloth diaper stash for only $15 or less!
7. Enter Cloth Diaper Giveaways
Subscribe to diaper companies’ email lists and follow their social media accounts to sign up for giveaways. I’m always getting emails and seeing posts that they’re doing giveaways!
8. Watch For Sales
Lots of cloth diaper websites regularly have sales! Subscribe to their email lists so you can jump at the opportunity! They also have big sales during Black Friday!
9. Apply For A Cloth Diaper Bank Loan
You can get a diaper loan from a few cloth diaper banks if you can’t quite afford that big upfront cost. That will give you time to save up for your own cloth diaper stash before you have to send them back! Here are the loan programs:
US:
Canada:
10. Sell Them When You’re done
If you know you’re finished having babies or just decide to stop using cloth, you can really maximize on your savings by selling your cloth diaper stash. If I sold my whole raggedy stash for $50, it would’ve only been like spending $50 at the start! That’s at least a $400 savings from the average!
Do you have any tips to add for finding cheap cloth diapers? Let me know in the comments!
Related Posts:
Cloth Diapers – 16 Reasons You’ll Love Them
11 Cloth Diaper Accessories I Wish I Had From The Start
Cloth Diaper Wash Routine – Free Printable
Finished With Cloth Diapers? What To Do With Them
How to Make DIY Cloth Baby Wipes
Why You Should Use a Shower Head as a Cloth Diaper Sprayer
If you re lucky enough to have a friend or family member already using cloth diapers, not only can you pick their brain for cloth diapering tips and tricks, but you might also receive some hand-me-down diapers. I got most of my overnight diaper stash of Mother-ease diapers from my sister-in-law, and I sent some back to her when she had her second baby. I ve also passed on diapers to other friends. Sharing is caring! Many mamas save money with used diapers. In fact that s one of the unexpected cost-saving benefits of cloth diapers. You can often sell your diapers when you re done to recoup part of your initial costs.
Thanks for the info. I have never used a cloth diaper. I am on my 3rd child and most likely this is my last. I would like to try it out. I definitely prefer the diaper to be easy since I am new to it and have other kids. Thanks for the tips and links. Entering to win is my favorite! I’ve been lucky enough to win several diapers and other baby items over the years.
If you’re an expecting mama, register for cloth diapers for your baby shower! Many local and online baby boutiques offer a registry, and Amazon has a Baby Registry as well. Amazon allows you to add items from any site for one easy-to-manage registry.
If you’re crafty, you could also try sewing your own. This is a great list of free or almost free cloth diaper patterns. If you re not handy with a sewing machine, you can also add snaps to prefolds to turn them into budget-friendly fitted diapers.