There are many reasons why more and more of today’s parents and caregivers opt for cloth diapers over their disposable counterparts. (It’s true – according to recent studies, the number of new parents choosing cloth diapers has jumped from about 9% to 21% in the last 10 years!) Some might choose cloth diapers to live more sustainably, others in hopes of keeping only safe and non-toxic materials next to their baby’s skin (both reasons we love!)… but the “biggest” benefit to cloth diapers is one that we’ll be highlighting in this post. Here, we'll break down the numbers and show you how choosing Esembly cloth diapers over disposables can save you (spoiler!🙃) over $2,000 during your baby's journey from birth to potty training! And of course, we couldn’t leave out our response to a common criticism often heard about cloth diapers… “You’ll use so much water laundering those diapers you won’t save any money at all!” (another spoiler… it’s not true.😉)

Let's start by looking at the cost of cloth diapering with Esembly from birth to potty training. Our estimation includes the cost of cloth diapers in two sizes*, washable organic cotton wipes (plus 2+ years of wipes wash to go with them) AND 2 years worth of our Washing Powder (detergent) as well.

But before we get into that, here's a “vocabulary list” of the Esembly system:

Inner - this is our fitted diaper (made of 100% organic cotton!), which provides all the absorbency you’ll need – and is oh-so-soft on delicate baby skin

Outer - this is the Esembly diaper cover. It’s the waterproof part of our diaper. It goes over the Inner to keep things leak-free and blowout-proof 🙌

Wipe Ups - these are our reusable organic cotton wipes. If you’re not quite sure about cloth wipes, check out this post where we share why we love them so much (and a word from our co-founder, who was a late convert!)

Wipe Up Wash - this organic, no-rinse foaming cleanser works with our Wipe Ups to gently clean your baby’s bottom during diaper changes while keeping it hydrated with a blend of organic oils.

Washing Powder - our patented detergent is specially formulated to power clean your dirtiest laundry (diapers!) while remaining gentle on the planet. You can read all about what makes it so great in this post! (But we’ll note here that its officially the ONLY laundry detergent ever to receive a patent for cleaning cloth diapers! 💪)

Okay, now for the breakdown:

• Inner Size 1 x 24 = $296
• Inner Size 2 x 21 = $301
• Outer Size 1 x 6 = $111
• Outer Size 2 x 5 = $92.50
• Wipes Ups x 24 = $29
• Wipe Up Wash Kit x 1 = $18.50
• Wipe Up Wash Refill x 9 = $112.50
• Washing Powder Canister x 1 = $23.50
• Washing Powder Refill Bags x 7 = $273

Total Cost: $1,257

Now let's compare this to the cost of using disposable diapers from birth to potty training:

• Disposable diapers: $0.36 per diaper x 6,850 diapers used = $2,466
• Disposable wipes: $0.08 per wipe x 1.5 wipes per change x 6,850 changes = $810

Total Cost: $3,276

With disposable diapers and wipes* – you're looking at a whopping $3,276 in expenses over the same period. 🤯

*Our calculations are based on an average of 6,850 diapers used from birth to potty training, (babies typically go through anywhere from 6,500 to 7,000 diapers during this time). The cost per disposables and wipe was determined by taking an average from high-quality brands like Honest and Coterie.

This is the question that’s supposed to stump those hoping to use cloth diapers – so we dove in to research if it was true.

Here’s the skinny: when washing you're diapers twice per week as per our instructions , the amount of water you'll use each week is equivalent to a handful of toilet flushes per day. Something your baby will be doing in just a few short years once potty trained! We calculated this by taking the average number of gallons used per cycle in a standard top loader and a HE front loader, multiplying it by 4 (2 cycles per wash, 2 washes per week) then dividing it by the average # of gallons per toilet flush. As an added bonus, you can toss some regular household laundry* in with your diapers to maximize the water and energy used during the wash and dry process.

*When adding non-diaper items to your diaper load make sure to never fill the washer barrel more than 2/3 (diapers need room to move to get clean) and only throw in items that are colorfast and can handle the hot water and heavy-duty agitation.