Do Reusable Nappies really save money?

8 November 2022 | Laura @ TKC

mum with baby reusable nappies

-- Updated Nov 22 --

From buying the weekly food shop to heating our homes, the cost of living is rising exponentially, and it’s already starting to affect families across the UK. With this in mind, families need to start thinking of ways to save on living costs, and for those with babies, one way to do this is by switching from disposable nappies to reusable nappies.

Parents usually start to potty train their child at around two years old, and up to this point, over 4,000 disposable nappies will have been used¹, which is not only wasteful but extremely expensive. By switching to reusable cloth nappies, parents could save some all important £££.

Why switching to reusables is important

Switching to reusable nappies is a great way for families to help the environment. Every day eight million nappies are thrown away, equating to three billion nappies a year². Considering this shocking figure, disposable nappies are one of the main contributions to household waste and can increase a parents carbon footprint by 40%³.

With these figures in mind, parents should consider using reusable cloth nappies to help cut down waste and reduce their carbon footprint. But not only this, parents could save thousands of pounds during their child's infancy by choosing reusable nappies.

Do reusable nappies really save money?

Yes, even with the increased cost of energy, reusable nappies can save you a significant amount of money/ Initially, reusable cloth nappies have a higher start-up cost, as you have to ensure you have the correct amount of nappies, and the additional accessories to making use them straightforward, such as wet nappy bags and nappy liners.

Let's break it down.

For full time use, starting from the newborn stage, you're going to need around 25 reusable nappies. Our most popular, best value, nappies are the Alva Baby, and a full set of these will cost you £173 (or £156 using discount code GOCLOTH), and being one-size, these nappies should take you right up to the potty training stage. Our popular Nappy Accessories Pack will cost you just £22, and includes all the extra bits you'll need, and even includes some reusable wipes (you can learn more about those here). Chuck in some nappy boosters for good measure (and to give your nappies extra absorbency when needed) and all in you're looking at a set up cost of under £200.

Of course, unlike disposables that get thrown away, reusable nappies need to be washed. So we've done the calculations for that too. Running a nappy wash, including electricty (at the Oct 22 price cap), water and detergent will cost you around 0.49 pence. Washing 3 x per week, that's a washing cost of £1.47. Over the course of infancy (or 3 years), if the energy costs remain at their current rate, washing your nappies will cost you around £230.

So in total, using reusable nappies on one child will cost you around £430. Of course, if you go on to use those same nappies on future children, they become even more cost effective.

Now lets look at the cost of disposable nappies as a direct comparison.

We've analysed the costs of 11 major UK disposable nappy brands as of Oct 22, crunched the numbers (you can view our calculations at the bottom of this article) and found that, on average, disposable nappies will set you back a whopping £985 over the course of infancy. And what will you have to show for it?

How to use reusable nappies

Some parents might be intimidated by reusable cloth nappies as they sound complicated to use, but they are actually very simple. There are many different types of cloth nappies, but all are shaped to fit correctly, fasten securely, and be adjusted accordingly. As well as this, reusables are reliable, comfortable and highly absorbent.

Even though there are many benefits to using reusables, some parents might still be worried to use them due to how hygienic they are and how hard it is to wash them.

Reusables cloth nappies are extremely sanitary and easy to wash, especially when you have had the experience of doing it a few times. Simply flush waste down the toilet, rinse the nappy to avoid any stains becoming permanent, and then place in a bucket until you’re ready to load the cloth nappy into the washing machine. When you're ready to do your laundry, use regular detergent, wash with other clothes and wash at an average temperature.

If you want to ensure you get the most out of cloth nappies, it’s best to avoid drying them in the tumble dryer and instead use a creel, radiator or washing line outside - this is also a great way to save money!

The best reusable nappies

There are many different types of reusable nappies, and it’s a good idea for parents to research which ones would be best for them and their baby before purchasing a cloth nappy starter set. The different types of reusable nappies include:

Terry nappies & flats

There are slightly different costs to each of the reusables above, which is something to consider if cost-saving is your biggest motivation for using cloth nappies. If you are still unsure which to choose, our Reusable Nappy Quiz will give you a better idea.

We also offer some great starter packs to give you an opportunity to test out reusable nappies, including our Try Cloth for £10 kit, which gives you the opportunity to test run reusables and see if they are for you before investing in your own set.

New To Cloth Box - Newborn

£45.00

(1)

New To Cloth Box - One Size

£65.00

(3)

Reusable Nappy Starter Pack

£29.95

(11)

Washable Wipes Starter Kit

£24.95

(1)

Reusable nappy incentive schemes

If you want to save even more money using cloth nappies, some local councils will provide a voucher worth up to £200, or a reusable nappy starter kit to kickstart your reusable nappy journey. Find out which nappy incentive scheme your local council offers from the extensive list we’ve put together here.

For more personalised recommendations and advice from one of our Nappy Gurus team, tell us more about yourself and your baby in our nappy recommendation form, and we’ll do the rest!

Sources:

Our calculations:

Costs per washing cycle:

Cost of electricity per kw/h based on Oct 22 price cap = 0.34p

Energy used per wash cycle: 0.77kwh

Water cost per cycle: 0.14

Detergent cost per cycle: 0.09

Costs of disposable nappies:

Nappy usage calculated based on average number of nappy changes per age bracket (e.g. 7 changes per day for period of 6-12 months, 5 changes per day for period of 18-24 months etc), and adjusted from 0 - 3 years.

Nappy prices taken from market analysis as of Oct 22, sampling 11 major brands, including Pampers, Aldi, Tesco, Naty and Lidl.