Every family cloth diapers for a different reason, and thinking about your reason is your great start point in your research and conversations because it helps us understand your needs as a cloth diaper parent. Remember, you don’t have to cloth diaper full-time, you don’t have to cloth diaper like me, and you can find your own reason to cloth diaper. 

1. Why do you want to cloth diaper?

Budget. Sustainability. Health. Accessibility. Functionality. Style. 

 Knowing why you want to cloth diaper can help shape the future conversations. We all haver our unique reasons and this influences the types of products that are best for us in achieving our goals. 

2. What is your budget?

You can cloth diaper at any price point. 

Cloth diapering puts you back in control of your finances. With cloth you choose how much you want to spend, and then go on the search for products that fit. The average new stash of diapers costs about $400 for 2-3 days. But, you can cut this number in half, or find low-cost, repurposed items to diaper for less than $100. You can also spend thousands on diapers. There are many cloth diaper banks and resource centres providing families with access to free cloth diapers around the world. 

Set a budget that is reasonable for your family but also assesses the why. You might find some needs cost more, especially if you can’t access used diapers.

There are some lifestyle choices that influence which diapers and how you diaper.  

• Do you have a home washing machine, or will be using a laundry facility? 
• Do you plan on cloth diapering future children?
• Will you be a stay at home parent, or will you be returning to work? How will diapering work when the child is in care.
• Is sustainability important in your home? Do you plan to only used plant-based detergents? Are you okay with synthetic detergents?
• What’s your drying situation? Is it hang dry and humid?
• Do you travel lots? Flying? Camping? RV lifestyle? You can cloth diaper in these situations, somet choices will be better.
• Is there any disabilities that might impact cloth diapering?
• Any other thought that might impact the choice you make from personal values and ethos to random characteristics about your life.