Cloth Diapers vs Disposable Diapers: The Real Cost Breakdown for 2026 | Bayrli®
Cloth Diapers vs Disposable Diapers: The Real Cost Breakdown
There is a question that sits at the centre of almost every conversation about cloth diapers, and it deserves a straight answer: will this actually save me money?
The short answer is yes, and it is not particularly close. The longer answer requires laying out the real numbers, including the costs that cloth diaper advocates sometimes gloss over. We are not interested in selling you a fantasy. We are interested in giving you data that holds up to scrutiny, so you can make an informed decision for your family.
The Cost of Disposable Diapers
Let us start with what we know. A baby will typically go through 6,000 to 8,000 diaper changes between birth and potty training. The range depends on how quickly your child potty trains; the average in the United States is somewhere between 30 and 36 months, though many children are closer to three years.
Disposable diapers cost between $0.20 and $0.40 each, depending on brand and size. Newborn diapers are cheaper per unit; toddler sizes are more expensive. Taking a conservative average of $0.28 per diaper across all sizes and accounting for roughly 7,000 changes, you arrive at approximately $1,960 in diapers alone.
But that is not the full picture. You also need disposable wipes, which add roughly $250 to $400 over the same period. Nappy bags or a diaper pail add another $50 to $150. And if you use a premium or eco-friendly disposable brand, your per-diaper cost rises to $0.35 or higher, pushing total diaper spend above $2,400.
A realistic total cost of disposable diapering for one child, birth to potty training, is $2,200 to $3,000.
This is a recurring cost. If you have a second child, you spend it all again from zero.
The Cost of Cloth Diapers
Cloth diapering involves a meaningful upfront investment and modest ongoing costs. Here is what a realistic full-time cloth diaper setup looks like using Bayrli as an example.
For full-time cloth diapering, most families need between 24 and 36 diapers, depending on how often they wash. Our Full Time Everyday Bundle provides 24 diapers with inserts and accessories, giving you everything you need to wash every other day.
The upfront cost for a full-time Bayrli system ranges from approximately $400 to $700, depending on which products and bundles you choose and how many extras you add. If budget is a concern, starting with our Try It Kit lets you test the system before committing fully.
Ongoing costs are limited to laundry. The electricity, water, and detergent for two to three extra loads per week adds roughly $3 to $5 per week, or approximately $150 to $250 per year. Over three years of diapering, that is $450 to $750 in total laundry costs.
You will also want a few accessories: wet bags for storage and days out, liners to make solid waste cleanup easier, and reusable wipes to replace disposable wipes entirely. Budget approximately $50 to $100 for these.
The realistic total cost of cloth diapering for one child, birth to potty training, is $900 to $1,550.
The Comparison
| Disposable | Cloth (Bayrli) | |
|---|---|---|
| Diapers | $1,960 – $2,800 | $400 – $700 (one-time) |
| Wipes | $250 – $400 | $20 – $40 (reusable, one-time) |
| Accessories | $50 – $150 | $50 – $100 (one-time) |
| Ongoing (laundry / repurchase) | $0 (already in diaper cost) | $450 – $750 (over 3 years) |
| Total for one child | $2,200 – $3,000+ | $900 – $1,550 |
| Total for two children | $4,400 – $6,000+ | $1,100 – $1,800 |
The savings for one child are between $1,000 and $2,000. For two children, the savings compound dramatically because your diapers are already purchased; all you pay for the second time around is laundry and any replacement inserts if needed. That brings total savings to between $3,000 and $4,500 over two children.
The Numbers Nobody Talks About
There are a few additional factors worth considering, and we will be honest about the ones that cut both ways.
In favour of cloth: Cloth-diapered babies tend to potty train earlier. Research and anecdotal evidence consistently suggest that children in cloth diapers feel wetness more readily and develop awareness sooner, with many cloth-diapered children fully trained between 18 and 24 months compared to 30 to 36 months for disposable-diapered children. That earlier training means fewer months of buying or washing diapers, further widening the savings gap.
In favour of cloth: Resale value. Quality cloth diapers hold their value remarkably well. A well-maintained Bayrli stash can resell for 40 to 60 percent of its original price. This is a genuine financial offset that disposable diapers, by definition, can never offer.
In favour of disposable: Convenience has a real value. If your time is severely constrained, the two to three extra loads of laundry per week represent a genuine cost in hours. We would never dismiss that consideration. But it is worth noting that most parents who establish a wash routine find it adds perhaps 15 to 20 minutes of active effort per wash day, much of which overlaps with other laundry they would be doing anyway.
In favour of disposable: Daycare compatibility. Some childcare providers in the US do not accept cloth diapers, which may require a hybrid approach. Many Bayrli parents use cloth at home and disposables at daycare, still capturing meaningful savings.
Our Perspective
We built Bayrli because we believed parents deserved a cloth diaper that was genuinely excellent: comfortable, leak-proof, durable, and made from materials we would trust against our own children's skin. The cost savings are real and significant. But we would encourage you to think of them as one factor among several. The reduction in household waste, the elimination of chemicals against your baby's skin, and the knowledge that your diapers can serve multiple children or be passed on to another family are, for many parents, equally compelling.
Every Bayrli diaper is CPSIA compliant, tested annually by an accredited safety lab, and backed by our warranty. We offset 120% of our carbon footprint across the entire supply chain and donate a minimum of 1% of revenue to climate causes. The price you see on our products reflects all of that.
If you are ready to see what a full-time or part-time system looks like for your family, our diaper calculator will help you determine exactly what you need. And if you want to start small and build confidence first, our Try It Kit is designed for precisely that purpose.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do cloth diapers save compared to disposables? Cloth diapers save approximately $1,000 to $2,000 over one child compared to disposable diapers. Disposables cost $2,200 to $3,000 per child from birth to potty training. A full cloth diaper system costs $900 to $1,550 over the same period, including the upfront purchase and all laundry costs. For two children using the same cloth diapers, total savings reach $3,000 to $4,500.
How much does it cost to cloth diaper a baby? A full-time cloth diaper system costs $400 to $700 upfront for diapers, inserts, and accessories. Ongoing laundry costs (water, energy, detergent) add approximately $150 to $250 per year. Total cost over one child from birth to potty training is $900 to $1,550.
How much do disposable diapers cost per year? Disposable diapers cost approximately $700 to $1,000 per year depending on brand and baby's age. A baby uses 6,000 to 8,000 disposable diapers from birth to potty training at $0.20 to $0.40 each, totalling $2,200 to $3,000 over the full diapering period.
Are cloth diapers cheaper than disposables? Yes. Cloth diapers cost $900 to $1,550 total per child including laundry. Disposable diapers cost $2,200 to $3,000 per child. The savings increase substantially for second and subsequent children because the diapers are already purchased and the only ongoing cost is laundry.
Do cloth diapers have resale value? Yes. Well-maintained cloth diapers retain 30 to 50% of their original purchase price on the second-hand market. This further reduces the effective cost of cloth diapering. Disposable diapers have no resale value.
