Frugal Cloth Diapering
By Beth Flumignan – Cheeky Diapers
One of the best things about cloth diapering is that you have a million options to build your stash. Cloth diapering fits every budget. If you want to buy new, used or sew your own the information below will point you in the right direction.
Frugal Ways to Purchase New Diapers
• Seconds: Many name brand diapers sell seconds—which means the stitching may be off a little or they got dirty in transit, etc. The diapers are still perfectly functional just not perfect. The best way to find these deals is to simply Google “cloth diaper seconds” different cloth diaper stores will run specials on seconds for limited times.
• Buy from WAHM’s: There are thousands of amazing WAHM’s out there that sell high quality diapers at EXTREMELY reasonable prices. Plus you get the customer service that only another mom can provide. The links below are just a couple of market places to find WAHM made products :
▪ Etsy
• Frequent the Blogosphere: There are so many really great cloth diapering blogs out there that not only provide a lot of great information and reviews—they also offer giveaways. All you have to do is take the time to enter and win. Here are some of the most popular:
• Sarah, from Sarah’s Stitches is a wonderful WAHM with a big heart for the Cloth Diaper Foundation. She has graciously added options for Cloth Diaper Foundation recipients as well as to purchase covers to donate directly to us. Thank you, Sarah!
Purchase/Trade For Used Diapers
I know it sounds gross but if you are purchasing/trading them from a reputable seller they will be clean and sanitized. There is actually a HUGE market for EUC, excellent used condition, cloth diapers out there. Just be a good shopper, ask questions, check their seller ratings and don’t be afraid to bargain. Then when you are done cloth diapering—sell them yourself!
Make Your Own Diapers and Cloth Diapering Accessories
It’s not as hard as it sounds. In some cases you don’t even need a sewing machine just an old receiving blanket and a video off of YouTube! There are a million tutorials, free patterns, and patterns for sale out there that take minimal sewing skills. Plus the materials that you need to make them are often times languishing in the back of your closet or are available at your local sewing supply store. Don’t be intimated—you may be surprised what a little research, ingenuity, and time can get you.
• Cloth Diaper Sewing Kits
Diaper kits arrive at your door with all the materials you need and with directions to sew. All you have to do is make time to do it.
Free Cloth Diaper Tutorials
A blog that provides tutorials and reviews of popular cloth diaper sewing patterns.
▪ Diapersewing.com
Sew Your Own Diapers–how to’s for sewing “Quick-Dry” AIOs, Fitted, Fitted with Velcro, Fitted Front Snap, Fitted Side Snap, AIO, Pre-Fold, Pre-Fold to Fitted diapers, Ultrex/PUL with Snaps Cover, Fleece with Snaps cover, plus measurements of popular fitted diapers, FAQs, and approximate costs of materials to sew your own diapers.
▪ Cloth Diaper Sew-Along
With Kayla from Kayla’s Cloth Kits great pictures and easy to follow instructions.
▪ Swim Diaper Sew-Along
Also with Kayla from Kayla’s Cloth Kits great pictures and easy to follow instructions.
▪ How to Sew a FuzziBunz-type Pocket Diaper
▪ How to Sew a FuzziBunz-style Pocket Diaper With an Envelope Opening
▪ How to Make Your Own Diaper Inserts
For pocket diapers, would also work as lay-ins with a cover or as doublers
▪ How to Make Contour Diapers from Prefolds
▪ The Famous Fortune Cookie Tri-Fold Insert
Uses microfiber towel
▪ Sewing Diapers from Recycled Materials
How to make Flatfolds, Prefolds and Fitted diapers from stuff around the house.
▪ How to Make Fitteds From T-Shirts
▪ How to Sew a Prefold “The Real Way”
▪ How to Sew a Prefold
Either by using padding for the center or using a single piece of cloth
▪ How to Sew Your Own Prefolds in 7 Easy Steps
▪ How to Add Leg Gussets to a Diaper
▪ Picture Tutorial on How to Get Fleece to Roll In Easy
For leg elastic on Pocket Diapers.
▪ How to Make Pull-On Trainers From a Pair of Underwear
▪ A Comparison of 3 Popular Free Diaper Patterns–Wee Weka, Mamabird, and Ottobre
▪ How to Make A Zippered Wet Bag
▪ How to Sew Different Diaper Styles From The Very Baby Pattern
These methods can be applied to “any” diaper pattern. Also includes tutorials on FOE, repairing elastic, and more.
• Free Cloth Diaper Patterns
▪ Rita’s Rump Pocket
One-Size-Fits-Most Fitted Pocket Diaper—PDF pattern, as well as a new one-size-fits-most H&L “granny tab” diaper cover.
▪ Mama Bird Diapers
The very popular Mama Bird diaper patterns–if you get the data transfer limit error from Geocities, try again later! Patterns for Fitted, AIO, and Pocket diapers. This pattern runs small.
▪ Wee Weka Diaper Patterns
Patterns and tutorials on how to sew pocket diapers, pocket diapers with gussets, elastic casing, and fitteds.
▪ MatNap fitted diaper pattern for use with a Snappi
It looks like you could easily add hook-and-loop or snaps to close, or use with pins—her instructions use a large beach towel & say you can get 3 diapers out of one towel.
▪ How to Make a PUL Pocket Diaper With Fleece Waistband That Fastens in the Back
▪ How to Draft Your Own Fitted Diaper Pattern
▪ How to Draft Your Own Diaper Cover Pattern
▪ Comfy T-shaped Diaper Pattern
Not printable but easy to draw for yourself.
▪ Ottobre Fitted Diaper Pattern
This pattern runs large.
▪ Ottobre Knitted Wool Diaper Cover Pattern
▪ Fern and Faerie’s Hand-Knit Soaker Pattern
▪ Lion Brand “Day-to-Night Felted Soaker” knitting pattern
You will need to register to view the pattern, but it is free!
▪ Miala Diaper Cover Pattern (Size medium only)
Also soft baby shoe pattern and links to a variety of other free patterns
▪ Free Side-Snapping Diaper Cover Pattern from Chloe Toes
▪ AIO Pattern (size medium only, other sizes available to purchase)
Also a free changing pad cover pattern, wet bag pattern, and tapered sling pattern.
▪ No Elastic Fleece Pull-Up Cover
It would probably work with wool too.
▪ Side-snapping Waterproof Training Pants
▪ How to Make Your Own “Bum Sweater”
In other words longies from a wool sweater.
▪ How to Make Your Own “Bum Sweater” Soaker From a Wool Sweater
▪ Cloth Diaper Sewing
Patterns and How-Tos for Flatfold Diapers, Gusseted Diapers, Covers, Knit Soakers, Training Pants and more.
▪ Tiny Birds Free Knit Soaker Pattern
▪ Free patterns list at the WAHM Mall
▪ Free Knit/Crochet/Sewn Diapering Patterns
▪ Collection of Knit/Crochet and Recycled Wool Diaper Cover Patterns
▪ Aubrey Doodles Knit Longies
A knitting pattern for longies–has a drawstring waist.
▪ Little Comet Tails Patterns
A group of covers, longies, dresses, and training pants.
▪ Katrina’s Sew Quick
A group of longies and skirties patterns.
▪ All-In-Two Wool Training Pants
Wool shorties with a snap in soaker.
