How many cloth diapers do I need?

table showing how many cloth diapers are needed

So, you are ready to get going with cloth diapers, but wondering how many you will need.

No problem! Let’s break it down.

 

Newborn babies are surprisingly capable when it comes to pooping 🤣 This is the stage where you will need the most diaper changes per day - up to around 10 changes.

 

As little one grows, they need less and less changes per day - eventually settling at around 5 or 6 changes per day before going diaper free.

 

You will need to have enough diapers to get you from one wash day to the next, and also have a few diapers spare to use while your washed diapers dry.

 

The ideal is to wash every 2-3 days, but you need to find what will work long term for YOUR lifestyle and family.

 

So, if you have your own washing machine, and are OK with washing every 1-2 days, you will need much less diapers than if you used a shared machine, and need to stretch washing days up to 5 day intervals (please read washing tips guide on how to stretch washing up to 5 days without damaging your diapers or running into other problems)

 

Every little one is different, so this table is intended as a starting point, so you can get an idea of how many you may need depending on age of little one, and your intended wash routine.

 

I recommend a stash of 25-35 diapers for full time cloth. 

Wish this same stash, your wash routine could look like this:

🌿0-3 months 👉 wash every second day

🌿3-9 months 👉 wash every 3 days

🌿9-12 months 👉wash every 4 days

🌿12+ months 👉 wash every 4/5 days

 

At the end of the day, the best way to find out what is going to work best for you is to just START!

table showing how many cloth diapers are needed

 

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