Cloth Swim Diapers

Cloth swim diapers are not only better for the environment and your baby, but they also can save you money! It’s not as hard as you think.

The sun is shining.  Diapers are fluttering on the clothesline.  Birds are sweetly chirping in the rustling leaves of the trees.  You get the picture, summer is here!  My favorite time of year.  Give me 100-degrees weather, sunglasses, sunscreen, and a pool to play in.

And what does EVERY baby (and toddler) need in the pool?  Why, a swim diaper, of course, something to catch those little accidents that are bound to happen with your little one.  

Just for fun, I looked at Target.com to check out the price of “Little Swimmers”.  They are $8.99 for 12 if you are lucky enough to need a small and $8.99 for 10 if you need a large.  That’s almost a dollar per diaper.  They can’t be reused, and if your kids are anything like mine, you will have at least two diaper changes when you are at the pool.  

We swim frequently, so 8-10 swim diaper changes in a week is not unreasonable.  To be conservative, I’ll say we’ll go through 5 a week over a 12 week period (not counting swimming lessons in the fall and spring).  I would spend almost $50 this summer on swim diapers.

I am often asked, “How do reusable swim diapers work?”  The short answer is, “They work just like disposable swim diapers.”  They are not absorbent.  They are just made to catch accidents.  Reusable swim diapers are specifically made to withstand repeated exposure to chlorine, and because they are not absorbent, they will not weigh your baby down in the water.

I like to have two reusable swim diapers so there is a backup just in case we need a diaper change at the pool.  Luckily, I have my Bonfire Red AppleCheeks swim diaper that my daughter used last year.  My son can wear it this year.  I spared him her Pink Flowers Imse Vimse swim diaper and bought him a “manly” Black Lizard Imse Vimse this year.

By using reusable swim diapers, I will save $30 for 12 weeks of summer. (And in reality, I’m probably saving closer to $80 since we swim so often.)  Yay, me!  I will also save more than 60 one-time-use swim diapers from entering the landfills.   And you can save, too.   If you have a little one in diapers, consider making the switch to a reusable swim diaper.  Happy swimming!

Live near Oklahoma City? Visit Green Bambino for cloth diapering gear and advice.