by Frances Laing

Created on: August 24, 2009   Last Updated: August 25, 2009

There are lots of ways of reducing your spending on baby diapers.The most obvious one is to buy re-usable and washable diapers. You can save hundreds of dollars if you invest in a set of washable (and adjustable) diapers - and the biggest savings are made if you use these for several children. Chances are you're not likely to need the same size diapers for each child at the same time - so you can buy one set of 'adjustables' that can be used by more than one of your children. This type of 'Birth to Potty' diaper has poppers at the sides which expand as your child grows.

Don't take my word for this though - get your pen and paper out and do a price comparison. Predict how much you would spend on disposable diapers each month and multiply this by the number of months that you expect your child, or children - to be in diapers (two and a half years is average - so that's thirty months.). Find out how many re-usable diapers you would need for the same time period. If you choose all-in-one adjustable re-usable diapers, it's quite possible to buy one set and use these until your child is potty trained. If you have more than one child, and the nappies are good quality, you're going to be using the same set twice (or three or four times) over a longer period. Don't forget to factor in the cost of detergent. The best (and cheapest) way to dry washable nappies is outdoors. Drying washable diapers with a tumble dryer is going to be more expensive.

But which re-usables are you going to choose? That's not an easy question to answer these days - you'll have to do some homework, as there are so many different types on offer and they vary so much in price and quality. Thankfully, there's some great advice out there too. A good place to start is to ask friends, neighbours, or fellow 'green' parents how they fared. Most re-usable nappy specialists will send out samples and starter packs so that you can have a look at the different types on offer. There are two basic types: washable diapers with a liner or 'insert', and 'All-in-Ones', which are generally thicker, take longer to dry, and are good for journeys. My personal favourites were the birth-to-potty nappies made by Canadian company 'Motherease' and some hand crafted 'All-in-Ones' from a small British company called 'Happy Nappy Days'.

Re-usable nappies have become popular because they reduce the amount of waste sent to a landfill. In Britain, that's one reason why local government offices organise ' Green Nappy Fairs' so that manufacturers and customers can get together and talk about how to save time, money, and the environment. Some councils in Britain will even give you money towards the cost of your first set. Or better still, a coupon which helps you save money on your local nappy washing service. See this Guide "Choosing the Right Nappy".

If you have them in your area, nappy washing services are well worth the initial investment. You're given a huge container to put your diapers in and you leave this for the diaper washing service to collect. The service washes the diapers in a central location and the next week you get clean ones delivered and a fresh container.

If you're a new parent, I would still try and keep some disposables in reserve for traveling and holidays, and until you get the hang of using your re-usables. Whether you're buying disposables or washable diapers, to keep costs down, look out for coupons and codes to to get discounts on your purchases.

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