I have two sons, one 2 and a half, the other eight months. The older one is toilet trained now but I used washable nappies for him as I am now doing for our second son. I was curious to find out how much i had saved by using washable nappies and did the following calculations. Please bear in mind that my aim was to record my actual behaviour and purchases, not some ideal fictitious scenario. Please also forgive the amateur calculations. They are very ‘back of a postcard’ and may contain errors but I think the general findings in the correct ball park if not absolutely accurate.
The questions i tried to answer were as follows...
How much did I spend on washables? (a)
How much would I have spent on disposables? (assuming son2 trains at 2 years 4months) (b)
How much have i actually spent on disposables? (as we use them at night and when on holiday) (c)
How much does a wash cost?
B - (A + C + D)
How much did I spend on washables?
10 kissaluv nappies = £70
15 motherease plus booster liners, buckets and nets £100 (i bought these half price off a friend)
another 5 motherease plus boosters £50
extra wraps, boosters and replacement nappies for those lost/damaged £40
4 new nappies and wraps for the new baby = £50
Liners =£ 2.75 per 100. Approx 2p per liner, used approx 5000 washables = £100
Spend = £410
Less nappy incentive schemes from Richmond and Cheshire council = £75
Total spend £335
I also intend to sell the newborn size nappies which were barely worn and use the money to fund a replacement of some of the more ragged looking motherease nappies. This doesn’t affect the total spend.
How much would I have spent on disposables?
Number of changes per day varies quite a lot by age
0-6 months (183 days) – 7 changes per day (1281 nappies) @ 20p per nappy = £256
6 – 12 months (183 days) 6 changes per day (1098 nappies) @ 20p per nappy = £219.60
12 – 24 months (365) 5 changes per day (1825 nappies) @ 20p per nappy = £365
24 – 28 months (120 days) 4 changes per day (480 nappies) @ 20p per nappy = £96
(assumes that son2 trains at 2 years 4 months like son1)
£936.8 per child £1873
No of nappies per child 4684 x 2 = 9368 nappies
How much do I actually spend on disposables?
Early days
I didn’t use washables until the third week with son1 and the third month with son2.
First two weeks for Son1 @ 7 changes a day @ 20p per nappy = £20
First two months (60 days) for son2 @ 7 changes a day @ 20p per nappy = £84
Holidays/ sick time
4 weeks (28 days) a year. Total nappy time for both children roughly 5 years. Use of disposables 28 days x 5. 140 days @ 5 changes per child @ 20p each. £140
Night time (our first son, whilst trained, is still in disposables at night, I haven’t included this in the calculations. Son1 was also changed more often at night than son2)
Son1 0-12 months x 2 nappies a night @ 20p = £146
12- 24 months @ 1 nappy per night = £73
24-28 (120 days) months @ 1 nappy per night = £24
Son2 0-6 months x 2 nappies a night @ 20p = £73
6 - 24 months @ 1 nappy per night = £109
24-28 (120 days) months @ 1 nappy per night = £24
£693 spent on disposables approx 3465 nappies
How much does a wash cost?
2.5 washes per week – 130 washes per year @ 30p per wash (fabric conditioner and electricity) = £39 per year. Total wash time = 4 years 8 months (240 weeks) - £180 (info from WEN)
How much did I spend on washables? (£335)
How much would I have spent on disposables? (assuming son2 trains at 2 years 4months) (£1873)
How much have i actually spent on disposables? (as we use them at night and when on holiday) (£693)
How much does a wash cost? (£180)
B - (A + C + D)
£1873 – (£335 + £693 + £180) =
£1873 - £1208 = £665
