How Many Diapers Do I Need To Start Cloth Diapering?

This is by far the biggest question we get asked! Remember, you're in charge, so you make the rules!  But if you need some guidance, this video will show you exactly HOW to calculate the number to get you started on your cloth diapering journey!

There are many different factors to take into account when deciding on a stash size, here are some of the most common questions when starting to cloth diaper. 

How often do you want to wash? 

If you want to wash every day, we realistically recommend 12-18 cloth diapers if you are starting from birth.  I started out with 5 cloth diapers in my stash, and I was washing all the time!  If you want to have a longer time period in between washes, the key is to have more diapers. Washing your diapers every day can wear them out prematurely, so having a larger stash will keep your diapers looking newer longer. This is important if you’re planning to use your diapers for multiple babies. If you want to wash every 2-3 days, I would suggest 24-36 diapers. I discovered I need to have a few days of diapers to get my washer full enough to get them clean.

How old is your baby? 

The younger your baby, the more diapers they’ll go through. A newborn will go through approximately 10-12 diapers a day, but as they get older they require fewer diapers.  By a year of age a baby will on average use approximately 6 diapers a day. 

What type of diaper are you using?

If you’ll be using pockets or AIOs, the entire diaper (shell and insert) needs changed every time. If you’re using covers and inserts, you won’t need quite as many, as covers can be wiped clean and reused several times before washing, the recommended ratio is 3 inserts per cover.  

The easiest way to calculate the number of cloth diapers you need to get started is to count the number of disposable diapers you are using per day.

• Replace 1 Disposable Diaper with 1 Cloth Diaper

• So if you use 5 disposables in one day, you need 5 cloth diapers to get started if you would like to wash your diapers every night.
• If you would like to wash your diapers every other night, then you need to double that number.  So if you are using 5 disposable diapers per day, and you would like to do laundry every other night, then you would need 10 cloth diapers.

Here is a handy chart with recommendations based on your baby's age and whether you plan to cloth diaper part-time or full time.

* If you have more diapers, you can extend laundry time!