How to Cloth Diaper Newborn TWINS on a Budget!

I was able to cloth diaper my twins for less than $300! From the moment we found out we were having twins I knew we would need to save money in all the places we could. I stepped away from my job to be home with the twins and we would be going down to one income. It became my mission to go on the hunt for secondhand cloth diapers that were like new. In this blog post, I will share with you some tips and tricks to how you could take the route of cloth diapering twins on a tight budget as well as some of the systems I used to keep up with laundering the diapers, which will hopefully help you as well.

When can you start using cloth diapers?

Some people start using cloth diapers from day one! It is also common to wait a week or so until the meconium is over and their poop is yellow and seedy. I did pack a few cloth diapers in my hospital bag, but I never did end up using them. After a few weeks, I was feeling up to begin cloth diapering twins!

Another common option is to wait until your baby is ready for the standard size of cloth diapers and skip the newborn size altogether. The transition to standard size can happen at different times depending on the size of your baby when they are born. Typically around 12 to 15 pounds your baby will transition into the standard cloth diaper size. For us, that transition happened around 2 and a half months, but they were twins so they were less than 7 pounds when they were born. Each family can decide what will work best for them.

How many diapers do you need?

Each baby has about 8-12 diapers a day. If you have one baby, 2 dozen would be enough if you wash them every 2-3 days. For us lucky twin moms, that means about 2 dozen diapers per day. I wanted to be able to go 2 days between doing laundry so I aimed to have about 50 newborn cloth diapers. I know it sounds like a lot, BUT I got them lightly used off of Facebook Marketplace which saved me SO much money! It is possible to save money with cloth diapers! I got ALL of my cloth diapers (both newborn and standard sizes) for under $300! I never thought I could save so much money by cloth diapering twins!

As a note, I would use disposable diapers for overnights, just because I like that disposable diapers keep the moisture off of the baby’s skin.

Are cloth diapers hard to use?

Not at all! These days cloth diapers are essentially like disposable diapers in structure, they are just made out of cloth materials. I have found them very easy to use. It would be more challenging if you were on the go a lot because you have to travel with them, but not overly challenging. It may just take some getting used to because there are a few more steps involved.

What types of cloth diapers are there?

There are many types of cloth diapers on the market. Some of the most common ones are All-in-ones, all-in-twos or hybrid, pocket diapers, and pre-folds with a waterproof cover.

Types of Cloth Diapers

All-in-Ones

All-in Twos or Hybrid

Pocket Diapers

Pre-Folds (requires a waterproof cover)

All-in-Ones Cloth Diapers

These are just as they sound, it is one diaper with the absorbent part of the diaper connected to the outer part. They have all-in-one diapers for the newborn as well as the standard size.

I used newborn cloth diapers and I did like them. I knew that I would be changing diapers so often with newborn twins that I wanted to save as much money as I could. I had a combination of different newborn cloth diapers. I liked these all-in-one newborn cloth diapers from Grovia. But my favorite all-in-one diaper was the Thirsties Natural Snap Newborn All-in-One.

If you are looking for a very affordable all-in-one newborn cloth diaper, these Alvababy Newborn All-in-One Cloth Diapers run about $5 a diaper!

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All-In Twos/ Hybrid Cloth Diapers

All-in-two or hybrid cloth diapers are a style of diaper with a you have one outer shell that is water resistant and an inner absorbent pad that goes inside. This is the model I used with my twins when they outgrew the newborn size and transitioned to the standard size. We made this transition around 2.5 months. Typically newborn diapers have a weight limit between 12 to 15 lbs.

I used the Grovia Hybrid diaper shell with the organic cotton soaker pads. I have had very few blowouts with these! I like that you didn’t need to use a new diaper shell every time and can just replace the soaker pad.

Pocket Diapers

Another popular style of cloth diapers is the pocket diapers. With pocket diapers, you put a cloth insert inside the pocket. of the diaper shell. These can be a little bit more messy when getting them into the washing machine.

Pre-Folds

If you are looking for a way to save money, pre-folds are a great way to do that! Pre-folds require a waterproof shell that you wrap around the fabric. These waterproof covers can be reused between diaper changes if they are not soiled. You can buy a large stash of the pre-folds at a very affordable price. Pre-folds come in different sizes.

I used pre-folds during the newborn months, and I was surprised at how much I liked them! It can be a little more work in terms of putting them on the baby, they didn’t leak out like some of our other newborn all-in-ones did. Personally, if I were to go back and do it again, I would get pre-folds of various sizes and a handful of waterproof shells. They aren’t as convenient for other people changing your baby’s diapers, but if you are up for a few more seconds when putting on a diaper, I think it is worth it!

What about cloth wipes?

If you really want to go all-in with cloth diapering you could consider getting cloth wipes. What I loved about cloth wipes is it wasn’t money going down the drain, and it just would get tossed into the same load with the diapers. They were also handy to have around as easy spit-up rags. I’m sure you could even make your own by repurposing some fabric! On the flip side, I found that for travel and being out and about it was nice to have traditional diaper wipes.

How do you use cloth wipes?

I have an amber spray bottle right by the changing area with water. You can add some fractionated coconut oil and a mild essential oil, but typically I use just water. Then, I would spray the cloth wipe while doing the diaper change. Boom! As a bonus, the babies love the sound of the spray bottle.

How to Clean Cloth Diapers

I have a front loader washing machine and do two cycles. The first cycle is a rinse cycle. The second cycle is a heavy-duty cycle with a hot setting. I use the Norwex liquid laundry detergent. I use 2 pumps of the detergent for each cycle.

If your baby (or babies) are exclusively breastfed then their poop is water-soluble, meaning it will wash out in the washing machine. However, if they are not exclusively breastfed, then you will want to rinse off the soiled diapers into the toilet before laundering. You should wash your cloth diapers at least every 2-3 days.

We attached a spray attachment to our toilet to spray the poop into the toilet. I would use a Spray Pal which is amazing because you can clip the diaper on and spray off the poop, it shields any water from spraying around and avoids the need to dunk the diaper into the toilet. However, that is another option.

Then I discover these thin poop liners you can put in your cloth diapers. They are meant to catch the poop but don’t add any extra absorbency. These are now my new favorites since our boys have started eating solids!! They are about 5 cents a liner, which in my opinion is totally worth not having to spray off poopy diapers before washing.

I am an Independent Sales Consultant with Norwex.

What else is needed for cloth diapering twins?

Here is a list of some of the essential cloth diapering supplies that I found helpful when cloth diapering twins!

• Wet/Dry bags for soiled cloth diapers
• Travel wet/dry bag
• Disposable poop liners
• Toilet spray attachment
• Spray Pal– Cloth Diaper Sprayer Splatter Shield
• Norwex Liquid Laundry Detergent
• Grovia Mighty Bubbles for deep cleaning and stripping diapers before and after use
• Drying rack with clips

Can twins share cloth diapers?

Yes! I never separated our cloth diapers between the boys. I made sure to wash them well but otherwise they shared the supply of cloth diapers.