"But real nappies seem so expensive!!"

I'm often approached by parents who are concerned that real nappies are expensive.

With some brands costing in excess of £20 per nappy, yes, it can seem expensive. To kit yourself out with a kit of nappies, including all the necessary accessories (buckets bags, liners etc), you'll be looking somewhere in the region of £300-£350 for a good, reliable brand. That sounds a lot, especially when you have cots, prams etc to buy. You also need to include the cost of laundry - water, electricity and detergent - this will be in the region of £150 per baby if you're using them full time.

Sounds expensive, but, with real nappies you need to be thinking long term.

So, let's say you have 2 babies and you use the nappies on both of them:

Real Nappy Option

£350 - Cost of nappies (for full time use) If you invest in a quality brand, and look after them well, they should last 2 babies. If you go for cheaper options this can be reduced further.

£300 - cost of laundry (£150 per baby)

Total - approx £650

Disposables option

£700 - approximate cost of of non-premium disposable nappies - per child.

Total - approx £1,400

And that's without going into the cost on your council tax for dealing with the collection and disposal of them!

But, regardless of the long term saving, not all of us can afford to pay for real nappies up front so here are a few ways to save money:

1. Just start off part time - there's no need to buy all your nappies up-front. Just buy a few each month until you've got what you need. Many people only use real nappies part-time anyway.
2. Once you've chosen your preferred brands (or combination of brands) you can save money by buying in bulk or buying starter kits.
3. If family and friends want to buy gifts for your baby consider asking them for real nappy gift vouchers.
4. A number of local councils offer real nappy incentive schemes where they offer either vouchers or cashback when you buy real nappies, It's worth contacating your council to see if this is something they offer (and if they don't - ask why!!)
5. Pre-loved nappies - if you're happy to use second-hand nappies you can get some bargains by looking at pre-loved sites, nappy libraries etc.
6. Re-coup some of your outlay - as long as you go for reliable brands, you should be able to sell on your nappies once you've finished with them.

As we preach again and again - the biggest cost with real nappies would be to spend money on brands that won't suit you. Get some advice and then you're much more likely to get it right first time.