As I prepared to become a parent, I spent a lot of time figuring out ways to reduce diaper expenses.
I clipped coupons, compared prices across stores and even considered cloth nappies to save money. Then I discovered a major cost-saving approach that many parents around the world don’t treat as a secret at all.
They simply don’t use diapers.
Weeks before my son arrived, my Chinese mother-in-law brought over a bundle of “diapers” — old, repurposed shirts that might absorb only a tablespoon of liquid each!
She explained we would use them while helping the baby learn to signal his needs, and that feeling the wetness would hasten the learning. According to her, by six months he would likely be diaper-free entirely.
I didn’t quite see how it would work, so I kept the pack of disposables I had purchased and the Western-style cloth nappies a friend had given me.
Why Choose Diaper-Free?
Although it raises eyebrows in the U.S., caregivers in at least 75 countries commonly skip diapers with very young infants. The core of the practice is helping the baby become aware of their body.
In Western cultures this approach goes by names like “elimination communication,” “diaper-free baby” or “natural infant hygiene.” In nations where it’s routinely used — such as China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan and India — it doesn’t need a special label; it’s simply normal.
This technique teaches infants to use the toilet on cue from the very beginning.
We would hold our bare-bottomed baby over a small basin or the toilet and make a soft hissing noise.
Within weeks, he began responding to that sound and went only when he heard it. He also started to notice sensations in his body. By seven weeks, he developed a distinct cry to signal that he needed the toilet.
Lo and behold, it worked for our family!
By five months old, our son stopped wetting diapers except for the rare time we couldn’t reach a restroom fast enough while out and about.
While saving money isn’t the only reason families practice elimination communication, it’s certainly a helpful bonus.
Disposable nappies are uncommon — and expensive — in many developing countries, and the cloth “diapers” my mother-in-law fashioned were simply cut-up old T-shirts.
Is Diaper-Free Parenting Becoming More Popular?
Many Western parents are reluctant to let their children go without diapers. Still, parent and diaper-free advocate Sarah Quinney says she wishes she’d started teaching her daughter Isabelle from birth.
Sarah began Isabelle’s diaper-free routine at nine months. By 18 months, Isabelle was reliably letting her parents know when she needed the toilet.
Quinney estimates they saved several hundred dollars on diapers, though they used diapers when leaving the house. They also experienced less washing and fewer messes than when using cloth nappies full-time.
No child is perfect. On occasions when Isabelle got absorbed in play and missed the toilet, a quick mop and a fresh outfit handled cleanup without too much trouble.
How Much Money Can You Save by Going Diaper-Free?
An average newborn uses about 10 diapers a day. If that number drops to eight per day in the toddler years, you’ll be through roughly 8,580 diapers by age three.
At around $0.25 per diaper (a low estimate for bulk purchases), that totals approximately $2,145.
Factor in wipes and diaper creams and you could easily spend another $500. And that assumes the child is potty-trained by 36 months.
Even attempting diaper-free practices part-time can trim hundreds of dollars from your yearly childcare costs!
What Items Are Helpful for Diaper-Free Parenting?
You likely won’t eliminate diaper expenses completely. It’s wise to keep some disposables for long car rides and situations where an accident would be particularly inconvenient.
Other than that, you don’t need specialized gear to practice elimination communication — primarily a willingness to help your baby recognize bodily signals and tell you about them.
Toilet paper will come in handy, but that’s usually already in your home. When you’re out with a baby who otherwise wears diapers, a small pack of wet wipes is useful if they do use their diaper.
In parts of Asia, infants wear split pants (pants or shorts with an open crotch) which let them relieve themselves without removing clothing. Retailers like EC Wear and The EC Store sell practical clothing for Western parents who prefer not to have their baby’s bottom exposed publicly.
Our Family’s Journey Without Diapers
Now I fully support the method and encourage giving it a genuine try, but I wasn’t always enthusiastic.
Watching my mother-in-law whistle to prompt my son to use the toilet felt peculiar at first. Yet when he learned quickly and left diapers behind early, I became a believer.
We used the same approach with his little sister and enjoyed similar outcomes. Only purchasing about 300 diapers overall allowed us to tuck away more money for their future education.
