Every time your baby heeds nature’s call, he’s costing you a quarter. Disposable diapers, which can cost 25 cents or so apiece, are among the first of the infinite ways in which kids siphon money from parents’ wallets, but they’re not a necessity.

Sustainable Personal Finance pitches old-fashioned cloth diapers as a way to stick a pin in child rearing expenses, calculating that spurning disposables can save you $1,400 in two years. Using cloth diapers means a bit more legwork and laundry loads, but the work is well rewarded in savings.

The post recommends investing in rubber gloves and tongs to handle the hazardous waste, and promises that once the diapers emerge from the washing machine/dryer gauntlet, they’re as good as new.

Why Use Cloth Diapers? [Sustainable Personal Finance]

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