Whilst the up front cost of real nappies can be a bit startling, the creeping cost of disposables comes as a shock to even the most padded purse.

I say creeping, not to imbue them with some kind of sinister connotation but because as most buy them on a weekly basis they don't think about the final tally. £10 every week is much easier to deal with than the reality of nearly £1000 by potty training time.

The following is a guide only and the reality will depend on your child's productivity and the brand of disposables you choose.

As you will see, even the most expensive real nappy is nearly £200 cheaper. The cheapest real nappy option is around £740 cheaper, birth to potty, and that's with one child. As one lady said to me “by the third I was just laughing!”

The figures on this page are taken from the table below and the "Real Cost Real Saving" page.

The following is an attempt to show that, not only can you reduce your environmental impact no matter when you start to use real nappies, but that the fanancial savings can still offer an attractive enticement. Obviously the earlier you start the greater your savings but the savings can be substantial later too.

Even after spending nearly £500 in 12 months of disposables, money can still be saved if you move to real nappies- and the fact you would save a further 2132 nappies from land fill is a bonus!

note: The figures quotes were correct a couple of years ago. Obviously prices are going up all the time, so the costs may well be higher in the present market.

So, your baby's now 1 month old.

you've changed approx 372 nappies to date, costing about 13p each. Spend this month £48.36.

Current spend: £48.36

By 2 months old

You've changed approx 744 nappies to date, this size costing about 13p each. Spend this month £48.36.

Current spend £96.72

By 3 months old.

You've changed approx 1116 nappies to date, this size costing about 13p each. Spend this month £48.36.

Current spend £145.08

By 4 months old.

You've changed approx 1488 nappies to date, this size costing about 13p each. Spend this month £48.36.

Current spend £193.44

By 5 months old.

You've changed approx 1793 nappies to date, this size costing about 14p each. Spend this month £42.70.

Current spend £236.14

By 6 months old.

You've changed approx 2098 nappies to date, this size costing about 14p each. Spend this month £42.70.

Current spend £278.84

By 7 months old.

You've changed approx 2342 nappies to date, this size costing about 15p each. Spend this month £36.60

Current spend £315.44

By 8 months old.

You've changed approx 2586 nappies to date, this size costing about 15p each. Spend this month £36.60

Current spend £352.04

By 9 months old.

You've changed approx 2830 nappies to date, this size costing about 15p each. Spend this month £36.60

Current spend £388.64

By 10 months old.

You've changed approx 3074 nappies to date, this size costing about 15p each. Spend this month £36.60

Current spend £425.24

By 11 months old.

You've changed approx 3318 nappies to date, this size costing about 15p each. Spend this month £36.60

Current spend £461.84

By 12 months old.

You've changed approx 3501 nappies to date, this size costing about 16p each. Spend this month £29.28

Current spend £491.12