You can diaper your baby for little or no money, just by recycling old clothing- like a t-shirt! You probably have a few stashed away somewhere- maybe in your rag bag or the back of your drawer- that are stained, or have a hole or two, or you are just sick of wearing. You can ask your friends and neighbors, or join freecycle.org, and most likely get enough free t-shirts of different sizes to last your baby's whole diapering period. And if you are not the crafty type, here is a method to convert a t-shirt into a diaper without having to sew a stitch!

Lay the t-shirt flat as shown.

Grasp the top and bottom, 1/3 of the way from the front side, and bring this to the opposite side, thus folding the t-shirt into equal thirds. Smooth out any wrinkles.

Bring the top of the t-shirt towards the center, so that the sleeves are folded in half.

Fold the bottom up to meet the top as shown.

Place baby on diaper and bring the front up to her belly, tucking the edges in between the legs, and stretching the top across the front.

Bring sleeve tabs around tightly, overlapping them in the middle. Grasping firmly, with your fingers behind the cloth, pin into place. To prevent sticking yourself, insert pin down slowly until you feel the pressure, not the point itself, against your fingers. Bring the point back up through the top and fasten.

Here is a close-up of the freshly pinned diaper. Notice the gusset-like tucks between the legs to contain the messes.

There are several inexpensive options for a diaper cover. Wool bum sweaters can be made from thrift store finds, simply sewn from a triangular piece of wool. Another favorite of mine are the nylon pull on pants. They are inexpensive, lightweight, breathable and hold up well with repeated washings, unlike their vinyl counterparts. See the links below.