After you have a baby, you quickly realize that one of your biggest expenses is DIAPERS. You may find out, as I did, that your baby doesn’t use just the so-called typical 7-8 diapers a day. For the first few months of life, your sweet, innocent baby could easily burn through hundreds of dollars in diapers and wipes. There are several ways to save money on diapers, though. Here’s a quick list to help you keep that precious little one clean and dry without breaking the bank.
10 Ways to Help Save Money on Diapers:
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Order diapers online.
For example, Amazon almost always has better deals than your local Walmart. (Especially if you choose the Subscribe and Save option.) For a comparison, check their price per diaper (Amazon shows it online) and then do the math for a box of diapers at your local store. Even if you don’t have Amazon Prime, you can easily get free shipping on a month’s supply of diapers and wipes. Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial, or sign up for Amazon Family to get extra money off diaper subscriptions
. See Diapers Priced Per Unit
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2. Keep on eye on deal websites.
Deal News is one that my husband keeps an eye on for me. (I haven’t seen diaper or wipes deals on sites like Groupon yet, so please leave a comment if you have seen diapers discounted on one of those sites.)
Thinking about going the large retailer or subscription route to save money on diapers and other necessities? We do have a Sam’s membership, but we’ve found that we can usually buy diapers from Amazon more cheaply than at Sam’s. (Plus, we can usually get a brand we like better–like these Huggies Little Snugglers, which were perfect for him when he wore size 2–for less than the store brand.)
Having said that, though, sometimes you can catch a surprise deal. For example, we got 2 months’ supply of Honest diapers (read my review of them here) for the price of one month a while ago. Our Sam’s membership came in handy this month when they ran an online deal giving $8 off each package of diapers. (We stocked up, since that brought the cost-per-diaper lower than our normal.) Costco has a store-brand diaper that you may also want to try, especially if they’re running sales on it.
3. Periodically check iBotta’s Baby Products section.
Numerous times in the last year we’ve gotten between $4 and $8 off Huggies diapers by using iBotta. The same goes for the 7th generation baby wipes. (When J was little, his skin was sensitive, so I had to use fragrance-free wipes if I wanted to wipe off his face, arms, or tummy.)
4. Use cloth diapers.
My mom used cloth diapers most of the time for all 6 of her kids. Cloth diapers have come a long way since the white pieces of fabric and scary pins she had to use on us. Now, there are cute options that snap easily and require ZERO pins. They can be an expensive option up front, and you have to figure in the cost of the extra loads of laundry, but they can be used for multiple kids. You certainly can’t say that about Pampers or Luvs!
5. Ask friends to collect diaper coupons for you.
After J was born, a friend sent me a card of congratulations with lots of newspaper coupons for diapers of different brands. What a great, simple gift idea!
6. Don’t be unnecessarily picky about which brand you use.
Most diapers are just fine, no matter what the brand name. We have found that some diapers are no-nos for babies with sensitive skin (Luvs are a GREAT price but have too much lovely fragrance for Baby J’s skin), and some diapers just don’t fit your baby as well as others. But if you’re open to at least trying any brand, you’ll be ready to scoop up whatever deals are available. Store brands are frequently close in quality to the brand-name diapers and wipes. (However, if you find out a certain brand always ends up with lots of leaks, you’re not really saving money by buying that brand. Each baby has his own body shape, so some diapers will work better than others.)
Whenever you find an extra great deal on diapers, STOCK up! Especially if they are 30-50% off. (Just don’t overstock on newborn size. Unless your baby is a preemie, he/she probably won’t use that many newborn size diapers.)7. Sign up for diaper company rewards.
I’m stocking up on Huggies rewards! Huggies also has printable coupons, as does Luvs.
8. Make your own wipes or wash and reuse cloth wipes.
Either cloth wipes (which you’ll wash and reuse) or homemade paper wipes (from paper towels) are options here. (Here’s Wellness Mama’s tutorial for making paper wipes.) I have usually been able to buy wipes at a decent price on Amazon or with Ibotta and haven’t had to do this.
9. Don’t go to the next size of diapers too quickly.
There’s some overlap in the different sizes of diapers. For example, size 3 diapers are for holding about 16-28 pounds of sweet baby. Size 4 fits a baby from 22 to 30+ pounds (up to 37). If your baby weighs 22 pounds, try to keep him/her in size 3 diapers as long as possible with his body type, because price per diaper goes up with each size. (That makes sense, since more material is needed to make the larger diapers.)
10. Use online printable coupons.
Coupons.com, for example, has some great printable coupons that can help you save money on diapers and wipes. Krazy Koupon Lady is another coupon source for diapers online.
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Good luck with keeping your family financially afloat! 🙂 Babies are expensive, but they’re worth every penny. We promise. Let us know in the comment section if you have other ways you save money on diapers!
