Saving money on disposable diapers

Joel writes: "I'd love some ideas on how to save money on disposable diapers."

It's true that disposable diapers can take a big bite out of the budget. You can expect to spend $1,500 to $2,000 on disposables by the time your baby is out of them! But there are ways to spend less. Buying the "Mega" versus "Jumbo"-size package, for example, could save you up to 10 cents per diaper. It adds up! You'll save even more by buying several packages when the "Megas" go on sale. You can also save a bundle by buying store-brand diapers in economy-size boxes, which come in counts of 68 to 144. Our tests show that some store brands rate Very Good for leakage prevention, which is a factor that sets diaper brands apart.

Finally, don't be too quick to jump to the next size diaper. Selecting the smallest diaper your baby can comfortably wear will save you money in the long run because a larger diaper costs more (and may allow leaks if it is too large). Manufacturers usually charge the same amount per package regardless of the actual size of the diapers, but they'll put progressively fewer diapers in the package as the size gets larger. See our latest disposable diaper Ratings (available to subscribers) for more information.

Also, see our reports on disposable diapers and cloth diapers for more information, as well as our reports on diaper pails and diaper bags.

Comments

[Cecile]

For the first 5-6 months, my son was cloth diapered during the day, and paper diapered at night. It seemed so unfair to him to keep wet cotton on him overnight or to wake him several times to change him. Now that he is seven months and experimenting with solid foods, he is exclusively in the disposable diapers. The cloth diapering just did not fit our lifestyle or situation. We live in California where there is a drought. We had already spent over $400 on cloth diapers for the first six months (all-in-ones). My husband and I find that we prefer to spend our time with our son than with the laundry. The disposable diapers we buy at Costco last about six weeks at around $35. That's a huge savings over the cloth diapers. We will probably get a few cloth diapers when we want our son to feel the wet (when it's time to potty train). We tried it both ways and are comfortable with our decision. Please, stop politicizing diapers. We should all remember to appreciate our little miracles.

[Cecile]

I can speak about both sides of the diaper debate. My husband and I bought all-in-ones cloth diapers before the baby was born from the all together diaper company. Their diapers are supposedly made in the USA by SAH moms, so we felt like we were doing something for the economy. We used the cloth diapers during the day and disposables overnight--it seemed unfair to our son to let him wear a wet cotton diaper against his skin overnight, or have to wake him several times to change him. It does turn into a chore to clean the poop out of the diapers, wet ones were no problem. Once he started solid foods, it was more than I could handle between the home made baby food and washing diapers that really stunk. We now buy Costco diapers and one box lasts about a month to a month and a half. I think we're actually saving money now over the cloth diapers. If we had just bought the plain pre-fold cloth diapers with the diaper covers, it would have been a lot cheaper. I guess we all live and learn from the decisions we make. I think that we will probably buy a few cloth diapers to have for potty training so our son can feel when he's wet. I fell very sad when I read other people's one-sided views on diapering. They seem to be missing the point that they were fortunate enough to have their dilemma of cloth vs. disposable. I'm very thankful for my little blessing.

[marcy]

I live in a place where water is scarce, high electricity rates and no diaper service, so I decided to go disposable. It wasnt an easy decision, but as a working mom daycare doesnt want cloth nor do I have time to wash/dry them. Instead I wanted the most natural disposable diapers I could find and afford. After trying a few, now I prefer to use the Whole foods 365 diapers that are great- chlorine free and plain white- no cartoons all over them. I think they are generic packaging of the TenderCare brand, at a better price at Whole foods. They are a great price and do not leak or irritate skin. The Whole foods 365 Baby wipes are also the best of all I have found, also chlorine free and hypoallergenic. But I do buy the Huggies overnights so we truly only use one diaper for 12hours overnight- and I feel that is a good idea for sleep and environment.
There are new G-Diapers, that are biodegradable but I never tried them yet- too costly and I dont trust they are ok for my septic.

[Peter]

Re the debate on disposable vs. cloth diapers, my wife and I have you all beat. We trained our daughter to poop in the garden out back. No contribution to landfills. No wasted water. No worries about CO2 emissions from transportation. Plus, we have the healthiest, plumpest, most juicy fruits and vegetables imaginable!

Of course, I'm joking. Sounds like there are environmental consequences to whichever option you choose. No need to be "holier than thou" about it. You just need to pick the environmental cause that is most important to you.

[venessa]

Why not buy at Costco? They have wholesale price: $40.00 for 224 diapers, size 3, Huggies. That's cheaper than 1-800-diapers. The only bad thing is they only take Costco coupons. You have to wait for diaper sale to receive your mail coupons.

[Jess]

Steve... just because you don't personally feel responsible for the environment doesn't mean that people who do are simply "bored." That being said, Lauren is right. Cloth diapers also take their toll on the environment. Overall, I have heard, cloth is slightly better on the environment than disposable, but the real test is what is best for your child. Now stop the bickering and change the baby, people!

[Sarah]

We have used cloth on our children with a diaper service and really love them. But when we are out and about or traveling to visit family we use Tushies all natural diapers. They are really great, more expensive since they are all natural. But again like a previous poster wrote, we purchase them online or through a local store in bulk to get a better discount.
But we do feel that they are better and easier on diaper rash, since we don't get them, and also better on the environment. With the no gel in the diaper it is also easier on the potty training.

I am not trying to start anything with these previous posters. Everyone uses what diaper they are comfortable with. But I wanted to respond to the last poster and say yes cloth diapers do take hot water to clean BUT the plastic that is omitted into air from the standard disposable diapers along with other chemicals I do believe the cloth alternative is better on the environment overall. And yes in our case the cloth diapers do get delivered to our door but it is just like any other shipment. Where do the disposable diapers come from? Some can get shipped 1/2 way across the US to get to your store. Diaper services are all local and I don't think any would travel over 2 hours to deliver diapers. And they do all their shipments to one area together.

[Lauren]

Keep in mind that cloth diapers have environmental disadvatages too. Whether using a service or washing your own, you are using a high amount of water. With diaper services, delivery trucks emit high levels of carbon emissions.

[steve]

You can also write to some of the diaper companies and see if you can get in on their studies or tests. You have to keep track of the number ones and twos and send in a sample from time to time, BUT you get free diapers for as long as your child wears them and sometimes they will run a health check on your child's samples and let you know everything is ok.

P.S. I've never had nightmares about landfills. It must be nice to be so bored that that is on the list of major concerns.

[Sandra Gordon]

Thanks Alison!

[Alison]

Re using non-disposable diapers...it is a nice idea. I understand all that was said re environment, rashes, etc. But, I have used disposable diapers on my baby and he has never once had diaper rash, if they are changed often and a bit of prevention is used (Boudreaux Butt Paste) then there's no excuse for the rash. The initial outlay for cloth diapers is a lot and they take a lot to clean, I worked with a girl who used them and what a fuss to clean them ! I guess it is whatever works for the individual..I'm kind of tired of hearing and having vehement "advice" forced on me by sanctimommies.
Anyway, I found Target diapers to be pretty good but like Pampers Cruisers best. Just wait for special offers in Walmart and keep those $ off coupons. It saves you money.

[Cheryl Fontaine]

The best way to save money on disposable diapers is NOT buy them. Use cloth diapers. They are better for your baby, better for the environment, and easier on the pocketbook. I raised four babies in them, no diaper rash and no landfill nightmares.

[Clarissa's Mommy]

Diaper Savings

The best diaper savings can be found in the place you shop. You can shop for the same brands but they can be found cheaper at places like Wal-mart. Grocery stores and drug stores are so much more expensive and coupons are a must. Even Target's pricing is higher than Wal-mart's (compared in Texas and California).

We have been very pleased with the quality and pricing of White Cloud.

I do disagree with keeping a child (especially an infant) in too small of a diaper just to save money. With our daughter, the nights that we went up a diaper size are also the nights that she started sleeping longer. (Coincidence??)

[Rebecca Tushnet]

I use Seventh Generation, which already means some extra expense, but I have gotten it down by buying in bulk online. Both 1800diapers and Amazon offer discounts for bulk, and free shipping above a certain amount (which is reached with one or two cases of diapers); Amazon offers its best deal if you sign up for regular deliveries, but it allows you to customize the timing and so far I have been very happy with the service. If you're nervous about recurring charges, 1800diapers might have the best deal (they usually offer a first-time discount).

[Meaghan]

We found that the Babies R Us store brand, "Especially for Baby" seem to work the best and are cheaper than the major brands like Pampers, Huggies, and Luvs. However, they just recently changed the diaper design and packaging. They now cost a bit more and you get fewer diapers in the package, but they are still cheaper than the big brands. One note- I wish they hadn't changed the diaper design. They were far better and simpler before...

[Thomas]

I"m a new dad, and I was reading your article "saving money on disposable diapers". Recently, I was comparing the regular price on the Megas vs. Jumbo at the local CVS store. I found your article to be incorrect. i.e.,

Jumbo size 3 package is $7.99/package contains 35 diapers.
Megas size 3 package is 15.49/package contains 52 diapers.

In price comparison, the Jumbo is more cost effective @ 22.8 cents/diaper vs. the Megas @ 29.7 cents/diaper

[Nanette]

I'm a mom of 4 and at one point I had 3 in diapers so trust me... I've needed good prices on diapers. The best way to save is to use coupons in combination with the store sales, not to be brand loyal and be willing to buy the "lesser quality" brands. I've never gone lower quality than LUVS, but every once in a while I get a coupon for something new. For example Little Tikes came out with diapers and I received some coupons. When the store had them on sale - i stocked up. I do better with my store sales combined with my coupons than with the "BULK STORE" sales.
Good Luck.