Saving Money on Diapers
By · Jun 19
Give generic a try
I used to be a diaper snob. I loved Pampers but settled for Huggies because they were cheaper at Costco. However, with my last two children I have used generic diapers at least part of the time. I have found that many store brands premium diapers work very well. Things to keep in mind: every child’s bum is different. Different brands work for different children, so just because you have tried a brand before and it didn’t work, doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t work for your next child. Also, many times I use generic diapers for daytime, when you are frequently changing the diapers anyway and save the premium diapers for overnight. My favorite generic diapers are Walgreens and Kroger Comforts which I buy at Foods Co. (here is a $3.00 off coupon to use at Foods Co.)
Get on Luvs, Pampers and Huggies mailing lists.
Pampers and Luvs, have sent me coupons at least once a month since I signed up on their websites. Click here (scroll to the bottom of the page) to join Luvs Revolutionary Rewards and they will send you a $1.00 off coupon. Learn about and sign up for the Pampers Gifts to Grow program here. You can also collect codes inside each package of Pampers, enter them in and redeem them for fun items. To join Huggies Baby Network, click here. Huggies also has the Enjoy the Ride Rewards program, which allows you to enter points that put you in the running for their sweepstakes prizes.
Stack coupons
To get the best deals, hold onto your coupons until you find a sale. I know this is pretty obvious if you have been reading my blog for a while, but if you are new, this can be a new concept for you. For instance, Luvs sent me a $5.00 off coupon (they are no longer running this promotion), then Target put out a $1.00 off coupon. That is pretty great, $6.00 off, but I held onto these coupons until Target put Luvs on sale for $6.99 and got diapers for $.99 a pack.
Read Baby Cheapskate
Each week, Angie at Baby Cheapskate highlights the best diaper and formula deals happening that week. You can read this week’s post here. Angie also has a helpful post on generic brand diaper reviews. And you can find her handy chart that lists how many diapers come in each package by size, and the price to beat here.
These are my best tips. What are you doing to save money on diapers? Anybody know about something I missed?
9 Comments
June 19th, 2009 at 11:41 am
If you’re willing to give it a try, cloth diapers are quite a bit cheaper than disposables. There are many options now, including a couple brands of “one-size” cloth diaper that grow with your baby from near-newborn to potty training (and they are as easy to put on/off as a disposable). You might need to purchase 12-15 of these one-size diapers at about $20 each (or a little less – and sometimes you can get coupons for the stores that sell them), but it’s a one-time purchase for your child’s whole diaper career, and possibly for a future child too. It’s certainly not for everyone, but it’s definitely something to consider if you’re trying to save money.
June 19th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Michelle,
Thank you for sharing your experience with cloth diapers! I have never used them so I have no experience, but I am glad to hear that you have had a good experience with them.
June 19th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
I also used cloth diapers for my son and had great experience with them. There are so many choices out there now that they can work for any budget. I recommend reading at http://www.diaperpin.com, there they have reviews and a forum to ask questions. There is a ton of info out there so don’t get overwhelmed!
The last few months of diapering my son he out grew his one cloth sized diapers and we used disposables then. I tried everything and found luvs and the walgreens brand to be my favorites (personally I HATED pamepers, but I am in the minority there!). For the price walgreens brand is great!
June 19th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
thanks for the ideas
June 19th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
We use a mix of cloth and disposies (only because we were given a bunch of disposables for free). I LOVE our cloth diapers, though. I found a great website by nicki’s diapers (online) – she has a clearance site which is AWESOME. You can buy diapers for about $13 ea or so. And, free shipping! We save SO much money using cloth, plus, we will be able to use them for the next child and so on! We actually have some mediums from her sister (we didnt start CDing til her sister wore size M). They last through 4-6 kids and are AWESOME. It does seem to cost a little more to start off, but saves so much in the long run.
June 20th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
My mom had one kids in diapers for 16 years straight! The thought of that happening to me makes me want to save money! I have never used cloth diapers but from time to time I give them a serious thought and then chicken out. But you guys make me want to stick it through this time. Thanks!
June 20th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
I’m exactly the opposite! I used to buy Walmart brand ALL of the time. Then once I started couponing I could buy Huggies & Pampers for nearly the same price and there’s no way I can go back now! Walmart & Walgreens brands worked fine but honestly so would duct taping on a few paper towels, right?! The nicer brands feel SO much better. So now I am a diaper snob!
June 22nd, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Awww, thanks for the kind words about Baby Cheapskate! Your tips are spot on!
February 20th, 2010 at 10:49 am
You can get some great deals on diapers using diapers.com. They offer the lowest online price on baby stuff (with a price match guarantee), plus over $25 off your first order, and free shipping. They also have a great referral program that pretty much lets me get my diapers for free. Try coupon code 25OFF with code 10PERCENT if you are a first time customer. There is a step by step guide to saving money at diapers.com at the following site: http://www.squidoo.com/diapers_com