Diapers & starting stock! Help.

kp90

Ok May moms.. I am a first time mom with little experience but trying to gain it as I go. I am about to enter my 2nd trimester and we would like to start stocking up on diapers when we grocery shop so we aren't overwhelmed later. My question is what brand do some of you recommend because the reviews I've read on the diapers I thought were good.. Had terrible reviews. Also how do the sizes work? And what other items is it ok to start stocking up on early?

sarawifenow

I am going to follow this thread like a stalker. I am a FTM and we are wanting to do the same thing. One of my girlfriends swears by Pampers swaddlers, so we have bought two of those (one newborn, one of the #2 ones). I'm lost on sizes too!

kp90

Haha, thank you. So glad to hear I'm not alone! @sarawifenow \:D/

yogahh

From what I have read, whatever you buy, SAVE YOUR RECEIPTS!! I plan on buying one box of newborn, and one box the next size up. If baby is too big for newborn size, they can be returned. The only other things I plan on stocking up on are 1st aid supplies.

meganbarlocker

Lurker here!

I stocked up diapers with my first, and looked up the average weights of infants online, and bought diaper sizes accordingly. My baby turned out to be HUGE and outgrew diapers way too fast. We ended up returning like 7 or 8 giant boxes of diapers. I would suggest not stocking up, but if you're going to, get the minimum amount of boxes for the weight you're looking at. Or you could always plan on returning and using that money for the correct size if you're baby does outgrow the diapers you have.

Just something to consider.

jessiedee13

I use pampers only because my oldest had an awful allergic reaction to luvs. We tried huggies and for me they were nothing but a leaky mess, and I've heard the same complaint from my friends with children also. I prefer the pampers swaddlers or cruisers over the baby dry, but I use them all. I also babysit for a family that uses luvs and they seem great! If not for the allergic reaction I'd use them. (Was a nasty bleeding rash that almost immediately disappeared when we stopped using them).

As for sizes, babies don't stay in nb long. My oldest was in them for 2 months but my 2nd only 3 weeks. They're done by your childs weight and it's printed on the package. For example, both of mine are in size 4 and the box says 22-37 lbs. I stockpiled and 1's and 2s before my babies and it worked out great for me. I also had a diaper raffle at my baby shower (just an idea if you're having one) and got tons of the smaller sizes.

Jenly17

STM here. My advice is not to stock up too much on any one size at least in the beginning because they grow SO fast. My DD was in N for maybe a month before she moved up to size ones. Once they are a bit older they stick with the same size for a while. For example my daughter is just over 2 yrs and she's been in a size 5 for about 7 months. I would also suggest hanging on to all of your receipts- I used to tape them to the box so if I had to exchange for a different size, it was easy for me to find.

Also keep in mind that you will likely get a lot of diapers at your shower and maybe also as gifts. I commonly give diapers to friends who've just delivered bc it's something you always need

As for brand, it's kind of up to your baby. I used pampers baby dry or huggies snug and dry, but your LO may have sensitive skin and need a different brand. You may have to try a few different kinds in the beginning until you settle into the one that works best for your babe.

Hope this helps!

Edited bc iPhone text correct. Which is never correct..

BuzzBee614

The hard part is it depends on your baby. We used Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive the entire first year and loved them. 

Don't buy newborn!

I also agree with keeping the receipts, just in case. It was nice having diapers on hand though. I appreciated the mini-stockpile I had from my baby shower. 

eamarat

Lurker from N15 here

FTM but we got great advice to stock up on detergents and toilet paper and paper towels when we could get them for a good deal. That way we can go a few months without having to worry about buying that kind of stuff.

And as far as diapers go, to save money we have stockpiled, Target often has great deals on diapers. We have gotten a variety of brands and just plan to exchange for another brand/size if we need to. If you look up 'diaper stockpiling' on pinterest there are several blogs that have price guides, size guides, and how many you should need. All of them are different though, so I read a few and averaged it out.

Good luck and hope this helps!

Bluejay3030

yogahh said:

From what I have read, whatever you buy, SAVE YOUR RECEIPTS!! I plan on buying one box of newborn, and one box the next size up. If baby is too big for newborn size, they can be returned. The only other things I plan on stocking up on are 1st aid supplies.

This, and we used Pampers Swaddlers for the first year. They were amazing and held in everything a lot better than other brands we tried. Every kid fits a little differently though, so buy with the expectation that you might have to try a few different brands before you find the right fit.

kbrands7

I get my diapers through Amazon Subscribe and Save, then use Target or other retailers some months if there is a good deal that makes them cheaper. I love Pampers Swaddlers for my son, and use the pampers sensitive wipes because they're super cheap through Amazon-- and honestly we go through wipes pretty slowly too. He's only had diaper rash twice and neither instance was with this type of diaper. I tried Huggies, Target brand, and other Pampers varieties (Cruisers, Baby Soft); they were a bad fit for DS. He had repeat blow-outs in them, and the Target diapers leaked pee for us too. That said, I know other people who have loved these brands. 

Just like every baby is different on brand preference, the same is fairly true of sizes. DS was in the 7lb range at birth, but tall, so we went directly to size 1. He was in that size for a while. We went through sizes 2 and 3 fairly quickly (like, only 1 month of size 3) and he has been in size 4 forever it seems. That size is just starting to get snug and short on him so I'll likely use size 5 while potty training. My only stock of diapers for this baby is 1 month of size 1 to start with and I'll plan to get diapers delivered/stock up on sales a little ahead of time as we go just like with DS. 

If you do a large stock, don't open them and tape the receipt to the box/bag. 

countrygrl5533

I suggest stocking up more on wipes than diapers. Wipes will get used for so much, it's even great as stain removal (perfect for getting deodorant stains out of fancy dresses). You just won't know what sizes you kid will stay in for awhile, what diapers work best for them, etc. My DD was(is) tiny and was in newborn diapers for 3 months. But that is not common. I will be doing some diaper stocking as I know what brands I prefer. I will stock up mostly on sizes 1, 2, and 3. Yes, tape the receipt to the package of diapers in case you need to return.

I don't really suggest stocking up on personal care or first aid items either. We never went through an entire bottle of shampoo or body wash by the time I switched my DD to the kid stuff at 3yrs old. I still have a quarter bottle of each and that was with 2-6 baths per week in those 3 years. Not like I never bathed her. lol. First aid stuff like saline spray and gas drops and teething tablets...it's quite likely you'll never use a whole bottle of those either. Maybe the teething tablets.

Honestly, stocking up-wise, I agree with things like toilet paper, paper towels, frozen foods (frozen pizza and chicken nuggets saved us for a few weeks)....stuff like that.

yogahh

kbrands7 said:

I get my diapers through Amazon Subscribe and Save, then use Target or other retailers some months if there is a good deal that makes them cheaper. I love Pampers Swaddlers for my son, and use the pampers sensitive wipes because they're super cheap through Amazon-- and honestly we go through wipes pretty slowly too. He's only had diaper rash twice and neither instance was with this type of diaper. I tried Huggies, Target brand, and other Pampers varieties (Cruisers, Baby Soft); they were a bad fit for DS. He had repeat blow-outs in them, and the Target diapers leaked pee for us too. That said, I know other people who have loved these brands. 

Gawd, what am I getting myself into!?

TXmamatobe

Nothing exists but Pampers for me. Huggies leaked every time. Honest gave DD a terrible rash. This is just my opinion but l agree with other posters on not stocking up too much. my first stayed in size 1 for a reallllllly long time and then hardly in a size 2 before moving to three. By then we were potty training and never needed larger sizes. Just a thought.

finnybooboo

Definitely tape the receipts to the boxes/packages! Not only is size a concern but also skin issues. My DD can only use Pampers, and we used the swaddlers most of the first year and a half (have been using Cruisers ever since). I never would have expected such sensitive skin!

kbrands7

yogahh said:

kbrands7 said:

I get my diapers through Amazon Subscribe and Save, then use Target or other retailers some months if there is a good deal that makes them cheaper. I love Pampers Swaddlers for my son, and use the pampers sensitive wipes because they're super cheap through Amazon-- and honestly we go through wipes pretty slowly too. He's only had diaper rash twice and neither instance was with this type of diaper. I tried Huggies, Target brand, and other Pampers varieties (Cruisers, Baby Soft); they were a bad fit for DS. He had repeat blow-outs in them, and the Target diapers leaked pee for us too. That said, I know other people who have loved these brands. 

Gawd, what am I getting myself into!?

Lol! It was really gross the first time it happened; our first was a 3am explosion...in my lap. That's pretty much when I gave the rest of the Target diapers to a friend who loved them. If the diaper fits well, it won't happen unless it's an extreme circumstance like LOTS of poop while they were sitting which forces it up the back, or diarrhea. 

Jenly17

I also agree about not stocking up on first aid items- diaper creams, teething remedies, etc. I bought so much diaper cream for my DD and literally have used half of a tube in 2 years.

mjhulsing

I'm not sure about stocking up, but my husband goes to "slickdeals.net" and finds deals on diapers.  A few days ago there was a website jet.com that had super cheap diapers.  

lest12

I stocked up on Sizes 1 - 4.  I bought two value boxes of each size. 

My son was 8#4oz and he definitely needed NB sizes, so we stopped on the way home.  It definitely wouldn't hurt to have some on hand.

I didn't need two value boxes of the 1's and 2's - 1 box would have been enough and then buying some smaller packages as needed would have been better.  I did save the extras but honestly, the packages were open and I don't know how I'm going to feel about them when I take them out of the attic.

1 suggestion from my pedi when we were in the hospital with DS was to buy diapers/wipes as all one brand.  He said some babies get sensitive if you start changing it around (huggies one day, target brand the next).  We had bought all huggies anyway, and luckily never had a sensitive skin issue so it can't really speak to it, so take the advice for what it is

If you get a diaper genie, try to stock up on the refills when you see them on sale.  Those things are $$$.

I get not wanting to go too crazy, but on the other hand, we go through ointments, bubble bath, soap, baby lotion, etc, like water.  I can never seem to have enough of that stuff lying around.  I'm always buying A&D. 

Oh!  Also, have a package of gripe water on hand!  It will come in handy at 2am one night when you are desperate and no stores are open!

Another one - if you plan on nursing/pumping, you could stock up on some of the storage bags for your freezer stock (especially moms going back to work...) I went through a ton of them.  Grab some before baby comes but keep the receipt in case it doesn't work out.

Random and odd stockpiling item that you might not use until 5+ months - Baby food jars.  I didn't put much thought into how I would store homemade baby food until I started making it.  I hated the plastic containers (and they froze terribly).  I had DH running around to CVS and Target buying glass jars of baby food so I could use the jars to store food in them.  It isn't the cheapest idea, but not really much more expensive than the plastic stuff you could buy (and the glass is better for baby anyway).  If you feel like getting really crazy, you could start buying them/cleaning them out now so you don't have to do it later.  (If you're a lunatic like me).

lest12

A) My post was so long.

As you can see from all of the responses... everyone's experience is so different!  Some moms swear by things that others found useless.  Do what makes you feel prepared and comfortable now, but be prepared to be flexible because so much of what we plan doesn't work out that way!

kp90

Thanks ladies. All these posts have great ideas and will help me out greatly! I welcome any and all tips, words of advice, etc.

gooberdoofus95

We used parents choice and have never had any problems. We now currently cloth diaper and will for this LO. However my daughter was 8lbs 7oz at birth and we never used newborn diapers so I wouldn't suggest stocking up to much maybe buy a $20 gift card here and there to buy diapers when you need them! As far as brands go reviews are all over the place so you don't want to stock up on pampers and find out your child has a reaction to them and then can't use any!

nerdymama15

I'm planning on stockpiling wipes.  And maybe getting one or two boxes of diapers of each size NB, 1, 2 and then go from there.  That way I have enough to get started before I know what sizes the LO will wear.  

zekesmommy611

I have been just started my stockpile for #2. I only buy diapers at CVS when they are on sale and I typically try to stay at a certain price per diaper. I'm not brand loyal and have been buying Huggies, pampers and CVS brand.
I use this chart I found online::
Broken down by size:
Newborn: 13¢ – 16¢
Size 1: 11¢ – 14¢
Size 2: 14¢ – 16¢
Size 3: 16¢ – 19¢
Size 4: 19¢ – 22¢
Size 5: 22¢ – 26¢
Size 6: 26¢ – 30¢

My typical diaper buy at CVS usually looks like this.
Buy $30 Huggies Get $10 ECB
$8.99 x 4= $35.96
Then using coupons I get my total down to about $11-$16. So about $4 or under a pack.

My advice is to use coupons!!

rachelsholiday

I'll add in my 2 cents here. For Newborn we used kind of just whatever people gave us (we got SO MANY diapers from friends and families or all different brands) and Elizabeth had blowouts in all of them every single time she pooped. It was a nightmare.

When she grew out of Newborn, we switched to cloth and that took care of the blowouts. But after a year I was completely overwhelmed by, well, pretty much everything and I had to ditch something and decided that washing diapers was it.

That was 8 months ago and the first few months were tricky. Honest & 7th Generation (which I picked since they're partial cotton and I thought they'd ease the transition) kept splitting their "seams" and I'd get the nasty absorbent stuff all over me! So then I went to the Target brand and she started getting terrible rashes. Switched to Pampers (I love their wipes) and same thing with the rash. We've finally arrived a Huggies and the rash issue seems to be minimal (but still present) and is generally easy to clear up. Can I just say, really looking forward to potty training!

countrygrl5533

Also: I love the Pampers rewards program. There are codes on the packages. You can enter them online and earn points for free stuff. I always used my for free photo calendars through Shutterfly. Luvs are my go to diapers but love the Pampers wipes. You can also find bonus codes online. Most of the deal/coupon blogs will share them.

And yes to coupons!!

I really like the idea of buying gift cards here and there instead of stockpiling. That is a great idea since you just don't know.

jdrdnr

Definitely buy 1 bag of newborn and stock up on size 1& size 2s. Don't open them and they can be exchanged at any point if you don't use them. My boys were best in swaddlers however my girl did best in huggies snugglers. But either way swaddlers are best for newborns.

bananna4

I swear by Pampers Swaddlers (DS is 20 months now) and Pampers Sensitive wipes.  They may be more expensive than the bargain brands, but we only ever had leaks overnight and even that is pretty rare.  I got Amazon Prime and think their prices on the large boxes of diapers are better than what I have seen at Target, especially when Amazon offers additional coupons.  DS was 8 lbs 3 oz at birth and wore NB size diapers for the first 3 weeks.  I would reccomend getting at least one large box of NB size diapers and then LOTS of sizes 1 and 2. 

Pascal86

Any other thoughts on cloth diapers/diaper services? I'm horrified at the impending amount of waste the diapers are going to cause, but have a strong feeling that once it's happening I won't want to deal with cloth diapers anyway.

twinmom3221

We started using pampers but after a few months we switched to live because the price was better. I do love the pampers baby dry though! We shop at bjs or Costco and always find coupons. I think you can return as long as they are unopened with or without a receipt

twinmom3221

We tried cloth for a month.. I was also horrified about the waste but honestly I was doing laundry constantly and for me it was just a pain... I wish it worked out and I may try with the new baby but with twins I was going through 16-20 diapers a day the first year - it's better now but still 10-15 a day

countrygrl5533

Pascal86 said:

Any other thoughts on cloth diapers/diaper services? I'm horrified at the impending amount of waste the diapers are going to cause, but have a strong feeling that once it's happening I won't want to deal with cloth diapers anyway.

We did a combo of cloth (daytime) and disposables (night and when not at home) from 2 months until 18 months when we just switched to disposables. They worked well for us until all of a sudden they didn't. When they worked well for us, I was doing diaper laundry every 3rd day. When it stopped working, I was doing diapers, the clothes the diapers leaked on to, etc. every day. It was no longer cost effective for us since we chose to do cloth for financial reasons, not environmental ones.

MrsPrice519

STM here and I plan on buying Pampers Swaddlers for the baby. I plan on buying a small pack of newborn size and a big box of each size 1 and size 2. Maybe save the money you budgeted to spend on stocking diapers into a "diaper account" and that way if you don't like/need to change brand or style of diapers you aren't stuck with a whole bunch of diapers.

chottomotto

I don't recommend stocking up on diapers, but other household supplies is a good idea. I'm buying just 1 box of newborn size and a box of size 1s. I do a combo of cloth and disposable. (My daycare uses more cloth than disposables so that makes it easier on me. They know what to do.) Anyway my daughter was 8lbs and in Newborn size for like 3 months. My son was 7lbs but he was a chunk and outgrew Newborn dipes in just 1 month. We used Huggies and like a dozen brands of cloth with no problems. Seriously after 2 kids I've only had 1 blowout ever, and it was in a jumperoo. Fit is everything and you can't really know that until your baby is here.

rachelsholiday

I did cloth for a year before I was like "This is too much, I need to stop doing something." That said, if we could have afforded a diaper service we'd probably still be doing cloth! It just wasn't in the budget, but I'd say it's definitely worth it.

Dantzscher32

I wouldn't stock up on diapers. Like most have mentioned, your baby will determine the brand that works best for them. Take home the diapers the hospital provides in the baby cart. I ended up having too many of the small sizes and saved them for the next baby and still had too many that I gave them to my pregnant friend. My kids were in Size 2 for a second and we were in Size 3 the longest. I even bought the Pampers 1.5 size and that was a waste. I also had too many shampoo bottles that I never went through and started gifting to others. I stocked up on wipes. We bought the Costco brand and they were my favorite. There are many things I stocked up on being a FTM that I regret, but it's something we all have to learn.

folamiji

I'm also a FTM, was was looking around. I found a great link on Pinterest regarding stockpiling diapers. Hope his helps. https://www.southernsavers.com/2012/08/stocking-up-on-diapers-how-much-to-buy-at-what-price/

babykasper

My husband and I did a ton of research on diapers! First child for us too... And we hate all of the toxic chemicals in most diapers. So we are actually going organic! Natural diapers! They won't last 12 hours... But let's face it, you shouldn't be keeping your baby in a dirty diaper for 12 hours anyway. Target sells a few different brands of natural diapers that don't have the toxic chemicals and chlorine in them! Good luck!

Pascal86

@countrygrl5533 - Thanks for the input. We told my parents about the pregnancy this week, and after saying congrats/general excitement, the first thing my dad said was, "DON'T do cloth diapers or a diaper service. Just get over how wasteful the other ones are and deal with it!" So not too much positive feedback on cloth so far, haha

doozer1345

Right wrong or otherwise...This is what worked for us...

At 12 weeks we started buying a box of diapers and a box of wipes (we are big Amazon junkies bc of their lower prices and subscribe feature) every paycheck until DD got here. Because we did that we didn't have to buy diapers for DD until a couple months over her 1st birthday. We started with 1 NB box, I think we did 2-3 size 1, 4 size 2, etc. I think DH did the math and said we needed 1 big box of diapers a month. I will say that the higher the size the more we needed. I swear by Pampers Swaddlers. I also love their wipes. DD easily blows out of Huggies and their wipes are a bit harsh for her butt. We are doing all this again for the new LO.