What's your secret for buying diapers?

youngin12 · May 2014

I'm not necessarily a couponer...I use them if I have them but it doesn't bother me in the least to not use them. Anyway, I'm trying to figure out the best deals on diapers and saw in the Target ad this week if you buy 2 of the Super Packs for $24.99 each, you get a $15 gift card. This seems like a great deal to me plus I have a few $1.50 off Pampers coupons I plan to use as well.

We don't really want to stock up but if I can get a few boxes at a great price, with a gift card, I think it's worth it. I was going to get 4 boxes (1 NB, 2-1 and 1-2) but DH mentioned getting 8 boxes which seems like overload to me. What do you think?

Also, have you figured out sale patterns for the diapers? Best place to buy them? As long as baby agrees, we will be using Pampers.

pushgal84 · May 2014

Oh, good question. FTM here, so I'm interested in what everyone says!

pinkshades05 · May 2014

I would be careful buying too many of one size diaper. You'll end up using more of one size than another depending on your LO's growth pattern. We were out of newborns in 2 weeks, out of 1's in 2 months, and in 2's for 6 months. DD's growth pattern starting leveling after 6 months, so we were able to use 2's longer. We are still in 3's at 2 years old because she's such a string bean now.

If you are going to stock up on diapers, stock up on the bigger sizes and only buy 1 box in a smaller size.

Roseypants · May 2014

I would only buy 1 NB for now, but you will probably be in 1's for a few months and then move into 2's pretty quickly. It just depends on you big your baby is once born. The only problem I have with buying diapers in advance is, if the baby has any issues with the brand of diapers you plan to purchase then you have all those diapers sitting around your house that you can't use. I guess I just prefer to pick up a target GC (plan to use up and up) every time i'm there instead of a box of diapers.

youngin12 · May 2014

pinkshades05 said:

I would be careful buying too many of one size diaper. You'll end up using more of one size than another depending on your LO's growth pattern. We were out of newborns in 2 weeks, out of 1's in 2 months, and in 2's for 6 months. DD's growth pattern starting leveling after 6 months, so we were able to use 2's longer. We are still in 3's at 2 years old because she's such a string bean now.

If you are going to stock up on diapers, stock up on the bigger sizes and only buy 1 box in a smaller size.

This was my thinking, too. I definitely wasn't planning on buying more than 1 NB and wanted to have more of the 1 & 2, maybe even 3's on hand *if* we were going to buy some.

JessAnnJ · May 2014

We are Amazon mom/prime members and buy all of our diapers and wipes from Amazon. We get a delivery at the beginning of every month. We buy other household items as well. They may sometimes be cheaper elsewhere with gift card deals, but I don't have time to shop around at different stores and check sale prices. Delivery to my front door is my preferred method.

We did not stock up on diapers before baby came. 8 boxes takes up quite a bit of space.

youngin12 · May 2014

Nicb13 said:

I never recommend stocking up on diapers. You don't know what will work and how long your LO will use that size.

I really wasn't wanting to unless this was actually a good deal. This is also why I was only wanting to get a few boxes. If, for some reason, they don't work I don't mind taking them back. If I can't take them back, I will donate whatever we can't use to some women at my parents church.

AppleGrapeMSTK · May 2014

When we were in the newborn stage, we did Pampers. I used coupons if I had them. Then we switched to the store brand. It was much cheaper and the quality has held up.

ashie0610 · May 2014

JessAnnJ said:

We are Amazon mom/prime members and buy all of our diapers and wipes from Amazon. We get a delivery at the beginning of every month. We buy other household items as well. They may sometimes be cheaper elsewhere with gift card deals, but I don't have time to shop around at different stores and check sale prices. Delivery to my front door is my preferred method. We did not stock up on diapers before baby came. 8 boxes takes up quite a bit of space.

All of this! Amazon Prime is a godsend for us. You get up to a 20% discount when you use Subscribe & Save so we also buy wipes, cleaning products, toilet paper, etc. using it. Having it come to your door is also pretty fabulous.

TheFutureMrs.O · May 2014

I have a bjs membership

LightBright515 · May 2014

I'll be using my Costco/Sams/Bj's membership.

Yes we have all three. Bj's takes manufacturer coupons WITH their coupons, so things like that may count.

DaniGrace89 · May 2014

I think stocking up on newborn and size 1 diapers is a great idea. I plan on doing it. I'm already clipping coupons.

Especially because, depending on where you live, it may start getting cold soon after our babies are born. (I live in Chicago) Flu season will be starting, and I'm concerned about taking my newborn out unnecessarily.

I also think that now, while I have the time, and don't have a screaming baby, it is cost effective to buy less expensive diapers.

Granted, I may have a 10 lb whopper baby...but I figure I can always exchange the diapers if the sizing is wrong.

bitsybubbles7 · May 2014

I've been couponing for about a year and have found the bags, not boxes, tend to net the better deals. This week, Target had price cut Huggies to $8 a bag. I had a $3 off snugglers coupon from Huggies' website, so $5 bag of Huggies. If I can't get Huggies/Pampers for under $6, I won't buy them. Otherwise we typically use Up&Up diapers (Target brand) which are usually cheaper and they usually have a coupon and/or cartwheel to go with them. Walgreens also can have good deals on diapers, check the Sunday flyers.

SusieBW · May 2014

I've heard Amazon Mom is a great deal for name brand diapers. Target brand worked great for us, though, and was cheaper. I never bothered with coupons or anything, and if I happened to notice they were on sale when I was there, I would get an extra box in the next size up.

But I never stocked up ahead of time. This time around, I bought one box of Target brand size 1, and maybe will get one or two more boxes of 1s or 2s before Baby Boy gets here, but that's it.

With that deal with the gift card, I would get the two boxes to get the gift card and call it a day.

MrMrsandBaby · May 2014

ashie0610 said:

JessAnnJ said:

We are Amazon mom/prime members and buy all of our diapers and wipes from Amazon. We get a delivery at the beginning of every month. We buy other household items as well. They may sometimes be cheaper elsewhere with gift card deals, but I don't have time to shop around at different stores and check sale prices. Delivery to my front door is my preferred method. We did not stock up on diapers before baby came. 8 boxes takes up quite a bit of space.

All of this! Amazon Prime is a godsend for us. You get up to a 20% discount when you use Subscribe & Save so we also buy wipes, cleaning products, toilet paper, etc. using it. Having it come to your door is also pretty fabulous.

I third the Amazon Prime membership. It may not be the cheapest place for diapers but it is so darn easy! They just show up! And, like pp said, you get a discount for S&S plus if you S&S other items you get discounts there too. It is like magic!

youngin12 · May 2014

ashie0610 said:

JessAnnJ said:

We are Amazon mom/prime members and buy all of our diapers and wipes from Amazon. We get a delivery at the beginning of every month. We buy other household items as well. They may sometimes be cheaper elsewhere with gift card deals, but I don't have time to shop around at different stores and check sale prices. Delivery to my front door is my preferred method. We did not stock up on diapers before baby came. 8 boxes takes up quite a bit of space.

All of this! Amazon Prime is a godsend for us. You get up to a 20% discount when you use Subscribe & Save so we also buy wipes, cleaning products, toilet paper, etc. using it. Having it come to your door is also pretty fabulous.

I am a self-proclaimed Amazon whore and definitely plan to take advantage of the Amazon mom but haven't really looked into it much. I'm already a Prime member. Is it any different? I was thinking of waiting until we got into a rhythm with LO before signing up for Subscribe and Save.

Maggie6424 · May 2014

I must be the UO here, because I am a major couponer and I have enough diapers for lo through size 3. I almost always buy them at target. The way you determine if it's a good deal or not is to figure out the cost per diaper. I compare it to the target brand Up&Up. If it's cheaper than that, it's a great deal. Most of the time, those buy two giant packs and get a GC deal is not a good deal. You're still paying more for the name brand than you would for target brand.
Target will let you stack their coupons with manufacturer coupons, plus you can use cartwheel. Check target's website, coupons.com, and the newspaper ads. I'm not brand loyal, but for the newborn and size 1 I prefer swaddlers or little snugglers.
By sticking with Target, I know I can always return or exchange them if we outgrow a size before we run out of them. Of course if they don't work for lo, I can return them and get a different brand.
You can also get great deals at Sam's/Costco. However, make sure what you're buying works first before investing in a mega case.

MrMrsandBaby · May 2014

DaniGrace89 said:

I think stocking up on newborn and size 1 diapers is a great idea. I plan on doing it. I'm already clipping coupons. Especially because, depending on where you live, it may start getting cold soon after our babies are born. (I live in Chicago) Flu season will be starting, and I'm concerned about taking my newborn out unnecessarily. I also think that now, while I have the time, and don't have a screaming baby, it is cost effective to buy less expensive diapers. Granted, I may have a 10 lb whopper baby...but I figure I can always exchange the diapers if the sizing is wrong.

These statements are in conflict! Having to exchange will mean a trip out. And FWIW, I live in Chicago (sort of) too and had DD in February - it isn't so bad taking them out in the winter. Toss a blanket over the carrier and walk fast

Keep the blanket over the baby in the store (I put it over the handle so it was like a tent) and you will be all good.

wearenutts · May 2014

I don't recommend on stocking up on diapers either. Maybe a few of different brands to see what works best. When my daughter was born she had a sever allergic reaction to pampers. I'm so glad we didn't have a ton of pampers on hand.

persephonerose · May 2014

I do amazon mom for diapers, wipes, gogo applesauce, pouches (gasp the horror!) and diaper genie refills. I hate lugging those from the store and I can buy in cases instead of smaller quantities. Amazon has also been really good about offering the 1.50 coupons when the manufacturer has them.

youngin12 · May 2014

persephonerose said:

I do amazon mom for diapers, wipes, gogo applesauce, pouches (gasp the horror!) and diaper genie refills. I hate lugging those from the store and I can buy in cases instead of smaller quantities. Amazon has also been really good about offering the 1.50 coupons when the manufacturer has them.

@persephonerose Do they just discount the item that much or do they accept the coupon codes?

JessAnnJ · May 2014

@youngin12‌ - you may want to look at the subscribe and save. We buy a lot of non baby stuff that way as well. The thing with subscribe and save is that to get the discount you get a monthly delivery. At the beginning you may find you don't have quite enough diapers or wipes but you can still start right away. Since you are already a prime member I would also sign up for Amazon mom sooner rather than later. I think when you first sign up you get a really good deal on your first order of diapers. They have periodic sales for mom members where you can take 20% off select items.

MrMrsandBaby · May 2014

persephonerose said:

I do amazon mom for diapers, wipes, gogo applesauce, pouches (gasp the horror!) and diaper genie refills. I hate lugging those from the store and I can buy in cases instead of smaller quantities. Amazon has also been really good about offering the 1.50 coupons when the manufacturer has them.

Holy hell! How did I not think of this?!?!?!?! I'm learning so much from this board in the last two days!

wildflower75 · May 2014

Have you thought of a cloth diaper service? They usually drop off and pick up once a week and it turns out being less than disposable diapers (plus better for your baby's skin and the environment).

That being said, I have seen good deals on Amazon prime and at Costco.

persephonerose · May 2014

For Amazon Mom/Prime subscribe and save items you get a 20% discount on diapers and wipes. If you check your item listing each month you will often see in the item description "clip coupon" Once you click it they will take the coupon amount off of your next purchase of that item on top of the 20%.

If you have 5 or more S&S items you get 20% off on items that are not diapers or wipes.

For example this is my upcoming S&S order.
Plum organics second blend 12 pack - 14.38
Playtex genie refills 3 pack - 14.39
gogo squeez apple cinnamon 48 pack - 25.32
pampers swaddlers size 5 124 pack - 36.79 - 1.50 coupon - 35.29
pampers sensitive wipes 449ct - 8.78

For us all of these are cheaper than if we picked them up in the store. Hope that helps more with how Prime/mom works.

youngin12 · May 2014

@wildflower75- Thank you for the recommendation. DH and I have had a few discussions about cloth diapering and we just don't think it will work well for us.

raynes · May 2014

I wait until the Huggies go on sale at Costco (and hope we're there at the right time or hear about it via FB) and then buy a case or two. LO is so freaking tiny I'm pretty sure he'll be in Size 4s until he PTs.

For this one, we'll probably start with bags, to see what diaper works best for them. I've heard a lot of stuff about how Pampers are better for boys, Huggies for girls, so we'll see.

youngin12 · May 2014

@persephonerose- yes, thank you for the breakdown. It helped very much.

I appreciate the input everyone! I hope this has helped someone else, too!

ashie0610 · May 2014

persephonerose said:

For Amazon Mom/Prime subscribe and save items you get a 20% discount on diapers and wipes. If you check your item listing each month you will often see in the item description "clip coupon" Once you click it they will take the coupon amount off of your next purchase of that item on top of the 20%.

If you have 5 or more S&S items you get 20% off on items that are not diapers or wipes.

For example this is my upcoming S&S order.
Plum organics second blend 12 pack - 14.38
Playtex genie refills 3 pack - 14.39
gogo squeez apple cinnamon 48 pack - 25.32
pampers swaddlers size 5 124 pack - 36.79 - 1.50 coupon - 35.29
pampers sensitive wipes 449ct - 8.78

For us all of these are cheaper than if we picked them up in the store. Hope that helps more with how Prime/mom works.

We are pretty much Subscribe & Save twins, except we do the gogo squeez apple peach.

ashie0610 · May 2014

youngin12 said:

ashie0610 said:

JessAnnJ said:

We are Amazon mom/prime members and buy all of our diapers and wipes from Amazon. We get a delivery at the beginning of every month. We buy other household items as well. They may sometimes be cheaper elsewhere with gift card deals, but I don't have time to shop around at different stores and check sale prices. Delivery to my front door is my preferred method. We did not stock up on diapers before baby came. 8 boxes takes up quite a bit of space.

All of this! Amazon Prime is a godsend for us. You get up to a 20% discount when you use Subscribe & Save so we also buy wipes, cleaning products, toilet paper, etc. using it. Having it come to your door is also pretty fabulous.

I am a self-proclaimed Amazon whore and definitely plan to take advantage of the Amazon mom but haven't really looked into it much. I'm already a Prime member. Is it any different? I was thinking of waiting until we got into a rhythm with LO before signing up for Subscribe and Save.

I think PPs have covered it pretty well, but IMO Amazon Mom isn't much different than Prime. I really like how they do periodic sales on bigger ticket baby stuff. We actually bought our double stroller on a Black Friday deal that I saw through an Amazon Mom email. I think you can do Subscribe & Save even just with Prime (even if you aren't an Amazon Mom subscriber) so it's probably not totally necessary but does offer a few little perks. I don't think it costs any extra if you're already a Prime member but others may know for sure.

Raesofsunshine1 · May 2014

I didnt read all the replys but I say dont get too many NB or 1s. We got a lot of those at our shower and the hospital also gave us some.

I have seen a lot of good deals on diapers at CVS/Walgreens etc. You can use coupons and also get reward money back to use on something else.

cbriggs567 · May 2014

I think it's not a bad idea to have some diapers on hand but definitely not very many NB ones. They tend to grow out of them too fast. Coupons help when they have them, but I don't rely on them. I did pick up a box of size 2 Pampers at Target for $18 a few weeks ago!! I have used Pampers for my kids almost exclusively. I had horrible luck with the up & up diapers with my youngest. Luvs are ok but not a fan of Huggies at all.

ski1063 · May 2014

Parents choice are cheap in price and work just as good as pampers. If you watch walgreens sales on a brand they carry called well beginnings you can get for $3.50 a pack of 42. Work just as well as others and are really cheap.

fisk2005 · May 2014

@Maggie6424‌ I want to start couponing! Do u have a newspaper subscription? Where can I find coupons consistently?

ASousa · May 2014

If you are going the target route I recommend their credit card. You get 5%cash back and with the cartwheel app on my phone, they usually have coupons. Also if you are buying more then two boxes do seperate orders so you are able to use the gift card on the purchase of the other diapers. We cloth diaper and use sposies and I alwas try to get them at target because of the gift cards they usually offer.

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