Diaper Question

victoria+james · August 2014

Since I'm seeing these posts for great deals on diapers - but I'm worried about buying way too many newborn diapers...

What is a good number of diapers (per size) to buy on in advance? I know I can always buy more later, so what is a logical amount to stock up on so they don't go to waste?

pnwlover12 · August 2014

This will be different for every baby. A lot depends on how big baby is when they are born. I think NB size go to 8lbs, and my DD was born at exactly 8lbs so she only used newborn diapers for 2 days before we switched to size 1. From there, it depends on how much weight they gain. If you stock up, just dont open them so you can exchange later if needed.

ladybug0088 · August 2014

FTM too, but everything I have read says pretty much the same that @pnwlover12 said. It depends on how big the baby is and how quickly they put on weight.

With that being said, size 1 tends to be pretty common for awhile. Newborn babies will go through diapers more often than older babies so you will need more of them. I plan to have a few boxes of size 1 on hand. I don't intend to buy any newborn diapers...I was 8 pounds when I was born and so was DH so I feel like we'll just buy some size 1's. If needed, which I doubt, he can get some newborn ones.

As mentioned, if you don't use them you can exchange for a bigger size. I'd be sure to keep the receipts.

CNJ4EVA · August 2014

Newborns are up to 10lbs, but there is an overlap of a few pounds between the sizes and #1 starts at 8 lbs. I'm buying a box of diapers a week to stock up, but I think I'll start with size 1. DD was born at 7lbs 10 oz and I have a hunch baby boy is going to be bigger. However, the good thing about newborns is they have the umbilical cut out.

Rickaroo922 · August 2014

My son was born at 8lb 2oz. We used NB for about two weeks (i likrf the umbilical cord notch) then switched to size 1. I would keep reciepts and stuff in case you realize the diaper just doesnt work for your baby (huggies never worked for my son) or baby is allergic to a certain brand. I would probably start off with a regular size package of newborn diapers and a case of size 1. If yourbaby is 6lb at birth they will be in them longer than a 9lb baby.

Raesofsunshine1 · August 2014

I wouldnt stock up on any NB sizes. DD was a little over 6 pounds and the hospital provided us with 1s. They just folded down the top before closing it so it fit ok. If you do get a small baby, you can always buy a pack or two of NB once they get here, but chances are they wont be in them long.

DaniGrace89 · August 2014

I'm not buying newborn size before the baby comes.

I was an almost 9 lb baby and anticipate this girl being hefty.

(We also aren't buying newborn sized clothes)

The hospital will give us some newborn diapers if she's little enough and we can always buy a pack if need be. Id just rather stock up on size 1s because I figure that is when life is going to be the most stressful.

pinkshades05 · August 2014

Nat was 8lbs 8oz. She grew quickly and was out of newborns within the first 3 weeks. We went through 3 packages of newborn diapers before switching to size 1. Here's our break down (and it does depend on the child):

Newborn: 3 weeks
Size 1: ~2 to 3 months
Size 2: ~3-4 months
Size 3: Forever (Nat is a string bean), Ok about 1-2 YEARS
Size 4: 6 months and counting

jesslinnn · August 2014

The hospital put both my boys in size 1s. When we got home I tried using some NB diapers I had on DS1 (he was 9lbs) and they were way too small. He grew really fast and was out of 1's within a few weeks. With DS2 (he was 10lbs 11oz) he was leaking out of 1s right after we got home from the hospital, so he pretty much started in size 2s. They both gained weight quickly so they went through the small sizes really fast. They were both in 4's for a long time, and DS2 has been in 5's for about a year.

FTR, I mainly use cloth diapers, but use disposables on trips and when we'll be out of the house for a long time. Not that that makes a difference...

MuffinMom14 · August 2014

I'm buying a reasonable amount of all sizes. I only have two bags of newborn, though. I figure, if I have 5 packs of each size, that will get used (maybe not newborn though). I don't want to go nuts and try to have like, all the diapers I need done already. That's crazy town.

But, I've heard you can exchange sizes without a receipt pretty much everywhere.

BreandMikewedding · August 2014

My kids wore newborn while in the hospital for a day or two. My kids are pretty big. Dd was 8lb and ds was over 9lb. I bought 160 size 1 diapers and about the same number of size 2 diapers. I used size 3 the longest. Target brand worked best for my first two, but you never know what will work best for each one so I don't stock up too much.

ashleym373 · August 2014

My son was in newborns for at least a month, I wish I could remember! He was born at 6lbs14oz and went down to 6lbs3oz when we left the hospital, so he was small! I bought 2 boxes of 80 in newborn size. I don't plan on buying anymore at this point and will on a need basis. I'm stocking up on size 1s now.

Emerald27 · August 2014

We plan to have stocked before baby arrives:

1 pack NB diapers
3 packs size 1 diapers
10 packs wipes (just because we want to stock up)
6 packs diaper genie liners
2 tubes aquaphor

I'm sure he may need more size NB or 1, but having both on hand will be helpful. We can either exchange or donate the NB diapers if he's born too big for them.

cozybluebear · August 2014

I personally wouldn't stock up. My instanct with my first baby was to stock up on Pampers and it turned out that Pampers leaked horribly for us and my son had a reaction to Huggies and Luvs. Luckily I received a ridiculous amount of various brand diapers at my shower so we were able to try them all and see what worked best. My son was just over 7lbs when we left the hospital and we never used NB diapers... even in the hospital, they supplied size one. If you're having a shower, you'll get all the diapers you need to start out, trust me! I didn't register for any diapers and I received enough diapers that we didn't have to buy any until he was halfway through size two. Same went for lotions and bath soap. Heck, my son has had a bath every night for his entire 18 months and we still have a shelf half full of these items.

LaDyBostonRN · August 2014

cozybluebear said:

I personally wouldn't stock up. My instanct with my first baby was to stock up on Pampers and it turned out that Pampers leaked horribly for us and my son had a reaction to Huggies and Luvs. Luckily I received a ridiculous amount of various brand diapers at my shower so we were able to try them all and see what worked best. My son was just over 7lbs when we left the hospital and we never used NB diapers... even in the hospital, they supplied size one. If you're having a shower, you'll get all the diapers you need to start out, trust me! I didn't register for any diapers and I received enough diapers that we didn't have to buy any until he was halfway through size two. Same went for lotions and bath soap. Heck, my son has had a bath every night for his entire 18 months and we still have a shelf half full of these items.

Yay! This is my plan. I know my SIL and BFF are doing a diaper raffle for my shower so I hope to get a bunch of sizes and brands to try.

caranichole · August 2014

Yes! Just as @cozybluebear‌, I managed to have a people give me diapers of varying sizes and varying brands so I waited. I didn't buy any diapers for baby #1 or #2 until after they arrived. I just held on to gift cards and stashed away a little cash for my "diaper fund." You just don't know what brand is going to work best and you might end up back in the store anyway for exchanges and other supplies. Also, diaper deals at most major stores are pretty often recurring. I see the same deals at target every month just about.

Want a personalized experience?

Diaper Question

Re: Diaper Question

Choose Another Board

Search Boards