Diaper Stockpile Tips {Preparing for Baby Before Birth}

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Building a diaper stockpile before the baby is born is one of the smartest ways to prepare for the new addition to the family. New parents often overlook this and are bombarded with the true expense of diapers, wipes, formula (if not able or willing to breastfeed) and other unexpected costs. And let’s not forget about the sucker punch of childcare expenses! Here’s how to build your diaper stockpile so that your hubby’s not having to run to Walgreens at 9 pm after you tried to make it through the day, but little one had a massive blow-out. (Trust me: it will happen.)

Never Pay Full Price for Diapers

You should never, ever pay full price for a package of diapers. Pampers and Huggies are awful proud of their paper underwear. That’s evident in the pricing. By planning ahead and building a diaper stockpile, one package at a time, you’ll save hundreds of dollars your first year as parents.

Before the baby is born, you’ll likely have more money to allocate in the budget for extras, like diapers and formula. Sure, you can set aside money in the budget specifically for diapers, but when you’re sleep deprived and trying to get in and out of the store, you’re not going to feel like shopping for deals and you’re likely to overpay. 

If you’ve never budgeted before, start here. You need to see where your money is going so you can make the right financial decisions for your family.

Diaper Stockpile Tips

Diaper Coupons for the Win!

When we were building our diaper stockpile several years ago, the newspaper was my best friend. Every Saturday evening, the coupon blogs such as Krazy Coupon Lady share the best deals on diapers  and share the coupons that will be in the Sunday paper. 

Oftentimes, the drug stores, such as Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid have the best deals, allowing you to “stack” their store coupons with manufacturer coupons. 

Here’s an example of a Walgreens diaper deal:

The regular price of Pampers Swaddlers Jumbo Pack is $9.49-11.49. 
Walgreens has them priced on sale at $7.49 & has an in-store coupon for $2.00 off, bringing the total down to $5.49! Stack it with a manufacturer’s coupon from the newspaper for $1.50 off, and your total is now $3.99! That’s a savings of 65% off!

By buying 1-2 packages of diapers every biweekly payday beginning at 12 weeks gestation, you’ll easily have 14-28 jumbo packs in your diaper stockpile by the time baby is born! 

What Sizes to Buy for your Diaper Stockpile

So here’s the million dollar question. How do you know which sizes of diapers your baby will need? What if you deliver a monster child that weighs 15 pounds?! Rest assured, your baby probably won’t be quite that big. Here’s how I started my diaper stockpile.

Newborn: (4) 20 ct Jumbo Packs-80 ct or 1 box 120 ct (my kids didn’t use as many newborn diapers, so I suggest sticking with jumbo packs for this size)
Size 1: 3 Boxes – 594 ct
Size 2: 3 Boxes – 558 ct
Size 3: 4 Boxes – 672 ct
Size 4: 2 Boxes – 300 ct

Those are just suggestions to get you started. Depending on the deals you find on jumbo packs, adjust accordingly. Remember, if the baby will be going to daycare, you’ll need to have plenty of diapers to send to daycare and to keep at home. This is something I forgot to budget for with my first baby. Many daycares change your baby’s diaper on a schedule (even if they’re not wet or poopy). So if it seems like they’re going through diapers quick, they are. But it’s better than picking up your child at the end of the day with a soggy diaper! 

Veteran Diaper Stockpile Tip:
Keep your receipts and tape them to each package so that you can exchange them after baby is born if you have an abundance of sizes you don’t need. This is simply a guideline and will be different for each child. Again, receipts are important. I once tried to exchange a package of Huggies (without a receipt) at Walmart for a different size, and when they scanned it, the diapers weren’t in their system. So I had forgotten where I purchased them and had to sell them for a discount on a local buy/sell/trade site on Facebook.

If you’re looking to contribute to someone else’s diaper stockpile, Amazon has a continuous deal on this 12 pack of diapers that brings them down to a very affordable cost per jumbo pack! Stock up yourself and you’ll have plenty of diapers to gift for baby showers throughout the year! 

Are Generic Diapers Worth the Savings?

In my experience, generic or “off-brand” diapers are not as good at containing leaks and blowouts. Do yourself a favor and build a stockpile, little by little, by utilizing coupons and sales. 

Best Diapers for Your Stockpile

Now that you know how to build your stockpile, you need to choose a brand. I do not recommend buying multiple different brands because sometimes babies’ skin can be sensitive to frequent changes.

Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive: The most gentle diaper at an affordable price, I’d choose these all day for my newborn.
Pampers Swaddlers: Here’s the thing. Boys and girls are shaped differently. Pampers worked well for my girls, and Huggies fit my son better. I never held the two side by side, but I can say that with Pampers, my son leaked. And when he wore Huggies, he was better protected. 
Honest Company Diapers: If you’re looking for an eco-friendly disposable diaper, the Honest Company offers some great deals. Although more expensive, if this is important to you and you’re not bold enough to cloth diaper your baby, Honest Company diapers might be a great alternative.

That’s it! Starting your diaper stockpile is easier than ever! All you have to do is get started! By saving hundreds of dollars per year diapers, you can start your kids’ college fund with the money you’re saving! It’s never too early to plan for her future!