When it comes to preparing for a baby, diapers will be one of the largest expenses in the first year. To save as much as you can, it helps to know which brands carry the cheapest diapers, and where you can find them. This site is all about saving money, and finding affordable products you need to buy over and over is at the top of the list.
Sometimes, there’s a good way to get freebies. That’s why I wrote this article on how to get free diapers. But other times, you need to spend some cash- just as little as possible.
As someone who currently has a baby and a toddler in diapers, I know all about getting the best price on diapers. (I’ve also written about how to find the cheapest baby wipes too, if you’re interested.) We currently spend less than $50/month to keep both of them dry and happy. Today, I’ll share exactly how I do it, plus compare prices on a few other options like organic or natural diapers.
We’ve got a lot to cover today, so here’s a preview. Feel free to jump ahead to whatever section most interests you:
Cheapest Diapers Overall
The overall cheapest diaper is Walmart’s Parent’s Choice generic brand at $0.09/diaper if you buy size ones. They increase a few pennies more per diaper for each additional size. Still, this is less than half the price of name brands like Pampers, which sell for at least $0.20/diaper.
In general, you’ll save the most money when you buy generic, store brand diapers instead of name brands. Here’s a chart showing the everyday prices of common generic brand diapers from national chains:
| Diaper Brand | Price Per Diaper (Size 1) |
|---|---|
| Parent’s Choice (Walmart) | $0.09 |
| Up & Up (Target) | $0.12 |
| Maker’s Mark (Sam’s Club) | $0.13 |
| Mama Bear (Amazon) | $0.16 (or $0.15 with “subscribe and save”) |
| Kirkland (Costco) | $0.18 |
Up and Up (Target’s brand) can sometimes beat out Walmart’s prices if you buy in bulk and use rebate promotions. Keep and eye out for Target’s “Spend $75, get $15 back” deals.
There are two honorable mentions I’d like to point out. Meijer and Aldi are two chains known regionally for their good diaper prices, but they’re not national chains. Meijer sells size one diapers for $0.14/diaper, and often has “baby week” sales to drive their prices even lower. Aldi’s store brand, Little Journey, also has great prices, typically at $0.11/diaper (though they don’t list prices online).
Fun fact: most generic products– including diapers– are made by name-brand companies. Mama Bear and Kirkland, for example, are both made by Kimberly-Clark, the same company that makes Huggies. (Source)
Cheapest Name Brand Diapers
If you prefer name brand diapers or just want to upgrade, Luvs is the cheapest. Luvs is the “budget brand” of diapers owned by Procter & Gamble, the same company that makes Pampers.
When doing the research for this article, Amazon consistently had better everyday prices (or the same price) compared to other national retailers like Walmart or Target. Here’s how name-brand diapers compare:
| Brand | Best Price Per Diaper (Size 1) |
|---|---|
| Luvs | $0.15 |
| Huggies (Snug & Dry) | $0.19 |
| Pampers (Baby Dry) | $0.20 |
| Pampers (Swaddlers) | $0.26 |
In all three cases, you could save roughly $0.01/diaper (or around $1.50-$2 per box) if you turned on Amazon’s “subscribe and save” feature and got regular diaper deliveries to your home.
Cheapest Organic or Natural Diapers
Many people prefer diapers that are labeled “organic” or “natural”. These tend to be free from certain materials (latex, chlorine, parabens, etc) and made with more plant-based materials. Some are biodegradable or compostable, too.
Because these labels come at a premium, the price per diaper is usually higher. But if you prefer this style, the following brands have the best prices. (Note: some brands charge different prices for different diaper patterns. I’ve just highlighted the best price they offer.)
| Brand | Best Price Per Diaper (Size 1) |
|---|---|
| Hello Bello | $0.21 |
| Pampers (Pure Protection) | $0.30 |
| Huggies (Special Delivery) | $0.31 |
| Seventh Generation | $0.32 |
| Honest | $0.32 |
| Eco by Naty | $0.35 |
| Dyper Subscription | $0.41 (or $0.37 with military/emergency responder discount) |
I found “premium organic diapers” as much as $0.71 each in my search, so you can definitely spend thousands a year on diapers if you want to.
How to Get Cheaper Diapers
If you want to get cheaper name brand diapers (Huggies, Luvs, and Pampers), start by buying them on sale. Next, you can add in coupons or use cash back apps. If you want to play the sales and coupons game to get name brand diapers cheaper, you have a few options.
- Ibotta (shown above) offers cash back for all three name brand diapers regularly. I usually see offers between $2 and $5 cash back per pack, but I’ve seen offers for more.
- The rebate app Fetch also has a special Huggies program with cash back rebates. (Which you can use in addition to Ibotta and manufacturers coupons.)
- You can download Huggies coupons on their website.
- Pampers has an app, coupons on their website, and offers rebates in the form of “Pampers Cash.”
- If you shop at a store with a coupon-giving app (Target Circle, mPerks, myWalgreens, etc) they often have manufacturer and store coupons, plus cash-back deals.
- If you want to know which stores near you are having sales on diapers, you can download the free Flipp app and compare.
If I could only use one strategy to buy name brand diapers, I’d use Ibotta. I especially like when I can use it at Walmart, which tends to have the best non-Amazon price. It’s even better if I can combine Ibotta with manufacturers coupons, but those stars don’t always align.
Cheapest Diapers in Bulk
There is no “bulk discount” for buying large quantities of diapers at any major retailer, unfortunately. That said, the largest box is usually the cheapest (with a few exceptions).
I’ve compared prices at “bulk online warehouses,” and haven’t found them to be any cheaper than places like Amazon or Walmart either. (Sometimes, they’re actually more expensive!)
Though it’s usually safe to buy the largest box and expect the most savings, this isn’t always the case. Here’s some screenshots from when I was preparing a pick-up order from Walmart:
If you zoom in, you can see the smaller package of diapers are about 11% cheaper than the large, bulk box of diapers (8.8¢/ea vs 9.8¢/ea). The size two diapers are similarly cheaper when you buy the smaller packages. But if you go to buy the size 3 or higher, the biggest box is the best deal.
This is why you always need to check the price per diaper (unit price) to know if you’re getting the best deal!
If you want to buy name brand diapers in bulk, the most affordable options will be at Target during their “Spend $$, Get a gift card” promotions.
During these times, you can stack store offers (the cash back gift card), manufacturer’s coupons from the diaper company, AND any available cash back deals from apps like Ibotta. Triple win!
Cheapest Place to Buy Diapers
Amazon is the cheapest place to buy diapers when compared to national chains like Walmart and Target. Their unit price (cost per diaper) is consistently cheaper than any other competitor except for Walmart, whom they tie for “best price” on two of the three major diaper brands.
As we’ve noted earlier, both Target and Walmart do beat out Amazon when it comes to their generic brand prices, but that’s the only time they’re cheaper. Otherwise, the best they can do is tie. Here’s a chart breaking down their prices on major brands.
| Diaper Brand (size 1) | Walmart | Target | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chain’s Generic Brand | $0.09 | $0.12 | $0.16 |
| Luvs | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.12 |
| Huggies (Snug & Dry) | $0.19 | $0.21 | $0.19 |
| Pampers (Baby Dry) | $0.20 | $0.21 | $0.20 |
| Seventh Generation | n/a | $0.32 | $0.32 |
If you want any brand other than Huggies, Luvs, or Pampers, Amazon pulls even further ahead. Since Walmart keeps its prices low in part by having a limited selection of diapers in stores, Amazon has been able to offer the lowest prices on most other diaper brands. This is especially true of organic brands.
Cheapest Diapers Online
The absolute cheapest diapers you can buy online are Walmart’s generic brand of diapers (Parent’s Choice) at $0.09/diaper, but only if you’re already a Walmart+ member or have an order minimum above $35. If not, Amazon’s Luv’s diapers are a better deal and average $0.15 per diaper.
Because Amazon’s minimum order to snag free shipping is $25, the $45 box of Luvs is delivered free. Amazon also sometimes offers deals on opened but unused boxes of diapers. You can check the right sidebar for a “New & Open Box” button, usually underneath their “subscribe and save” section. The best deals tend to be 10%-15% off, which adds up when you’re buying diapers so often.
Are Generic Diapers as Good as Brand Name Diapers?
The New York Times certainly thinks generic diapers work well. In 25 hours of research and testing, they pointed to both Parent’s Choice (Walmart) and Up & Up (Target) as the best diapers for performance and value. As a mom who’s bought Parent’s Choice diapers for multiple kids over the years, I agree.
One common complaint I hear from name brand diaper enthusiasts is that generic diapers have blowouts more often. And I definitely started to fall into that camp when I started using generic diapers. However, a seasoned mom friend told me about the size up rule, and I have MAYBE had two or three blowouts since then (as opposed to that many weekly before).
Your child can often fit into two different diaper sizes. (E.g Size one is for babies 8-14lbs, size two is for 12-18lbs, size three 16-28lbs, etc). When deciding which size to pick, always go with the bigger size. Larger sizes will hold more liquids and solids and provide more coverage to contain would-be blowouts. Though larger diapers are slightly more expensive (by a penny or two per diaper), it’s much cheaper than changing diapers twice as often or buying new clothes because the old ones had permanent poop stains.
Of course, as the NYT notes, there’s no such thing as a “blowout-proof” diaper. Finding the diaper that can best fit your baby’s body will go a long way in preventing these kind of disasters.
Final Note on Inflation
Prices are obviously changing rapidly with inflation. Despite my best attempts to keep prices in this article current, they are subject to change. However, for as long as I’ve been keeping track of the cheapest diapers, no one brand or store has ever suddenly overtaken another due to rising prices. So though you may notice prices are slightly different when you read this, the underlying logic should stay the same.
I hope this has helped you understand the current cheapest diaper prices! If you’d like to read more posts about money-saving tips for moms, be sure to subscribe to my weekly email blast below!