As a mom of three, I can confirm that one of the biggest recurring expenses in the first year of your baby’s life will be diapers. Thankfully, there are more than a dozen ways I’ve found to save money on diapers without sacrificing quality.
I talk a lot about saving money on diapering supplies here at Homegrown Hillary, from how to score free diapers to helping you decide whether or not you need a diaper pail. I’m currently on baby #3, so I’ve bought a few diapers in my time, and I spend a FRACTION of what traditional media cites as the average diapering cost. (We typically spend around $25/month, while places like CNN say the average is $80/month.)
Obviously, not all of these tips will be a fit for your individual family. But I guarantee you’ll be able to use at least a couple of them to save some serious cash. So let’s dive right in!
1. Buy store-brand diapers.
Brand-name diapers like Huggies and Pampers are always more expensive than store-brand ones, sometimes 2-3x more! What’s more, the difference in quality is pretty much unnoticeable.
In fact, the New York Times reviewed 30 different diaper brands, and actually picked the Walmart and Target store brands as the “best combinations of performance and value.” I agree; I’ve been using the Walmart brand of diapers, Parent’s Choice, for all three of my kids and have no complaints, even after testing against Up & Up, Huggies, Pampers, The Honest Company, Hello Bello, Millie Moon, and Luvs.
Plus, there are a ton of generic brand diapers to choose from:
- Parent’s Choice (Walmart)
- Up & Up (Target)
- Mama Bear (Amazon)
- Kirkland (Costco)
- Member’s Mark (Sam’s Club)
- Little Journey (Aldi)
And if you’re still not convinced, here’s my big trick. One of the reasons I hear for people choosing brand diapers is because they prevent messy blowouts better. But a wiser, more experienced mom taught me to just size up whatever diaper size you think your child would fit in, and blowouts all but disappear. With all three of my kids and their differences in size, shape, and activity level, it’s worked for us!
2. Understand price-per-diaper.
The price-per-diaper, or unit price, is going to be the best way to accurately compare and save. This will help you understand whether the big box or the smaller pack of the same brand is cheaper. Plus, it gives you a way to compare different brands, especially with their varied package sizes.
I keep a massive database of the cheapest prices-per-diaper for all the major diaper brands each year, if you’d like to take a look and get a sense for the average.
3. Save with subscriptions.
Companies LOVE repeat customers. That’s why they often offer discounts to customers who lock in regular purchases in the form of subscriptions.
You’ve probably heard of Amazon’s “Subscribe and Save” program, which gives a 15% discount on purchases you buy regularly. But did you know about Amazon Family, which gives you 20% on diapers bought on autopay?
Hello Bello also offers a diaper subscription. Not only does it give you a discount for creating the repeat purchase, but they also offer a 15% Hero Discount for “all verified U.S. military members, first responders, nurses, and teachers.”
Finally, if you want to save money but are also interested in a more premium diaper, the Dyper brand offers a great subscription discount. Plus, their diapers are compostable, too!
4. Buy in bulk (especially at Target).
Buying diapers in bulk is another excellent way to save money. Stores occasionally offer discounts when you buy a larger quantity, so it pays to stock up when you find a good deal.
Target is particularly good for buying in bulk, since they have a continuous 20% cash back promotion. Sometimes it’s “Spend $50, get $10 back,” other times it’s “Spend $100, get $20 back,” etc. No matter the deal, you get a gift card and discount diapers!
Also, pro-tip: if you use this promotion to buy the Up & Up store brand diapers, that’s the cheapest diapers you’ll ever buy!
5. Score FREE diapers.
I’ve already written the ultimate guide to get free diapers, but here are some of my favorite methods:
- Become a product tester
- Take advantage of health insurance rewards
- Return defective diapers
- Create baby registries to get freebie boxes
- Enter online giveaways
6. Try cash back apps.
In addition to the Fetch app for scoring discounts on diapers, the app Ibotta regularly offers regular (use the referral code qrrmmai for $5 just for signing up and uploading your first receipt!) In fact, the day I wrote this article there were $29 worth of cash back options available on the app for name brands like Luvs, Pampers, and Huggies.
7. Use coupons (and stack them!)
Your first place to hunt for coupons should be the app of the store you’re shopping. Regional grocery stores, Costco, and Target are some of the retailers that offer coupons in their apps. If they’re labelled as “store” coupons, that means you can also stack those savings with manufacturer coupons, too.
Going to your favorite brand’s manufacturer website will also open another opportunity for coupons. P&G’s website has a coupon section you can print off Luvs and Pampers coupons. Huggie’s website offers coupons as well.
8. Enlist others to hunt for deals
Let’s face it. You can’t be in two places at once. And if you’re pregnant or wrangling a baby, sometimes you’ll have even less energy to hunt for sales.
Enter your deal-hunting tribe. Local grandmas, aunts, friends, and co-workers can be great assets when you’re trying to diaper your kid on a budget. They’ll be able to cover more ground and check more stores than you could possibly scope out on your own. This group of deal hunters is especially useful for clearance sales which might only happen at a single neighborhood’s store, and not every store in the whole chain.
Plus, your loved ones genuinely want to be helpful to you during this time, but don’t always know how. Asking for their specific help on something like this is perfect, since they’d have to go shopping anyways.
If you don’t have a big or dedicated group of people to help you, you also could try using apps like KrazyCouponLady, which tries to stay on top of deals at all the major retailers.
9. Sign up for reward programs.
Many retailers offer reward programs that give you points or cash back for every dollar you spend.
Huggies, Pampers, and HelloBello all offer reward programs that allow you to earn points or rewards for purchasing their products. These points can then be redeemed for free gift cards you can use to purchase diapers and other baby items.
To get Pampers gift cards, you’ll need to download the Pampers Club app and create an account that you’ll use to scan rewards codes.
To join Huggies Rewards+, you’ll need to download the Fetch app and sign up for Huggies Rewards+ within the Fetch app. (You can use my referral code, YM42W, and get FREE bonus points when you sign up!)
Finally, Hello Bello offers a rewards program called “Bello Bucks.” For every $100 you spend, you’ll get $5 back which you can redeem to buy yet more Hello Bello diapers (or wipes, or lotion, or whatever). See Hello Bello’s website for more info.
10. Build a Stockpile.
Obviously, getting a good deal on diapers means saving at least a couple dollars. But what if you bought a box or two more than you needed every time there was a good sale? Then you’d never spend full price on diapers again!
My only two cautions are this. First, that you don’t buy too many of the smaller sizes (newborn & 1) because some babies grow really fast. And second, that you stick to brands you’ve already tried and like, so you don’t have a ton of diapers laying around you’ll never use.
Keep an eye out for sales at your local retailers by downloading their individual apps, or use the app Flipp to compare sales in your area. Or, you can use websites like CamelCamelCamel.com or the browser extensions Honey to notify you of online sales.
11. Check your local Buy Nothing group.
Speaking of diaper stockpiles! Because babies grow in fits and spurts, there are a lot of half-used boxes of diapers out there.
Instead of throwing these perfectly good, unused diapers away, many parents head to the “free” section of Facebook marketplace or their local Buy Nothing Facebook group to give them away. They get to feel good about not contributing to waste in landfills, and you get to score free (or at least low cost) diapers!
12. Look off the beaten path.
Some of the best deals show up in the strangest places. Discount stores, overstock markets, and the like sometimes sell diapers and wipes for a fraction of their normal prices.
I’ve also found moms selling opened but unused boxes of diapers at yard sales, doing diaper swaps among playgroup friends, even discounted at gas stations! Keep your eyes peeled to never miss the good deals.
13. Throw a diaper raffle.
One popular baby shower alternative (or addition) is a diaper raffle. To do it, you offer some great prize that would appeal to many of the people attending. Consider gift certificates, services like house cleaning or car washes, and even big-ticket items like technology. Then, for every box of diapers someone gives, they get an entry into the raffle.
This is a great way to show people you’re serious about wanting diapers as gifts. Oftentimes, people feel awkward “only” giving diapers, and lean towards giving cute but less useful items. A diaper raffle highlights what you really want!
14. Use cloth diapers.
I saved this for almost last, because you probably don’t want to hear it. But as someone who’s used cloth diapers, I promise they’re not nearly as bad as you’re probably imagining.
The initial investment will be higher, sure, especially if you’re buying a brand new stash of cloth diapers. However, they can be reused for years and years, which can save you a significant amount of money over time.
If you REALLY want to save, you can find a high quality used stash and sanitize it before use. Cloth diaper stashes from top brands will sell for less than half of the retail price on places like Facebook Marketplace. And some of the stashes haven’t even been used! That’s how I got my stash and saved hundreds before my daughter was born.
15. Use diaper banks.
Finally, some communities have diaper banks that provide free or low-cost diapers to families in need. These might operate as part of a food pantry, secondhand store, church, or other charitable organization.
Many of these have income requirements, but not all. To find one in your area, check the National Diaper Bank Network.
I hope you’ve discovered a few new tricks to save some serious cash on diapers. If you’d like more information on parenting on a budget, be sure to subscribe to my weekly(ish) newsletter below to get notified when I post new articles!