Are you are interested in buying disposable diapers before your baby arrives? This blog post will give you an idea of how many diapers and the sizes to buy.
First tip
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My Favorite Brand - Go with Huggies (aff link)Buy diapers from places where it is easy to return or exchange them, and know the rules and time restrictions. We started purchasing diapers 6 months before our due date, so the normal 90-day return policy wouldn't have worked for us. Costco is great at taking returns, so you may want to consider making your purchases there. We also used Walmart; they will take some returns without a receipt. Personally, I like Amazon. They give 20% off diapers, and when I price shopped, Huggies at Amazon were cheaper than Huggies at Walmart or Costco. Also, Huggies at Amazon were cheaper than Costco's Kirkland Diapers. With Baby Number 1 we bought diapers in bulk mostly from Costco, but with Baby Number 2 we bought diapers mostly from Amazon as a Subscribe and Save customer.
How Many to Buy?
Here are the facts I based my calculations on:
- My babies were 6-8 lbs at birth and gained weight consistently following the average growth charts.
- Many say you will use about 6 diapers or day or 180 diapers per month, and I find this to be pretty accurate.
- We moved up a size when we started to have leaks and blowouts, which was usually several pounds before the max listed on the box.
So here with what I purchased before my babies were born:
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Newborn Snugglers (aff link) - one box of about 88 diapers. These are more expensive per diaper, but I found them very nice for newborns. My babies were ready for size 1 diapers at about 15-30 days old, so one box of Newborns was perfect. Plus you will probably get some from the hospital. I would recommend buying only one box and then buy extra newborn diapers as needed.
Size 1 (aff link) - Two big boxes of Huggies with about 180 diapers per box. These last about one month per box and go from about 8 to 15 lbs. I found about 2 months in size 1s to be perfect. At 10 weeks of age my babies were about 10 lbs. Size 2 diapers start around 12 lbs, and we learned it was best to go up a size early to prevent leaks and blowouts.
Size 2 (aff link) - Two big boxes of Huggies with about 246 diapers per box. This should get you to about 5-6 months of age.
Size 3 (aff link) - 3 big boxes of Huggies Size 3 diapers. Some say you will be in size 3 the longest, but for us, this was true for size 4. However, this is a good size to have extra of, as long as they are from a returnable store. The weight on the box says 16-28 lbs. I am pretty sure we switched my son to size 4 around 20-22 lbs and now he is 30 lbs and in size 5 for naps and at nights.
Little Movers (aff link)
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Around 9 months of age with Son Number 1, we switch to pull-ups because we start having him use the potty and pull-ups are so much easier for this. Recently, they have come out with Huggies Little Movers, that now can be pulled up and down like a pull-up or unfastened like a diaper. We plan to use these for Son Number 2 starting around 8-9 months through about 2 years old. But elimination training and potty training is a discussion for another post. I hope this gives you an idea on what to pre-buy so that you don't waste your money.
Update Baby 15 Months Old - We have been using little movers for a year and I love them. They are great for elimination training and dealing with a baby who won't sit still during changes. Changing a diaper while the baby is standing is awesome.
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