6 Ways to Save on Diapers

Diapers can be expensive, there is no way around it.  Did you know that a typical newborn baby goes through 10 diapers a day and that you’ll use an average of 2,820 diapers for the first year of diapering a baby and that by 2.5 years of age, you’ll spend almost $1,300 on diapers alone?   That’s a lot of dough for diapers and doesn’t include the cost of baby wipes, formula, baby food and not to mention clothing and accessories!  It can add up very quickly.

I asked an a resident expert diaper changer how many diapers a baby will need in the first year.  While it’s been a couple of years since my youngest was in diapers, I did have three kids in diapers at one time and I have three brothers who also have children and between the four of us, there are 9 babies that my mom has cared for over the last 18 years changing diapers daily, so I felt she was the perfect authority figure to know exactly how many diapers a baby goes though in a day and at various ages through their life.  She is currently caring for her 9th grandchild, 7 month old baby Michael and will have a newborn baby to watch in May.  The bottom line is it depends on how old the baby is and the size of diaper that they wear, but here is the typical number of diapers a baby up to 2.5 years will use:

• 1 to 3 months old uses 9 – 10 diapers a day for 90 days = 900 diapers
• 4 to 5 months old uses around 7 – 8 diapers a day for 60 days = 480 diapers
• 6 to 12 months old uses around 6 – 8 diapers a day for 180 days = 1,440 diapers
• 12 to 24 months old uses around 4 – 5 diapers a day for 365 days = 1,825 diapers
• 24 +months (the average girl is potty trained around 2 years and average boy around 3 years, so I’m using 2.5 years as a typical average) uses around 3 diapers or training pants a day for 365 days, which is around 540 diapers/training pants

The grand total of diapering your child for 2.5 years: A whopping 5,185 diapers!

What is the cost of diapering a child for a year?  The average cost per diaper ranges dramatically from $.18 – $.35 depending on where you buy, when you buy, and how you buy.  If you are  savvy shopper and stock up on diapers when they are on sale, use coupons and in-store promotions, you can expect to spend as little as $520 on those 5,185 diapers if you get them all at $.10 a diaper or less.  If you are not savvy and you buy diapers regular price without coupons or in-store promotions, you can spend up to $1,815 on diapers.  That is almost $1,300 more than the savvy shopper will pay.    Note – if you buy all of your diapers at the average price of $.18/diaper for the huge boxes at the big box stores, you’ll pay just under $1000 for diapers, so it pays to shop around, switch brands, and use coupons to maximize your savings on diapers.

Follow these 6 tips to save on diapers:

Compare Prices on a Price/diaper rather than package price

Diaper packages come in all sizes and quantities based on age and weight of the baby, and the price varies even more based on value diapers and premium diapers.  The best way to compare is by looking at the price per diaper rather than comparing total cost per package.  A typical jumbo pack of diapers at Safeway will cost over $.34 a diaper when it’s not on sale.  When the jumbo packs are on sale, typically $7.99 for Huggies Snug and Dry Diapers ($.25/diaper for size 3) and $9.99 for the Pampers jumbo pack diapers, which works out to $.31 per diaper.  Let me stop here to say these are not good prices for diapers – these are the highest you’ll ever pay per diaper, but it’s important to know what you are working with on a price per diaper for various brands and sizes so you know when to stock up when you find a great deal.

Shop Value Diapers Rather Than Premium Diapers

Diapers are not all the same, or so the manufacturers will have you think.  There are two types of diapers, value diapers and premium diapers and the big brands like Pampers and Huggies have both diapers available.  For Huggies, their value line are the Snug & Dry diapers and their premium line is the Little Snugglers line.  Pampers has Baby Dy which is their value line and they have Cruisers and Swaddlers as their premium line.  The biggest difference with the value diapers and the premium diapers is that the value diapers have more diapers per package for the same size.  For example a size 1 Huggies Snug & Dry package will have 44 diapers whereas a Huggies Little Snugglers size 1 will have 35 diapers per package, often for the same price or more, so you get 9 fewer diapers per package for more money.  CRAZY!

The cheapest value diapers on a price per diaper basis is the LUVS brand, which is typically on sale for $7.99 and with a $2.00 off coupon that’s almost always available, you’ll pay just $.17 per diaper, but you can often get for $.10 a diaper when it’s on super sale and you use a coupon.

Shop the Sales and Promotions

Diapers go on sale all the time, and the sale prices can vary week to week, but by shopping the sales and taking advantage of special in-store promotions, you can save the most.  Safeway offers a Baby Days Promotion where you save $5 instantly when you spend $40 in the baby aisle.  While formula is excluded from the $40 minimum spend, you can easily spend $40 on diapers, wipes and baby food and save $5 instantly every week!  The key to saving the most is to shop the sales, pair the sales with coupons and if there is a Catalina offer available, then also take advantage of the Catalina so that you can save even more!

Use Coupons

Diaper coupons are always available.  You can find digital coupons on the Safeway Just for U app, printable coupons here on SuperSafeway in our Coupons.com gallery, on brand websites and in the newspaper through the Sunday Coupon Inserts.  Search for diaper coupons using our coupon database.  I would also encourage you to sign up for Pampers Rewards Program and the Huggies Rewards Program where you can get points based on your purchases and they will send you coupons in the mail for diapers and wipes.

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Stock-up

Stock up price is under $.10/diaper.  Anytime you can get diapers for $.10 or less, you should stock up.  Using our chart above for # of diapers a baby needs at each age will give you a rough idea of the sizes to stock up on.  Of course this totally varies depending on if you have a girl or a boy, if they are a chunky monkey or a skinny minny, but a good rule of thumb is to stock up on the size 3 and 4 diapers as the baby will be in those size the longest.    The best way to start a diaper stock pile is to take advantage of diaper catalinas, diaper sales and coupons at a store.  You’ll be able to get diapers for as low as $2.99 – $3.99 per jumbo pack when you stack sales, coupons, catalinas and rebate apps for extra savings on diapers.

Switch Brands

Maximize your savings on diapers by switching brands and taking advantage of the cheapest sale prices and using coupons.  Generic diaper brands have come a long way and can really save you a bundle, especially if the major brands are not on sale.

What other ways have you found to save on diapers?  Be sure to let us know in the comments below.

SuperSafeway is a blog devoted to helping you find the best deals at Safeway in the Denver division.  Every week we post the Safeway weekly ad and tell you the best deals at Safeway with and without coupons.  For more low prices, check out Super Safeway’s weekly ad coupon matchup page. Want to stay updated on the best deals? If so, make sure to like Super Safeway on Facebook, join our Facebook group, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest and subscribe to our newsletter.

* Please note – Savings information is based on Colorado pricing and the Safeway Coupon Policy for the Denver Division which includes Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Wyoming and South Dakota. Your market may vary. Prices may vary per location*