Six easy ways to save money on diapers and wipes

No two ways around it, diapers and wipes just get to be plain expensive. It appears galling to have to spend so much money on something that just gets thrown away.

Yes, obviously there are cloth diapers and they are supposed to be cheaper, but if you are like many middle-class women and just cannot bring yourself to switch to cloth diapers, take heart. Without too much hassle, you can save money on disposable diapers and wipes.

Be slow to switch sizes

What is the big deal? Because the bigger the diaper, the fewer diapers there are per package – and therefore the more expensive it gets. Diapers come with a suggested weight per size. Observant moms have discovered their children could wear the various size diapers for longer than what the package suggested.

For instance, a mother said, “my daughter weighs more than the size 3 diapers but they still fit her fine, we don’t have leaks, and so we continue to stick with them. Instead of going with what the package recommends, we change sizes once we start having lots of leaks”.

Be mindful of how you put on the diaper

Speaking of leaks, you know to get more mileage out of smaller diapers by using this little trick. Your child can stay in smaller diapers longer if you are careful how you put the diaper on. If your child’s tendency is to leak out the top, then pull the diaper up more in the front. Have problems with messes oozing out the back? Then pull the diaper up more in the back. Both are a problem? Well, then it’s definitely probably time to switch to the next size!

Watch package sizes

Instead of thinking price per package, think price per wipe or diaper. The reason for this is because not all packages contain the same amount of product. For instance, Pampers Soft Care wipes come in 72-count packages while Pampers Sensitive wipes come in 64-count packages. Both products cost the same amount but by purchasing the larger count you get 8 more wipes per package, reducing your cost.

You’ll find similar things in diapers. Huggies Snug & Dry size 2 come in 42-count packages while Huggies Little Snugglers size 2 only have 36 per package. Again, they typically are priced the same but you can save some money by choosing the larger package.

Stockpile

Whenever you see diapers or wipes at a low price, if you have room in your budget, buy them even if you don’t immediately need them. The concept behind this is simple. Why pay full price for something that you can easily save a couple of bucks on? By waiting to buy diapers and wipes only when you need them, you almost always end up spending more.

Moms who plan ahead take diaper stockpiling pretty seriously. When they are pregnant with baby they start buying diapers and wipes when they see them at rock bottom prices. By the time the baby is born, they would have stockpiled sometimes over 42 packages of diapers and around 30 packages of wipes.

Be willing to vary brands

If you’re going to maximize your savings, you’re going to have to be willing to use whatever brand of diapers or wipes you can get for the least amount of money. Some weeks Pampers are the cheapest, other week Huggies. And sometimes it’s a store brand. Be willing to try brands other than the one you typically use. Often you’ll find that you like it just as well. And while you might be a huge fan of store brand diapers, sometimes they actually are surprisingly good.

Buy in bulk

Buying in bulk spreads out the average cost per unit of diaper or wipe. In some cases, depending on the type of store, you could and should ask for discounts, when you buy in bulk.