$700.
That’s what parents will spend on average each year their baby is in diapers.
The grand total we spent in that time for my first son?
$62.
How did we manage to spend less than 10% of what the average parent does in their budget for their newborn?
By scouting out deals and sales to score free and cheap diapers.
We wanted to share all of our research and spending habits to help you get the best prices and save money on diapers too.
Disclosure: Opinions expressed are our own. If you buy something through any of our affiliate links on this page, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting our site.
Comparison of diaper brands
First, here’s a comparison of various diaper brands, including notes gathered by personal experiences of other mothers.
Huggies
- Like the belly button cut-out for the newborn stage
- Little Snugglers and Little Movers generally well-liked for functionality with moving babies
- Avoid Snug & Dry, looks girly on boys and tends to leak
Luvs
- Super absorbent
- Good for overnight use
- Better fit to prevent blowouts, but also requires sizing up faster
- Scented
Pampers
- Swaddlers Sensitive didn’t seem to cause any problems
- Thicker diaper overall
- Higher quality, but also higher price
Store brands
Target - Up & Up
I personally use this brand. No problems with the quality, and love the price. I got hooked when I discovered them through Target's free baby registry*.
The only "issue" I ever had was finding out that one pack of diapers I bought had half of one size and half of another. Just took it in to Target and got a refund, no questions asked.
Amazon - Mama Bear
These diapers are comparable to Target's Up & Up brand diapers.
Walmart - Parent's Choice
This used to get a lot of flack for leakage, but the diaper has been redesigned and seems to be much better, while still having an affordable price point.
Costco - Kirkland Signature
Quality is comparable to Huggies. Parents who use them seem to love the diapers (and, of course, the price point too).
Sam's Club - Member's Mark
Quality also similar to Huggies or Kirkland diapers. Here too, parents seem to have great things to say for both the quality and the price.
Best way to get cheap diapers online
Yup, you probably knew it was Amazon.
They dominate the online market for good reason, but here are two things you absolutely need to know when it comes to buying diapers from them.
1. Amazon Family
Amazon Family* is an Amazon Prime member exclusive benefit that offers 20% off subscription orders for popular baby essentials like baby food and, yup, diapers.
If you're not already a Prime member, try it out for free for 30 days*.
2. Subscribe and Save
A convenient subscription service* that unlocks the 20% discount, letting you "set it and forget it" with your diaper supply.
With these two features, you can get a great price on diapers without having to spend all the time and hassle comparing prices.
Steps to get cheap diapers online
- Sign up for Amazon Family (if you don’t already have Prime, sign up to try it for free)
- Select your diaper of choice
- Set up a subscription to get 20% off and you’re done!
Best way to get cheap diapers in store
If you’ve read enough of this blog, you know that my favorite brick-and-mortar is Target. They’re all about promos and incentives too, and offer great ways to save just like Amazon does.
Target Redcard
Target’s debit or credit card* that rewards you with an additional 5% off all purchases and grants free shipping privileges.
In terms of which one has a better value, I’m partial to using Target just because if I happen to have extra diapers, I can easily go in to return any unopened boxes since there’s a physical storefront to go to.
Common questions about diaper costs vs quality
You can expect to pay anywhere from $0.15 to $0.52 per disposable diaper. That depends on the brand, size, and whether you know how to look for good deals.
Most babies go through an average of 2,500 diapers a year, so you can expect to pay anywhere between $375 or $1300, which is a pretty huge range.
By the end of this post, you’ll have the knowledge you need to keep your spending towards the smaller end.
Generally, you’ll find better prices on store brands. They’re not top quality, but work perfectly fine.
If you’re a member of Costco or Sam’s Club, you can buy their brands of diapers in bulk.
If you don’t have access to those stores or just need a smaller pack of diapers, Target’s Up and Up brand is a solid choice.
For name brands, Luvs diapers* seemed to be consistently the cheapest.
But some parents seem to like the premium quality of Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive* and don’t mind paying the higher price for them.
If you want a solid in-between, Huggies Little Snugglers* would be a good option.
Luckily, using the techniques below, you can save money no matter where you want to buy your diapers.
Tips to get free or cheap diapers
Here are ways to save money on diapers that also don’t require much commitment or effort.
Tip 1. Sign up for baby registries.
You can save on diapers with baby registries in two ways.
First, you usually a welcome kit filled with dozens of coupons on baby products, free diapers included. It’s a great way to try out different brands to see which one suits your baby best before buying in bulk.
Second, you can get a registry completion discount, usually between 10-15%, for buying whatever is left on your list when you're within a certain time frame from your baby's due date.
Make sure to include some diapers on your registry, then buy up them using the discount!
Of course, it’s even better to combine the two strategies: save your manufacturer coupons until you’re ready to use your registry completion discount, then redeem them both at once!
Tip 2. Check online marketplaces.
When babies outgrow their diapers, parents often look to offload the unused diapers for cheap on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace.
Alternatively, check with family and friends who might have old diapers to pass off.
Tip 3. Try out store brands.
Some parents are adamant about using top-name brands, but it is worth at least giving store brands a try. You might discover what many parents already have: that they’re similar in quality, but substantially cheaper.
For example, if you and your baby are fans of Huggies diapers*, consider Costco’s or Sam’s Club’s brands, which are comparable.
Tip 4. Check unit price.
Always check by the price per diaper so you can determine which box is the best deal. The number of diapers in a box varies from brand to brand, so don’t be fooled by the prices per box.
Tip 5. Buy in bulk.
I recommend exercising this tip when baby starts a new size up. That way you don’t have to worry about having too many extra diapers that'll be too small once baby outgrows them.
Generally speaking, buying more means that you save on the cost per diaper. But again, always check the unit price because that is not a given.
Tip 6. Slow down on sizing up.
The smaller the diapers, the more you tend to get in a single package or box. The prices for each package stay pretty much the same within a brand, but the number of diapers you get in each pack decreases as you get bigger in size.
I’ve consistently found that the recommended weights for each diaper size were too conservative. I was able to keep my son in the smaller diapers for longer without any problems.
Even if the size is iffy, you can usually get away with using the smaller diapers at home in the daytime.
And if you are ultra concerned that you won’t be able to use up all the diapers before you need to size up, then consider splitting the bulk purchase with someone who has a baby that’s similar to your munchkin in age, or sell off the extras on Craigslist.
Tip 7. Don’t stick with one brand.
If you’re not loyal to a specific brand, then you have more flexibility in buying whatever diapers are on sale.
Tip 8. Wait for a sale and stock up.
Speaking of sales, if you do come across a good one, take advantage of the opportunity to stock up. Try not to go overboard, though, because your little one will always outgrow them at some point. My “stockpile” is usually about 3-4 packs.
Tip 9. Sign up for rewards programs and mailing lists.
If you do find yourself keen on buying certain brands, sign up for their rewards program if they have one (like Pampers or Huggies does), or the company’s email list.
They'll often send you coupons for their products. And rewards can often be redeemed for useful baby items like free diapers.
Tip 10. Take advantage of gift card promotions.
Every once in a while, there will be store gift cards when you buy bulk diapers for specific brands (I've seen this all the time at Target).
I'd save my diaper inventory restock for these promos to get at least $20 to use on my next shopping trip.
The secret to saving big on diapers
Now, you might be thinking, even with all these tips, will that really save you that much money?
Well, the main reason we were able to save money on diapers was simply because we used less of them.
Even better, don't use any at all.
And no, we're not talking about letting your baby sit in their dirty diapers longer. Eww.
Let us explain.
Babies aren’t born expecting to be put in diapers. They simply get accustomed to having them because we parents insist on using them.
Once you let your baby go diaper-free again and learn to hone in their verbal or non-verbal cues to determine when your little one needs to be relieved, you can essentially train them to not do their business in diapers anymore.
In America, there’s a term for this concept called "elimination communication."
In other countries, this idea is referred to as "the normal way to raise a baby."
In our case, we opted for a middle path. We put our son in diapers, but tried to hold him above a toilet or training potty whenever we thought he needed to go. We gradually worked our way up to him telling us when he needed to go.
As a result, we increasingly got him to pee outside of his diapers, to about 90% potty trained by the time he reached 2.
Here's the progression of his diaper usage:
- Month 1: 100% disposable, 0% cloth, 0% diaperless, 0% going in the potty
- Months 2-12: 25% disposable, 75% cloth, 0% diaperless, 10% going in the potty
- Months 13-17: 25% disposable, 0% cloth, 0% diaperless, 20% going in the potty
- Month 18: 25% disposable, 75% cloth, 0% diaperless, 5% going in the potty (regression)
- Months 19-20: 25% disposable, 65% cloth, 10% diaperless, 20-50% going in the potty
- Months 21-24: 25% disposable, 20% cloth, 55% diaperless, 50-90% going in the potty
How to get started with elimination communication
First off, it’s important to attempt this only when you and baby are comfortable doing so.
For me, I was sweating bullets from paranoia of dropping the kid in the toilet when I first attempted this at the few-weeks old stage, so I decided to wait until his neck and back muscles were more developed before I tried again.
On the other hand, Papa Chang’s mom was more experienced, so she had to no problems confidently holding the baby and getting him to do his thing over the potty when he was days old.
For the baby, there will be times that they get fussy or cry when you try to get them to do their business in the toilet or receptacle, so don’t force it if they really don’t want to.
Step 1. Watch a video to learn the proper way to situate your baby.
You basically hold the baby facing out, and grip the thighs so they are in a squat-like position. Here’s a video showing you how to do it:
Step 2. Try the positioning on your baby.
You don’t have to go the whole nine yards the first time you attempt this. I started off just holding the baby in that position, with the diaper on, to if I could handle a squirmy baby.
After I felt comfortable, then I proceeded to do this with diaper off and above the potty.
Step 3. Establish set times to try this with your baby.
Decide beforehand when you'll do this versus taking the baby to the potty at random times. I decided that I would start off doing it a few minutes after every feeding, to provide consistency for myself as well as my son.
Carving out the exact times for this rather than waiting to see when my son would give me cues to rush him over to the potty made the transition less stressful.
TIP: Try to coincide these times with feedings or naps, as babies tend to pee or poo after these two activities.
Step 4. Pay attention to your baby.
You’ll start to pick up on signals that tell you when your baby needs to go. They might make certain faces or sounds, or become very still when they're getting ready to relieve themselves.
Look for these cues, then try to put baby over the potty when they really do need to go.
Step 5. Train your baby to tell you when they need to go.
Communicate what you are doing and ask your baby if they need to go to help them catch on to the idea that you want them to let clue you in when nature is calling them.
Have them use gestures if they are not talking yet, or have a specific word/phrase you want them to use to make it known that they need to do their business.
Step 6. Try going diaperless.
Not gonna lie. This was a very scary step. But our son had less accidents than we thought he would.
The thing is, kids are pretty smart.
If you put a diaper on them, they’ll do their business in it because they know they can. Leave it off, and they are less likely to. Probably because they don’t want to be lathered in their own urine or fecal matter. So be bold...and cover your floors.
Step 7. Keep at it.
Having a consistent schedule is incredibly helpful for getting them to learn how to go. We usually put our son on the potty at these times:
- In the morning after he wakes up
- After meals
- When he gets up from naps
- When it’s been a while since he’s had liquid
- When we ask him and he tells us “no” too many times
- When he’s just standing there and abnormally quiet
- Before going out
And it’s worked out great. We’re already $1000 ahead of the game in saving on diapers, and counting. Plus, we’re about a year early on potty training, which does make parenting life so much easier.
Conclusion
It’s not hard to find cheap or free diapers if you know how to shop strategically. Try any of our other smart tips to save money on diapers for your baby.
Read More
- Baby Necessities (free checklist)
- Planning For Baby Financially (free savings tracker)
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