Babies ain’t cheap, and one of the biggest expenses is diapers. They go through so many of them every day, and those costs add up. That’s why one of the early parenting lessons should be scoring the best baby deals — namely, how to get cheap diapers year-round. Trust that your wallet (and your baby’s bottom) will thank you.
It’s true that the average American family spends close to $900 per year on diapers — more if you like eco-friendly brands and less if you can do generics — and that is even counting baby wipes. But I also have good news: you can cut these costs when you know which brands are more affordable (yes, even eco-friendly brands), how to use coupons to get super-low prices, and which stores offer the best savings. PS. Shopping for a crib? Here are the best kids mattresses to consider.
First, download the KCL app because I’m going to talk about using coupons. Our team finds diaper deals and posts them like mad, including instructions for exactly which coupons and tools you need for each deal. This will save you hours of frustration and legwork.
Prices may vary per region and store.
1. How many diapers does your baby need per month? Use this diaper size chart.
How many diapers your baby goes through depends on your kid. But here’s one factor you can count on: your baby’s age.
Infants go through way more diapers before they begin eating solid foods.
Plan on an average of up to 279 diapers per month through Size 1, up to 248 through Size 2, and up to 217 through Size 6. If your baby uses less than this, hallelujah! Track how many your baby uses the first few months, and then adjust your per month usage down to fit your baby exactly.
2. Pay attention to cost per diaper, not cost per package.
You’ll use the number you came up with for your diaper usage per month in order to calculate your average cost of diapers per month (more on that soon).
But alert! You cannot use diaper package prices to compare the actual cost of diapers across brands.
Why? Because diaper package prices stay the same for every size, but you get fewer diapers as the sizes increase. Basically this is driving up the cost per diaper as the size increases. Here’s an example from Target’s Up & Up brand, but most brands do this with sizing and quantities:
Size 1: $5.29 for 44 diapers
Size 2: $5.29 for 37 diapers
Size 3: $5.29 for 32 diapers
Size 4: $5.29 for 28 diapers
Size 5: $5.29 for 24 diapers
Size 6: $5.29 for 21 diapers
3. Get your baby out of Newborn diapers and into Size 1 as soon as possible.
Don’t wait until your baby outgrows the Newborn size before you bump them up. Newborn sizes are as much as $0.14 more expensive per diaper than Size 1. (Ouch, right?!)
Of course, you can’t control the size of your baby, so you may need to take it on the chin with Newborn diapers for a while. But as soon as your baby hits eight pounds, jump to Size 1 diapers.
4. Size 1 diapers are cheapest and increase by $0.01 – $0.13 each size!
For example, Size 3 diapers fit babies 16 – 28 pounds and Size 4 diapers begin fitting babies at 22 pounds. But prices start increasing by up to $0.13 per diaper when you hit Size 4!
So don’t put that baby into Size 4 until they’re 28 pounds (or you’re over it with all the laundry from too-small diapers and related blowouts, whichever pain point is most unbearable to you).
Diaper prices are lowest at Size 1 and increase steadily until Size 4, when they begin increasing by $0.04 per diaper on average.
5. Generic diapers aren’t always the cheapest, and eco-friendly aren’t always the most expensive.
6. Costco’s Kirkland diapers are not as inexpensive as you think they are.
The only time Kirkland diapers get competitive is once a year. In March Costco offers a sale on Kirkland diapers. During this time, diapers reach $0.16 per diaper in all sizes — an awesome price for babies Sizes 4 and up! Stock up.
But if your baby is in Size 1 – 3, skip even this sale because other brands offer lower prices than $0.16 per diaper in Sizes 1 – 3.
7. All Good diapers are the most competitively priced eco-friendly diaper.
8. Parent’s Choice diapers are the least expensive.
Parents Choice diapers are the cheapest across the board, with savings of up to $0.14 per diaper at Size 6 and up to $0.11 savings per diaper in Sizes N – 5.
9. Coterie diapers are the most expensive all around.
10. Calculate your cost of diapers per month in order to set a diaper budget.
Monthly costs run the gamut based on size and how many diapers your baby goes through. But you can choose a brand that fits your budget based on this info.
In order to figure out how much money to budget for diapers every month, multiply your brand’s cost per diaper in the size your baby wears by how many diapers your baby needs in a month. I’ve done this math for you in every size (above), but here’s the equation in case your baby doesn’t use as many or uses more than average:
Cost per diaper x Amount of diapers baby uses in a month = Price of diapers per month
RELATED: How to Stock Up on a Year’s Worth of Diapers Before Baby Arrives
11. Huggies and Pampers diaper price comparison:
Since I see the most coupon deals for Huggies and Pampers, they get their own section. Every example is based on a Size 3 diaper, just to keep it simple. But you can use the other charts to calculate what prices would be for the other sizes.
Without further ado, here’s everything you could possibly want to know about how to save on Huggies and Pampers. Get ready to be an expert!
12. Use coupons with diapers on sale to save the most money.
Your best bet to get these prices — Huggies and Pampers coupons. Print all coupons from the KCL coupon database.
Huggies printable coupons show up at least once a week; Pampers (a P&G brand product) printable coupons show up more like once a month. Inside the KCL app, make sure to set a deal alert for Huggies and Pampers so you’re the first to hear about deals we see. (The “related” article below goes more in-depth about how to do this.)
When it comes to P&G diaper brands like Pampers, plan to use all coupons within a day after you print them.
13. Stack a coupon with a store sale to save the most money possible on diapers.
The very best way to save money on Huggies and Pampers is to stack a store sale with coupons, promotions, and rebates.
You’ll see a lot of combinations of these discounts, but here’s the most common stack for diapers:
Sale price
Store loyalty promotion
Manufacturer coupon
Store coupon
Rebate app offer (Ibotta)
Be prepared to buy multiple packs of diapers and/or packs of Pull-Ups in order to get these low prices. (Just put the Pull-Ups in the back of baby’s closet … your little honey bee will be there before you know it. Cue tears.)
Here’s an example for Huggies at Walgreens:
Buy 1 Huggies Diapers Jumbo Pack $9 each, when you buy 2, sale price
Buy 2 Huggies Pull-Ups Jumbo Pack $9 each, when you buy 2, sale price
Spend $25, receive $5 Register Reward
Use one $2/1 – Huggies Diapers 10 count or more, Walgreens L2C Coupon (walgreens.com)
And use one $2/1 – Pull-Ups Training Pants 8 count, Walgreens L2C Coupon (walgreens.com)
And use one $1.50/1 – Huggies Pull-Ups Learning Designs Training Pants (pull-ups.com)
And submit two $2.50/1 – Huggies Pull-Ups, via rebate app (ibotta.com)
Pay $21.50, receive $5 Register Reward and submit for $5 in Ibotta credits
Final Price: $3.83 each, when you buy all 3 ($0.12 per diaper)
Compare to Walmart: $0.20 per diaper
Here’s an example for Pampers at CVS:
Buy 2 Pampers Diapers Jumbo Pack $10 each, when you buy 2, sale price
Spend $20, receive $5 ExtraBucks
Use $3/$15 – Baby Care Purchase, CVS Coupon from CVS ExtraCare Coupon Center
And use one $3/1 – Pampers Diapers from PG
And use one $1/1 – Pampers Diapers, CVS In-App Store Coupon
Pay $13, receive $5 ExtraBucks
Final Price: $4 each, when you buy 2 ($0.13 per diaper)
Compare to Walmart: $0.23 per diaper
When you stack coupons and promotions, Huggies and Pampers become competitive with (and even cheaper than) store generics in some cases. But where to find these great coupon deals?
14. Look for Huggies and Pampers coupon deals at drugstores.
Yes, regular prices at drugstores like Walgreens and CVS are often way more than what you’d pay at Walmart or Target. But drugstores offer store loyalty programs that Walmart and Target just can’t shake a fist at — this is how you work your couponing magic.
When you stack all the components of a coupon deal at a drugstore, you’ll walk out with up to $0.14 savings per diaper on Pampers and Huggies. As you can see from the chart, drugstores offer the most reliable savings on diapers month after month.
15. CVS offers more for Huggies than Pampers.
With that said, you won’t have any trouble finding a great mix of deals. For example:
Huggies:
Buy 1 Get 1 50% off
Spend $30 Get $10 CVS Rewards
Pampers:
Buy 2/$20
Use $3 off coupon
Buy 2/Get $5 CVS Rewards
Be sure to sign up for CVS ExtraCare so you’re ready to do the next diaper coupon deal and don’t miss a single CVS coupon for Huggies or Pampers.
RELATED: How to Coupon at CVS and How to Coupon at Walgreens
16. Walgreens offers more deals on Pampers than on Huggies.
Sign up for Walgreens Balance Rewards so you’re ready to start earning points and Register Rewards that you can redeem on more diapers.
17. Ibotta offers more rebates on Huggies than they do for Pampers.
With rebate offers up to $3 off, Ibotta is another tool you need if you want to save on Huggies.
Download Ibotta and you’ll earn money after you’re done making your diaper purchase at the store. Just upload a picture of your receipt. Ibotta will pay you via PayPal.
18. July is the worst month to buy both Huggies and Pampers.
Plan to get your hands on as many Huggies and Pampers coupons as possible leading up to July. It would be a great time to ask your friends and family to print extra for you, and plan to do multiple trips to the store.
After July, Pampers coupon deals don’t start coming back down in price again until February. Huggies will get another dip in November, but then Huggies coupon deals start climbing in price again until March.
19. Sleep deprived and can’t do coupons right now? Shop at Walmart.
Why buy in bulk? In order to get the lowest price on diapers without coupons, you’ll get the most value out of a bulk box. Let’s look at Huggies as an example. That shows how the middle-of-the-road bulk prices beat the larger packs if you don’t have coupons.
When you buy a 144-count box of Huggies Snug and Dry diapers in Size 3 at Walmart, you’ll pay $0.26 per diaper. The list price for the 200-count pack of a Size 3 Huggies Snug & Dry at Walmart will run you $0.33 per diaper, a difference of $0.06 a diaper.
20. Can’t make it to the store but want a deal? Use Amazon.
When you combine an Amazon sale price with a coupon and a 15% Subscribe & Save discount, you can get Huggies diapers for about $0.13 per diaper (Size 3).
Also, look for “$20 off a $100 purchase” on Amazon — this shows up about once every other month or so. You can combine this promotion with a 15% Subscribe & Save discount, making per diaper prices competitive with low drugstore prices (after coupons).
21. Snatch up some free diapers because you deserve nice things.
There are two ways to earn points for Huggies diapers. Scan or upload every receipt, including those from your Huggies purchases. You can also earn exclusive Huggies reward points by meeting milestones (based on your Huggies purchases). The best time to accumulate these points is when Target has a “Buy $100, Get $30 Gift Card” promo for diapers and wipes.
Once you reach enough points (I hold out for 50,000 for $50), cash out for a Target gift card and combine it with your Target promo gift card(s) to spend on more diapers.
Here’s what you can earn when you buy items including Huggies, Goodnites, and Pull-Ups:
Huggies Purchases/Points
$150 total spent 5,000 Points
$350 total spent 10,000 Points
$550 total spent 15,000 Points
$750 total spent 20,000 Points
22. Aldi sells a 100-pack of diapers for $12.39.
While prices vary by location, my local store has a 100-pack of Little Journey size 3 diapers for just $12.39. That’s only $0.12 per diaper, the second-cheapest option for size 3 diapers on the list.
For size 6 diapers, Aldi offers a pack of 92 for $17.39 or $0.18 per diaper. These are also the second cheapest on the list for the size.
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