The count down to the arrival of Baby Surprise is getting real! Like seriously, we only have 8-9 weeks to go. We had a cross country move planned for this summer that kept me from going crazy with baby shopping. However, once we made the decision not to move to Cali (long story), I hit the ground running on building a diaper stockpile. I did the same for Zoe and it saved us tons of money and countless trips to the grocery store. Saving time and money? Yes please!

To be clear building a diaper stockpile isn’t for every one. Couponing is something I enjoy doing outside of preparing for a new baby, so scoring big on baby savings is just an added bonus. Building a good stockpile requires time, patience and a little leg work to make sure you get the best bang for your buck. A new baby comes with tons of financial responsibility (*coughs childcare*) so I love saving where we can.

To date I’ve purchased 3496 diapers in preparation for Baby Surprise, along with miscellaneous packs of over night training pants for Zoe girl. The retail value of all of the diapers I’ve purchased is $1063.45, however I’ve only spent about $315.01 out of my own pocket. My total pay out doesn’t factor in the number of Target gift cards and Kroger dollar off coupons I’ve received to use on future purchases.

Building a Diaper Stockpile 101: How many diapers should you buy of each size?

There is no magic number but babies use about 8 diapers a day ( about 2920 yr). Sometimes they use more per day in the early months and less as they get older but 8 is a good baseline. I don’t remember Zoes diaper usage exactly but my best guess for the amount of time in certain size for the first year would be:Newborn: one boxSize 1: 1-3 months (720 diapers)Size 2: 3-6 months (720 diapers)Size 3: 6-12 months (1440 diapers)

**I will be coming back to update these numbers once baby surprise arrives and starts dirtying ups some diapers.**

How many of each size should you get?

This will also take a bit of guess work especially if you’re a first time mom. Based on the size of my first two at birth I wouldn’t recommend more that one box of newborns. However, if babies in your family tend to land around 5-6 lbs then you may need more than one box. Zoe was 9 lbs and we’re expecting Baby Surprise to be about the same. We have one box of newborns and we will go straight into size 1 after that; thankfully the weight recommendations for the sizes overlap.

Where do you find the best deals?

I’m partial to Target for their gift card offers and Kroger for their catalina offers (little coupons that print after you pay). Essentially, those are the two stores my family frequents the most (hey fuel points). However, deals can also be found at stores like CVS, Publix, Walgreens, RiteAide, etc. It depends on what store are in your area and how many reward programs you’re willing to keep up with.

One of the keys to building a diaper stockpile is shopping more than one store to find the best deal. I check my local store ads every Sunday match up the best deals with the coupons I have. There is a small learning curve for deal matching in the beginning but coupon bloggers like Krazy Coupon Lady share diaper deal recaps weekly for a variety of stores. Starting out any deal that will land you less than $0.15 per diaper is a a good one. Of course, some deals are better than others and any deal that will land you at $0.10 per diaper(or less) is worth running for!

What do I mean by per diaper? Take a size 1 jumbo pack of Pampers Swaddlers, it has 32 diapers and a retail price of $8.99. At $0.15 per diaper, you wouldn’t want to pay more than $4.80 for that pack of diapers. Make sense?

How to get the best bang for your buck?

Use Coupons! I frequently print diapers from apps like coupons.com or GroceryIQ. They are almost guaranteed to have a $2/1 Huggies or Pampers coupon available, amongst other coupons. You can print up to two of each coupon per device and it refreshes monthly. I also clip coupons from the Sunday paper. Don’t wait until you see a deal to try and print or clip; do it in advance so you have them readily available. Most diaper coupons come out a week or two before your local stores run the deal, so start getting those Sunday papers ASAP.

Also, remember those gift card deals I mentioned from Target? Save them! Example: you buy 2 boxes of Huggies and you get a $10 gift card to use on your next purchase. Don’t use that $10 gift card on something random. Stash it with your diaper coupons to be used on your next diaper/baby gift card deal. That is what the coupon world calls rolling a gift card.

How do you choose a brand?

Brand choice is truly a personal preference. I’m using what worked with my first two. I love Pampers Swaddlers for the early months and Huggies Snug and Dry for once they become mobile. Honest diapers work well too if you can find a good deal on them, they tend to be the most expensive of the three. There are some generic brands that some families love like CVS and Targets Up & Up too. For me, if its not broke don’t fix it. I’ll be sticking to the brands with the brands I’m familiar with for now.

What happens if you buy too many of one size… or your baby has sensitive skin ?

Exchange them. I have a receipt book where I keep all my receipts from my baby purchases. There is the option to tape receipts to the packages or boxes for safe keeping. Yes, most stores have a set return window but some are willing make exceptions. I’ve found is that Target has a 1 year return window on items purchased from a baby registry. So I created a registry just for purchasing diapers, wipes and toiletries and I scan my registry barcode at checkout.

Not that I plan on returning any and everything but you can never be certain how your baby will respond to certain diapers. Example: Zoe had an awful reaction to Pampers Baby Dry but lived in Swaddlers; so I’m totally avoiding Baby Dry this go around. Another option for overstock or outgrown sizes is to resell them. Check out your Facebook marketplace or apps like OfferUp, moms everywhere are reselling unused diapers.
That pretty much sums up my beginners guide to building a diaper stockpile. Have you considered stockpiling or even learning to coupon? What’s holding you back? If you would like additional tips or have other questions, drop me a line below.

If you’re expecting and needing tips on what to put in your hospital bag, check out my post see what I packed in mine. Happy Couponing!