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Diapering
Use cloth diapers if you have the time to launder them. Visit
our CLOTH DIAPERING tips page...
In the last
couple of years I have purchased coupons for FREE ANY SIZE Pampers diapers
& wipes from eBay. I would buy large
quantities of coupons at VERY discounted prices. Since ANY is ANY,
I would purchase a case of diapers which equals to almost two Super Mega
bags and a big box of wipes that includes a tub plus four refills.
Since we plan on having another child I have stocked up on Pampers diapers
& wipes in various sizes for the next one. My son is almost two
and I have over 60 packages of diapers and training pants in my spare
closet along with many wipes refills. I have even sold some of the
coupons purchased on eBay individually which
paid for my coupons. So my bargain would be that the majority of my
Pampers diapers & wipes have been FREE! -- Bonnie from ME
My daughter was
born prematurely, and she had no butt. Commercial diaper wipes were just
way too big, so I cut them in half and they last twice as long! Even now
that my daughter is average size they still work great! Also, when we're
at home I just use a washcloth as a diaper wipe and the commercial diaper
wipes in a pinch or on the road. You can buy washcloths in bulk and for
the solution I just put a bit of dial with water. It works great. My
pediatrician actually recommends it, because it decreases the incidence of
diaper rash! -- Martyne from MN
Babies R Us
sends out a quarterly newsletter with specials on it. Most times
there is a special coupon for the jumbo packs of Pampers or Huggies wipes
(around 400 wipes) for $8.99, regularly $10.59. I use that along
with a manufacturers coupon for an additional $1.00 and stock up.
Also, BRU has a 15% off coupon for Huggies or Pampers in the Baby Mags,
like American Baby and Baby
Talk. Use that along with manufacturers coupons and you can save
up to $7.00 on the Big boxes. -- Vanessa from OH
When my son was
born my in-laws came to visit and took us to Costco, a warehouse store,
they bought us a box of baby wipes that were Kirkland brand. They
were the softest wipes I have ever found, they were only $12, and they
lasted just about 6 weeks. -- Lacey from TX
Dollar Tree
carries diaper disposal bags in boxes of 100 for a BUCK!! I have mailed
them to everyone with a baby and those who are far away from Dollar Tree
...they also carry Feeder Bowls with lids that I still use for
everything!!! -- Michelle from TX
If you use cloth
diapers, throw the high quality wipes into the diaper pail and wash with
dirty diapers and reuse as diaper liners or make into wipes again.
Use baby soap or mild (like Dawn) dish soap mixed with boiled water to
make wipes. Saves a lot! :) -- Kay from CA
I love White
Cloud diapers at Wal-Mart. I used to be a loyal Pampers customer; but, I
began working part time (from home :))after having DD #2 and our budget is
more limited. Several months ago, I went to buy diapers and thought I
would give them a try. (My exact thoughts were: "$5.88 for a
pack...what have I got to lose? If I don't like them, I won't buy them
again.") I've never experienced any problems with leaks and they
feature the cute John Lennon animals. Also, if you email the company and
request coupons, they'll send them to you! Check them out: www.whiteclouddiapers.com
-- Amy from KS
I get my
disposable diapers at Goodwill on the 1/2 off days. Last week, I
picked up 5 jumbo packs, 2 were Huggies, 3 Target store brand.
Another day I got 2 super mega pull ups for $8 and then 30% off. I
can't always find the right size so I try to buy ahead. If I find newborn
or size 1, I open the packages and put them in a new diaper stacker for a
baby shower gift. Goodwill gets returned items from Target so I find
a lot of new stuff. -- Erica
We learned by
accident how great "cheap" diapers can be....Our daycare keeps a
supply of "cheap" diapers in case a baby runs out unexpectedly.
This way they can diaper the baby until the parents can provide more
diapers for the next day. Our daycare uses the Dri-Bottoms that are sold
here at Wal-Mart. They have the cute little Suzy's Zoo ducks on them. We
have twin girls at daycare, and learned from their substitution that the
Dri-Bottoms are good diapers! The sticky tabs are not as good as the Velcro
ones of name brands, but the diapers are padded and hold well, even
overnight. Now that we're in number 3 diapers for the twins, we get
80-count packs of Dri-Bottoms for about $10.50 at Wal-Mart. As expensive
as things are for twins, we were glad we tried them! -- Traci from MI
When I was
pregnant with my 2nd child, I found I could clip coupons for diapers and
then I would watch Eckerd's sale bills for when diapers went on sale.
Often I purchased Huggies, Pampers, etc, for a little of nothing since
Eckerd's would use their coupons as well as the manufacturer coupons. My
suggestion would be to look at baby items that you purchase and see if
there is a 1-800 number or a website that you can sign up for free items.
-- Katrina from OK
Diaper
Genie refills can be quite expensive, so we only use the Genie
for smelly diapers. I hang a plastic grocery bag on the changing
table for diapers that are only wet and toss it every day or
two.
-- Carrie E. ** Don't buy those expensive rolls of
diaper disposal bags...instead, save the produce and bread bags
from the supermarket. Be sure the bags are from dry foods
only (like apples, bananas, peppers) so that they don't get
moldy in the diaper bag before you even use them. -- Deidre from
CT
Use generic
diapers. You're just going to throw them away. Wal-Mart has
their own brand called Dry Bottoms and on a recent test on our local news
they tested just as good as the name brands and are lots cheaper. My
sister uses Dry bottoms and once she got 2 diapers that the gel had
hardened in them. She called to let them know and they sent her 2
$1.00 off coupons. If you must use name-brand, call the manufacturer and
get on their mailing list for coupons. When we lived in Tulsa Ok. we found
an outlet that sold disposable diapers that were seconds. They
worked great and were insignificant issues like the tabs were a little
short or extra long or the diaper had a little extra cover on them. --
Sharon from OH
The
swim diapers that parents use for small children when swimming in the
pool are very expensive: around $7 for 10 diapers. We have found that
they can be washed and used again. Just make sure you air dry them and
do not put them in the dryer.
If you use cloth diapers, make reusable wipes using J-cloths and one of the
wipes solutions described on this or other frugal sites. Just rinse and
wash as you do the diapers. I keep my washer half full of soapy water, and
put the cloth diapers directly into it (rinsing out any #2's first), rather than
use a diaper bucket. Stained clothes go straight in, and I run it every
other day.
Don't buy individual small packages of wipes for travel. Put some wipes or even a wet
washcloth in a zip-lock bag .
I also buy the
Wal-Mart brand White Cloud diapers in the largest box I can get.
They work out to be much cheaper than even going to Costco & they are
just as good as Huggies in my opinion! -- Angela from MT
Save
those old baby-wipes containers. They make great storage
containers for crayons, markers, etc. Mom can use them in the
bathroom to store makeup, cotton balls and Q-tips, combs, etc.
I used to buy Pull-ups
for my 3 year old to wear at night and diapers for my son. (He was in a
size 3) I talked to my neighbor and she said that she buys just one size
diaper for her two year old and infant. So I started buying size 4 diapers
and both of my kids fit in them. We save so much money now since we don't
buy Pull-ups! -- Amy
Use cloth wipes
warmed in a wipe warmer. At $5 for package of 15 they are very frugal,
plus you can use them over and over again.
A great diaper rash fix my pediatrician told me.
Alternate every diaper change with (this may sound funny, but it works.)
Maalox (antacid - plain) coat bottom with cotton ball. The next diaper
change use the liquid form of any jock itch product. (Wal-Mart brand works
good - it is in a container that looks like it would contain eye drops.
Give it a try. -- Colleen, 38, from GA
Most diaper changing pads are too small for changing my
toddler's diaper in a public place, and rather than spending money on
disposable changing pads, I purchased a tablecloth. I cut it into generous
rectangles, big enough for my child, and then I fold them up and wrap each
one with a rubber band. These pack nicely, and are still cheap enough to
throw away when they are really messy. -- Michelle, 28, from IL
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