[MrsPinecone]

The New and Improved Diapers & Wipes 101

With many thanks to Berlinsmommy, HCM and all of the others who contributed to the original thread on FW! Since Berlin is now past the diaper stage, it’s time to update and revamp this post!


Saving on Diapers: The Basics

• Sign up for coupons! The Baby Mailing List thread is here.
• Don’t forget the coupons from the Sunday paper! In addition to $ off diapers and wipes, there are the “Free ___ WYB diapers or a bath and body product” kind of coupons.
• Look for coupons in the stores! Blinkies, tearpads, store specific coupons… coupons are everywhere.
• When trying to determine the best price on diapers, you are not looking at the price per pack, since the pack sizes vary pretty drastically from outlet to outlet. The figure that you are seeking is the price per diaper.
• To calculate the price per diaper: divide the price paid for each pack by the number of diapers in the pack. Since the larger sized diapers have fewer diapers per pack, the older your baby gets, the higher the individual diaper cost will be. My personal goal is no more than .10 per diaper. Most people will not pay more than that for a Size 1 brand name diaper, increasing the per diaper cost as the sizes increase. EX: Huggies Size 1 Regular diapers= 8.99 per pack / 56 diapers per pack = .16 per diaper
• Stockpile! When you find a fantastic deal on diapers, buy as many as your budget allows, in both your baby’s current size and the next size or two up! Most places allow you to exchange unopened diapers for a larger size if your baby outgrows them.
• Don’t forget to get a raincheck! If there is a spectacular sale on diapers or wipes, the stores are often out of the items at some point during the week. They may only be out of one size or scent -- get a raincheck to use later. This allows you to wait for good coupons to use with the sale.
• Keep your eyes open for information in home mailers and ads. I recently received a coupon mailer that said “Coming Soon! All New Huggies Supreme! Custom Comfort for new babies (Sizes NB, 1 & 2) with Cuddle Weave, Custom Comfort for older babies (Sizes 3, 4, 5 & 6) with Hug Flex”.
  
  This means that stores may begin putting the old models on clearance, and it's worth keeping an eye out for any deals. Diapers that are last year’s model are no less efficient than the new ones!
• Store brand diapers are perfectly fine! Many of the store brands are made by the big name diaper companies in any case, so the quality is not going to be that much different, if at all.
• Diaper Doublers: for babies who leak out of diapers overnight, they sell things known as Diaper Doublers. Most places sell a pack of 30 for around $3. These look like maxi pads without the sticky stuff on them. You can actually USE maxi pads in place of the doublers. They hold as much, if not more, and you probably already have them around the house. It's a great use for all of those free pads you get at the drugstores!
• For Huggies users, go to: www.CaregiversMarketplace.com
  They give you a $1 rebate for every jumbo pack of Huggies diapers that you buy. Save your reciepts, print the form from their website and send it in.

In-Store Savings:


Babies-R-Us/Toys-R-Us

• Get on the TRU/BRU mailing list! Simply call 1-800-869-7787 and press option 2 for any one of the "R" Us stores. Once you have selected any one of the "R" Us Stores press option 3 for the automated system. The automated system will be able to walk you through the process.
• The booklets that are mailed to you include coupons for a % off Huggies or Pampers. If you read the coupon carefully, you will see that it is 1) good on multiples of the same item, so that you can get the % off several packs at a time, and 2) can be combined with manufacturer’s coupons. You will need one MFR coupon for each package that you purchase.
• The best deals have been found on the Super-Mega boxes (not the cases, but the smaller boxes). They are regularly priced at around $21.99, so with 15% off, plus the MFR coupons, it’s a good deal!
• If you ask them nicely, they may give your % off coupon back to you to use another day. You do have to surrender your MFR coupons, though!
• TRU/BRU also has its own brand of diapers called Especially for Baby. They often have 20% off coupons for these diapers in their mailings. Most people who have tried EFB diapers have been very satisfied with the quality of the diapers!

Grocery Stores

• Take advantage of those stores that double coupons! Like every other coupon deal, combine them with a sale to maximize your savings!
• Check and see if your store will allow you to combine store coupons with MFR coupons. Kroger Upons can be combined with MFR coupons, and can result in overage!
• Ask if they accept competitor’s coupons—if one store mails you a coupon for diapers that are on sale at another store, you can increase the savings by using them both!
• Baby Clubs: Many grocery stores have them. The promotions vary, but some of the things to look for are home-mailer coupons or special Catalinas tied to your store card. Most baby clubs offer coupons off your next order for certain spending amounts. EX: My SuperFresh automatically gives a $20 OYNO of $50 or more coupon for every $200 that you spend on baby items in a quarter. This is good on ANY groceries, not just more baby items. The Publix baby club has an initial mailing of FREE coupons that include diapers.

CVS

• Has regular B1G1 50% off sales (and less frequent B1G1 Free sales) on the store brand of diapers.
• Most people who have tried the CVS brand diapers LOVE them. The CVS Cradlers and Cruisers are comparable to Huggies Supreme diapers.
• The New & Improved CVS Ultra Soft Stretch diapers with Playtime Designs appear to be identical to the New & Improved Rite Aid brand with Playtime Designs. They are manufactured by Tyco.
• You may combine CVS coupons with manufacturer’s coupons when the national brands are on sale.
• Further reduce your bill by paying for the baby items with Extra Care Bucks earned from other promotions!
• As of 9/06, they have become the exclusinve outlet for the Playskool brand of diapers, which are made by Tyco, the same company that makes most of the generic/store brands. They are reported to be similar to the CVS brand diapers, and the users are satisfied with them.

Rite Aid

• Huggies Big Pack boxes are $19.99 every day. They are in sizes 3-6. Price per diaper ranges from .192 per diaper (Size 3, 104 ct) to .249 per diaper (Size 6, 80 ct) before coupons.
• The consensus is that the Rite Aid brand diapers are exactly the same as TRU/BRU Especially for Babies store brand, and people like them. They are reported to run a little bit small. Make sure that you get the ones with Playtime Designs (newer version).
• There are Single Check Rebates on diapers several times a year. These rebates often coincide with the diapers being on sale. There are also store coupons available. Sale + coupon + SCR = cheap diapers! (EX: One recent combo had the mega packs of RA diapers for $4 each.)
• Buy ___, get $___ gift card promotions: Rite Aid often has promotions for gift or gas cards for “any items with a logo” in the ad. Diapers and wipes make frequent appearances in these promotions. It’s a great bonus for something that you have to buy anyway!
• Rite Aid also has “Try Me” promotions on their store brand diapers, in which you buy the Rite Aid brand and get a national brand free for comparison. It’s YMMV as to whether they will accept MFR coupons for the national brand half of this deal.

Target

• Target has their own home mailer or Internet coupons that may be stacked with MFR coupons. Sale + Target + MFR= Good Diaper Deal
• They also have frequent clearance on diaper packs in various sizes. Keep your eyes on the Target Clearance thread for news of these sales.
• Target has their own store brand of diapers that everyone seems to love. If you can't find coupons or a sale, they are probably a good way to go.

WalMart

• WalMart sells the big name brands at low-average prices, not great, but average.
• They do accept coupons, but Walmart is not very coupon-friendly. I wouldn't go in with a ton of coupons, because the cashiers rarely know how to handle them.
• They are the exclusive outlet for White Cloud diapers. White Cloud are lower priced ($6.97 per jumbo pack), but I think they are cute because they have the John Lennon animals on them! That's how I have decorated the nursery.

Warehouse Clubs

• They aren't always that great a deal and most of them don't accept coupons.
• Costco: The Kirkland brand diapers are really nice with a stretchy waist band just like Huggies Supreme or Pampers. See the diaper chart for Costco pricing on Kirkland diapers.

Other Stores

• Dollar General/Family Dollar: Everyday price on Jumbo Packs is $9.50 and they accept MFR coupons

Online Ordering:

Buying diapers online is not a really good deal, as I can usually get much better prices at brick & mortar stores. If you want the convenience of diapers delivered to your house, go for it!


Amazon.com

• www.amazon.com
• Slightly cheaper than 1800diapers, but not by much.
• No sales tax and free shipping!
• DO NOT accept manufacturer’s coupons
• Amazon has fairly regular promotions such as the “Buy $99 worth of baby items, get $25 gift card”

Diapers.com (Formerly 1800diapers.com)

• www.diapers.com They carry diapers, formula, wipes, and diaper bags.
• They advertise bigger boxes of diapers than those at stores like Target and Wal-Mart. There is a price comparison chart on the website, but the comparison is only for Pampers.
• They DO accept manufacturer’s coupons.
• No sales tax and free shipping!
• Can get discounts on your purchases by referring friends.

Diaper Pack Sizes:

We have a cool chart of diaper pack sizes from jumbo to club boxes and their average retail prices. These prices are averages. It would be impossible to include every permutation of every pack size across the country.

Now you can calculate your price per diaper more easily! Just click on the link below.


Click here for: Diaper Pack Sizes and Average Prices



Saving on Wipes:

• If your store doubles coupons, wait for the wipes to go on sale—they are usually 2/$5.00. Then use $1/1, .75/1 or .50/1 coupons to reduce the price.
• There was a recent $2 Huggies coupon that was good on wipes and washes in addition to the diapers. My store had the wipes on sale for $1.59, so $.40 overage on each tub.
• Look out for coupons good for $2 off or FREE wipes WYB bath & body products. Wipes are considered a bath & body product. I emailed Huggies and asked them. So buy one tub of wipes and get another free.
• Buy the smallest size! If there is a 40 pack of wipes at the store for $1.64, and you have a $1.50 coupon, that's only .14 for 40 wipes. This is better than using the $1.50 coupon on the 80 ct tub at $2.50...
• Again, combine store coupons with MFR coupons for the maximum savings. TRU/BRU runs promotions on the 400 ct boxes of baby wipes for $8.99. Buy 3 at a time, and use a $5/25 store coupon along with your MFR coupons. EX: 3 x $8.99= $26.97- $5.00 STORE CPN = $21.97 – 3 x $1.00 MFR CPNS = $18.87 or $6.32 per box or .015 per wipe!

If you want to be really motivated, try this recipe for homemade baby wipes!

- One half paper towel roll, cut cross wise
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups water
- 2 Tablespoons soap (good use for all of those cheap or free baby washes)
- One large plastic container with lid (just recycle an old commercial wipes tub)

Pour water into container and stir in soap, then put paper towel roll into container and put on lid. If you want them to be more moisturizing, you can add a tablespoon of lotion or oil to the mixture. Let it soak overnight, and then by morning, the wipes are ready. Remove the inner tube from the paper towel roll and pull the wipes from the center.

Note: the amount of water depends on how thick the paper towel roll is. The Bounty Big Roll works well for these wipes.

Antifungal Solution for Homemade Wipes:
By Millie, who has this recipe online at her Stony Mountain Botanicals site.
1/2 c. distilled water
1/4 c. vinegar
1/4 c. aloe vera gel
1 tbs. calendula oil (or baby oil)
1 drop lavender essential oil
1 drop tea tree essential oil

You can use this solution with the paper towels as above, or just use with washable cloths, like cheap washcloths.

________________________________________
Copyright 2006-2008 MrsPinecone @ HCW. Permission to quote or repost is denied.