We just had another baby! This is the 4th March baby we’ve had in the past 6 years. No, we didn’t plan it that way but that seems to be what happened! Nathan was born in March 2014, followed by Emma in March 2016, followed by Lily in March 2018 and now Caleb in March 2020.
Before Caleb arrived, I went into full nesting mode and stocked up on all the things we would need for the first couple of weeks. Little did I know how extra important it would be this time around since Caleb was born just days before everything started shutting down. I was so thankful I was already stocked up on diapers and wipes.
We’ve had 1 or 2 children in diapers for the past 6 years. When it comes to diapers? This is one area I know what I am talking about.
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Here is the amazing thing. I’m a frugal mom who is always looking for the best deals. I’ve been able to buy all the diapers we need as part of our monthly $400 grocery budget. Yes, that $400 covers groceries, cleaning supplies, toiletries and DIAPERS! For several of our kids, the budget was even lower but it still included diapers.
I am a firm believer in building a diaper stockpile to save money. I started early with Nathan was able to build a stockpile of diapers for him that cost less than $100 for all the diapers he used. If you want proof, I include a list of all the diapers I bought on this diaper stockpiling post. I go into all the details and show you exactly how to build a diaper stockpile here.
The deals have continued to change in the past years but I still believe it is possible to find good deals on diapers. How do I know this? Because I am buying diapers regularly! I know the costs and the deals. As I started stockpiling diapers for this new baby, I realized I have never done a full cost comparison to see what the absolute cheapest diapers were. I do the math mentally and have my own stock up prices, but I never took the time to figure out if my prices were the best.
How do I find good deals on diapers? I take my time and shop around and watch the deals. I know there are moms who don’t have that time – or simply don’t want to do so. If that’s you, that is just fine. If you simply want to know the cheapest diaper cost so you can go buy them? I’ve figured it out for you! I’m excited to figure this out for myself as well.
So, let’s get started and I will show you exactly how and where to find the cheapest diapers.
Note: All these prices are current as of March 2020. I will update this post regularly so it stays current.
How do I know where I can buy the cheapest diapers?
I started by making sure to get an accurate representation of all brands of diapers at stores that are widely available to most of us, regardless of where you live. Yes, prices may vary at your stores, but you can use the prices I gathered to make your own quick comparison to see if it holds up.
I compared the cost of diapers at various stores. I wanted to make sure I included most of the nationwide stores to give a good representation. The stores I compared were:
- Walmart
- Target
- Meijer
- Kroger
- Aldi
- Sam’s Club
- Costco
- Amazon
I compared the brands of diapers at each of the various stores. The diaper brands I compared were:
- Pampers
- Huggies
- Luvs
- Up & Up (Target brand)
- Comforts (Kroger brand)
- Parent’s Choice (Walmart brand)
- Little Journey (Aldi brand)
- Mama Bear (Amazon brand)
- Member’s Mark (Sam’s Club brand)
- Kirkland (Costco brand)
I also compared all the sizes of all the diapers in all the brands because I know how much prices change by the size.
Cheapest Diaper Disclaimers:
These are the every day lowest prices on diapers.
For the sake of a true comparison, I did not factor in sales. Sales can often beat the every day low price but I’ll talk more about that below.
While various brands are sold at many stores, the sizes of packages vary. Be careful to factor in the cost per diaper when comparing brands and sizes.
I know not every one likes every brand of diapers. Feel free to eliminate any rows of specific brands that you do not like to use. It will still save you money. I am thankful that my babies can wear pretty much any brand of diaper. This makes it easier for me to focus on buying the cheapest diapers. Even if you prefer a certain brand or two, these numbers should help you figure out how you can save money on whatever brands you prefer.
If you are looking for the absolute cheapest diaper, keep reading!
(You can print a free pdf file of all the charts and prices I share below.)
What is the cheapest diaper in regular package sizes?
First, I started by comparing the cost of regular diaper packs.
As you can see, the Walmart and Aldi brand are the cheapest diapers with the Kroger brand closely behind.
Are large boxes of diapers cheaper than regular diapers?
Often times, people say that buying boxes of diapers in bulk is cheaper than buying multiple regular packages. I thought that it could depend but wanted to test my theory once and for all. Here is the comparison of large boxes of diapers.
As you can see, Walmart and Aldi are still the lowest priced diapers, with Kroger and Target close behind. In some cases, buying multiple packages of diapers saves you on the cost per diaper while most times the big boxes do win.
What is the cheapest diaper in each size?
It didn’t matter the size, because the cheapest diaper at every day low prices was either the Parent’s Choice or Little Journey diapers. In some cases, it was a tie as they both had the exact same price per diaper.
Here is what I found when comparing all the factors. These are the cheapest diapers in each size, with the brand and cost per diaper.
- Newborn – Parent’s Choice or Little Journey (Regular package) – $0.10
- Size 1 – Parent’s Choice or Little Journey (Regular package) – $0.09
- Size 2 – Parent’s Choice (Regular package or big box) – $0.10
- Size 3 – Parent’s Choice or Little Journey (Big box) – $0.11
- Size 4 – Parent’s Choice or Little Journey (Big box) – $0.13
- Size 5 – Parent’s Choice or Little Journey (Big box) – $0.15
- Size 6 – Parent’s Choice (Big box) – $0.17
You can download a free printable version of my chart here with stock up prices.
How can you save the most on diapers?
Now that we know what the absolute cheapest diaper is, it is time to figure out how you can use that knowledge.
With each size, I consider that low price to be my stock up price. Since I know I can always get a diaper at that price, anything below it is my stock up price.
Here are my stock up prices per diaper.
- Newborn – $0.10
- Size 1 – $0.09
- Size 2 – $0.10
- Size 3 – $0.11
- Size 4 – $0.13
- Size 5 – $0.15
- Size 6 – $0.17
Now that I know my stock up price, I watch for sales. For example, Kroger regularly has sales where their brand of diapers are on sale for $3.29 instead of $4.29. When that happens, the Kroger diapers become cheaper than Walmart or Aldi (who do not run sales). When I see a sale that beats the every day low price, I stock up on diapers. This saves me a lot of money on diapers!
Several stores also run promotions where you can save $10 when you spend a set amount (say $40) on diapers. Using the lowest price diapers, and watching for promotions like these, allows you to lower your diaper cost as well.
This is also why it is important to know the cost per diaper instead of the cost per package. With package sizes varying between brands and bags and boxes, you want to be sure you are getting the best deal possible.
I also find a lot of good diaper deals on Amazon on various diapers. Once again, watch the cost per diaper and watch for sales and it is relatively easy to find good deals on diapers at Amazon – especially Luvs. Amazon regularly runs promotions on diapers so it is worth checking. Plus, the convenience of shopping online is worth considering! With Amazon, you can also choose the Subscribe and Save option to save more money off your diapers. Remember, you can easily cancel your Subscription after you pick up a good deal, too. If you are not a Prime member, you can sign up for a free 30 day Amazon prime trial here.
Where can I find the cheapest diapers?
To recap, you can buy the cheapest diapers on any given day at Walmart or Aldi.
If you are willing to watch and wait for sales, you can buy the cheapest diapers at Kroger with Target being relatively close behind.
Again, you can download the full chart with all my price comparisons and stock up prices here.
I hope this price comparison helps you save money on diapers!
Are you surprised by the cheapest diaper results? How do you like to save money on diapers?
You may also be interested in:
- How to Stockpile Diapers
- 17 Practical Ways to Get Ready for Baby
- The Ultimate List of Baby & Household Things to Buy Before Birth
- Everything You Need to Know about Preparing for Baby
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