Where to Buy Diapers
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Getting a good price on diapers
December 2002
What is a ''good'' price per diaper? Are Pampers really more expensive? I know that this is a fairly simple exercise but I am always just grabbing what I need and I never remember what I paid last time. Where to buy diapers at the best price? Sources of discounts/diapers? margaret
If you have or can get a membership, Costco is the best place to buy diapers and wipes (the Kirkland wipes are great). And Costco is just a great place to shop for tons of other things too! Otherwise, The 'R Us stores and the large discount stores (Target, Wal-mart, etc.) are the best. If you want a good price, NEVER buy diapers at the supermarket! Actually, I try to never buy anything but food at the grocery store because drugstores have better prices on non-food items such as shampoo, TP or diapers. If you want an actual good price to pay, I'd say you shouldn't have to spend any more than $12.99 on a Jumbo pack of EITHER Pampers or Huggies. Hope that helps. Jennifer
I've been buying the Long's store brand during their periodic ''buy one get one free'' sales, which is, of course, half as much as their non-sale price. On sale, the cost is about 10 cents per diaper for the number 3 size (the size my son wears now), or 8 cents per diaper for the newborn size. You have to stock up because they only go on sale about every other month. This price is way, way cheaper than anything I've seen anywhere, including CostCo, and I find the quality of the Long's diapers to be just fine (just buy one or two packages first to see if you like them, before stocking up). At CostCo, you can buy Huggies for about 13 cents per diaper -- I found that Huggies leaked like crazy though, at least when my son was a newborn -- haven't tried them again since -- and you have to buy mega- quantities at CostCo, so your child may outgrow that size diaper before you use up the whole package. The brand name diapers are very expensive if you buy them anywhere but CostCo -- typically 20 to 25 cents per diaper. Pampers are the most expensive diapers you can buy (that I've seen anyway), at 25 to 30 cents per diaper. If you really love Pampers though, you can get them at CostCo for 19 cents per diaper, which is at least cheaper than you can buy them anywhere else. a single mama who obsesses about money
If you don't like to watch for sales, then Costco is a decent place to find diapers (the prices are stable and lower than grocery store non-sale prices). If you are willing to pay attention to sales and stock up when you see a good deal, then I'd recommend Safeway brand diapers. We have been happy with the quality, and on sale they cost about 17 cents each (depending on the size). I think Costco diapers were about 23 cents each last time I looked. Kathryn
I'm not sure about ''per diaper'' pricing, but Target and Costco seem to have the best deals on disposables. Target has one of the main brands on sale almost every week. And, Costco's are consistently pretty cheap, though you must buy a pretty large quantity. Alison
I almost always buy the store brand at Target. The largest package (which contains around 60-80 diapers, depending on size) is $16.99 last I recall, and the smaller size (half the number) is $8.99. They frequently go on sale. The exact same diapers are also sold as the store brand (under various names) at Safeway and other places; the last time we bought an emergency package at Safeway it was, I think, $9.99.
Huggies and Pampers are more expensive, but coupons are readily available. I get multiple copies of the same Huggies coupons in the mail regularly, as a result of being on a number of different baby marketing mailing lists under slight variations on my name. If you really prefer the brand names due to fit or some other feature, it's still best to buy them at Target or other discount store, not at the supermarket, most of the time. The price is only a dollar or two different, but when you're buying a package every couple weeks it adds up! Holly
I've always had good luck with diaper prices at Babies-R-Us. The prices are usually lower than anywhere else and they have a low price guarantee on all of their products. I just moved back to the bay area a couple of months ago, so I'm not sure on all the Babies-R-Us locations. There is one in Dublin though and is definitely worth the trip if you need to stock up on a lot of baby essentials.
In terms of brand - I found that Pampers are generally more expensive - followed by Huggies. Luvs are of equal quality but cost a lot less. Some of the store brands are super cheap but do not hold leaks very well...so you end up going through more diapers in a quicker amount of time - which is no good. I hope this helps. Candace
I stock up heavily when Safeway puts the fanciest of its own brands on sale. From a raincheck that Safeway gave me when they ran out, I see that I pay $8.99 for a package of 72 size 3 diapers. This comes out to just under 12.5 cents each. The diapers are excellent - with clothlike covers and Velcro tabs, and virtually leakproof. An employee told me they are manufactured by Huggies, and when I compared them to Huggies I had received as a gift, they were indeed indistinguishable. The only drawback is that the sales are infrequent, so you have to stock up and then hope that your child doesn't have an unexpected growth spurt! Anonymous procrastinator
My bottom-line is 15 or 16 cents per diaper. As others have noted, Costco is no longer in that range (they used to be when they stocked Kirkland brand diapers), and those cents REALLY add up when your kid is in diapers full-time.
I have gotten diapers for 15 cents each (sealed in package or box) several times from Fashion After Passion in Alameda (769-MOMS), and recently hit a sale price at Toys R Us where they had ''super mega'' boxes of their store brand on sale for some ridiculously low price. Before that, I'd done very well with the Albertsons brand of diapers in their Mega packs when they were on sale for $9.99 or $10.99 each (which they haven't been in a dog's age, sadly).
BUT of course your kid has to do well in those diapers. I'm lucky that mine did (in fact, he did better in the cheaper-priced Huggies Ultratrim than the Huggies Supreme; Customer Service at Huggies suggested that it may be the fit of the different diapers that made the difference). Some kids get rashes in the store brand diapers too.
Also consider doing cloth diapering, at least at home. I've really grown to love it. Gerber wraps have been the best for us (a friend ordered some for me through Tiny Tots), and I ordered diapers from BareWare in Canada (http://www.bareware.net/). Good luck, Jennie
Exchange unopened diapers?
8/99
In an overzealous attempt to be prepared, I bought too many size one diapers for my daughter, who has alreday outgrown them. Does anyone know of a store that will exchange an unopened size 1 Huggies 120 pack for size 2s ?(making up any difference in price, of course) Please let me know. I bought them in San Jose months ago and don't want to drive all the way back.
One way to exchange them would be at a flea market--I'm pretty sure the one at Laney College has sellers who sell disposable diapers. You could just say you will trade the person your diapers for theirs, plus a $.50 fee, or whatever you can arrange with them.
Or you might try taking them to Andronico's and saying you want to exchange them--assuming that Andronico's sells the very product you already have. I mention Andronico's because they have a very customer-friendly return policy. Or you could exchange them at Target. This idea have a small ethical problem, though, in that the stores would probably not want to do the transaction if they realized you bought them elsewhere, even though in the end they will sell your diapers anyway...and you'll probably end up shopping there even at the same time you're exchanging the diapers...which is the reason for the lenient exchange policies in the first place.... You could always call ahead to see if the stores will help you out in this way.
Or you could donate them to charity and at least get a tax break out of it, plus good knowing that you're helping people in need.
Toys R Us will take them, and I'm pretty sure that they don't even ask where you got them. K-Mart and Target both also have a very generous return policy, especially when it relates to things like baby stuff (you're going to be buying these things for three years, it behooves them to be nice to you)