Parenting is always an exciting experience, and mothers start shopping, even when the pregnancy is in the early stages.
There is no perfect answer to this question, but ideally, you should start buying diapers when the pregnancy is in the 12th week.
In this article, you will find out when to buy, how many to buy, and which size to buy for your baby?
Ultimate Guide That Every Parent Should Know
During the first few months, babies consume lots of diapers. On average, they almost consume 3000 diapers per year. So, the price can be high as well. Cloth diapers are gaining popularity, but most of the parents like the ease that disposable diapers offer. However, you save lots of money by using cloth diapers. For stockpiling, what will you do? Follow the below-given rule for saving money.
Never Pay Full Price
Here, I am not talking about second-hand diapers. I am talking about new diapers. You may find lots of diaper coupons on social media or newspaper circulars. You have to do a little bit of research. This research can help you to save money.
When Should You Start Stocking Up?
It is the question that most of the parents have in mind. People ask this question in different forums and get different answers. Those different answers confuse them. If you are going to give birth to a baby for the first time, then it would be difficult for you to choose the best diaper brand. I would not recommend you to start stocking diapers before the birth of a baby. You never know how diapers will fit because you don’t know whether the baby will be healthy or slim. You don’t know about the skin. So, how can you stock up diapers?
If you want to stock, then stock wipes. You can use wipes irrespective of the baby’s size. Some babies have sensitive skin, so while stocking wipes, be careful, and make sure that wipes are scent-free. But still, if you want to start stocking up diapers, then starts doing this when the pregnancy is in the 12th week.
How Many Diapers Per Day?
This number will vary largely because your baby will consume more diapers in the first few months.
On average, babies consume 2,800 diapers per year. So, divide this number by 365, and you can find out how much you need per day. When the baby gets older, this number starts to decrease. Some people change diapers often, and some change only a few times a day. If you are the kind of parent who uses more diapers, then you will have to buy more. Have a look at the average diaper’s consumption per day with age:
- 0 to 1 Month = 10 to 12 Diapers/day
- 1 to 5 Months = 8 to 10 Diapers/day
- 5 to 9 Months = 7 to 8 Diapers/day
- 9 to 12 Months = 6 to 7 Diapers/day
How Many Diapers in Each Size?
Now, you have an idea of how much you need to buy for the first year. This question is tricky because size depends on the baby’s size, and before birth, you don’t know about the size. Some people use size one for their newborn, and when the baby reaches one month, they switch to size three. Based on the result of a survey, you can estimate how many diapers you should buy in each size.
For a newborn baby, I would suggest buying two large boxes because I think your baby will be in newborn size for at least a month. In case you feel the size is getting smaller, then you can exchange that pack and get a pack of size one. A newborn normally consumes 10 diapers per day, so you need 300 newborn diapers.
You will need a size one diaper when the baby is three months or younger. So if a baby consumes 8 diapers per day, then for two month’s stock, you will have to buy 480 size-one diapers.
When your baby is in between four to six months, you need size two diapers. Your baby will consume 7 to 9 diapers per day. So on average, for three months, you need to buy 720 size-two diapers.
Your baby will use size three diapers for three or months. There is a possibility that you might have to use size three diapers for five months. On average baby consumes 6 diapers per day. So for five month’s stock, you need to buy 800 to 900 size-three diapers.
Most people use size four diapers when their baby is in between 7 months to a year. During this period, babies consume 4 to 5 diapers per day. So, I would recommend buying 720 size-four diapers.
Size five, only a few people responded about size five because they feel their babies are potty trained when they reach up to the age of two years. I wouldn’t recommend to stock size-5 diapers.
Conclusion
When to start buying diapers while pregnant? No one can answer this question perfectly. However, you can make rough estimates. Ideally, you should start buying diapers when pregnancy is of 12 weeks. It is better to stock wipes instead of diapers. You never know the size of a baby. So it can be better to purchase diapers after the birth of a baby. This number will be different. So while stocking up diapers, keep the above-given averages in mind.
Start from newborn size, and you can purchase up to step six. Don’t need to buy too many diapers for step 5 and six because there is a possibility that your baby might get potty trained.
If you want to save money, you can buy cloth diapers. Cloth diapers can be your future investment as well because cloth diapers can be used for the next baby. So when you are thinking about stocking up diapers, read this ultimate guide. It can help you to buy the exact number that your baby will consume in the future.