written by Ashley L
Welcoming a new baby into your family can be an exciting, but overwhelming experience. They definitely take a toll on your finances!
One way to shave off that excess stress is to prepare ahead of time. Try to stock up on the essentials prior to baby’s arrival. My advice would be to try not to stock up too much on diapers since that is usually a staple item for baby shower gifts and diaper parties.
Wait until after these are done to buy the sizes you think you will need. Paying around $0.10/diaper for the smaller sizes and $0.15/diaper for the larger sizes is ideal (using coupons of course!). Definitely keep an eye on clearance bins as diaper packaging changes often, and they will put the “old” ones in these bins. The average size of a baby at birth is 7.5lbs, and the average baby doubles their weight in 6 months, so you shouldn’t need more than a size 2 or 3 for the first few months of your baby’s life.
Not all baby’s are the same, so keep in mind that these calculations are based on national averages:
Assumptions:
Changing an average of 10 diapers a day
Baby gaining 0.5lbs per week
Starting at a weigh of 7 lbs
First Four Months
Newborn size: 2-3 packs (most babies can go straight into a size 1)
Size 1: 840 diapers needed to get to 14lbs
Size 2: 560 diapers needed to get to 18 lbs
5 months to 12 months
*baby’s growth slows to about 1lb every 3 weeks based on studies*
Average diaper change is 6 per day
Average 1-year-old is approximately 21lbs.
Assumption: you should be able to use Size 3 diapers for the 5 month to 12 month period.
Size 3: 1,512 diapers needed to get to 28lbs- 56-62 jumbo packs
Total diapers needed in the first year: 2,912
If you are paying $0.10/diaper = $291.20
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Thanks Ashley, for writing this article for our readers!
For more tips on Saving on Baby Expenses, CLICK HERE
~ Ruth Ann
That's great thanks!