The other day, I chatted with Louise and Garen, radio hosts of The Frugal Yankee. (Love their site, BTW, www.frugalyankee.com.) We were talking diapers, specifically how to save money on them. They wanted to know about the age-old question: How much can you save by going with cloth diapers vs. disposables? The answer: Hundreds if not at least $1,000 by the time your baby is out of diapers by using cloth instead of disposables–if you’re willing to do lots of laundry detail (and not use a diaper service). Forget pins and plastic pants. If I were doing it all over again, I’d definitely try out pocket and/or all-in-one reusable diapers such as Fuzzibunz (www.fuzzibunz.com) or Bummis (www.bummis.com). They take cloth diapers to a new, more convenient and doable level for a fraction of the long-term costs of disposables (which amounts to roughly $2,500 by the time your baby is diaper-free). But cloth/reusable diapers aren’t for everybody. Maybe you hate to do laundry, for example, or your baby is in daycare, in which case, you’ll need to use disposables some of the time, or your baby is prone to diaper rash. As you probably know from previous posts, disposables have done wonders for eliminating irritant diaper rashes.
Stores and Websites often put diapers on sale as "loss leaders" to induce parents to shop there, so take advantage of good deals.
In any event, here are three more ways to save on both types of diapers:
–Shop Wal-Mart and Target. You’ll find rock-bottom prices on disposable and reusable diapers at www.walmart.com and www.target.com. Don’t be afraid to try the store brand and save at least 3 cents per diaper with every change. (It adds up!)
–Visit www.drugstore.com, www.diapers.com, www.amazon.com, and www.cvs.com for good deals on name-brand and store-brand diapers (and save yourself a trip to the store) and stock up at sale time.
–Save on regular deliveries. Amazon’s Subscribe and Save program, which pops up at the checkout, offers the best deal if you sign up for regular deliveries; you can save 15 percent and get free shipping too.
What do you do to save money on diapers? Give us the poop!
I’m trying to buy a nice reliable baby stroller. Our first baby will be here in a two weeks. Got to get prepared!
Baby Trend Snap N Go Frame Carrier
I suggest the Baby Trend Snap N Go ($55). It’s a bare-bones 12-pound carrier frame that’ll do the job until your baby outgrows his infant car seat (at about a year). It’s compatible with most infant car seats so you don’t have to worry about selecting a coordinating stroller. That buys you time to figure out the type of next-stage stroller that best fits your new-baby lifestyle—whether, for example, you need something lightweight and travel-friendly or a stroller that’s rugged and outdoorsy. To use the Snap N Go, you create a stroller by snapping the seat in or resting it on the frame; always use the safety belt to secure the car seat to the stroller and the infant seat safety harness.
I think the Snap N Go makes a lot of sense as a first stroller.