Keeping it Simple! Diapers

Family & Parenting, Family Money Saving Tips, Money & Finance, Parenting

Avoid clutter and keep things simple. Discover what you really need to take care of your new little one’s diapering needs and what you don’t.

Babies come with a lot of stuff that they need. That doesn’t mean you have to suddenly find your life overrun with diapers, loud toys, and sippy cups. There are some things that you need and quite a lot that you don’t (but that ads and Pinterest will claim you do!).

Diapers are a necessity unless you wish to follow the no-diaper movement. Wipes and diaper rash ointment go along with this, but you can leave the wipe warmer on the shelf.

In this post, I’ll go over the bare necessities to save you both space and money when it’s time to pick out your diapering needs.

Diaper Necessities

Diapers (Cloth or Disposable)
Wipes
Diaper Rash Cream
System for Handling the Stinky Stuff!

Diapers

Diapers are one of the basic necessities of having a baby. There are many different brands and types available. The most common are disposables (Huggies, Pampers, etc.) and cloth diapers.

We chose to go mainly with cloth diapers for a few reasons:

in the long run, they are less expensive
they help lower the amount of trash in landfills (yay for going green!)
and they are absolutely adorable! Cloth diapers have come a long way over the years and the modern snap variety allows you to tailor the size to your child (no more outgrowing diapers before they get used up!).

There are 2 parts to them: the shell which is waterproof and the liner which absorbs the moisture and pulls it away from your baby’s skin. We opted for a third piece, bamboo liners, which allows us to throw any poop away and not have to rinse off the liners (that gets messy if you’ve ever tried it). Overall, it’s a great system and I count myself thankful to not have to buy diapers every week.

We do keep some disposables on hand for when we take long trips (2 nights or more) so that we don’t have to do diaper laundry while on the road. If you go this route, be aware that you may need to try a couple different brands if your baby’s skin is sensitive. Depending on how much your baby is on the move, you may need to try different styles as well. Once you find a brand and style that work, it’s best to stick with them. To lower costs, if you are an Amazon Prime member, you can save up to 20% on diapers through Amazon by subscribing to have them delivered at regular intervals. Just make sure that you’re still saving over picking them up at your local big box store since Amazon isn’t always less expensive.

Wipes

Just like with diapers, wipes have come a long way and changed over the years. The most common ones are unscented disposables but if you are willing, you can also use thin washcloths and just wash them with the diaper liners. In our case, we went with disposables here because I don’t enjoy laundry quite that much. Every baby is different so try to find a brand and type that works for you without irritating your little one’s sensitive skin. Once you do, I highly recommend buying them in bulk so that you never have to worry about running out. It also makes it cheaper. Check Amazon and your local big box store to ensure you’re getting the best deal.

Diaper Rash Cream

You change your little one’s diaper religiously every 2 hours and make sure that they don’t sit in a dirty diaper for long so why do you need diaper rash cream? Simple. No matter how observant you are or how non-sensitive your baby’s skin may seem, at some point you’ll be looking at an upset baby with bright red sensitive skin in their diaper area. That is not the time to want to run out and pick some up. We keep Desitin Daily Defense on hand for minor irritation and it’s worked well for us. It’s not expensive so even if you only use it once in a while, it’s better to have it handy than need it and not have it.

System for Stinky Stuff!

No matter what diapers or wipes you use, you’ll need a way to handle the waste and you’ll want it to be handy. There is nothing worse than not having a place to toss a poopy diaper while your little angel is trying to put their hands, feet, and anything else they possibly can into it. We opted for hanging a hook on the wall right next to our changing station. This lets us hang a bag for the waste to be thrown out along with a wet/dry bag for the cloth diapers. If you’re breastfeeding, you’ll notice that it’s not overly noxious but once they start on solids or drink formula, you’ll want to make sure that you can either dispose of them quickly. A small trash can can also work for this purpose. We avoided the specialty diaper disposal systems because they are pricey and require that you keep buying ‘bags’ to refill them. If you have a baby, you’re almost guaranteed to have a million plastic bags already laying around. Put them to good use.

Conclusion:

While it’s not the most fun part of having a baby, diapers are still a necessary evil. As you can see, however, they don’t have to cost a fortune or take over your home. If you decide to go with cloth diapers, it can even be fun picking them out. My favorite diaper has adorable green dragons on them!

Do you have any must-haves for diapering your baby? Please leave a comment below!