Save a buck or two on baby needs

About.com has suggestions for helping save on the cost of diapers, including how to calculate the best deal. You can even have diapers (and other items) delivered directly to your door at places like diapers.com. If you go through ebates.com you can get extra savings (as en example, ebates connects you to diapers.com and you get rebate credits for your purchases). There are other sites similar to this one as well. Feel free to share your bargain tips in comments (below the post). Other specialty sites like diapers4less.com, diapersdiscounted.com, diapersite.com, diapersetc.com sell diapers online, as well as amazon.com and drugstore.com. However, when figuring the PDC for products at these sites, factor in the cost of shipping. Sometimes shipping is free with a minimum purchase. Membership club (Costco, Sam's) prices may also be very competitive, especially when they have coupon promotions.

Be sure to watch your ads and flyers for Walgreens and other stores which often promote diapers.

Print your Huggies coupons from here. If you have any Target coupons from their ad inserts, Target will accept one manufacturer's coupon and one Target coupon per item so that can save you lots of money. Freebies 2 Deals says about the Huggies deal, "Total cost as low as $5.99 per pack, plus get a $5.00 Gift Card" You can also sign up for email alerts on shopping deals on that blog.

Cloth diapers or diaper service may be high at the outset, but cost-effective over the long haul. Compare all options to find your greatest savings.

I was able to print the coupon but haven't tried the other suggestions here. If you have experience with this, please share with the other moms here. These days bargain shopping is very chic!
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Also - a salmonella warning on sausage and salami (you don't want this!) http://www.emergencyemail.org/newsemergency/anmviewer.asp?a=465&z=43

Budget-wise ideas

Click the post title or here for the step by step instructions to make your own baby wipes. More recipes and varieties here and a video here. This mom uses reusable cloth. These can be a high ticket item in these tough times. Click on the post title to see how to make them. If you're really struggling financially (and who isn't right now?) every little saving helps. (Mineral oil and baby oil are the same and available at the dollar store, along with the baby shampoo). While you're there, look for the right size airtight containers. Read here for more ideas - wipes aren't just for babies!

The dollar-store bottles of ingredients will MANY wipes. Here's a basic recipe. Some people like to add fragrance, aloe vera gel, etc. Any airtight plastic container will do. If you use the half-roll paper towels (cut the whole roll in half with a bread knife or electric knife), you can do them as a pop-up. The key is to use a really good paper towel. One that can withstand sitting in a pool of liquid for as long as it takes you to use them all up. Bounty is a good choice.

2 TBSP Baby Wash (you can choose a natural wash!)
2 TBSP Baby Oil or Mineral Oil (same thing - some prefer essential oils)
2 Cups water
Combine and pour over towels (or to refresh dried-out wipes) or put in sprayer bottle and spray onto cloth or towel when using.

The only downside is it isn't recommended that they be flushed but if you keep a covered trash container in your bathroom, it's easy enough to adjust and if you use disposable diapers, just throw them out with the diaper.

Additional cost savings? More and more people are "going green" and using cloth diapers again. This can amount to a lot of money saved and dealing with a diaper pail is not that bad. See our post on diapers for more info on the new cloth diapers available. While some feel the cost of cloth including laundering is just as high, facts indicate otherwise over the course of the pre-potty period. Savings is estimated at about $1,200 when using specialty pre-fold cloth diapers vs disposables. If you make and fold your own, savings would be greater. Cost of disposables is about $2500 (add $1000 for each year beyond age 2). Many people also claim that the convenience of disposables decreases their motivation to potty train early so they do tend to use more. ThriftyFun says, "If you sew you can get enough cloth diapers to last for 2 years for $70. Even if you don't sew, the cost for 2-3 yrs worth of high quality easy to use cloth diapers goes to between $100-300. Just to get enough to start out using cloth is as low as $30-50." Almost all estimates suggest a savings of at least 50% with cloth diapers, including laundering costs.

The new cloth diapers are different from those our mothers and grandmothers used. Google to see the wide array of pinless options if you're curious. We also invite you to share your comments on this and any blog subject.

Here's a review on an excellent cloth diaper cover from a mom who has tried several. (Click "review") She has a fun diaper cover and tote review as well. Click here.

Cloth Diapers?

If you've been considering cloth diapers for environmental causes, skin sensitivites, cost savings or any other reason you've probably realized things have changed since your mother's and grandmother's day. Granted, there's a little more work involved but more and more moms are opting for the savings and other benefits of the new "old fashioned" way of diapering. I found it was one of many economic measures that allowed me to be a SAHM and it was worth it for me. Now it's the "green" thing to do as well. Click on the post for a site that discusses costs involved in using disposables. It's a complicated issue, just as most of our environmental problems are, but something to think about. You can read more here http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2004/04/63182 and here http://www.sustainer.org/dhm_archive/index.php?display_article=vn321diapersed

"...No one can say definitively whether cloth or disposable diapers are better for the environment.

These are the facts: The average baby goes through 5,000 diapers before being potty-trained. Because 95 percent of these diaper changes are disposable diapers, most of them end up in landfills, said John A. Shiffert, executive director of the National Association of Diaper Services.

Diapers made up 3.4 million tons of waste, or 2.1 percent of U.S. garbage, in landfills in 1998 -- the last year this information was collected, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Diapers in landfills in underdeveloped countries are especially problematic because they often aren't properly disposed, and excrement leaks into the local water supply.

Moneysavingmom has shared some information online about diaper covers, miscellaneous diapers and closures. I'm sure you've noticed baby pins are "out."

I was able to buy a huge box of various cloth diapering sundries for an extremely reasonable price. This allowed me to try out several alternatives for far less than I would have paid otherwise. From the choices presented, I'm very satisfied with Pro-Raps over diaper service quality (dsq) prefolds. They are reasonably priced, durable, simple and effective. The Proraps keep a diaper firmly in place with no need for pins, and they have an extra fold on the legs to help prevent leaking. The dsq's dry quickly enough to satisfy our needs, while keeping things simpler than flats. I also have some inexpensive prefolds and there really is a difference in absorbency.

For special occasions and for going out, we have a set of Coolababy all-in-ones. Love, love, love them! These weren't cheap, but they did cost far less than comparable diapers like Fuzzi Bunz. Cute, fun and easy, and they get the job done. What more could I ask? They have removable inserts, so they dry quickly even on the line. They are truly one-size-fits-all with varying settings. They also work for nighttime in older children. It looks like they would adjust down enough to suit an average sized newborn. In spite of the versatility, they are not terribly bulky.

Finally, a Rita's Rump Pocket made from the free online pattern. It was very simple, and absolutely adorable. The elastic around the legs made it very practical and the pocket lets us add as much or as little extra padding as want to get the right absorbency. We didn't add any velcro or snaps since we'll use it in a waterproof cover. We will also be toying around with a reversible waterproof version of this - a very cute layer of flannel inside and out, with waterproof PUL in the middle.

One more thing we've tried is the wool soaker make from a thrifted wool sweater. I was rather pleased with the first, though it came out a bit too snug. I have 2 more 100% lambswool sweaters to use, so we'll stitch up a couple more and see how these work out. In that case, we'll have an excuse to try out our Snappi.

As I'm sure you can tell, I am sold on cloth diapers. I'm happy to report that most of the children are very enthusiastic too. The only ones still complaining are the ones that haven't changed a cloth diaper yet. I guess I just need to gently encourage them to do it.

Here's another variety - bumGenius

I'm adding a March of Dimes Blog posting on the same subject here. Consumer Reports has also studied this issue.