A guide to stocking up diapers for the first year!!
Before your child was born, you were dreaming about holding your baby, cuddling them, making them laugh, etc. In short parental bliss.
But you soon realize that you may be unprepared especially in terms of diapers, as your baby will got through your small stock very quickly, and if you have twins or triplets it may seem like you are just endlessly changing diapers.
So to avoid the frequent visits to the store to buy diapers when your baby needs all your attention, you can stock up on diapers. Some parents stock up diapers more than they require leaving behind a stack of unused diapers.
With this article, “How many newborn diapers do I need??” we hope to help you OUT of the dilemma of being under or over prepared with diapers.
Well, we are not just here to answer just that but a lots more.
How Many Newborn Diapers Do I Need - Table of Contents
How to select between Disposable or Cloth diapers?
Before you start shopping for diapers and go overboard with the stockpiling, you need to decide what kind of diapers you prefer.
Both have their own merits and demerits, like disposable diapers are easy to use and don’t need cleaning, whereas cloth diapers may cause leakages and have to be washed after every use.
Cloth diapers may also appear to be more expensive in the beginning, but it is a one-time investment and will be much more cost effective in the long run. Cloth diapers are also safe for your baby and the environment.
You also get disposable diapers that are made from natural materials and are environmentally friendly, but these variety of diapers are usually more expensive than the regular ones.
So decide between these different types based on your budget, laundry schedule, ease of use, etc. before splurging on them from the start itself.
Decide the type first and then understand how many newborn diapers you need of the type of diaper that you have selected.
How many newborn diapers do I need??—Disposable diapers
When buying diapers you have to remember that disposable diapers come in different sizes and each brand may have some variation in sizes.
So when you are trying to decide on the size, type, and brand, one great idea is to order samples from a few brands. This way you can try them on your baby and see what best suits them.
Remember that diaper sizes are not based on age of the baby but the weight. So we have elaborated how many newborn diapers you may need based on the size to make your job easier.
*Remember the size and corresponding weights mentioned here are common standards in diaper sizes. But always check each brand sizes and corresponding weights to know which size will fit your little one’s tush comfortably.
How many newborn diapers do I need??—Newborn size
Newborn size is for babies who weigh 10 pounds or less. Remember your child will be given a stack of newborn diapers from the hospital and also as presents from the baby shower. As babies gain about 3 pounds in the very first month, babies will grow out of these diapers very quickly.
Some babies may be smaller even for the newborn size diapers. You can try the preemie size diapers for your baby till they grow into the other standard sizes.
Some other babies are chubbier than the average and may skip the newborn size diapers and move directly to size 1 diapers.
So remember that babies come in all shapes and sizes, and there are diapers available that can fit their little bums perfectly, you just need to find them.
When a baby is born, they tend to poop and pee a lot and you might go through about 8–12 diapers a day. So you will need anywhere between 200–300 newborn size diapers before they grow out of it.
So if you are planning on stockpiling, see what your baby’s weight was at birth and plan sizes accordingly.
How many newborns diapers do I need??—Size 1
Size 1 diapers are generally for babies weighing 8–14 pounds. Babies usually gain about 1.5 pounds each month, so you can plan your diaper stocks accordingly.
When babies are a few months older they tend to go through about 8–10 diapers a day and will require about 450–650 of these diapers.
If you are registering for diapers during the baby shower, it is practical to register for size 1 & 2. As you will require them the most during the first year.
But again, these sizes are weight specific. Monitor your child’s growth to understand how quickly they will move up in sizes and stockpile diapers accordingly.
How many baby/infant diapers do I need??—Size 2
Size 2 diapers are used when the baby weighs 12–18 pounds. On an average babies reach this weight anytime between 3 to 8 months.
You may need a total of about 500–600 size 2 diapers. If you have ample of space to store, then you can stockpile size 2 diapers along with size 1, as these will be used up in the first year itself.
How many baby/infant diapers do I need??—Size 3
Size 3 diapers have a wide size range, i.e. they can fit babies weighing anywhere between 16 to 28 pounds.
On an average, babies reach this size when they are about 5 to 6 months old and will outgrow this size when they are about 1.5 to 2 years old.
By the time babies reach size 3 diapers, you only need to change them 6–7 times a day. But because this size will last them a long time you will still end up using about 900–1000 diapers overall.
How many diapers do I need??—Size 4
You will not need size 4 diapers during the first year. So avoid stockpiling this size beforehand. We are including this size as well because some babies may size up quickly and may need size 4 diapers earlier than others.
Size 4 diapers fit babies weighing 22–37 pounds. Babies usually reach this size by the time they 1.5 to 2.5 years.
Babies will need to be changed about 5–6 times during this time. Therefore, you may end up using 350–450 diapers overall.
Babies are very busy at this age and tend to move around a lot. You may want to consider pant style diapers in this size to avoid accidents due to the baby’s increased physical activity.
Some parents also consider starting potty training at this age. So you need to take this into consideration before stockpiling.
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How many newborn diapers do I need??—Diaper need based on size table
*Remember age range is based on an average and your baby may be younger or older when they reach the particular weight range.
The following table is a representation based on personal experience as to ‘how many diapers do I need?’, and not a absolute value. Your baby needs may vary a bit.
Diaper Sizes | Baby Weight | Baby Age Range | Diapers Used Per Day | Total Diapers Needed |
Preemie diapers | Less than 6 pounds | Premature | As required | As required |
Newborn diapers | 10 pounds or less | First few weeks | 8–12 diapers per day | 200–300 diapers |
Size 1 diapers | 8–14 pounds | From birth to 4 months old | 8–10 diapers per day | 450–650 diapers |
Size 2 diapers | 12–18 pounds | 3 to 8 months old | 8–9 diapers per day | 500–600 diapers |
Size 3 diapers | 16–28 pounds | 5 months to 2 years old | 6–7 diapers per day | 900–1000 diapers |
Size 4 diapers | 22–37 pounds | 1.5 to 2.5 years old | 5–7 years | 350–450 diapers |
Size 5 diapers | More than 27 pounds | Older than 3 years | As required | As required |
Size 6 diapers | More than 35 pounds | Older than 4 years | As required | As required |
Age-wise monthly diaper needs table - How many diapers diapers does a baby use??
Some parents prefer to know the monthly diaper requirement rather than overall numbers to make their monthly shopping easier.
So the following table will help you in answering the question “How many newborn diapers do I need on a monthly basis??”
Baby Age Range | Diapers Used Per Day | Diaper Used Per Month |
Birth to 1 month old baby | 10–12 diapers per day | 320 diapers per month |
1 to 5 months old baby | 8–10 diapers per day | 240 diapers per month |
5 to 9 months old baby | 8–9 diapers per day | 240 diapers per month |
9 to 12 months old baby | 7–8 diapers per day | 240 diapers per month |
You will end up using anywhere between 2200 and 3000 diapers in the first year. Yikes!! That’s a lot of dirty diapers.
How many newborn diapers do I need??—Cloth diapers
If you have taken the cloth diaper route, you need buy at least 20 newborn diapers. It does seem like a lot and will also burn a hole in your pocket, but remember it is a one-time investment.
If you compare the cost of 20 cloth diapers and about 2200–3000 disposable diapers that you will need in the first year itself, cloth diapers will be significantly more cost effective.
Many cloth diapers are size adjustable so you will not have to keep buying new diapers as your baby grows. It is a one-size fits all kind of deal with cloth diapers. Some of these cloth diapers can be used even into the toddler years. That’s good news indeed.
You will have to remove the poop out immediately from these diapers, but you can wash 10 to 15 of them together in your daily laundry. Some parents prefer to buy even more cloth diapers so that they can do laundry every 2 or 3 days instead of daily. So you can adjust the amount of cloth diapers based on your laundry schedule.
You can reduce the number if you plan on doing the laundry daily, or increase the stock of cloth diapers if you plan on doing the laundry a few days apart.
Many parents, including me, use cloth diapers regularly, but prefer disposable ones while travelling and other occasions where disposable diapers become much more convenient.
Many parent even prefer to use disposable diapers during the first few months as the diaper usage will be more and the parents will be too sleep deprived and exhausted to do laundry on a regular basis. They prefer to switch to cloth diapers after the initial few months.
Some other parents prefer to use cloth diapers during the day and disposable diapers during the night to better protect from accidents.
How many diapers does a baby use??—Girls vs. boys
No matter what gender the baby is, the number of diapers they will need will be very much the same. The difference is seen mainly in terms of sizing up.
It has been observed that baby boys gain weight faster than baby girls.
On an average, boys tend to gain weight enough to shift to size 1 diapers from newborn diapers when they are 4 weeks old, whereas girls tend to gain weight enough to shift to size 1 from newborn diapers when they are 6 weeks old.
Similarly, on an average, boys shift to size 2 diapers when they are around 3–4 months old, whereas girls shift to size 2 diapers when they are around 4–5 months old.
Although the diaper usage for both girls and boys is the same on a per day basis, but some parents swear that their boys went through more diapers than their girls. Again, this will depend on whom you ask.
But boys do tend to squirt their pee on clean diapers when they are being changed. This can lead to diaper wastage. It is recommended to cover your boy with a cloth to avoid pee fountains ruining perfectly good diapers. It will keep you dry too!!
Sizing up - How do I know when to size up from newborn diapers?
Newborn diapers only fit babies who weigh 10 pounds or less. Most babies still wear newborn diapers during the first month and shift to size 1 in the second month, as babies tend to gain 3 pounds during the first month.
But this depends on the weight of your baby when they are born. If the baby weighed significantly lesser at birth, they may need preemie diapers or may need to wear the newborn diapers a little longer than the average.
On the other hand, if the baby weighed significantly more at birth, they may skip the newborn diapers entirely and directly shift to size 1 diapers.
The birth weight of your child and their subsequent growth will determine when they need to size up.
All diaper sizes have overlapping weight range, for e.g. size one fits babies weighing 8–14 pounds and size 2 fits babies weighing 12–18 pounds. So if your baby is 12 or 13 pounds it is easier to just size up.
If your baby’s skin appears red, irritated or with markings from the elastic bands of the diapers, it may to time to size up.
You should be able to fit 2 fingers in between the baby’s stomach and the diaper waistband and one finger in between the baby’s leg and the elastic of the diapers securing the legs. If you are unable to fit the fingers, then it means it is time to size up.
Too big diapers will result in leakage and too small diapers will make the baby uncomfortable and restrict their movement.
So monitor your baby’s growth and size up accordingly.
Final thoughts
“How many newborn diapers do I need” is a tough question to answer, but with this article we have tried to resolve your queries.
Don’t stock many newborn diapers as they are a common gift in baby showers and the hospital will also provide you with an armful of these diapers. It is best to stock up on size 1 and 2 diapers because these are the ones that will be needed the most during the first year.
Only if you have enough storage space, you can think of stocking size 3 diapers as well. These should be enough to get you to your baby’s first birthday.
Your baby will grow quickly, and soon diapers will become a thing of the past. But until then, “How many newborn diapers do I need” is a dilemma that you can resolve through the diaper charts provided in this article.
Thanks for the wonderful tips. I wonder how can you manage triplets. I have hard times managing a only one.
Thanks Margaret.
When going gets tough, tough gets going :):):)